Texans on Mission answer to urgent requirements in Haiti
By Ferrell Foster, Texans on Mission
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (BP) – Serving people in need to have often necessitates a transform in programs. Texans on Mission’s very long-time ministry associate in Haiti shifted gears in recent times to react to speedy hunger requires.
“Hunger has not been our focus” in Haiti, said Ernie Rice of Stockdale, Texas. “But ideal now, it is just a desperate scenario. … Haiti is entire of hungry folks.”
“There is unbelievable want appropriate now in Haiti,” claimed Mickey Lenamon, CEO/govt director of Texans on Mission, historically identified as Texas Baptist Adult men. “We have extensive-standing companions there who are assembly demands in the title of Christ, and we’re coming along with them to multiply ministry.”
Rice’s do the job in Haiti started by way of TBM’s response to a 2010 earthquake that killed as lots of as 300,000 people today. Due to the fact then his nonprofit – Very good for Haiti – has centered on performing with a church in the mountains by supporting general and complex instruction, alongside with strengthening the Christian presence in an region at the time dominated by voodoo tactics.
‘Gangs are in complete control’ of Haiti’s money
New unraveling of the political predicament in Haiti has brought on the want for instant starvation relief, he reported. Gangs have seized command of transportation and communications infrastructure in the Caribbean region.
“The gangs are in complete control” in the cash, Port-au-Prince, Rice mentioned.
The Guardian newspaper documented April 1: “A thirty day period following a coalition of felony teams named ‘Viv Ansanm’ (Dwell Collectively) plunged Haiti’s cash into chaos with an audacious offensive from the point out, the battling continues – and in latest days has started shifting to areas lengthy considered oases of relaxed.”
Rice’s do the job is in a person of the oases of relaxed, at the very least for now.
“We’re just sending funds now in advance of banks shut down,” he claimed. “We dumped everything we had” into Haiti in modern times, Rice claimed of an first fund transfer despatched to the church.
As a consequence, the pastor distributed food and materials to church users just after its Easter worship services.
Texans on Mission has sent a lot more funds to help the quick want, he mentioned.
The circumstance is so volatile, the ministry does not deliver supplemental funds into Haiti right until it confirms the pastor has previously cash “in hand.”
Browse the total tale right here.
SBTC DR presents huge thank you to Arkansas Baptists for hay donations
By Mary Alford, Arkansas Baptist News
TEXAS PANHANDLE (BP) – Adhering to the greatest wildfire in Texas historical past, Arkansans are encouraging obtain and transport rounds of hay to assist impacted ranchers and farmers.
“Our target has been to bless the ranching family members of the Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma that suffered devastating losses in the modern Smokehouse Creek and Double Deuce fires,” Southern Baptists of Texas Conference (SBTC) Catastrophe Reduction Director Scottie Stice stated. He stated it has been a cooperative exertion with point out catastrophe relief groups from Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, New Mexico and SBTC. They have also had the assist of Ship Reduction and the Salvation Army.
“None of us could have attained this by ourselves,” he reported.
Some hay has been ordered, but the bulk has been donated with most of it coming out of northwest Arkansas.
“With the load that is at present enroute to Pampa, we have sent 1,370 bales to the Texas Panhandle,” Stice mentioned March 27. “Hay has been dropped in Canadian and Pampa. We have two loads heading to Borger following week. Ranchers in the Panhandle are most appreciative of the donated hay and transportation.”
Steve Bartholomew, a rancher in northwest Arkansas, recently collected more than 2,000 bales of hay to be sent to the ranchers affected by the fires in Texas and Oklahoma.
“It’s all I’ve performed. Sixty-4 several years old and all I’ve accomplished my complete life is ranching. It hit dwelling with me mainly because I know what it would be like if it was below,” Bartholomew said.
Alongside with his enthusiasm for ranching, a couple text from Bartholomew’s 7-year-old grandson provided extra motive to act and help individuals affected by the wildfires.
“[My grandson] claimed, ‘I’ve acquired $29, and I want to buy them ranchers some hay,’” he claimed. Bartholomew rustled up a staff of guys he knew, and they obtained to function. He reported they had two masses of hay heading west on Monday, April 1.
On April 7, at the Fairgrounds in Fayetteville, setting up all-around 1 p.m., Bartholomew mentioned they are hosting an party with food items, online games, and animals. Through the function, they will be accepting donations for ranchers and farmers influenced by the wildfires.
There have been probably 65,000 head of cattle impacted by the wildfires.
“Last rely I noticed was that 7,000 did not survive the fire,” Stice claimed. “Some cattle have been moved to grazing in Kansas and Nebraska. Although we do not have a count, estimates are that thousands are nevertheless in pastures in the Panhandle needing hay.”
Read through the full story in this article.
The article DR DIGEST: BGCT serves in Haiti States partner to enable Texas panhandle appeared initial on Biblical Recorder.
