November Sojourn: Sean and Erin Dawson

From the beginning, we could feel God’s hand on our trip, blessing it! Even before we left, He provided for us in unexpected ways. We had felt a little intimidated by some of the things Shane had asked us to do in the Dominican, but we also rested in the fact that this was God’s trip, and He would be strong in our weakness.

We immediately knew that William Gomez was going to be a great asset to our trip. He was such a joy to be around, and sacrificed so much of his time for us- even lending us his vehicle when he had to be out of town! It was amazing to just show up, and watch God do all the things we felt incapable of. One thing that Shane had asked us to do, was to bring reconciliation between William and Alex, two key people involved in the Children’s Home project. Sean and I are both introverts, and had no idea where to even begin! We told William twice that we wanted to get together with Alex, and he arranged it as soon as he could. Within a couple of days of them being together again, they had set aside their differences, realizing that they both had the same desire- to see the children’s home running, and helping some needy kids! William told us he was glad we came, because it got them back together.

We were able to spend quite a bit of time with Alex and Elizabeth, working and having fun. They are a wonderful couple, doing great work in the Dominican, and they clearly love the Lord with their whole heart. Alex built a chicken house for the children’s home (with Sean’s help), and spending time at the property seemed to renew his passion for the project.

William put us in contact with a pastor from a Haitian village near Sosua. The pastors name is Salvador, and he has deep love for the Lord, and the people in his village. The problem is, the village is extremely poor, and even Salvador is struggling to survive. He has no roof on his house, so he has to rent a house to live in while he fixes his house up. The rent monopolizes his income, and he is unable to fix his house. We asked him how much it would cost to put a roof on his house, and he said it would cost 12000 pesos- about $500 Canadian. We were able to help him with about half of what he needed. If he can finish his house enough to move in, he will have more time to spend with the people in his village, and accomplish his goals for his church. There is a lot of need there. We want to help him more in the future.

We were sad to leave, because it felt like we have a new family in the Dominican, and we have truly missed them since we’ve been back in Canada. We will definitely be returning in the next year or two, because it feels like they are now a part of us, and we are incomplete without them. I remember wishing we could stay, and that Canada could be just over the mountain by Santiago, instead of a 10 hour flight away. We missed our family in Canada, but also felt like there was so much more left to do.

We strongly encourage anyone interested, to go. It will change you in ways you won’t expect, and you will love the people as soon as you meet them. We are looking forward to what God has planned for this project in the future!

Sean and Erin Dawson

Shane in China

Well I said that I would get you a report of what I did in China, and here it is...

The reason for the trip was twofold. First, because of a master degree I am taking in intercultural and international communication, there was a three week residency to complete. The second reason was to visit a relative of family friends in Canada. This man has an orphanage near Biejing. We talked about partnering with each other in his work there.


My first 5 days was spent in Beijing in a ministry to handicapped children who have been taken in. There were about 40 children in a few locations, all being cared for my a national staff. The plan was to eventually bring these children to the countryside and teach them to live and function as well as possible. The second plan is to teach parents of handicapped children that there is hope for their children, and that there are many possibilities for them to lead fulfilled lives.

The next segment of my experience in China was to travel to Jinan, Shandong province, and attend university classes at Shandong Normal University. My cohort of 28 students went to classes from 9 am to 5 pm daily, and excursions to historical/cultural sites on Saturdays. For many of us it was almost information overload after awhile. We learned things about many different segments of Chinese cultural differences. We also spend extended periods of time with assigned "buddies' while we were at the university. My buddy's name was Goa yo, better known as "Hier."

Please take some time to look at the video's and photo's that I have uploaded...

Stay tuned for reports about the November Sojourn to the Dominican Republic, the next sojourn in January, and a great need in Haiti...

A Quick note from China

Dear Friends and Family. I am sitting in the Huaxing Hotel (prounounced wo-shing da-shaw in Mandrin). China is different. It is not what I expected. There is more freedom here than you might imagine. Communism has softened and there is a sense of optimism here.

I watched one of a four part series about China, produced by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company), called "China Rises." it is all about the changes that are underway in China. It is a sleeping giant in the world. It has the power to dialogue with other nations from a level playground for the first time. People here are bursting with national pride, a spillover form the Beijing olympics. The economy is growing, and this country of 1.3 billion plus is outpacing Canada and the United States. It is China that is a big part of propping up the United States in this world financial crisis (This information is just from the documentary made by canadians). I see the reality of those claims in the cities and towns that I have visited here.

