Over 70 Haitian Relief Teams Deliver Audio Bibles

Over a month has passed since that devastating earthquake near Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. The quake is blamed for killing more than 212,000 people, injuring 300,000 and leaving more than 1 million homeless in the city of 3 million and surrounding communities. The U.N. reports that more than 600 registered aid groups are working there now.

Faith Comes By Hearing, the global Audio Bible ministry leader, is providing solar-powered Audio Bibles called Proclaimers® to over 70 aid groups. These small, self-contained digital players are loaded with the New Testament in Haitian Creole and can broadcast to about 300 people at once.

Convoy of Hope, a disaster relief organization, is delivering 600 Proclaimers® to Haitian pastors and priests, taking them on a space- and weight-available basis along with their containers of food and relief essentials.

Jeff Nene, Convoy of Hope's director of communications, said they decided to include and employ these Audio Bibles in their recovery efforts because it fits in with their mission.

Convoy of Hope was feeding over 11,000 Haitian children each day prior to the earthquake. They have now provided more than 3 million meals since the January 12th quake.

Other aid groups and "social justice" ministries have contacted Faith Comes By Hearing to request Audio Bibles for their Haiti relief efforts as well. These groups range from medical professionals, feeding ministries, rebuilding and construction experts and well-drilling teams to dental specialists, grief counseling and water filtration teams.

One aid worker, named Ty, took four Proclaimers® along with his water purification group. While there, he met Pastor Gregory and gave him a Proclaimer®.

"Pastor Gregory, once an orphan himself, now is the pastor for the surrounding community and neighboring villages," reported Ty. "His orphanage, normally home to 80-100 orphans, now is home to over 1,000 families, mostly children who have evacuated Port-au-Prince. I can only imagine the stress he is under to lead in a trying time."

"With a massive influx of refugees, the immediate need to provide hope and direction to new refugees and existing community through God's Word was just as vital as clean water," he said.

Ty continues by describing what happened when they turned on the Proclaimer®.

"The expression on his face was priceless. I could feel his excitement radiate from him. As a desperate, but faithful pastor of a devastated, now overcrowded community, he now had a way to communicate to the masses who were not only thirsty for clean water, but thirsty for God's Word."

Bright Hope is a ministry working in an area about 80 miles from Port-au-Prince. They are doing a clinic and have 90 churches. Each church has become a "tent city."

A Haitian pastor recently told Bright Hope that there is a "second wave . . . a second earthquake" that has occurred. The pastor called it an "Earthquake of Sadness." Bright Hope is providing grief counseling to 70-75 families every day. Each of the 90 churches are also taking in children that are orphaned, which is taking the pressure off the orphanages in the community.

A missionary emailed her story. "I arrived in Haiti the day before the earthquake to volunteer in an orphanage. It was amazing to watch the people in such a tragic event listen to the Word of God. It was very calming and comforting to so many people and will continue to bless many people. So many Haitians are illiterate, so the Proclaimer® is a wonderful way for them to hear God's Word," she said.

Short-term teams from churches located across the U.S. are also taking along free Audio Bibles. If you or your church or group are planning a trip or supporting some work there and are interested in using Proclaimers®, please send an email to Haiti@FaithComesByHearing.com or call 800-545-6552.