Tyler Returns from Haiti
As you know on January 12, 2010, at about 5:00 pm, Haiti was ravished by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake. On hearing of the quake our hearts instantly sank. Throughout the evening we would read tweets from missionary friends detailing the devastation; by morning the entire world would learn that Haiti was in ruins.
Our first course of action was to confirm the status of the ministries we source and to try and make contact with the families we serve. We were relieved to learn the ministries were mostly well and had immediately begun helping the Haitian people who had suffered harm. By Saturday, we would learn that Magnalie’s birth mom and siblings were well, and on Sunday Matthew called to say he and his family were well. We asked Matthew to start looking for all our families and we also let him know that Tyler would be there soon.
On January 20th, Tyler and a Haitian friend of ours, Yves were in Haiti to look for all of our families and a few other people that we had been requested to find. Right away they found many of our families and in the days to come all. Sadly, we learned that Job and his wife Yvette had lost their four year old son, Rodlin. We also learned that Villan, the daughter of Jean and Venise was in a hospital in the DR with a head injury. She is expected to do well.
Tyler was also able to establish tha t all of our families except for Mimose had lost their homes. He was also able to give each family $100.00 to keep them for a couple of weeks. We will now begin the planning phase, to help our families rebuild their lives. Our priorities are food, shelter, and medical. For now we will give them money to buy food. As soon as CAM is able to function as usual we will go back to having food delivered to them. Housing is going to be complicated though we are working on ideas now. For medical needs we will rely on ministries we source and will continue to source them.
Tyler’s trip could not have happened if not for the generosity of many, many people. Let me tell you from the start, our church, HighPointe was in contact with us rolling out the carpet of giving. They immediately arranged for Tyler and Yves to have a flight into Haiti through MFI. We just couldn’t have done this on our own. They also paid all Tyler and Yves expenses. We cannot even tell you the support we have felt from our church family. They have just been generous beyond our wildest imaginations. Thank you, HighP ointe Church. Then there are those individuals who made sure we had cash in hand to give to our families, $1,500.00 just for this trip and thousands more to continue our efforts. And that’s not all, our friends Clint Goddard and Ken Johansson who also have a ministry in Haiti, Coastal Haiti Missions delivered to Tyler 25 solar flash lights that are actually strong enough to light up a room. These were a super big hit and everyone wanted one. Thank you just isn’t enough.
Tyler and I are hopeful that this will be a turning point for Haiti; from the ruins a new Haiti will emerge. Please pray for Haiti and her people, and for all the brave people who stayed in Haiti to help the Haitian people.
Haiti Earthquake 2010 Photo Album
The Heroes of Haiti
Since the morning after the earthquake in Haiti, Homebound Missions has been busy shipping and coordinating medical and other donations for the organizations we source. We have been working full time with not only the organizations we source, but with other organizations just ready and willing to do whatever is needed. I want to share with you about these people and organizations because to me they are true heroes.
First, let me make it understood that we honor those who died in Haiti; those who gave their lives because they went to serve. Also, to the Haitian people who died in this tragedy; they are not to be forgotten.
When the earthquake struck many of the missionaries serving in Haiti made the immediate decision to stay. Their tour of duty was for a time such as this and they have been working 24/7. The first couple that comes to mind is Troy and Tara Livesay. With 7 children to care for they had every reason to rush to an airplane and get out of there, but no, they rushed to place their children on an air plane so they could devote themselves completely to the task at hand. Not only did Troy tweet all the details of the earthquake as it was happening, something that relieved many of us to know he and his family and others were ok, but Tara has tirelessly kept all of us updated with her blog. I cannot even imagine working all day in the conditions with which they are working, seeing the pain they are seeing and then coming home at the end of the day to write. Her blog has helped us to know what they need and to be working even harder on their behalf from here.
Then, there is Heartline Ministries. Heartline has been in Haiti forever, so I am not surprised that John and Beth didn’t come home to the safety of America. John too has been taking time to blog so that we know what they need. They even put a contact person in place so we can be doing all kinds of behind the scenes stuff that will source their work. John and Beth turned their boy’s home into a clinic/ hospital and then instead of waiting for people to find them they went out in trucks to the poorest of poor neighborhoods to bring the people into the clinic and provide for them.
Then, there is Three Angel’s. As if they didn’t have enough to worry about with the children in their orphanage, a possibly unsafe building, their school and the 400 families they work with, they were also collecting donations for Heartline and organizing medical teams to work with Heartline. What a lovely group of people to work with.
Then, there is Shoes2Share, Directors Tim and Rhonda Wampler. I needed to call them to get a telephone number and before I got off the telephone Tim was organizing medical donations for Heartline. Today he has 3000 pounds of medical donations ready to go. Shoes 2 Share is also doing Operation THERE, please check it out on their web site. These folks are just awesome.
Then, there is Coastal Haiti Missions, Clint Goddard and Ken Johansson delivering solar lights to us so we could bring them to our families.
Then, there is the Salvation Army. I have always loved the Salvation Army and donate to them all the time. Not only do I keep hearing in Tara’s blogs how the SA is calling upon them to assist with injured people, but every time I watch the news it is about the SA coordinating something for the Haitian people.
And how about MFI? Do you realize what MFI has been doing from day one? They have taken in over 100,000 pounds of donations that have gone directly to people and ministries in Haiti, but they are also the sole reason missionaries have been able to enter and leave the country. Without MFI the NGO’s and the Christian Ministries who have been working with the Haitian people for years would have been dead in the water. I have a new appreciation for MFI, because now I understand what they can do; miracles.
Did you know that NASCAR donated $250,000 to MFI marked most needed, Hendricks Motorsports donated 2 -Saab 2000 Twin Turbo-Prop Aircraft with all support personnel, Joe Gibbs Racing donated 1 Saab 2000 with all support staff, and Preferred Auto Parts donated 2 Cessna Grand Caravan Aircraft with all support personnel? Of course they donated these aircrafts for a certain period of time, but I am sure you can see the blessing in all of this.
For His Glory, His Home are in country caring for children in extremely difficult situations. Please pray for all of these organizations to have the greatest impact possible in the service of the Haitian people. Pray that God will bless the work of their hands and feet.
For all these ministries working so hard in Haiti, we’ve got your back. Supplies are coming, more help is coming, we are praying.
