Sad news from UMCOR

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is now reporting that two mission leaders at the agency have died as a result of injuries sustained in the Haiti earthquake.

Early reports that Sam Dixon and Clint Rabb had been rescued and were safe were apparently premature. Both men were removed from the rubble of the Hotel Montana. But follow-up reports indicate that UMCOR head Sam Dixon had passed away before he could be pulled out of the collapsed hotel. And while Clint Rabb was successfully rescued and airlifted to Miami, he died from injuries sustained in the earthquake in a hospital there.

The UMCOR website has posted stories about the lives and ministries of both men. You can find the story on Sam Dixon here. The story on Clint Rabb is at this link.

The devastation in Haiti has been disheartening to watch on television and the Internet. Receiving word that two Methodist pastors have been killed brings the sense of loss home in a certain way. But the deaths of Dixon and Rabb should also serve as witnesses to the gospel. Both men gave their lives in service to Jesus Christ, and because of that their ministry will continue to echo throughout the Church as signs of the coming kingdom.

Additional links:
-- Online site to donate to UMCOR relief efforts in Haiti

-- NY Times story in the role of faith in sustaining Haitian earthquake survivors

-- Recent update by the NY Times on continuing rescue and relief efforts

Help for Haiti

The stories about Haiti's earthquake paint a dire picture of what the Haitian people are facing. Some accounts speculate that perhaps 100,000 people have lost their lives. As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti isn't well equipped to cope with the fallout from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck two days ago.

The most recent reports point out that, added to the challenge of finding survivors and getting food and water where it is needed, there is also the looming problem of untreated disease that could claim many more lives if proper nutrition and medical treatment are not available.

I traveled to Haiti on two different occasions about a decade ago to work with the Christian Mission of Pignon in the small town of Pignon on Haiti's north central plateau. The country I experienced was remarkably lacking in basic infrastructure. And with no resources to fall back on in times of emergency such as this, the suffering of Haiti's people will only be multiplied.

The United Methodist Church is gearing up to respond in anyway it can. I want to invite you to prayerfully consider making a contribution to the relief efforts in Haiti. The United Methodist Committee on Relief - or UMCOR - is already working to get needed supplies into the country. UMCOR has got a special advance fund set up to provide Haiti with immediate crisis relief. You can give an offering via UMCOR's online giving service at this link.

For anyone reading this post in the Durham, North Carolina, area, you should be aware that Epworth United Methodist Church has volunteered to serve as a clearing station for emergency relief supplies that will be sent to the MERCI station at Goldsboro this weekend. The specific supplies that are needed right now are related to triage care, so you'll need to contact the church to get that list before you start gathering donations. Epworth UMC is located at 4002 Hope Valley Road in Durham, and you can contact the church during the day by calling 919-489-6557. The church is asking that donations be brought either during normal business hours on Friday or during the morning on Sunday.

Other links:
-- Link to Haiti donation site for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)

-- Link to Haiti donation site for the American Red Cross

-- Listing of UMCOR stories on the Haiti earthquake

-- Listing of news stores and blog posts at the main UMC website

-- Op/ed article on the earthquake disaster by Tracy Kidder, the author of an excellent book on Dr. Paul Farmer's work in Haiti entitled, Mountains Beyond Mountains

-- Link to the homepage of Partners in Health, which is the organization probably doing the best healthcare work in Haiti. Provides a way to donate to earthquake relief through PIH on the site

Update from Peru

Pastor Pedro Uchuya sent me a couple of e-mails over the weekend. He is upbeat and grateful for the prayers and aid that has been sent to the churches in Peru. He also passed along this website, which is the homepage of his district, the Distrito Costa Sur.

Pedro has successfully received direct aid transfers, which means that money can successfully be wired to him via Western Union. And of course, UMCOR is also working to get aid to the church in Peru through the bishop's offices in Lima.

I posted at more length about earthquake relief efforts here. Please remember our brothers and sisters there in your prayers, and consider contributing to the relief efforts in a tangible way. The overall cleanup and reconstruction process will take a long time, but there is also acute need right now in terms of just getting food and water to the citizens of Chincha, Pisco, and Ica.

Peru Earthquake Relief

The earthquake that struck the coast of Peru on Wednesday, August 15, actually hit the towns that I have visited over the course of several mission trips since 2001. Though the epicenter was a little ways out into the Pacific Ocean, the cities of Ica, Pisco, and Chincha were all severely affected.

My main connection is with the Rev. Pedro Uchuya and the Methodist churches around Chincha. These churches are truly Wesleyan in spirit, believing in personal and social holiness, as well as deeply committed to ministry with the poor and with children. The quakes killed over 500 Peruvians; fortunately, none of the congregation were among the victims. But both chuches and homes have been seriously damaged. I spoke with Pedro on the phone a couple of nights ago, and he said the biggest challenge right now is just getting safe drinking water to everyone. Because water and sewer lines were disrupted by the quake, there is no potable water available.

It's a sign of the times that this disaster is already off the radar screen of the major news organizations. The latest English-language articles I've seen are these two from Monday - one from the BBC and one from CNN - detailing relief and rescue efforts, as well as this one from Fox News on Tuesday telling about the disruption to the region's important fishing industry.

UMCOR - the United Methodist Committee on Relief - is gearing up to bring relief supplies to the affected areas. If you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation to the Peru relief efforts, click on this link. It gives you the "Advance number" that you'll need to designate your gift for Peru.

In the past few days, I have also been helping to connect people who have been on missions to Peru directly to Pastor Pedro. It is possible to send monetary aid directly to him via a Western Union wire transfer. He is using that money to obtain food and water for the Methodist congregations, as well as any other people he is able to help. If you are interested in sending aid directly to Pastor Pedro, send me an e-mail. These donations are not tax deductible of course, but they have the advantage of being put to immediate use in relieving the suffering that is ongoing.

Eventually, our brothers and sisters down there are going to need serious help in rebuilding homes, churches, and schools. Sending aid down to them will help in that, and in the coming months I have no doubt that there will be ample mission opportunities.