Making A Difference In Haiti

If you are like our family you have been asking the question - "How can you HELP the devastation that has taken place in Haiti?" "How can our family make a difference?"

Yesterday, I received word that a close family friend Lori Matthias will be flying to Haiti next week. Not only is she a fabulous Nurse but she also serves as a missionary with YWAM ( Youth with a Mission). Lori is in the process of raising funds to take into Haiti to assist as 1000's of people begin rebuilding their lives.

I am often frustrated when I give to organizations only to realize later that so much of the money goes to administration costs. Lori will be using 100% of the funds raised to pay for her travel expenses and for supplies desperately needed in Haiti.

I am excited that Lori will be traveling to Haiti and that our family can help to make a difference by partnering with her financially as she goes there physically to make a difference. I'd love to see the 24/7 MOMS join me in this project.

Here is her personal letter she sent out about her upcoming trip into Haiti:

I will be leaving on Wednesday for the Dominican
Republic and from there will join overland
routes into Haiti. YWAM has been serving in
Haiti for more than 17 years. All YWAMers there
are safe as their facility is about 1 hour north of
Port au Prince. Just today I found out that my
good friend Ruth Applewhite, a missionary from
my SF Church, San Francisco Christian Center, is
alive but we know very little more than that. I
feel so blessed and relieved to get this news.

I imagine that travel costs alone will be around
$2000. I also need about $1,000 worth of
equipment before I leave. My biggest hope is to
raise enough to purchase two satellite phones.
One to use and then leave with YWAM Haiti and
the other to give to Sister Ruth. Each phone,
with enough service to allow 500 minutes of
calling over the next year is $2,400.00. To get internet service on a phone is
about $3,000 per phone so at this point I am
leaning toward just the voice line unless I
hear of someone who feels led to purchase an
internet capacity phone for the folks in Haiti.

I will not leave until Wednesday in order to
purchase these phones on Tuesday. I’m hoping
this little delay will allow me to raise cash to
take in as well. Often in disaster, one way to
help is to actually hire the local people to work
alongside of the distribution in a paid capacity.
This helps them to purchase gas, and other
items as they become available so that they can
rebuild their lives. Cash is also what it will take
for YWAM to buy food and supplies for
distribution. Since banking systems are totally
down in Haiti only cash can be taken in. My
dream would be to take in the maximum amount
which is just under $10,000usd

In the meantime I will buy the phones and my
own personal equipment on credit cards,
trusting that donations will come in to cover
these expenses. That means I will need a miracle
of a minimum $8,000 but upwards of $18,000 in
order to be effective

I would appreciate your prayers and your
consideration in providing cash donations to help
me get myself as a nurse, plus this equipment
and cash into Haiti.

If you can’t give now that’s ok, just pray for me while
I am gone and then give when you can. The
need will remain for quite some time.

Lori Matthias

You can make a difference and donate via Paypal or mail a donation check :

Paypal: Lorihaiti@aol.com

Address to mail:
YWAM—Network of City Initiative
PO BOX 9219
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
707-228-0405
loriywamsf@aol.com