Update

I talked with Pastor Tony in Khartoum whose battery was almost dead and they had no power to charge it. He reported that there is rain in Khartoum and they had a good day visiting with the Colonel, working on finances for the project and doing research with the U.N. and WFP on food distribution. They appreciate our continued prayers on their behalf.

Blessings in Jesus,

Angela Eiman
Director of Communcations, Safe Harbor

PRAISE GOD for the rain...

It is raining. At 8 pm the power went out and a light rain started falling. It was quite beautiful. The sky was full of clouds glowing from being back-lit by the nearly full moon. Without the power running it was quiet...peaceful. Tony brought out his violin and blessed the night with sweet sweet music as the lightning flashed in the distance.

The power came back on about 10 pm, as the storm moved on.

We are hoping to travel in to Darfur early next week to do assessment work. Please pray for traveling means, protection, and God's plan executed in us.

God Bless You.

Todd

Update from G. Kusunoki

Dear prayer chain warriors,

I just spoke with Tony today. He and Todd are doing well. Today and tomorrow are holidays in Sudan so he won’t be able to get much done. They went to church today, which was a blessing. Also, they saw the colonel that we work with in Darfur as well as the outgoing force commander, General Aprezi. General Aprezi told Tony that he had briefed the incoming force commander of the AU forces and that he is supportive of continuing our work. This weekend Tony will be working on extending his visa as well as continuing the process of clearing our food containers. Please be in prayer for all this as it can be very frustrating. What we could accomplish over the phone here in the US in a matter of minutes takes days or weeks in places like Sudan. Meanwhile the people suffer and much needed aid sits in port while we navigate the sea of red tape.

Gary I. Kusunoki

More, and more, and more from God; less, and less, and less from me

Brothers and Sisters in Jesus,

Thank you so much for your prayers! I so depend upon our God and I know that He hears you.

Please know that I asked Jeanne to edit some of the former postings on the blog. I was not showing as much discernment as is required in an environment so troubled by groups competing for their desires…of such is war constructed as God tells us through James in chapter 4: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.”

In such an environment, and as is common to man, everyone wants to "look good" all of the time (we know that this is imposible for sinful man). The internet allows messages to be widely distributed, and frankly, it would not be good, nor a good witness in the work here, for any organization to interpret or feel that they are being poked in the ribs by any but the Spirit of the Lord. Please pray for God’s plans to be carried out. Pray for His Spirit to convict. The heart of the King is in the hand of the Lord, so ask the Lord to bless the king’s (I use this figuratively; meaning all leaders of organizations here) heart to be at peace in alignment with God’s purposes.

God is perfect and I praise God that His plans are eternal…of so much more gravity than anything in this temporal life, and yet God uses these temporal moments - lives – to do eternal work. Praise Him for that. In being used of God for an eternal purpose, that moment becomes incalculable value – beyond measure – precious beyond description. This is what holiness is. This is what God asks us to be. Claimed by Him. Used by Him. Holy. Sanctified. Separate from the world but in it. Separate because you are possessed of God. More, and more, and more from God; less, and less, and less from me. Pray with me today. Pray with me that God would change the ratio in lives of worthlessness, to value; of wood, hay, and stubble, to gold and precious gems; of the best the world has to offer (counted rightly as dung by the Lord in revelation to our brother St. Paul), to holiness. Ask God…Pray to God…Ask God to use you for His eternal purposes. Even a moment of this touch of God outweighs the value of the whole of your time here on earth and all the good works you can accomplish on your own. …As it did on the cross.

We, as Christians, thank God that He is a God desiring us to be Holy and that we have a faith in Jesus and a hope of heaven that rescues us from the despair of valueless existence. Praise God, that a valueless existence is not what He desires for man. One day we shall be glorified, holy, without sin. It is so sure for us in Christ that God credits it as done. The word of the Lord beyond time speaks, “Be perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” And it shall be done unto them that believe upon the Son and are so perfected through the transubstantiation of his perfection for our sin. The incalculable trade.
Thank you Jesus.

