Sunday, January 31, 2010

"Haiti quake creates thousands of new orphans"


*(Jan 19) PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Jean Peterson Estime was outside playing soccer when his home pancaked in last week's earthquake and killed his parents and five sisters.

Now he sleeps with thousands in a Port-au-Prince park and forages in rubble for food and goods he can sell to survive.

"I'm trying to get a little job so I can take care of myself," he says, attempting to look brave even as he shuffles his dirty feet in too-big sandals.

What the 13-year-old really wants is someone to take him in.

Tens of thousands of children have been orphaned by the magnitude-7.0 quake, aid groups say — so many that officials won't venture a number. With buildings destroyed and growing chaos in the capital, they say many children are like Jean — living alone on the streets.

"Without doubt, most of them are in the open," said Elizabeth Rodgers, of the Britain-based international orphan group SOS Children.

Some may have family, but they've been abandoned or left unconscious at triage centers for care.

One 5-month-old patient at the Israeli field hospital has a number rather than a name.

No one even knows who left him at the makeshift medical center after he was pulled from a collapsed building four days after the quake. Doctors have a difficult decision as he recovers.

"What will we do with him when we are finished?" said Dr. Assa Amit of the hospital's pediatric emergency department.

Even before Tuesday's deadly magnitude-7.0 earthquake, Haiti, one of the world's poorest countries, was awash in orphans, with 380,000 children living in orphanages or group homes, the United Nations Children's Fund reported on its Web site.....

Meanwhile, U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes said the United Nations is establishing a group on the ground in Haiti to protect children — orphans and non-orphans alike — against trafficking, kidnapping and sex abuse.

Orphanages that were operating in Haiti before the earthquake are scrambling to keep their kids safe, sheltered and fed.


Sweet Sleep's partners in Haiti are taking in so many children like the ones you've read about above. They are providing them love, comfort, food, water, safety and warm places to sleep. And, you are a big part of the reason why.

There is much happening to share with you in the days to come. I encourage you to subscribe to our blog or, if you already do, to forward our posts to those who might also want to be aware of how they can help Haiti's littlest victims.

Thank you again for amazing ways you've responded. You can also check our website, www.sweetsleep.org for more information on how you can help.

See you in the next blog,
Jen

*This is an excerpt of an article by AP writer, Tamara Lush which ran on January 19, 2010. Photo credit: AFP

Friday, January 29, 2010

Fabulous Numbers, Fabulous YOU!








Well, what a great blog update I have for you today! Yesterday we loaded up our 54 foot semi truck with relief for Haiti from our partners, Brentwood Baptist Church and so many others who compiled their own mini drive to help the children.

Bedding
Sheets: 1,469
Pillowcases: 269
Blankets: 1,171
Pillows: 46
Mats: 23
Sleeping Bags: 1
Mattresses: 2



Food
Pounds of Beans: 1,333
Bags of Beans: 25
Peanut Butter 591 jars
Baby Formula: 286
Pounds of Rice: 2,720
Bags of Rice: 25 bags



Clothing
Crocs: 227
Articles of Children’s Clothing: 5,347



Medical
Peroxide: 404 bottles plus 1 box
Alcohol Pads: 5,508
IV Medical Manifold: 50
IV Medical Pump: 24
Band-Aids: 524
Antifungal: 13
Pain Reliever: 243
Children’s Pain Reliever: 52
Saline: 1 box
Cold Meds: 48
Antibiotics: 1 box
Latex Gloves 70
Medical Supplies: 1 box, 100
Anti-diarrhea: 1 box, 49
Syringes: 6 bags
IV needles: 1 box
Sutures: 9
Surgery Kits: 7


Other
Trash Bags: 926
Towels: 100
Baby Wipes: 12, 236
Baby Bottles: 52
Tent: 1
Diapers: 16,268
Soap: 15
Oral Hygiene: 175
Bibles: 2,020


2,000 Bibles donated by LifeWay




Diaper Mountain


Diapers were everywhere!


This is what boxes of 1100 blankets look like!


The boxes just seemed to multiply


Wow, this is really empty...and big!


Here goes the first box!


Kim and dolly: a dynamic duo!


A loaded truck is a happy sight


All loaded up: our truck driving off....

If you're one of those mini drives, please be sure to post here so we can thank you! All of this would not be possible without you. We are so incredible thankful and grateful for your support and your love and your prayers.

The truck left yesterday and this morning was unloaded and is waiting to be shipped out next week! We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, continue to consider your support of our ongoing work in Haiti. You can make your gift online, www.sweetsleep.org/donate and be sure to note "Haiti" in the special comments box.

Thanks again, friends. You are fabulous!

See you in the next blog,
Jen

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Great news on your donations!!




Hello awesome Sweet Sleep supporters!

