Schedule
Sundays @ 9 and 10:30
I received this today from one of my best friends. April and Chris Hamilton now attend this church in Columbia. I have been seriously praying about our action plan. We now have 3 direct sources of ministry in Haiti. Jim Hambrick (Donna Tyson’s Brother), Emory Wilson (Gonaeives), and Bill Howard (I have shared ministry with Bill for 20 years). Ronny
“Guys - I need your help. I don’t know if you have seen my Facebook page lately, but I have been in and out of Haiti for the last week and am going back in tomorrow. I’m in the D.R. right now, finishing up some training with Haitian pastors. I was training three young men to be our Haitian pastors. One of them was killed in the earthquake.
As you’ve seen on t.v. - the need is overwhelming. Yes - billions have been committed. But please believe me when I say - that money is no where near the streets of Port au Prince. I beat 90% of all the first response teams here. I’m grateful for the billions committed, but it will take months to get from the large organizations to the people. We can’t wait - people are in desperate need now. I’ve been all through the city and people are desperate for food and water. The airport is stock piled with supplies but it is so slow reaching the masses. I stayed two nights in one neighborhood where people had not eaten in three days and had had very little water. My church is committed to feed this neighbor one meal a day for the next three months. We are helping others as well.
The need I feel most committed to is this:
There are literally thousands of children who orphaned. Riding the streets you will see children 5-6-7 years old who have no home, no parents, no food. Three days ago, while traveling to visit the family of our pastor who was killed, I heard a little tap on my window. I turned to see a 6 year old boy, clutching the hand of his 4 year old brother, begging for food. We asked him if he had a home. He did, but his mother had 6 children and she couldn’t take care of him and his brother. I cannot get this little boys face out of my mind. It was so filled with desperation, sorrow, hopelessness, pain. These kids are everywhere.
I am going back into Port au Prince in the morning to deliver more food and supplies and to set up my other two guys to start a temporary orphanage for children on the streets. They will walk the streets to gather these children. We will take them to the neighborhood where my guys grew up and set up a tent orphanage on the neighborhood soccer field.
We will feed them at least one meal a day, bathe them (they are still wearing the filthy clothes they had on during the quake, two weeks later) and give them shelter (through tents), clothes and love. In case this sounds crazy or overwhelming to you - it is. Where will this end up - I have no idea. What I know - what I’ve seen, is that children - just like our american children - just like your children are living in a corner, on the sidewalk. They are little children - again, just little children - who have no one to take care of them.
Please help. Right now I need money to buy supplies - food, water, tents, cooking supplies, blankets, pillows, sheets, bowls and spoons. I’m talking with leaders of the Haitian Baptist convention about some long range possibilities for the orphanage, but we don’t have time for long range planning right now. These kids need help now.
I’m shopping today to see if I can find tents here in the D.R. I know I can get all the other supplies. What I’m asking for is money to buy immediate supplies. The long range plan is a permanant orphanage (I think I already have land lined up for this), but right now the need is for survival.
You may consider sending the actually item, but it is incredibly expensive to ship things here. I received a five gallon bucket with little stuffed toys in it this morning. It cost $53 to ship to the D.R. The contents probably cost around $20. The only thing that I’m concerned about getting here is tents - 2 and 4 man tents. They are being swept up by the UN and others. So, I might need to ask folks to ship some of those.
Guys - I know this is all a surprise to you. You probably didn’t even know I was here. But - the need is real and it is desperate.
If you would like to help - and I asking you personally as your friend to do it - you can send the money to Willow Ridge Church / Haitian relief. Or if you want to wire it directly to me, you can do that too. Moneygram is the best way - it only cost $10 to wire $1,000. Western Union is about 3 times expensive. My church is wiring me money regularly and they can send your funds as well. If you do perfer to send it directly to me, let me know when you will send it and I’ll have to let you know what country I’m in at the time.
There will be tons of mission opportunities for your church to get involved with in the future. I can help you with that.
Okay - that’s it. If you can help me, please let me know.
I love you guys,
~Bill
Bill Howard
Sr. Pastor
Willow Ridge Church
bhoward@willowridgechurch
803.808.7771
