Haiti Disaster Update and Relief Efforts
The destruction of the massive earthquake on January 12, 2010 near Port-au-Prince
Haiti has created a great need for help in aiding the victims. Please pray for the needy people there.
To donate for the Haiti relief efforts, make your check out to Partners in Evangelism International (PIEI) and mark your donation “Haiti Earthquake Relief” or you can also donate online (electronic check is preferred). Additional details are available on the PIEI-Haiti ministry site (choose Haiti from the drop-down menu or from the map, or you can go directly there at www.piei.org/haiti)
Update #4
Below you will find a ministry update from Mitiou Lucien (Pastor Jephthe's
wife). We appreciate your continuous prayer.
Update from Mtiou Lucien sent on January 26, 2009:
Since the earthquake, Jephthe have made 9 trips to Port-au-Prince (not including
trips that the drivers have made without Jephthe). Although he has been trying
very hard not to go to P-a-p himself to focus on other ministry responsibilities
this is a very hard task. Last night, he looked so tired, so I had to ask him
not to go on Tuesday has planned. Even Dodo (Dominique is Jephthe’s oldest son)
saw that his dad was tired and asked him not to leave today. Since Jephthe
did not go to P-a-P this morning, as a family we spent sometime in prayer.
This morning the pastor association of Pignon organized a service of prayer from
7AM –noon at the Jerusalem Baptist church (our church) and all the churches in
the area participated. Jephthe asked Ephraim (Ephraim is Jephthe’s brother who
is visiting from fort Lauderdale)to go to P-a-P with Mike and John who are from
BH and they distributed 50 bags of rice and water in Delma 33 and Cite Soleil.
Other organizations have not started distributing food in those areas as of now.
When they are returning to Pignon, they brought more people from the area who
wants to return to their countryside since all of their belongings have been
destroy in P-a-P. Tomorrow, Jephthe plan on going to Port to bring more food
and water to the people in other area where other organizations are not
operating.
We have a 6 year old boy in the hospital that is from Lavictor. Both of his
legs are broken and his mother is lying in the bed next to him with broken arms.
The father seats in the middle of the mom and the boy feeling helpless and don’t
know what do to. Please keep this family in your prayers.
I am not sure if you heard, but, on Saturday they found a 22 year old boy in a
building near the palace and he was alive. The man said he did not have any
water near him and the only reason he survived is because he continued to drink
his own urine. Everyone think this is a miraculous story to find someone alive
12 days after the earthquake.
Another thing I want to share with you is that I have a classmate whom I went
from 6 grade to 13 grade with. Her husband went to a meeting at Hotel Montana
the day of the earthquake. Yesterday they pulled him under the rubbles and this
morning they had his funeral service for him. This man left his wife with 2
young children (a 5 year old boy and a 3 year old girl). I know you are praying
for the country and the ministry, but please add my friend and her children in
your prayer list. She truly feel discourage and desolate and do not know what
do.
Thanks,
Mitou
Update from Mitou Lucien sent on January 24, 2009:
Jephthe goes to Port-Au-Prince (PAP) every two days and always bring food, water
and money with him. In addition to distributing water and food to random people
of needs who are in areas where other organizations are not operating in PAP, he
always brings food, water and money to pastors in the areas that he knows.
These pastors are using the supplies that Jephthe provides to help people from
their congregations.
Jephthe talks/interview the pastors to assess what their needs are and how he
can help them and their congregations. Jephthe support these pastors both
physically and psychologically however he can. When Jephthe is returning to
Pignon, he always has additional cars with him to help load people from PAP back
to Pignon or surrounding towns. The least amount of people Jephthe would have
in his combine cars would be 20. People in PAP are sleeping on the street which
is a very deplorable condition because majority of the houses have crumbled as a
result of the earthquake. Many of the house that did not crumbled down are
cracked therefore people are afraid to sleep in the houses. The houses that are
cracked people are afraid that they will tumble down as a result of aftershocks.
