Haiti Earthquake Update

The emphasis is gradually shifting from immediate aid to long-term recovery. For Nativity’s Operation Starfish, this means continuing to provide funds and goods through Food For The Poor to help earthquake survivors, while simultaneously starting development of our next Nativity Village.

Fr. Printemps at Nativity Village at Merger has begun a healing project with teens and children. He has 762 youngsters registered for a program that provides 2 meals a day, along with activities and counseling to help them cope with the trauma of the earthquake. His hope is that this program will help ease the pain and grief, while preparing them for vocational training and future employment.

NEW NATIVITY VILLAGE PROJECT ANNOUNCED

Construction on our 6th Nativity Village development, “Nativity Village at Shada,” will begin this summer. Fr. Martin and Nativity parishioners visited the site in November 2009 and agreed with Fr. Duken Augustin that the people in the Shada area of Cap Haitien desperately need safe shelter, clean water, access to health care, education and jobs. Fr. Duken has obtained about 75 acres of land for this new “Nativity Village,” and he will begin work as soon as our Lenten Operation Starfish funds are available. We anticipate that earthquake refugees, along with the Shada population, will have access to the new village housing.

Blind from Vitamin A Deficiency

Jennifer Schmidt found this young woman on her recent medical mission to Haiti.
The woman is blind from vitamin A deficiency. She has two young
children. Her blindness is irreversible...

Jim McDaniel: "At first this made me sad; then it made me angry; finally it made me more committed than ever to keep trying to make a difference."

Official Blog of Food For The Poor

What's it like right now in Haiti? Check out Bonnie Vanak's blog and Ben Rusnak's photos. Bonnie and Ben are with Food For The Poor. They have been working in Haiti and sharing their experiences.
http://officialfoodforthepoor.blogspot.com/

Stop Hunger Now Event

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church hosted a Stop Hunger Now Event on Feb. 19-20. Volunteers from Nativity Church along with volunteers from other organizations joined Prince of Peace to help in this effort. Side by side, about 700 volunteers packaged 142,560 specially formulated meals all bound for Haiti. We filled a full sea container. In the process, we all had a lot of fun! What a blessing to have so many people joining forces to help our Haitian brothers and sisters. We even had a family from Haiti who survived the earthquake and are now currently staying with relatives in the DC area present to help. Many thanks to all our Nativity volunteers and to Prince of Peace for hosting this very successful event.

--Cynde Mausolf

Packing Meals for Haiti

Meal packing for Haiti yesterday at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church was AMAZING!! It was so awesome to see so many people, of all ages, working together to send healthy food to those that need it most. I was in the box packing room and packed 36 meals to a box. Each meal will feed 6 people. In an hour and a half, we packed 37,000 meals! Over 2 days, volunteers packed over 140,000 meals. You could just feel the LOVE going into each meal and each box!

--Jill

Three Foxes Vineyards Fundraiser for Haiti

Proprietors Holli and John Todhunter are hosting a benefit for Operation Starfish Haiti Earthquake Relief on Saturday, May 1, 2010, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Three Fox Vineyards in Delaplane, Virginia. Taste fine wines and picnic in this idyllic setting. The event will feature Chef Roland Mesnier, former White House Pastry Chef, who will present desserts popular with First Families. He will autograph his renowned cookbooks, and talk about his 25 years in the White House kitchen. Rev. Richard Martin, founder of Operation Starfish, and Jim McDaniel, representing Food For The Poor, Inc., will also be on hand. At about 3 p.m. Fr. Martin will officiate at the “Blessing of the Vines.” Proceeds from wine and book sales go to Operation Starfish to support the work of Food For The Poor, Inc. in Haiti. Food For The Poor is providing food, medical care, shelter and reconstruction assistance to earthquake victims.

The Dance of Haiti

"Two years ago when I was named chairperson for Project Starfish - Building a Village in Haiti at St. Joseph’s in Hope Valley I never dreamed where this journey would take me and the people of my parish family"...a commentary by Kiki Latimer in the Rhode Island Catholic.

http://www.thericatholic.com/detail.html?sub_id=2836

Returning Home to Rescue and Recover

This blog attempts to document the medical mission in the Pro Longe' area of Cap Haitien, Haiti, and track Jennifer Schmidt and others from Northern VA right now....what they are seeing, and what they are doing.

http://saintanthonysclinic.wordpress.com/

Haiti Changed Our Parish And My Life

An article in Catholic Digest about the transformation of a parish and their mission in Haiti, Operation Starfish.

http://www.catholicdigest.com/articles/good_works/love_your_neighbor/2010/01-29/haiti-changed-our-parishhellipand-my-life

Food For The Poor: One Month After Haiti Earthquake

passing along a 1-month update from Food For The Poor...

http://www.foodforthepoor.org/newsroom/news/food-for-the-poor-one-month.html

All Lynn University Students and Faculty accounted for

Jim McDaniel The remains of Britney Gengel, the last of the Lynn University students to be accounted for in the collapse of the Hotel Montana, have been recovered. 14 students and faculty were in Haiti on a Food For The Poor mission trip when the earthquake struck. 8 members of the group escaped the hotel and were returned to the US. Jan. 14th. 4 students and 2 faculty members died and all have now been accounted for. Please remember these beautiful people and their families in your prayers. Also remember Leann Chong, Food For The Poor's Mission Travel director, who continues to recovery from injuries suffered while she was trapped in the rubble of the Montana.

Photos from Haiti

Jim McDaniel invites you to reflect on the message in these photos...

