Haiti Request

PLEASE prayerfully consider helping ... resources are limited ... we could really use your help!

I will update you as more info arrives ... thanks so much!

IFOC Chaplain Ken Gruber

As most of you have heard by now, a 7.0 earthquake has hit Port au Prince, Haiti. The devastation is catastrophic. There have been estimates that deaths may reach 100,000. I cannot even fathom how many are left homeless and helpless, unable to get medical care, food, and water. We are still unable to have direct communication with our people there on the ground and are still waiting to hear word if they are alive.

We are preparing to respond. Brian and Ken will be leaving on Thursday next week to assess the situation on the ground. We would like to send out a team, made up primarily of medical personnel although we will take others, to leave about a week after they arrive there. We are looking for people with international experience, if however you are a medical professional and have not had that experience, we still need you, so please talk with us so we can determine if this would be a good fit for you. People interested in going need to be able to handle hardship and seeing suffering on a daily basis. The team would stay approximately 1-2 weeks, we haven’t nailed down times and dates yet. The cost would be $1000-$1500 and it would be a rough trip (possibly sleeping in tents or some other very uncomfortable place, eating lots of power bars, not much chance of a shower, etc.) All team members will need to already have their shots needed for Haiti and may not have a chance to start Malaria medication on time.

If there are enough people interested in going then we may split the team into 2 different teams and piggy back off of each other. People interested in going please email us and plan to attend an informational meeting on Monday night at 7pm, at Ken’s house. 9361 Ogden St. (one block north of Fort off of North Oaks Blvd.) We will know more details at that time. I will also update you through email as we get more information.

If you have ever considered giving, now is the time. We are in need of money and supplies. Please send checks to:

ORR
PO Box 642323
Omaha, NE 68164

Or you may give through Paypal on our website: www.omaharapidresponse.org

We are in need of supplies. The biggest need is medical supplies for wounds and medicines. We will also need water purifiers, stashes of power bars, MRE’s, things such as that. Possibly tents as well. We will know more as Brian and Ken get on the ground there. Any supply donations you can email me about or drop off at Ken & Jonie’s house.

Please email your prayer partners, churches, family, and pass along our information and make our needs known. By working together we can raise more and meet more needs. Please continue to pray. Pray that the Lord will work out all these details and for the personnel and financial needs. Pray especially for those in Haiti now.

Please check our blog as we will be updating in the days to come as we get more information. http://omaharapidresponse.blogspot.com/. Also we will have our website updated soon as well.

Thank you all for partnering with us.

Cody Smith

Updates from the first CMM team in Haiti--Lives Saved!

Hello Praying Saint,

Thank you for praying and giving. Our first team into Pastor Vincent in Citi Soleil saw lives being saved. The team left Santo Domingo early Monday morning and we knew it would be good to have armed DR military guards along for the ride. Several near riots occurred as starving, thirsty Haitians saw our vans with water and food coming through. They arrived safely at Vincent's school compound and gave out water and food to many. Vincent estimates between 1,000 and 2,000 had been staying in the school building.

Just three days ago Vincent wrote of the horror of hearing voices under the rubble and not being able to move the heavy rubble to save people. That kind of trauma often stays with a person a long time. Soon, we will have special CISM counselors there to help debrief and comfort these precious folks. You can help send the comforters. CISM is the program recommended by the UN for disaster counseling.

Port Au Prince is devastated. In some places more than half of the buildings are fallen and unsafe. Dead bodies lie in piles awaiting pick up. When reports had come in of available food and water in some other area, many people were fearful of the unsafe conditions and did not want to leave their neighborhoods. We have a dear friend, Victor Rodriguez, of Santo Domingo, DR, making supply runs each day back to the DR border from PAP.

MorningStar is mobilizing teams from the awesome Disaster Relief training completed since the time of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Much has been learned and many strategic relationships have been formed with well trained, knowledgeable organizations like www.HISG.org and www.starfishcommunity.net and many other well run, professional organizations that are on the leading edge of real, effective, efficient, compassionate disaster relief. Soon, more than 50,000 meals will be served daily. Water will be filtered and given to all the thirsty ones.

At this time we are limiting teams to Phase 1 first responders who have certifications from CERT, IFOC, CISM, or medically licensed. We believe it will be a short time before willing hearts and backs can go in. First, we must assure our people that security is in place and volunteers will not be endangered. So, do contact us at cmmarmy at gmail.com and let us know of your readiness and ability to pay your own way. We will use you, you will work, you will get dirty, and you might get broken.

