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From:
JeanKris@starband.net [mailto:JeanKris@starband.net]
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:43
PM
To: ;
Subject:
mompremier Thank you so much for all the
prayers, letters, support, and donations that you have been giving us. We
appreciate it very much.
Right now, we have over 24 staying
with us. That is in addition to the family that we have living with us all the
time. Sometimes it is hard to be responsible for so many but we are so thankful
that these people are not in Port anymore. People still have to sleep in the
street because of the instability of the houses. Just yesterday, there was
another aftershock. Unfortunately, there are many thieves in the streets of
Port-au-Prince.
We are very glad that our house is full and that there are 24 people that have a
roof and food to eat. We are happy that the Lord can use us in this way. We
will take in more, if need be.
JeanJean has been busy organizing
the community leaders into a response committee. Our relief efforts are
basically the same as we had envisioned at the onset of this disaster. With
the community, UCI will be continuing to send trucks into Port to evacuate
people. We will not only be retrieving people from our area but also offering
the trucks to take people to other parts of the country where their family is.
We had taken 5 young women out of Port on Sunday. We didn't know where they
were from and they were scared that they wouldn't get a ride if they said they
were from Ranquitte--a community behind our own mountains. People are desperate
to get out of Port, and they will get on any truck they can, no matter where its
destination. They don't bring anything with them except the clothes on their
back. They just want to get out. We thought that we would be taking in these 5
girls into our house. However, when they got to our place, were fed and given a
place to sleep, they felt comfortable enough to tell us the real story.
Luckily, they had family only an hour away from us. We found transportation for
them and got them to loved ones. We would like to offer that to others. UCI's
board met together this afternoon and decided to make every effort to reunite
families. Pray for the 3 trucks that will travel to Port to transport more
refugees.
Another area that UCI's relief
funds will go to is to supply food for the families that are receiving people.
There are families that have taken in as many as we have. These families will
give and give, but sooner or later, their stores will be depleted. We are glad
that we are able to help this way. We hope to offer money to people in the near
future so they can get back on their feet. Most of them have viable skills and
just need help to start over. We don't want to be caught giving food
indefinitely and never letting the families take control of their own lives.
The Mompremier family has land on the mountain that can be worked and we will
offer this as well to the families that have no
land.
It has been wonderful to see how
the community is banding together and giving generously. So many people have
offered food, money, and their homes. They may only have a space on the ground
to offer someone, but it is so much better than sleeping in the streets. Our
youth group prayed with the families who lost sons or daughters today. They
sang, read the Bible and prayed with the families. Then we gave an offering
that we gathered and soap for the family to wash their clothes. Lastly, the
youth offered to come and do laundry or help in their yards. I was really proud
of the group. Jacqueline and Rosenie did a great job of leading the youth and
it was a privilege to be with them.
It has also been a busy afternoon
for me with my nursing skills. I have sent a lot of supplies to our local
doctor but I also have been seeing a lot of people myself. There are many cuts,
bruises, sprains, and other external problems. But, more often, we see many
people that are still in shock. A young man came to me that just left Port this
morning. He is from our area but was living in Port, making sandals for a
living. His good friends were the young men from our area that died. He spent
days trying to find the bodies. He has slept out on the streets every night
since last Tuesday--which means he hardly slept at all. He is a young man but
he looked old and he had no strength left. He kept talking about the
aftershocks and how each one made him relive the earthquake. His problem is the
same for many. In our house, every single night someone screams in their
sleep. Each one that I talk to has said that it is still hard to sleep at night
and eat during the day.
Keep your prayers coming!! Pray
for JeanJean as he counsels many that suffer from the shock. They were still
pulling people out of the rubble yesterday! Praise the Lord! There are still
many good people helping their fellow man. There are so many stories of God's
grace.
Thank you again for all your
support.
Kristie and JeanJean
Mompremier
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