MERCY TRUCKS in HAITI..
Once again God has moved in mighty ways to expand our reach as we launch another Mercy Truck ministry.
Once again God has moved in mighty ways to expand our reach as we launch another Mercy Truck ministry.
Roy Dixon and Jeff Colker before Roy began the journey to Haiti.
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"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” Isaiah 54:2
On January 12, 2010 the island nation of Haiti was struck with a catastrophic earthquake with a magnitude 7.0. Its epicenter was approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. By January 24 the United States Geological Survey had recorded at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater. The International Red Cross estimated that about three million people were affected by the quake; Haitian President Rene Preval stated on the 27th of January that "nearly 170,000" bodies had been counted. The New York Times reported on January 28 that 20,000 commercial buildings and 225,000 residences had collapsed or were severely damaged. The human suffering will continue for longer than anyone is willing to guess.
Within days following the disaster, calls were made for specific needs to aid the immediate rescue efforts as well as the continuing needs that will face this devastated nation. YWAM, which has been operating in St. Marc, Haiti, since 1991, began communications with Mercy Trucks about launching a long-term presence in Haiti. It was agreed that Mercy Trucks would provide a vehicle and much needed medical supplies and equipment allowing YWAM Haiti to facilitate medical teams not only during this critical time, but long after rescue teams and emergency responders have returned to their respective nations and the Haitian earthquake has faded from the front pages.
Beginning immediately a Mercy Trucks team in Hexham, England began sorting and preparing supplies and equipment. Meanwhile 3,500 miles away in Lebanon, Pennsylvania final preparations were being made on a converted ambulance that is designed for maximum flexibility in service. Within days, two pallets of specifically needed medical supplies were being shipped to London for a flight to Pennsylvania. Roy Dixon, the founder and director of Mercy Trucks, decided to oversee the transportation to Haiti and launching of the ministry. On January 29, 2010 Roy arrived in the US where he was met by Jeff Colker, Director of Mercy Trucks Americas. The 28-foot ambulance was packed with the supplies and Roy has begun the 20-hour drive to South Florida where the vehicle will be loaded onto a ship for the final journey to Haiti.
So many have already given of their time and finances to make this journey a reality. British Airways along with freight services and customs personnel have blessed this effort with their support. We invite you to follow Roy’s journey on our site and join us with your payers and financial support of this new and very special Mercy Truck location.
More information on Mercy Trucks, our vision and mission, our locations and details on giving can be found at www.MercyTrucks.org
Mercy Truck packed and ready for Haiti
Was my initial reaction to the news that the Mercy Truck would be departing from our YWAM campus, here at Harpenden, north of London (where our Marine Reach Europe Office is located), heading for this tiny county in Western Africa. It’s amazing how God works! Here was a country I had never even heard of and yet 4 weeks later I too was headed for Guinea-Bissau and the YWAM base located at Gabu.
‘Linking Resources to Needs’ is the slogan of the Mercy Truck and Marine Reach ministry. I didn’t realize how direct and accurate that actually is. Guinea-Bissau is listed as the 4th poorest nation in the world so arriving in Gabu was a very strange experience. The lack of electricity, running water, and basic sanitation didn’t surprise me, this wasn’t the first third world nation I’ve been to. It was the fact that even the YWAMers at Gabu, who have been living and working there for 19 years, didn’t even have these basic “necessities of life”. It’s difficult to adjust to only three hours of electricity a day (the generators run from 7-10 P.M.), internet that only works during that period (and hardly has the bandwidth to load a YouTube video), not to mention getting your own water from the well and showering from a bucket.
I told myself that as long as I had clean water to drink and a place to sleep I would be fine, little did I know that in even these I would have difficulty! Neither of the two wells on the compound are deep enough to provide a supply of pure water, therefore all drinking water needs to be filtered. The problem with this is that water filters are slow and Guinea-Bissau is hot, continually leaving a gapping void between how much water you need to drink and how much is available.
It’s these and other material needs the Mercy ministry is trying to help. By bringing computers, chairs, and desks for schools and churches they are enabling children to learn. By bringing bikes they are mobilizing the staff to easily run outreach farther and farther from the compound. By bringing medical equipment they are making the work of the only medical centre with a fully functional dentist’s office to serve the overwhelming needs of an entire nation. Other simple things like dishes, power tools, generators, sports equipment, and clothes allow the routines of ‘normal’ life to continue.
Resources are something we in the western world have plenty of and ‘needs’ is a word we hardly understand. Try living three days without electricity or running water, and after realizing how difficult that really is; imagine living your entire life under those same conditions. These are circumstances and situations we are trying our best to improve.
It is with great enthusiasm that we write with news of expanding the work of Mercy Trucks throughout North and South America. Over the past year while working with YWAM in Pennsylvania we have helped locate medical and dental resources for local ministries and churches to satisfy the unmet health needs of those whom they serve. It has been a blessing to see how God has worked in the Lebanon Valley to link resources to needs. God gave us a vision to bring our experience of launching and managing Mercy Trucks Ukraine to the US and to multiply that work throughout the Americas. Imagine how exciting it was to come across a Ford diesel truck with a complete Emergency Medical Treatment (EMT) unit offered for sale by a regional rescue/ambulance service for a fraction of its market value. I can see much potential for a medical and/or dental mobile Mercy Ministry application. The truck is in far better condition and offers many more options than our original Mercy Truck in Ukraine www.MercyTrucksUA.org which continues to serve that nation. The truck has passed an inspection and evaluation by a local Ford dealership and God has provided the funds we need to purchase the vehicle. We believe this is God's timing to launch Mercy Trucks Americas now.
Our next steps are to purchase this first vehicle and begin the work of refitting and preparing it for its new role as a platform to bring medical and dental services to the most needy. We will also begin identifying, evaluating and reviewing mercy ministries in North and South America operating full time with a vision and need for medical vehicles.
Many of you are aware and have seen the awesome work God has done through the Mercy Trucks Ukraine ministry over the years. We ask you to partner with us in the birth of this new ministry in the Americas. We need prayer partners and intercessors and those who even during these difficult financial times can join us financially at any level with either a one time gift toward the preparation of the new vehicle, or with monthly support for the ongoing work and supply of the ministry. This is only the beginning! We see God using this ministry to launch many vehicles to reach thousands in need of physical and spiritual help.
