MFA Drop - YouTube Link

CLICK HERE to GOTO YouTube and Watch This Video

In a recent update we wrote about Quisqueya Chapel collecting clothes, shoes, food, for an isolated village in the mountains of Haiti. Cazale is completely cut off from the outside world because of washed out roads and bridges. Here is the link to view the drop MAF (Missionary Avaition Fellowship) made for these people. All 3 of these pilots and their families are members of the Chapel, with 2 of them on the QC board. It's about 8 minutes long but we trust you'll enjoy this 'hands on' footage of the drop and some of the people blessed by it.

BBC - NEWS RECAP

A woman picks her way through
the mud in Gonaives, Haiti
20/09/2008


STORY LINK HERE




Haiti storms left 793 people dead

Successive storms left Gonaives flooded and buried in mud

Nearly 800 people in Haiti were killed in four major storms which devastated the country in August and September, officials have said.

More than 300 people were missing, the civil protection agency said.

Hurricanes Gustav and Ike and tropical storms Hanna and Fay killed 466 people in Gonaives, the hardest hit city.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is prone to flooding and mudslides after heavy rains, due to widespread deforestation.

The spokeswoman for Haiti's civil protection agency, Alta Jean-Baptiste, said 793 people were killed and 548 people injured in the four storms.

Last month, the UN's special envoy to Haiti said the country had been overwhelmed by the storms and needed more international help.

The envoy, Hedi Annabi, said the western city of Gonaives was all but destroyed and every house had been damaged or swamped by mud.

News Links

Haiti 'overwhelmed' after storms - BBC News

September 19, 2008

We want to thank you again for your encouraging emails of prayer and support during this most catastrophic time in Haiti. We are receiving many emails asking what to do and how to help, and these inquiries have prompted us to arrange these 2 ways you can 'help us help others'. Any of these options will bring relief and blessing to the many who are in desperate need and will be for a long time to come.

1) IDEA MINISTRIES: our 501c3, is currently setting up a separate 'humanitarian account' for us, strictly for humanitarian relief. It is very VERY important when making a donation to this new account that you CLEARLY note on the memo line of your check, writing 'humanitarian account' (or something re: humanitarian help/relief). If your check is not clearly noted, it will then be put into our regular monthly support account. Monthly deposits will be made to a separate savings account we're setting up to handle these funds. (see mailing address below, under 'Support Address')

2) HELP SEND A CONTAINER THROUGH LACC: Ann has worked with LACC (Latin America ChildCare), a child sponsorship program helping children go to school, for the past 9 years. The American missionary directors of LACC want to raise funds to bring in a container of food, clothing and supplies. A 40 ft. container will cost approximately $8000 to get here. If you would like to help with this project, funds can be sent through LACC Haiti ChildCare Acct #6827554, Class 46 (Hurricane Relief). Please write this account # on the memo line of your check. The address is: AGWM Hurricane Relief; 1445 Boonville Avenue; Springfield, MO 65802. If you do send a donation to this project, please let us know so we can thank you for joining with us in this way.

SOME ARE SENDING FUNDS DIRECTLY TO US IN HAITI, which gives us quicker access to funds to help. An example of that is a project the Chapel is doing - filling up 2 large totes with food and clothes, and then fly them into some of the isolated towns because of washed out roads and bridges. MAF, Missionary Aviation Fellowship, whose pilots and their families come to the Chapel, will fly the totes to one of these towns and give them to pastors they know for distribution. We hope to have them filled by next Sunday so that the following week MAF can take them.

SOME ARE GIVING MONEY********

SOME ARE PRAYING********

SOME ARE COMING********

AND SOME SEND ENCOURAGEMENT THROUGH EMAILS -

and you know what? It all helps. So ask yourself, what can I do to help??

Abundant blessings to you in return,

Karl and Ann

Karl & Ann Olsson
Quisqueya Chapel
Port au Prince, HAITI
Email: kaolsson@hughes.net
Email: pastork@hughes.net
Web: Olssons In Haiti


Mailing Address:

Karl & Ann Olsson
3170 Airmans Dr.
Unit 2073-QC
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946



IDEA Ministries
4595 Broadmoor SE
Suite 237
Grand Rapids, MI 49512-5449


Want to send humanitarian relief?

