Amidst the tragedy of the January 12 earthquake in Haiti, God worked through his people to offer a helping hand to children in need. One such person who interceded for God was Gladys Thomas, director of a multi-faceted ministry in Port-au-Prince that includes an elementary school, School of the Good Sower, and an orphanage, Haiti Home for Children. Gladys took in as many orphans as she could after the earthquake.

Evans, 13, found a new home at Haiti Home for Children after the earthquake.

One of those lucky children was Evans, 13. He had been living at an orphanage in Port-au-Prince before January 12. After the earthquake, that orphanage abandoned its children to the streets and closed. Evans was befriended by an 18-year-old street boy who took him under his wing like a brother. The pair cobbled together a shelter in a tent city and begged for money and food together in the streets.

Evans survived on the streets and in a tent city from January until April. Then a mobile medical clinic found him and learned his story. They contacted Gladys, who immediately made a home for him at Haiti Home for Children orphanage. At first Evans didn’t want to leave his new “brother.” But the older boy was 18, a veteran of the streets, and knew he couldn’t join Evans at the orphanage. In the end, the boy told Evans to go with Gladys—he knew his “little brother” would receive the care and love he needed.

Now Evans has a safe place to live, goes to school, and eats a hot lunch every day. Best of all, he learns about the comforting, saving message of Jesus—now that’s nourishment! Gladys is just one example of God working through his followers in the aftermath of the earthquake. With help from generous American Christians, Cross International supports Gladys’ ministries in Haiti, and we hope you, too, will join us in helping her reach out to more children in Port-au-Prince.

Click here to read about School of the Good Sower, Haiti Home for Children, and other ministries that Cross International supports in Haiti.

Have you ever wondered why we call Good Friday “good”? A brutal scourging and execution would normally be considered a very bad day, to say the least.

Amid the ruins of Haiti’s earthquake, the cross remains a powerful symbol of hope.

But for believers, that bad day was the hope of mankind. It was the day Christ took on the penalty for our sins so we could have everlasting life. Without Good Friday, the Easter story of the resurrection would have no more meaning than a basket-carrying rabbit. But the true gospel is a story that transforms lives wherever it is preached.

The gospel message is a crucial part of Cross International’s ministry of mercy. That is true of our work in Haiti, where we have partnered with a U.S. church, Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale, to contribute to earthquake relief efforts in the city of Jacmel. Read these excerpts from their church blog on how they’ve turned the crisis into an opportunity to share Christ:

Another team arrived in Jacmel this week. The team visited Mother Theresa’s orphanage, which is an orphanage for AIDS babies and very sick children. They had a wonderful time loving on the kids. Some were malnourished but all were aching for a loving touch. They stayed there for several hours feeding and playing with the children. The team presented the gospel there and several asked the Lord to be saved…. Some of the team took the boxes that we made up and delivered them to homes in the neighborhood. Each box was equipped with a Creole Bible.

Church volunteers also provided a vacation-Bible-school program for the local community.

There were almost 40 parents and children that raised their hand to receive Christ as a 17-year-old student shared the gospel. Team members had the opportunity to speak with them one on one…. Please pray that the Lord will continue to open doors to minister His gospel to the people of Haiti.

Romans 8:28 is one of those Bible verses that is easier to believe when life is going well. But when tragedy comes our way, that’s when we really need to hear that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”

Moise Vaval (center) and Cross Projects Officer Claudio Merisio (right) have worked together to organize aid distribution in Haiti.

This verse was a recent focus of our morning devotions here at Cross, and a very relevant one in light of the suffering we’ve been encountering in Haiti. God doesn’t promise us a carefree life, but he gives us hope in the midst of hardship and strengthens us to do everything to his glory.

One person who has displayed this supernatural hope is Moise Vaval, a Haitian pastor and long-time friend of Cross International. Moise lost his son Jean-Marc to the earthquake when a school building collapsed on top of him. Moise spent two full days digging through the rubble to find Jean-Marc, who was just short of his ninth birthday, but to no avail.

It would have been easy to succumb to despair, but instead Moise jumped into the disaster relief effort, all the while thanking God for sparing his other three children who had been in the same school. Moise’s volunteer service was crucial to our work, as he tirelessly coordinated the distribution of Cross emergency supplies to mission partners and refugee camps throughout the country.

God’s people very often shine brightest when times are darkest. Moise, like so many other compassionate Christians who work with us around the world, has been an inspiration to all of us at Cross. We can approach the difficult task of long-term recovery with cheerful hearts, knowing there is real hope for Haiti and for all who seek refuge in Christ.

Cross President Jim Cavnar and several staff members recently returned from a trip to Haiti. During their time in the earthquake-devastated country, they visited several of the ministries we are helping during this time of recovery.

In their first few hours on the ground the staff was struck by the empty streets of Port-au-Prince, which before the earthquake were teaming hundreds of vendors, children, cars, and animals.

