Life is a vapor. Don't spend yours on the sidelines.

12 February 2010

“…Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives…” I John 3:

There are no words to adequately portray the human suffering or the scope of damage we personally witnessed recently in earthquake-rocked Haiti. On Feb. 4, our team returned from Hispañola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, after spending time in two Haitian cities. From Jan. 18 through 26, our focus was on providing emergency relief in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. I spent the first six days there assisting medical teams in relief efforts focused on the critically injured at Haiti Community Hospital.  An excerpt from a text message  I sent to my wife gives a small glimpse into the situation at that time: “…working in one of two standing medical facilities. Broken femurs, bones sticking out, broken backs, necks, amputating kids arms and legs… its so sad… flesh and muscle rotting, things I cannot fully speak of now.” Due to the length and graphic nature of some of the content, we have posted a more detailed account at haiti diary.

On Jan. 26, my wife, Audrey, Vapor’s vice president Dustin Rosner and his wife Joli made their way from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, toward the northern boarder city of Quanimethe to assist in orphan care. The same day, I was asked to transport a small group of severely wounded orphans, gathered by workers from Danita’s Children’s Orphanage, on a flight from the epicenter of damage to their new home in Quanimethe. The rest of our team assisted at the orphanage as it received newly orphaned children. Each child’s story was unique, yet they all shared in the unspeakable trauma. These beautiful children lost their homes, parents, and in some cases, limbs. It struck a deep cord in all of us who were assisting. We were privileged to serve in various capacities with these children – wiping noses and bottoms, feeding them, and yes, playing soccer with them. Audrey and I developed a special interest in one particular child as we attended to him during our days at the orphanage. More about his story can be found at haiti diary.

Though our main focus in Haiti changed from a survey trip for a future Vapor center site to one of offering critical care in the face of the post-quake crisis, we came away with a strong belief that God would have us move forward with plans to be a part of the rebuilding of Haiti. While others will concentrate on short-term aid and rebuilding the country’s much-needed infrastructure, Vapor Sports Ministries will concentrate on what we do best and what is consistent with our mission. We will move forward to establish a permanent center for humanitarian aid and sustainable life change in Haiti. We are called to help build up new generations of Christ-centered, compassionate leaders that will serve Christ’s mission and commission, in Haiti and beyond.

It’s hard to believe that it has been a month since the earthquake shook Haiti. As the headlines fade and the tragedy of Haiti blurs in the world’s memory, let us not forget. Let us be diligent in our prayers and generous in our enthusiasm to make a lasting difference for the kingdom in Haiti and all the corners of the world where God’s children cry out for our help.

Micah McElveen, President
Vapor Sports Ministries

“Life is a vapor. Don’t spend yours on the sidelines.”