You are probably familiar with the worship leader from Texas, Kari Jobe. I have listened to her music for several years now and follow her on Twitter @karijobe. Her dad, Mark Jobe, is the Pastor of Global Ministries at Gateway Church in Texas. He and a team of people have been in Haiti for a little over a week and are returning home tonight. Below is a letter Mark Jobe posted on their church's website about what they are seeing in Haiti right now. Tears and brokeness for these people filled my heart as I read.
Dear Gateway Family,
Our assessment team landed in the Dominican Republic last Friday night and drove into Haiti. No one could have prepared us for the devastation we are seeing. People are lining the streets with signs asking for help, food, anything. We set up our tents on the property of a church where several other teams are staying. It’s a gated area and is somewhat secure. The pastor of the church came and asked if we could help transport one of his members who, in order to save her baby's life, laid over her as the roof fell in. The baby is fine; however, the mom laid on a pallet for 11 days with a broken hip, requiring surgery. We transported her to the hospital for help.
When we arrived at the main hospital in Port Au Prince, we were met by the lead doctor. She cried as we unloaded the five trunks of IV fluids and various other supplies we had with us. As we were looking around, we noticed what appeared to be a 3-story building next to the hospital that was completely destroyed. I asked her what that building was, and she began to weep as she said it was the nursing school. I asked her if there were any fatalities from the school, and she began to tremble as she told us there were 200 students and professors in the school … no one made it out, and they haven’t been able to recover anyone from the school.
The stench of death makes us want to throw up. As we visited other medical clinics, we saw people lying in hot tents with broken arms and legs, severe cuts as well as severed limbs. The doctor wept as she said the hardest thing wasn’t the lack of supplies, but it was the need for proper equipment to amputate. Right now, they’re using hacksaws to amputate.
Medical supplies are arriving at the airport, but the chaos of getting them distributed is overwhelming. One clinic, where we left our final trunk of supplies, asked if we had any bed sheets with us. We had five. They were thrilled to get them. They don’t have any supplies, so they cut them and used them for bandages.
On Tuesday, we drove through the hardest hit areas of the city and saw block after block of nothing but rubble … collapsed buildings still full of bodies and broken people waiting for their loved ones to be removed. Heavy equipment is moving slowly through the streets as crowds gather to watch and weep. The people are broken and the city destroyed.
Having never served in the military, I can only imagine what a war zone looks like … this is almost unbearable. Wounded babies and the elderly are everywhere. The US military is awesome. They are true heroes! 500 troops have moved onto the property of one of our new partners and have given out over one million meals since the start of this tragedy … although “tragedy” is an understatement.
In the midst of total devastation, we have connected with so many precious missionaries and have great contacts for returning with teams in the near future for several different missions. We have a secure place to house and care for the teams we take in, possibly as many as 25 at a time
I don't have a clue how they will rebuild. All I know is we cannot walk away and do nothing. The Gospel can change this nation. Voodoo has left a spiritual vacuum here, but right now the door is open for Jesus. We must act now and demonstrate His love. We must preach the Gospel first with action and then with words.
We are returning to the States tonight and will prepare to return to Haiti with more supplies and help. Please know how grateful we are to our Gateway family. We can truly feel your prayers covering us.
Thank you,
Pastor Mark Jobe
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