Cross International President Jim Cavnar surveys the damage in Leogane where nearly all of the houses were destroyed by the quake. Cross is supporting an IDP camp of about 200 people who lost their homes there.

“It was like being in a ghost town on the set of a Hollywood movie — it was unreal,” Jim said.

Michele Sagarino, vice president of development, added, “The lack of life in the streets and knowing what that means was very hard to process.”

The group from Cross met with Gladys Thomas, who runs an orphanage and Christian school we support just outside the capital, to survey the damage her ministry sustained. She told them that they’ll have to completely replace one of their buildings and rebuild the tall cement wall that protects their property from trespassers. She also said that her ministry has taken in 20 new children since the earthquake.

Jim and the staff from Cross also visited an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp we are supporting in Leogane, which was at the epicenter of the deadly earthquake. Despite the extensive destruction, there was hope among the people in camp. They had just received another shipment of rice when the group from Cross arrived.

With tents and supplies from Cross International, Project Medishare was able to set up a makeshift hospital that is helping hundreds of earthquake victims in Port-au-Prince.

After visiting a few other ministries we support, assessing damage, and planning an approach to help, the team from Cross stopped by Project Medishare’s tent hospital. Jim and the staff were very impressed by the work being done there — work that has been going on since the first day after the quake. Cross donated tents and supplies to the ministry, which were of great use when the ministry set up makeshift surgical and exam rooms, an infirmary, a lab, and a pharmacy.

Overall the group was impressed by the work we’ve accomplished together with our ministry partners to help those suffering in Haiti. “Our partners are showing tremendous courage and faith in the wake of this disaster,” Jim said. “Though it was difficult to see the suffering, we were glad to also find hope among the people as we met with our partners. We feel blessed to be a part of the recovery efforts that are bringing relief to those hurting in Haiti.”

Click here to learn more about our relief efforts in Haiti.

In Haiti, one thing has always been certain. Through all the poverty, tragedy, and violence that has plagued the small Caribbean nation, Haitians have always celebrated Carnival.

Many churches were destroyed in the earthquake. But Haitian’s faith in God remains strong.

But not this year.

The lively annual festivities, which would have begun Sunday and ended today, have been set aside, so the Haitian people can observe three days of mourning and fasting. Haitian musicians cancelled their Carnival performances and instead are raising money for earthquake relief.

It’s amazing how God can use the worst of tragedies to remind us that he is in control. We are confronted with our own helplessness, with our absolute dependence in God’s mercy and compassion. Shortly after the earthquake struck, our own staff reported seeing groups of people openly praying and worshiping God amid the ruins of Port-au-Prince. Though the church buildings were destroyed, the faith of the people remained intact.

As Cross International begins to look forward to Haiti’s long-term recovery, we consider our spiritual focus an integral, rather than peripheral, part of our mission to the poor. The people of Haiti need hope, and our mission partners are there to lead them to the only hope that lasts. Whether we are feeding orphans at the School of the Good Sower, caring for the handicapped at World Harvest Children’s Home, or helping “restavek” children get some time away from the rigors of virtual slavery, we always make sure that the gospel is preached, because that is what changes lives. A meal will sustain a child for a day, and the sturdiest rebuilt house will eventually weather away, but the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus is what sustains us forever.

This week, Cross staff met with Haitian mission partner Gladys Mecklembourg, who runs the Togetherness in Christ orphanage, to learn how her ministry is coping with the earthquake crisis. Cross supplies the orphanage with weekly deliveries of rice, beans, oil, and other food, and has provided addition funds to help Gladys meet emergency needs.

Togetherness in Christ orphanage is providing space for earthquake victims to stay while receiving post-operative care.

By God’s grace, all the children and staff at the orphanage were unharmed. But Gladys says the kids are afraid to sleep at night because of the aftershocks, and they are worried about relatives they haven’t heard from since the quake. The children will need a lot of counseling to recover emotionally from what has happened.

Gladys told us that four nurses are currently staying at the orphanage to provide post-operative care for medical patients who are being brought in from an overcrowded hospital. Gladys has an on-site clinic, and she has turned the boys’ dormitory into a temporary hospital where amputees and other wounded and ill patients can recover in safety and comfort. The boys have been relocated to other facilities on the 93-acre property. Gladys said there is also possibility of setting up a tent camp on the grounds for the many refugees who have no place to go.

Despite the challenges facing Haiti and our Cross mission partners in the aftermath of the quake, Gladys expressed a positive vision for the future, applying the words of Isaiah 61:3.

“We trust in our heavenly father to raise up a new Haiti, to bestow on us a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. We will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the lord for the displaying of his splendor. This is the word the Lord had given us at Togetherness for Christ, and we believe in this, and we know there will be a change in Haiti. Not only in the structure, but in the heart – the heart of the people…. There is solidarity among us.”

