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We have not received any word from either our primary contact in Haiti (with whom I spoke by phone just a few days before the earthquake), or from either of our two orphanage directors. Like tens of thousands of other Americans and Canadians who have loved ones in Haiti, we wait with hope. The cell phone of our primary contact sounds as if it is ringing when I call him, but there is no answer. I am facing up to the possibility that Preval Meritil, a dear friend of thirty years and a true Haitian saint, is in heaven.
Our area representative, James Jones of the Dominican Republic, found the Dominican/Haiti border tightly closed in both directions at two locations that he tried. Thankfully, because James is a former army medic, he has been assigned by the Dominican Civil Defense and Secretary of Health to a MASH team, and he will be on the ground in Port-au-Prince on Saturday. His job will be triage, primary rescue, stabilization of the injured, and transfers. James is taking $5,000 worth of bottled water, food, and medical supplies from Heaven's Family, thanks to all of you.
HF International Director Chuck King is flying to the Dominican Republic tomorrow to personally entrust James Jones with 100 Sawyer Water Filters. James will take them with him to Port-au-Prince where they are so greatly needed right now.
There were massive needs in Haiti before the earthquake, and there will be massive needs for months and years to come there. We intend to do all that the Lord enables us to do to meet immediate and long-term needs.
To contribute securely by credit card from anywhere in the world, click here, or call our office during regular business hours (8:30AM - 5PM EST) at (412) 833-5826.
To contribute by check in the U.S. or from any country other than the U.K., please write "Disaster Relief" in the memo line and mail it to Heaven's Family, P.O. Box 12854, Pittsburgh, PA, 15241, USA.
To contribute by cheque in the U.K., please write "Disaster Relief" in the memo line and mail it to Heaven's Family, P.O. Box 3736, Ascot, Berkshire, SL57WR.
Please send whatever you can in order to help maximise the Relief Aid that Heaven's Family can give.
The People’s Majlis (Parliament) of the Maldives have been debating a bill to ban non-Muslim places of worship. According to Maldivian sources the bill, proposed by Ibrahim Muttalib MP, would make it illegal to build non-Muslim places of worship or to practise non-Muslim faiths in public, although foreigners would be allowed to worship in the privacy of their homes. Punishment would be a jail term of three to five years or a fine of between US$2,800 and US$4,700.
Muttalib’s rationale
When presenting the bill, Muttalib said that its purpose was to maintain Islamic principles in the country and to prevent the spread of non-Muslim faiths. He also said that the government had received enquiries about establishing places of worship and there was nothing yet in the law or constitution to prevent this. He mentioned too the phenomenon of “wedding tourism” and said that this would “indirectly set up churches in this country”.
Muttalib has explained that he proposed the bill because at present there is no legal barrier to the establishing of non-Muslim places of worship. He referred to Article 19 of the 2008 Maldivian constitution, which states that “No control or restraint may be exercised against any person unless it is expressly authorised by law.” His argument was that a law was therefore needed explicitly prohibiting non-Muslim places of worship.
Muttalib’s assumption that having non-Muslim places of worship would be unacceptable reflects the strongly Islamic nature of Maldivian society. His concern is how to safeguard against this happening.
What next?
The bill has now been sent to committee.
President Mohamed Nasheed has said that, before ratifying the bill, he will seek advice from Islamic religious scholars about what sharia (Islamic law) teaches on allowing non-Muslims to worship in an Islamic society.
According to sharia, Jews and Christians are allowed to keep their existing places of worship in an Islamic state but not to build new ones. “Pagans”, such as Hindus, are not even allowed to keep existing places of worship.
The higher percentage of Muslims in any Nation then the greater the demand to convert that Nation to Islam, and the more determined the fanatics like Choudary become.
It is high time that the UK government acted against this threat to the stability and peace of the nation as a whole. Get rid of the canker in our midst that seeks to destroy all that true members of the United Kingdom have fought for over the decades.
Be warned. If you do nothing then these evil men with their warped beliefs will ultimately succeed in taking over this nation. If you do nothing then you will be as much to blame as anyone else. Lobby your MP to take this matter up in Parliament as a matter of urgency, and keep on lobbying until something is done.
New Alphabet
A is for apple, and B is for boat,
That used to be right, but now it won't float!
Age before beauty is what we once said,
But let's be a bit more realistic instead.
Now
The Alphabet:
A's for arthritis;
B's the bad back,
C's the chest pains,
Perhaps car-d-iac?
D is for dental decay and decline,
E is for eyesight, can't read that top line!
F is for fissures and fluid retention
G is for gas which I'd rather not mention.
H High blood pressure--I'd rather it low
I for incisions with scars you can show.
J is for joints, out of socket, won't mend,
K is for knees that crack when they bend.
L for libido, what happened to sex?
M is for memory, I forget what comes next.
N is neuralgia, in nerves way down low
O is for osteo, bones that don't grow!
P for prescriptions, I have quite a few,
Just give me a pill, I'll be good as new!
Q is for queasy, is it fatal or flu?
R is for reflux, one meal turns to two.
S is for sleepless nights, counting my fears,
T is for Tinnitus, bells in my ears!
U is for urinary, troubles with flow;
V for vertigo, that's 'dizzy', you know.
W for worry, NOW what's going 'round?
X is for x-ray, and what might be found.
Y for another year I'm left here behind,
Z is for zest I still have-- in my mind.
I've survived all the symptoms, my body's deployed,
And I'm keeping twenty-six doctors fully employed!!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!