Teams for 2010

Haiti response

Many of you have been praying for the situation in Haiti and we are very grateful.  I got back from Port-au-Prince on Thursday and wanted to give you a brief update on what is happening and where it is going.

 

Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti with around 2-3 million people before the earthquake.  On January 12 there was a 7.0 earthquake that struck to the west of the city and devastated much of the surrounding area.  It is difficult to communicate how extensive the destruction is.  150 thousand victims have been buried but there are many thousands of others still entombed beneath the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings.  In the time I was there, there were 50 aftershocks of a 4.5 magnitude or larger.  This has created an overwhelming sense of fear on the part of Haitians, none of whom will sleep inside a building even if it is still standing.  The large majority of the few remaining structures have severe damage and could fall at any time.  Thus there are over 1.5 million people sleeping on the street each night, as far away from buildings as they can get.  Food and water continue to be scarce and help from many government agencies and NGOs is difficult to distribute.  If you would like to learn more about what life is like on the ground, read back entries in my blog: diggerduggan.blogspot.com followed by current entries by Steve Spellman at spellmanrio.blogspot.com.   

 

What we are doing:  TouchGlobal Crisis Response and ReachGlobal missionaries are working together to help meet immediate needs and to develop partnerships that will extend our work into our mission goal, “To multiply healthy churches among all people.”  The situation on the ground is changing every day, so a definite strategy is still under development.  However, God has opened some amazing doors for us to both meet immediate needs and to find new potential partners already working in Haiti.  At this point we are pursuing two houses in two different areas outside Port-au-Prince where teams can be hosted for ongoing work.  This work could take the form of construction, water projects, crisis counseling, and other areas.  We also have an exisiting partner in Cap Haitian whom many of you know, Henoc Lucien.  We have sent medical teams to Henoc to help with the many patients being flown to Cap Haitian for medical care.  We are working with Henoc to see if there can be a church planting strategy in the Port-au-Prince area using leaders and church planters from the Cap Haitian area. 

 

As you may have surmised, Steve Spellman is currently in Haiti.  He will be replaced by the Gundersons for a few weeks before he returns for another couple of weeks.  Brian and Sarah Bennetch (RG staff from Italy) are also there to help us get organized for future work.  We have been scouring the RG network for French speaking staff who could commit 1, 3, 6 months or more to this work.  If you know of former, retired, leave of absence or other missionaries who might be interested in this work, please let me know.  The work will be focused on both compassion ministry and church multiplication, a balance that Christ demonstrated in his ministry years. 

 

We anticipate many churches wanting to help with Haiti.  Although we are not yet ready to receive teams and in fact, there are no commercial flights into Haiti at this point, we do plan to have the processes and support systems in place soon.  There have been many instances of God opening doors and bringing us to people who are doctrinally compatible, missionally aligned and eager to partner.  Continue to pray for God’s grace and mercy as we seek the opportunity for the multiplication of healthy churches in Haiti.

 

Below is the official response we are giving to churches and individuals who are interested in helping or sending teams.  Thank you for praying for RG, TG, Haiti and God’s provision of workers for this ripe harvest.

 

Brian

 

 

Hi - great to hear from you.  I am replying from Port-au-Prince. It is devastating and chaotic. There is a school beside our base that has 60 kids entombed. We're reminded of this by the odor every time we walk by.

 

1.  Our greatest need currently is prayer and monetary donations. We have a giving link at www.efca.org  . We have a bulletin insert at www.efca.org/haiti  . Checks payable to EFCA can be sent to:
Earthquake Relief #3970
901 E. 78th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55420

 

Please use your email address list and Facebook friends to help in getting that word out. We will be updating our plans and reports via our Touchglobal Haiti email. To subscribe, email donna.burke@efca.org .

 

2.  The medical need has changed.  We NO longer need medical personnel in Cap Haiten and are switching our efforts to reconstruction outside of Port au Prince.  You can contact haititeams@efca.org for more information.  We need construction teams in Port au Prince. 3^rd world experience is prerequisite.  The work here is getting a base camp ready, and starting clean-up to reach PaP.  You must arrange your own flights to Port au Prince or arrive via Dominican Republic.  BUT FIRST connect with haititeams@efca.org.  These would be 6 man teams but let me know how many you can get together.  We prefer 6 skilled/semiskilled construction guys who have out of country experience.  The price will be $900 plus airfare to/from Haiti. Let me know how many can come, skill level, and your availability.

 

3. If you would like to donate medical or non-medical supplies to the efforts in Haiti, please send them to our TouchGlobal warehouse in Rockford IL (address below).  You can email haitiresponse@efca.org to see what donations are needed.

 

Warehouse Hours:

Mon – Fri   8:00 to 5:00

 

Address:

EFCA TouchGlobal

402 Kishwaukee St

Rockford, IL  61104

 

Tel. 815/969-0900

 

4. If you would like to give one of our "Big Asks" listed below please contact kevin.watterson@efca.org first! 

Big Asks!

• A Ford F-250 crew cab, long bed, 4x4 with 7.3 liter diesel engine in decent shape. If the vehicle’s reliability is questionable on American roads, it will never hold up to the rough terrain of Haiti’s unpaved roads. 
• 16” 10-ply tires, as flats are prevalent because of the type of roads in Haiti. Imagine rock climbing as well as driving through streams as high as the hood of the truck.
• Ford E-350 Diesel 15 passenger van
• Isusu cab over style diesel large box van
• Diesel pickup truck- Supplied by God – PTL!
• 250cc or bigger dirt bike- road legal with lights and turn signals
• Flat bed trailer, 14 -18 foot
• Chains and binders for trailer
• Backhoe and/or skid loader with backhoe attachment
• Grapple, jackhammer attachments
• Fuel bladders and 50 gallon tank with hose
• Generators- Diesel-5KW or larger
• Ford f-350 or 450/ or Isusu cab over style diesel dump truck,11,000 lb-.16,000 lb.
• Temporary housing – large military tents/mobile units
• Large air compressors and related attachments – jack hammers, hoses
• VSAT Communications system
• Concrete Tools and Equipment
• Cement mixer
• Mortar mixer
• Block press
• Power tamper
• Vibrator
• Hand tools and floats

We’ll keep you posted on details for future teams serving other needs as we get more details.

Thanks for your interest in serving.  Ml

 

Mark Lewis, Director

Touchglobal Crisis Response