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If you would like to keep up to date on what's happening with the children at the Gift of God Orphanage in Port au Prince, Haiti, click the link to the right or go to www.fmi-haiti.org.
 (Children of the Gift of God Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti) ************************************************************************************************************************************** Christian Groups Act Quickly to Help Haitian Earthquake Victims
(EP News)--Haiti is reeling after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas on Jan. 12. Now, Christians are springing into action to provide relief.
Kathy Redmond, communications director for Compassion International, said teams are on the way. “Right now, we’re sending some of our workers from the United States, from Central America, from the Dominican Republic,” she said, “to simply assess what’s going on.”
The death toll will likely be in the tens of thousands, with as many as 1-million people displaced. Reports show dazed people wandering the streets looking for loved ones and trying to find food and shelter. Compassion will focus on providing clean water and filling basic needs.
Haiti is a poor nation, so infrastructure was bad before the quake. Sam Smith, CEO of Mercy Ships, said the city is now in chaos. “In Port-au-Prince, there is no multi-story building standing,” he said. “The injuries are substantial. Our people on the ground are saying tens of thousands.”
Mercy Ships deployed its disaster relief teams, including doctors, nurses and carpenters.
Redmond said she’s worried about her associates who were in the country when the quake hit. “We have some people who are missing,” she said, “It’s just a very difficult time right now.”
The Love A Child Orphanage in Fond Parisien, just outside Port au Prince, was fortunate to survive the earthquake in Haiti with no casualties. In spite of damage to the some buildings on campus, the staff is focused on the hundreds of victims arriving at Love A Child's Jesus Healing Center, and the children in the orphanage are packing relief supplies to help, said founders Bobby and Sherry Burnette.
They are reporting that area hospitals are out of basic medical items, such as bandages and antibiotics. There are many victims with head injuries from falling debris, and many broken bones. Bobby Burnette said, "I have seen untold multitudes of families displaced, homeless, living on the streets and sleeping beside their dead relatives. The sidewalks have become morgues."
MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) reports that one of their workers is feared dead and two are missing following the earthquake, but none of the ministry's missionary staff in Haiti were injured, according to Ron Wismer, crisis team manager at MAF headquarters here.
MAF is withdrawing its non-essential staff and dependents from Haiti, Wismer said. A team of key staff members will remain to coordinate relief efforts.
MAF has sent ministry directors to Haiti to assess the needs and set up the ministry's response.
"We are grateful to God for his protection of our missionary staff," said John Boyd, MAF president. "We do not yet know the exact status of all of our Haitian staff members, and ask for your prayers for them and for all the people of Haiti during this time of great sorrow."
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team of crisis-trained chaplains has also deployed to Haiti. An assessment team is now on the ground in Haiti and is discerning how best to meet the needs of the victims.
"Chaplains arrived yesterday in Haiti to assess the level of need and to determine how to best provide emotional and spiritual care in the aftermath of the tragic earthquake that devastated the impoverished country," said Jack Munday, director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. "Please pray for the victims of the earthquake, especially those who are still searching through the rubble looking for lost loved ones. Pray also for our team as they bring hope and comfort in the midst of this disaster."
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team has deployed in coordination with Samaritan's Purse, the international relief organization headed by Franklin Graham, who is also president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Together, the two groups will meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of those who have been affected by the earthquake.
During the night and morning following the initial quake, powerful aftershocks, some as strong as 5.9 magnitude, continued. The greatest damage appears to be concentrated in Port-au-Prince, where critical services, such as electricity, water and phone services, are severely affected.
Haiti, by virtue of its location and its overwhelming poverty, is extremely vulnerable to natural disasters. Before the earthquake, people were still struggling to recover from the devastation caused by a succession of tropical storms that struck Haiti in 2008, killing hundreds, causing floods, destroying crops and leaving thousands homeless. †
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Daily Devotion
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Seeds From The Sower
By Michael A. Guido WHICH WAY IS AMERICA? Read Matthew 19:16-26 During World War Two, a young boy was sent from England to the United States for safety. While crossing the ocean, the ship he was on was hit by a torpedo and he was thrown into the water. A rescue boat came and lifted him out of the water. As they lifted him to safety, his first question was not “Why?” It was “Which way is America?” What an important lesson! |
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