A Note From Letania  

  Let me begin by thanking each and every church for all the offerings collected for Haiti.  Because of this, the first phase goal of $250,000 has been met and we celebrate this as a family! 
  As many of you know, before the Haiti earthquake, the Southeast had great natural ties to the Caribbean, Haiti being one of the connections.  We declared and acknowledge at our Fall Conference that as a District our focus would be geared but not limited to the Caribbean. Now comes the part where family is truly needed, the long-term commitment of being there for one another.
Each day we are a step closer in setting up infrastructure both on the ground in Haiti and in Foursquare USA.
Many of you have helped with Foursquare Missions efforts, in strategically coordinating teams across the US, by filling out the Database Questionnaire found at http://fmi.foursquare.org/goteams. 

By churches and individuals filling out the questionnaire teams are: being identified in our district and are being positioned so that team deployment takes place at the appropriate time based on the skill set needed in Haiti for the phases of rebuilding and restoration. This approach is positioning our district to be proactive by potentially sending 10-14 teams through the local church within the next 18 months.
Our SED Area Missions Representatives, listed in the left column, are playing a vital role in our District's missions efforts.  Please extend an open door to them. 
  If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to contact your Area Missions Representative or I.  We are here to serve your Foursquare missions needs. 

Pastor Guy & Sourette Thomas

National Leader of Foursquare Haiti

Latest NEWS
News from our Team in Haiti
  We are safe in Haiti. Today was a long journey...longer than we thought, left at 5:30am and got into Port-Au-Prince (PAP) at about 2:00pm. It was a great experience to see the Dominican Republic and Haiti while driving through. 
  Today we visited with Pastor Guy Thomas, national leader of Foursquare Haiti, and the church site for initial assessment. Pastor Guy was excited to see us. The church had more damage than I think even he realized. We have tons of pictures that we cataloged for assessment. 
 Today was also a bit crazy. Trying to find lost luggage in PAP and then Pastor Guy's car broke down. A lot of driving today. We were all really tired by the end of the day. Some of us were functioning on 5-6 hours of sleep in 48 hours. The Mountain top ministry made a great meal for us, just as I remembered. Not a lot of talking at dinner just eating... we were hungry. 
 Tomorrow we are meeting with Pastor Guy and some of his leaders. Pray for us. The vision is big as it should be, yet we need to focus.  Our heart is that in the end this would primarily be a nationally led restoration plan. Our support is critical...some leadership, some encouragement, some labor and some financial.

 Pastor Guy's testimony of how God saved his life during the earthquake needs to be translated and put in written form. It is powerful! It was a miracle...and it was bitter sweet. He survived the earthquake but the three people he was with died.

Foursquare Is Responding

At This Time 

 *We have a team from our Relief and Compassion Ministry in Haiti from February 2-6. Please keep them covered in prayer.

* The Foursquare Relief and Compassion team is already mobilizing personnel. In the weeks and months ahead we will need medical teams, construction teams, and ministry teams; we need your help.

* We are making preparations to set up a base camp in Port-au-Prince for our long-term response (this is our greatest need).

This will include the purchase of:

1. Food, water, and shelter for those who have been displaced

2. Trucks, motorcycles, and other vehicles

3. Building supplies and equipment

4. Medical care and supplies

5. Personnel and housing

Our initial need for this first phase is $250,000
LET'S CELEBRATE
Total giving as of Monday, February 01, 2010 at 12:00pm PST
$270,000.00
 
We have met our first phase goal!
Our Assessment Team returns on Saturday. After we debrief with them we will have a more precise picture for phase two. Your continued prayer and financial support will help us meet our long-term objectives in Haiti.
 

Every gift, no matter how large or small, makes this possible.

You can give directly at http://give.foursquare.org/relief

Long Haul Approach to Haiti 

 The news coverage on Haiti is already fading, but our work in Haiti is just beginning. How do we respond to one of the worse humanitarian disasters in the western hemisphere in our lifetime? What is the long-term plan?
 
First, we respond to the immediate needs on the ground. For a catastrophe of this magnitude it means: we partner with qualified first responders; we send in immediate help to our churches on the ground; and we harness the energy released in our Foursquare family to respond appropriately and in sequence based on the needs on the ground and our ability to meet those needs. One of the hardest parts of a catastrophe of this magnitude is dealing with the reality that even if we had $10 million and 100,000 volunteers lined up- these resources could not get through the bottleneck caused by a collapsed infrastructure. 
 
Secondly, we will help Haitians rebuild their lives. We will do this by setting up a base camp to serve through the Foursquare Church of Haiti. This base camp will serve as a launching point to bring, in tangible ways, the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. 
 
