Dear Nazarenes:

I want to give you another update on  Haiti while we are traveling on the Caribbean Region to conduct district  assemblies. Haitians are never out of our hearts and minds, and they are always in our prayers.

Word has just been received from the General Treasurer's  Office at the Global Ministry Center that giving to Haitian Nazarenes for earthquake relief has reached $1.5 million (USD). Thanks be to God for your generosity!

After prayer, money is the most important contribution Nazarenes can make right now. If you would like to give to the relief effort, you may do so at Nazarene Compassionate Ministries/Haiti Earthquake.

It is now two weeks since the  earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Haiti on 12 January 2010. According to the Associated Press, the death toll is currently estimated at over  150,000.

Nazarene Damage Assessment in Haiti
Reports from the Caribbean Region indicate the following damage as of 26 January:

•  Scores of churches in the South Central District have been ruined.
•  The churches in Boutin and Tabarre report that their buildings are destroyed and numerous members are injured.
•  Many members are dead or missing from our Bel-Air church in Port-au-Prince.
•  A great number of members of the Petionville church have lost their homes.

More details will be forthcoming as regional, district, and  local church leaders continue to assess the extent of these tragic  events.

The Nazarene Response
The denomination has 555 churches in Haiti and nearly 120,000 members. These are our brothers and sisters  in Christ. There is great faith and strong spiritual leadership among the Haitians; there are no missionaries. The strength of our church in Haiti is the  result of your prayers, the efforts of Work & Witness teams, and faithful  giving to the World Evangelism Fund.

Nazarene responders are on the  ground in Haiti--primarily Haitian Nazarenes who are working diligently to provide relief and comfort to their own people.You are making this possible with your prayers and monetary gifts.

We know there is a strong desire in  the hearts of many to go to Haiti to help. Nazarenes are people of action, but  there is a need to keep order in the church's response. Some volunteers from other organizations have arrived in Haiti with no supplies of their own and have had to depend on relief organizations to assist them. This consumes scarce  resources needed for Haitians.

The church's time in Haiti for further relief work, including reconstruction, is coming soon. Medical  teams are already assisting; other kinds of help will be needed for the longer term.

In closing, I leave you with God's Word:

"Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of  the groaning of the needy, Now I will arise," says the LORD; "I will set him in  the safety for which he longs" (Psalms 12:5, NASB).

Prayer is the most important thing the church can offer. Keep praying that the Lord will  provide safety for Haitians in the midst of this devastation.

In and for Him,

J. K. Warrick
General Superintendent