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Rod
and Debbie Wray have served in Haiti for 5 years.
They have five children, four of which are still
on the mission field with them. They serve in
the areas of construction and maintenance at
the mission hospital, hosting work teams and
medical teams, and "Aids aware-ness" and
prevention, especially among the youth. The Wrays
have also been involved in starting a girls volleyball
team in the Les Cayes area to engage local youth
in activities that are easily combined
with Bible teaching. |
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The
Wrays have a desire to reach out to
the poorest of the poor in the areas around Cayes.
Their ministry has included helping to provide
cement floors in people's humble
homes, and looking to meet some basic medical
and physical needs. Rod, Debbie,
and their children participate in their community's local church, ministering
to their fellow missionaries and nationals alike. Rod is the head of the maintenance
committee, and leads the missionary Bible study. |
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"We
are very happy to be Harvest International missionaries
now, and are waiting to see how God will use us together
with Harvest here in Southern Haiti." |
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| Kenya |
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| Romania |
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| Uganda |
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| Ukraine |
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| Zimbabwe |
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November 22, 2007
Dear Family and Friends: |
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Baby Hope has had surgery in Port au Prince and is now back
here at Cite Lumiere at the hospital. She is recovering well. She is a smiley little one who encourages all she meets. Katie asked if she could go visit Baby Hope yesterday, and so I started the quad. Katie hopped on and I suggested she leave her favorite teddy bear at home, and she said " mom, I think Baby Hope would like it". Off we went to deliver her favorite bear. Baby Hope is well cared for by many. The staff at the hospital as well as people who are caring for their family members, give her a lot of attention. Often when we go in to check on her she is in someone's lap. She is well loved. Please pray with us for the next step for this little life. At this point there has been no success in finding her mother.
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The third storey of the hostel is now complete. It was an exhausting day, earlier this week, as Rod and the crew poured the roof. They wheeled the cement up the ramp, poured their load and returned for the next load. What a lot of effort! After many hours and several sore muscles, the job was done. I forgot to mention that the sky was perfectly blue, and the heat and humidity seemed worse than ever. |
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Rod started the new lab this week. It is located up on the second storey, in between the out-patient clinic and the hospital. Things are progressing well. We are looking forward to having some help from visiting teams on the lab in the new year. The posts are poured and the beams will begin to go up within days. |
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Today was a significant day with the inauguration of the new handicap facility. It was well attended with the representative U.N secretary general cutting the ribbon. It was remarkable to see the U.N. drive up with 10 marked vehicles loaded with dignitaries and bodyguards. In the spring, the U.N. had donated some funds to the project and so today was the chosen day for them to inspect it. They were pleased with all the work that Rod and his crew have done. |
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Today was also the time for us to get together as a missionary family to celebrate all that the Lord has blessed us with. Thanks to our mail carrier based in Florida, Agape Flights, we were able to enjoy turkey, and all the trimmings. It was a good time of fellowship with Germans, Haitian-Americans, Americans and even us Canadians. There were over 100 people together for a pot-luck gathering. |
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Thank-you for your continued prayers and support. We count it a privilege to serve in Haiti. Although we are sometimes overwhelmed with all that is before us, we are thankful for the teamwork and your involvement. We continue to be amazed at how the Lord has provided and trust that you will continue to stand with us. If you would like to visit, or bring a team, please know that you are welcome. We now have a gate that joins our house to the guesthouse and so we are now very close neighbors. We would love to hear from you. We are looking forward to hosting several teams in the new year and ask that you pray for us during that busy time. Help is always much appreciated. |
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We are thankful to be working together with Harvest International and appreciate the support that they have given us. |
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Thanks again for standing with us and supporting us. Together we can accomplish great things. |
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Blessings,
Deb, Rod and the Family |
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December 08, 2007
Greetings from warm and sunny Haiti: |
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| This has been an exciting and eventful week for us. Our daughter Carly arrived and we are all excited to have her with us for the Christmas season. Katie hasn't let Carly out of her sight yet since she arrived. |
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Everything has finally been prepared to begin the drilling of a well in the area of Brefet. The community health department at the clinic has worked hard to obtain a piece of land and permission from the mayor to drill a well. Dr. Jon Roberts from Missouri along with some people from his church did some fundraisers to come up with enough money so that a well could be provided for the very poor people of Brefet. |
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| Dr Bill was here this week doing surgeries so this was the first week that the hostel housing for family members was really put to the test. It worked out great. This is the covered cook-ing area. The eight lower rooms were used this week. |
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Deb always prepares the meals for Dr. Bill I usually deliver Dr. Bill's meals to the hospital at 9:00 pm each night. On Wednesday,
as I took Dr. Bill his food, he was still in the O.R. and he asked me if anybody would be
willing to give blood. |
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He was operating on a lady who needed blood badly, so Dr. Bill
and I both gave a pint of blood for the lady. She is doing a lot better now. |
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We are getting ready to pour the roof on the lab. This man who lives near us, came and asked us today if we could give
some food for his twin babies. They are three months old , a boy
and a girl, and he is wanting us to help him find an orphanage for them. |
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Christie is still playing volleyball and we took the girls and guys team to the nearby town of Miraguane for a tournament. It was a lot of fun and both our teams won their games. |
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We are very thankful for our new mission Harvest International and we are looking forward to hosting some Harvest teams in January.