One correction to Jeanne's last posting...There are paved streets, stop signs, yield signs, and stop lights in Sudan (but they are just suggestions where we are driving (smile).

Todd

Prayer Request

Dear prayer chain warriors,

We just spoke to Tony Heindl in Khartoum. He is doing well however I would ask for all your prayers because I know that it is hard to be away from home for such a long time. Tony has been in Sudan since June 7th and is due to return to the States on July 21st. While in Sudan , Tony is overseeing our feeding program. We have two forty ton containers that are currently in Port Sudan waiting to be cleared. In order to bring them in without paying duty we need to go through a lot of paperwork with the Humanitarian Affairs Commission. The red tape is horrendous. Please be praying for the strength of the team. Tony is there with Todd Scott from Calvary Chapel of East Anaheim and they are working on these issues as well as preparing to go back into Darfur.

- Gary I. Kusunoki, Safe Harbor

On The Homefront

Here at home, things have been quieter than expected - but that's not to say easier! In the past, when Todd has gone out to minister, we have had huge things like; oh, broken bones, major wounds, etc. We've had none of that so far. There will be no knocking on wood here - I know my God has been holding back the forces of darkness in response to your fervent prayers. Thank you. You are all on a mission too, you know.

I really love my husband. Lots of people are married and appreciate their partners, and I am blessed by that. But I know that my gift is a rare blessing. I really love my husband. He is my best friend. The half of me that is fa-aaar superior.

Todd and I don't fight. We don't even argue. Usually if we disagree, I know he is right. I might stomp my foot about it, but he is gifted in wisdom, and the spiritual leader of my home. Him not being here to run the day to day decisions by is kind of scary - because I feel somehow inept. I can run a small company - sure thing - but six kids? Forget about it. All of you single moms and dads out there - my hat is off to you. God will give you a really heavy and specially gilded crown, I am sure.

In the meantime, we go about our normal routine, which is anything but normal. Kyndall, at 15 1/2, has started her driving lessons this week. I can't imagine driving in Sudan, where there are no streets to speak of... no lights, no stop signs (I stand corrected - there are these things... they just aren't used in the same way). You just hold your breath and GO! I hope riding in the car with Kyndall doesn't resemble that.

The other kids are enjoying summer. We just got out of the pool - Todd said there are NO pools in Sudan that he knows of. Faith (our 3 year old) was swimming. Really swimming. It's so cute to watch her. She is so tiny. She swims more proficiently than our 4 year old, Mia. They love swimming. I just like to watch them.

Last night we went to church, and just getting there was the most challenging thing since Todd left. By the time I arrived I would have rather spent a half an hour breaking plates than a hour and a half in worship. But God! He always knows what I need. And, of course, what I need is HIM! It was the best dessert, following the yummy meal we ate there. Thanks, Hanks!

The church family has surrounded us in such a powerful way. I am amazed and touched by the love of Christ that is demonstrated through His people. Just today I have had two phone calls offering helps. You bless me.

I have to decide what to do about my job. I gave notice, but they want me to stay on. Please pray for me that I would have discernment. And, please pray that the project I am working on for the Harvest Crusade will go well. So far, each time I sit down to do it, I get the typical fiery dart attack.

Thanks again for loving us - for supporting us in prayer. That is the most we can ask for, and the most you can give. So, please pray that the people of Darfur would be protected until help can re-enter the land.

Remember, Friday night prayer at our house - 7pm.

And, you can post a note here, too, as a comment. Todd is reading the blog, and he is blessed by your encouragement.

Take Care. -Jeanne

Maschil Academy

Yesterday (6/27) the Lord would have me up and with Him at 4:45 am.

