On February 5th we came from our 9th trip to Haiti. Our cargo for this trip was 38,000 bottles of water, a truck and a half full of food and 75 tarps. This time the food was managed in a way to make the distribution faster. We prepared individual bags of rations … almost 170 of them with each one containing 25lbs of rice, 10lbs of beans, 5lbs of spaghetti, 10 cans of sardines, 2lbs of oil, 2lbs of salt, 5lbs of sugar, matches, candles and toilet paper.
That was possible because you have responded with generosity and by extending trust that we at the Lighthouse school will use those funds responsibly .
In turn we have wanted help our Haitian pastor partners understand that we have a huge responsibility to you, the ones who have made it possible. They have reported in writing to us about the people that they have been helping through the resources. And they have invited all the families that have been receiving the help be there to be at the church to meet us and receive their rations.
Consequently, when we reached out destination at the church in Port-au-Prince this past Friday morning the trucks were unloaded in record time. We were able to see the distribution and therefore the joy and gratefulness of our brothers and sisters.
While it may be true that the media has begun to move on to other stories and the initial crisis response teams have packed to return home, please know that we want to pack up too. But we want to pack more hope to deliver to the Haitians. We want to find a way to provide long-term help and encouragement to our Haitian partners. Together we want to look forward to the new Haiti that they talk about all the time.
Altogether, so far we have relived : 156,000 bottles of water; 275 tarps; 3 trucks full of food, which represents a total of over $ 130,000 US of help distribute among the three churches . This includes almost $5,000 given from the Lighthouse School from our own general fund.
We will be returning to Haiti next Thursday.
Once again we thank you for your help to make this possible. We know that your resources are limited as are ours. But as the Scriptures tell us in Psalm 50:10, we also know that God owns “the cattle on a thousand hills” and is exceedingly able to provide. As God continues to use His people, we are excited about how we might be used by Him.
May god bless you.
Cristian santiago.