Camping out
I am camping out here and have limited or shared computer access. We have been giving out food, medical supplies, buckets of hope, tarps, water, clothes, shoes, tents, diapers, and other supplies. We have given out more than 10,000 individual meals and we have given direct aid to 15 churches. We continue to support, supply, inspect, and evaluate the needs of churches and national pastors, including the churches affiliated with late missionaries Mel Kirk and George Leslie Baker. – BBFI Missionary Wes Lane
Hidden dangers
As I travel in with teams from our church, we are being very careful and using a lot of discernment. The government of Haiti and the United Nations now reports that there could be as many as 2,000,000 IDP’s (Internally Displaced Persons) and there is plenty of evidence that people are hungry. This, combined with the problems of AIDS, outlaw gangs, poverty, and voodoo makes the current work in Haiti very challenging. – BBFI Missionary Tom Franklin
With money given toward Haiti Relief (as of February 2):
1. Over 200 Buckets full of Hope have been made and most are now in Haiti. The contents can feed a family of four for over a week and includes a spiritual encouragement letter and a gospel tract in Creole
2. Over $1,000 of medical supplies have been distributed to the D.A.S.H. clinic on Delmas #48, to Pastor Odvin’s clinic, and to many pastors who have members with significant injuries
3. Seventy bags of concrete were purchased to begin reinforcing Pastor Leny’s (Asian Baptist Clearing House) outer church wall for security purposes
4. A small, used, enclosed truck was purchased for $1,700 to transport food, shelter, materials, and water from the airport, etc. to the churches
5. Over 20 bundles of water, an inverter, several new car batteries, solar and larger type flashlights have been given out
6. One large eight-man tent has been donated for base camp operations and for the deaf ministry students in Bro. Funtecha’s church
7. A used Toyota van was purchased for $3,500 to save money on transporting groups and supplies into Haiti. Bus tickets, one way, for groups of seven from Santo Domingo, cost over $1,000
8. Paid armed guard from the Dominican Military to accompany 2,500 pounds of relief supplies
9. Initial gasoline and diesel deposit has been established
10. Several cash offerings to Haitian pastors have been made in extreme cases
Assessing needs
I’ve completed initial evaluations on 16 different churches in the affected area with quite a few left to go. We are currently working on body recovery at Eglise Baptise de Don Burger and Eglise Du Tabernacle. We are prioritizing churches’ and members’ needs, applying for aid from the World Food Program, OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), and several NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations), coordinating and organizing efforts from different church groups, meeting with key leaders at the American Embassy, United Nations base, field hospitals and clinics. I am logging GPS coordinates and elevation data and last night began contacting specific NGOs that could advise us on low-cost permanent housing that can withstand future earthquakes and hurricanes.
Approximately half of the churches evaluated have been initially classified as destroyed and/or condemned, attendance is down approximately 50 percent in most of the churches and in several cases churches cannot have services. I have, in my first group of initial evaluations, 16 pastors/full-time workers who have lost their homes and three pastors/full-time workers homes that need repair. Between 2,000 to 3,000 in these works need food, and approximately 35 percent need shelter. In most cases, everyone has lost their jobs and all report deaths and/or injuries to church members. One pastor reported that he has had 26 funerals in the last few weeks. – BBFI Missionary Tom Franklin
Mission Office announces plans for Haiti Rebuilding Phase
BBFI Mission Director Jon Konnerup has announced extended plans for a Rebuilding Phase for Haiti. Konnerup says, “Right now, we are in the Relief Phase, providing initial assistance for daily needs. This will continue for at least one more month. At the same time, we have begun the Assessment Phase looking at the best way to prepare for the third phase — the Rebuilding Phase.”
Jennings to coordinate Haiti Rebuilding Phase Stateside
Pastor Dennis Jennings of Cherry Street Baptist Church, Springfield, Missouri, has offered to coordinate teams from U.S. churches for the Rebuilding Phase. The Mission Office will have an active role, working side-by-side with Jennings. Pastors and mission leaders who want to send a team or join a team this summer to minister with the Rebuilding Phase should contact Sally Gritts in the Mission Office at sally@bbfimissions.com. Updated information is available on the Mission Office website, www.bbfimissions.com or by following the Mission Office Twitter account.