Benjamin Rusnak
www.benjaminrusnak.com

SPIRIT DAY FOR HAITI Feb 14th

Jim McDaniel SUPPORT "SPIRIT DAY FOR HAITI" Sunday Feb. 14th from 2pm - 5pm at McDonalds 8976 Burke Lake Rd., Springfield, Virginia (King's Park). A portion of all sales go to Operation Starfish Haiti Relief. For info: Jesica Mera jcm@gwu.edu

Jim McDaniel Saludos:
No olvide que la actividad pro fondos "Spirit Day for Haiti" se realizara, este domingo 14 de febrero de 2:00 a 5:00pm en el restaurante McDonald's localizado en el 8976 Burke Lake Rd, Springfield, Virginia.
Actividad apoyada por "Starfish Mission".
Venga y unase a esta noble causa. (Jesica Mera jcm@gwu.edu)

Thank you

Jim McDaniel received a very nice gift today for Food For The Poor from St. Ann's School, Quincy, Massachusetts. Thank you Sr. Catherine, students and parents - your generosity will make a big difference in the lives of Haiti's earthquake victims.

Mission Friends travel to Haiti

Jim McDaniel asks that we keep our medical mission friends in our thoughts and prayers. Jennifer Schmidt, Bonnie DelBalzo, Patrice Nelson and a team from Northern Virginia are traveling on Valentine's Day to Cap Haitien, Haiti, where they will join Fr. Duken, Dr. Maklin, Dr. Kaplan and others as they provide medical care at the St.... Anthony Clinic in Nativity Village and at other nearby locations. Dr. Maklin says he's seeing a lot of gangrene from untreated earthquake wounds. Travel safely, good friends - God be with you as you become His hands and feet...

Container ships Feb. 10th

Jim McDaniel Food For The Poor advises that the ship with Nativity's sea container sails today for Haiti. Current ETA is 2 weeks. A second container will be coming to pick up the remaining relief supplies - Melinda or Katie will announce the load date as soon as available.

Blessing The Container

Father Martin blessing the cotainer before we closed the doors!

Sea Container Loading - Thank you for your help!

Melinda Wade Engelbrektsson: Katie and I are so grateful to all our friends who came out to help load the sea container this morning in the snow. Two hours on the nose to pack 40,000 lbs of emergency food, water, milk, diapers, medical supplies. Father Martin arrived in time to bless the container and off it went to Newark, New Jersey and then Haiti. Blessings to all and enjoy this weekend.

Jim McDaniel: What a great effort by Nativity parishioners and friends from all over! And thanks to Melinda, Katie, and all who organized this project. We also appreciate our corporate partners - Burke Lake Storage, Interstate Van Lines, and Food For the Poor. Congratulations on a job well done.

Soup Supper at St. Mary's

Fr. Gerry Creedon, Pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, and Jim McDaniel, Nativity parishioner and Food For The Poor representative, will talk about the Haiti earthquake and ways to respond to the needs of the victims.

Date: Friday, February 19, 2010
Time: 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Location: St. Mary of Sorrows
Street: 5222 Sideburn Rd
City/Town: Fairfax, VA

View Map

Help Needed! Feb 5th

Help Needed! The 40' sea container will be delivered to Burke Lake Self Storage at Rte. 123 & the Fairfax County Parkway on Friday afternoon, Feb. 5. Loading is set for 2pm - 4pm. Come and help... For details, contact Melinda at swedes5@cox.net.

Feb. 20 fundraiser postponed due to snow

The Feb. 20 event with Chef Roland Mesnier at Three Fox Vineyards is being rescheduled. Winter weather has caused rescheduling of the past 2 weekends' wine events and this coming weekend forecast calls for snow again. So the Toddhunters will set a new date in early Spring for the earthquake benefit. As soon as that date is available, we'll announce it here.

Help Needed Loading Container Friday 2-4

We are loading the sea container Friday, February 5th from 2-4 at the storage facility in Burke, and will need many hands to 'lighten the load'. For more information, you can contact Melinda Engelbrektsson at swedes5@cox.net directly (phone: 703.690.9921). We will post more information as we get it.

23 tons, $43,000 of supplies for Haiti

Nativity Church's first sea container is ready to be loaded with 23 tons of emergency aid. We are awaiting delivery of the empty container by Food For The Poor. Estimated value of contents to be shipped to Haiti - $43,000. Congratulations to all who worked on this project!

Jordan Helps Haiti

Jordan is a special young lady. At 9 years old, she had saved money to buy a Washington Capitals jersey. When the earthquake hit, she changed her mind and gave the entire amount to Operation Starfish. She is now mounting a campaign to raise awareness about Haiti and to keep the needs of the poor foremost in her classmates' minds. Great job, Jordan!

Bonnie on the Earthquake and Hotel Montana

thanks Bonnie for expressing her thoughts about the Hotel Montana
http://bonnievanak.blogspot.com/2010/01/thoughts-on-haiti-and-hotel-montana.html

Hotel Montana on CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/01/29/haiti.hotel.montana/index.html

Angel Aloma to be at Nativity Masses

Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor, has just returned from Haiti and he will be at all the masses (except 12:45 Sun) this weekend at Nativity Church to thank parishioners for their response to the Haiti earthquake.

US Churches Collecting Aid for Haiti

See new video "US Churches Collecting Aid for Haiti" at
http://www1.voanews.com/english/video-audio/

Help us contact the NOVA Haitian community

Please help us reach the Haitian community in Northern Virginia with the opportunity to attend a workshop on Temporary Protected Status. Volunteers are also needed for this immigration workshop March 6 & March 13.

