You can make a difference.
Help bring hope and healing to the people of Haiti.
After much prayer and discussion with our partners in ministry, we now have a plan of action for our response to the crisis in Haiti caused by the recent earthquake. It is reportedly the worst natural disaster in the western hemisphere in the last 200 years. The magnitude of destruction is still unfolding but we can be sure of this - this is a time when the body of Christ has an opportunity to stand up and engage a need by shining the light of hope and the love of Jesus in Haiti.
Here's what we'd like to invite you to do with us:
1. Join Churches Across the World on Monday Night in Prayer For Haiti There will be a live streamed prayer event This Monday night at http://healingplacechurch.org/hpclive.We encourage you to help spread the word and join in from wherever you are.
If you're on twitter, please use the hashtag #pray4Haiti to help spread the word.
2. Engage the Immediate Need by Giving
Give financially.
You can give online at http://healingplacechurch.org/haiti or by giving directly to one of our partners, Samaritan's Purse .
We are blessed to have tremendous relationships with ministries that have a long history on the ground in Haiti as well as a wealth of experience in large-scale crisis response. It is through these partnerships that we are able to engage the need in Haiti. Serving together with these ministries in our own experiences of natural disasters and tragedies, we have learned to value their integrity and wisdom very much in these situations. That gives us great confidence that you can trust that what you give will be stewarded well to help the people of Haiti.
3. Prepare for Future Recovery and Rebuilding - These problems Haiti is facing will not go away in just a couple weeks, so we are committed to serving Haiti long-term. We are already beginning to adjust our missions plans for 2010; working in plans to send teams to Haiti to help with the recovery effort. The immediate emergency situation in Haiti doesn't present an opportunity for us to put teams on the ground to serve. But in 60-90 days, there will be tremendous opportunity for teams to serve in Haiti. Please begin praying, and if you feel it is something God wants you to do, begin preparing to serve on a missions team in Haiti sometime in the next few months. Here's a look at some of projects we intend to send teams for:
Construction and clean-up
Children's ministry
Pastoral counseling
Medical care
Cooking and feeding
We have some great relationships with people who have friends and connections on the ground in Haiti. We will be connecting with them in planning our missions trips.
It is moments like these that the body of Christ must work together to engage the need. What better way to communicate the love of our Savior than to respond with hope when people are hurting? And together, we can make a huge difference in this tragic situation.
