Please continue to pray for the needy people of Haiti:

As you know, a 7.0 earthquake struck the capital city of Port-au-Prince on January 12, causing devastation and destruction throughout the area. Many thousands have lost their lives, others continue to need emergency medical attention and much of the city is in shambles.
A second earthquake of 6.0 hit outside the capital on January 19 and it, too, was felt in the Cap Haitien area, where the main OMS ministry center in Haiti is located 80 miles north of Port-au-Prince. We have received news from our team in Cap Haitien that, although shaken, no one on our team was harmed.

OMS has two ministry centers in Port-au-Prince: a church belonging to the OMS-related Fellowship of Emmaus Churches and a guest house known as “The Villa.” The largest church building of the Emmaus Churches was completely destroyed. The Villa’s outside wall was destroyed, but we are so grateful that all the personnel is safe. OMS has been ministering in Haiti for more than 50 years, and this is the worst disaster our missionaries have faced. They have begun helping, and as of January 19, they had already delivered two large truckloads of supplies to Port-au Prince with more planned for the near future. OMS is networking on the ground with Samaritan’s Purse; the Church of God, Findlay, Ohio; Christian Service International, Muncie, Indiana; Mission Possible, Findlay, Ohio; and an Adventist group nextto the villa in Port.

We have established a disaster relief task force at the headquarters in Greenwood, Indiana, to assist the field in getting help to the Haitians. Our missionary team reports that things change so quickly it is difficult to make concrete decisions, so some decisions must be made on a day-to-day basis. Many have asked how to help.  Our Men for Missions team has coordinated our first trip and will be sending in a medical team of 10 on Saturday, Jan. 23. They plan to continue sending medical teams in each week for the foreseeable future. If you are a medical professional, please contact Bill Evans to arrange getting to Haiti to help, if possible. We plan to send other teams in the future to help, perhaps in a month or two, but currently, we are only sending in medical teams. In addition, we soon hope to mobilize our Every Community for Christ evangelism and church-planting teams to minister to the holistic needs of the people of Haiti. They will partner directly with our churches. Right now, our top priority is to get emergency supplies to those who most need them. Because of this, we are not taking donations of material goods. This may happen at a later date. Our current major need is for cash donations to purchase these supplies.

Also, please do not take the need for prayer lightly. Prayer is desperately needed for our missionary team who is facing some very difficult days for many months to come. Our team there includes:
Matt and Stacey Ayars, Brett and Angie Bundy (field leader), Bud and Jane Dennington, Maury Graham, John and Rachelle Hubele, Joetta Lehman, Gavin and Julie McClintock, Storly Michel, Jerry Poff, Pam Simpson, Erica Thompson, Mary Lou Wunker and Kate Zlotnicki.  We are also blessed to have two of our veteran missionaries return to assist our team there. David Shaferly, who spent more than 40 years there, arrived on January 21, and David Graffenberger, who spent over 16 years there, will arrive on Feb.9. Both of these men know Haiti well and are fluent in the language. They will be a great help to our team. We ask you to pray for spiritual, emotional and mental strength for our entire team as they face many challenging circumstances.

We also ask that you pray for the nation of Haiti. Pray that God would use this tragedy for His good and His glory to bring people to Himself. Pray for those who still need medical attention. Pray for those who have lost family members and friends. Pray for the national Christians that are working tirelessly to serve their countrymen. Those in Cap Haitien are beginning to help hundreds of people migrating from Port-au-Prince. We also need your continued financial help. Right now, the money raised is being used to purchase food, water and medical supplies. Additional funds are also needed for fuel to keep Radio 4VEH on the air, which is ministering to thousands and thousands of troubled Haitians, giving them hope and comfort in the midst of tragedy.

To date, OMS has raised more than $22,000 for Haiti relief through our website. Be assured that your money is being used with integrity. We'll keep you informed as information becomes available. Donations can be sent for project #405120 - Haiti Relief Fund.