When the earthquake happened in Haiti this past January, many of our Back2Back ministry supporters called and asked what we were planning on doing. In the initial days as we prayed about how God might want us to mobilize and coordinate to respond to the need, we realized that Back2Back is not necessarily a relief organization, but rather we are an organization about long-term development and the sustainability of the orphan. This focus is one of our strengths.
However, statistics in Haiti are shocking: 90% housing loss in Port-au-Prince, 1 million homeless, a reported 380,000 orphans before the quake, over 2 million people have need for food, and as a result we have continued to pray about how God might use our strengths to help with the re-development process in Haiti. It also became clear to us that it makes no sense to “go it alone”. Why would we not look to partner with an existing organization? We feel that it makes sense to serve alongside a group who is already established in Haiti, standing back2back with to help them re- develop (another one of our strengths).
Many times, I thought to myself, if a disaster were to hit Monterrey, Mexico and mission organizations were pouring in starting new ministries that I would be asking the question, “We’ve been here 13 years, why not join us in what we are already doing?”. That being said, I, along with Back2Back staff members, Brian Bertke and Chris Ramos, are taking an exploratory trip to Haiti April 5-9th. We will be hosted by an established non-profit organization, Jesus in Haiti Ministries. We are excited about how God might use the strengths of Back2Back to help in the rebuilding process. Please pray that God leads us.