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Friday, January 15, 2010

Haiti Earthquake: Please help

This photograph of the terrible disaster in Haiti came in an email to me from David Servant, Director of the Christian charity 'I Was Hungry', part of the Heaven's Family group of charities. The Voice Christian News & Views magazine has supported Heaven's Family for several years and its Director, David Servant, is counted amongst my friends. The following is the report that accompanied the picture, together with a plea for help in fund-raising in order to give as much aid as possible.
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Massive amounts of aid are now beginning to pour into Haiti. The immediate needs are, of course, for the rescue of trapped survivors, water, food, and medical help for the injured. Right now everything is a mass of confusion in Port-au-Prince.

We have not received any word from either our primary contact in Haiti (with whom I spoke by phone just a few days before the earthquake), or from either of our two orphanage directors. Like tens of thousands of other Americans and Canadians who have loved ones in Haiti, we wait with hope. The cell phone of our primary contact sounds as if it is ringing when I call him, but there is no answer. I am facing up to the possibility that Preval Meritil, a dear friend of thirty years and a true Haitian saint, is in heaven.

Our area representative, James Jones of the Dominican Republic, found the Dominican/Haiti border tightly closed in both directions at two locations that he tried. Thankfully, because James is a former army medic, he has been assigned by the Dominican Civil Defense and Secretary of Health to a MASH team, and he will be on the ground in Port-au-Prince on Saturday. His job will be triage, primary rescue, stabilization of the injured, and transfers. James is taking $5,000 worth of bottled water, food, and medical supplies from Heaven's Family, thanks to all of you.

HF International Director Chuck King is flying to the Dominican Republic tomorrow to personally entrust James Jones with 100 Sawyer Water Filters. James will take them with him to Port-au-Prince where they are so greatly needed right now.

There were massive needs in Haiti before the earthquake, and there will be massive needs for months and years to come there. We intend to do all that the Lord enables us to do to meet immediate and long-term needs.

To contribute securely by credit card from anywhere in the world, click here, or call our office during regular business hours (8:30AM - 5PM EST) at (412) 833-5826.

To contribute by check in the U.S. or from any country other than the U.K., please write "Disaster Relief" in the memo line and mail it to Heaven's Family, P.O. Box 12854, Pittsburgh, PA, 15241, USA.

To contribute by cheque in the U.K., please write "Disaster Relief" in the memo line and mail it to Heaven's Family, P.O. Box 3736, Ascot, Berkshire, SL57WR.

Please send whatever you can in order to help maximise the Relief Aid that Heaven's Family can give.

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