While the situation in Haiti remains fluid, we are making definite progress, working closely with the Haitian Baptist Convention and the Grand Goave Baptist Church.

We have identified the location for a base camp, in Grand Goave, at the earthquake's epicenter, west of Port au Prince.

Members of the Grand Goave Baptist congregation are showing a stake in their future by enthusiastically clearing rubble and rebuilding a perimeter wall around the church property where tents, a water tower, solar-powered inverter and the like are being installed.

Additional equipment for sleeping and dining accommodations arrived this week. Our first team, from Second Baptist Church, Little Rock, Arkansas, is now in Grand Goave to consolidate the base camp, in readiness for more teams.

CBF, in partnership with ABC-USA, has purchased a late model used pickup truck (see [below], behind the goat!) and has repaired another truck owned by the Haitian Baptist Convention and made available for our use.

In Grand Goave, we hope to rebuild the church building and school, as the Lord provides, and are simultaneously researching an appropriate orphanage to assist with structural repairs.

We have located our base-camp adjacent to a relatively small tent city of homeless evacuees. One goal is to provide space for a medical clinic where teams of responders can work to help the most needy, neglected and forgotten.

The Lord has blessed us with medical personnel who are ready to lend a hand. We do continue to support our medical team, Steve and Nancy James, in Cap Haitian, eight hours from Port au Prince, but they have all they can say grace over with their work in the North.

Our primary focus is on helping people, not rebuilding structures, but a church building can become a community focal point. It works best when one group can be working directly with people, while another is concentrating on rebuilding structures. Thus, the conjoined construction/medical teams model we are proposing.

In the past week, our in-country consultant, Scott Hunter, has worked with two other partners, Volunteers of America Southeast and Fuller Center for Housing. Representatives from each of these groups have relied on Scott to decide their future plans in working with CBF.

Our desire is to empower those whom we assist, encouraging them to do for themselves and thus nurturing and blessing their sense of dignity and self-confidence. Again, members of the Grand Goave Baptist Church are enthusiastically pitching in to help one another rebuild their church.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) and American Baptist Churches USA (ABC-USA) will be coordinating all teams working in Grand Goave. This means groups need to connect with one of the following people who share the Master Engagement-Calendar for Grand Goave.

Chris Boltin Short Term Assignments & Partnerships Manager Global Missions Cooperative Baptist Fellowship 2930 Flowers Rd South-Suite 133 Atlanta, Georgia 30341 770-220-1607 cboltin@thefellowship.info	Angela Sudermann Coordinator, Volunteers in Global Mission PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482 1-800-ABC-3USA (222-3872) ext. 2164 610-768-2164 FAX 610-768-2088 Angela.Sudermann@abc-usa.org

Groups that do NOT go through Angela or Chris will not have housing or a service assignment at the ABC-CBF base camp in Grand Goave.

Here is the specific procedure to follow in signing up responders:

• Groups/individuals must contact Chris or Angela, through email or by phone.

• Inquirers will then be directed to the CBF website to fill out an application. This allows us to capture their information for follow up, and allows them to tell us more about their specific skill sets.

• We receive information from the field about what types of groups/individuals are needed.

• We promote types of needs and open dates, while at the same time actively contacting specific responders who have already submitted information on the web.

• Secure groups for a specific date.

• Update the shared Master Engagement-Calendar to reflect specific groups, so both ABC and CBF are aware of group.

• Confirm the service assignment with the group, then (a) send the Grand Goave information sheet to team leader, (b) connect group with travel agent and (c) explain the supplemental medical insurance requirement.

• If they have not received a confirmation email from either Angela or Chris, they are NOT a confirmed team.

Available time-slots for construction teams in Grand Goave:

MARCH: 14-20

APRIL: 4-10, 11-17, 25-May1

MAY: 2-7, 9-15, 16-22, 23-29

These are just the needs that we have at a three month glance.

We will also soon begin running medical teams as well in the same location.

The white building below, behind Scott Hunter, is what's left of the church school after much debris has been removed. It appears to be beyond repair and will have to be taken down completely to the slab.

The church was shaken very badly with cracks throughout all the walls. It, too, is probably beyond repair, and could become an instant death trap, in case of another sizable tremor.

Herb Rogers (ABC-USA) and Ron Emrich (VOA Southeast) moving equipment last week:

I found what is reportedly a Creole translation of the Book of Psalms, but have no idea what version.

Perhaps one of our Haitian brothers can read for us Psalm 4:8 -

Mwen moute kabann mwen ak ke poze.
Kou m' kouche, domi pran m'.
Seye, se ou menm sel ki p'ap janm kite anyen rive m'.

This verse reflects my prayer for people who cannot sleep at night, for fear of another tremor bringing down upon them the fragile ruins of what scarcely stands:

I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for You alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.