Blair Hope International

January 18, 2010

MILES & ROSEMARY Survived the QUAKE!!!

To all our Friends, family & supporters

Thank you all for your prayers, during our recent trip to Haiti. We are home safe, arrived yesterday about noon. Our reports are that our schools in the Jacmel, Raymond areas are OK. The orphanage and everyone in it are OK.

There is so much devastation, so many died. But it could have been so much worse. If it had happened at night when everyone was inside in bed, so many more would have died. Millions of people are still living outside in any open area. They are forcasting after shocks and possibly another big one for the next 2 months. People don't dare go in their homes. All grocery stores in Port Au Prince except the one we were in,were totally flattened. GOD HAD HIS HAND ON US!

We arrived in Haiti at around 2pm. We were at the grocery store, picking up supplies before heading to Jacmel, when the QUAKE hit. Things started shaking and falling of the shelf at our feet. Pastor Placide was with us and ran for the door. He fell and it took him a few seconds to get back up. In this 10 seconds, something huge fell off the roof and landed where he would have been had he not fallen.

I (Rosemary) was about 15ft from Pastor Placide and then Miles and Murray Moore were together about 15ft from me at the back of the store. When things started shaking, I was frozen. I was waiting for things to stop moving. Things piled up at my feet and then knocked me down. I was off my feet and holding on to a shelf on either side of me to keep them from falling on me. I just kept saying JESUS, JESUS, JESUS, JESUS. Things were piling up on me. Miles yelled for me to "GET UP". Then Murray pulled this wooden thing off me and helped me get up. I was still just standing there. Miles yelled at me to "RUN" So I did. There were broken bottles, glass and debris about knee deep. I had sandals on my feet. I kept saying JESUS,JESUS,JESUS. When we got out I had a tiny cut on my toe and a little scrape on my ankle. PRAISE GOD! The building was 3 stories when we went in, and only barely 2 stories when we came out.

Our truck had been parked up to the building and was hit by something off the roof, crushing about 1/3 of it. But by some miracle it still worked. I came out to the road and a small Haitian woman came to me. She was covered with dust and had about half of her forearm hanging off and about half of her big toe was mangled. I grabbed a clean towel from out of the truck and wrapped her arm. Then everybody said, we've got to get out of here. We started off running, then the driver came with our truck, and picked us up. We started heading out of the city, but couldn't get through. So many bridges were not safe.

We spent the night on the side of the road out side of PORT AU PRINCE. We were surrounded by people all covered in dust. There were constant aftershocks. Everybody, us and the Haitians, were PRAISING GOD JUST TO BE ALIVE!

We could not go into the mountains as they were not safe. There were blockages all through the mountains and no vehicles could get through. The next morning, we parked the truck and abandon our luggage. A man stored it for us in another vehicle on his land. We started walking. We would take a motorbike a ways, and then come to a blockage and have to walk again. All the phones were down. We kept going and finally got to Jacmel. It took us several more hours to get to where we could email someone to let them know we were OK. We spent the next 3 days outside as no one trusted any buildings. Food was already scarce. We ate as little as possible. We did not want to take food from those who were so much worse off than us.

We met some other missionaries and were priviledged to go with them to bring some food and water to some people in the neighbourhood. We gave them food and water and then worshipped with them and shared the gospel. About 13 people of a family group of about 30 received Jesus. PRAISE GOD!!!

People from Canada started emailing us and telling us they were praying for us, then told us if we could get to the CANADIAN EMBASSY, the Military would get us out of the country. We had sent funds to our bank in Haiti, but it was damaged so they couldn't open the bank and get our funds to do anything. So we decided to come home. We ended up doing the same thing to get back to Port au Prince, taking motor bikes and walking.

The Canadian Military were so wonderful. The RED CROSS met us in Montreal, gave us blankets, food vouchers and put us up for the night, then booked us on a flight for Fredericton. A bunch of poele met us at the airport with lots of hugs, kisses, crying and praising God. We are so glad to be home safe. But can not stop thinking of an praying for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

While we did not end up doing much of the things we went to Haiti to do, we felt the hand of God on us. We have heard reports from so many folks who would not normally be praying, saying they were praying. God uses all things together for His good. When people pray, God moves. When people pray, they feel God, and want more. Hallelujah! I came back to the Lord after felling a need to pray about something I had no control over, and the rest, as they say is history! Pray God uses these prayers to bring unsaved family & friends to Him. It is all about Jesus, none of it is about us!!!!

We are working hard to raise funds to go back to Haiti to help with EARTHQUAKE RELIEF. CIDA will match any donations made by an individual, not a corporation or a business, up to $100,000 per donation. You can goin on our website to do donations or contact us directly at 506 452-2989 or 506 470-8427

Take care and God Bless,

Miles & Rosemary Blair
BLAIR HOPE INTERNATIONAL INC.

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