The young people speak English here by the droves. The high schools and universities are full of english classes. Last week we toured a highschool with 5300 students from grades 10-12. Almost every class we visited was being taught to students who spoke English, or the instruction was in English. It was spellbinding... and telling... Until recently students were required to attend classes from 7:10 am until 9:00 p.m. 6 days per week. This has been changed because young people are becoming globalized and expect to learn at the same rate as other national students (this was my impression).

There is so much to tell... and I guess that this "note" has turned into a bit more than that.

I attended an Christian church today. It was about 800-1000 people crammed into a medium sized church building. If you can believe it, we were singing old hyms (American/Canadian/Englishin.. etc) Mandrin (of course). It was a very traditional church. I also was treated to lunch with my Chinese friend "Hier" by the international fellowship coordinator.

All is well... I will--God willing--be home in about a week. I miss my family...

In His hands,

Shane

Mother, Daughter Head to Storm-Ravaged Haiti

See video footage:
Bay News 9 Flooding in Haiti

A Montgomery woman and her mother, who helped establish a school in the town of Coco Beach, Haiti, plan to leave Tuesday to film a documentary about the school and the daily struggles of the people in the small town.

Their travel plans have not changed despite Hurricane Ike, the latest major storm to rake the island recently. But the purpose of their visit has changed dramatically.

"Initially we were just going strictly to film footage for a small documentary on the school, but because of the storm we've changed what we're doing," said Stephanie Reynolds, who along with her mother, Anne, started "All Children Are Children," the only school in the rural Haitian community.

Now they will be filming the massive devastation on the island and offering as much aid as they can, Reynolds said.

They plan to leave from Montgomery for Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday -- they will take a commercial flight from there to Port Au Prince, the capital city. They will then take a charter plane to Cap Haitian, near Coco Beach -- but all that depends on the weather and the devastation on the ground.

"We're scheduled to leave Tuesday," she said, "and we still plan on going."

Forecasts show Ike off the southwest coast of Florida on Tuesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, officials said the death toll in Haiti from the four storms that have hit the country in less than a month stands at more than 300.

President René Préval called the state of the nation a "catastrophe."

Some estimate that as floodwaters recede it will reveal the real damage of Tropical Storm Hanna, which pummeled the island with rains last week. Many fear the toll will be worse than that of Hurricane Jeanne, which killed more than 3,000 in Haiti in September 1994.

The Reynoldses will be travelling with five members of Bedouins International, a non-profit organization based in Birmingham. The group will include a photographer and a camera crew.

"They will be there to help us physically but also to document our efforts," Reynolds said.

The storms of the past three weeks have already stalled one phase of their effort -- a container they packed in Montgomery with food, medical supplies and other essentials was shipped weeks ago so that it would be there in time for their arrival.

Reynolds said the last she heard, the container is still in Nassau, Bahamas because of the bad weather, and she does not think the supplies will be there by Tuesday.

Reynolds said crowding and shelter for her party are big concerns. They are booked at a hotel in Cap Haiti, which is about an hour and a half from Coco Beach. But they don't know what they will find.

Thousands of people have fled the city of Gonaives, one of the hardest hit areas. As many as 10,000 have walked miles, wading through dirty floodwaters to try to reach Cap Haiti, according to a news release from Daniel Rouzier, Haiti chairman of Food for the Poor.

"We all heard people are fleeing Gonaives and coming to Cap Haiti for shelter and there is not enough for everyone and that's what we're concerned about," Reynolds said.

She said friends in Haiti have said the conditions are terrible.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report

Haitians flee Gonaives before Ike reaches the island

A woman holding a baby wades through a flooded street as a soldier works after Tropical Storm Hanna hit the area in Gonaives, Haiti, Friday, Sept. 5, 2008. Hanna has killed at least 137 people in Haiti. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Sunday, 07 September 2008

