First, thank you for your prayers for me and my dad and two brothers during our recent, wonderful helicopter skiing trip to Canada! God protected everyone there that week (over 100 people who skied), and it was precious time I got to spend with some of my family members! It was definitely a trip of a lifetime! If you are a facebooker, you can see pictures on my facebook page, or check out some pix on my blog. I stand amazed at my earthly father's generosity in giving us this gift of a vacation together, and in awe of my heavenly Father for providing everything!
Second, while we were in Canada, we of course received the news about the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Upon returning to Kansas City, I have been keeping up with events unfolding there through people from here who are there on the ground, especially focusing on helping orphans. Below is information from Randy Bohlender, one of the spear-heads here of the orphan adoption movement and from a vital ministry that is based here in Kansas City and connected to The International House of Prayer is called CRI (Crisis Response International). They are on the ground in Haiti providing physical, emotional and spiritual care, relief and support. The first time I learned about CRI, my heart leapt and I am praying fervently about attending the emergency training they will be doing at the end of the month.
I realize many of you know about and are actively involved with other groups and churches who are on the ground in Haiti providing relief in the wake of this horrific disaster. I simply want to put these two updates out there for you to read if you want, and pray as God leads. The reality of sex-traffickers racing in there to snap up these orphans is a real and present crisis that no one wants to see unfold, but apparently is already happening with orphans there. Sad. May God move our hearts in intercession for these most vulnerable ones, and for those who are working hard under God's leadership to bring orphans to safe havens!
With love and grace in the mighty name of Jesus,
Arden
Stuff I Think from randybohlender.com
Not All Answers Are Created Equal
Posted: 19 Jan 2010 07:05 PM PST
I got a call from Senator Claire McCaskill’s office today. Allow me to say that while I probably don’t agree on a lot of issues with the Senator, her staff has been incredibly helpful and responsive. Double thumbs up to the Senator and her team on this.
They were getting ready to get on a conference call with the Department of Homeland Security to discuss a recent memo from Secretary Janet Napolitano and wanted some clarification of what I was hoping to do in bringing in orphans, along with any questions I might have should they get a chance to ask them.
Uh, yes. Thank you. “Ask them what the plan is for orphans who were clearly orphaned before the earthquake but who were not yet assigned to US families…”.
Those are my mission right now. The kids who have US moms and dads batting for them will find their way out over the next few days….but many kids whose orphanages have been decimated will not get humanitarian parole.
Believe it or not, after the conference call, Senator McCaskill’s office called me back to let me know how it went. I told you they were helpful.
As it turns out, according to strict interpretation of the memo, there is the chance of humanitarian parole for those already in process with a family, but not for those who were not in process (which is to say ‘most of them’).
Early on, the government suggested this applied to 250 orphans with assigned parents, although they’ve already identified 600 sets of parents so estimates are being revised to reflect reality. No estimates so far on how many were without assigned parents and therefore not eligible for parole, but you can multiply the other number by….a lot.
“So what’s the plan for the children left behind?” I asked. I’m particularly concerned about these kids because the conditions they’re living in are atrocious.
One orphanage worker, Troy Livesay with Heartline Ministries, twittered today: “Our clinic turned into a hospital, and our sewing room into a surgical ward,and an arm was amputated with a reciprocating saw.”
What about those orphans left behind in that atmosphere? It turns out the US is a little skittish about just coming in and taking charge (not sure when we developed this neurosis) and so we are hoping that Unicef or some other international organization will come in and set up a ‘Safe Haven’ for those children.
At this point, I’m sitting in my office balancing Piper in my lap, trying to keep her from mashing down on my keyboard. ”A safe haven? What’s that?”
“It’s a camp.” The senate staffer tells me.
I grow a little sick. I went to camp as a little kid and didn’t really like it. I wondered what this camp was going to be like. “A big camp for all the orphans? Where will that be?”
“In Haiti.”
That’s it. At this point, that’s our federal response to the Haitian orphan crisis. A big camp in a country that was poor and chaotic before the living snot got shaken out of it a week ago, after which it really went to pot. Enjoy camp, kids.
