Jan 19, 2010 - If you're new to MHCC, you don't remember Josue Deleon (whom everyone calls Deleon), who lived with Keith and Kim Waggoner for a time.  Deleon grew up in Haiti and was educated at Christianville, an extensive mission near Port au Prince.  MHCC supported the founding of Christianville University many years ago and we went on four missions trips there between 1999 and 2004.  Deleon attended the University of Tennessee in the early 2000s and is now the Dean of Christianville University.  Here is his latest update from there, addressed to the Waggoners.

Dennis

PS - He mentions in the letter that he is attempting to send photos.  Here's a link.

 

Hi Mom and Dad and Kirby,   Thank you very much for this e-mail and for spreading the word out. I know you have been praying harder than before for us down here and we really appreciate that. Asline and Kim were supposed to fly to the US January 23 but I doubt it may be possible as flight might be be resumed by that date. They are supposed to go to Miami and I have no other choice but to stay here in Haiti to work things out and make sure that my students are safe.   I know you have been watching the new on TV and you have seen how horrible things are down here but my main problem is that the main building, which is the most important part of the university, has been collapsed.   Now, I am dealing with a few issues:   1. Hosting the students who can't be safe home; we have to feed them as we all sleep in the yard. 2. Hosting the people in the nearby village as their homes are gone. We share whatever we have with them. 3. Giving money and food to our students who stay with their parents but come to us for help as they have nowhere else to go. 4. Finding wood every day to cook so that we can feed the students and those people including a few elders as you will see it in  pictures.   I know you have been helping us out for years and I know you have been doing what you can. But at this moment we will need you to be our voices to reach ears where my voices can't reach as we will have to build the facilities.   This university has been transforming young men and women's lives for about 12 years. The Ministry can't die; Please, share this e-mail at church and your neighboorhood so that people might see our needs. If there is anything I can do to make it easier for you, please let me know. The church has been for the past months one of the biggest sponsors of the university with 400$ every month.    I will send you any info you might need to make people better understand what we are doing. Let's still be tools in God's hands for his ministry.   The building is down but the university still exists. As we will be working to get funds to rebuild the school we will use even tents to resume classes at the right time.   God bless you, the Deleon's PS: I am sending pics in different e-mails in a minute as they seem to be too heavy to be sent in this e-mail.

 

 

Letter from Jerome Prinston - January 14, 2010

From: JPrinston@jbc.edu
To: JBCINFO@jbc.edu
Sent: 1/14/2010 2:50:46 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: Haiti update
 

 

Dear Friends,

I have spent a good part of the day trying to find more specific information about the situation in Haiti. We are completely horrified by the extent of the disaster around the country and particularly at several mission organizations we know and have worked with over the years.

 As of the latest updates, most of the major buildings at Christianville have collapsed. Thankfully, there are no casualties and all the permanent missionaries there (a dozen or so) are safe, some were able to get out of the crumbling buildings only miraculously.

In Carrefour (4 miles from PAP), the school that operates at the mission which mother established some 30 years ago, that school has collapsed and several children are reported dead.

I have received a fairly good report about the situation in Jeremie where I, Brent, Patty and TCTC students worked last summer. There have been some tremors and people have been sleeping outside for fear of aftershocks, but there are no damage or casualties reported.

In the north part of Haiti where Emmanuel and Prisca Laguerre are located, the tremors have been a lot milder than around Port-au-Prince and no report of heavy damage has been reported.

There are reports of serious devastation in the port city of Jacmel on the southern coast of Haiti, 35 miles south of Port-au-Prince. Missionary, Tina Eisenhower (JBC grad) has worked there for the past 20 years. Tina has been in Port-au-Prince during the earthquake and is reported safe. As of the time of the report, she did not know whether her large school building and the mission house in Jacmel were still standing.

I have not heard from several friends working in the Port-au-Prince area such as JBC grad Frantz Previl, Avenel Clersaint, Leon Dorleans, Gilbert Jules, Eddy Bazin, Gerard Eustache, etc…

I would like to ask you to continue to pray for all these missionaries. Pray particularly for Dr. James and Sandy Wilkins, their medical crew, and the other personnel at Christianville. They have spent the whole night last night caring for victims from around Christianville at a makeshift clinic set up in the church building. These folks are completely overwhelmed by a steady stream of patients and though exhausted, they are hanging in there providing assistance almost nonstop to the victims and hoping for outside relief to come soon.

Continue to pray for our friends at Lifeline in Grand Goave, about 5 miles west of Christianville. They are coordinating relief efforts as well as hosting a group of short-term missionaries who are likely to be stranded in Haiti for some time.  

I was planning to travel to Christianville with a small group during the Week of Evangelism to help with the construction of a new church building in the Leogane Plain. As I continue to assess the situation, I will look into the possibility of taking a larger group to assist with the recovery efforts.  

Some people have requested how they might help. For now, the focus is on rapid emergency assistance and the best way to help is to send cash to credible organizations that are active on the field. Below are addresses for Christianville, Lifeline, and IDES if you desire and are able to donate. IDES specializes in disaster situations and are best equipped to coordinate relief efforts where these are most needed.

Thank you for your prayers for the people of Haiti and for all the missionaries and relief workers on the field.

jp

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IDES

PO BOX 60

Kempton, IN 46049-0060

Memo: Haiti Earthquake

Christianville Foundation/STO
1333 Lakeside Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114
Memo: Earthquake Relief

For Lifeline, to donate online, go to www.lifeline.org

Or mail to Lifeline

184 Old Country Line Rd

Westerville, OH 43081

Memo: Earthquake Relief