Haiti

As you know, on January 12th, the small island nation of Haiti became the focus of world attention when it was rocked by a deadly 7.0 earthquake. Since then, our hearts have been broken as we see the pain, suffering and death taking place. As of February 12th, an estimated three million people were affected by the quake; the Haitian Government reports that between 217,000 and 230,000 people had been identified as dead, an estimated 300,000 injured, and an estimated 1,000,000 homeless. The death toll is expected to rise. They also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.

I am joining a team of 14 people who will be traveling to Haiti from March 20th to March 27th to help the people of this nation, which is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. This team is part of strategic partnership between the church I grew up at, Calvary Community Church, and two other organizations, Christian Associates International and Hope Outreach International, to try to help improve the lives of the Haitian people, working in partnership with the Haitian people and their local churches. Calvary already had one medical team go down in January and do amazing things!

Our March team will be personally delivering and distributing thousands of pounds of food, hundreds of tents and other shelter items, as well as providing medical treatment and psychological and spiritual support to the Haitian people. We will also be working on the planning and building of a water reservoir project which will deliver clean water to a community of 15,000 people who are walking over a mile to get dirty water from a ravine. We will also be working to further develop a long-term strategy for our ongoing involvement in Haiti as rebuilding and restoration occur in the coming months and years.

We need your help to bring together the resources needed to effectively provide relief to the Haitian people involved in this tragedy. Here are some ways where we need your help:

PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS: We ask that you hold our team in your thoughts and prayers while we are on the ground. We also ask that you continue to hold the Haitian people and all of the people involved in relief efforts for the Haitian people in your thoughts and prayers, for all to find strength in this time of tremendous need.

FUNDING TO COVER THE TRIP COSTS FOR THE TEAM: The estimated total cost for the transportation and other trip costs for the team is about $1,500 per person, for a total of $21,000. All of the team members are donating our time and given talents to make this trip a reality. We are paying as much as we can out of our own pockets. However, we are not able to cover the total cost of the trip for the whole team without outside support.

We realize that these are tough times for everyone, and appreciate whatever support you can give us, whether financial or otherwise. Many contributions of smaller amounts can ultimately provide the needed resources. Checks can be made payable to "Calvary Community Church." PLEASE BE SURE to notate "Account 720-Team 2" on the memo line for donations to the Team's trip costs or notate "Account 720-Tents" on the memo line for tents and relief supplies, so that your donation is properly credited. Please do not put my name on the check, or the IRS will get cranky with all of us! You can mail a check to me directly at 16530 Manchester Street, Victorville, CA 92394, or mail it to Calvary Community Church at 5495 Via Rocas, Westlake Village, CA 91362. If you prefer to use a credit card, you can call Calvary at 818-991-8040 and ask for Kathy Sanchez.

Thanks for considering this opportunity to make a difference for the people of Haiti!