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A PRAYER FOR HAITISoulFest Invites you to join Mission Of Hope:We've all heard about the devastation in Haiti. Report after report; rescues, chaos, cries for help, for medicine, for clean water, for funds and this isn't going to stop. The ripple effect of such a disaster will go and on, but first things first. The relief efforts are finally getting traction and this is the beginning.  Many of you have already responded, some of you have made financial donations, some of you have gathered supplies and clothing. This is great, but not enough. You and I are going to be hit with wave after wave of pleas for help. Right now the country of Haiti is worse than you and I imagine or any TV image convey.
The point of this email to you is to ask for further help. Your action reflects your prayers. It's vital that you and I don't stop praying and that we don't stop acting/responding. We cannot grow deaf to these cries. We must not turn a blind eye or build a rationalization for not responding. At SoulFest each year we talk about Matthew 25, sometimes with frightening conviction. In this case ... I am naked, thirsty, buried under concrete, starving, my bones broken, my lungs full of dust, everything I own gone, my hope drained, I can't find my daughter, my mother, my husband, my son, I haven't eaten in days, my mind is broken....... I called out for you and you didn't answer, I'm calling again now, please take my hand and lift me from this nightmare. I've given money, clothing, supplies and have spent time helping to organize relief, but as I think about it, I've slowed, I've stopped, I've growing deaf. The clutter of my own day to day produces a white noise that can take me away from what I'm called to do. As I pulled into Starbucks for a $3 coffee, talking on my phone about yesterday's election, about football this Sunday, I'm hit with this wave and I realize I let go of the hand that I was holding in Haiti. I got a text from a friend about seeing a movie this weekend and before I responded I thought about the American Red Cross Haiti Relief fund raising effort via text message. Text message "HAITI" (90999) to donate $10 to the American Red Cross relief effort in Haiti. I hit it again, only my 2nd time, but when I think about the itunes and apps I've bought on this same phone, I am not going to let go of this hand. I do not want to walk away from the cries of Jesus in the broken place of Haiti. Maybe you're thinking something similar to me. We so easily grow deaf to the cries for help. These cries exist in our homes, families, our neighborhoods and beyond and right now, HAITI needs you and I to not let go. In this email we're asking for you to help further, to help again, to sacrifice something you have (a meal, a coffee, a date this weekend) and join us in supporting a specific relief effort in Grand-Goave Haiti, called The Mission Of Hope. Meet our Friends Here's how and why we're supporting and asking you to support The Mission of Hope. Kevin and Tammy Groder, who have been working with us at SoulFest since the beginning, Kevin - all things technical, computer, the store, communication, general advice and leadership and Tammy, she helps on any front that's needed, steadfast and generous.  Kevin pastors a church local to our office here in Merrimac, MA. Their church, the North Shore Christian Fellowship, has adopted the Mission of Hope and handle all the state side administration work. They also travel to Haiti several times a year doing whatever they can.
When quake hit, Kevin dropped everything and worked along with a few others to assemble a medical team of 13 doctors and nurses, all the medical supplies they could carry and scrambled to get transportation into Haiti. Yesterday, they left from Logan to the Dominican via Puerto Rico. With help from Audio Adrenaline's mission Hands & Feet, a 7 passenger plane shuttled Kevin, the team (a few trips) and supplies, landing 2 towns over on a street in Leogane a few hours ago, just after another 6.1 earthquake hit.  Kevin is on site now and has reported that they have one make-shift clinic set up and immediately addressing the most severely injured. (BTW - good news, even though all the buildings at the mission were either destroyed or severely damaged, their WELL is working and this mission has become the center of relief for the entire town, the entire area.) Here are pictures of the mission and surrounding area after the quake. Tremors continue.
Get Involved We are pledging to support Kevin and his team's effort to help address this crushing reality in Haiti. We're asking for your help. There are no administrative fees to any of the money we give. 100% of the money is wired directly to an account that has been set up for the Mission to draw on for medical supplies, food and water. We have set up a Pay Pal account that can take credit cards and we can take checks as well. Love Your Neighbor While there are several organizations that you can support, whether you join us to support the Mission of Hope or not, we ask that you set aside a few moments, search your heart and link directly to the people of Haiti through one of the relief efforts and stay connected. Please don't throw a few dollars at it and turn away. Stay connected. Tune your ears to hear the cries for help. We cannot let go of the hands of those who are pleading to be lifted up out of the devastation. Kevin is our SoulFest first responder. Again, 100% of the funds are going directly to this effort. None of the team are on salary and all of them are covering their own travel expenses. I'm sharing this because it just happens to be what presented it's self to us here at the SoulFest office.. A few days ago I was in a meeting with Kevin when this happened. He said he had to go and is on the ground there right now. As a Soul-connected risk taking believer in the Revolution Jesus started, we are asking for your help and encouraging you to be the Gospel and stand up for True Love here and now. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Dan Russell | ||
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