January 12th, 2010 - 7.0 Earthquake
The January 2010 earthquake hit 7.0 on the Richter scale, devestating huge sections of the area in and around Port-Au-Prince.
The earthquake completely destroyed the school/church building that Precious Pearl supports. Pastor Eddy, one of our Haitian partners, survived the quake but his home was also completely devestated. Many of our volunteers and the people we help who were fortunate enough to survive the quake are suffering and struggling to recover, and could use your help.
Precious Pearl at the Epicenter
1/14 10:15AM Christina and Adam are at the airport this morning waiting for a flight back to the US. Cellphones must be working there because she sent a text from her phone. She says that it was miraculous that everyone got out of the house, but we knew that God's angels were watching over them.
- The 4 story concrete school/church building was totally destroyed, fortunately school was out. Unfortunately, the ladies choir was practicing and some of them died when the building collapsed.
- One of our Haitian pastors is in the US trying to get back to Carrefour. He will be carrying aid for us to expand our meal programs. We have another courier traveling next week who will carry more aid to Carrefour.
1/13 I was in Haiti yesterday, Jan 12, and flew to New York at 2:00PM missing the quake by a few hours. We received two text messages shortly after the quake that everyone at Pastor Eddy Francois' house in Carrefour is OK, but the house is destroyed. This morning Eunice's husband Joe, called his sister in New York and he says that Eunice was injured but went to the hospital and is OK now.
We are immediately increasing the number of meals that we serve. Your donations to support the people of Carrefour will be immediately transmitted to Carrefour to help the poor in the form of hot meals or first aid.
First Food Arrives
The first bit of food to arrive in Carrefour was trucked in from the Dominican Republic by a Pastor from there who works with us. The following is an excerpt translated from his email about the relief effort, which he is calling MISERICORDIA POR HAITI (Mercy for Haiti).
MERCY FOR HAITI: IS A PROGRAM TO HELP A NEIGHBOR ISLAND Haiti, which has as main purpose, PROVIDE APPAREL, FOOD, MEDICAL AID SPIRITUAL AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT TO THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AND FAMILIES which was devastated by the earthquake that shook this impoverished nation.
TO GET TO HAITI WAS INCREDIBLE see hundreds of people wandered the streets, without direction, upside down and hear a helicopter circling HAPPEN WHEN THEY ARE EXPECTING Notice how that something fall from the sky, a country in ruins, hundreds of people gathered together, as I could, makeshift homes rag SANABAS, CANVAS, it's amazing what happens there.
SPENT BY THE CENTER OF THE CAPITAL OF THE COUNTRY TO GET A PLACE CALLED ACROSS CARREFOUR AND SAW THAT THERE HAS NOT ARRIVED no help.
STREETS FULL OF DEBRIS, PEOPLE Searching through the rubble in hopes of finding someone alive, we note GARBAGE CANS ON WITH CORPSES, THE MAIN STREETS FULL OF INTERNATIONAL MILITARY, debris and garbage everywhere.
When the time of sharing, distributing food for 5,000 people where hundreds WITH HUNGER IS NOT AN EASY TASK, but we did our best, we take the risks which arise and go up the neediest, COULD DELIVER AID TO OVER 6 churches with orphanages, these churches have camps with over 2500 people each sleeping on the floor, desperate people, WATER AND FOOD.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR COOPERATION AND ASSISTANCE, let us help Haiti, motivate yourself and continue to provide, OUR NEXT TRIP WILL BE COMING SOON, MAKE YOUR COOPERATION
Click here to see photos of this Haiti earthquake relief effort.