Friends of Haiti,

Fortunately all the “named” storms so far this year have passed Haiti. Unfortunately, other storms have not. One, in late September, swept across the Port au Prince area with 60 mph winds, destroying 8000 tents in which people were living, and killing at least six, including two children.

Nearly nine months after the January 12th earthquake, more than a million people still live in the tent cities or on the streets between piles of rubble. According to Jonathan Katz of the Associated Press, the reason for this is due to a lack of funding. In March, at a UN donors meeting, some 50 nations and other organizations pledged a total of $8.75 billion for reconstruction. Less than 15% of that money has ever been received, and just 2% of the total destruction has been removed. Haiti is pretty much like it was when the earthquake happened.

Of the $1.15 billion the US pledged for reconstruction, none of it has arrived. With the fiscal year winding down, the money is still tied up in Washington, according to the report filed by Katz. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma is holding up the bill because he feels $5 million of it (less than 1/2 of one percent) is wasted money.

Please don’t think we don’t realize things are bad economically; we know they are. But if if the US says we are going to give it, then we should hold true to our word and give the money. John Simon, of the Center for Global Development says, “There are truly lives at stake, and the idea that folks are spending more time finger-pointing than getting this solved is almost unbelievable.”

The country of Haiti is really a country in crisis. People, including children, are dying from a lack of food and, now, lack of shelter. The verses in Matthew 25 have taken on a whole new meaning in this. “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat…I was a stranger and you invited me in…I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.” All of these apply, and we are being swamped with people needing all of these things. What is also unbelievable is that fact that the country s basically the same as it was moments after the earthquake happened.

Please don’t forget to pray for this country and our friends there. In villages we work in, other than God, we are all they have to look to for help.

Serving HIM together,

Steve and Terry