Earthquake Response – Part 4

Earthquake Response – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part, 4, Part 5

Prepare For Take Off

It’s official: we have three headed to Haiti on Thursday, January 28, 2010. We were able to secure commercial flights in and out of the country. Along with Pastor Jason, two others have been invited. The first is Pastor Dustin Metcalf. Pastor Dustin was with Pastor Jason in Haiti in February 2009 and November 2009. Pastor Dustin has already-existing relationships with our friends in Haiti and with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries and the Caribbean Regional Office. He is a true friend and brother. Pastor Jason is grateful to be traveling with him to Haiti for the third time.

The other individual joining our team is General Contractor, Robert Savage. Robert is from Olive Knolls Church and has worked closely in ministry with Pastor Jason here in Bakersfield. Robert’s expertise is essential as we evaluate how to move forward in the months and years ahead to help Haiti rebuild. Although Robert has not been to Haiti before, he has followed The Haiti Project closely, and was willing to drop everything at extremely short notice to join us. We are tremendously thankful for him and his family.

Our team will be packing everything they need to be completely self-sufficient while in Haiti. It is vital that we do not tap already limited resources needed for earthquake victims. Therefore, we are taking our own cook-free meals, water and water purification tablets. We will also be taking headlamps and sleeping outside. We anticipate a life-altering adventure.

In addition to being self-sufficient, the team will also be taking additional luggage full of the medical supplies we’ve collected in order to help boost the supply for Heart to Heart International’s medical teams on the campus of the Nazarene Theological Seminary in Petion-ville, where our team will be staying. Thank you to all who have donated medical supplies.

Pastor Jason is grateful for the privilege of preaching three times this weekend on Haiti and the theme “On Earth as it is in Heaven.” This sermon was scheduled before the earthquake struck and we marvel again at God’s wonderful and profound timing in the details. As Jason has prepared, he has meditated over this quote from John Wesley:

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

May we be faithful.