Compassion for the Orphans of Haiti on the Anniversary of the Quake
by Douglas W. Phillips, Esq., January 14, 2011
Remembering the Cause of Christ and the Children of Haiti on the Anniversary of the Great Earthquake
Where were you one year ago this week? One year ago, you and I woke up to a nightmare — one of the largest disasters in recorded history as the nation of Haiti was hit with a mega-earthquake. On this day twelve months ago, the reality of the damage was becoming clear as news reports began to reveal stories of hundreds of thousands dead, many still trapped beneath the rubble, make-shift hospitals filled with the wounded, and masses of humanity wandering the streets. Then there were the children — more than a quarter-million Haitian children had been orphaned.
It was on this day that Beall and I purposed to form Rescue Haiti’s Children, a relief effort with the specific mission of helping the orphaned children of Haiti. Within about a week I had a team assembled and was on my way to Haiti with medical assistance, financial aid, and a camera team that would allow me to transmit accurate information to the Body of Christ in America.
Our work in Haiti transformed my life and the lives of all involved. In the months that would follow, during several trips to Haiti we worked closely with pre-established ministries on the ground, and with friends from our own community of San Antonio, to bring medical assistance, Bibles, Gospel preaching, and encouraging gifts, and to create field reports, but mostly to facilitate the efforts of orphan relief and adoption. If you have not seen the video of our efforts to encourage the orphan children through a special memorial service, please watch the trailer below.
Updates from the Field
This week, on the anniversary of the greatest natural disaster of our lifetime, Beall received a call from our good friend, Dr. John Leininger. John and I spent the first half of 2010 working together to help get orphaned children out of Haiti and into the loving arms of adoptive Christian families in America. John is a real hero, and through his efforts dozens of children were released from the country and placed in Christian households in the United States, many of them in our home town of San Antonio. John wanted to invite us to be part of a special gathering of the orphans for the January 12 anniversary. Regrettably, I have been in South America and was unable to attend.
John told Beall other critical information. First, the violence in Haiti has increased. Our good friend Pastor Jean Fritz of Haiti Children’s Rescue Mission (the orphanage that we have been working with) was recently held up at gunpoint and shot four times, though none of the bullets penetrated his body. His brother was hit, however, but is recovering from the gunshot wound. Second, he told us that some of the precious children we have been working with have been stricken by the cholera epidemic. Finally, he shared the heartbreaking news that a few of the children who were especially dear to us are back on the streets again because they passed the age of majority without being adopted.
I am deeply convicted to stand with the Haitian people and to remain faithful in providing care and Gospel encouragement to them as they rebuild their lives. My heart breaks for these children, and I am anxious to return to Haiti with more supplies and Gospel encouragement as God provides the resources. It troubles me that some of the children who were never adopted are back on the streets. My prayers are for all the little ones at HCRM and elsewhere who have contracted the deadly cholera sickness, as well as the thousands still living on the streets hoping to rebuild their lives.
Today, I am simply asking you to remember the children of Haiti in your prayers, and to pray for our future efforts on behalf of the orphans. Remember that they need Gospel encouragement — salvation in Christ — and they need to know that the Christians of the world still believe that “true religion” is caring for widows and orphans in their distress.