Haiti report

In a small community on the outskirts of Jacmel Haiti, just outside
the area that most relief agencies are working, we found 48 people
living in one temporary structure made of debris and banana leaves.
48 people in a space smaller than my living room. Most had their
homes destroyed or damaged in the earthquake, but some were just
terrified of returning to their homes, of sleeping under a solid roof.
Just up the hill a small hut houses 9 people. We did a survey of the
community, confirming what the needs and numbers were, and making a
list of families that needed tents, and how many people were in their
family unit. Then we told them we had a gift for them from Church
members and school students in Chattanooga who had heard about the
earthquake and wanted to help, and the truck drove up with tents. A
small girl ran up to the side of the truck, and when she realized that
there were tents inside, broke out into a huge smile and began jumping
up and down. That made the trip for me.
We were able to send close to 300 tents thus far, and are making
decisions about the second shipment. There is a great need for
transitional tent shelters, which have a steel frame and can
eventually be converted into permanent homes, and we may use the
remaining money to purchase some of those for these same people.
Thank you for being a part of this effort. Please continue to pray
for the people of Jacmel and look for further opportunities to help
and maybe someday even to visit.