The 7.0 earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince on January 12. Some have said this is the most significant disaster to strike the western hemisphere in modern times. Arklie Hooten, MNA Short Term Missions & Disaster Response Director, provided this report.

MNA Disaster Response is working to assist PCA Pastors Dony St. Germain and Brian Kelso. These men are MNA Staff members and they already have established relationships with key leaders in Haiti.

Assessment is underway to determine how MNA can best serve the PCA in response, including strategies to assist those in desperate need. Please check the MNA website at www.pca-mna.org for future postings; we will provide new information as soon as it is available.

We are formulating how best to safely respond now and to also prepare for a long term recovery effort. Please be patient as we assess. The lack of infrastructure in Haiti will limit opportunities for volunteer involvement in the early days of response and it will take some time to establish a base of operations and delivery system of assistance.

Looking long term, the damage inflicted by this disaster will offer ministry opportunities for years in the future, and we are planning to dig in for the long haul. MNA Disaster Response is preparing for a long term response that will require your support and involvement for years. Please consider an immediate financial gift to support relief effort planning, assessment and setting up a base of operations that will facilitate and care for future long term recovery volunteers who will be working in difficult conditions.

You can respond now!

– Pray that God will provide the assessment team with strengthened faith and opportunities to serve fellow believers; pray also for God’s people as they serve others in the affected areas, demonstrating the Gospel through acts of mercy. “Pray……that our service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there….” Romans 15:31

– Prayerfully consider a financial contribution. Gifts will be used to meet the needs of mission churches in Haiti who are affected, and to provide resources for God’s people to serve others in the community. To give a gift, click here, or mail your check to MNA designated for Haiti 2010 Earthquake Relief at the following address:
Mission to North America (MNA)
1700 N. Brown Road, Suite 101
Lawrenceville, GA 30043-8143.

– We do not know at this time how soon volunteer assistance will be permitted by local authorities; if you would like to volunteer in the future, please register your team here.

– Are you highly skilled in masonry, concrete placement and roofing systems and able to join a construction team? If so please contact us at [email protected] and provide a summary of your experience and availability.

[Editor’s note: One or more original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid; those links have been removed.]