We thank God for all the volunteers who have gone to Haiti since the 2010 earthquake to work alongside our Haitian brothers and sisters rebuilding schools and churches and doing the work of relief and recovery. Our VISA Ministries office has processed 602 volunteers since January 2010! Sixty work teams have demolished or repaired buildings; built schools and churches; drilled wells; distributed water filters, food and solar ovens; assisted with medical needs at Dessalines Hospital; and equipped 500 Haitian teachers.
This week we received the report that finally all schools “have a roof over their heads,” either occupying their own schools or using the church buildings. The next phase will be to replace temporary structures with permanent ones and to build schools in the places where sanctuaries have been turned into temporary classrooms.
A great big THANK YOU to all who have gone, all who pray, and all who continue to give generously to support the recovery efforts in Haiti. We are far from done! But we have reached a very significant milestone along this very long journey, for which we thank God.
To make a donation to this ongoing work, click here and select “Haiti Recovery Fund.”
Three Sundays ago, I worshiped at Faustin 1st Free Methodist. They are in a temporary church built for about 1,200. It isn’t big enough. Two Sundays ago, I worshiped at Parc Chretien Church. It can seat about 2,000. People were standing in the courtyard. This past Sunday, I worshiped at Puit Blain. This temporary church can seat 1,000. They, too, have outgrown their space. All three of these churches have grown substantially over the past year. In the midst of the chaos, God is at work
PBS program “Religion and Ethics.” The video includes interviews with Rick Ireland and Jean Marc Zamor, as well as footage of Parc Chretien and Greffen FM churches.
A memorial service will be held, Wed., Jan. 12, on the first anniversary of the 2010 earthquake. Those who perished in the earthquake and who will be remembered at the service include:
Dolly Dufour and Dorothy West, along with several of Dorothy’s family members, Gary West, Merle West II and Mark West. Each of the individuals are from the New Covenant Church, Clio, MI.
Katie Zook, Marysville FMC, WA, former short-term missionary who was in Haiti at the time of the earthquake and buried under rubble near Jack Munos. This is her seventh trip to Haiti. She returns to the U.S. Sat., Jan. 15.
Members of the Clear Blue well-drilling team, Cornerstone FMC, Akron, OH, many of whom were in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. They will also take this opportunity to visit wells. Team members include: Brenda Young, Melanie Brooks, Bruce Oberlin, Chris Browne and Dave Hornish. The teams travel dates are Jan. 10 to 13.
The Sawyer company, which produces the PointOne Water Filters that International Child Care Ministries purchases and distributes where most needed, has temporarily reduced the price of water filters by 40% through December 23. These water filters attach to a 5-gallon bucket and purify that amount of water in 20 minutes. The purified water is purer than U.S. bottled water. These water filters are proven lifesavers and are making an impact worldwide. Any individual, family, group or church can now purchase a lifetime water filter for a family for $35.
Click on this link to purchase one or more Sawyer PointOne Water Filters through ICCM. As with all gifts and contributions for ICCM Special Projects funds, no processing fee is deducted from the amount given. All contributions through ICCM are tax deductible to the extent that the law allows.
After December 23, the price will return to $50. Please call ICCM if you have questions: 800.342.5531.
Continue to pray for Haitians as they deal with the cholera outbreak. This picture shows the new reality for Free Methodists in Haiti. A hand washing station outside the Parc Chretien FMC was set up for a district meeting. Two meals were served during the course of the day, and the hand washing station was in active use before each one.
The cholera problem was identified as a major problem in the area around our hospital in Dessalines on a Friday and by Sunday we had mobilized a team of Haitian doctors, nurses, and community workers to go into the impacted area. The medical people helped the overworked staff at the hospital and the community workers went into the impacted area and passed out the 50,000 fliers with information on how to protect yourself from cholera and what to do if it strikes. The report I got back from Dr. Jerry Rusher, an American doctor, was that the Haitian team made a big difference. We didn’t stop the epidemic but we did do what we could do.
“So what do you do when faced with an impossible task? The Haitian church is planning a country wide education campaign. There are things one can do to prevent cholera and other things to do if it strikes that will increase your chance of survival. In the weeks ahead the churches will be very busy trying to help their communities. That’s what they can do. The church here long ago learned that you have to trust God for what is beyond you.
You might be wondering what you can do. First, please keep Haiti lifted up in prayer. It faces significant challenges as it rebuilds from an earthquake, a cholera epidemic, and a hurricane. If you want to do something a bit more hands-on, you might consider a donation toward clean water. For $50 you can buy a water filter that can help several families have safe water to drink. Just send your donation to Free Methodist World Missions, PO Box 535002, Indianapolis, IN 46253-5002 and mark your check, ‘Help Haiti Heal water filters.’ Another excellent way to help would be a donation to Clear Blue Global Water Project . This organization is actively drilling wells in many parts of the world, including Haiti. You can also donate to them by sending your check to Free Methodist World Mission and marking it ‘Global Water Project.’ The fact that you can’t do everything should not stop you from doing something.”
From Andy Yardy 7 Nov 2010: Today, I visited what used to be the Delma 53 free Methodist church. I remember it from my last trip here cause it was one of the buildings that I saw with so much damage it was amazing that it even was still standing. Since then they have torn the building down and moved to a new piece of land with space to grow. There are nearly twice as many people attending services there as there were before the earthquake one lady Gaardine Liberte lead a prayer at the service today who had been trapped in a building that had pancaked only a few feet from the old church.