Haitian Immigration

IMMIGRATION & HUMAN RIGHTS LAW GROUP PLLC Dedicated to Excellence OPEN LETTER TO THE HAITIAN COMMUNITY January 28, 2010 Immigration & Human Rights Law Group, PLLC is a full-service immigration law firm with experience in processing te...mporary protected status applications (TPS). TPS is a temporary designation of status for out-of-legal-status Haitians that have proof of continuous residence in the Untied States since January 12, 2010. Successful applicants will be granted work authorization in the United States. Haitians coming to the United States after January 12, 2010 are not eligible for TPS, but may be eligible for other relief depending upon individual circumstances. We are willing to facilitate and host a TPS clinic for the Haitian community in the Washington, DC – MD – VA region at a cost of $25 per application to cover administrative and copying costs. We will provide assistance and instruction for completion of the TPS application form and the applicant will have the responsibility of mailing the application and following-up with USCIS. Persons with complicated cases and/or who desire assistance throughout the TPS application process with USCIS will be subject to individualized terms of service. Site location will depend upon where the greatest number of Haitian families reside in the Northern VA region and space availability. Proposed dates are: March 6, 2010 and March 13, 2010. We are looking for volunteer support to assist with French Creole translations and assembly of paperwork, and donations of refreshments for volunteers. We look forward to launching this wonderful opportunity to serve the Haitian community. Please contact us if you are interested in working on this project and/or know of Haitian families in need of this clinic at 703-335-2009 or ltjf@verizon.net. Yours sincerely, Lisa Johnson-Firth, Esq. 9119 Church Street ▪ Manassas, VA 20110 ▪ ph 703-335-2009 ▪ fax 703-369-2213 ▪ www.ihrlg.com Lisa Johnson-Firth admitted in DC, MA, CT, England and Wales

Medical supplies from Jennifer Schmidt's airlift arrive at St. Anthony Clinic in Nativity Village at Prolonge

Burke church continues...Fairfax Times

Jim McDaniel (left), Nick Orsino and volunteers from The Church of the Nativity in Burke collect canned goods Sunday for the church’s food drive for earthquake victims in Haiti.

Pastor's Corner

PASTOR’S CORNER JANUARY 24, 2010 Father Wilson summed up the feelings of our parish at the homily he shared last Sunday morning: “ Our parish family is feeling a deep sadness today. Over the past 10 years we have developed a familial relationship with our Haitian sis...ters and brothers. It is as if we are in mourning for a member of our family.” Now we know why so many of us are feeling the way we do. What our parish is doing with those feelings is very important right now. We are praying and we are activating that prayer with tangible help for the earthquake victims. I am so very proud of how you have taken our collective grief and translated it into the hands and feet of Christ. We continue to receive very generous gifts of money, goods and volunteer service. Many times personal notes accompany donations. The following are from the “younger set” of our parish family. After reading one of the letters to a parishioner he quickly commented “the kids get it.” The following was sent in by a six year old who asked his grandmother to write for him. She wrote it exactly he spoke it- with all the grammatical errors. Dear Farter martin My Grandma is writing this letter for me, as I can not write yet. I have told her to write what a say only I am given you my coffee can to send to Haiti for nativity village. I hope all is well with them. I do not know how much money is in the coffee can, but it makes a lot of noise when you shake it, so there must be a lot in it. I love it at school. God bless you Fr. Love? I do not wont you to now my name. I wanted to send this to your children in Haiti, who don’t have what I have. Love. Another story came from an 11 year old girl who is passionate about hockey. She had been saving her money for months to buy herself a Washington Capital’s jersey. Just as she reached her goal of $100, the earthquake struck. She made the decision to forego the hockey jersey and give the entire amount to Operation Starfish and the people of Haiti. From a 9-year-old boy: Dear Father Martin I am so sorry that an earthquake hit Haiti. I am watching the news right now but I just cannot look. I am giving you $55 right now because I want to help as soon as I can. I got the $55 from my cousins at Christmas. They said I should keep $50 and give $5 to those in need, but in this case I want to give it all. I’m sure the children in Haiti need it more. God Bless. John From a 12-year-old: Dear Fr. Martin I watched the news and was very upset at what I saw. I don’t think it is fair that the poorest country has to suffer like this. I am including money I received for the holiday. I think that as hard as this is there may be a positive side to this. Haiti has met the ears of almost everyone in the world. If there is anything at all I can do I will be more than glad to do it. Andrew (age 12) Yes. The “kids” do get it. The destruction has moved the hearts of many in our parish. Many have been asking what the status of our projects is. We in the church office, along with Food For The Poor, are trying to establish and stay in contact with our villages. As of this writing our first work at Canapé Vert (Green Hillside), 27 houses, has been completely destroyed. We worked with Father Printemps on our second village- 500 houses, sanitation and two story school. As this project was close to Port Au Prince we hope for the best and pray that Father is alive. We have not yet been able to reach him. As soon as we know something I will share it with you. Our remaining projects (housing and fishing villages, tilapia farms, clincs, schools, etc.) are either in Cap Haitian, some 90 miles north, or on the south coast, or on the Dominican border and so the distance has spared them. Father Duken told us that they are secure. Father did tell me that thousands are walking the 90 miles to Cap Haitian to get food and to bury their dead, many in wheelbarrows, to give them a dignified burial. Today we read in Luke’s Gospel the words that I printed on my ordination card, some 43 years ago: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” From the bottom of my heart I thank each and every one of you for living this Gospel today and every day. You have literally translated Luke’s beautiful words, the words that began and continue to inspire my priesthood, into comfort and aid for the poor, across the street and around the world. God bless each and every one of you… Fr. M

Email from Fr. Printemps 1/26/10

From: Jean-francois Printemps [mailto:jfprintemps07@yahoo.fr] Sent: Mon 1/25/2010 8:19 PM To: James Mcdaniel Subject: News of Fr. Printemps Hello Jim, Je suis la grace a Dieu. Je peux trouver un peu d'electricite pour vous ecrire. Merci de penser... a moi et a tous les victimes du seisme. C'est dur. Les mots me manquent pour decrire la situation. On est aux abois. Mais je garde l'espoir que l'avenir ne sera pas trop triste grace au soutien de nos freres et soeurs de Nativity Parish. At Nativity Village, l'ecole est toujours debout meme si elle est fissuree. Le plus grave probleme maintenant c'est la faim. Pas de nourriture, pas d'eau potable. pas de soin pour les blesses. Beaucoup de gens sont dans la rue. L'eglise paroissiale est en mauvais etat. Des bancs sont brises. Presque tout est a refaire. Je me demande qu'est-ce qui nous arrive? Mes salutations a P. Martin et a tous mes freres et soeurs de Virginia qui me soutiennent par leurs prieres. C'est difficile de tenir. Mais avec la foi et l'esperance en l'avenir on tient le coup. Mille merci pour votre support.

