Impact Network - International Report Crusaders Disaster Response Team: Mission Haiti

Update 3/23/10
The members of Crusaders Church have been deeply moved by the difficult circumstances encountered by the people of Haiti due to January's earthquake. We count it a privilege to assist in whatever way we can as an expression of Christ's love through us for the Haitian people.

As a church, Crusaders has responded through its disaster response team to crisis around the world since 1999 when we sent teams to Turkey in the wake of its devastating earthquake. Since then we have responded in Pakistan, New York City and Washington D.C. after 9/11, and Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. Upon hearing the news of the massive earthquake in Haiti, our team went into action.

At the beginning of the crisis in Haiti, we began to collect goods to assist. Many people in the community and even other states have partnered with this effort. We have received donations from churches, schools, city efforts and more. Because of this generosity, we have thus far been able to deliver tents, bedding articles and finances to two orphanages (one with a local church and school connected) and one relief organization. We are now endeavoring to send a larger shipment of donations to meet other needs these organizations have brought to our attention. We have also staged teams of crisis counselors, educators, medical professionals and others that are a part of our Disaster Response Team.

In February, we deployed a small ahead team to Port au Prince to connect with those on the ground. During this trip, the team surveyed the damage and connected with several different ministries and outreaches. Each had their own unique challenges and needs.
The conditions are indescribably urgent and in many cases horribly desperate. Yet we believe God has a plan of rebuilding for Haiti that includes the Kingdom manifestation in every area of its society. It is an incredible opportunity for the church (both local and international) to engage the country but it needs to be done with the wisdom of God. We are particularly concerned with the educational system but recognize prayer is needed for all spheres of the rebuilding effort.
The people of Haiti are resilient and strong. With God’s direction Haiti may rise to become a praise in the earth! May God use and raise up the Daniels, the Joseph’s, the Nehemiah’s and the sons of Issachar of this generation who have wisdom and insight to build. May the prophetic voice decree God’s chosen destiny over Haiti and her rebuilders. May the church arise with revelation, power and manifestation of Jesus love and truth as they join in the process.

2/15/10
By now most of you have heard about the terrible Haiti earthquake disaster. Thousands of people have perished and even more have suffered injury. The devastation Haiti has experienced is incredible, but God has shown many miracles of survival. People survived underneath rubble for days and many escaped collapsed buildings unharmed. Despite the relief efforts and supplies that are flooding into Haiti, there are still areas where people have not received these items and it will take specialized groups to go in and take the supplies to them.

Crusaders Church Chicago, the headquarters church of the IMPACT Network, has been conducting regular disaster response training over the years, and has previously had teams on the ground after the Turkey earthquake, 9/11, and Katrina. They have a number of specially trained people – the Crusaders Disaster Response Team (CDRT) that are able to go into areas, provide medical attention and bring relief to disaster victims. The team is comprised of volunteers that go on these missions paid for out their personal expenses. Often times, they seek the support from family, friends and others that are willing to assist them in the cause.

A small specialized initial team will be leaving on a charter flight for Haiti February 15, primarily for reconnaissance - to survey two orphanages that the team is sponsoring, and also to bring about 1200 pounds of supplies – the maximum that the small plane can carry. Their buildings have totally collapsed and more and more children that have been orphaned as a result of the earthquake are flocking to the make shift camps that they have set up right outside of the destroyed buildings. Remarkably, everyone survived. They simply do not have clean water, food and medical supplies. CDRT will be taking water, non-perishable food items and medical supplies during their first recon mission, with the hope of setting up 2 camps to provide continued support, allowing different groups of relief workers to rotate in and out.

Please keep the CDRT in prayer this week, and check back in a week for the follow-up report of their first mission. And if you would like to give, please go to our online store and make a donation of any size to help CDRT continue to carry out its mission to the orphans of Haiti. It would be so greatly appreciated. For those in the Chicago area, you can go to the Crusaders Ministries Facebook Fan Page to find out how to donate certain food and over the counter medical supplies locally.