This afternoon, we visited several other churches and school buildings that had been rebuilt over the last 10 months. One church across the street from a UN tent city with 3000 families had a well provided through clear blue global water project that is now the primary water source for these dislocated families. The final stop for the day was the sight for a new university the Haitians are building. It’s a dream they had before the quake but motivated by the need to educate there own people to rebuild there own country construction is beginning in the next few weeks to they can start classes next school year.
July 12 was the six-month anniversary of what has been described as the greatest natural disaster in recorded history. A major metropolitan area (Port- au-Prince is home to one- fourth of Haiti’s population) was hit by a major earthquake. The response of the Free Methodist Church was immediate and generous. Over $1.6 million has been received from churches in the United States, Canada, the Dominican Republic and around the world. To date, more than a mil lion of that has been distributed.
The full report can be reviewed in PDF format HERE.
Phases 1 and 2 of the recovery plan (which have been completed) included the following:
More than 1,000 people were vaccinated and more than 2,000 people were seen in free clinics. These clinics were staffed by Haitian medical people volunteering their time to serve their churches and communities.
We (the steering committee) have worked extensively with the local churches to develop programming for children prior to the restart of school.
We conducted distributions at every church in the West and South Districts. Some of these churches are hours from Port-au-Prince, and this was the only help these people received. We have also distributed relief supplies to school staffs.
We have given grants to 29 pastors to provide for provisional shelter and to an additional 19 pastors to assist in repairing their homes.
We have assisted a number of churches in demolition. The typical pattern is that local church people provide the labor to take down the buildings and we provide money to have the rubble hauled away.
We have been identifying and funding projects that can be accomplished with Haitian labor.
We have made major progress in rebuilding the financial system and hope to be done in the next week or so.
The Bible school has restarted.
Looking ahead
Nearly a dozen sites have lost both their church and school. We are working hard to get at least one usable structure at every site.
New building materials are being tested: a new (to us) steel frame building structure and a new (to Haiti) type of foam core building.
We are expecting a major shipment of tents.
We are looking at the possibility of a second pastors’ retreat. The first retreat was limited to only West and South District pastors. We would like to do something for all pastors and wives. The earthquake has had an impact far beyond Port-au-Prince. Superintendent Charite reports that in his region alone the population has swelled by 156,000 people and the schools are serving 20,000 additional students.
We are planning major subsidies to all FM schools to assist them in paying for staff.
We need to continue to rebuild the administrative structure of the mission in Haiti. This begins with finances but there are a number of other things, such as government reports and permits that need to be brought up to date as the government structure gets back to normal.
The FM recovery program in Haiti requires a geotechnical engineer to join a small team of structural engineers departing soon. DUTIES: Help in the ongoing assessments of selected FM churches and schools which remain standing following the January earthquake. Help prepare a brief report on findings and conclusions. ELIGIBILITY: A qualified geotechnical engineer experienced in time-efficient field assessments. A team player who understands and is in full sympathy with the Christian basis for this work is needed for this mission. MISSION DURATION: approximately one week. TIMING: soon – to be arranged in consultation with the team leader. Interested individuals should e-mail: conniek@fmcna.org.
More than ever before I am struck by the contrasts of life in the U.S. and life here in Haiti. A noticeable number of buildings are being demolished. I remember watching a house be demolished in the States – a giant machine came in and the house was gone in an afternoon. Here they are being demolished by crews of men with sledgehammers. It is a lot slower but things are just as demolished in the end. If there is an underlying lesson it is just this, life is a lot harder here.
This was driven home in a more personal way as I talked with my friend Jean Marc. Jean Marc is a pastor and a very able administrator, and we work very closely together for the relief effort. Last night my head hit the pillow about 9 p.m. and I slept like a log until about 4:30 or so. Jean Marc didn’t get much sleep. He sleeps in a tent in a school courtyard. It rained a good part of last night, and he had to get up and empty the rain that pooled up in the canvas tarps that overhung the courtyard. He was also awakened several times to help his elderly father to the bathroom. But today he was cheerful and full of hope. He went on and on about how God was at work and that we were entering good days for Haiti.
I see that all around me. People are in difficult circumstances but they are approaching life with peace and contentment. I think one of the reasons the Haitian people have been so resilient in their difficult times is that they are not as focused on the treasures of earth which they no longer have.
Other Haiti news
Edwani, wife of Erlin Blot the FOHO (Friends of Haiti Organization) caretaker who was killed in the earthquake, recently gave birth to a baby girl. The baby’s name is Jeanne after Pastor Jeanne Acheson-Munos who also lost her life in the quake.
The Miraj, India, FM Church is made up of members disabled by the ravages of Hansen’s disease (leprosy). Some make their living by begging and some by weaving. Out of their meager earnings, they contributed more than $100 to the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.
Workers with Clear Blue Global Water Project have provided 22 working wells in Haiti since mid-January. They plan to return to Haiti in July and August, as funds are available. To learn more about Clear Blue’s efforts to bring safe drinking water to Haiti and how you can be involved, click here.
The FM recovery program in Haiti requires a geotechnical engineer to join a small team of structural engineers departing soon. DUTIES: Help in the ongoing assessments of selected FM churches and schools which remain standing following the January earthquake. Help prepare a brief report on findings and conclusions. ELIGIBILITY: A qualified geotechnical engineer experienced in time-efficient field assessments. A team player who understands and is in full sympathy with the Christian basis for this work is needed for this mission. MISSION DURATION: approximately one week. TIMING: soon – to be arranged in consultation with the team leader. Interested individuals should e-mail: conniek@fmcna.org.
We join with the whole world in grieving this tragic earthquake in Haiti. Our hearts and minds cannot imagine the level of devastation, and we fear the news of the next few days will compound our grief.
