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Written by Jason Koleba
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Wednesday, 13 January 2010 14:45 |
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By now all of you are aware of the terrible scenario unfolding in Haiti. It sounds (and looks) bad and we won’t know even how terrible it is for a while. I am a little dismayed at some of the reporting going on. As I write this (Mon. January 13th) CBC News is going with the headline “Quake death toll may top 100,000” quoting a quick estimate from Haiti’s Prime Minister. When I first read that, I was blown away and thought that it sounded extreme. However you only need to read about 3 lines down to learn that the top dog in Haiti—President René Préval—believes that the 100,000 number may be somewhat exaggerated. Quoting the article, “He [Préval] said...the projection may be high because it was based on the extent of the destruction rather than firm counts of the dead.” If even the president is urging restraint, why in the world run it as the top story? I have my theories...but let’s hope that the President and not the Prime Minister is correct.
What I have been pleased to get from the media are several interviews with leaders from Christian organizations. It hasn't been 24 hours since the quake hit and I have already heard or read interviews on national networks with people representing World Vision, the Mennonite Central Committee and the Episcopalian (Anglican) Church. It seems to me that the church is already on the ground, practicing what we preach in this poor country. Also, two Alliance couples who I know moderately well (Randy and Donna Carter from Straight Talk Ministries and Brent and Mandy Trask from Rockpointe Church) landed in Port-au-Prince only an hour after yesterday’s earthquake. All we know at this point is that they are currently being housed at the Canadian embassy. My hunch would be that they are itching to help (and doing all that they possibly can). Let’s pray that Christians around the world continue to bring credibility to the name of Christ as we serve Haiti in the coming days, weeks and months.
If you are looking for a way to contribute financially to relief efforts we are currently finalizing plans for Cochrane Alliance to direct funds to our denomination’s emergency response fund. You can read more about it on the press release from the Canadian Alliance attached below.
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