Haiti Update

From DR MGM Missionary, Norm Curington
Friday January 15th, 2010

First of all, we are all safe and where I believe God needs us to be. Thank you for your prayers, I promise they were answered. We saw some miracles yesterday just in the DR, on the way to Haiti. Most of you know that I (along with an amazing team) have been involved in the work in Haiti and the Dominican for some time. I'm now permanently based in the DR helping lead the program along side of some incredible folks. My co-directors are Brad Gautney and Brian Wallace. They are leading our on-going Haiti project and are also now leading our relief response to the earthquake in Port Au Prince. We've moblized our team to assist with the earthquake disaster. Below is the latest I know.....If this update doesn't answer your questions, I (or somone on the Manna team) will do our best to get back with you.

The update is long but hopefully is helpful to get perspective.Yesterday, Thursday, getting our Manna crew from the DR to Haiti was just about impossible to describe, and just about impossible to do, short of God delievering. But even more amazing is that God, by nothing sort of a few miracles, did get ALL our relief crew there! I live in the DR permanently, but many other of the Manna team flew in Wednesday night. My job here on the DR side is to basically assist with staging of folks and resources to get to Haiti. WE have vehicles, a large compound, and folks to assist when needed. I'll stay in the DR to assist with whatever I need to, to the relief in Haiti.

We arrived to Santo Domingo, DR yesterday morning (Thursday) thinking that they would either fly or drive to the Haiti boarder. Turns out, that plan was shared by countless other relief teams; news crews (ABC, NBC, FOX,etc.) and other profit seekers (yuk!!). And, as you have probably heard,the boarders between the DR and Haiti were closed, reopened, closed again,etc. And, the airport in Haiti was already so full of planes, and with theneed to get C-130's to deliver supplies, most of the folks in the DR at the airport were not able to get to Haiti. The airport was closed. Planes has no space to park in Port Au Prince and we thus turned away. However, God delivered a UN (United Nations) plane to us!! (which was very expensive, see below) And UN planes had clearance to land, when none others did. So, by the grace of God, I saw the last of our crew take off from the DR around 8:30PM last night, and arrived there 20 minutes later to Port AuPrince (it's a very quick jet ride from the Santo Domingo to the DR).

I then drove back to Rio San Juan, arriving around midnight last night. The Manna team has satelite phones and other communication services where they are, but communications may be limited just based on the task they need tofocus on now. They are staying at a children's home compound (Mission of Hope, I want to say) 30-45 minutes out of Port Au Prince, which is safe and has full supplies (for now).

Our Manna relief team consists of literally some of the most skilled workers you could ask for in terms of medical relief and helping in this situation. Many of you know Brad and Monica Gautney and his clinical skills and their relief work in Cap Haitien for years in Haiti. Brian Wallace and his son Wesley are two of the most versitle and familiar folks with Haiti, also speaking Creole. Brian is a former member of "special forces' for the S.African army but has been a missionary for the last 30 years; of which many of those were in Haiti. He will keep our team as safe as possible. Also among there are Holly Eckhert and Melissa Jung, two RN nurses and former Haitian missionaries who "just happen to be" working in the DR withour team here for a 3 month period, when the earthquake struck. Also visiting me was Luckson Previl, a 2nd year optometry student, but a person who can only be describe as my brother, who happens to be Haitian and is one of the finest persons I've ever met. Our entire team has a collective ton of Haitian culture and conditon experience, clinical experience,and they all speak Creole! I don't think we could have asked for a more incredible team.

You'll be hearing from us as soon as updates are available. But, to be perfectly honest, the financial need is very strong. We were able to borrow money to purchase about $5,000 in bandages, drugs, andmedical supplies here in the DR. In addition, the transportation cost to get folks there was very very expensive, but we kept saying that if our child or our brother or our mother/father were there waiting to receive relief, what expense we would pay to have that relief come? And we concluded, there was no price we wouldn't pay. And that was just the approach we had to take. For whatever reason, we had the skills and abilities to help in this crisis, so we trusted that we were meant to go. Yes, prices have sky rocketed like you could not even imagine. Transportation cost now about 400% higher than two day ago, and likely will go higher. And we had/have two choices, pay what we have to do help; or stay resolute to not pay the profiteers. Perhaps we were wrong, but we made a choice that we believed was God's desire, and that's to help at all cost. (Haiti, unless you've been, is just undescribable. Such pricing is totally to be expected. When any critical event occurs in Haiti, prices go through the roof and supplies get very scarce; you can only imagine what will happen in this situation.) The very fact that many relief worker folks are still waiting to get in, regardless of their financial resources (and some had deep deep pockets), and we were able to get on the UN plane was just amazing.

We don't have all the answers and we can't heal all the hurting. But I promise the team we've placed there (or more properly stated, God placed) is incredible and honorable and I'm so thankful and proud to have a tiny role in their work. They will do excellent work.

Many have asked how long we will be there and what physical help we need. That answer will come as we learn more and hear from those on the ground there. We will let you know as soon as we know.It was an amazing day yesterday. I learned a ton about emergency relief efforts in a third world country. How it works, and just as importantly how it doesn't work. But, in the end, our folks are where they need to be, saving lives, helping the hurting, and changing lives. It's good to be on this team. Thank you God. If you'd like to help, please direct those communications to Laura Beth Lamb at laurabethlamb@mannaglobalministries.org or Monica Gautney at monica@mannaglobalministries.org. They are two amazing women, both former missionaries here and Monica in Haiti. They work in theory"part-time" for Manna, but the reality is, they work full time for Manna, along with other jobs and responsiblities for their family. Again, just a super super team.

Again, thank you all for your prayers. I said it up front, but I need to repeat, they were answered. Please continue. Only God can solve this. We cannot no matter what skills we have; we hope we are used by Him.

God bless,
Norm