LCMS World Mission Blog

Photo: Members of the assessment team, pastoral care personnel, LCMS missionaries, and Dominican Lutherans who worked together in response to the Haiti earthquake

Regional missionaries re-deployed
LCMS missionaries from other parts of Latin America arrived in the Dominican Republic to further assist the missionaries who are permanently stationed in the Dominican Republic. These re-deployed missionaries included Rev. Dr. Jorge and Olga Groh (Panama), Rev. Ed and Cherie Auger (Cayman Islands), and James and Christel Neuendorf (Panama). Rev. Groh and James Neuendorf arrived in the Dominican Republic on Jan. 21 to travel as part of the initial assessment team into Haiti. The other missionaries arrived just days later.

The Augers and Neuendorfs are providing logistical and ministerial support to the missionaries who currently serve with LCMS World Mission in the Dominican Republic and who are becoming emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausted after responding to immediate relief needs since January 13. The LCMS Dominican Republic Mission Team includes: Rev. Ted and Rebecca Krey (from the Lutheran Church—Canada), Rev. Walter and Ana Ries (from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil), and Danelle Putnam (from The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod).

Ministering to Haitian refugees in the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic Mission Team, along with Dominican Lutherans, responded to the need for immediate assistance at the Haitian border as refugees began flooding in during the days and weeks following the Jan. 12 earthquake. Danelle Putnam writes, “The Good Samaritan Hospital in Jimani normally houses 60 people. One evening, our mission team fed approximately 700, including 500 patients. The hospital is brimming with Haitians suffering from fractures and other types of trauma. Please join us in prayer that God will guide us in meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of these hurting people. We pray that God’s Word can be shared to give comfort and hope.”

These Dominican Republic-based missionaries and their team of Dominican doctors, vicars, and church members provided the essential logistical support needed for the effective work of an LCMS World Relief and Human Care Mercy Medical Team (MMT). The team arrived on Jan. 19, and half of the 13-member team worked through the night to care for patients at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Jimani, a city near the Haiti border where Haitian refugees have fled since last week’s devastating earthquake.

Rev. Ted Krey said, “The Good Samaritan Hospital was a mission of limited facilities. Saturday [Jan. 16] there were 137 patients, and by the next day, 500, and in total over 800 patients throughout the period that we stayed there with the Mercy Medical Team. They were doing surgery around the clock. The Jimani hospital was the only facility capable of surgery within a 300-mile radius. Pastoral care was provided by pastoral personnel from LCMS World Relief and Human Care, Dominican vicars, and LCMS missionaries. They prayed with and provided spiritual care to the patients, patients’ families, and medical care providers.”

The missionaries, LCMS World Relief and Human Care personnel, and Dominican Lutherans, provided water, rice, and beans to those in need and began planning for future relief efforts.

Assessment team in Haiti
An LCMS assessment team was taken to various locations in Haiti on Jan. 22 and 23, accompanied by leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti (ELCH), including President Marky Kessa. The ELCH leaders emphasized how encouraging and important it was to them to have brothers in Christ come to their aid.

The assessment team included Rev. Glenn Merritt, director of disaster response for LCMS World Relief and Human Care; Dr. Jorge Groh, regional director of Latin America for LCMS World Mission; Dr. Douglas Rutt, former LCMS World Mission area secretary for Latin America; Dr. John Lautenschlager, a medical and health relief consultant; James Neuendorf, LCMS World Mission communications specialist and missionary for Latin America; and Chaplain Steve Lee, a critical incident stress specialist.

James Neuendorf, who served on the assessment team, wrote, “The intensity of destruction [in Port-au-Prince] went on far longer than I expected, block after block pulverized . . .We thought the destruction towards Jacmel was getting to be less, but when we got into downtown it was even worse than in Port-au-Prince, with people sleeping everywhere outside in Coleman tents.”

LCMS World Relief and Human Care and LCMS World Mission are evaluating the situation and specifically, how they can come alongside the ELCH with the assistance and relief aid that they are requesting.

Upon their return, the assessment team emphasized the importance of working with the ELCH in any immediate and ongoing relief and outreach efforts in Haiti. Rev Dr. Jorge Groh commented, “I was happy to see how strong the leadership of the church is. I believe the ELCH is in a good position to follow through with the response that LCMS World Relief and Human Care and LCMS World Mission are formulating.”

Rev. Dr. Doug Rutt, also a member of the assessment team, shared, “The pastors of the ELCH are already saying that we can’t just care for the people of our church—we help all people. There is a real opportunity to work through this church, our Lutheran brothers and sisters in Christ, to demonstrate the love of Jesus because we are present in this time of trouble.”

On behalf of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, LCMS World Relief and Human Care (the mercy arm of the LCMS) is working cooperatively with LCMS World Mission (the mission sending arm of the LCMS), LCMS congregations and districts, and U.S. and international partners to provide immediate and long-term relief for the people of Haiti and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti.

• Read the latest news on Haiti
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