I've great news for you! This afternoon I heard from our shipping company: our 1st aid container, with thousands of pieces of bedding for the orphans in Haiti, arrived today in the DR. Pray now for it to get through customs quickly and then into Haiti. I'll keep you posted.

And, tonight was the last night of our 2nd aid drive with Brentwood Baptist Church. I walked into the Connection Center at BBC this afternoon and my immediate, out loud reaction was, "WOW!" There were various mountains of boxes, all full of sheets, blankets, mats, medical supplies, food, diapers, clothes and shoes!







Tomorrow morning the 54-foot semi truck will pull into BBC and we'll load it and pray it off! Several of our partners and orphanages will be receiving the items there and THOUSANDS of our Haitian brother and sisters will be able to be comforted by your love.

Thank you.

Sweet Sleep has the best supporters.

See you in the next blog,
Jen

Monday, January 25, 2010

Update on 2nd relief drive

Hello friends!

Thank you for your great support and response to our work in Haiti. You are a blessing!

Because I know you want to continue to respond to our work in Haiti I'll just quickly share with you about what you can do right now.

Through Wednesday night, Jan. 27th, you can bring your new/nearly new blankets and sheets to the Connection Center at Brentwood Baptist Church--signs will direct you to the drop off area. These relief items will be shipped to Haiti in the days following and distributed to 3, possibly even 4 of our partners and orphanages on the ground. So, keep 'em coming!





You can also drop off things like bags of rice or bags of beans, disposable diapers or powdered baby formula.

Because the immediate needs are so great and there is so little aid in Haiti right now, our partners have very specific urgent needs. There will be a time when more things are needed...as orphanages and lives are rebuilt. Our partners tell us that, for now, giving other items further complicates an already impossible situation. So, hang on to those other things and we'll keep you posted!

I also continue to encourage you to give to Sweet Sleep's "Haiti Relief Fund" so that we can continue providing beds and bedding to Haiti's orphaned children. You can give securely on our website, www.sweetsleep.org/donate. Please mark "Haiti Relief" in the special comments box. Our mailing address is also on our site, if you prefer to give by check.

Yesterday, while speaking to the church with my pastor, I listened to him talk about how God had placed Sweet Sleep in the middle of Haiti and positioned us to be able to respond at this devastating time. Tonight a good friend told me it was clear we were doing exactly what God wanted because He had so clearly opened the doors to make our relief efforts so effective, so fast. Those things are good to hear. None of our work would be possible without our partners, Global Orphan Project and Love A Child.

We're so thankful for our partners are on the ground. As you continue to pray for God to be close to these hurting children, pray also for our partners and the scores of volunteers helping the children. Pray for their energy, their spirits, their emotional strength and health. They are doing, watching and hearing impossible things. Their days are long. The challenges before them vast. I'll share good stories coming out of all this as the week goes along. Tonight, know that YOUR involvement...your financial gifts, your bedding....those are already good stories.

Thanks friends.

See you in the next blog,

Jen

Sunday, January 24, 2010

A word from our partners on the ground...


This morning, we drove through Port Au Prince, it often looked and smelled like the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Some of the worst parts of the city are by Moise Vaval’s church. We arrived at 7:30 am, and their corporate prayer had been going on for an hour by then. People sat on wooden benches that had been pulled from the destroyed church building. Consistent with Haitian hospitality, we were given the place of honor underneath the only tent they had. Just a few feet away the crumbled wall of their church lay on the ground. People came from the streets to worship. The same people who had their homes destroyed, who lost loved ones. These people sang praises to the Answer. For more than two hours they worshiped the King with all their hearts. The sun beat down, they lifted their hands in praise. Buildings fell, their belief in God still stands. Lives were lost, faith was found. After the gospel was shared, 14 people accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. “People are turning to Jesus” Moise said. Their hope is well placed. As they walk through the Valley, Jesus is with them. You are a part of His love here. Your gifts are being delivered. Your prayers are being answered. Thank you! May God bless your heart to help. Press on!

Reading this post encourages me and humbles me. I'm not sure where my faith, my spirit, my joy would be if I were in their place. As I pray for Haiti and the sweet children this evening I'm going to praise God for these sweet brothers and sisters. I'm going to think about this story--and so many others like it that have been told---for a long time to come. I'm humbled and, I have to say, amazed God can be glorified in settings like the one our partner at Global Orphan have described in this post. Amen.

This was a great morning at another church, Brentwood Baptist. I was so blessed to be able to sit with BBC's pastor, Mike Glenn, during each of their services and share with everyone about how you can help Sweet Sleep help the neediest little ones in Haiti.

BBC is in the middle of a great effort this week to help bring much needed aid to more of our partners in need. Check our website for more information. Contact us as much as you need to. We have until Wednesday night to get donations together for these children! Blankets, sheets, mats and so much more are being collected.

And....trips are on the brink of being announced....be sure to stay tuned!