Some great friends are offering telemed services connecting our Doctors and Nurses in Haiti to John Hopkins University, the University of Edinburgh, and the top medical facilities in the world. Portable water filtration plants are on the way. over 500 cargo containers of urgent food and resources from many different ministries and humanitarian aid groups are being coordinated. We should be very proud to live in such a giving nation.

Yes, bring medical supplies. We can write a letter for donations, etc. Most airlines are waiving charges for excess baggage, check your carrier. Yes, those items listed are most needed. At Vincent's compound and nearby field hospital being set up. We are in network with many large ministries, as in Katrina days, and we all share resources and people, so everyone stays busy and our first priority is helping as many in need as possible.Yes, bring food for yourselves, although, with each week, we see improvements in that. That may change and you may not have to bring food, it depends. Yes, 7 days is all we recommend due to potential trauma.

Our first team got in yesterday and saved some lives. We have water coming in each day now, and food, so survival is met for our key friends of about 2,000. We had almost $10,000 come in yesterday, Praise God! Medical teams and tele-meds being pledged, although satcoms phones are being jammed due to traffic. We are lining up ham radios for base camp in SC and one in Haiti.

You are making a difference. 100% of funds given is going into Haiti. Not many of the large aid groups can attest to that.

Please tell other churches and groups of the great training in Disaster Response offered www.morningstarministries.org and we invite you to get prepared yourself.

Many are speaking of seeing a New Haiti. Pray for the New Haiti and what that might look like. We have an opportunity to shape what the New Haiti will be like. Quality education, adequate nutrition, quality health care, truth and justice and righteousness prevailing in all sectors of government, business, and education. We all desire that for every nation. Haiti gives the world that opportunity to bring restoration to a land devastated by this horrendous disaster. Let's unite to help the less fortunate and share the kind of love they are longing so much for and many have been missing for a long, long time.

Thanks for praying.

IFOC Chaplain Jorge Perrott and many volunteers.
http://cmmissions.net

Updates from the first CMM team in Haiti--Lives Saved!
CMM
Jan 19, 2010

Haiti Response Update # 4

Dear IFOC,

The advance team has been on the ground now for 4 days. We made an initial assessment of the situation and have been working on logistics, communications and security to carry out our operations. Our base camp is operating on a 5 acre compound. Because of the instability of the situation we have been praying over the issue of security. I believe the Lord answered our prayers for by providing us with the General of the US Army Southern Division who will now share the compound with us and will certainly make relief efforts easier.

We are in the process of securing resources and supplies from various sources and will eventually begin satellite relief operations in Leogane, the epicenter of the quake. When we were there 2 days ago we drove 4 hours through complete destruction and there were no relief agencies in site. We visited several orphanages that had very limited supplies. Early this morning the school directors here were able to get 25 orphans who have been in the adoption process on a plane to America.Today we responded to locals who were getting text messages from people who were still trapped under rubble. We were able to with the help of French search and rescue teams locate 2 survivors and. Many more were beyond help. As I write this update my clothes still stink of rotting flesh.

Team 2 will be arriving tomorrow night to set up the main pillars of the camp with worship and prayer, chaplaincy, food operations, and additional communications. We have also been notified that we have trained security operatives being deployed to assist us with security on transport and convoys. After the camp the camp is secure and logistics is in place we will have the ability to provide mass care to the people of Haiti. Primarily the main focus here has been treating urgent medical needs and search and rescue. Most of Haiti is concrete construction and when the earthquake hit it caused very serious injuries and it making rescue difficult.

The relief efforts will be continuing for quite some time. We want to thank everyone for their continued prayer and support. I believe we will see God do amazing things through His church here and Haiti and we are trusting we will see the harvest come in.
You can help by:

• making a financial contribution online


• Pray for the CRI team and the people of Haiti


• Respond with us if you have been trained- mobilization@criout.com
  We will be hosting a two day rapid training and deployment to Haiti on 1/31-2/1. The training will be held in Kansas City and we will then mobilize those teams of responders over the next few weeks. Please check the website for more information or email training@criout.com

Blessings,
IFOC Chaplain Sean Malone
Crisis Response International
5206 east 135th Grandview, MO. 64030