[LCMSNews] Lutherans help suffering Haitians

["LCMS e-News" <LCMSENEWS@lcms.org>]

>

>10.28.2010
>       LCMS News

>THE LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod

October 28, 2010 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 95

Lutherans' 'positive steps' help suffering Haitians

>By Kim Plummer Krull

Ten months after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, news
stories report how little has changed, including that more than 1
million survivors remain homeless and that none of the U.S. 
government's
pledged $1.15 billion in aid has arrived in the Western Hemisphere's
poorest country.

But amid huge challenges that include a recent cholera outbreak, LCMS
World Relief and Human Care's  Rev. Glenn F. Merritt says that 
Lutheran
partners are making positive steps to help suffering Haitians.

"It seems like so little has been done, but with the programs we've
implemented with the ELCH (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti) and
other partners, we are making a positive impact in the lives of the
helpless and hurting of Haiti," said Merritt, director of Disaster
Response with LCMS World Relief and Human Care (WR-HC).

Just back from his 11th trip to Haiti since the Jan. 12 quake, Merritt
helped facilitate a WR-HC grant request from the ELCH for funds to buy
personal sanitation supplies to help stem the spread of cholera. To
date, the disease has caused more than 250 deaths and sickened more 
than
3,000 people, according to Haitian health officials.

"We want to help the Lutheran churches in Haiti protect their
communities and prevent the spread of cholera," Merritt said of a 
$5,000
WR-HC grant awarded to the Haitian Lutheran church body to buy hand
sanitizer, disinfectant soap and cleaners, and bottled water to
distribute through congregations to local communities.

The cholera outbreak and a travel advisory from the Centers for 
Disease
Control and Prevention forced Merritt to postpone another Haiti trip
scheduled for late October. The advisory also prompted a WR-HC Mercy
Medical Team to leave Haiti one day early, but not before the
nine-person group had completed its scheduled work, including serving
alongside Haitian medical personnel to treat patients at a new clinic 
in
rural Poto. The clinic is the first of four such facilities being 
opened
by WR-HC in partnership with Haitian Lutheran church bodies.

The cholera outbreak is only the latest in a string of troubling news
reports about suffering in Haiti. More than 1 million displaced 
Haitians
continue to live in crowded camps, with many enduring hunger and
violence. By early October, none of the $1.15 billion pledged by the
U.S. for rebuilding had arrived in Haiti, according to the Associated
Press. Land ownership issues also have stymied recovery efforts in
cities such as Port-au-Prince, where only 2 percent of the earthquake
rubble has been removed, according to a Financial Times report.

"Work is really just getting under way. Progress has been slow for all
organizations, both government and non-government," Merritt said. "But
we have worked very hard to establish our reputation with local 
Haitian
communities through local Lutheran congregations and leaders. I have
spent many hours in meetings with [Haitian] mayors, senators and other
dignitaries. We have taken them to see model homes, provided details 
of
our projects and shown that we have no interest in personal profit or
glory. We only want to help them help their people."

With the financial support of WR-HC donors, construction has begun on
"Building Homes and Hope in Haiti" (BHHH), an earthquake recovery
project with a goal of building 1,500 permanent homes as part of at
least three Lutheran villages over three years. Volunteers from LCMS
congregations are working alongside Haitians to build the homes.

To date, WR-HC and partners have made positive steps that include:

*       Acquired property in Jacmel, Leogane, Miragoane and near
Port-au-Prince, cities where many homeless Haitians struggle to 
survive
in makeshift shelters.

*       Appointed a projects manager, Dr. Willy Gaspar, to be on the
ground in Haiti and to oversee WR-HC's six main earthquake recovery
projects.

*       Provided grants for partners to purchase heavy equipment
(tractors, trucks, excavators) to clear land.

*       Erected 18 homes in Jacmel, with another 25 homes now under
construction in the first Lutheran village. Each village will be 
managed
by a local Haitian Lutheran congregation and include a chapel, clinic,
orphanage, school and business office.

*       Set up nearly 100 prefabricated homes in Leogane and Jacmel so
Haitians can move out of chaotic camps and live in temporary housing
until permanent homes are ready.

*       Opened the first of four medical clinics in partnership with
Haitian Lutheran church bodies. The first clinic has begun treating
patients next to a Lutheran Church of Haiti congregation in Poto, a
rural area where medical care is especially scarce. Three other 
clinics
(retrofitted shipping containers that include an office, examination
room and pharmacy) are being set up in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and the
Central Plateau.

On his most recent trek to Haiti, Merritt saw "thousands and thousands
of tents made of bed sheets and flimsy shelters" where people have 
lived
for nearly nine months, sleeping on the wet ground. During a driving
rain, "children and adults sloshed around in the mud and gunk."

But Merritt also sees hope in Haiti. "We have negotiated with private
property owners over and over again, calling on them to join us in 
this
ministry of mercy by selling us a portion of their prime property at a
reduced rate," he said. "It takes time and patience. There have been
huge disappointments and misunderstandings along the way, but through 
it
all [ELCH President] Rev. Marky Kessa and I have persevered by 
focusing
on the future of this important ministry of mercy."

Merritt stressed that continued financial support is critical to make
the permanent homes and Lutheran villages a reality. WR-HC is asking
individuals and congregations to financially sponsor homes through
donations to buy construction materials. The ministry also is 
recruiting
volunteers to help with building. To date, more than 100 volunteers 
from
the United States have lent a hand, including members of LCMS
congregations and Laborers For Christ.

"We cannot idly stand by and watch more than a million people suffer
needlessly when we can do something about their plight," Merritt said.
"When you look into the eyes of people who are wet, cold and hungry, 
and
desperate about their future, you know what you must do. Just as our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ does not look away from the suffering,
neither can we."

To request a free copy of the "Building Homes and Hope in Haiti" video
or to learn more about becoming a BHHH sponsor or volunteer, contact
WR-HC at 800-248-1930, ext. 1380, or visit http://www.lcms.org/bhhh.

Mail checks (earmarked in the "memo" line for either "Building Homes 
and
Hope in Haiti" or "Haiti Cholera Outbreak") to LCMS World Relief and
Human Care, P.O. Box 66861, St. Louis, MO 63166-6861; or call
888-930-4438.

To make an online gift to BHHH, click here

<https://catalog.lcms.org/givenow/Gift_Input.asp?ID=834> .

To make an online gift for Haiti cholera outbreak relief, click here
<https://catalog.lcms.org/givenow/Gift_Input.asp?ID=866> .

Kim Plummer Krull is a freelance writer and a member of St. Paul's
Lutheran Church, Des Peres, Mo.

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<mailto:joe.isenhower@lcms.org>  or (314) 996-1231, or Paula Schlueter
Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org <mailto:paula.ross@lcms.org>  or (314)
996-1230.

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