Thirdly, our long-term approach is that the greatest need in Haiti is for dozens and dozens of spiritually vibrant and socially relevant churches that bring about a restoration of broken lives. God's promise for us is "beauty from ashes." With your continual prayer and help, we will train church leaders and church planters to make a long-term difference in Haiti. 
                                        
The Foursquare Church has been in Haiti for 25 years. We will be in Haiti for a very long time, and we are in Haiti right now. Thank you for your prayers, financial help, and for signing up to serve on a GO Team.

For more information, go to http://fmi.foursquare.org

What Can You Do?

How to Pray

* Pray for those serving on the front lines of this disaster

* Pray that they move forward with wisdom, skill, protection and

  intense awareness, powerful anointing and spiritual sensitivity

* Pray for signs and wonders as they serve and touch and take

  spiritual territory in partnership with Pastor Guy and church

  leaders there

* Pray for the security and safety ofour Foursquare family in Haiti
* Pray for the safety and security of our Foursquare Relief and

  Compassion team that arrives in Haiti on Tuesday, February 2.
* Pray for wisdom and favor as this team makes preparations for 

  our base camp in PORT-AU-PRINCE
* Pray against corruption and opportunism
* Pray against human trafficking 
* Pray for the safety of children in Haiti
* Pray for the people who are suffering, and for those who are

  Serving them
* Pray that more supplies would reach the interior of the country

   without obstruction

* Pray for those doing grief counseling with those who have lost

  family and friends
* Pray that believers in the country would grow spiritually and

   that their faith will be strong
*  Pray against fear and that faith would rise for God's provision

   in the days ahead. 

 HOW to GO
 
The response from local churches and their congregation members has been awesome. In order to field teams strategically with folks from all over the USA, it is necessary that all potential volunteers fill out and turn in our Emergency and Relief Database Questionnaire. This document can be downloaded at http://fmi.foursquare.org/goteams, and e-mailed to David Wheeler at dwheeler@foursquare.org.

  There will be many needs on the ground and we will need as many people as possible to go on short-term teams.
Reminder:  there are some things that teams should be working on during this planning and preparation phase: obtaining/updating your passport, getting your necessary vaccinations, fundraising for your trip, and making sure that you have had your background check through your local church. If you have questions about any of these things, check with your District Missions Rep or e-mail GO Team Coordinator, David Wheeler.

HOW to GIVE

Here is how you can give to immediate help:

     1. Pray, ask the Lord in what capacity He would have you to give.

     2. Receive a special offering above and beyond your monthly

        missions support- our long-term plan of relief will require 

        large financial resources.

You can give online at https://give.foursquare.org/relief

OR     
 You can make a check payable to:
             Foursquare Missions International (FMI Relief Funds)
             P.O. Box 26776
             Los Angeles, CA 90026

When Helping Hurts Webinar Series
 
We are highly recommending this webinar series and book as a Teams requirement for serving Haiti.
Churches and teams are encouraged to facilitate this as part of their training.
 
The webinars are scheduled for February 17, February 24, and March 3, from 1:00p.m. to 2:00p.m. EST. 

They will be presented by Steve Corbett and Dr. Brian Fikkert, authors of "When Helping Hurts:  How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself," a paradigm-shifting book about the causes and solutions to the problem of poverty. The book is in its fifth printing since it was published in July 2009 (www.whenhelpinghurts.org).
 
Registration isfree. There is no charge for the webinars. However, to join a live webinar session, you must register. Register Now »  You must register 48 hours prior to the webinar.

Latest Article on Understanding the Reality of the Situation in Haiti
 
Strong on Zeal, Thin on Knowledge
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/februaryweb-only/15-31.0.html

"Passion alone is simply not sufficient; it must be consistently paired
with wisdom. Zeal without knowledge can be a destructive force.

A compassionate impulse may indeed be God's nudging, and certainly

should not be ignored. But the hard work of education, preparation,

and planning most always stands between us and a job well done."

                                                                            - Jedd Medefind
 
Additional Articles
Disease Spread in Quake-Hit Haiti
http://www.globalmontreal.com/money/Disease+spreads+quake+

 Haiti/2500117/story.html

Breakdown of Rule of Law Puts Haiti's Vulnerable Children at

  Increased Risk for Human Trafficking

http://www.ijm.org/ijmnews/breakdownofruleoflawputshaiti

_svulnerablechildrenatincreasedriskforhumantrafficking

Disaster Do-Gooders Can Actually Hinder Help - by JoNel Aleccia
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34958965/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake

Sincerely,

Letania Ponte
Southeast District of the Foursquare Church

Missions Representative 

lponte@foursquare.org