Write that on the memo line of your check - Humanitarian Relief

and send to IDEA - address on Above

September 14, 2008 - UpDate

Pictures Tell The Story --


About a dozen homes were washed away during Gustav



During Hanna while the UN watch, a man is telling the people how he tried to walk into Gonaives, but could not

The UN used pontoons to get into Gonaives

Gonaives after Hanna

Ariel view of Gonaives after Hanna

Ariel view of Gonaives

Ariel view of Gonaives

Imagine all the storms of life he's survived
Ed. Are these not the eyes of wisdom and determination?!!

Another !!

Artibonite Valley - shows how isolated these places are


In an earlier update about Gonaives, we mentioned a Filipino pastor and family with an orphanage of 26 children - they have not received anything from the UN yet, and it's been 10 days since the flooding, 10 days without virtually food and water, and are reporting the water is still about waist high in the street. The American couple, who have assumed responsibility for another orphanage because the director can't get back to Gonaives, have received help from the UN, and they are reporting the water level is at knee level. We know these people personally and of course are very concerned, praying for them. Gonaives is still inaccessible and the situation is grave. But many other towns, such as Cabaret, Cayes, Jacmel, Jeremie and small villages are just as needy.

WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU CAN HELP
SEND A CONTAINER TO HAITI?

Ann has worked with LACC (Latin America Child Care), child sponsorship program, for the past 9 years. The American missionary directors of LACC want to raise funds to bring in containers of food, clothing and school supplies.

A 40 ft. container will cost approximately $8000 to get here.

If you would like to help with this project, funds can be sent through LACC Haiti ChildCare Acct. #6827554, Class 46 (Hurricane Relief).

Please write the account # on the memo line of your check.

The address is:

AGWM Hurricane Relief
1445 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802.


LACC OFFICE EMAIL

If you do send a donation to this project.
Please let us know so we can thank you for joining with us.

And - please pray.

Blessings to you,

Karl and Ann

September 13, 2008 - UpDate

Thank you for the wonderful, caring emails we've received, and regret we haven't been able to answer each one. We want to update you though on some of what's happening -

Food Distribution - last Tuesday in Cabaret, a town just north of Port au Prince, where Ann went to help. A river flows through this town, and because of the tremendous force of the water, it forged a new channel for itself, washing away many homes and people. The devastation throughout the town is immense and these people had been without food and good drinking water for over a week. The glazed expressions and obvious physical and emotional trauma was clearly seen as we gave each one food and water (we gave them MRE's which is food already prepared and cooked). Words can not describe the experience in Cabaret.

This river forged a new channel for itself, washing away all the homes and people who lived there partial view of a banana grove destroyed by flood waters; notice the debris that's wrapped around the tree on the right side.

It is unimaginable as we begin to hear statistics, figures of the damage and far-reaching consequences of what has happened here in about 3 1/2 weeks from tropical storm Fay, and hurricanes Gustav, Hanna, and Ike coming one right after the other. These storms hit all 10 of Haiti's regions, knocking out bridges, washing out roads, and created isolated pockets of misery all across Haiti. Reports have come out stating that over 1 million people are homeless, 151,000 people are fortunate to be in shelters, and 45,000 homes destroyed. The last death total we heard was 328, but that will rise as well as the number of people missing. With sub-standard housing and crushing poverty, Haiti is in a full-blown humanitarian crisis.

The UN is helping with humanitarian aid, Canada is sending down engineers to help build bridges. The US Kearsarge is here making food drops in isolated areas-45 metric tons to Jeremie and Cayes, and 85 metric tons to Gonaives. There are also missionaries in these isolated areas, and we know of one situation where a friend drove his vehicle loaded with water as close as he could to where the missionaries lived, and the missionaries were sending donkeys down the path with the hope the donkeys could bring the water on the return trip. At this point, we don't know if this worked out or not.

The destruction is taking it's toll on those not affected directly also. It is overwhelming to think about all that has happened, realizing it will take a very long time for this tiny country to recover. The whole country seems to be in shock and dazed by the events of these past few weeks. The newly confirmed Prime Minister, Michelle Pierre Louis and her cabinet have huge challenges ahead of them.

We have given food to people here in Port, have helped with a food distribution with Ann helping with second one. The Chapel congregation will be collecting things to give, and MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) here in Haiti, whose families come to the Chapel, will be flying these supplies into some of these isolated and needy areas.

Please be praying for -

* the President Preval and PM Pierre Louis, for wisdom as they grapple with these very difficult challenges

* for the Haitian people - may this horrific situation bring people to solid faith in Him.

* wisdom and discernment beyond our own to know His plan for us in the midst of such need

Blessings,

Karl and Ann