MTinHaiti

I cannot believe that so much has happened in the 2 weeks since the Bethel Church of Christ and Outlook Christian Church left out campus.  This was supposed to be the first post after they left and then the earthquake hit and everything has been centered around that.
These two groups came to NWHCM and out to Beauchamp to help with the Sewing Room.  We were beginning to wonder if they were going to get to come at all.  January is the rainy season and 2 years ago the rain stopped them from coming then.  We thought that it was going to be a repeat but then the sun came out and the river went down.  It was a long trip to Beauchamp in a very jam-tight Deuce-and-a-half on very muddy roads.  Again, travel is never easy in Haiti.  They arrived with weary bodies but with big smiles on their faces and a desire to get right to work — and work they did.
They were only on our campus for 2-1/2 days but they accomplished so much in that time.  They made shutters for the windows in the sewing room and …

You know it is hard to imagine that we are only 150 miles from Port au Prince, in a world that is not governed by the TV, mass media, Face Book, and every other technical gizmo that you can imagine.  You would hardly know that your country had changed,  that hundreds of thousands were dying, hurt, homeless or that an economic earthquake was headed your way.  There is the mouth-to-mouth accounts of the events in Port au Prince but it is not in our faces like it is in the states.  But make no mistake we are very aware of the seriousness of this situation and of many difficult days to come.
In the past few days instead of Mike and Vogly going to Port au Prince we have been able to send people from our area who wanted to go and look for lost loved ones and to bring hurting family members back to the Northwest.  Elisnel, one of our church members, was able to get 10 of his family members back to the NW.  His brother had died but his sisters were alive.  Pastor Irenel found his brother and …

The rippling effects of the quake are already beginning to be felt.  Today as we sent some of our staff in to Port de Paix to buy supplies to sustain us for a little bit — prices are already escalating.  Odines got the last 100 of 120 bags of concrete at the depot in Port de Paix.  He was told not to buy gas if it was above $60.00 a gallon and it was — it was $80.00 a gallon.  It has doubled in price in two days.  He said that tap-tap after tap-tap was full of people coming to the north from Port au Prince.  We have had several of our staff needing to bring their families that survived the quake in PAP to Beauchamp and the surrounding areas.  They escaped with their lives but everything else is gone.
This is just the beginning of what is to come.  There will be a need for medical attention outside of PAP, for food for the starving who have left with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.  The need is going to be overwhelming.  The toll it takes on you …

Here is some information from our main mission website.  They are loading containers in specific area — if you would like to donate supplies here is where you can take them.
NWHCM was spared major disaster from this earthquake, but God has laid it upon our hearts to go help in places that need it and are crying out. We are sending our own people and supplies to help our partners in ministry to the south. This will mean that we need finances and supplies for the task at hand and also for the task of resupplying.
Money is the most flexible resource to use in Haiti. To donate, click here.
Next, we need food, medicines, and medical supplies. Food and medicines need to be at least six months from expiration.

High-protein foods (peanut butter, protein bars, beans, canned meat, baby formula)
Medical supplies (bandages, sutures, splinting supplies, IV fluids, antibiotics)

Collection Centers:

Kentucky:  NWHCM – 150 Laralan Ave. Suite E, Frankfort, KY 40601; Contact 502-695-7870; M – F 9am – 4pm.
Florida:  Tomoka Christian Church – 1151 West Granada Boulevard, Ormond Beach, FL  32174; Contact Barb Kennedy (386-677-6455) or Leah Putting (386-214-1449); Saturday, Jan. 16 4pm -8pm, Sunday, Jan. …

Yesterday afternoon found Vogly and Mike trying to get plane tickets to go to Port au Prince to check on Vogly’s family.  It was an afternoon of tap-taps, lots of mud and by the time we got to the airport it was closed.  On the way home from Port de Paix you could see families wailing as they received the news that family members had been killed in Port au Prince.
Thursday morning started with some of the same.  Vogly is rejoicing because his mother and step-father are okay even though she received some injuries from falling blocks.  Many of his friends and his college professor have been killed.  A moment of joy and then heartache the next second over the bad news.  Salla (our Haitian employee) as well as many of the community people have been anxious all day as they have not heard anything about their family members in Port au Prince.  We gave Salla’s daughter money to go to PAP to check on her 4 sisters.  Throughout the day we have stopped to have prayers with those who are hurting.  We have rejoiced with Ti-Poppa as he heard …

I am copying a section from Jody’s email to help with questions about how you can help:
It is the recommendation of the mission that if you want to bring in a group of medical people or provide relief efforts – that you contact larger organizations that have the manpower to house, feed, and set up a facility in PAP. We are working at the Mission of Hope. A truck of supplies went down today. We have only raised 7,000.00 – folks – it’s NOT enough. It’s no where near enough.
We are going on the battle-lines and can easily move the small group we have – but we simply don’t have the resources there. Samaritans Purse is a good friend of the mission as is The Red Cross if you are looking to volunteer in PAP.
As some cell phones are beginning to work now – news about personal accounts are filtering their way up here. You will hear someone PRAISE THE LORD – when they hear their family is okay – – while another one collapses to the ground when they realize they lost everyone.
If you would like to donate financially …

As we woke this morning to a helicopter flying overhead this morning I could not wait to run to the computer to see if there was more news about the earthquake.  I went to several online news sources and stopped at FOX news.  They had pictures and a video.  A whole crowd of Haitians were huddled around me to see the report — I only have a small alloted amount of downloading and partway through the video it stopped.  We feel so “in the dark” here.  If it were not for our computer this area would not have any idea of the devestation.  Not only do we feel in the dark but we feel helpless.  We are only 150 miles away but it might as well be 5000.  Our heart is very heavy for our Haitian family — they have mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and children in Port au Prince.  There are tears in their eyes and concern on their faces as they are unable to have any communication with Port au Prince.  They have no idea how their families are doing or if they are even still alive.
We would …

Teresa and I were both working when I started to hear a low rumble.  I thought – what is that that is shaking the ground.  Pretty soon the whole house began to shake, things began to fall off of the shelves.  I stepped outside and water barrels that were full from the rain were shaking and the ripples were about 4 or 5 inches high and splashing out of the barrels.  Swoosh (one of our donkeys) was braying and high-stepping with this.  I looked at Teresa and said – “we just had an earthquake”.  Growing up in Florida we were quite used to hurricanes but had never experienced an earthquake.  It is obvious that we had not had earthquake training because we did not look for cover or run outside — we just stood there in amazement.
Pretty soon Vogly and Odines came running back to the campus and they both realized what had happened also.  Then a few minutes later we got hit with a short aftershock.  Teresa was in the room trying to immediately put a post on FB when she could feel the foundation of the house begin …