Dear Friends
The Arkansas Baptist State Convention continues to help Arkansas Baptists mobilize for serving the Lord and people of Haiti.
1) DISASTER RELIEF Response: We are working with NAMB/IMB/BGR/Florida Baptists in response to that group’s Disaster Relief requests to state conventions. On FEB 27, a medical team/damage assessment team, accompanied by a Disaster Relief Chaplain, will leave for Port au Prince. That team is made up of members from Valley Baptist Church in Searcy, Hilldale Baptist Church in Alexander, FBC Benton, Immanuel Baptist Church, Little Rock, and Central Baptist Church, NLR. They will be based at the Florida House in Port Au Prince. Please be in prayer for their work.
2) PARTNERSHIP Response: Our Arkansas advance team (Robby Tingle, Roger Gaunt, Rusty Lynn) spent a week in Haiti, and God blessed their efforts. Roger Gaunt served as an IMB Missionary in the Dominican Republic for 20 years and maintains ties with that nations’ Baptist Convention. The team was able to meet with Dominican Baptist Convention leaders and Western Haiti Baptist leaders, which resulted in several immediate needs being met and long-term goals established.
Some of those immediate needs were supplying food, shelter and medical supplies for churches in Port Au Prince, Debonne, Gran Grove, and Legone. The ABSC has developed a partnering relationship with the Dominican Baptist Convention to continue assisting the Baptist Churches in these towns.
On FEB 20, a medical team and two building experts leave for Port Au Prince. These folks are from East Side Baptist Church in Paragould, First Baptist Church of Cherokee Village, North Main Baptist Church in Sheridan, and Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Walcott. They will carry in hundreds of pounds of medical supplies, and a portable water purifier to install at the Concord Baptist Church in Port-Au-Prince, which will serve as their base. They will conduct medical clinics there as well as take several excursions to Debonne. The two building experts, from Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, will assist local people with best practices for building demolition and rebuilding.
WE need more medical volunteers: Physicians, RN’s, LPN’s, Paramdedics, EMTS. Please fill out the form at www.absc.org/haiit and send it in as soon as possible. We are working now for teams serving a week, leaving on March 13, April 3, and April 24.
Several Arkansas churches have been on the ground in Haiti and continue to send in teams. We have heard from FBC Rogers, FBC Springdale, Central BC Jonesboro and 2nd BC Conway.
Thank you for praying for all of the above efforts. We are working on the “hows” and “whens” of sending in construction people and others. Stay tuned. God bless!