Pane e Vino Fundraiser January 28

Jim McDaniel Join us for an Operation Starfish benefit at Pane e Vino Ristorante, Lorton Station, Virginia, this Thursday at 6:30pm
http://www.paneevino-ristorante.com/Wine_Dinner_January_28_2010doc.pdf

Pane e Vino Ristorante invites you to a Wine Dinner Fundraiser on Thursday, January 28 at 6:30 p.m., featuring Wines of Washington State, courtesy of Country Vintner. Chef Antonino De Nicola has planned an elegant 4-course menu. Fr. Richard Martin, founder of Operation Starfish, will speak about the earthquake in Haiti.... For reservations call 571-642-0605. For more details go to

"Survivor" Proceeds to go to Food For the Poor

Jill Glacia Robinson's "Survivor" is now available for download for a donation of $1.99, with 100% of proceeds going to Haiti Emergency Relief. This beautiful song captures the spirit of the Haitian people as they struggle to recover from this massive disaster. Please download it now and tell your family and friends to get it too! http://www.foodforthepoor.org/survivor

Hear It

Airplane Mission to Haiti a Success!

The airplane mission to Cap Haiten, Haiti was a success. The airplane arrived yesterday afternoon and the medical supplies and equipment were unloaded by Dr. Maklin Eugene (The physician at St. Anthony's Clinic) along with other volunteers. Dr. Eugene is working at St. Anthony's Clinic today and delivered them to the clinic himself. The other supplies were sent to Justidian Hospital, the main hospital in Cap Haitien. Let's save some lives...God Is Good!!! (This effort was headed by Jennifer Mennow Schmidt)

Washington Post Front Page on Haiti

Death toll growing at Port-au-Prince's Hotel Montana, once a symbol of stability
Before the earthquake, the Hotel Montana was the place to be in Haiti. During coups and crises, it provided air-conditioned shelter from the political storms for the diplomats, spies and aid workers -- ...

Food For Haiti Fundraiser Feb 10,11

Save the date. Stop Hunger Now -Food For Haiti Fundraiser will be held at Uno's Chicago Grill- 5935 Kingstowne Towne Center (across from Wal-Mart), Kingstowne ( Alexandria ) February 10 and 11, 2010 from 11:30 am - 11:00 pm . The fundraiser will help raise $ 25,000 to pack 100,000 high protein, dehydrated meals for Ha...iti .

To participate in the fundraiser simply present the dough raiser coupon at the table or with your take out order and up to 20% of your bill will be donated for Stop Hunger Now - Food For Haiti. To receive an electronic coupon email Susan Herbert at susanherbert54@yahoo.com

Hope for Haiti - Sea Containers

Jim McDaniel witnessed hope for Haiti in action tonight at Nativity Church. They came by car, by truck, on foot, bearing cases of water, food and medical supplies. Dozens of cheerful volunteers received, sorted and loaded life-saving aid onto a truck. A trailer full of wheelchairs and medical equipment... 3 storage units now full, ...2 more will be set aside for tomorrow's gifts... Very soon, all will be aboard a sea container enroute to those who are waiting desperately. Fr. Martin pitched in and help load cases of water. Meanwhile, the Starfish Basket stood silent sentry, filled with coins, currency, checks and kind notes. Thank you Melinda, Katie and all your angels... Thank you Hollis, Cynde, Teri... Thank you all...

The Need is Great

People Wait In line For Food and Water

People wait in line at Food For The Poor's Headquarters in Port Au Prince

Convoys Run Daily from Food For The Poor

Food For The Poor truck convoys are running daily from the Dominican Republic

News from Cavaillon

Helen Lane from St. Charles Borromeo in Arlington, VA writes about their twin parish in Haiti, "Meanwhile, we have had some good news from Cavaillon - the damage there was minor and the schools are planning to open Monday. Of course many in Cavaillon have been emotionally or financially devasted by the disaster in P-a-P, but they are trying to get on with their lives."

Washington Post

Today's Washington Post mentions Food For The Poor, Nativity Church, Lazarus Project and Operation Starfish
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012104780.html?hpid=newswell&sid=ST2010012101758

Haiti's logistical hurdles are thwarting small nonprofits - washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com
The school is gone, its teachers scattered. With no way into Haiti and communications still spotty, Clodette Mompoint isn't sure how her small, faith-based nonprofit group will go on.

Sea Container Project Update

Latest list of participating organizations in this weekend's Haiti Sea Container project at Church of the Nativity:
Nativity Parish/ Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology/ South County Secondary School/ Silverbrook Elementary School/ Lorton Station Elementary School/ John Paul The Great High School /St. Bernadette School/ St. Mary of Sorrows/ Knights of Columbus Fr. Sikora Council/ Lake Braddock Secondary School /Ann Herron, Cape May Landing, NJ

State Department Operations Center Phone Number

Jim McDaniel The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti:
1-888-407-4747 (due to heavy volume, some callers may receive a recording).
(Photo credit, Chris Hondros, Getty Images)

A Good Comprehensive Update

Haiti unveils plan to move 400,000 - Haiti earthquake- msnbc.com
www.msnbc.msn.com
Haiti's government unveils plans to move 400,000 earthquake victims to new settlements outside the destroyed capital.

Diocesan parishes mobilize to help quake victims

Arlington Catholic Herald - Diocesan parishes mobilize to help quake victims - catholicherald.com
www.catholicherald.com
With hundreds of thousands believed dead following last week’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake just south of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, diocesan parishes have been scrambling to respond to the crisis.

http://www.catholicherald.com/local_news/detail.html?sub_id=12116

Help Loading Airplanes

As you know, I am organizing the airplane to fly to Haiti and it looks like it will happen tomorrow, Friday. I am in DESPARATE NEED of anyone that can help me and volunteer!!! I need people to help carry boxes, and especially anyone who has a truck or van to help me carry things to the airport tomorrow morning/afternoo...n. I do not have any exact time yet, so I need you to please be flexible....this is Haiti. Thank you in advance and please contact me asap if you can help me. God bless!!!

