Hello,
When the earthquake first hit Haiti my heart was overwhelmed with sadness and then so frustrated. Here we are in one of the most powerful and wealthy cities with stores filled with everything that dying people including children need but we were powerless to get it to them. I knew we had this awesome network set up with people that would help in a heartbeat if we could find a way to get it to them. It was on my mind constantly for the first week and a half after it happened and still is.
Matt Saffer is one of our L2F people and the community guy at J10 Church. He went down to Haiti to see how we could help about 12-14 days after the earthquake hit. He went in to Carrefour, Haiti with a doctor named Gary from the Dominican Christian Medical Mission. At the time Matt went no aid had reached Carrefour at the epicenter of the earthquake. They begged him for food and anything he had. The mayor of the town begged him to return with help. Matt will go back in about 2 weeks. He will take all that he can with him in checked bags so that he can take it directly in with him to Carrefour.
If you wish to help with this we are asking for powdered pedialyte, powdered formula and diapers for babies/toddlers. They are most worried about the children and babies because they dehydrate and get sick so much quicker. Another group is taking 1000 tents down this week to give families some shelter.
We do not usually ask for money donations and L2F will not normally do this but this situation is a little different. They do also need money to get the supplies down there. Please do not feel obligated at all but if you wish to help in this way please send a check made out to J10 Church with L2F/Haiti in the memo to:
J10 Church
44050 Ashburn Shopping Plaza
Suite 195 #237
Ashburn, VA 20147
I will be posting a video of footage that Matt took when he was there 2 weeks ago. I can't watch this without a few tears and I have seen it many times.
I know this is not in Ashburn where we normally concentrate our effort but this is an extra opportunity to help people that need the most basic things in life! If you are like me you want to help but you want to know where it goes. This help will go directly to the people you see in the video. Matt will bring back pictures for us and I will post them here when he returns with stories. Thank you all so much for listening and thank you to those of you who are already writing and dropping things off at my house for this. I appreciate it! Have a great day!
Jill
