A continued prayer for Haiti

I asked our communication teams around the CHRISTUS system to send the following message from me to all our Associates. Although we have not scheduled any future medical assistance trips to Haiti, we join with Associates, physicians, volunteers, patients, residents and friends around the CHRISTUS system to pray for support, comfort, and safety for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

The chances are pretty good that tropical storm Tomas will strengthened and impact Haiti. Unfortunately, Haiti is slow in recovering from the earthquake, and the tent cities are much the same as when the CHRISTUS Team was there in February. In addition, a cholera epidemic is spreading, already having killed over 300 people. The relatives of the two girls from Haiti we are treating at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital are living within 4 poles covered by a blue tarp in one of these temporary housing compounds. If these flood, which is very likely, the results will be devastating to people have already suffered much and who we came to love while carrying out the healing ministry there. Sources on the ground indicate that the previous sources of international commitments are gone. I would ask each of you, on behalf of our original Haiti Task Force who planned our Mission, and the team that traveled their on your behalf, to keep all the Haitian people in your prayers as the storms pass over them. We, the CHRISTUS Family, know far better than most just what devastation these storms can cause. Hopefully, with our prayers, some sunshine will come forth from the clouds!