Saturday, February 6, 2010

As of Monday, February 1st, contributions to Cornwall’s Haiti earthquake relief fund totaled $31,949.58! Thanks so much for your generosity! Some of those funds have already been distributed to help meet immediate needs such as food, water, and clothing in our ministry areas and even beyond. Decisions are still being made as to how best to use the balance. At least some of the funds will likely be directed toward long-term recovery efforts, such as replacing the damaged orphanage building, as it has become clear that it is unsafe for the children. If you have would like to have a part in these relief efforts but have not yet contributed, it’s not too late!

Friday, January 22, 2010

God is answering our prayers! Glow Ministries, another missions agency in Haiti, was able to deliver 10 cases of meal packets to Maranatha yesterday! This is enough food for about 2000 meals. They were also able to deliver a modest amount of cash with which Esther, the director of the orphanage, was able to purchase rice and beans.

A second contact may be able to deliver water and some additional food this afternoon. Other potential plans are in the works to get cash and supplies to Maranatha for the longer term. Please continue to pray for the success of these plans, as doors continue to open and close from one minute to the next.

We were able to speak with both our interpreter (Buteau) and Esther this morning. The kids are all fine. They could be heard laughing and playing in the background. Buteau and Esther were greatly encouraged by the arrival of this initial relief. Buteau sends his greetings to everyone at Cornwall.

Update on the status at Terre Noire: The orphanage building has been emptied of everything, as it is not safe for use for any purpose. The church/school building in Terre Noire received only a few minor cracks in the walls. It continues to house 35 refugees from Port-au-Prince. Roger’s and Esther’s offices were not damaged. The well continues to yield only about 50 gallons of drinking water each day.

Update on the status of the villages: Everyone in Bertrand, Pont Sonde, and Timonet is okay. Some houses did come down in Bertrand and Pont Sonde, but we do not know if they belonged to the families of any of our Maranatha school children. The church/school in Pont Sonde is fine, but the condition of the school buildings in Bertrand and Timonet is unknown at this point. Esther is hoping to deliver some food to Bertrand, Timonet, and Pont Sonde, so perhaps we will be able to get a clearer picture of the conditions in the villages soon.

Please pray:

-For wisdom for Esther as she balances the needs of the children, the refugees, the neighbors, and the rest of the community.

-For the general situation in Haiti.

-For successful delivery of cash and/or supplies for Maranatha.  

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Praise God! $7694.44 was collected for Haiti at last weekend’s services! Donations are still being accepted.

Monday, January 18, 2010

We were able to reach Buteau, our interpreter, again this morning and learned that he visited Maranatha yesterday. Here’s what he was able to share regarding conditions there:

As previously reported, everyone at the orphanage is safe and healthy. However, the orphanage building was damaged in the earthquake. There are significant cracks in all the walls, and Esther does not consider it safe for the children to sleep there. They have been sleeping in the church building, instead. As of yesterday there were also 25 refugees from Port-au-Prince staying in the church. Ten more were added to that number this morning. Food supplies at the orphanage are very low, and our well has been producing only 10 buckets/day of drinking water (50 gallons) since the quake. At present they do have some water remaining in the cistern that they can use for washing and cooking.

In spite of the difficulties, Esther is doing her best to feed the kids and those who have come to Maranatha for refuge and help. With the banks still closed and Esther without cash to buy food, we are currently working on a way to get her some much-needed funds. Please pray that we’ll be successful in this!

Cornwall and those who sponsor children through Cornwall are the sole supporters of Maranatha Orphanage in Terre Noire and the Maranatha Schools in our partnering villages of Pont Sonde, Bertrand, and Timonet. We have not yet received word regarding the status in the villages, but please pray for the funds needed to help these communities, as well as to help the orphanage.
Praise God for a piece of good news: Pastor Roger’s kids are out of Port-au-Prince and doing okay. The leg injuries sustained by his son was not a major one!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Praise God that this morning we were finally able to get in contact with Buteau, our Haitian interpreter at Maranatha (Cornwall's partner church in Haiti)! He had spoken with Esther, Maranatha’s Orphanage Director, on Wednesday, and found there were no injuries at Maranatha. Buteau, his wife, Gertrude, and son, Wedsen, are also OK. However, Buteau himself was distraught. He went to Port-au-Prince immediately following the Tuesday earthquake to find that he had lost 6 relatives, maybe more. Pastor Roger of Maranatha Church had 3 children attending school in Port-au-Prince. Buteau has heard that they are okay, although he believes one is in the hospital with injuries.

Conditions at Maranatha and in the nearby city of St. Marc have become very difficult. The price of rice, the main staple of the Haitian diet, has risen by 50% already. Gas, where it is available, is $12-$20/gallon (US). There are few tap-taps (the Haitian transportation system) operating, but those that are running are overflowing with people fleeing Port-au-Prince. Banks are closed, making cash unavailable. And communication is still an issue. This is more than likely presenting some huge challenges for Maranatha, as the orphanage was said to already be low on food.

Our Maranatha Leadership Team is in constant communication with one another assessing the very latest information. The team is discussing and praying together about ways we can be helping our partner church. Many hurdles still exist that make aid very challenging, but our Maranatha team is thinking very creatively and is in constant pursuit of ways to help.

