Ron Pierre, board president for Baptist Haiti Mission, sent this update on the situation in Haiti:
• Our hospital is filled with people 250-300 people lying in the halls, many, many with serious injuries that need immediate attention, more people outside and surrounding areas with a constant flow coming in.
• Our doctors are exhausted, most all of our staff are assigned to the hospital.
• Thousands of people sleeping in the park just below in Petion-Ville, afraid to return to their homes.
• At least 10 to 15 thousand people are sleeping in the park near the airport with roving gangs of hoodlums attempting to steal whatever "aid" arrives before it gets to the helpless people.
• People all along the roads with serious injuries, multiple fractures and puncture wounds; bleeding and unattended.
• Chris passed women grasping their dying children in their arms, after a while it becomes overwhelming because there is not a thing that you can do about it..
• Countless small children wandering about without any parents or adult oversight.
• The initial stunned calm that was over the population is rapidly turning to despair and in many cases anger. There is a real danger of things turning very ugly, potentially for those who are beginning to arrive to help.
• For most of the "search and rescue" people that have arrived or will arrive, it will be far, far too late to save lives. The stench of death everywhere and is overwhelming. Many places have seen no help whatsoever.
• There are piles of bodies in many roads and some have become "roadblocks" in and of themselves.
• Many people are simply in shock, most have lost at least one or more family members.
• Vehicles are abandon, roads are blocked or down to one tight lane as large chucks of the mountain have fallen.
• Chris gave out about 100 very large heavy duty tarps today to be used as temporary shelters and it got very ugly as the last ones were dispersed. The actual process of giving out aid is going to be quite dangerous the longer it takes to reach the people.
• There appears to be no oversight of the "teams" arriving. They are equipped but do not know where to go or how to get there. It may improve but it is going to continue to be a big problem.
• Medical supplies are running low at our hospital; I asked for a list of the supplies that they need we can be a bit more specific in our requests when aid does arrive.
• We have a need for anesthesiologists and orthopedic surgeons. Any medical personnel would be a blessing.
• Chris commented that he has seen things over the past several days that he hoped he would never see and would chose never to see again.
• Many people are simply walking around in what is really clinical shock.
• Everything is closed down; no stores, no markets, water is in tight supply and is running out fast.
• People walk up and down the mountain just looking for their families; there is no transportation.
• The Samaritans Purse people were supposed to arrive today with Greta Van Susteren of FOXNews.com. The plane circled for about an hour but could not land. They returned to Miami.
• The same was true for several other planes caring supplies and aid for the mission. We desperately need a pump and water filters that are coming in.
• All in all, there are no words to describe what is taking place, the TV news gives inadequate for those of you who know Haiti, the conditions, the culture, the people.
• Two of our churches in PAP have been completely destroyed, we do not have reports on the many churches in outlying rural areas yet.
• Most every school in PAP is destroyed, personnel killed. It will be a long, long time before there will be any schools in PAP.
• Our chaplains have been ministering to every single person who comes to the hospital; scripture is read and they pray with each and every one. We do have some very dedicated people.
• Our mission families are all accounted for and remain uninjured; we need to uphold them in prayer during these times. God certainly gives the strength and grace when needed. They recognize that the tasks before them are humanly impossible; They also recognize that prayer is the greatest asset they have in this trial.
• We are trying to keep the website current with pictures, video, and various other feeds . . . . go to www.bhm.org. It may be a bit slow due to traffic but it does function.
One thing I often hear and read about is what is God saying to the people of Haiti? Perhaps, a better question is this: What is God saying to the rest of the world?
One of the things we need to keep in mind is that no one has a handle on what God is thinking. The bible is the only reliable source on the thoughts and heart of God, but we also must be sure that we do not wrongly apply bible passages to modern day catastrophes. In situations like what we see in Haiti, the best approach is to pray diligently for the people and relief workers, send money for support, and ask ourselves, “What is God saying to me about this disaster?”
Whenever a disaster of this magnitude hits anywhere in the world, one of the first passages I am reminded of is found in Luke 13:1-5: 1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
From this passage, I see three messages God would want us all to pay attention to.
1. We must Listen Carefully. Notice how Jesus brings up the topic of natural disasters and then He springs upon the people a couple of penetrating questions:
First, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?”
Second, “Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?”
It is as if Jesus is saying, “Don’t try to understand so much as to what God was saying to those who perished. Rather, the concern you should have is what is God saying to you since you are well aware of these tragedies?”
When you read through the report above, you are slapped with the intensity of the devastation that is over in Haiti. Our natural response is to ask, “Why them? What did they do to deserve this?”
But we should be listening carefully on our end as to what God is saying to us. Let me put it another way. Sadly, the dead are gone. But we the living are still around. So stop asking questions as to why this has happened to those who have died, what is God saying to those of us still alive? We the living should be listening carefully.
2. We must love unconditionally. You see, the issue we always must never forget is the issue of sin. Sin brings to the world terrible consequences. Naturally, we will think, “What terrible sin did those people commit?” But here is where unconditional love comes in. Whatever sin they had committed, we committed those sins too. The only difference is that our ground has not been shaking – at least not yet.
Twice Jesus said that those who perished were no more worse sinners than anyone else. But did anyone have the love to tell those people about the Messiah before such tragedies hit? You see, while there is still time, we need to check our own hearts for sin, confess and forsake it, and then reach out and lovingly warn others of their need to be right with God. This is where we are all the same no matter what country one lives in or race he or she is born into. It is the love of God that motivates me to tell others about Jesus. It is God’s love for me that enables me to love others unconditionally, since I am in no way better than anyone else or less of a sinner.
We all have sinned against God and offend His holy nature. We all should have perished, but God in His compassion has those of us still alive and breathing. Why? Is it not to passionately and lovingly take His message of hope and salvation in Christ to everyone we can, so if a tragedy strikes again, then the only perishing that will occur will be man made buildings and not the souls of men and women?
3. We must lead decisively. Jesus again, using repetition says twice to the listeners, “I tell you. . .” In other words, Jesus was putting the ball in their court. Since they heard Jesus’ explanation, what are they going to do about it? That’s the issue.
Hopefully, we will lead decisively in three ways: First, take the initiative and repent of your sins and get right with God. Second, tell others about Christ and His gracious offer of salvation for forgiveness of sins. Third, use the context of a tragedy to give of yourself to those who need help.
Tragedies like the one in Haiti is not something Christians should walk away from or turn their backs on. We might not be able to actually go there, but we can provide momentary resources and other vital ingredients to put “works” with our “faith.”
So when I read the papers or watch the news about Haiti or any other place in the world where a disaster will strike, I am reminded that God wants me to 1) Listen Carefully. We Christians during such tragedies should be more of God’s ears than His mouth. 2) Love Unconditionally. No one is more of a sinner than I. When it comes to sin, we are all in the same predicament. The only difference is that someone loved me enough to tell me about Jesus. Will I do the same? 3) Lead Decisively. I must take the initiative and look within me and repent of my own sins, share Jesus’ love with others, and get involve.
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