Jonathan M. Katz - The Associated Press

GONAIVES, Haiti -- Hundreds of people fled this waterlogged city Saturday for higher ground as powerful Hurricane Ike threatened to unleash heavy rain and compound a disaster caused by a previous storm. Food was distributed to famished residents, including to emaciated inmates at the local jail. With a tropical storm warning issued Saturday for Gonaives and other parts of Haiti, some residents climbed on top of cars to reach the second floor of their homes, where they had piled up furniture and spread sheets to provide shade, said Holly Inurreta of Catholic Relief Services. "We are very concerned about Ike," she said. "Any bit more of rain and Gonaives will be cut off again." Police Commissioner Ernst Dorfeuille told The Associated Press on Saturday that a news report the previous evening that quoted him as saying 495 bodies had been found in Gonaives from Tropical Storm Hanna was completely wrong. He told AP there were 32 confirmed deaths in this city on Haiti's west coast from the storm that hit on Monday. Ike, a Category 4 hurricane, was expected to skirt northern Haiti late Saturday and Sunday. Wesley Sijuen, a 28-year-old father of twins and a 3-year-old son, trudged through heavy mud with seven of his relatives to reach a convent at a nearby mountaintop. His brother-in-law, 28-year-old Jean Emmanuel, said numerous Haitians were fleeing Gonaives. "Everyone is trying to save themselves," Emmanuel said. One gray-haired woman left on the back of a motorbike, balancing a bucket of silverware, glasses and other kitchen items on her head. In the city, U.N. peacekeepers and aid workers delivered high-energy biscuits and water to famished residents, many of whom had not eaten since Monday. At least 40,000 people remained in emergency shelters. "What I saw in this city today is close to hell on earth," U.N. envoy Hedi Annabi said as he toured the region on Saturday. Dozens of children raised their hands and ran after U.N. food trucks that rumbled through the damp streets of Gonaives. "Hungry! Hungry!" they yelled. The water in many neighborhoods has receded from about 10 feet high to knee deep. Food also was brought to hungry inmates at the local jail, several of whom had deep-set eyes, protruding ribs and labored breathing. "We haven't eaten since the storm," said 32-year-old Sylvin Renold, who had been arrested on theft charges. Marie-Alta Jean Baptiste, director of the civil protection department, said three more bodies were found, raising the confirmed death toll from Hanna in Haiti to 166. Some 119 of the deaths have occurred in the province surrounding Gonaives. In Cap-Haitien, Haiti's second-largest city, authorities were trying to move thousands of people into the few shelters in the northern coastal town, said Father Duken Augustin. "Please say a prayer for us," he told a reporter. "People are really, really, really scared." The U.N. World Food Program said Saturday that successive deadly storms have displaced hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed scores of homes and plantations. "WFP has first-rate logistics, and this storm system is putting us to the test," said Myrta Kaulard, WFP Representative in Haiti. U.S. Coast Guard crews expected to deliver up to 35 tons of supplies including rice, beans and water on Saturday. The U.S. Southern Command diverted the amphibious USS Kearsarge from Colombia to Haiti. The ship should arrive Sunday and has a medical unit with 53 beds. • Associated Press writer Danica Coto contributed from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Haitians flee Gonaives before Ike reaches the island

A woman holding a baby wades through a flooded street as a soldier works after Tropical Storm Hanna hit the area in Gonaives, Haiti, Friday, Sept. 5, 2008. Hanna has killed at least 137 people in Haiti. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Sunday, 07 September 2008

