Dear Friends and Family:

Sorry for the time it has taken to get you another update e-mail.  Our mission has a policy that all public statements must be approved in crisis situations.  This helps to avoid confusion for all involved.  Also our Internet has been up and down all the time.  We actually have to updates that have been approved in the last 24 hours.  Please take a close look at the second as it contains information of the anticipated evacuation of Sharon and our children to the US. 

Update from Haiti (#1):

In the midst of the terrible suffering of the Haitian people after Tuesday’s earthquake, we give thanks to God for the grace he has given us. All expatriate staff members of our mission have been accounted for. Our families are doing well, but still a little shaken up from the experience, as is everyone. We have not heard from a few of our Haitian staff members nor do we have news of all of the staff of the Haitian partner organizations we work with.  Over the next few days we will be attempting to make contact with as many people as possible, but at this point, it is difficult because the phone connections are either down or overloaded with traffic.  We can hear many large transport planes landing and taking off from the Port-au-Prince airport, so there is beginning to be evidence of a relief response to this tragedy.  One bit of good news: an engineer stopped by yesterday to examine a couple of the missionary houses that sustained damage. He told us that despite cracks in the walls, they were structurally sound.

Please pray for the following:

1. Patience and wisdom for decisions about the next steps for mission staff and ministries.  A team has been appointed by our mission to make decisions about staff security in Haiti.  Some plans are coming together for relief projects, but they depend on how things develop the next few days.

2. Trust and faith in God’s provision for our lives.  Currently our missionary families have adequate supplies of food, fuel, water, and other supplies. We remain hopeful for basic services to be available in the coming days and weeks.

3. Opportunities to contact our Haitian staff, partners, and friends that we have not heard from.

4. Coordination for efforts to deliver food and water to the suffering Haitian people.

Thanks for your prayers!

(Update #2)

We continue to give thanks to God for protecting staff members of the Christian Reformed Church during and after Tuesday evening’s severe earthquake near Port-au-Prince, the capital and largest city of Haiti.  The immense suffering of the Haitian people continues to unfold as Haitians search the city for loved ones. 

While the earthquake caused only moderate damage in some neighborhoods, it caused catastrophic damage in others. It is becoming clear that repairs to the city’s infrastructure and the normal functioning of the city will take months. We are also hoping to receive a CRWRC disaster response member today. CRWRC hopes to begin organizing relief efforts as soon as possible.

In light of this, it was decided today to have the mothers and children on our team leave Haiti. We are still exploring which option would be the best for these family members. The Segaar-Kings and the Van Dams families, a total of 10, will be leaving as soon as it is feasible. Zachary King and Howard Van Dam will remain in Haiti, along with Tony DeKoter, Ad and Coby deBlaeij, Leslie Miller and her husband Diego Toussaint.

Sounds of large military jet aircraft landing and taking off can be heard often from the P-a-P airport and Haitian police and United Nations soldiers can be seen patrolling streets today. Relief organizations are also arriving and are setting up bases around the city. As to be expected, stores, offices, and schools are not functioning.

The open-street markets are full of people—for those who have the resources to buy food. There are long lines of people standing in front of water trucks with their five gallon buckets. By God’s grace, Quisqueya Christian School, the home of CRC partner teachers and the school many missionary children attend, has suffered minor damage and is now becoming the base for relief efforts.

Please continue to pray for mission staff members in the coming days due to the increased pressure of living in such a difficult situation.  Adequate but limited supplies of food, fuel, and water are available.  Pray also for the safety of our Haitian staff members, two of which are still unaccounted for.  Pray also for our Haitian ministry partners, some of whom we have yet to hear from. Most of all, pray that mission staff and our partners will be the light of Christ amidst the suffering people of Haiti.  Thank you for your continued prayers and support.