Update from our contacts in Haiti

Following are recent updates from our contacts in Haiti, forwarded by Ron Ely, a board member of In Jesus' Name Ministries, and founder of Feeding His Sheep Ministries. Ron is assisting Dr. Cebien as he prepares to return to Haiti.

January 20, 2010

Dear friends in Christ:
     We are truly overwhelmed at the number of you who have shown concern for all of us here in Haiti. That is truly a blessing and an encouragement to us. We suppose that you have heard that another earthquake of 6.0 on the Richter scale hit Haiti this morning at a little before 6:00 a.m. This was a little south of Port-au-Prince probably at Petit Goave where Pastor Neance lives. Pastor Neance says that the damage wasn't as great as the last time so we are thankful. They do have a problem because the banks are not there for people to transfer funds to them. Everyone is hungry and in need

We are beginning to form plans for helping people from Port-au-Prince who are flocking to Cap-Haitian. A school close to the hospital has kindly offered us the use of their kitchen facilities so that we can set up a cooking center to make food for the people in the hospital. Here in Haiti when you go to the hospital you have to take someone with you to cook your food, wash your clothes and take care of you. These poor people from Port have no one to do that so they are in the hospital but are starving. We have different groups of Haitians who are willing to come and cook the food if we provide it. We will also put a tract in every styrofoam container of food that goes out. We thank the Lord for these Haitian Christians who are ready to help others. Lord willing, we will begin this experiment on Jan. 22. Please pray.

Today we have groups of older orphans taking a survey of this area where we live to see how many are housing people from Port. Then we will know what action we'll take to help these people to feed their visitors. We'll be able to give dry food to them so they can cook for themselves. We thank the Lord for the money that He has given so far so that we can help.

One of our friends came this morning telling us of a group of people just outside Port. They are staying together but they badly need food, clothing, etc. They are 1,500 in number. We gave him a sack of rice and $400US to take back and try to help them. We sent 2 Bibles with him, too. We are trying to buy Bibles to give to those who have lost everything.

Now we are waiting for 12 people who are making their way to the orphanage to stay with us for a while. It's Remy, Silvio, Rigenson plus Pastor Manicus , his wife, three children and several orphans who left the orphanage long ago. We're glad that everyone feels comfortable to come back home. Please pray that the Lord will continue to give strength and wisdom. (We are glad to report that they arrived safely after midnight)

We love you all and appreciate you so much. Your words of encouragement have meant more than you can ever know. Please forgive us if we haven't been able to answer your emails. Our internet service is very sporadic. We truly covet your prayers.

Happily serving Him in Haiti,
Kathy and Alice
haiti_ebac@yahoo.com

Please feel free to email a message of encouragement to Kathy and Alice who work with Pastor/Dr. Cebien Alexis

A precious child in Haiti - Nov. 2004 by Court Wood

Kathy and Alice again wrote on January 21 -

Dear Friends in Christ

Pastor Micah also is known to have sent containers here. Maybe they will be lifting the customs charges in order to let humanitarian aid come in free. We had people from the UN come yesterday to see if our orphans were in need. They left us their phone number in case we tried to get anything in and the customs guys charged us customs. We can call the UN and they have a person working at the airport who can help us, Lord willing.

We received 12 people here at midnight last night to stay here who came north from the earthquake. Pastor Manicus and his family were under the rubble of their house for 5 or 6 hours before being rescued, they are safe but sore. Praise the Lord!

We love you, Kathy and Alice

The following account is from a Dr. Dave working in Haiti at this time.

To my family, friends and friends of friends -

First of all, I am humbled by the support that I have received since last Friday when I jumped on
a medical supply plane to fly to Haiti.

The Haitians are an amazing culture. I found them friendly, patient,appreciative and incredibly resilient. They are, for a variety of reasons, thoroughly impoverished, and most in the country lack what we would consider even the most basic of daily needs. The average per capita income is $300.Per year.

The damage resulting from last week's earthquake is devastating. As I watched CNN coverage this afternoon, I can assure you that the images are every bit as tragic as they seem. The damage is beyond belief. The sufferingis palpable. The smells are real. But the people are not broken in spirit.