Haitians flee Gonaives before Ike reaches the island

Jonathan M. Katz - The Associated Press

GONAIVES, Haiti -- Hundreds of people fled this waterlogged city Saturday for higher ground as powerful Hurricane Ike threatened to unleash heavy rain and compound a disaster caused by a previous storm. Food was distributed to famished residents, including to emaciated inmates at the local jail. With a tropical storm warning issued Saturday for Gonaives and other parts of Haiti, some residents climbed on top of cars to reach the second floor of their homes, where they had piled up furniture and spread sheets to provide shade, said Holly Inurreta of Catholic Relief Services. "We are very concerned about Ike," she said. "Any bit more of rain and Gonaives will be cut off again." Police Commissioner Ernst Dorfeuille told The Associated Press on Saturday that a news report the previous evening that quoted him as saying 495 bodies had been found in Gonaives from Tropical Storm Hanna was completely wrong. He told AP there were 32 confirmed deaths in this city on Haiti's west coast from the storm that hit on Monday. Ike, a Category 4 hurricane, was expected to skirt northern Haiti late Saturday and Sunday. Wesley Sijuen, a 28-year-old father of twins and a 3-year-old son, trudged through heavy mud with seven of his relatives to reach a convent at a nearby mountaintop. His brother-in-law, 28-year-old Jean Emmanuel, said numerous Haitians were fleeing Gonaives. "Everyone is trying to save themselves," Emmanuel said. One gray-haired woman left on the back of a motorbike, balancing a bucket of silverware, glasses and other kitchen items on her head. In the city, U.N. peacekeepers and aid workers delivered high-energy biscuits and water to famished residents, many of whom had not eaten since Monday. At least 40,000 people remained in emergency shelters. "What I saw in this city today is close to hell on earth," U.N. envoy Hedi Annabi said as he toured the region on Saturday. Dozens of children raised their hands and ran after U.N. food trucks that rumbled through the damp streets of Gonaives. "Hungry! Hungry!" they yelled. The water in many neighborhoods has receded from about 10 feet high to knee deep. Food also was brought to hungry inmates at the local jail, several of whom had deep-set eyes, protruding ribs and labored breathing. "We haven't eaten since the storm," said 32-year-old Sylvin Renold, who had been arrested on theft charges. Marie-Alta Jean Baptiste, director of the civil protection department, said three more bodies were found, raising the confirmed death toll from Hanna in Haiti to 166. Some 119 of the deaths have occurred in the province surrounding Gonaives. In Cap-Haitien, Haiti's second-largest city, authorities were trying to move thousands of people into the few shelters in the northern coastal town, said Father Duken Augustin. "Please say a prayer for us," he told a reporter. "People are really, really, really scared." The U.N. World Food Program said Saturday that successive deadly storms have displaced hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed scores of homes and plantations. "WFP has first-rate logistics, and this storm system is putting us to the test," said Myrta Kaulard, WFP Representative in Haiti. U.S. Coast Guard crews expected to deliver up to 35 tons of supplies including rice, beans and water on Saturday. The U.S. Southern Command diverted the amphibious USS Kearsarge from Colombia to Haiti. The ship should arrive Sunday and has a medical unit with 53 beds. • Associated Press writer Danica Coto contributed from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Hurricane Gustav hits Haiti, drives up oil prices

By JONATHAN M. KATZ Associated Press 2008-08-27 03:47 AM
Hurricane Gustav barreled into Haiti on Tuesday, toppling trees, dumping rain and sending global fuel prices soaring on fears the storm could become "extremely dangerous" when it reaches the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane roared ashore with top sustained winds near 90 mph (145 kph) at about 1 p.m. EDT, 10 miles (16 kms) west of the city of Jacmel and 40 miles (65 kms) from the capital of Port-au-Prince. Heavy rains pelted the area, bending palm trees and kicking up surf along waterfronts of dilapidated wooden buildings. "If the rain continues, we'll be flooded," U.N. consultant Jean Gardy said from the southeastern town of Marigot. Patrice Tallyrand, 43, fled with his family to a friend's home after Gustav knocked down four trees in their backyard in the southern town of Kabik. "We had to leave the house before it got worse," he said. Hundreds of people in coastal Les Cayes ignored government warnings to seek shelter, instead throwing rocks to protest the high cost of living in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country. Oil prices shot up $5 a barrel Tuesday after the National Hurricane Center predicted Gustav could enter the gulf as a major hurricane this weekend. Prices of futures in natural gas, heating oil and gasoline also shot up. U.S. gasoline prices could rise by 10 cents a gallon ahead of Labor Day weekend if Gustav continues on this path, according to James Cordier, president of Tampa, Florida-based trading firms Liberty Trading Group and OptionSellers.com. "Most indications are that Gustav will be an extremely dangerous hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean Sea in a few days," the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. Forecasts often shift significantly as a storm develops, but projections suggested Gustav could slice along the south coast of Cuba and grow into a perilous Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph (190 kph) winds before entering the central gulf on Sunday. That could force shutdowns on the offshore rigs that account for a quarter of U.S. crude production and much of its natural gas. Royal Dutch Shell PLC said it could begin evacuating workers as soon as Wednesday. Projecting even further out, Accuweather.com said Gustav could grow into a Category 5 storm if it passes through the Yucatan Channel and enters the Gulf's warmer-than-usual waters. Hurricane Katrina struck three years ago this weekend as a Category 5 after shuttering most of the gulf's oil and natural gas production. The U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had been expecting a direct hit, but later forecasts suggested the fiercest winds and rain will pass offshore. Base spokesman Bruce Lloyd said they were preparing for emergencies in any case. In Haiti, the brunt of the storm appeared initially to have spared the capital, where businesses closed early and workers rushed home holding umbrellas, bags and boxes over their heads against the rain. "I'm not too happy about it because I needed to get paid today," Darlene Pierre, 22, grumbled as she left a textile factory. At Port-au-Prince's airport, stranded travelers mobbed the American Airlines counter, desperate to rebook tickets after the airline canceled all flights. "I knew it was coming, but I was hoping to be out before it came," said Jody Stoltzfus, a 27-year-old missionary who had planned a visit home to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Haiti is particularly vulnerable to storms because so much of its land has been stripped of vegetation. Flooding killed more than 100 people in Haiti and scores in the neighboring Dominican Republic last year. In 2004, Tropical Storm Jeanne killed some 3,000 people in the Haitian city of Gonaives alone. Tropical Storm Fay killed 23 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic this month. Nearly all drowned in flooded rivers. In Jamaica, officials alerted shelters to prepare for possible evacuations Wednesday, and Carnival Cruise Lines diverted one of its ships from Montego Bay, Jamaica, to a Mexican port, company spokesman Vance Gulliksen said. Other cruise lines were closely tracking Gustav's path. Fay's remnants delivered heavy rain and winds from Georgia to Louisiana, and Floridians were still mopping up floodwaters from the storm, which made a historic four landfalls in Florida, dumping more than 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain. In Mexico, Tropical Depression Julio dissipated into a low pressure system, dumping rain over parts of the southwestern United States. ___ Associated Press writer Andrew O. Selsky in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Alex Kennedy in Singapore contributed to this report.