Within my quiet time the Lord showed a highly polished silver table. The table represented coming together, agreement, and cooperation. The silver represented Christ. I asked God how we could get this table. He said Maschil Academy . I talked to the guys after they had awoke; no one knew this term or place. I googled for a while with different spellings and came to find that the maschil is a type of psalm. I pulled the psalms up (gotta love blueletterbible.org) and read through all but two (there are thirteen), that is when I fell asleep. All of these psalms had the theme of trusting in the Lord FIRST, or calling on Him FIRST. Have faith and do not be afraid of man songs. Perfect. Safe Harbor in Darfur is a small organization, which is a HUGE spiritual advantage, because God chooses the weak and the small to ensure that it is Him that is revealed. This was extremely fitting for the work within the day.

For dinner, Marco, who helps to take care of the house/office made an amazing lentil soup over rice that was good and spicy. I ate two full bowls. It was great.

Today (6/28) I woke at 5:15 (your 7:15 pm Wed) and sang (relative term) a worship song to the Lord while thinking of CCEA with lifted hands throughout the congregation.

We continued working on communication with local agencies throughout the day.

Late afternoon we went shopping for some groceries. Wow! It is a very different world. The streets are packed with merging cars, people, donkey carts, three-wheeled taxis, stopped busses, parked cars, etc. The fumes from the cars choke you. It is like a farmer’s market where people lay out a mat on the dirt and sell their wares (just like Harvest Moon, Aidan). There are no shopping carts; instead children from 7-10 years old with wheelbarrows jostle each other to follow you around for a tip in exchange for toting your produce. Children aged 4-6 crowd around carrying bags to sell you for the same purpose. Vegetables are on one side of the street (dirt road with mud ruts is a better description), and fruit is on the other. Behind the produce vendors (probably 200 vendors on 10 x 10 mats all selling roughly the same crop) is a line of buildings with folks shouting in loudspeakers. These are the meat vendors. You know it because the long cuts of meat are hanging on hooks on the eves outside. It is far from clean. It is an experience.

The heat has been increasing, and being in the sun is very different than the shade. Please pray for those in Darfur without shelter.

Please continue to pray that Tony and I would hear the voice of the Lord, and obey Him. Pray for faith, as He encouraged us yesterday to trust in Him. Pray for cooperation to be granted. Pray for cooperation among the other relief agencies. Pray for rain and peace upon the current fighting. Pray that the God who led millions of Jews through the desert and cared for them would be accepted by these suffering Muslims. Pray for protection of God’s people; that the weapons crafted against us would fail.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

I miss my nightly Bible study time with the kids. I miss their plays, tucking them in, and praying over them.

Love,
Todd

Update

Tony called to check in on his regularly scheduled time. They completed the HAC (Humanitarian Affairs Commission) paperwork, and were expecting to have it returned to the HAC office tomorrow. Please pray also that the paperwork would be correct and what they required, so that they would not have go there over and over.

Todd was catching up on some sleep and getting adjusted to the new time zone, and the temperatures, but Tony said that Todd is doing good with that.

Hilda Heindl

I am not in America anymore!

This morning God gave me a list of to-dos:
clean, organize, fix, be an encourager, pray, smile, laugh, talk, pray, eat, sleep, pray.

He also gave me the following verses:
Psalm 34: 1-2 and 5 regarding showing - radiating - that we are His- showing His presence in us.

Psalm 32:8 - a great promise that He is in charge and that He will guide and protect us.

So, God gave me a toilet and a sink drain to fix , I got to straighten-up a bit, work to get a letter translated with one of the gentlemen here, James, so SHIR can begin work to respond to a local government request. I ate dinner out (shish kabob and rice), accompanied the team to drop Bruce off at the airport for his home trip, and told a joke to a local family at the airport (they laughed, but I do not think they got it...courtesy laugh).

Pray for traveling mercies for Bruce.

I was praying for light rain today that would hinder fighting in Darfur, and that God would calm the people's hearts to stop fighting long enough to allow the numerous aid organizations (NGOs: Non-governmental organizations) to get back out to the people in tough areas. The rainy season is hard from the standpoint of lost roads, pneumonia, and mud. NGOs pull out if it gets too tough.