Harvest has partnered together with World team Canada to make it possible for us to continue serving in Haiti. |
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For U.S. supporters, please send support for the Wrays to: |
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Wrays
Harvest International
3711 N.E 42nd Lane
Ocala Florida
34479
352.622.1818 |
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For Canadian supporters, please send support for the Wrays to: |
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Wrays,
World Team Canada
7575 Danbro Cres.
Mississauga, Ontario
L5N 6P9
800.610.9788
905.858.8004 |
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Thanks for your support and prayers;
bye for now,
Love Rod, Deb and the whole gang |
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December 25, 2007
Christmas greetings from Haiti: |
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I suppose most of us wouldn't consider a glass of clean drinkable water a really good Christmas gift, but to about 500 plus people in the area of Brefet, a brand new well was the best Christmas present they could receive. Today was the inauguration and grand opening of the well, and it was a very happy time, and a lot of thanks was given to God. It really was a team effort with Dr. Roberts and our friends from Mountain View , Missouri raising the $3,000.00 U.S. for the well, our hospital administrator and community health department obtaining the land and approval, and a local Christian well drilling team actually installing the well. |
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Getting loads of gravel out of the river and spreading the gravel around the well site. |
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Last week we poured the large cement roof on the new lab building. It went really well and we were thankful for a cloudy, but not rainy day.
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This year for Christmas we were able to make up about 150 gift bags which we delivered to some of the poorest areas near us. The people were so excited to receive a bag full of rice, clothes, toothbrushes, toys or candies and a tract and calendar. |
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Making and passing out Christmas bags.
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Today at Brefet we were able to give the Haitian people the gift of clean water. More than 2000 years ago we were all given the gift of Jesus. In John 4:14 , Jesus said : Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." All we need do is accept Jesus and the living water that he offers unto us. |
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Please pray for us. |
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Our oldest daughters will both be leaving us soon in early January. Carly is heading back to Canada, and Christie will be going to Capernwray Bible school in Spain. |
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Our mail service; "AGAPE FLIGHTS" had a plane crash last week. Thankfully the pilots were able to ditch the plane in the Caribbean and escape, but this is a major setback for the ministry of Agape Flights, and it will affect many missionaries. Deb went to her usual efforts to send out Christmas cards again this year, but unfortunately we think they ended up in the Caribbean. |
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We have a very busy calendar scheduled for 2008, with teams and visitors and construction projects. Please pray that God will continue to give us good health, strength and His guidance for the year ahead. |
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Please continue to pray for the country and people of Haiti. We are encouraged that Haiti has printed some new money and the $4.00 (20 gourde) Haitian bill has a Bible on one side. |
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Thanks for your prayers and support, and we wish you all the best of the Christmas season. |
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Bye for now,
Love Rod, Deb and Gang |
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January 27, 2008
Dear friends, |
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It has been a month since our last email and we have had a lot of fun during that time. It was great to have all of our family home through the holidays, and quite a few of the other missionary kids returned also, so we did lot of fun activities. |
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Heading out for a day of hiking and exploring |
This cave is the source of a beautiful clean river |
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The missionary ladies volleyball team
won the championship! |
Deb jumping up for a big block |
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Carly has decided to live with us here in Haiti and is taking
two online university courses.
Christie is enjoying bible
school in Spain.