More Food Riots in Haiti!

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Demonstrators erected burning barricades in the streets of Haiti's southern city of Les Cayes on Monday to protest rising food prices in the impoverished Caribbean country.

Several hundred demonstrators joined the short-lived protest in the Les Cayes slum of La Savane, before they were dispersed by U.N. peacekeepers and Haiti police firing tear gas.

But the unrest was a reminder of the food riots in Les Cayes in April, when five people were killed in running street battles with police and U.N. troops over the high cost of living.

Those same clashes ignited demonstrations in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and elsewhere across the country that prompted the Senate to fire Prime Minister Edouard Alexis on April 12.

Alexis' lame-duck cabinet has continued to deal with current affairs while a new government is being formed but political infighting in parliament has dragged out the transition process.

"It's been over four months since the country is being led by a resigning government which lacks legitimacy to address the problems," Marc Antoine, a Les Cayes demonstrator, told Reuters on Monday.

"We launched a series of protests in April, because the price of rice and other food products were too high but prices have doubled since then," Antoine said. "And president (Rene) Preval and politicians in parliament are not doing anything to address the problems," he said.

"Political parties and lawmakers are fighting over who should control the next cabinet. But they don't seem to care for the population that is starving," added Malerbe Jean-Claude, another demonstrator.

(Editing by Tom Brown and Bill Trott)

Are You Involved!

Dear friends and family,

Are you involved? I am just like you. I get email, spam, bills, junk-mail, and the like, so much so, that I have trouble getting excited about much else. The demands that I have on my own life seem like enough already, without Mercy League... So what can I do to help you help Mercy League.

When I preach a sermon, or speak to young people I'm a very interactive sort. I feed off of the responses that I get from my audience. Since my last blog, I have received very little response... well, OK... no response until today. What gives people?

How can I do better to make you feel like you are a part of this?

Sean and Erin are just like you, they have been a part of Mercy League via these blogs and emails, but they decided to step out to journey to the DR on my behalf this November. Can you help them help Mercy League by chipping in and sending a few dollars? If you can't do that, please send this blog to some of your trusted friends and family. Please take some time and do what you can to help Mercy League build this children's home.

I am currently dealing with issues there in the Caribbean to keep things moving, but it is very trying. Sometimes I grow weary(its been 4 years), but I will continue until it is finished. :|

Hope to hear from you soon,

Shane

MISSION ACCEPTED: Sean and Erin Dawson

Dear friends and family,

It has been some time since I last updated the Mercy League blog. I have been busy on the road for the past 4-5 weeks. (I have to make a living too ; )

The last time I wrote is was to issue a challenge for someone to go on my behalf to the Children's home in San Marcos, and get some projects within the home underway.

Here are a few of the recent upgrades: New bathroom and shower house, new water system, repaired waterlines from the mountain, paid remainder of lease and procured another year, finished 1 sleeping room, new water tank for kitchen, moved family into home, searching for children who need a home.

Current Needs: build small barn for goats/chickens, purchase milk/meat goats and chickens, finish 2nd sleeping room, build wooden beds for children, network for potential rental bungalow in mountain/beach areas, encourage local leadership to take ownership of project.

