On January 12th, a devastating earthquake registering 7.0 impacted the capital of Port-au-Prince and much of the surrounding area. We are deeply concerned for those in Haiti who are experiencing the chaos and sadness of such loss of life and physical destruction. We are committed to assisting our Haitian partners in order to reach those areas most affected by this disaster. While the immediate relief is in the process of assembling, we recognize that there will be long-term needs that invite our response.
Please pray for relief groups as they respond with immediate help, and for groups like Haiti H2O which are committed to a longer-term response to this devastation. If you would like to support this effort, please contribute our through our web page: http://haitih2o.org/. Thank you.
January 13th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Sarah & Jeff,
I’m sure you will be inundated today with requests and you will be busy yourselves trying to check in with people in-country that you know and love. I am praying for you, your projects in-country, your friends and loved ones in Haiti, and the road ahead. I have found myself weeping unexpectedly at moments this morning, remembering the people I have met in Haiti, the Haitians that I went to school with at Messiah who moved back home, and the places that I have been which looked rather precarious to me in quiet times, let alone a major earthquake. Perhaps that is a good word for the country in general – precarious – it has always seemed positioned on a precipice of some kind (of many kinds) – political, economic, nutritional, sustainable, familial, medical, educational, and so on. And now they have been pushed off the precipice, and not the slipping down the slope kind, but more the Wile E. Coyote holding an anvil dozens of feet off of the cliff with nowhere to go but down kind.
I am at a loss – how do I respond? What is one person’s faithful response in the face of such overwhelming devastation (I realize that this really has always been a question of prominence when faithful people have honestly looked at Haiti, but in light of yesterday’s events it seems to have taken on a qualitatively different feel)? Perhaps, as you are able, you could post something on your website in the next couple of days to let those of us who love Haiti and its people know what you’ve heard and what you think in response. Doug might also have wise words to share in response to the situation.
January 13th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
For four years after Katrina, I help lead trips doing rebuilding in the areas around New Orleans. The devatation easily left a mark that would be at least 15 - 20 years in order to recover. I think of Haiti, that has no infrastructure comparable to the US, and look towards decades to recover from this. I am filled with sorrow and despair for the Haitians and hope and pray that they will encounter a broad and deep response of compassion and aid during these critical times. If we could combine the sense of loss from 911 and join it with the Katrina experience then multiply by 25 we might begin to sense the devastation our Haitian brothers and sisters are encountering.