Here is an updated prayer list based on today’s conversation with Buteau.
- For those affiliated with Maranatha who have lost loved ones or who are trying to get help for injured relatives or friends
- For a current and ongoing updates from Maranatha
- For Maranatha’s needs for food, fuel, and transportation
- For a means to get much-needed cash to the orphanage (with banks being closed it’s tough to get funds on hand to Maranatha)

Friday, January 15, 2010

Cornwall continues to make efforts to get a direct report on how our partner ministry in Haiti, Marantha is doing. Still no direct contact has been made. Contact has been made with friends we’ve met over the years while serving in Haiti and a young man is willing to make efforts to go check on Maranatha. Please be praying for Jude as he tries to help Cornwall be in touch with Maranatha. We can also be praying for possible food shortages as food comes to the northern part of Haiti (where Maranatha is located) via Port-au-Prince. Certainly initial relief efforts are fully aware of this. Adding our prayers to the quick re-establishment of flow of resources to the Maranatha area are most definately in order.

Seeing situations like this, watching news coverage, certainly births a call to action. We want to be there working, helping and being the hands and feet of Christ. What we have to remember is, at this point, our prayers really are the best way to respond. As more information is gathered and as the a conduit for relief is created, our church body will better know how we can help in ways additional to our prayers. The question is not if we will help, but when and how.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

The heart of our mission team scheduled to leave Saturday, January 16 (and commissioned at this past weekend's worship service) is to serve in Haiti right now. For now, the team's trip needs to be postponed. It is a tough decision since so much is needed in Haiti right now. It takes lots of supplies to support a team and at this point those are in short supply. Access to vehicles, gas, water and food are needed for the team to minister effectively. As of now, those are scarce commodities. Additionally, the safety of teams going to any destination from Cornwall is paramont. Part of the uncertainty in Haiti surrounds issues of safety as well, and this is presently a factor. The heart to serve will prevail in the end, this is only a delay. Specifically when the team will go is yet unknown. Please continue to pray for the people in Haiti (specific prayer ideas are listed below). We have still not been able to speak directly with Maranatha, our partner church in the northern part of Haiti. As soon as we do, an updated will be posted here.

Today's Bellingham Herald has an article on Whatcom County's response to Haiti, including the story of our medical team. Check it out at: http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_15980/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=urE9elOV

If you have been on a Cornwall Haiti mission trip before, you no doubt have questions about the people and places you experienced on your trip. Our relational connection as a church is most directly with Maranatha, but we benefit from a community of ministries working together in service with Haitians. Listed below are updates that we have received about some of those people and places you may know if you have been on a Cornwall trip to Haiti. If you haven’t been on a trip, this will serve to give you a picture of things that may not be on the news stations. Praise God, there is some good news coming from Haiti!

We received word yesterday that the kids at New Life Children’s Home are fine! (This is the orphanage next to the airport in Port-au-Prince where our teams often stay at the beginning or end of a trip, also referred to as “Sam’s” or “World Harvest.”) Most of the walls surrounding the complex are down, and ¼ or the roof of the church building has fallen in. Everyone, including a visiting team, slept on mattresses outside in the courtyard on Tuesday night.

Tom Osbeck’s neighborhood on the north side of Port-au-Prince is devastated. Tom, himself, is fine. Tom’s son, Roger, was inside a school building when it collapsed, and he was injured, but he made it home safely. At last report, Tom’s sons Jony, Manel and Claismay were still unaccounted for. Tom’s houses are standing, but he and the boys have been sleeping outside since the quake. Tom is aware of some loss of life in his ministry areas, although he has not yet been able to visit all of them. In one of “his” villages (Source Matles) virtually 100% of the people have been left homeless. The garbage dump people of Merjay, however, are doing fine. No injuries or structural damage there.

The Kaliko Hotel (where teams stay for part of their trip) and the surrounding neighborhood are reportedly okay.

Chris Rollings (of Clean Water for Haiti) and family are fine, as is their home near Pierre Payen.

According to Terry Snow at YWAM in St. Marc, things in that city look good. Damage at the YWAM complex seemed to be limited to a bit of plaster shaking loose from a wall.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

You are likely aware that Cornwall Church has a partner church in Haiti called Maranatha. The ministry includes an orphanage, school and feeding program. Yesterday’s earthquake raises all kinds of questions. Our Maranatha team has been working diligently to get through to contacts in Haiti, but the phones are either down or over extended. Reports from areas north of Port-au-Prince (Maranatha is north as well) indicate that those areas incurred less significant damage than what has been seen in Port-au-Prince. However, until we receive confirmation that is the case, we need to keep praying.


Our medical team (commissioned last weekend), scheduled to leave Saturday, January 16 will not know if they will be still going until 24-48 hours before departure. There are many factors that go into that decision. Until we get concrete word from our partners in Haiti specific response is tough to plan. As information about Maranatha and Cornwall’s response becomes available, it will be posted to the Cornwall Church web site, just click Haiti Response. Based on current information, here are answers to the most common questions…


What can we do right now?

· Stop what you are doing at 6:30pm today and wherever you are, pray for a Haiti. This is called fixed hour prayer. Each of us in our own locations praying for Haiti and Maranatha will be a tremendous and appropriate response.

· Invite your small group to pray as you meet.

· Pray at your dinner table as a family.


How can I pray?

· Wisdom for Pastor Roger and Orphanage Director Esther at Maranatha

· Peace for the Maranatha orphans who may be scared and worried about what has happened

· Physical strength for first responders and medical providers

· Christ to triumph in a culture that is filled with voodoo and other cultic activity

· Clear direction from God on how Cornwall can best respond to the needs in Haiti

· Ministries, nonprofits and orphanages in Port-au-Prince, where the most devastating impact has been reported.


Can I contribute to a relief fund?

Specific information about financial contributions for Haiti will be shared at this weekend’s worship service.


Will future relief mission trips be planned?

Fortunately the team scheduled for Saturday has been poised and ready to go for months. Additional trips geared toward relief are possible as well. First we need to discover if a team is able to get into Haiti and move around in Haiti. Our current team will be invaluable in paving the way for future relief.


Thanks for your prayers and concern. The Cornwall web site will have additional postings as information becomes available.