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Our first "Harvest" team was a medical team that
spent a week out in the Village of St. Marten
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The new lab is coming along very quickly |
Our second "Harvest" team
was a medical group of 18 who
did clinics
in some very poor areas of Cayes |
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Deb is helping with the medical clinic Doctor |
Tim removing some stitches |
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Deb driving the team of 18 around |
Tim translating for the dentist |
Thanks for your support and prayers; bye for now,
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Love Rod, Debbie and the gang
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February 24, 2008
Hello friends, |
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Ever since last October when we did a medical clinic in the poor area of "Renault" we have wanted to help the children, both by giving them food, and allowing them to hear the gospel of Jesus. Led by Christie's best Haitian friend "Mirlande", we have trained a group of twelve Christian young people and they are taking this new ministry to their own people. |
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Mirlande leads the children in singing |
About 220 children came
to the new outdoor Sunday School |
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The youth ministry team
did a great job with the children |
The youth team had been up
since 4:00 am preparing the food |
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We passed out rice and beans
to all the children |
Katie passing out cold water bags
for the children to drink |
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This most recent project at the hospital is a new laundry facility (below).
Forguens is in the picture with me and he is my most valued worker. He has worked
with me for more than two years now. He operates all power tools and can do
almost everything by himself now, which is a great help to me. |
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New laundry facility |
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Baby Hope continues to do well and has unofficially be-come the hospital mascot. She is cared
for by staff, visitors and family members of other patients. Some days she will spend
two or three hours in the laundry as she watches the laundry workers do their job. |
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Baby Hope |
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 Please continue to pray for us as we have a very busy next few months with teams and visitors. |
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Please pray that our vehicles will run well and God will protect as we travel. |
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Please pray for good health for our family and for visitors who come. |
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Please pray that God will use us and especially that many children will come to know Him through the "Let the little children come" ministry. |
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Please pray that God will be with Christie as she continues at bible school in Spain and then as she makes plans for her future. |
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| Thanks for your support and prayers and for standing with us in ministry. |
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Bye for now,
Love Rod, Debbie and gang |
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March 16, 2008
Wonder Woman (Part I) |
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God has given us so much. He sent His only son to die for our sins, and if we accept Him, we have the privilege of a personal relationship with Him. The second greatest gift that God has given me, is my wife Debbie. She is amazing, and is a great partner and co - worker with me as we continue to minister here in Haiti. |
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Here she is . . . |
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Part II of Wonder Woman to follow . . . |
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March 16, 2008
Wonder Woman (Part II) |
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We have been married for 24 years
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Deb baking almost everyday
making cookies and treats |
Taking coffee break
over to the workers everyday |
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Taking drinks to the workers and teams |
Driving the 4 wheeler |
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Taking a team |
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for a walk
through a Haitian village |
As beautiful as ever |
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Deb looks after baby Hope |
Hanging on with the young people |
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The world's greatest mom! |
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We are so thankful for good health
and strength and joy that God has given us in the ministry here in Haiti. |
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Thanks for your continued prayers, bye for now, |
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Love Rod, Deb and gang |
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April 4, 2008
Trouble in Cayes |
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All around our area of Cayes there have been roadblocks and tires burning since early yesterday morning. Here is part of a newspaper article: |
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Demonstrators angry over Haiti's rising cost of living
attacked a United Nations peacekeeping base and looted
food shops in the south. |
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About 5,000 people demonstrated in the southern
peninsula city of Les Cayes, where protesters chanting
slogans against President Rene Preval attempted to set
the UN police base on fire and stole rice from trucks
as Haitian police stood by helplessly. |
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This is a picture of one of many roadblocks which were blocking the road to the Cayes airport |
The U.N. are trying to restore order,
but not having much success |
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Yesterday afternoon amidst the chaos, we had to pick up a Dentist (Artie Cooper) and his daughter who flew in to Cayes. Due to the roads being blocked, Tim, Jan ,(a missionary here) and myself went on our motorbikes on back country trails and we were able to get to the airport and pick up Artie and Courtney. |
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Picking up dentist Artie Cooper |
All safely back at the mission compound
after an exciting ride |
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We have had a group of 15 people
here this week painting the hostel |
We had to get them plus 5 other visitors to the airport this morning so we all left on one vehicle |
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The U.N. tried to clear the roadblocks
so that we could get through to the airport |
Another roadblock. The people scatter rocks, tires, branches and car parts all over the road |
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Safely at the airport.
We are thankful that our team,
including Dr. Bill, is safely on their way today |
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Carly with a little one
at the Sunday school program |
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Please pray that the demonstrations will stop and that the people will remain calm. |
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The Haitians are very upset at the huge increase in prices over the past few weeks. A small sack of rice has gone from $20.00 U.S dollars to $35.00 U.S dollars in two weeks. A 20 foot length of 1/2 inch rebar has gone from $7.00 U.S to $12.00 U.S in the past thr | | | | |
