As we near the one week mark from when Hurricane Matthew began slamming the shores of southern Haiti, the extent of the impact is still being realized. There is no question that this storm was the worst natural disaster since the earthquake of 2010. In the days following the hurricane, our staff spent hours on the phone and social media attempting to reach our pastor partners, staff and friends who live in the hardest hit areas. Hearing their voices, and being able to confirm that they were ok, was a top priority. As soon as the storm had made it’s way north, a small team of our Haitian staff traveled to as many communities as they could. They met face to face with our partner pastors, praying with them, supporting them, and providing what they could in relief. Our staff were heartbroken. What they saw was hard to process, resulting in them often being speechless. Entire communities destroyed, crops gone, trees snapped in half, destruction everywhere. During this initial effort by our Haitian staff, relief was provided through donations that had been given. This relief was limited to as much water and food that they could fit in the back of their truck along with the finances that had been given by various donors. On this trip, a priority of our staff was to sit with multiple leaders to learn how they/we could most appropriately assist. We can not stress enough that we trust these leaders. They live in the hardest hit communities. They know their people. They know their needs. This weekend, a broader group of our staff met together to discuss how best to respond as a result of what they learned. On Monday (October 10), our Haitian staff will be returning to these communities with a concentrated effort to assist and meet basic needs. Food, water, shelter - these are the things they will be concentrating on in partnership with local leaders within each community. They will help with the many, many, many hours of cleanup that are needed. They will build basic shelters for people whose homes have been destroyed. They will provide clean water, and food to eat. They will pray with our pastors, and pray with community members. They will provide love and support in this time of need. Please, we ask you to give and we implore you to pray. We commit to you that your donations will not sit idle - that they will be put to work on the things mentioned above. Our Haitian staff, along with our partners, are committed to helping their people. Please unite with them in this. The relief efforts can only go as far as the funds that are provided. Going - At this time, our most valued human resources are our staff on the ground. These Haitian staff know their people, they are committed to serving, and they are already there. We are utilizing donated funds to mobilize them to their fullest potential in this effort. Beginning in November, we will begin to extend this effort to include small and specialized teams from North America. We will be looking for teams primarily experienced in relief and/or medical efforts. In addition to these trips, the affected partnerships will be looking for groups to partner with them throughout rebuilding over the next year. If you have a group that is interested, please contact our office at 888-PPM-4090. Thank you so much for your prayer and support. We will continue to keep you updated as the days go on. One thing that we know is that our God is in control. We commit these efforts to the Lord.