Haiti update: Nazarenes show generosity; prayers still needed
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Dear Nazarenes:

I want to give you another update on Haiti while we are traveling on the Caribbean Region to conduct district assemblies. Haitians are never out of our hearts and minds, and they are always in our prayers.

Word has just been received from the General Treasurer’s Office at the Global Ministry Center that giving to Haitian Nazarenes for earthquake relief has reached $1.5 million (USD). Thanks be to God for your generosity!

After prayer, money is the most important contribution Nazarenes can make right now.

If you would like to give to the relief effort, you may do so at through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries/Haiti Earthquake.

It is now two weeks since the earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Haiti on 12 January 2010. According to the Associated Press, the death toll is currently estimated at over 150,000.

Nazarene Damage Assessment in Haiti

Reports from the Caribbean Region indicate the following damage as of 26 January:

•Scores of churches in the South Central District have been ruined.
•The churches in Boutin and Tabarre report that their buildings are destroyed and numerous members are injured.
•Many members are dead or missing from our Bel-Air church in Port-au-Prince.
•A great number of members of the Petionville church have lost their homes.
More details will be forthcoming as regional, district, and local church leaders continue to assess the extent of these tragic events.

The Nazarene Response

The denomination has 555 churches in Haiti and nearly 120,000 members. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ. There is great faith and strong spiritual leadership among the Haitians; there are no missionaries. The strength of our church in Haiti is the result of your prayers, the efforts of Work & Witness teams, and faithful giving to the World Evangelism Fund.

There are Nazarene responders on the ground in Haiti – primarily Haitian Nazarenes who are working diligently to provide relief and comfort to their own people. You are making this possible with your prayers and monetary gifts.

We know there is a strong desire in the hearts of many to go to Haiti and help. Nazarenes are people of action, but there is a need to keep order in the church’s response. Some volunteers from other organizations have arrived in Haiti with no supplies of their own and have had to depend on relief organizations to assist them. This consumes scarce resources needed for Haitians.

The church’s time in Haiti for further relief work, including reconstruction, is coming soon. Medical teams are already assisting; other kinds of help will be needed for the longer term.

In Closing

I leave you God’s Word:

“Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy, Now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in the safety for which he longs” (Psalms 12:5, NASB).

Prayer is the most important thing the church can do. Keep praying that the Lord will provide safety for Haitians in the midst of this devastation.

In and for Him,

J. K. Warrick
General Superintendent

bgs@nazarene.org

Note from NCM concerning U.S. donations: The U.S. Congress has passed a bill allowing cash donations made to U.S.-based organizations working in Haiti earthquake response to be itemized on either 2009 or 2010 tax returns. These donations must be made after January 11, 2010, and before March 1, 2010. For further information, click here to visit the IRS web site. We encourage each donor to consult with their tax advisor regarding their individual situation.

Recently a popular conservative personality commented that (something to the effect of) the earthquake in Haiti was from God because of the heathen nature of the disbelief of the Haitians. Ironically, on ebay the next day a quick thinking entrepreneur had voodoo dolls that resembled the outspoken conservative. Now, I think that is downright funny. No, I do not think the voodoo is funny; no, the inappropriate comment was not funny. Capitalizing on a major gaff is funny to me.

Personally, I think that God gets blamed for things He had nothing to do with. Hold on to your chairs, I didn’t say that God has no control over things that occur. But I think all too often, when people do stupid things; God is blamed. God does not cause a drunk driver to mow down a family of four with his car and walk away unharmed while a family is devastated with the death of four. That was the stupid behavior of one person. God does not cause massive landslides that destroy hundreds of homes; stupid people build on mountainsides without consideration that the earth is not set in concrete. God did not cause the people of Haiti to strip their land of all foliaged (setting themselves up for disaster) or even build on an island that was created by an earthquake. But in the midst of all those examples, God can work and He can be glorified.

On about day 3 or 4 after the Haitian earthquake at least one news network captured homeless, hungry, devastated Haitians singing and praising God (I want to believe that perhaps they were brother and sister Nazarene Christians). Less than a week after the quake shanty towns were being reconstructed and families coming together to eat (yes, eat). It appeared to be fruits and vegetables, perhaps a wandering chicken that met her fate, but as in the church of old, they came together and shared all that they had. A postal worker pulled, alive, from the ruins on day 6; immediately began to sing praises.

Please to not assume that I am overlooking the massive destruction of mankind in Haiti. No, I realize that tens of thousands lost their lives. But I am not about to “blame” that on God. Yes, I recognize that the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere was dealt a devastating blow. But want an opportunity for Christian nations to come to the aid of these dear people. What an opportunity for compassionate ministry. What an opportunity for self-less giving and unconditional love. I pray that our nation will not fail to show the love of God to a country that is many ways is Godless. But please remember that there are many, many God fearing and God loving Haitians. There are approximately 118,000 Haitian Nazarenes. There is a huge number of Catholic believers in the small nation. Yes, there are also heathens, voodoo believers, and devil-worshippers. But it may surprise you to know that the same live among us in the U.S. We are no longer a God-worshiping nation. Please do not let that statement escape you. We have a ripe mission field in our neighborhoods.

An update on the Church of the Nazarene in Haiti from the Nazarene Communication Network: http://www.ncnnews.com/nphweb/html/ncn/article.jsp?sid=10000023&id=10008866

A continuing report: Nazarene churches affected by Haiti earthquake
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Nazarene Compassionate Ministries-Caribbean continues to receive sporadic reports from Nazarene churches in Haiti due to limited lines of communication from a country which remains devastated from the January 12 earthquake.

Haiti South Central District
The district superintendent reports 17 churches are down and many pastor’s houses have been destroyed.

Central District
The Nazarene church in Boutin is reported to be down.

Tabarre
The Tabarre church reports eight people injured and many members have lost their houses.

Bel-Air
The Nazarene church of Bel-Air has many of their members missing. There is still no report on the total amount of people that have died here, but there are three that have been confirmed dead.

Lastic
The Nazarene church of Lastic knows of one member still considered missing. Her house is down and they have not been able to find her.

Petion-Ville
The Petion-Ville Church of the Nazarene reports they have lost members and 75 percent of the church’s members have lost their homes.

Additional Reports
People remain sleeping outside their houses in fear that they may collapse on them. There are homes that are still up, but damaged. After the first earthquake there was a damaged house which later collapsed and killed six people on Delmas road.

Food is becoming scarce and water is hard to get. Diesel is also running out.

While at this time it is hard to tell how many members the Church of the Nazarene in Haiti has lost, there is still hope as there have been reports people are being pulled out of the rubble still alive.

This is the time to continue to pray that God would give strength to those holding onto life and hope they may be found quickly. Continue to pray that food and water gets to the people and that God would give them strength during this time.

Haiti: How to help
–Franckel Formetus, Haiti Church of the Nazarene Statistician, for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries-Caribbean (Slideshow available. Photos courtesy of Franckel Formetus)

Please go to http://www.ncm.org/haitiearthquake to see how you can help. And pray for this island nation and those who minister to her people.