The Relief Effort - What Went On In Haiti

 

Pastor Dennis and Scott Martin

You have read much about our Haiti efforts through our Website updates; and since our return from Haiti on Tuesday, the journey has continued in many ways.

On the way back we discussed significant problem areas in this huge relief effort that we could impact.

• The need for pilots with small, high-performing planes that can land on nominal airstrips and fly supplies and people into the outlaying areas of Haiti.
• The need for resources for "Go Ministries" who are doing an amazing job coordinating supplies and flights out of Santiago in the Dominican Republic into Haiti.
• The need for the many relief organizations to understand Haiti in order to be effective because some of their distribution plans do not seem to reflect an understanding of Haitian culture and systems.

To impact the first area, Scott is using his business website: www.brahminusa.com/haiti to pursue getting planes and pilots to join in the effort, and then continue the connection back to Haiti and the Dominican Republic for coordination. Soliciting pilots via YouTube Video - (URGENT Need PILOTS to come help in Haiti) was a great idea that went viral! There has been an amazing response.

On the subject of funding for "Go Ministries," we prayed and discussed the possibility of donating a portion of our Haiti fund. But we felt we had already made a sizable contribution and that we needed to have a long-term perspective for our limited funds. So we decided to work on getting resources for them through our contacts. As a result, we have been able to help facilitate significant contributions through other partners and friends! This will help allow them to buy jet fuel and resources and keep their operation going.

How has this come about??
If we hadn’t worked at figuring out how to be a healthy church, we never would have begun hosting the Leadership Summit; had we not worked at hosting the Summit for years, we never would have established the Global Leadership Summit in Haiti; had we not worked at doing the GLS, we never would have had a voice for Haiti. At every level, it has been our church community’s effort. That’s how this stuff happens - piece by piece, working together.

As you think about this, there are several points of interest where we feel God has been leading us. The “Connections" technical team has been working for two years to improve our website, integrate our database, and create an e-newsletter. The project was 99.5% ready when this disaster occurred, allowing us to use all these tools to improve our communication and response. Also, we have been preparing for months to run “The Hole in Our Gospel" Campaign during Lent. How could we ever ask for a stronger introduction to world poverty than what happened in Haiti? We feel this all testifies to the leading of the Holy Spirit and where we have been and are going. Thank you Lord.

We learned while we were in Haiti that “big is not necessarily beautiful”. We went down there without all of the rules and red tape of a big organizational system, and it allowed us the flexibility to go where the need was. Big relief organizations play a critical role in bringing relief and sustainable systems, but there is a role for the flexible smaller ministry.

To assist in that regard, we have begun an on-going dialog with some of the larger relief organizations. We expect to learn more from them and, if our experience is helpful to them, we want to make it available so that together we all are making the greatest impact for the people of Haiti and the Church.

Our focus right now is on tents (hundreds of thousands of displaced people are now facing the coming rainy season) and security for one airstrip (Pignon, 50 miles south of Cap Haitian) that "Go Ministries" has been supplying from Santiago. Please be praying about these two issues.

We also have an opportunity to get a much needed medical team into an outlaying area. If you are a medical professional and would like to be a part of that team, let us know. It would be for at least a week. We can assure you of reasonable safety, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Send an e-mail to sue@communitycovenant.org and we will collect the info and, as appropriate, contact you with details and meetings as we work to make arrangements to facilitate this possibility.

We are in Haiti for the long-term. It is said that people often go into poverty with “filled hearts and empty minds.” We need to go with filled hearts and filled minds. Right now we are focused on saving lives; but we need to become more strategic, thinking longer-term, and our responses must be strategic and effective.

There is no doubt that God has been moving us toward this day – establishing a base of ministry in Haiti, connecting to World Vision and Willow Creek Community Church, planning "The Hole in Our Gospel" Campaign, and establishing a communication structure with our new website and online community.

Last Minute Update:
Since Sunday the situation in Pigon is improving - 3 flights delivered relief efforts yesterday. Cape Air now has two planes supporting the effort and they are there for the week!

Tents are still a need and they are in short supply for everyone. The ideas of collecting used tents have so many hurdles that we cannot see a possibility of solving the problem through this avenue.

Pastor Jeanty (the Haitian leader of the GLS) has made arrangements for food storage and distribution in Port-au-Prince through local churches. We are now working with "Go Ministries" to arrange a flight.

Step by step He is showing us how we can make a difference in Haiti – together.

 

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