January 22, 2010

Dear Friends,

I wanted to communicate with you directly concerning Fairfax Community’s response to the devastating earthquake that has hit Haiti. We are positioning ourselves to respond both to the immediate need and to longer term issues. Our response is best described in phases.

Phase 1 – We made immediate contact with Phil and Lonnie Murphy. Phil and Lonnie started House of Blessing Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and served as missionaries in Haiti for over 20 years. They are very familiar with the situation on the ground and well connected. Our church made it possible for Phil to get to Haiti the day after the earthquake and he was able to provide immediate assistance as well as first-hand information concerning how we might best respond to the crisis.

Phase 2 – We established a Help Haiti Fund that enables people to donate directly to the need. This money, along with other funds of the church, are being used to support our relief efforts. If you would like to give to the Help Haiti Fund, you can do so by clicking here. You can also give during the weekend service by putting “Help Haiti” in the memo line of your check.

Phase 3 – We are mobilizing doctors and other medical personnel to respond to the overwhelming physical needs we are seeing in the aftermath of the earthquake. Our first medical team is scheduled to depart on Monday, Jan. 25. It includes a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, the former chief of surgery at Walter Reed Hospital, an anesthesiologist, a physician’s assistant and a staff person from Fairfax Community. This initial team will not only address immediate and pressing needs, but will assess how we can best respond over the longer term.

Phase 4 - Since we desire for our help to be ongoing and sustainable, we are putting together a fully integrated response that includes the ongoing mobilization of medical personnel and supplies, transportation from the Washington, D.C. area directly to Port-au-Prince, ground transportation from the airport to a U.N. secured facility (Quisqueya Christian School) just outside of Port-au-Prince, and secure transportation to three nearby medical facilities where surgeries and medical care is being provided. We are in the process of putting together future medical teams and securing the necessary supplies and equipment so they can operate most effectively.

Here’s how you can help.

• Pray – We are completely and totally God-dependant in our efforts to respond to this overwhelming crisis.

• Give – The need is extraordinary and it will take an extraordinary response on the part of the church.

• Network – We are developing an extensive list of medical personnel, supplies and equipment that we can send to Haiti. If you have contacts in this area who are willing to help, let us know. You can contact Sara Pearce at sarapearce@fairfax.cc.

Grace and peace,

Rod