Earthquake Relief Update

Posted on by
Much has happened since the earthquake struck southern Haiti on Saturday, August 14 at 8:30 am. Duane and I had returned home that morning when reports started filtering in that the damage was severe but that there was still activity at the hospital. We quickly made plans to return the next week with a team.It amazes me how God supplies in times of need and He most certainly did that day, with members of the community immediately offering assistance (I don’t even know who most of them were or how to properly thank them) and with the help of the team recruited by Dr. Jose from Cox Health – Dr. Nugent, Gail, and Sean. Thank you for your hearts of service and your desire to assist those in Haiti.
Since our return on the 28th, the staff has been operating on their own. They are tired, but continue to serve. Our focus right now is on repair. There is a sense of urgency because once infection sets in we will be forced to do a lot of amputations. We have had to perform some already, mostly due to severe damage. We will do everything we can to save limbs because the disabled in Haiti have an extremely hard time surviving.

We had a very good working relationship with Samaritan’s Purse while they had their mobile hospital in Les Cayes and have exchanged patients and supplies back and forth for the past 4 weeks. This week they shut down their operation and we will be assuming responsibility for follow-up of their patients. They were kind enough to leave us with supplies and equipment that we can use, including a portable x-ray machine that we have had a need of for a long time. Often it’s difficult to work with other organizations as we all have our own agendas, but it was awesome to work alongside of Samaritan’s Purse with our common goals. We give a special thanks to them for serving the Haitian people.

Along with everything else, we are moving forward with the installation of the solar system, planned for the middle to end of January. The earthquake has demonstrated the need for reliable electricity even more. We sent a container on September 1 with the panels and mounting hardware, along with a lot of building materials we will need for planned repairs on employee’s homes. We are exploring the extent of damage to their homes and how we might help them.

You have all responded to our request for donations in tremendous ways that we couldn’t have imagined. Thank you for your generous financial support – God is good. We have raised enough funding that we can confidently extend free services to the earthquake victims until October 20, and we will be putting an additional $10,000 into our poor fund for other needs. We have a team leaving for Haiti on October 12 (Dr. Luke, his daughter Maddy, Duane, Ruth, & Tabitha). They will assist in the treatment of patients and evaluate if there is a continued need to extend free services. Our plan is to build up the poor fund as needed.

We will continue to keep you informed. I wish I had some pictures to share as they always say a 1,000 words – hopefully I will have more next time.

Please continue to keep our staff and their families in your prayers while they continue to put in long, busy hours; for the victims and their families; for those who lost their homes as they try to find solutions; for us to make wise decisions; and for our chaplains as they seek to share the gospel message with all who come through CSL’s doors.

Praise the Lord for all He has done.
Dan with Duane, Dr. Jose, Dr. Luke, and Tabitha