See you in the next blog,
Jen

Friday, January 22, 2010

Your Impact This Week

Hello friends,

It’s been quite a week…almost 2 weeks, really. When people ask me about my Uganda trip I usually have to take a few seconds to recall I was ever there. Such incredible things happened in Gulu that are forever changing lives of those in northern Uganda as well as this ministry, so I’m looking forward to sharing more with you about our future work there. Not to mention Sweet Sleep gave more beds on that trip than at any other time in our history! 454 to be exact!



Wednesday’s emergency aid drive in CoolSprings and at BBC went incredibly well. Special thanks to media coverage from Channels 2, 4, 5 and 17 as well each radio station, and to CoolSprings Mall and BBC for being our collections sites. Bushels of thaks to scores of volunteers who worked hard throughout the day. Yes, it was very cold and rained buckets but the CoolSprings group never had a chance to think about it because we steadily accepted donations throughout the day. Thank you everyone!! In the first couple hours I wasn’t sure we’d fill our 24 foot truck. At 9:30 that night I wasn’t sure if it would all fit!

We ended up collecting the following:
Blankets: 1141
Sheets: 1044
Mats: 339
Bibles: 91








Wednesday’s aid truck arrived in Miami this morning and has already been unloaded! Our container will be also include tents which were collected from a church in Atlanta. The 2,000 children will be living in tents and sleeping on our mats with our blankets and sheets for months and months to come. The container will leave for the port today at 4pm and will sail out of Miami for the DR tomorrow morning. We’re told it will take 2-4 DAYS to arrive in DR and then it will be trucked into Haiti.





Our aid relief continues through Wednesday with the BBC as the collection point. This Sunday I’ll be speaking with BBC's Senior Pastor Mike Glenn in all 3 of BBC’s services telling everyone about Sweet Sleep's ministry in Haiti and the information they need to know to help contribute in this aid drive. The drive we’ve coordinated through BBC will ship out sometime late next week will be able to be distributed to several of our other orphanage partners and ministries.

I encourage you to keep praying for our work and for the work being done by thousands right now in Haiti. And of course, pray without ceasing for those who have lost loved ones and are suffering in unthinkable ways. I am so thankful for your faithfulness and for your help. Lives are being impacted because of you.

Finally, please consider donating to Sweet Sleep to help us continue our work in Haiti. You might not be able to give much now, but maybe you could consider signing up for a monthly gift which would impact lives all year long. See our website for details on setting that up.

I appreciate you so much.

See you in the next blog,
Jen.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

BEDDING DRIVE FOR HAITI CONTINUED THROUGH JANUARY 27

Sweet Sleep Collecting Blankets, Sheets and Mats
for Thousands of Displaced and Newly Orphaned Children

Right now, you can help the youngest victims of the earthquake in Haiti by donating bedding supplies to the island nation’s many orphans through Sweet Sleep.

We've been working in Haiti since 2008 and are actively engaged in the relief efforts through our partners, The Global Orphan Project and Love A Child. We're collecting blankets, sheets, mats (camping, yoga, school, straw, etc.) and other bedding items to be delivered to these children so they have a place to sleep. All donations should be new or in like-new condition.

Wednesday’s drive at the Cool Springs Galleria and Brentwood Baptist Church was a huge success – filling a 24 foot truck full of these items – and another shipment to Haiti has been scheduled for next Friday.
 
BEDDING DRIVE FOR HAITIAN ORPHANS 


Location and Hours: 
Brentwood Baptist Church
7777 Concord Road
Brentwood, Tenn.
Thurs., January 21 – Wed., January 27
Thurs.-Fri.  8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sat.  8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sun.-Wed.  8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.


Even before the earthquake, there were an estimated 800,000 orphans in Haiti, which is why we expanded our global mission to include the impoverished nation late last year. Sources say prior to last week's 7.0 earthquake there were approximately 800,000 orphans in Haiti. Some reports estimate that number could have tripled in the last week. Our work with these children is not limited to the earthquake recovery effort but will continue for years to come.

If you are unable to participate in the bedding drive you can still assist the effort with a monetary donation. Simply visit www.sweetsleep.org/donate and type “HAITI” in the special comments box.

Monday, January 18, 2010

URGENT: BEDDING DRIVE FOR ORPHANS IN HAITI EARTHQUAKE


Sweet Sleep Collecting Blankets, Mats, and More 
for Thousands of Displaced and Newly Orphaned Children

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 18, 2010) – Right now, the people of Middle Tennessee can help the youngest victims of the earthquake in Haiti by donating bedding supplies to the island nation’s many orphans. Sweet Sleep, an international nonprofit organization headquartered in Nashville, is hosting an emergency bedding drive at two locations in Williamson County.