One Haitian told me that his advice to those around him is "patience".He said they have a saying in Haiti, "Piz a piz" (phonetically) which translates to "piece by piece".

We joined with a Canadian expeditionary force on Monday in Jacmel to assess the injured people in that town. Jacmel was cut off from any possible ground support from Port au Prince though greatly effected by the quake as well. The Canadians were very professional and clearly motivated to help.

After we arrived at the airfield in Port au Prince, we connected with the US military medical personnel as well. These guys are working hard and doing great work. We also met several other civilian orthopedic surgeons and medical personnel that were trying to get more supplies flown in. The docs in the local hospitals had lots of patients, but few beds and were either out of medical supplies or medications.

The way Port au Prince is currently managed, the UN has responsibility for the city and the US military has control over the airspace and the airfield and is managing the huge amounts of material being brought in for distribution. This is an air field that typically sees 5-15 flights a day. It is a single runway. They are now coordinating up to 280 flights a day! Every incoming flight has a specific time slot assigned. It is not negotiable. Every flight and its contribution is carefully and specifically assessed with regard to its need and time/space available.

I have chosen to address this specifically, because reports through the media have - either out of frustration or the need for even higher drama - continued to highlight the lack of supplies, portraying it as some sort of dereliction. I spoke with a Major in charge of assigning flight slots about this specifically, since I had been in contact directly with a major orthopedic trauma supplier that was having trouble getting to the island.

What we all need to understand is that the one airstrip that is available must supply 2 million people a day with food and water. The number of flights necessary to make that happen is enormous, maybe more than they can handle. So they are always playing catch-up just supplying the necessities. Add to that the influx of military personnel, both US and UN, and you have a logistical nightmare. If they are able to restore the port to a usable state, the supply side of the equation will quickly be solved.

In the meantime, decisions have to be made with regard to what is essential at that time, based on best information, They care, deeply, about what they are doing, and they are doing their best. I've never met a finer, more dedicated group of young men and women in my life, and I am proud of what they are doing in this crisis in the name of our country.

Medically, all around Haiti, the problem appears purely logistical as well. Every health care provider I spoke with said the same thing: the problem is not personnel. Doctors, nurses and the rest are in country and ready and willing to work. The rate-limiting step is access to facilities,beds, OR's and supplies.

As an illustration, There are 30 "hospitals" in the entire Port au Prince metropolitan on a good day. Total beds, all institutions, 3.5 million people: around 1600 beds. There are an estimated 250,000 injured to a variable degree.

They need more beds and more supplies (from a medical perspective)more than anything, regardless of what CNN tells you. It broke my heart when messages starting pouring in about how "doctors were desperately needed" in Port au Prince, according to the media. I knew that surgeons all over the country would be thinking about doing what we did - jumping the first flight to Haiti to try and ease the need.

What they need are more hospital beds and OR's, and that is exactly what is happening day by day. The arrival of the USNS Comfort today adds 1000 patient beds, 80 intensive care unit beds, 950 naval hospital staff and 12 operating rooms.

So what do YOU do?

My family will be praying - for the broken folks, for the hungry, for the thirsty, for our soldiers, for the pilots and drivers, for the medical staff. They need wisdom, discernment, faith, safety, protection, hope, courage and patience.

My family will be giving - to the orphanages, to the [missionaries] to anyone else that I think needs it more than we do.

I'll close saying thanks again for your prayers Through God, they gave me the courage to do things
that were beyond what I could do alone.

Let's not waste this earthquake. Let's be both persistent and patient. Let's make life better for these wonderful people in the end and show them more of what the love of our Saviour looks like.

Blessings, Dave ( Dr friend of Brittan Elimon)

[PS Brittan has personally arranged to send 1200 Creole Bibles and literature to refugees]

I read that there are busloads of people moving into Cap Haitian from the south around Port au Prince,
most with injuries, all hungry and homeless..

Romans 12: 9

"Love must be sincere, be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ... Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality."

Pastor Cebien from Haiti

Pastor Cebien preaching the gospel during my visit in 2004. This brother is a precious pastor and medical doctor.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command."

Our Lord Jesus Christ
John 15:9-14