In the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake and it aftershocks that devastated Haiti on Jan. 12, people at Memorial UCC have been looking at a variety of ways to respond. Here are links to sites with more information.

Some people at Memorial have a strong connection to Margaret Trost, the former Madison woman who started a food program in Haiti almost a decade ago. Her What If? Foundation has played a critical role in getting food to people in one neighborhood. 

Bryan Sirchio, who has a long-standing relationship with the people of Haiti , is maintaining his own web page about Haiti.

People have donated through Memorial UCC to the work of Church World Service. 

Here is Margaret Trost's April 30 update:

Dear Friends of the What If? Foundation, 

Caitlin and I have just returned from our first visit to Haiti since the earthquake.  It was intense and overwhelming at times, but also inspiring and so affirming of our special partnership with the St. Clare's community and the work we're doing together to provide food and educational opportunities to children in the Tiplas Kazo neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.  

We're still processing everything we saw and experienced and look forward to sharing more about our trip with you in the days/weeks to come through our website blog, photo gallery, and podcast page.   In a nutshell, the pictures being shown on television don't begin to capture the scale of destruction, which is widespread and devastating. 

Tent communities with thousands of people living together without electricity, running water and, in most cases without toilets, are located in every open space.  I didn't see a single bulldozer clearing rubble -- just small groups of Haitians working with shovels and their bare hands in the debris.  There is a long road ahead to rebuild Port-au-Prince.  My heart breaks with the magnitude of the suffering, especially as the rainy season arrives. 

During our trip, we received confirmation that the new priest of St. Clare's Church, who was appointed in March, wants to use the rectory building for housing.  This means that the food and education programs that have been operating out of the rectory for the past ten years must move to another location.  Thankfully, working closely with our Haitian partners, we've been able to find land in the neighborhood -- land the What If? Foundation is now in the process of purchasing.  It's a big step, but with your support, we are determined to buy the land and build a new kitchen and eating area on it as soon as possible, so that the food program can continue without interruption.  

When I walked through the new property last week, I could visualize not only the food program, but a neighborhood school, a community garden, a medical clinic and the realization of other dreams we've all had for years. 

Although our upcoming move is unexpected, this transition feels like a natural step in the evolution of our work with the community of St. Clare's.  It coincides with our 10th anniversary, and comes at a time when the programs we support are needed more than ever.  And I have no doubt that this move will help ensure that the work that is so close to our hearts will continue to thrive and grow in a sustainable way in years to come.  

Lavarice Gaudin, our program liaison, and the food and education program leaders are also incredibly excited about the possibilities.  They have already initiated the process of creating a Haitian nonprofit to represent the programs, which will be a sister nonprofit to the What If? Foundation. 

In the weeks to come, I look forward to sharing more about the unfolding vision for this new land, the details of a building plan, and the resources that will need to be raised to make it possible.  Our goal right now is to begin clearing the property so that a kitchen can be built and tents can be set up for the 8th annual summer camp, as the camp has been such an important and beloved program in the past.

I wish you could have been with Caitlin and me to pass out the plates of food as the children streamed through the gate.  With each meal, we thought of you and the difference your donations are making every day in the lives of some of our hemisphere's hungriest children and their families, who have been through so much since the January 12th earthquake.  The food program is such a powerful expression of love in action.

Thank you once more for your support, your trust, and your prayers as we enter the next chapter of our work together. 

I feel so blessed to be on this journey with you, 

Margaret

And words of prayer

And then there is prayer joining our hearts with all those who are suffering so much. Below, you can read an adaptation of Psalm 46, which seems particularly appropriate as we ask God to open our lives to be agents of God's love on earth. Pastor Phil has a column in the Cap Times called "Twisted theology doesn't explain Haiti's misery." He also preached about the situation in Haiti in the context of the Scripture readings for Jan. 24.

Psalm 46 - an adaptation

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, 
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. 
God is in the midst of the city.
God will help it when the morning dawns.
 “Be still, and know that I am God!”
The God of all creation, the God of our ancestors, is with us still.