Missions Blog for Churches

Yesterday, Mission to the World (MTW) coordinator, Dr. Paul Kooistra, issued a letter of update and appeal for the long term needs in Haiti. I’ll paste his letter below.

I’m convicted by how quickly this situation fades from my mind. And I get pretty regular doses of it too, not to mention having edited (and am currently working on another) a few video projects. You’d think if anyone could remain mindful and prayerful of the needs in Haiti it would be someone like me. But I don’t. My kids help a lot. They remind me when we pray, all the things I’ve forgotten. And they remind me to pray for Haiti.

Dear Friends,

The crisis in Haiti has now become chronic. There are other big stories to cover, and media attention has dropped away. But orphans still roam the streets, many people are left with disabilities, and much of the population is living under shelters made with sheets and tablecloths. At the same time, life is about to become far more grim with the onset of the rainy season. Few of those who are affected have tents or shelter. The situation is made worse because of the lack of sanitation, which leads inevitably to disease and even greater suffering. Beyond the immediate, much building is needed—homes, schools, hospitals, and basic infrastructure.

The face of suffering is wearying, isn’t it? It is easier than we think to become accustomed to perpetual despair and need.

At MTW, we are preparing for long-term ministry among the Haitian people. While we can’t meet the needs of a nation, we can bring medical care and longer-term assistance to individuals with disabling injuries. We can establish care for orphans through our StreetChild Ministry. We can send short-term teams to help with construction. We believe new churches can be established and existing churches can grow. And we bring with us the greatest treasure of all—the gospel.

We are also hearing reliable reports that there has been an unprecedented surge of spiritual interest among the Haitian people. When the president of Haiti called for three days of fasting and prayer, the nation came to a stop. Most people gathered in their churches—or in the streets—in worship and prayer. Those scenes call to mind the words of Christ from John 4:35 in which He said, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields. They are white unto harvest.” There are many hard places in the world to carry the gospel, but in Haiti hearts are open. The fields are white. We have an unprecedented opportunity to proclaim the gospel in word and deed.

We are asking members of PCA churches to commit to giving toward Haiti recovery for one year. Attached to this message are a brochure and a commitment form that you can print and use if your congregation would like to participate. You’ll see that commitments of any size are welcome, as are one-time gifts. It could be a good project for groups or for families.

Thank you for considering the involvement of your church in this effort. We believe that we, together, have an unprecedented opportunity to serve the people of Haiti and grow the kingdom of God.

In Christ,
Dr. Paul Kooistra

PS: We are also posting the attached brochure and commitment form on our website (www.mtw.org/haiti). There you will also find regular updates and a prayer guide for Haiti. Your prayers are even more important than your gifts.

This is the second video from the second disaster response team that went to Haiti.

This is a video from the second MTW team that served in Haiti. The third team is currently on the ground and serving.

Second medical team just after they landed in Haiti — having left Ft. Lauderdale at 4:30 a.m. There are two more members of this team who stayed over from team one and are not shown in this photo. The team will be working in Dikini camp. Please pray for them and for those whom they treat. How thankful we are for these willing servants whom God has called and equipped for this work!

1. More medical teams are arriving in Dikini, and our team has been asked to move inside the Adventist hospital, where the sickest patients are being referred, in order to help care for the growing patient population. This will enable the team to be more effective since they will be able both to work and to sleep inside the hospital compound, avoiding two hours of driving time each day.

2. Team member David Hilmers received a phone call today to say that his father passed away. David”s father had been ill and David had seen him before leaving for Haiti. David wants to remain in Haiti with the team and leave with them on Saturday. Please pray for him and his family.

3. The Haitian government is continuing to ship refugees out of Port-au-Prince, and areas in the north are receiving them without resources to care for them. It has been estimated that 55,000 people are being located to Goinaives to the north. This is the area in which Pastor Etienne pastors churches and works with a network of other churches. So the present team has recommended that the next team relocate to Goinaives. This would allow our teams to fall into line with how we normally work through the local church and targeting an under served population. Church members in the area would also be able to become more involved. Our method is always to work with and through the local church wherever possible so that the church gets the credit, God gets the glory, and the kingdom is expanded.

