Thursday, January 21, 2010

We are engaged in delivering direct relief in a place that is in chaos with almost no infrastructure. The resources needed here are/will be staggering...and the ministry opportunities vast. Please go to www.efca.org or Give Now to donate. Send the link to all your friends, in your address book and on facebook. Ask them to pass it on!

January 21
We passed numerous pancaked buildings this morning on our way to the UN warehouse to receive medical supplies. The horrible odor reminds everyone of all those who are buried under the piles of concrete. Hundreds of children were buried under a giant cathedral where they attended school. Most streets are barely passable. The government and its buildings are gone.
My colleagues are a medic and ER nurse so they came up with the supply list and then we went to the UN warehouse to locate the needed supplies. Two hundred people each day walk into the vestibule of the local church where a clinic has been set up. The doctors are from Singapore and they are treating nasty wounds, infected and gangrenous. At the UN warehouse, we were able to get a full load of medical supplies for both of the 'clinic' in Carrefour, and the hospital in Cap Hatien. We also ran into a unit of the 82nd airborne. The captain was very interested in what we were doing and brought us over to his command post at the airport. The Colonel gave us access to as much food and water that we could carry, and gave us a captain to escort us, with open doors, at the UN compound. He also invited us to come back for more. This was huge, because we have been trying for days to get anything to hand out to people. It has been total chaos with no supplies available! Then we were able to gain access to key people in the UN and a room of U.S. Army Majors and Colonels. We are trying to get an army helicopter to transport the medical supplies to Cap Haitien, put a requisition in for it, but one was not available today. We are praying for one tomorrow or a truck or whatever else can get the supplies there.
After that we headed west to areas we had not yet seen, closer to the epicenter. The town of Leogagne was severely damaged. A four story school was flattened, which was the work of a pastor who we met for dinner the previous night. His church and his home were also destroyed. He has about 60 people living on the church grounds. We were able to provide the food and water for those people. It's just a drop in the bucket, but still it was great to get relief into people's hands. They were very thankful.
At our last stop in Gressier, we saw fault lines across and running down the road. There was a 6" drop along the fault line. This town and the rural area around it has 50,000 people with little or no aid. We met the Mayor tonight and we plan to see him tomorrow morning to look at locations for another clinic. They have had almost no medical care. We also looked at a house that we are thinking will make a great base for us.
WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS FOR DISCERNMENT ON WHERE TO INVEST OUR MINISTRY RESOURCES TO THE GREATEST GLORY TO GOD AND TO BENEFIT THE PEOPLE HE LOVES. We also need His continued favor in granting us the resources we need... daily.

2 comments:

Mark Jensen said...

Tonight our elders gather and we prayed for you, the people of Haiti and God's favor upon your team.

In our Spirits, we are with you.

Mark Jensen

In The Beginnining said...

We have been praying as a school staff at Woodstream Academy and at The Sparrows' Nest Ministries. We are planning to collect coins from the kids at school as well as a fundraiser to assist. Thank you for responding so quickly as always.

We stay tuned...
Jerry Carroll