The continual news reports coming out of Haiti are both heartwrenching and heartwarming.

The earthquake that struck the island Tuesday, January 12th has devastated an already impoverished nation. Thousands upon thousands of bodies are piling up in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, and health experts are doing all they can with limited resources and personnel. The people of the city have been forced to bury the dead in mass graves in order to protect those who survived.

With the death toll now estimated at 100,000 and climbing, the nation and its people are struggling to cope with the unimaginable circumstances in which they find themselves. A health crisis already existed in Haiti prior to the quake due to the poor living conditions and the lack of basic vaccinations for many citizens. The threat of ingesting contaminated drinking water is constant because most of the country is without public sewage systems and long-term public health issues are imminent. Many of the hospitals and clinics were destroyed or badly damaged, which has compounded the problem of caring for the injured survivers of the quake.

Without the help of God and caring and committed individuals, there is little hope for the nation to be restored. But God is intervening and survivors are still being pulled from the rubble. The resilience of the Haitian people is helping them to help those around them. But they are still in dire need of the basic necessities.

Christian Life Church wants to be a vehicle for hope and healing to the people of Haiti and those who are involved in rescue and relief efforts. There are two things we can do immediately--we can pray and we can give. We have posted two links below that will take you to the Web Sites of two missions organizations that have missionaries in the earthquake area:

International Missions Outreach Haiti operated by missionaries John and Joyce Hanson
IMO Haiti Relief

Calvary International (Go To Nations) missionary Kerby Israel
Go To Nations Haiti Relief

Both of these missionary families have survived the quake and have boots on the ground in Haiti. They need our help in reaching out to this devastated nation. No gift is too small. Together we can touch the people of Haiti and make an eternal difference in their lives.