Allow me introduce my friends from back home in Canada:

Sean and Erin Dawson have been married for ten years, and live in Vavenby, British Columbia, Canada.

They own an automotive repair shop where Sean works full time as a journeyman mechanic. Erin is the worship leader at Vavenby Christian Church. They both love the Lord passionately,and are excited about doing His work, and advancing His Kingdom on
earth.

Erin has a heart for missions, which led her to Haiti in 2002, and while this is Sean's first mission trip, he looks forward to stepping out into this new and exciting area of faith.

Sean and Erin are passionate about their faith: "not only is Jesus the Way, the Truth, and the Life, but that He is also passionately in love with us, and wants us to know Him as our Glorious Bridegroom. We are not victims of an arranged marriage, but have the privilege of being swept into a sacred, passionate courtship with Jesus.

I am very excited about Sean and Erin's willingness to forgo 2 weeks of pay and take on the challenges that we are facing in the children's home project right now. This is the first wave in an accelerated program to have the children's home up and running in short order. There will be a major fund-raising push for both a journey this fall and again in January.

Please join us in chipping in to pay for Sean and Erin's airfare and traveling costs. It is the least we can do. Included in this amount will an additional $950 goal for programs. All unused monies will be applied towards the project.

Click on this link to see Sean and Erin's Donation page:

DR Journey 10/08

Your Mission if you choose to accept it...

Shane sitting on the fresh-water cistern coming from the mountain

Friends and Family of Mercy League,

I realize that is has been some weeks with little activity. This is how it happens in a volunteer organization...

As you know, I have been traveling back and forth from Oregon to Florida, and the Dominican Republic in an effort to solidify our mission project, and find some work in the Haitian community in South Florida. I resigned, my position, as minister of Lorane Christian Church last January, and have been working "side jobs (construction related etc...) to try to fund these endeavors, as well as, keep up with the cost of living. I was also trying to raise support on a monthly basis to help with the financial burden of working for Mercy League instead of finding a paying job. Well... I strongly disliked fund-raising, and subsequently didn't do much of it, thus the family suffered financially, which can be very discouraging.

I have given up on my bid to raise personal financial support. It was too humiliating, even for me. I end up funding the major portion of what Mercy league does, save a few very dedicated individuals (you know who you are) and that doesn't work well... Don't worry, I am no longer in the depths of despair... I have already been there and back. : ) That is part of seeing a project like this through to the end.

What I would like to do now, is to ask my Mercy League supporters to consider supporting the cause in a different way. First, to raise support for a journey to the D.R. and back, and second, YOU consider going on my behalf this Fall.

Mission 1: Journey to San Marcos, Dominican Republic

Who: 1-3 Individuals (Mercy Leaguers)

What: San Marcos children's home project

When: Fall 2008

Where: Journey to San Marcos, Dominican Republic

Why: Report on progress, deliver supplies, supervise work

How: a. Signup, or b. Donate to Fall Journey 2008 (I can’t go in the Fall)

Cost: $1500 per person plus materials (you and I will donate, and 1-3 people will go)

This is the best I can do while I try to make a living and pay for grad school. I've given up on raising personal support, at this point, but the work still needs to be done. So… let’s all chip in and send one of you in my place this Fall (We are leaving dates flexible until we have our “sojourners” in place).

We have a staging site in Florida, where we meet and are briefed for the journey, and then you fly to the Dominican Republic for 7 to 10 days. (All food and lodging are included in the $1500.)

Please visit the donations page of this site and put some (tax deductible) funds into the Fall Journey 2008 Fund…

Keep the faith,

Shane

No News is Good News? Not so much, this time...

Dear family and friends,

It has been awhile since I last posted anything. It has been a difficult month for Mercy League Dominican Republic... Well, more specifically the Gomez family in Puerto Plata.

William and Jacquie Gomez are friends and partners with Mercy League. William was involved in a motor-vehicle in May that ended in the death of a young man driving a motorcycle. William is devastated. He was put in prison, and settled with the family. He will be paying settlement to the family of the young man. This was settled quickly as the family of the young man was known to William (he and the boys father were acquaintances through the ministry in the area).

I was unsure how to approach this topic, and have been waiting for things to settle down a bit. I called William several times and tried to commit some time to encourage him through this difficulty in his life.

William is carrying on with his work to the poor in the Dominican Republic, though I am sure that he and his family could use ongoing encouragement.