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/people/Jennifer-Mennow-Schmidt/638394760?ref=mf#/profile.php?id=638394760

Email from Fr. Duken in Cap Haitien...

The latest email from Fr. Duken in Cap Haitien...
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 6:53 AM
Thank you so much for your strong and continued support. Thousands of people are coming every day from Port-au-Prince to Cap and we dont where to put them. In fact we had many aftershocks and the people are really scared. They were affected physically and emotionally. They are trying to escape death, a death that many of the survivors saw so closely. It will take a long time for them to recover. On our part, we are trying to help. Again thank you for your material support and prayers. God be with you.Duken

Stil standing in the ruins of a church in Port-au-Prince...

Location of Nativity Village projects in Haiti

Nativity Village 1 Update

Jim McDaniel has news we've been waiting for - Fr. Jean Printemps at Nativity Village at Merger reports that he is safe and well, there is some damage to the houses and school at the village, but all school children and residents who were in Nativity Village I at the time of the earthquake are alive and well. There may have been some lives lost because some residents were in downtown Port-au-Prince when the quake occurred. We now have reports from all our projects and only Canape Vert was subject to destruction and multiple fatalities.

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Church of the Nativity 6400 Nativity Lane Burke, VA 22015 703-455-6874 16 de enero de 2010 Queridos Amigos: Desde que llegue a esta parroquia como párroco, como familia en esta parroquia hemos servido a los más pobres y necesitados en nuestra comunidad y en el mundo con nuestras oraciones. Pero más que eso, nuestras oraciones han sido fuertes con nuestros corazones, manos, pies y recursos buscando siempre que ayudar aliviar a los demás con nuestros talentos que Dios nos ha dado. Hoy, una necesidad mayor de lo que he visto se coloca delante de nosotros. Nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Haití, los cuales hemos llegado a conocer y apreciar através de la Operación Estrella de Mar, están llorando por ayuda. Confían en que Dios les enviará una pequeña ayuda. Debemos tener las manos y los pies de Cristo para ellos hoy. El devastador terremoto del 12 de Enero ha dejado sus vidas y sueños rotos, escuchen las palabras del Padre Duken, que estuvo aquí en la parroquia con nosotros el pasado Abril. “El país entero esta en estado de shock, no hay servicio de teléfono, Gracias a Dios que son seguros y la Internet esta funcionando, pero Port-au-Prince ha recibido una gran cantidad de daños y perjuicios en lo que Cap-Haitien se refiere, no tenemos aún el estimado, ya que esta lloviendo mucho. Es oscuro, la ciudad entere esta cubierta de agua, la gente vive en el pantano, por ejemplo, no se que hacer, esta es un situación muy trágica. Nosotros ya tenemos tantos problemas que no podemos resolver después de la devastación causada por los cuatro huracanes de 2008, hay tanto sufrimiento en espera de ser abordado de que este terremoto es realmente demasiado. Un desastre total. Esperamos que seriamos capaces de hacer, pero de ninguna manera, no hay ruptura, no hay posibilidad. Vamos a tener que hacer frente a las nuevas necesidades, nuevos sufrimientos, la nueva situación de hambre, la desesperación, nueva devastación. Por consiguiente, tendremos que recurrir a ustedes en busca de ayuda ya que no tienen a nadie a quien recurrir. Gracias por la comprensión”-Padre Duken Dejemos que los pueblos de Haití sepan que estamos aquí, que no están solos, he aquí como usted puede unirse a mí en nuestras oraciones y devolver la esperanza a los corazones de los que sufren. En Primer lugar: la próxima semana, en todas las misas, tendremos una colecta Estrella de mar para recibir sus donaciones, será su elección poder ayudar o no. Regalos también podrán ser enviados o dejados en la oficina de la parroquia en cualquier momento, solo hay que indicar que son para Haití; victimas del terremoto en la línea de Memo en los cheques y a nombre de nuestra parroquia. Segundo: reunir su familia entera incluyendo niños a que nos ayuden a empacar 100,000 paquetes de comida el 19 de Febrero y el 20 para ser enviados a Haití. Estamos trabajando con Príncipe de la Paz de la Iglesia Luterana en este proyecto nuestro contacto es: Cynde Mausolf, cyngar@cox.net (703) 663-8484 para más información. Tercero: ayúdennos a llenar un contenedor marítimo de suministros muy necesarios (vegetales enlatados y carnes, leche en polvo o enlatada, agua embotellada y pañales) que se enviara a Haití, un camión estará aquí en la parroquia el próximo fin de semana en todas las misas para esta colecta. Contactar a: swedes5@cox.net (703) 690-9921 para más información. Es importante que nosotros oremos por nuestros hermanos y hermanas, sin embargo es importante que nos mantengamos en oración, las palabras del Nuevo Testamento, Carta de Santiago, Cap. 2, 14 “Hermanos, si uno dice que tiene fe, pero no viene con obras, ¿de qué le sirve? ¿Acaso lo salvará esa fe? Si hermano o una hermana no tienen con que vestirse ni que comer, y ustedes les dicen: Que les vaya bien, caliéntense y aliméntense, sin darles lo necesario para el cuerpo, ¿de que les sirve eso? Lo mismo ocurre con la fe, si no produce obras, muere solita. Y seria fácil decirle a uno: Tu tienes fe, pero yo tengo obras, muéstrame tu fe sin obras y yo te mostrare mi fe a través de las obras.” Mientras que nuestra oración es importante, debemos poner todos nuestros esfuerzos en oración, tenemos que tocar en nuestros bolsillos para ayudar a proveer agua, alimentos y suministros médicos para nuestros amigos de Haití. En 12 años de construcción de relaciones con el pueblo de Haití, he aprendido mucho. Tal vez el regalo más importante que me han dado es su ejemplo de mantener viva la esperanza, en la cara de la desesperación abrumadora. ¿Qué podemos hacer por ellos ahora les ayudaran a volver de un golpe devastador, y les permitirá, una vez mas nos enseñan acerca de la fuerza, la fe y la esperanza. Espero poder compartir más información con usted en todas las misas el próximo fin de semana Gracias por ser la parroquia llena de amor, oración, compasión y unida. El suyo en Cristo, Rev. Richard B. Martin

