Dear Friends,
Attached to this message is a letter from the Rev. Pere Kesner Gracia, Partnership Coordinator for the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti regarding the conditions in the Mirebalais area, which he has asked that I forward to Haiti partners. His testimony is bleak, and is unfortunately borne out by the stories of many other friends from the area. Pere Kesner in addition to working with partnerships is the priest in charge at Cange, about 15 miles from Mirebalais on Route 3, in addition to a large number of satellite churches and schools in his area. Thousands of people are passing through via trails through the countryside, seeking shelter or headed farther north.
I know that many of you are already helping in any way you can, and I thank you for everything you are doing. If you are still looking for ways to help, Pere Kesner’s suggestion that you work through your partner priest is an excellent one. The whole north of Haiti is seeing refugees from Mirebalais, and so many churches are receiving and trying to help the people who come to them. Your partners can tell you what efforts they are making and what other agencies might be effective in their particular area.
This is a humanitarian crisis, and the human faces of it are faces we know and love. It will be a long time before we know who has escaped the violence and who has not. Hearing about the generous acts of Haitian friends toward each other is the only light in the darkness. Pray that the international community may pay a little attention to Haiti and help put a stop to this terrible situation.