On January 19th at 4 AM, twelve people from the LaPorte area (mainly doctors and nurses) will embark on a trip to Haiti.  We’re excited about the opportunity to not only assess the situation and ministries in Jacmel but to hopefully be a part of bringing restoration and relief to the people (physically and spiritually) of Haiti.

We would be remiss if we didn’t share how this trip took shape and what we believe to be God’s hand working through it all.  Last week a friend of mine who went to Bethel College when I did sent me a message through Facebook.  In that message he talked about his dad being a missionary in the Dominican Republic (where he and his family will soon join them) and that his dad would soon be crossing the DR border to go to Jacmel and help in aiding the people.  He said that if they could help in any way with what we’re doing, they would.

To this point, we had been praying about a way to get into Jacmel to see what was happening with the people, churches, orphans, and the surrounding community.  We had received a phone call from Jean Claude (our pastor/administrator in Haiti) and he requested that Neal and Jay Loucks come down immediately.  When I got the message from Brandon, I immediately knew that something very positive could come of this.  We messaged back to him to inquire about the possibility of joining his father’s ministry on their trip to Haiti.  Brandon sent back his dad’s phone number and Jay contacted him further.  While all this is happening, we were able to make another contact in the DR that is willing to help in getting a trip to Jacmel.

Tomorrow, some incredible doctors and nurses will be joining Jay Loucks, Jeff Brown, and Erin Mungia on a trip to Haiti that will take them through the Dominican Republic.  There are so many unknowns right now regarding this trip (will we be able to fly into Jacmel? will we be able to visit Port-au-Prince?) and it’s not exactly the safest or most stable time to visit Haiti.  However, we believe that God is calling us to do something to help our brothers and sisters in Jacmel.  We know that Jean Claude needs support.

Many people are contacting me about how they can help out with the mission in Jacmel.  We’re still in need of financial support.  You can go to the Haitian Support Ministries website and donate online.  You can also continue to be in prayer over this situation (not only for the people of Haiti but for our people leaving tomorrow).  For those of you that are wanting to visit Haiti, I will be leading a trip in June 2010 to Haiti to help in the rebuilding process.  If you feel that God is calling you to be a part of this trip, you can email me and let me know.  Details about this trip are being firmed up and will be released soon.