If you would like to send William some encouragement please email him at:

wrafaelgomez@yahoo.com

Keep the faith,

Shane

Canadian Woman Kidnapped...

click here to see report:
Canadian Woman Kidnapped


Please pray for her...

Nadia Lefebvre, 32,
is seen in an image taken
from her Facebook profile.

Haitian adoptee forced to work wins case

By CARMEN GENTILE

The New York Times

MIAMI — Amid tears, Simone Celestin recalled the repeated beatings she endured at the hands of her adoptive family while working for them as an unpaid servant for six years.

Celestin, 23, told a South Florida court in March that she was brought to the United States from Haiti at age 14 and never attended school. She recalled for jurors how she was hit with a broom or shoe, worked 15-hour days and was forced to sleep on the floor and eat table scraps.

Her recollections persuaded jurors to convict members of her adoptive family, Evelyn Theodore, 74, and Maude Paulin, her 52-year-old daughter, of conspiring to violate Celestin's civil rights and compelling her to perform forced labor. The women, who are also Haitian and adopted Celestin when she was 5, are to be sentenced Tuesday.

Celestin told jurors her situation was so dire she contemplated suicide, debating one day in March 2004 whether she should drink "motor oil or bleach" after she was beaten for not making the bed properly.

Eventually, she fled and was taken to an area hospital, and she linked up with the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center.

State Department statistics indicate 14,500 to 17,500 of the immigrants coming to the United States every year find themselves in a forced-labor situation.

According to a department study, slightly more than a fourth of the cases of unpaid servitude involve forced domestic labor, and nearly half of the victims fall prey to sex rings and prostitution.

But cases like Celestin's are rarely tried, as victims are often afraid or unable to come forward. However, since the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act was passed in 2000, prosecutions have increased from less than a handful nationwide a year to about a dozen.

Lawyers for the defendants said that they would appeal the verdict and that Celestin lied about her living conditions to remain in the United States.

"She exaggerated her case, and it suited everyone's purpose to just go along with it," said Leonard Fenn, the lawyer for Theodore, who characterized his client as a strict disciplinarian and "an old-fashioned woman from an old-fashioned country."

"But I don't think she was a slave owner or slave master, as the verdict found," Fenn said.

Even a lawyer for a defendant acquitted in another case took exception to the ruling.

"There were numerous inconsistencies in the government's case," said the lawyer, Joe DeFabio, who represented Claire Telasco. Telasco was acquitted of conspiracy and forced-labor charges. He noted how Celestin's hospital records did not indicate any signs of bruising or other trauma.

"Her not being in school was certainly wrong, but forced labor and slavery, I don't agree with that," he said.

He said Celestin's living conditions as an adoptive child reflected a practice in Haiti known in Creole as "restavek," or "staying with," in which children from poor Haitian families are turned over to wealthier ones that care for them in exchange for domestic services. Though a common practice in Haiti, restavek is widely denounced by international rights groups as a form of modern-day slavery.

The lawyer for Celestin refused to comment.

But Grace Chung Becker, acting attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, said the "defendants used their power and affluence to coerce a vulnerable 14-year-old girl into their personal service for six years."

Celestin was given housing assistance by the immigrant-advocacy center and attends remedial-education classes and receives counseling.

---------------------------------------------

Do you believe this story?



Check out this link, and decide: The other side of the story...

Here is the danger of being a watchdog and advocate for children... Sometimes you jump un the bandwagon too early. I am still waiting to see how this will end...

Shane

The Waiting Game

Well here we are a few weeks removed from my last trip to the Dominican Republic. This is when we begin to let off the gas pedal and get back to regular life, but life goes on for Mercy League in the Dominican Republic.

I called some of our people in the DR and Haiti this week...

Alex and Elizabeth have continued to work on the children's home while Gomercindo and his wife settle in to the children's home. By the sounds of our team in Puerto Plata, the search for abandoned children/babies will begin in June (1 year from the date that we first leased the children's home). We set a goal, last summer, of having children in the home within the year, and it looks like we will make it. (God willing)

On another note... We are discussing ways to fund the children's home so that we do not have to seek donations on an ongoing basis. One of our plans in the works is to refurbish, or build a rental bungalow in the Puerto Plata area, and use it as a timeshare/rental. Another plan is to package and sell coffee, or vanilla extract. (we have been selling , here in Oregon, to raise money for baby cribs)

We are currently seeking people who are willing to live and work in the Dominican Republic on our behalf. If that is you, contact us: mattenleys@mercyleague.org


May God bless you,

Shane

Burned Dominican Children: Angel and Jose Update

Dear friends and family,

I contacted our partners in Puerto Plata, and asked for an update on the boys, Angel and Jose.