Lynn University Student Anguish

They've been missing for a week now, not seen since last Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti, but Lynn University Bachelor's, master's & online degrees refuses to give up hope that four students and two faculty members are alive."We believe in them. ...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/haiti/fl-haiti-food-poor-20100118,0,2311051.story

Gadgets For Haiti Fundraiser

Gadgets for Haiti - Fundraiser Page
gadgetsforhaiti.gazelle.com
Donate your old electronics to help raise money for Operation Starfish ( http://www.starfishmission.org/ ). Powered by Gazelle.com.

Children Join Together To Help Haiti

Operation Starfisy applauds school children for working together for Haiti

Unloading supplies

Emergency supplies being unloaded from Food For The Poor truck at Port Everglades, FL. These items are hitching a ride on an ocean-going barge bound for Port-au-Prince. The barge has specialized equipment for clearing the damaged port.

Loading deliveries

Food For The Poor Haiti relief shipment ready to be loaded onto Spirit airliner

Planning Deliveries

Sun., Jan. 17: Spirit Airlines pilots and crew members calculate how much water and fuel the plane can carry. Food For The Poor staff will transport the pallets of water to its warehouse/feeding center in Port-au-Prince for distribution

Thanks for helping fill sea containers

Jim McDaniel thanks St. Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church in Fairfax, Virginia and Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, VA for joining Nativity's Operation Starfish in the project to fill sea containers for Haiti

Activate Your Prayer

“When we activate our prayer with monetary donations, sea containers full of food and medicine, and 100,000 packaged meals, we will indeed create a miracle for the desperate.” - Rev. Richard Martin

Leann Chong will be on NPR Jan.18 at 8 PM

Food for the Poor's Director of Mission and Travel, Leann Chong, will be on NPR tonight at 8pm speaking from her hospital bed in the Domincan Republic.

thestory.org

Food For the Poor Feeds 20,000 hot meals

Jim McDaniel spoke by phone today with Lesly Clervil, Food For The Poor, in Haiti. Lesly says the streets in and around Port-au-Prince are still choked with debris and bodies. Food For The Poor served 20,000 hot meals today at their main feeding center in the capital. Lesly is still on the job despite having found several members of his family buried in debris last Thursday. Please pray for him.

Nativity Village at Lozandier

Bernard Chauvette, who heads up Food For The Poor's fishing village projects reports he has heard from the fishermen at Lozandier, where Nativity's 4th village project is located. They say there is very little damage in that area.

Supplies Needed for St. Anthony's Medical Clinic

Jennifer Mennow Schmidt I am in the process of setting up an airplane from a non-profit to fly to Va, pick up essential medications, medical supplies and equipment and fly it directly to Cap Haitien in the north). I am a Nurse Practitioner and help to run St. Anthony's Medical Clinic in Cap Haitien with Food for the Poor and Church of the Nativity. I spoke to our Doctor at the clinic, Dr. Maklin Eugene, and he informed me that a lot of the Haitien's from Port Au Prince are traveling north to return to their families and seek medical care. They are running out of supplies fast and desparately need help!!! Please... if you can help in anyway, they need first aid supplies, antibiotics, pain meds, orthopedic supplies(crutches, wheel chairs, etc.). Please let me know. God bless.

Fr. Michael

Pray. Donate. Pray. Love. Pray.

Fr/Dr Rick Frechette treating injured children

ABC interview and video of Fr/Dr Rick Frechette treating injured children at his pediatric hospital in Haiti. After getting to the link, scroll down to RELATED and then select WATCH: Haiti's Smallest Victims.

Search for Lynn University Students

The status of the search for four missing Lynn University students and two faculty members who traveled to Haiti on a mission for Food for the Poor on 1/15/10.

Video on Orphanage Damaged in Earthquake

Some of us met Jennifer Rayno with Fr. Rick at the Montana in Nov. Jennifer and her family are in the process of adopting Damien, a child at the orphanage in this story... http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/01/15/tuchman.haiti.orphanage.cnn

Lynn University

Six members of the "Journey of Hope to Haiti" students who have returned from the country are granting two interview requests this afternoon - a short taped group interview and a conference call that will follow. ...

Lynn University
www.lynn.edu

Rescue of Leann Chong

Leann's rescue... Leann Chong, Dir. of Food For The Poor's Mission Travel Dept. was rescued after being buried in rubble at the Hotel Montana in Haiti. 6 of the Lynn Univ. students and faculty who were with her are still missing.

Recycle For Haiti

Victoria Ngo has set up an Operation Starfish site at http://gadgetsforhaiti.gazelle.com/ Here you can arrange to turn in old cellphones, MP-3 players and other electronic gadgets for cash that will be donated to Operation Starfish.

Volunteers

-- Food For The Poor is assembling lists of possible volunteers, medical and construction, for Haiti teams. No firm decision has been made pending further assessment. For more info: Mike Anton, Projects Dir. mikea@foodforthepoor.org / 954-427-2222 x6143

-- Dr. Gil Irwin is assembling medical teams to go to Haiti and provide care on a rotating basis over the next several months. For more info: Dr. Gil Irwin, Medical Missionaries, Manassas, VA irwinmed@aol.com 703-361-5116

-– Nativity parishioner and Nurse practitioner Jennifer Schmidt is assembling a medical team for deployment by Food For The Poor. For more info: Jennifer Schmidt, guppyjen@yahoo.com

Damage to Food For The Poor Office and Warehouse

FOOD FOR THE POOR OFFICE AND WAREHOUSE – There was structural damage (see photos below), but all staff has been accounted for. Cement repairs were begun today, with priority to the security wall around the complex. FFP staff is working feverishly to get the feeding center and aid distribution up and running again. One American said today “this is like asking 9-11 families to help the victims.” The people working so hard are grieving themselves. Everyone has lost family and friends.