But wait! Aren’t children getting out? I see it on CNN!
Yes, I know you’re reading about groups getting out, but those are groups who already have parents waiting for them. We are getting our own out and putting the rest in camps. That’s not humanitarian. That’s taking care of ourselves. And for those left behind, can we just go ahead and paint a big target on Haiti and declare “Sex Traffickers Apply Here”?
Nicollette Grams had a horrifying piece in today’s The Atlantic, where she wrote:
“In Haiti’s unstable post-quake atmosphere, at least one industry is poised to flourish. For those who buy and sell children for sex and cheap labor, Haiti is ripe with opportunity.” THE ATLANTIC :: 1.19.09
Here’s the scoop.
I am not proposing we fly in with a C130 and scoop up every child in Haiti. I am saying that in cases like one specific orphanage that I’m in discussion with – where the fifty children escaped with their lives when their orphanage ‘fell down’ (their words), and only fourteen of those kids are eligible for humanitarian parole under current regulations, that I want those other thirty six children here in Kansas City where we will care for them in a safe, secure location until such time as the US Government figures out what the heck to do with them or the Haitian people rebuild their world.
I’m not asking for wholesale adoption. I’m not asking to place them in an over burdened state foster care system. I’m asking for the church to step up and make a way for these kids that satisfies state requirements, honors Haitian sovereignty and keeps a door open for their return to Haiti in due time.
I know, I know, it’s never been done before. Probably not true, but it’s never been done by us before – so that’s suddenly the measuring stick of what we do or do not do?
The secular media is ringing the warning bell. If we don’t take them in, the traffickers will. Are you okay with that?
Posted: 19 Jan 2010 11:17 AM PST
Take three minutes and do this.
Go to this page on the Haitian Embassy site and send an email that says:
“We appeal to you to ask the US government to provide immediate humanitarian parole to all orphans in danger in Haiti.
We represent a group who will care for your children as long as necessary or until such a time as repatriation is feasible. We have planes, doctors, care givers and housing.
www.thezoefoundation.com“
___
Whatever it takes, people.
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Haiti Response Update # 4
Greetings! The advance team has been on the ground now for 4 days. We made an initial assesment of the situation and have been working on logistics, communications and security to carry out our operations. Our base camp is operating on a 5 acre compound. Because of the instability of the situation we have been praying over the issue of security. I believe the Lord answered our prayers for by providing us with the General of the US Army Southern Division who will now share the compound with us and will certainly make relief efforts easier.We are in the process of securing resources and supplies from various soures and will eventually begin satalitte relief operations in Leogane, the epicenter of the quake. When we were there 2 days ago we drove 4 hours through complete destruction and there were no relief agenicies in site. We visited several orphanges that had very limited supplies. Early this morning the school directors here were able to get 25 orphans who have been in the adoption process on a plane to America.Today we responded to locals who were getting text messages from people who were still trapped under rubble. We were able to with the help of French search and rescue teams locate 2 survivors and. Many more were beyond help. As I write this update my clothes still stink of rotting flesh.Team 2 will be arriving tommorow night to set up the main pillars of the camp with worship and prayer, chaplaincy, food operations, and additional communications. We have also been notified that we have trained security operatives being deployed to assist us with security on transport and convoys. After the camp the camp is secure and logistics is in place we will have the ability to provide mass care to the people of Haiti. Primarily the main focus here has been treating urgent medical needs and search and rescue. Most of Haiti is concrete construction and when the earthquake hit it caused very serius injuries and it making recue difficult.The relief efforts will be continuing for quite some time. We want to thank everyone for their continued prayer and support. I believe we will see God do amazing things through His church here and Haiti and we are trusting we will see the harvest come in.
You can help by:
- making a financial contribution online
- Pray for the CRI team and the people of Haiti
- Respond with us if you have been trained- mobilization@criout.com
We will be hosting a two day rapid training and deployment to Haiti on 1/31-2/1. The training will be held in Kansas City and we will then mobilize those teams of responders over the next few weeks. Please check the website for more information or email training@criout.com.
Blessings,
Sean Malone
Crisis Response International
5206 east 135th Grandview, MO.
64030
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