Earthquake Disaster

The immediate rescue phase is over, the relief effort is working – Pastor Leon et al have that in hand - and we have to be deliberate in organizing ourselves and teams for the long haul of reconstruction. As you talk to folks about this, please counsel patience and the need to sustain this reconstruction effort - which includes a steady stream of medical teams to provide community care since the medical system in Haiti has been hammered - for a very, very long time. This will make the New Orleans effort look like a walk in the park and that for Mississippi seem to be the Promised Land. As well, please convey to your churches, friends, civic groups et al the same thing - that the initial outpouring of aid will help feed and remove debris, but that bringing conditions back to even what they were will take far more. I think that the estimate for HOM of $1M for our own damage and seed money of $5M to start helping the communities is a reasonable estimate for now.

Sending stuff to Haiti. We have been asked many times about how to get material goods to Haiti. It is expensive and difficult. My request of all who want to send collected items is to instead have a yard sale and send the cash down. Even if the items are useful they carry with them shipping and storage costs and may not be what is needed right now. However, a host of yard sales converting stuff into cash would be exceptionally helpful.

The good news remains that the deaths in our areas have been far fewer than other areas. We know, still, of only two students who were killed in the quake - out of a population of about 1250 that number may still climb as information is assembled, but it remains an exceptionally bright spot for us. The other good news is that the needs are clear and the direction relatively evident. We just need to have the perseverance, patience and courage to continue with our Haitian brothers and sisters. So, in addition to constantly lifting them up in prayer, we should pray for ourselves and our North American friends to have the necessary perseverance, patience and courage. The CNN crews will leave. The current political will abroad in our country and the world will fade, but we must settle in for the duration - which is likely the rest of our lives for many of us.