Port-au-Prince Haiti Earthquake Disaster

Port-au-Prince, Haiti Earthquake Disaster
Statement from NAD Youth Ministries Office

January 18, 2010

Dear Youth Ministries Network,

I was out of the country at the time of the earthquake that rocked Port-au-Prince, Haiti last week. I am just now seeing television coverage for the first time. Needlessly to say, this is hard to handle. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of all our Haitian brothers and sisters. Please pray that God will intervene in a miraculous way during these crucial hours of search and rescue.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church via Adventist Disaster and Relief Agency (ADRA) is already on the ground and responding. The greatest need right now is money. Please give all you can now and more in the years to come. Many of you are already aware of my affiliation with Haiti. I lived in Port-au-Prince for a year (1979-1980) as a student missionary. I am already aware of great tragedies among many families I know personally.

We know that many youth and young adults want to go now and help. As leaders, many of us will be going to Haiti to assist and asset what youth can do and determine when is the most appropriate time to serve. Presently, the priority is medical, food, water, and stabilizing the streets for safety. We will keep you informed of the many future opportunities for youth to serve in Haiti.

I would encourage all pathfinder, youth, and young adult groups to begin having special prayer circles for the Haitian community. We will also include Haiti as a major part of our focus in preparation for our Youth Prayer Summit in Columbus, OH

For more information on how the church is responding and how you can donate, we recommend the following websites:

www.adra.org
www.nadadventist.org

Praying without ceasing,

Pastor James L. Black, Sr.,
Youth Ministries Director for the
Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America