It was about 90 degrees today and humid (the humidity is not normal). It is a desert. Most everything is lightly coated with a thin layer of fine red dust. The buildings are brick and mortar and covered with plaster. There are no screens. Fans keep it cool inside and window-mounted air conditioning is common. Power outages are common too.

There is a lot of construction going on along the main street and there is a lot of decay going on too. The new construction is quite attractive; blocky, but like a Spanish villa with middle-east style. Things are built for privacy. If I could give you a flavor of the overall look, I would say that having the mosques so prevalent reminds me of Provo, Utah with the ward spires every city block coupled with the urban decay of Camden, NJ in the middle of a red-dirt desert. However, unlike Mormonism, the towers are used here in that the local Imam will climb up the tower (minaret) and chant to call everyone to prayer in the evening over a loud speaker (I am not in America anymore).

There are street vendors on the corners selling food (cooked right there), cigarettes, candy, touristy things, etc. But when I say street corner, do not think sidewalk...there aren't any. There is dirt and drainage ditches and traffic weaving about. Road travel follows a different set of rules: go if it doesn't kill you or you will wait all day. Red lights are suggestions. People cross the street anywhere but the intersections (which would be more dangerous to attempt), and the cars do not slow down for them, they just weave around them.

If outside near a shop, children come up and beg.

I had mentioned that there are two currencies here, the Sudanese pound and the danari. Prices are very similar to what you would find in Orange County California. Very surprising, that.

All my love - Todd

Prayer Request

Pastor Tony called in today on his regular scheduled call in time with his update from Sudan with Todd. They took Bruce to the airport and who has left now for the US. Tony and Todd have spent the day also sorting out HAC requirements for Safe Harbor. There are also 5 other areas that they are working on. Please pray that our Lord would minister and give them His strength as they continue with the work He has prepared them for.

Hilda Heindl
Safe Harbor Prayer Chain Ministry

Update

Hi everybody!!! I spoke with Todd a while ago, and he was doing well. He had arrived in Khartoum and was waiting for direction from God.

The team had planned on going into Darfur right away, however the violence in Darfur has escalated and there is much political unrest; so the team is waiting. Todd said it could be days, could be weeks.

Jeanne

Update

Bruce called in this morning from Khartoum to report that Todd has arrived there this evening. They were all getting ready to go to dinner. Todd is rotating in as Bruce is getting ready to leave, he will be leaving tomorrow and returning to the US via St. Louis. Please pray for a safe trip for him and pray for the team which is staying in Khartoum which is Pastor Tony and Todd now, he is from Calvary Chapel East Anaheim. That our Lord will bless them and keep them healthy and safe as they continue to minister to the Least the Last and the Lost.

In His presence with you,

Hilda Heindl
Safe Harbor Prayer Chain Ministry

Update & Praise Report

God is so amazing! AND BIG!!!

We just left the airport, dropping Todd off at LAX, Saturday 23-2007. No small miracle considering a water main break at the Embassy

In Washington DC threatened his receipt of the visa he needed. The visa arrived today at noon! As you may know, his plane was delayed by an hour also, which messed with the original itinerary. What started as a flight into London, then on to Khartoum, ended up with an overnight in London and an added stop in Germany. In London most of the hotels are full due to Wimbledon - but he got into one (thank you Susan Chinn).... and on and on it goes.

The blessings abound, however! We knowingly over packed his luggage. Basic supplies were hitting the weight limit, and he wanted to bring food; so after the fifty lb. mark on the bags, we stuffed the side pockets with sustenance. We figured when they weighed it we could just empty all of the pockets and be back at fifty if necessary. But God... we prayed to the God of all weights and measures (& everything else) that Todd would find favor with the agents so that he can bless the guys abroad with jerky and fruit leather - and voila! A distraction in the form of bad weather, late planes, and a totally messed up flight plan bought us a 50 lb. sticker! YAY!