The report was that they are healing and looking better every week. Their next treatment will be on Monday. We are considering several options to help the family as the children do not attend school and their widower father is forced to work jobs that take him away from his children. This is a problem. A father should be with his children as much as possible.

One of the ideas was to set him up in some sort of business such as motorcycle taxi. If you have any ideas, please forward them to me at: mattenleys@mercyleague.org

Please visit our links,

Shane

Mercy League: Dominican Republic Children's Home

Dear Friends,

I am sitting here at the table writing this on my trusty Laptop, in Oregon. Yes I am back. There is too much to tell and too little space in this blog. I will do my best to spare you from the minutia.

My last voyage overseas consisted of:

• Repairing and upgrading the children's home
• Negotiating the use of an additional acre for gardens and fruit trees
• Interviewing and hiring staff (house parents and support staff)
• Moving our house parents into the home
• Expanding the Dominican board of directors
• Finding free schooling and health care in San Marco for our future children
• Putting in place a property search (by Dominicans) for a cash flow vacation property*
• Seeing the garden planted with about a quarter acre of yucca, available for our use
• Taking a small break in our work to help Angel and Jose get medical attention

I want to introduce Angel (Alex) and Elizabeth (De Rosarro Gomez) Raman. They are a young couple responsible for the administration of the sustainable children’s home project. Alex is a carpenter by trade, and a young pastor (27).

Elizabeth (24) is a school teacher and community child worker, thought hey have no children of their own. I met this couple about a year ago and have been praying about them since then. I knew that I needed to get to know them if we were going to be working together so… I spent quality time with them and their families. I ate at Alex’s parent’s home and got the low-down from his uncle, sisters and cousin. Alex is a stubborn idealist… that was the gist of the conversation. I met Elizabeth’s family at her home.(her mother was off collecting firewood in the forest and praying on the mountain).

When she returned she made coffee for me and we sat together. Later that day Alex and I travelled to the countryside to meet his grandmother. She was an amazing woman who loves her grandson. We ate again (pork skin-yum- and coconut milk). Later that day we went swimming in the river with the cattle and people washing clothes.

Here is one thing to keep in mind… We pay no salaries of any kind. We have no financial obligations of any kind because our model of project development is… “Sustainable!” This means that we partner with people and organizations.

Take care,

Shane

Angel and Jose Burned Dominican Children

Here is the Video I promised:




Shane

Relief at the Children's Burn Hospital in Santiago

April 17, 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

Today we travelled to the home of Angel and Jose to transport them to the Hospital in Santiago, an hour away by car. Their father, aunt and four siblings accompanied us. It was a great day today because we were able to initiate treatment for the two boys, weekly basis. We went in with them in the hospital (no photos were allowed in the hospital for good reason) and their father hugged me charged with emotion. The other great news was that the burn clinic, “Voluntariando Jesus Con Los Ninos,” is treating the children for free. We are paying for their transportation and medicines, thanks to our Friends at Vernon Alliance Church in Vernon, BC, Canada.

It gives me great satisfaction to make a difference in the lives of people. Angel cannot turn his head without turning his whole body, yet he tries to help his sister put their youngest brother’s shoes on. Jose would likely have died without our help. Today we made a difference for these little ones. Those of you who attend church should be proud that we still have churches who act on a moment’s notice so do what were first called to do more than 2000 years ago when Jesus Christ told the parable of the Good Samaritan who helped the man beaten and left for dead on the road. Christians are called to make a difference. Furthermore… what if all we had done… was pray, give a blessing upon the home and leave? I put my hand on little Jose while he was sleeping that first day and prayed earnestly that the Lord would heal him at that moment. I believed, but alas, perhaps I also have much doubt in me because when were finished praying I saw that the boys were still burned badly. As Christians is it appropriate that we show our love and care for people with more than fancy prayers and well wishing. It isn’t even enough to simply send money… We have to love and care, and take action.

Today we were able to do all of those things… I only wish you could have been here to carry the children to the hospital beside me. We all do what we can… when we can.

I have much more to tell about our first day of official occupancy for our own children’s home, but that can wait until another day. Good things are happening my friends… Thanks for your prayers,

Shane

p.s. Sorry about the lack of video... I spend about 2 hours making a video online only to have it crash on me... again... I will keep trying in the coming days...