Open Door News
February 4 , 2010
Haiti Update
Three weeks after Haiti's devastating earthquake, Pastor Dio and Madame Dio are tired and stressed. All five of the staff members living at the Mephiboscheth House have lost everything. Thirty-five of the families in Pastor Dio's Port-au-Prince have lost their homes. Steve Hanson is talking with Pastor Dio about the possibility of delegating the funds from Haiti Relief to help those 35 familes with the rebuilding of their homes.
The children who have mobility (and can therefore remove themselves from the building during a tremor) have moved back into the Mephiboscheth House, while the rest of the children remain in Tricotte.
Please continue to pray about how you can give, and pray for peace and rest for Pastor and Madame Dio.
January 21, 2010
Haiti Relief Fund
Open Door has set up a "Haiti Relief " fund for Pastor Dio to be able to respond financially where needed. If you would like to contribute to the fund, you may give online to Haiti Relief. If you would like donate with a check, please make your check out to Church of the Open Door and write “Haiti Relief” on the memo line.
January 20, 2010
Haiti Update
The Mephiboscheth House suffered two hairline cracks from the earthquake - and those were in the security wall. The special needs kids will be moved to Tricotte, to the safety of the countryside, to make room for others at the Mephibosheth House. Several families in Pastor Dio's Port-au-Prince church lost their homes, so many are living at the Mephibosheth House, where they are safe and have access to a well and solar power. Please pray for Pastor Dio and Madame Dio as they continue to respond to the great need around them.
Pastor Steve Hanson will be sharing more information during this weekend's worship services about their time in Haiti and how we can support our friends in Haiti.
January 16, 2010
Haiti Update
Update, 10am – Steve, Pam and Gene have left Miami, connecting in Atlanta and will arrive in Minneapolis around 3:30pm. Praise God!
January 15, 2010
Haiti Update
Update, 9pm – The rest of the team has landed safely in Miami.
Update, 5pm – The three remaining team members are on a plane to Miami.
Update, 3:30pm – The four team members were set to arrive at approximately 3:30 in Minneapolis. They ended up flying out of Philadelphia. Family members are at the airport to greet them.
Update, 9am – Four of the team members are back in the United States! At 4:00 this morning, Judy Tate, Reagan Kramer, Lori
Balestri
and Erica Renz were able to board a U.S. military plane. They had to leave quickly and were only able to take a backpack with them. They are currently in New Jersey awaiting a flight home. Steve Hanson, Gene Harkins and Pam Mork are physically in line at the Embassy, waiting to leave.
Last night's prayer gathering was a special time of lifting up our team and the country of Haiti. Immediately after the prayer gathering, the first phone call from the team finally came through!
Please continue to pray for the team members as they process this experience. Pray for Pastor and Madame Dio, that they would have the love and grace of God to minister to the hurting around them, and that they would be in contact with those who can minister to the two of them.
January 14, 2010
Haiti Update
Update, 5pm – Steve and the rest of the team are now at the U.S. Embassy! He says that they've joined many Americans there and that they are in good spirits. They're hoping to catch a plane to the Dominican Republic - it could be a couple hours, it could be a couple days. Until they can leave, Steve texted, they plan to stay at the U.S. Embassy, where they have water, a means of charging cell phones, and candy.
Update, 12pm – We have received more text messages from Steve Hanson. Although phone service doesn't seem to be working, some texts are getting through and, for the moment, they have power to keep phones charged. The aftershocks continue. Steve texted from the Petionville park, which he said is now a tent city housing thousands, and the streets are filled with people, including children playing in the water from broken pipes. There is "so much damage. So much pain." Steve has seen many of the U.S. relief planes and is feeling "very proud of the USA." Pastor and Madame Dio are doing well, but are stressed. The team is doing well, but they ask you to pray for peace, protection, and a quick return home.
January 13, 2010
Haiti Update
Update, 8pm – Al Schuck finally had a successful text exchange with Steve Hanson, in which Al asked about Pastor Dio, and Steve responded, "Is here and good." This is all the info we have at this point.
Update, 9am – On Tuesday, January 12, a severe earthquake hit Haiti, centered approximately ten miles from Port-au-Prince. This is clearly a devastating situation for the country and people of Haiti. Church of the Open Door has been in a partnership with Pastor Diogene Pierre and his wife, Lionette, for more than 20 years, and they and the people of Haiti hold a dear place in our hearts. We ask that you pray for them.
This situation is of heightened concern for Open Door because we have a team of seven serving in Haiti at the Mephiboscheth House. At this time, we have had limited communication with the team, due to the impact on the infrastructure in Haiti. We know that the team was at the Mephiboscheth House and that they and all the children are safe. Pastor Dio and Madame Dio were not at the Mephiboscheth House and as of 7:00 last night, the team had not heard
from them.
We will continue to update this page as information becomes available. We are working with the U.S. Department of State, elected officials and our travel agent. The original flight on January 15 has been cancelled and the team has been rescheduled for a flight on January 19.
A Prayer Gathering will be held at Open Door on Thurs, Jan 14, 7-8pm.
July 17, 2009
Next Generation Summer Mission Trips
Pray for the high school and middle school students as they prepare to leave on their summer mission trips. Open Door high school students will have an opportunity to serve the residents of Chicago by partnering with the local ministries and programs. They will work with organizations such as soup kitchens and children centers that seek to address the very basic needs of the community. They leave on Sunday, July 19 and return Friday, July 24. Our middle school students will have an opportunity to serve the residents of Thunder Bay, Canada. They will provide support to existing social service organizations, such as children’s ministries, the elderly, and the homeless. They leave on Sunday, July 26 and return Friday, July 31.
June 11, 2009
Pray for the team of eight who are playing with the children with special needs at the Mephibosheth House and holding the abandoned babies at Mother Teresa in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The Mephiboscheth House was founded by Project Mercy back in 2006 when Open Door purchased land and built a fully-equipped special needs home for 18 children who are mentally and physically challenged. The residents participate in an educational program as well as receiving sensory therapy through the use of pets, plants and music. The team left early on June 10 and will be returning on June 19. There will also be another team traveling to Haiti September 7-18.
June 10, 2009
Open Door recently finalized and signed a contract with Beacon Academy. Beacon Academy is a charter school, which is an independent public school that is an alternative to tradition public schools, for students Kindergarten through 8th grade. As mentioned in the April/May issue of the Kingdom Now, Beacon Academy approached Open Door last fall as their top choice of options for places to move their 400 students and 30 staff members. Open Door is very excited about this opportunity to be better stewards of the lower portion of our building. Besides classrooms, Open Door has designated a large space for their offices. The Management Team believes that this will be a great opportunity for Open Door to continue functioning strongly during these tough financial times. Beacon will begin moving their offices into Open Door on June 12, followed by their staff during the month of August.