For the latest news on how we are supporting our Cross mission partners in Haiti, visit www.crossinternational.org/relief

Cross Projects Officer Mike Henry helped to hand out emergency aid in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Jacquet.

On Saturday, Cross International took part in another emergency aid distribution. The event was held at a church in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Jacquet. Much of the city remains in ruins since the Jan. 12 earthquake, and those who have not fled to outlying areas are still in need of food and shelter.

The distribution at Bethlehem Church was coordinated by our Cross mission
partner World Concern, to whom we sent an emergency airlift of food, water, sheets, and blankets. During the distribution, Cross and World Concern handed out half of the Cross-sponsored food supply of nutrient-rich meal packets, as well as rice, beans, and tarps, to desperately needy local families who have lost everything: their homes, possessions, livelihoods, and even loved ones.

Today, Cross is on the ground in Haiti working with our partner Arc en Ciel to distribute food to earthquake refugees at internally-displaced persons (IDP) camps. There is so much work still to be done in Haiti, even if the crisis is no longer on the front-page news, and Cross is keeping boots on the ground to help ensure that no needy person is left behind. Click Here to learn how you can support our Cross International disaster relief effort.

While traveling through Haiti, Cross International Projects Officers Mike Wilson and Claudio Merisio visited the camps where our mission partners are continuing to provide medical care for earthquake victims. They got to see firsthand the incredible work that so many doctors, nurses, and volunteers are providing on a daily basis in tent facilities or even outside.

Cross Projects Officer Claudio Merisio visits a Project Medishare health clinic in Haiti.

Now that more than three weeks have passed since the quake, our partners are beginning to transition from trauma to general health care for the many displaced men, women, and children who are trying to rebuild their lives in the aftermath; and Cross is working alongside them to ensure success.

For instance, our Cross partner Arc en Ciel is providing care for about 4,000 people, including 1,600 children, in five refugee camps. They plan to send health workers to fifty additional camps to train their peers on general health issues such as hydration, nutrition, vaccination, and psycho-social support.

Another Cross partner, Project Medishare, is increasing the number of women and children receiving care, and plans to double the number of mobile clinics from one to two per week.

Gladys Thomas, who runs Hopital Espoir and Village Espoir, is shifting her focus to rehabilitative care for people needing physical and occupational therapy and post-traumatic support.

To help our mission partners provided the best possible health care under the strained conditions of disaster-stricken Haiti, Cross has given food, medicine, medical supplies, and in one case even a container to be converted into a clinic. To learn more about what Cross is doing in Haiti, check out our latest updates at www.crossinternational.org/relief.

Between serving as a guide and translator for an NBC news crew and personally delivering pillows for all the beds at the main Project Medishare hospital in Haiti (as he put it, “My vehicle looks like a giant cotton ball!”), Cross International Projects Officer Michael Wilson has successfully established a food distribution network in the greater Port-au-Prince area and the badly damaged cities of Leogane and Jacmel.

Cross International arranged for this C737 cargo plane to airlift supplies into Port-au-Prince

The food recipients include long-term Cross partners such as the Bethsaide short-term shelter in Jacmel, as well as internally displaced persons (IDP) camps where many earthquake refugees are now living. These groups will benefit from a $1.3 million shipment of emergency supplies that Cross arranged to be airlifted to Port-au-Prince in two C737 cargo planes over the weekend. The shipment includes 50,000 lbs. of fortified rice/soy casserole, bagged corn, water, an electrolyte replacement drink, tarps, and diapers, and is now being stored in a partner’s warehouse near the airport, where the goods are already being picked up for distribution.

Michael also reported that one of the orphanages Cross supports has now relocated from Leogane to an open field in Tabarre, where the children are living in tents. On Monday, Michael visited CBC’s Butte Boyer School to offer our condolences to the widow of Pastor Guy, who was killed when the building collapsed, and to assure her that we will help the school and church recover from their loss.

Get more of the latest Haiti updates at www.crossinternational.org/relief

In an email update from Port-au-Prince to our Florida headquarters, Cross International Projects Officer Michael Wilson describes a nation picking itself up by its bootstraps. His observation—a testament to the incredible resilience of the Haitian people—is excerpted here:

Michael Wilson, Cross International Projects Officer

There are signs of normalcy, whatever that means in a Haiti that is forever changed.  We saw a few banks open.  Gas stations.  A grocery store.  Haiti-grown staples seem to be abundant on the streets and in the markets.  Claudio bought a mamit of beans at the same price paid prior to the quake. Tap taps are running.  People are in the streets.  We have seen no looting, rioting, or anarchy that some have portrayed.  We have seen IDP camps in all sorts of places.  Water trucks giving out water.  Restaurants serving as soup kitchens.  And a spirit, while certainly battered and bruised, equally most certainly not broken.

Read more latest updates on www.crossinternational.org/relief