Yesterday I heard a comment on Sirius radio where the host laughed about the damage that the hurricane caused in Haiti, stating, “Even if the whole country of Haiti was wiped out – we would only be talking about hundreds of dollars”. What? Perhaps that comment should be on my 10 Reasons You Should Think Before You Speak blog.
It’s one thing to see and hear the “censored” reports from the media – BUT – it’s another thing to hear the pain and despair from loved ones who’ve been calling me every day.
I think about all those new churches that we’ve planted all along the northwest. I think about how difficult it is for those of us who have grown up in the church and personally experienced God’s blessings to keep faith during times of struggle. How hard must it be right now for that new believer to find hope in Christ when there are limited blessings and extreme devastation around them?
So what does Haiti look like right now in the northwest? The roads in Gonaives have been washed away making it impossible for trucks supplying food and fuel to bring aid …..essentially the northwest part of Haiti is isolated. The runway in Port-de-Paix was flooded and planes hadn’t flown in days. Hours were spent yesterday cleaning the runways in hopes that today planes could bring food and relief to hungry and now homeless Haitians. Haitian friends have had to spend nights on their roofs waiting for the floods to receed. Whatever homes were able to withstand the hurricane, they are now left as mud pits. Hundreds of homes lining the ocean on the northwest coast have been wiped away leaving displaced children and families.
Going back to what the host on the radio had said in regards to damage in Haiti totalling only in the “hundreds”…….does the dollar amount really equate to the immeasurable amount of pain and suffering that the people of Haiti are enduring not only in their everyday lives but now in this moment as they are feeling the physical pain of hunger and the emotional pain of continued losses and disappointment?
Jose and I are heading to Haiti on Wednesday and Janeil will be following behind us. We have so many who come to us now – how many more will be at our gate when we arrive? How much more heartbreaking will their stories now be? We aren’t even through the hurricane season and Hurricane Ike is headed our way.
If you would like to help – those new believers, the employees whose homes are now destroyed, the new orphans that are now created from this tragedy, the hundreds who are hungry and homeless……….you can send the mission support to help meet those needs. Please mark your donations – HURRICANE RELIEF.
You can click below on the “Donate” link or send checks to:
NWHCM – PO BOX 829, Versailles, KY 40383
2 responses to “Haiti Needs Your Help”
Our thoughts and prayers go with you as you travel home! We are praying fervently for safety and well-being of the Haitians, as well as the Missionaries and their families, relief supplies to arrive soon, for Ike to go the other direction, and for the person on the radio who made such a stupid comment. Most of the time when people make stupid comments like that they just don’t have a clue, but I pray that they will get a clue…and SOON!
Love you guys!
Go with God,
Tracy
Sue and I sit here seeing only one comment to this story but then we to are at a loss for words like the others, we are sure. Through your words, we can see the altered shoreline of the north coast. We can see the tilting and washed away homes, we are encouraged by those that stayed at the Baie and we can clearly see the faces of those at the Saint-Louis mission gate with one hand rubbing their stomach and the other outstreached. Just do what you can on the return and many will follow soon. May the blessing of the Lord be upon your extended family.