How to Help - Pack 100,000 Meals (Feb. 19,20)

Gather your entire family, children included, and help us pack 100,000 meals on Feb. 19 and 20 to be sent to Haiti. We are working with Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on this project. Contact Cynde Mausolf,cyngar@cox.net , 703-663-8484, for more information.

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 8304 Old Keene Mill Road Springfield, VA 22151-1640

How to Help - Canned Items, Water, Diapers (Jan. 23,24)

Help us fill a sea container with critically needed supplies (canned vegetables and meats, powdered or canned milk, bottled water and diapers) to be sent to Haiti. A truck will be at Church of the Nativity, 6400 Nativity Lane, Burke VA 22015 next weekend at all the masses. Contact Melinda Engelbrektsson, swedes5@cox.net, 703-690-9921, for more information.

How to Help - Starfish basket (Jan. 16,17)

At all Masses at the Church of Nativity in Burke, VA, we will have the Starfish basket out to receive your contributions. The Starfish basket is a quiet, simple presence. You can pass it by, or you can put a little something in it – your choice. Gifts can also be sent or dropped off in the church office at any time. Just put Haiti Earthquake Relief in the memo line and make the check payable to Nativity Church.

Photos from Facebook Postings

Lynn University

Lynn University
www.lynn.edu
At this hour, very little in the way of new information has come to light regarding the condition or location of the remaining six members of the Lynn University "Journey for Hope" group.

Report From Fr. Duken

Fr. Duken reports some 500 refugees from Port-au-Prince have arrived in the area of Nativity Village II. Some have carried bodies of loved ones 100 miles to try to give them a decent burial. Fr. D is trying to organize water, food and shelter for what he believes will be a flood of refugees.

Haiti People Finder

Google has set up a “Person Finder” Web site, in French and English, to help people looking for family or friends in Haiti.

http://haiticrisis.appspot.com/

Food For The Poor

http://www.foodforthepoor.org/newsroom/news/ffp-relief-on-its-way-to-help.html

Gladys

Debbie Berquist at Village of Hope reports that Gladys (Little Children of Jesus Home) is OK. She has not been able to get back to the facility, but there are staff and supplies on hand, so all is well at the moment.

News Update

Hollis Hunter reports: Fr Rick Frechette and his pediatric hospital were in feature reports on both the ABC and NBC evening news tonight. ABC had a feature report from the Hotel Montana where the Fairfax County Virginia urban rescue team was attempting to free four hotel workers who are trapped alive.

Satellite imagery

DigitalGlobe's initial satellite imagery, collected in response to the Haitian earthquake, went live yesterday and can be seen on their corporate website via the following link: http://www.digitalglobe.com/index.php/27/Sample+Imagery+Gallery

Food For The Poor Updates

1/14/10... Leann Chong, Director of Mission Travel, has been rescued after being trapped for 18 hours in the wreckage of the Hotel Montana. She has been airlifted to Santiago, D.R. for emergency treatment of spinal injuries and is awaiting medevac to the U.S. ...Lesly C...lervil, Project Mgr., lost several family members when their Carrefour home collapsed. ...Many FFP-Haiti employees have also lost family and friends. ...All Lynn Univ. students, except one, have been located and are awaiting evacuation. 1 student and 2 faculty are still missing ...

Volunteers

VOLUNTEERS - Food For The Poor is assembling lists of possible volunteers, medical and construction, for Haiti teams. No firm decision has been made pending further assessment. For more info: Mike Anton, Projects Dir. mikea@foodforthepoor.org / 954-427-2222 x6143

Details on Relief Effort

Since we have received several inquiries about how Operation Starfish at Church of the Nativity is responding to Haiti needs, here's a preview of an announcement that will be coming from Pastor, Fr. Dick Martin this weekend...
1. The Starfish basket will be out at all the masses the weekend of 1/23-24 - donations can al...so be made at any time to the church office (6400 Nativity Lane, Burke, VA 22015)
2. Nativity will be joining with Prince of Peace Lutheran and other faith communities to package 100,000 meals - volunteers needed - more info coming
3. We're working with Food For The Poor to fill sea containers with emergency relief supplies - more info coming
Details, contact info, dates, etc. will be out in the next day or so. Meanwhile, contact Nativity Church at 703-455-2400 or seastar2004@msn.com for info.

Lynn University Students

7 of the Lynn Univ. students have been heard from and are safe - still awaiting word on the rest (NBC News)

Fr. Gerry Creedon

Fr. Gerry Creedon, Pastor of St. Charles in Arlington,VA was in the Dominican Republic when the earthquake struck. Happy to report he is safe and well.

UN Updates

UPDATES: UN is estimating Haiti earthquake death toll at 100,000 - 500,000; All Port au Prince hospitals have been destroyed; Catholic Archbishop Miot and his Vicar have died; Both the Catholic and Episcopal Cathedrals in Port au Prince have been destroyed...

Food For The Poor

Food For The Poor will be directing all 2010 Operation Starfish donations to Haiti earthquake relief. More than 300 churches and schools across the country have done Operation Starfish projects. Church of the Nativity has done Operation Starfish each year since 1998. Nativity parishioners have given over $2.2 million to Food For The Poor through Operation Starfish.

Operation Starfish Earthquake Relief Fund

Church of the Nativity has set up an Operation Starfish Earthquake Relief Fund. Donations will be directed to Food For The Poor for immediate relief needs: drinking water, food, medical supplies and temporary shelter. Checks payable to Operation Starfish can be sent to Church of the Nativity, 6400 Nativity Lane, Burke,...

