Pray for the People of Haiti

If you want to help the people of Haiti, but don't know how or where to donate this is a great place to send your money. This is a church in Baton Rouge - I am not a member, but I do know several people that are and this church is amazing when it comes to relief efforts and community involvement. During both Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav, the HPC was there for the people of Louisiana, their outreach efforts are nothing short of amazing.

Healing Place Church: General Haiti Relief Fund

We wanted our donation to go directly to help the people, not pad the pockets of some bureaucratic extension of the government and I can count on the Healing Place Church to do just that. Here is an excerpt from an article in the newspaper this morning detailing their efforts:

“The people of Haiti will need support for years to come. I encourage you to pray for our sisters and brothers in Haiti.”

But kind hearts have still been moved to give.

J.P. Brumfield, outreach coordinator for Healing Place Church, said the response to his church’s call for medications and medical supplies has kept the church phones ringing.

The church has collection sites in Baton Rogue and St. Amant, and Brumfield said, seeing people happily willing to stand in line to benefit Haiti’s people despite cold and rainy weather has been overwhelming.

“It has been really, really cool to see the response,” he said.

The church plans to fill up a 53-foot tractor-trailer by 9 p.m. Monday before shipping the supplies off Tuesday.

Since committing himself to Haiti on Thursday, Greene said, he has been recruiting other physicians. Nine of them will be headed to Miami either this morning with him or on Monday. From there, he said, the doctors plan to catch a connection to Haiti via relief cargo planes.

Former California oil and gas exploration executive and venture capitalist David Perez, who worked with Healing Place Church during Hurricane Katrina relief, is flying the cargo planes daily into Port-au-Prince’s jammed airport.

Greene said Perez has set up a soccer field as a medical site able to help as many as 10,000 people.

Greene, whose wife is expecting the couple’s fourth child in April, said he plans to stay in Haiti for a week. He said the need in Haiti and his calling to help outweigh lacking comforts and any safety concerns stemming from reports of civil unrest.

“I am planning on being exhausted and overwhelmed, but I’m ready,” Greene said.

Friends have set up a Facebook.com page, “I Will Pray for Dr. Craig Greene and His Family Daily While He is In Haiti.” Greene said he plans to post updates there, if he is able.