Gustav Closing In
Thank you for all of your prayers and support. We are in our final stages of preparations. Looks like it is headed our way. We are trusting God to bring us through. Although it may be difficult, we trust that we will be stronger at the end.
Already it is incredible to watch the army of God move into action to help in any way they can.
Please continue to pray for us.
Blessings,
Cheri
Gustav Preparations
Hello everyone,
I really had hoped that we would never have to be preparing for another storm, but that is where we find ourselves today. Healing Hands ministry acquired our first unit as a direct result of several churches and people seeing the need for mobile medical units to respond to disasters. Of course, we have not had our units idle just waiting for another storm. We use them to serve our community at least 3 times each month.
Today we began, and tomorrow we will complete, the transformation from local campus mobile clinics to stocking our units to prepare for disaster relief. We will even temporarily turn our dental unit into a medical unit that will be capable to travel to whatever region may require assistance. Our units each have large capacity generators that can supply power for other relief efforts as well. This is what we planned ahead for, praying that we would never actually have to use them for this type of service. We still pray for the best, but are planning for the worse.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all those people who made it possible for us to acquire Ele (our medical unit) 3 years ago. We have used it to bless so many people over the last almost 3 years.
I will try my best to keep you informed if we are called to respond through this blog. You can also follow more timely updates by following me on
www.twitter.com/cleblancmd
Our first relief effort will begin Sunday as
Healing Place Church opens our doors to be a rest area for those evacuating from the coast. Please click on the link above to find out more.
Blessings,
Cheri
Table before the Lord
For two of our clinic outreaches up in the mountains of Honduras we had to prepare our own lunch and pack it with us as there were no restaurants around or prepared food for us...so we thought. In the photo above Charis is very happily showing off a plate of food. But, this was no ordinary food!
As we arrived in Paradise, Honduras we all got ready to serve and minister to the people of this small and remote village up in the mountain. We expected to eat our sandwiches with only a small break during our outreach. However, something amazing happened that I would call a miracle of giving. A lady from the local village who is pictured in the background of the photo above did something for us that we never expected. She had prepared a home cooked meal with the best ingredients she could acquire and served each and everyone one of us from her best serving ware.
As I looked around I noticed that none of the plates matched. With a humble heart and a humble spirit this lady served us the best tasting beans and tortillas I had ever eaten. I believe in life we mistakenly go through all the trouble to prepare the trappings of what is presented (matching plates, etc.) instead of focusing on what is really being presented.
We are merely vessels to be poured out for others in Christ. As I sat there with tears in my eyes I heard a soft still voice say, "the table I have prepared for you is far greater than any you could prepare for yourself". The Lord had prepared a table for us before Him. He did not do it with a a lot of fanfare or excitement. Instead He used the service of this lady to touch each and everyone of our hearts in a humble and powerful way.
I cannot say what it will look like to be seated at the banquet table before the Lord of Lords and King of Kings one day...but it may very well look like the photo above! All of us with smiles on our faces, a gladness in our spirit, and thankfulness in our hearts!!!
Because He LIVES,
Joseph LeBlanc