4. Please pray for a flight out of Haiti on Saturday for our team and a flight in for the next team. Ideally, this will be a turn around that will serve both teams. Hoping to hear by today or early tomorrow.

5. Continue to pray for Erin Pettengill’s long term health after accidental exposure to contaminated scalpel. Test results for hepatitis C are still pending.

The medical team in Haiti continues to make progress treating the wounded. Here are some updates from over the weekend that came via Twitter:

• 1/30/10 – MTW team doing well. Set up in camp. Have seen 50 patients already this morning with 70 more in line. Everyone healthy and doing well.
• 1/30/10 – MTW team has mostly done wound and trauma care. One patient transported to the nearby hospital, which has promised to give free care.
• 1/30/10 – The team treated over 300 patients today. Most cases are for pain (from impact or falling debris), dehydration, & urinary tract infections.
• 1/31/10 – Please pray for Erin Pettengill’s (RN on team) long term health after accidental exposure to a contaminated scalpel.
• 1/31/10 – Pray for stamina for the MTW team. The temperatures have been very warm and the medical tent runs about 95 degrees.
• 1/31/10 – The MTW team treated 150-200 people today, including a young girl whose hand they had to amputate. Please keep praying for this situation.
• 2/1/10 – MTW team has moved their camp & clinic location to a local hospital. Good, safe location. Communications are back up and functioning well.

This is an interview between MTW missionary Esaie Etienne and the Advance Needs Assessment Team when they were in Haiti following the earthquake. It is both heart-wrenching and encouraging to hear Esaie describe the situation and needs. Pray for Haiti!

MTW’s Advance Needs Assessment Team arrived back in the US yesterday afternoon. The need is tremendous. If you’ve watched the Twitter feed (posted on the left of this blog) you know that medical teams are preparing to go in. The challenges are mounting for these teams. Not only are there many medical needs among wounded Haitians, there is growing desperation which may endanger relief workers. People are hurting and hungry. And thirsty. Pray for safety for these teams. And pray that God would bolster their courage and faith in Him. They are going to witness horrible things. They are going to see death over and over. One recent report came back, “Tell the teams to be ready to see dead bodies.”

One of the many needs right now is for tents. People have no shelter and tents, although temporary, can be immediate. Rather than have tent drives and have to work out logistically how to get them there, consider supporting MTW which can get these and other supplies into Haiti quickly.

Team is healthy and well.

On Sunday, they were able to assess Dikini Camp, a tent city outside of Port-au-Prince. With this new information, they feel that medical teams should serve there. At Dikini Camp, team will run a full-fledged clinic rather than wound care only. Therefore, there is a need for a full team of 14. Recommend for first team to stay 9 days followed by a second team for 9 days. The first team will be led by Dennis Hamilton, the second team leader will be Dan Jenny.

The team will be based at Quisqueya School, which is now the Quisqueya Earthquake Crisis Center (QCS). They will most likely sleep in tents and eat meals there. Because of safety, they cannot stay overnight in the unofficial refugee camp. Tom was able to make a contact with American Airlines, who are helping get medical teams into Haiti. There is room for a 14-person medical team on a relief flight out of Chicago at 7 am on January 29 that the office is researching for a possibility.

Please pray for the team that they can get a flight out of Port-au-Prince today, for safe travel, and continued logistical planning.

Please also pray for the DRM staff as they coordinates the logistics, travel, and medical supply procurement for the medical teams.

Mission to the World is responding to the recent earthquake in Haiti by mobilizing an Advanced Needs Assessment Team (to get in ASAP) and issuing a Minuteman Appeal for assistance. Our missionary there, national pastor Esaie Etienne and his wife Natacha and children are safe. But as we all know by now, the country is devastated. More will come, but for now the best place to connect and give is www.mtw.org.