Hotel Montana on Facebook

Haiti Earthquake Hotel Montana
OUR BROTHER WEBSITE: "FEED HAITI" http://www.facebook.com/grouphome.php#/group.php?gid=248236103778 This site hopes to share information about where you can donate. Let's start the relief!
Non-Profit:3,597 fans

Lynn Selby's Reports

Lynn Selby - CNN iReport
www.ireport.com
Lynn Selby lives in the Martissant neighborhood and is doing research for her dissertation at University of Texas. She is fluent in Hatian Creole and is trained medically, so may be helping with the recovery ...

Washington Post

For Northern Virginia group aiding Haiti, an urgent new need - washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com
Eleven years ago, the Rev. Richard Martin went to Haiti and couldn't forget the poverty he saw there, the stench of the slums. He watched a woman making the day's only meal for her children, cooking soup over charcoal with water and little disposable packets of ketchup. One little boy didn't have...

Catholic Herald

Arlington Catholic Herald - Parishes mobilize to help quake victims - catholicherald.com
www.catholicherald.com
With hundreds of thousands believed dead following Tuesday night’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake just south of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, diocesan parishes have been scrambling to respond to the crisis.

Little Children of Jesus Home in Santo

Jim McDaniel Good news re: Little Children of Jesus Home in Santo. We were there in November. Debbie Berquist reports: " passed by the orphanage this AM...they had no damage and the kids are all fine. Gladys had left for the day and they have yet to get news of her....not surprising since all the phones are out. thanks for your prayers.Debbie"

Food For The Poor Updates

Post #1 Jim wrote 4 hours ago
1/14/10... Leann Chong, Director of Mission Travel, has been rescued after being trapped for 18 hours in the wreckage of the Hotel Montana. She has been airlifted to Santiago, D.R. for emergency treatment of spinal injuries and is awaiting medevac to the U.S.
...Lesly Clervil, Project Mgr., lost several family members when their Carrefour home collapsed.
...Many FFP-Haiti employees have also lost family and friends.
...All Lynn Univ. students, except one, have been located and are awaiting evacuation. 1 student and 2 faculty are still missing
...
Post #2 Jim wrote 4 hours ago
1/14/10...49 sea containers of food, medical supplies and other materiel are on the wharf at Port-au-Prince. As soon as roads are cleared this aid can move to FFP's warehouse for distribution
...35 containers are now on ships enroute to Port-au-Prince
...287 containers of aid are ready to move out

Email from Fr. Duken 1/13/10

Dear Robin,
After our conversation over the phone, I haven't even hung up the phone when everything started shaking around me in the house. It was terrible. I prayed...
The whole country is in state of shock. No phone service, Thank God we are safe and the Internet is working. But, Port-au-prince has gotten a lot of damages. As far as Cap-Haitien is concerned, we dont have the eatimate yet since it is raining heavily. It is dark. The whole city is covered with water, the people of Prolonge swamp for instance dont know what to do. Hopefully, tomorrow, I will be able to give you an idea of what is going on. However, this is a very tragic situation. We already have so many problems that we are unable to resolve after the devastation brought by the four hurricanes of 2008, there are so much suffering waiting to be adressed that this earthquake is really too much. A total disaster.
We hoped that we would be able to make it but no way. No brake. No chance. We will have to deal with new needs, new sufferings, new situation of hunger, new despair, new devastation.
Consequently, we will have to turn to you for help since we have noone else to turn to.
Thank you for understanding
Fr Duken

Post #2Susan wroteon January 13, 2010 at 8:45am

Hi Jim,
We are looking for info on Jake Smith who was suppose to be at the VISA LODGE near the airport. Do you have info as to that area and damage report

Post #3 Jim wrote on January 13, 2010 at 8:49am

Susan,
Sorry, not at present. We do understand that the runway is usable, even though the tower is down. The hard thing for all of us is lack of reliable communication. Blessings...
Jim

Post #4 Susan wrote on January 13, 2010 at 10:02am
We just got a brief voice message from Jake and he made it to the Dom Rep
Thank you for your reply.... Blessings to you too

Post #5 Jim wrote on January 13, 2010 at 2:54pm
Thank God...

Nativity Village Status

Receiving multiple inquiries re: status of Nativity Villages... Here's the rundown:
Nativity Village I (Merger) - in the earthquake zone. no contact. no information
Nativity Village II (Prolonge) - per Fr. Duken, no loss of life, possible minor damage, heavy rain today, spirits down
Nativity Village III (El Corte) - on Dom. Rep. border, probably felt tremors, no contact, probably OK
Nativity Village IV (Lozandier) - on south coast, near Jacmel, probably felt tremors, may have some damage, no contact
Nativity Village V (east of Cap Haitien) - heavy rain today, probably OK, no definite info yet
Nativity Village VI (not yet under construction)

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 6:57 AM

From Debbie Berquist, Village of Hope...
Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 6:57 AM
Subject: Marie Majors

Hello all: It is 6:40 AM as I type this message. I sent Joel down to see how Marie and the girls are. I am happy to report that ALL are well. Joel told me the church has collapsed but the school and Marie's house are still standing. Marie has things flung about as we do but she is thankful all are okay. She asked that I be in touch with all of you. Patty I presume that you will be in touch with her family.

We felt after shocks until about 4:00 AM....one pretty big one at midnight and 3:00 AM. The one at midnight brought most folks out of their rooms..most slept or at least rested on their mattresses under the stars...one was on the picnic table and a couple in chairs. Most reported that they got at least several hours of sleep Everyone's spirits are holding up well.

Carline found Djob to be okay. Her brother Yvon was hit on the head with a brick and 4 of his kids were also hurt.....Joel did not have any more details as to the seriousness of the injuries.

Fleury headed home this AM to see how his family faired.

Everyone at the Food for the Poor houses at Santo 2 are fine....the houses are still standing but the security wall is down.

I will keep you posted throughout the day as more news comes in. I'n off to get breakfast stuff out for the group.......and with the group.....everyone is being helpful.

Blessings,
Debbie