I cannot begin to tell you how sad the situation is here.
For example I have Christiane (she is Jephthe’s cousin who lived in PAP) who
always says with Jephthe and me whenever she
visits Pignon. This is the first
time she has not say with us because she has developed a phobia of level houses.
Christiane is seven months pregnant and got hurt in the earthquake. She lost
her house and all of her belonging in the earthquake and had to return to
Pignon.
As a result of what is going on, we had to open a counseling center where we
have qualified pastors and psychologist proving counseling to those who need it.
Some people who come truly are in need for medical treatment therefore we refer
them to the hospital. Many are truly traumatize therefore we treat them to the
best of our abilities and set reoccurring appointment with them so they have the
opportunity to speak to someone about what has happened to them. Those who are
hungry, we feed them. Those who lost everything, we give them clothes and we
provide them a place to stay if they do not have anywhere to go.
Actually I can tell you the population in Pignon has doubled if not tripled
since the earthquake. Every family has at least 2 additional people staying
with them. Many of these families who are hosting extended family could barely
take care of their own immediate family therefore it is a strain for them to
feed the additional mouths. We provide food to those who need it as much as we
can. I am telling you the situation is truly terrible for the country. Those
people in PAP who do not have family in the countryside end up staying in the
city and many are sleeping on the streets of PAP without food and water to
survive.
Please continue to pray for the country and the people of Haiti there are so
many people who are thirsty and hungry and are inconsolable. Many people
survived the quake and are dying due to lack of first aid or medical attention.
For example, there is a 16 year old that they brought to the hospital with a
broken leg. Since in PAP they gave him first aid however before temporarily
sowing and wrapping his leg the person who took care of him did not clean the
wound. By the time he was transported to the hospital in Pignon and saw a
doctor the foot had already became infected and they had to amputate the boy
foot from the hip bone down.
This young kid is inconsolable and continues to cry every time he sees his leg.
He is very unstable physically and the doctors are not sure if he will make it.
Please pray for him.
We just have 20 additional people that arrived today at my house and we will
need to find space to put them. There was an old woman who had a stroke and
paralyze on one side prior to the earthquake. She was in her wheelchair during
the quake and a block of cement hit her on her good side and she is truly hurt.
We have a nurse that come and clean her wound daily, but she is in a lot of
pain. Please pray for her also.
I want to thank all of our friends who think of us and support us which in turn
allow us to help others. I pray that God will continue pour His blessing on
each of you for your generosity.
In Christ,
Mitou Lucien
Just in from our PIEI national director in Haiti, Jephthe Lucien:
My dear brothers, and sisters,
I am doing OK. The Lord is faithful. On Sunday, I Felt the Lord asking me to make a special prayer for every member of my congregation because I felt that we were in danger. We all gathered around the pulpit and prayed for each other. I told them to pray for me too because I felt that I was in desperate need for it. Now everybody is saying that they understand that I sensed that something was going to happen. We are all anxious here. One young lady who goes to the same nursing school with Manette in Port-au-Prince, just arrived and says that she miraculously escaped under a concrete floor pouring down on her. She is just bruised. However, she does not know anything about Manette. Please keep me in your prayers.
Every family from church or from town seems to have someone close to them in Port-au-Prince. We just got news from people who escaped who report that several young people have died from Pignon. One mother has lost two daughters. I am trying to see how I can make counseling available to people. We are praying. please continue to pray for us. there is no family who is really going to have a good night. May God continue to bless you as you keep on praying for us.
In Christ,
Jephthe
PIEI missionary and pastor Jephthe Lucien was in the city of Cap Haitien when the quake hit this very poor country. He reported that he could feel the tremors, but there was no damage there. He was attempting to return to his home of Pignon, Haiti to be with his family. Early reports indicate no damage to his home village, however there was massive destruction in the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
Continue to pray for the Luciens and all of the satellite churches that Jephthe oversees and for their ability to reach out to those in need.
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