Our God is so good!!!!!!!

Jeanne

P.S. Todd called from London where he just arrived today 06-24-07. He has all of his bags and he will return to the airport at 4:00am for his 6:00am flight to Frankfurt, Germany and then to Khartoum, Sudan.

Praise Report

Praise the Lord, Prayer Team!

The embassy called in to Safe Harbor and said that I will have my visa in time for my flight out!

You can also pray for mercy at baggage check-in, as my luggage is riding the weight line, and I am carrying boots for the African Union (AU) that may need a merciful eye in customs to get through.

Thak you for sharing in prayer and praise!

Todd

Prayer Request

The Sudanese embasy has had a waterline break and they are not expected to return to the office for several days.

Todd's visa was approved (a miracle since the sanctions were imposed by the US. Currently, the only US personnel being allowed in, are with Safe Harbor), but it was not sent out yet.

Please pray for dry land around Todd's visa, that it is mailed out today such that it arives tomorrow before his flight out, and that the water break is repaired swiftly (mercy upon their documents).

God is in control of the timing.

Thank you for praying.

Todd and Jeanne

Willing to Serve?

If you feel led to serve the Lord by supporting the Scott family with practical needs (meals, laundry, childcare, emergency backups, etc.), please email Susan Chinn. She is coordinating a calendar listing needs for specific dates.

Thank you!

Map of Sudan

Darfur Ministry Letter

I hope this letter finds you growing in the love and grace of our Lord and savior, Jesus, the Christ.

Recently I (Todd) have been called by God to go to Darfur, Sudan in Africa to serve alongside Safe Harbor International Relief in bringing the gospel and practical help. As you may be aware, Sudan is in the midst of civil war and the Arab Muslims are killing the Black Muslims in the region of Darfur. Over two million people have been displaced and are living and dying without basic life-giving needs (food, water, shelter, sanitation, medicine, hope). On September 9th of 2004 Secretary of State Colin Powell stated that genocide (such that meets the legally recognized definition) is occurring in Sudan and that the government-sponsored militias, the Janjaweed (which means “devil on a horse”) bear responsibility (Sudan denies this). The African Union has been involved as a peacekeeping force of 7000, but have not been able to stop the conflict. This week, (June 11, 2007) Sudan agreed to allow a UN peacekeeping force access, but the debate continues as to what ratio to the AU this will be, etc. Man’s wisdom is not effective, and the wait continues to allow the reign of death.

While this battle rages on the surface, we who are His know that we do not battle with flesh and blood but with forces of darkness and that God has given us spiritual weapons to bring down these strongholds.

I am writing this letter to ask you, as my brothers and sisters in Christ, to commit before God to go to Darfur with me; to go with me in prayer and to do battle in the spirit to bring down fortresses of evil. Many of the people group being served have never heard the name Jesus or His gospel, but upon relating are ready to give their lives to faith and service in Him.

Will you come through this open door? Please ask the Lord with a heart prepared to hear His answer, and let me know if I can count upon your prayers to our God. I am asking that you dedicate time to pray every day at 7 PM for the length of the trip: 6/23 through 8/04, and any other time that God lays Darfur/me upon your heart. Jeanne will have a dedicated prayer time at our home every Friday at 7 PM throughout this trip for those of you able to attend. Also, as our Lord spoke to us through Paul, you may join me in enjoying the fruit of this journey in assisting financially as well. If the Lord puts it upon your heart to love Him and the people of Darfur in this way, you may send funds to Calvary Chapel East Anaheim with “Darfur Mission” noted on your check.



As an additional request, please come along side my family in prayer, encouragement, and helps during this time. Jeanne and I are one flesh. Though she is here, she is on-mission as well, and will need the support of the love of Christ, through His body, for many things.

Thank you for your Spirit-filled attention and prayerful consideration.

Standing in and by the Love of Christ,

Todd Scott