Nouvelles Article: To the Foreign Alumni
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Foreign Haiti Port-au-Prince Alumni –
I had the opportunity earlier this month to speak with the Mission President, both Stake Presidents, a trio of Bishops, and a pair of Branch Presidents in Haiti. I asked them what the foreigners among the Haiti Mission alumni could do to be of the greatest help to them, to the Haitian members, and to the Haitian people. Here’s what they told me.
The best thing that former missionaries can do to strengthen the Church membership spiritually, besides always keeping them in our prayers, is to maintain or restore contact with converts, friends, and former investigators. Let them know that you still think and care about them. Share your testimonies with them.
Hunger is no more of an urgent concern than it has ever been. The urgent concern is for everyone to have adequate shelter against the rains that are ramping up and the hurricanes that are yet to come.
They recommend neither sending Church leaders money nor travelling to Haiti to press money into the palm of their hands. In the first week or two after the quake, the situation was different, but we are now several weeks past that point. While they understand our good intentions, they would prefer that we find other channels to get our aid into the hands of those who need it. Church leaders are stewards of the Church’s resources – not an insignificant responsibility at the best of times, which these certainly are not – and giving them our private donations adds a burden that could be better handled by others.
They suggested three ways for us to assist the Haitian people financially:
- Contribute to LDS Humanitarian Aid and to other charitable organizations in our home countries that are initiating, maintaining, or supporting efforts to alleviate the urgent need for shelters in Haiti.
- Contribute to organizations established in Haiti by Haitians to address the needs of individual towns or neighbourhoods. Some of these organizations are led by or involve Church members, including some of the aforementioned leaders, but are entirely separate from the Church. Search “OJPDH Haiti Jacmel” on Facebook for one example. Church leaders in Haiti can recommend others.
- Contribute to individuals whom you trust in Haiti, providing them with instructions on how you would like them to use the money. Church leaders are by no means the only people to whom such a request can be trusted.
How to you reach people with whom you have lost contact? Here are some ideas:
- look for them on social networking sites, including Facebook and the Haiti Port-au-Prince Mission Alumni Web site.
- contact the Bishop or Branch President where they live, asking them to pass a message and your mailing, phone, or e-mail contact information to them. You can get the name of the leader of any Ward or Branch from your own Bishop (he has access to the Church Directory of Leaders).
Letters to Church leaders in Haiti can, as always, be sent via regular mail to the mailbox in Pétionville or via courier to the mission office (visit the Mission Info link for the exact addresses). Once you’ve found whoever you were seeking, keeping contact is easier than it used to be. Cell phones are as common in Haiti as they are where you live; the Internet and e-mail are popular too.
They all asked that I ensure that the foreign RMs know that the Church in Haiti is strong – far stronger than you might remember it being five or fifteen or twenty-five years ago. The earthquake was devastating, destroying the homes and workplaces of many. However, an incredibly low proportion of Church members, relative to the general population, lost their lives. This they credit to divine protection.
They know that we’re worried about them. For the expressions of love, the crews of volunteers, and the contributions of money and supplies that have poured in, they are most grateful. The needs and the suffering brought about by “the event”, though, will be a fact of life for a long time to come, and they hope that we will not forget about them.
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