American Baptists Respond to Devastation in Haiti
American Baptist International Ministries (IM) is responding quickly
to the devastation resulting from the 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti . This was its
worst in two centuries. IM missionaries serving in Haiti , Dr. Stephen and Nancy James and Nzunga Mabudiga and Kihomi
Ngwemi, were on assignment in the U.S. when the quake hit at 4:53 p.m. on January 12, just ten miles west of the capital,
Port-au-Prince . As medical missionaries, the James are returning to Haiti immediately
to assess the situation.
Jose Norat-Rodriguez, IM’s area director of Iberoamerica
and the Caribbean in a statement to Emmanuel Pierre, General Secretary of the Baptist Convention of Haiti, said: “We
are praying for you, the leaders of the Haitian Baptist Convention and your pastors so that you will be able to carry out
effective and spiritual leadership at this moment of national crisis. We pray that the Word of Life
given through Jesus Christ will be a consolation to those who are suffering, strength to those afflicted and hope to those
who are devastated by so many lives lost.”
The International Red Cross estimates that as
many as three million individuals have been affected by the earthquake and that it will require a few days to measure the
scale of the disaster. The Vice President of the Haitian Baptist Convention (HBC), Pastor Gedeon, reports that there
is yet no word about the 15,000 members of the six HBC congregations located in Port-au-Prince . International Ministries
has allocated $25,000 from One Great Hour of Sharing funds to assist HBC and other Haitian ministry partners as an initial
response to the disaster. Immediate relief funds received will be used to save lives, including providing food, shelter,
water, clothing and medical supplies. After the initial relief effort, additional funds will be required for recovery
and re-building efforts. Funds contributed through this effort will be administered by IM missionaries, Dr. Steve and
Nancy James and our partners in the Haitian Baptist Convention.
Haiti , the poorest country
in the Western Hemisphere, with eight out of ten people living in extreme
poverty, is about the size of Maryland , and is located on the western half of the Caribbean
island of Hispaniola . The Dominican Republic is on the eastern half. The
northern portion of Haiti , where most of IM’s mission work is located, is approximately 100 miles from the earthquake’s
epicenter. The quake was felt there as well as in parts of the Dominican Republic (DR). Madeline Flores-Lopez, an IM
missionary ministering in Santo Domingo (DR), reported that some Dominicans “moved into the streets from their homes
as the earth shook.” Kristy Engel, a pediatric nurse practitioner with IM who serves in La Romana, is preparing
a team that will travel to Haiti to help in the recovery.
Further updates from IM on Haiti will be forthcoming as the damage assessment continues.
You may
give to the Haiti Relief Effort through Highlawn Baptist by simply marking your checks “ Haiti Relief.” Envelopes
are also available on the table in the rear of the sanctuary.
