“First, I ask God to forgive me for my sins.”

That’s the answer 12-year old Robinson gave me when I asked him what he’s praying for this week.

It might sound like a sweet prayer from a 12-year old, until you realize that Robinson is living with his family in a tent city in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. And the reason for his prayer is that Robinson, like many others here in this quake-damaged country, believes the terrible disaster is the result of sin.

And he feels ashamed.

He thinks God shook the earth to destroy his poverty-stricken city, killing thousands of people—all because he did something bad; he pushed another boy on the playground. It’s heartbreaking.

This is a great example of why the help we bring to Haiti has to go beyond food, water and medicine. Yes, those things are vital. And they need them now. But if we are going to look past the short-term, to the future of Haiti, our relief efforts must include a spiritual component. (more…)

It’s not natural. It’s not even remotely right. No mother should have to bury her child.

But Melicia is begging for the chance to do just that.

Her family was at home when the earthquake hit Port-au-Prince. In a panic, she gathered her children and rushed them toward the door. But her six-year old son Simon Peter got scared and ran the other direction, back into the house.

That’s when the cinder block construction gave way to the twisting and jolting. It collapsed. (more…)

This morning, Compassion President Wess Stafford interviewed Edouard Lassegue, Vice President of the Central America and Caribbean Region, who spoke by cell phone from Haiti about the situation on the ground and our efforts to minister to the Haitian people.

The call includes insights into our disaster response work and updates about the status of our staff and partner churches in Haiti.

You’ll also hear about our ability to distribute aid to Haiti through the Dominican Republic and our network of Haitian church partners.

The call is approximately 35 minutes long.

UPDATE: Jan. 30, 2010 – The first eight photos are new.

Earthquake pictures from Haiti taken by our staff and contractors. As we receive more pictures, we will upload them to our Haiti Earthquake set on Flickr, which automatically updates this slideshow.

This week, I’m visiting Thailand for some global marketing meetings. I sit at a table with 35 other Compassion staff members from around the world. Our hearts are heavy. Haiti permeates the room. We constantly wait and pray together for news from our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

I sit in the meetings barely able to focus. I’m overwhelmed by this all-encompassing ache that envelops me. I’m experiencing what so many of you are experiencing: My heart is in Haiti.

I cannot find words to express my anguish and sorrow. I imagine if I could name the ache, it would help alleviate some of the pain I am feeling. But the words won’t come. And so, here in Thailand, I wait.

Waiting alone can cause despair. But waiting together offers hope. (more…)

UPDATED: Jan. 22, 2010 – Listen to Tim interviewed by Rodney Olsen on Australia’s 98.5 Sonshine FM.

You can see the photos and video footage on your television or computer, but they don’t do the devastation in Haiti justice.

Building after building has collapsed. I’ve seen dozens of multistory buildings that have collapsed into a stack of pancaked floors. Looking at the sheer tonnage of cement, I’m amazed anyone survived.

Hospitals, schools, churches and businesses all flattened. As if this country didn’t already struggle to provide those services to those who need it. That is the great irony right now. The number of people who need medical attention has increased dramatically as the result of this disaster, but the number of medical clinics and hospitals decreased. It seems so unjust.

Communication and transportation are terrible. I’d love to be able to show you some of the videos that I’ve shot, but I can’t get a strong enough Internet connection to last long enough to upload. At this point, my best connection provides 8kb per second. Terribly slow. And it lasts only a few minutes at a time.

This morning, I witnessed a relief truck get overtaken by a crowd of people in the streets. The people climbed the big rig by the dozens, forcing open the back doors and tossing out bags of rice … all while the truck was driving.

People are desperate for food. All over town, there are makeshift signs (mostly sheets with painted words on them) saying, “We Need Help” or “Please — We Need Food and Water.”

At the border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, I saw a couple of relief supply trucks that had been turned into makeshift storefronts. People were trying to sell the food, water and clothing inside. Another example of how important it is for you to make sure you partner with an organization that has established distribution channels.

Many organizations can get stuff here, but don’t know how to distribute it. Parking a truck on the side of the road can cause mayhem. (more…)

UPDATED: Mar. 6, 2010 – This downloadable PDF lists all the child development centers in Haiti and categorizes each center as: not directly affected, moderately affected or significantly affected.

Six child development centers and one child survival program previously designated as not directly affected have recently reported several children and siblings of sponsored children as having been injured in the earthquake. They have also reported many houses that were damaged.

These centers are now considered moderately affected.

• HA-260
• HA-272 and HACS19
• HA-602
• HA-670
• HA-796
• HA-811

(more…)

This blog post is about our staff in Haiti. We would like this to be a bulletin board for you to share your prayers and encouragement for them and
with them.

Although many of our staff have suffered incredible losses as a result of this disaster, we are asking them to perform heroically, and they are!

And they’re doing so in the face of loss and widespread devastation that many of us can only imagine. Because we are a world away, it’s easy to overlook that what we’re asking them to deliver must be obtained in the midst of communication and transportation problems, aftershocks and deep personal trauma.

Numerous members of our staff in Haiti are grieving the deaths of family members and friends. Some have lost their homes, and others are injured themselves.

In light of all this, we ask that you leave a comment or prayer to encourage and strengthen them. We guarantee that they will see your comments, even if the comments have to be printed out in order to be delivered. We hope that as communication becomes more reliable, they will have the ability and opportunity to respond to you.

On behalf of our staff and Haiti, thank you.