More than 2,000 displaced or newly orphaned children are currently being moved to a safe location on six acres of land outside of Port-au-Prince by The Global Orphan Project. Sweet Sleep is a partner in this effort and is now collecting blankets, sheets, mats (camping, yoga, school, straw, etc.), and other bedding items to be delivered to these children so they have a place to sleep.

BEDDING DRIVE FOR HAITIAN ORPHANS
Location #1:  Cool Springs Galleria
Sears Parking Lot
Franklin, Tenn.
Wed., January 20
10:00 am – 7:00 pm

Location #2:  Brentwood Baptist Church
7777 Concord Road
Brentwood, Tenn.
Today – Wed., January 20          

All donations should be new or in like-new condition. Bibles will also be accepted. Items will be shipped to Miami, where they will be loaded into a freighter for Haiti on Friday.

Even before the earthquake, there were an estimated 800,000 orphans in Haiti, which is why Sweet Sleep expanded its global mission to include the impoverished nation late last year. The organization’s work with these children is not limited to the earthquake recovery effort but will continue for years to come.

Middle Tennesseans who are unable to participate in the bedding drive can still assist the effort with a monetary donation. Simply visit www.sweetsleep.org/donate and type “HAITI” in the special comments box.

Sweet Sleep is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Sweet Sleep is a member of the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability), which is dedicated to helping Christian ministries earn the public’s trust through adherence to their standards of responsible stewardship. Sweet Sleep is registered with Guidestar, which provides information that advances transparency in nonprofit practice in order to encourage charitable giving.

Sweet Sleep is a Nashville-based nonprofit organization which provides beds to the world’s orphaned and abandoned children. According to recent estimates there are more than 210 million orphans worldwide, and every day 5,760 more children become orphans. Sweet Sleep works closely with indigenous staff as well as U.S. churches and businesses to provide beds and bedding with a goal of providing “a bed for every head.” Since 2003, Sweet Sleep has provided thousands of beds for orphans in Moldova, Haiti, and Uganda.

For more information about Sweet Sleep, visit www.sweetsleep.org.

photo courtesy of nytimes.com

Haiti Collection Drive this Wednesday

This is rough information. Press release and web updates forthcoming. Wanted to get it out asap. Feel free to pass it along or to blog it. I’ll post prettier information as soon as I get it.

Info: Bedding Drive for Orphans in Haiti
Who: Sweet Sleep. Sweet Sleep provides bed and bedding to orphaned and abandoned children around the world—including Haiti.
What: Sweet Sleep is providing bedding to thousands of displaced and newly orphaned children who are currently being moved to/accepted into a 6 acre property outside of Port-au-Prince. Bedding will include new blankets, sheets and mats (camping, yoga, school, straw, etc). Additionally, Bibles for children and youth are needed and also being collected. Donations should be new or in like-new condition.

When: Wednesday, January 20, 2009
Where: Drop off locations: 1) CoolSprings Galleria Mall, Sears parking lot, lower level. The “Budget” moving truck will be parked between Sears and 1-65. 2) Brentwood Baptist Church---Connection Center, 7777 Concord Rd, Brentwood, TN 27024. BBC can be contacted at 324-6100.

Collection times: 10 am- 7 pm

Other FYI info:
Sweet Sleep will collect these items on Wednesday, January 20, 2009. From there they will be transported to Miami where they will be loaded into a shipping container Friday. The container will ship to the Dominican Republic on Saturday. Our partner organizations are clearing the container through customs and transporting the materials to Port-au-Prince and to the transitional campus where the children are now living. Our partners have been on the ground in PAP since Thursday and have been trucking in supplies from DR since Friday, FYI.

Sweet Sleep is a faith-based nonprofit organization which exists to share God’s love by providing beds to the world’s orphaned and abandoned children. Our ministry’s work began working in Haiti during Christmas 2008 as we provided beds to children in an orphanage who had lost their own due to the rock and mud slides which followed the hurricanes. As people begin to rebuild their lives that the world is working so hard now to save, there will continue to be great needs for beds, bedding and Bibles. Sweet Sleep is committed to ministering in Haiti and will continue our commitment indefinitely.

Emergency donations can be made online at our website, www.sweetsleep.org/donate. Note “HAITI” in the special comments box.

Sweet Sleep is a registered 501c3 nonprofit. Sweet Sleep is a member of the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) which is dedicated to helping Christian ministries earn the public’s trust through adherence to their standards of responsible stewardship. Sweet Sleep is registered with Guidestar, which provides information that advances transparency in nonprofit practice in order to encourage charitable giving.

Thanks, Jen

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Faces of Haiti

These are just a few of the faces we've been praying for this week. We still don't know the effect the earthquake has had on each of their orphanages...their lives. So, just join us in prayer for these faces...and so many thousands...tens of thousands...more.





















I encourage you to post those you're praying for. Either here for everyone to pray for or my emailing them to us.

Thanks friends
Jen