Haiti (MNN) ― Aid supplies remain bottle-necked at Haiti's main airport. International troops are keeping lawlessness under control in Port-au-Prince.
Rene Preval, the president of Haiti, said 3,500 U.S. troops would help UN and Haitian forces restore order. However, it has been a week since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake leveled the capital city. Haitians are desperate for food, water and medical supplies. In places, that desperation has led to violence, forcing police to fire on a crowd of looters.
Why the confusion? Ron Sparks with Baptist Haiti Mission says there's no functioning government. Nearly all government buildings are rubble, and the records they housed are buried with many of the staff who kept them.
Hundreds of thousands of displaced are living outdoors. Food and medicine are still scarce. Most of the hospitals collapsed, and medical care is done in primitive conditions.
Sparks says the good news is BHM's hospital is standing. It also has generators running for lights and electricity, but a report at the end of last week indicated they were running out of fuel.
However, God answered prayer. Sparks explains, "We have been able to get a small amount of diesel fuel, and we have been able to get a water filter system that's going to help for cooking, for using in the hospital, and for drinking."
Members of Samaritan's Purse and BHM missionaries installed a system that will filter the irrigation pond water for the hospital patients and all living at their headquarters in Fermathe, Haiti. The water should be enough to last at least a week.
Staff is overwhelmed attending to the current need and relief efforts. Doctors are exhausted, and most the BHM staff are assigned to the hospital. Sparks puts it into perspective. "We have about 80 beds in our hospital, and we have about 300 patients in there at one time, filling the hallways and extra rooms."
BHM is grateful for the many organizations who have partnered with their hospital and other relief efforts, including Samaritan's Purse and HCJB Global.
Despite the heavy influence of voodoo in the region, the team's response during this crisis opens many doors for the Gospel. Sparks says, "The people don't see any help coming in from voodoo. They do see help coming in from Christian organizations and caring people around the world. We want to follow His example. We're reaching out in Christ's name to help others in need."
Please pray for wisdom and strength as BHM tackles this immense responsibility. Pray that they will continue to minister to others and serve as a blessing in this time of incredible need. You can help. Click here.
