Dear friends,

I know you are all interested in receiving information regarding the situation in Haiti after the earthquake.  First of all, we thank the Lord that no members here in the DR neither Haitian nor Dominican were physically harmed by the earthquakes.  One former member that many of you know, Elvin, the husband of Nelia, who has a job as a truck driver, was working in Port au Prince at the time of the earthquake, but was not injured.  He called Nelia this morning to indicate that he is ok and that he and his crew are now helping where they are needed.

One of the ways that all Haitians, whether they live in Haiti or in the DR will be negatively affected is with their documentation.  All official documents, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, deeds to properties, diplomas, etc., are all located in Port au Prince.  The government building that houses these documents was one of the buildings that was destroyed.  This will contribute greatly to the chaos and instability in the country for many years to come.

The only Haitian member living in Haiti at this moment is Helve Robert, a former sem student.  He does not live in Port au Prince, but makes frequent trips there.  My last contact with him was three days ago.  There has been no contact with him since the earthquake.  Rona Abraham’s parents live in Cap Haitian which is located to the north of Port au Prince.  His brother Nabeau was also there at the time of the earthquake.  According to news reports, Cap Haitian was not hit nearly as hard as Port au Prince.  Rona also has some aunts, uncles, and cousins who live in Port au Prince, some very close to the epicenter of the earthquake.  The parents of Obed Basin, a former sem student, live right at the epicenter of the earthquake.  As far as we know from last reports, Obed was working on a cruise ship and was not in Haiti at the time of the earthquake.

Kathy and I spent most of the afternoon with Rona.  He says that he has been unable to make contact with his parents or with his brothers in Cap Haitian.  In the local news many other Haitians were interviewed and they all said the same thing – they have not been able to communicate with their family members in Haiti.  Rona is planning to make a trip to Haiti this coming Saturday in order to assess the situation first hand.  He will first go to Cap Haitian to check up on his parents and other immediate family.  After that he will travel down to Port au Prince to try to find other relatives.  It goes without saying that he intends to witness about His faith in the Savior whenever he has opportunity to do so.  We supplied him with sufficient funding for the trip.

We asked if there was any other way we (the local church here) could be of help.  We have also received offers of help from others in WELS.  Mark Vance from the Committee on Relief called this morning with an offer to provide financial aid as it is needed.  Rona said that he thought it best that he first make this trip and when he gets back he will hopefully be able to better plan what to do.  He said that his initial preference would be to hold off with any humanitarian aid at this moment, since much international aid is already being sent.  Then, after a few weeks when the international aid starts to diminish, he feels that there will still be much aid that is needed, and that would be a good time to send some aid ourselves.  He may have a different feeling about it once he returns from the trip.

That is the situation as it stands at this moment.  We know you will all be including Rona and the country of Haiti in your prayers.  This situation has been especially difficult for Rona not only because it affects his family members, but especially because of his deep concern for the spiritual welfare of his fellow countrymen.

In Christ,
Phil