January 16, 2010

The Christian Reformed Church in North America missionaries are reported to be safe and to have enough food and water to sustain them for now following the devastating earthquake that rocked Port-au-Prince, Haiti, causing widespread destruction, deaths and injuries on Tuesday.

Church officials say the news until now has been mostly good, but they have not yet been able to contact many of their Haitian colleagues. Communication in Haiti is difficult and the fate of many of the Haitian staff remains unclear.

They are asking for prayer for missionaries and their Haitian counterparts and anyone else impacted by the quake. The Christian Reformed World Relief committee has started mounting a relief response to the island nation's worst earthquake in 200 years, dispatching an international relief manager to Haiti. Additional staff is expected to join him next week.

An Event Response Team set up by the CRCNA to monitor the situation is in regular contact with staff in Haiti and is working with them to determine the next steps.

Concerns for Chaos

Hundreds of thousands of Haitians continue to suffer without clean water, food and adequate shelter following the earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter scale.

"Right now people are experiencing trauma and utter shock of seeing body bags and bodies under blankets in the streets," says Tom Post, a veteran CRWRC relief and reconstruction specialist who worked in Mexico City after a big quake there several years ago as well as played a role in helping communities in Indonesia rebuild following the devastating tsunami of 2004.

International aid has been delayed because of Haiti's badly damaged seaport and congested airport. The United States is sending up to 10,000 troops that are expected to arrive by Monday to help distribute aid and maintain order, a U.S. military officer said on Friday. The arrival off the Haitian coast of the USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft carrier laden with helicopters, essentially provides a "second airport" from which aid can be delivered to the stricken capital. The U.S. hospital ship USNS Comfort, with hundreds of medical professionals and medical support, should be off the Haitian coast by the end of next week, according to news accounts.

CRWRC Gears Up Response

CRWRC has been working in Haiti and with Haitian partners for some 30 years, which should help as it gears up to help rebuild quake-damaged areas. Christian Reformed World Missions and Back to God Ministries International also have staff in Haiti.

CRWRC says it will try to purchase materials, as well as water, from the Dominican Republic, which is on the same island as Haiti and was not substantially affected by the earthquake.

In Canada, the Minister of International Cooperation has announced that Canada will match individual donations to registered Canadian charitable organizations, such as CRWRC, that support humanitarian and recovery assistance to people affected by the earthquake.

The government of Canada will match all contributions by individual Canadians to registered charities up to a total of $50 million. These funds will then be put into a CIDA-managed Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund, and agencies like CRWRC will submit proposals to receive some of those donations.

To qualify for the match, donations must be received between January 12 and February 12, 2010 and be clearly marked for the Haitian Earthquake response. For additional information, click here. Allen Likkel of Christian Reformed Home Missions says the agency has had many calls from congregations asking how they can help. He is referring calls to CRWRC, which will be able to determine what kind of help is needed.

Pastors of Reformed-related churches in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, said they will collect offerings at Sunday morning and evening services to help their Haitian brothers and sisters.

Although the Dominican Republic was not serious affected by the quake, there are many people there who are anxious because they have family members in Haiti.

Prayer Still Required

In response to the continuing call for prayer, the CRC's Office of Social Justice on Friday sent out a suggested prayer for Haiti and the plight of its people.

"In the aftermath of Haiti's worst earthquake in 200 years, our hearts break for the families and the victims of this tragedy. As many as 100,000 people are likely to have died and one-third of Haitians – about 3 million people – were affected by the earthquake," says the OSJ in an introduction to the prayer, which reads:

"Gracious God, Your word of peace stills the storms that rage in our world. Bring hope in the midst of the devastation in Haiti after this tragic earthquake. Bring comfort to those who grieve the loss of loved ones and material necessities. Let your love be known through the words and deeds of those who work to bring order in the chaos. Help us also to shoulder the burden of suffering in any way we are able. Make us bearers of hope today and let us also remember the poor and vulnerable in the months and years ahead through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen."

For continuing information about the Haiti earthquake crisis, visit http://www.crcna.org/haiti/.

Important note: Financial contributions for CRWRC's response are urgently needed. Every dollar makes a difference and now if Canadians give a donation to the Haiti Earthquake victims through CRWRC by February 12th, it will double in impact due to a generous contribution from the Canadian Government.

Christian Reformed Church in North America