If you look at Haiti solely in terms of statistics, the picture looks bleak: barely half of Haitians over 15 can read and write, more than two-thirds of the workforce is unemployed, and about 15 percent of Haiti’s children are orphaned. And after the devastating earthquake in January, poverty and homelessness are on the rise.

Judex Mondesir, 18, wants to use his education to help Haiti recover from the earthquake.

But if you look at Haiti at the “people level,” you’ll see a different picture altogether, one of hope that comes from the young people of Haiti.

Take the example of Judex Mondesir, an 18-year-old young man whose life changed forever after meeting Father Marc Boisvert and coming to live at Pwoje Espwa (Project Hope) in Les Cayes, Haiti. Judex comes from hard circumstances: his father passed away years ago and his mother could barely provide for him and his siblings. Life was tough, Judex said. When he heard of Pwoje Espwa, a place supported by Cross International Catholic Outreach where about 750 children live, are fed, go to school, and learn about Christ from a kind priest named Fr. Marc, he went straight there.

Judex has lived at Pwoje Espwa for two-and-a-half years now. He speaks fluent English, teaches Bible school on Sundays for the children, and works as an interpreter at Pwoje Espwa as needed, such as for dentists and doctors when they visit. Judex also teaches English at Pwoje Espwa during the summer in the mornings for ages 3-6 and in the afternoon for ages 11-15.

Judex says Father Marc has helped him greatly, and he plans to go to a university to become a teacher or a computer programmer. More importantly, Judex wants to help Haiti—he says he wants to stay in Haiti after finishing school and give back to his country. “I just want to share what I have with the others,” he said.

Young people like Judex are all over Haiti—and thanks to caring Catholics like Fr. Marc, their talent and desire to help Haiti is nurtured. Places like Pwoje Espwa offer education, a place to live, and the wonderful message to Christ to the next generation of Haitians. Cross Catholic has a long relationship with Pwoje Espwa, and we know that thanks to Fr. Marc’s dedication to the Lord and the children of Haiti, young men and women like Judex are ready to help Haiti recover from the earthquake.

Click here to learn more about how Cross Catholic makes a difference in the lives of children at Pwoje Espwa—and how you can help!

In the midst of despair people around the world have been touched by the faith and resilience of the Haitian people in the months following the devastating earthquake that leveled Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, killing thousands and leaving more than 1 million people homeless.

Cross Catholic staff members working in the field in the days and months after the earthquake saw this display of faith first hand. Our Haiti projects officer, Mike Henry, described this scene just a week after the earthquake:

“While walking amid the ruins of Port-au-Prince, I came across a spontaneous outdoor gathering of Haitian believers who had just watched their whole world crumble, now joined together in prayer and worship. The earthquake could take their homes and churches, but it could not take their faith! I was amazed by the joy, gratefulness, and prayerful resolve these Haitians were showing in the face of such devastation.”

And this wasn’t an isolated incident. NPR did a piece last week in honor of the six-month anniversary of the earthquake that touched on that very subject. A group of doctors shared an inspiring moment they experienced in the midst of tragedy and pain, at a makeshift tent hospital in Port-au-Prince. This happened to be there very same tent hospital that Cross Catholic supported with tents, medicines, and other aid after the quake.

In the piece, the doctors explain what happened: “…a man begins to play a guitar in the corner of the tent, and patients begin to sing.  Soon every Haitian in the tent is singing or clapping or dancing.  The song: “Jesus, thank you for loving us.” (Click here to listen to the full audio segment.)

These doctors were overwhelmed by the experience. As one put it: “It’s extremely humbling to be around a people that, in the worst time of their life, have it in their hearts to give gratitude for what they have left…”

This is reminiscent of the story of Paul and Silas praising and singing hymns to God despite being chained and in prison (Acts 16:25-31). And if you recall, through their worship the jailer came to Christ. Like this story, the Haitian people’s hopeful attitude despite the devastation caused by the quake is an amazing testament to the awesome power of God to overcome any circumstance.

Click here to learn more about what Cross Catholic has been doing in the last six months to help earthquake victims in Haiti.

More than 1 million people were left homeless after the earthquake. The survivors fled Port-au-Prince in search of temporary shelter and food.

This week marks the six-month anniversary of the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti on Jan. 12, killing more than 200,000 men, women, and children and reducing the capital city of Port-au-Prince to a field of rubble. Droves of traumatized survivors fled to the countryside in search of food, water, and shelter, and at least 1.5 million were left homeless.

As photos from Haiti published by the media this week show, the people are still in great need and it will take years for the country to recover. However, we at Cross Catholic are thankful for the progress that has been made with the help of compassionate Catholics who have selflessly given to help Haiti.

Already, with their support we have been able to provide more than $73 million in cash grants and shipped goods to help those hurting in Haiti. This first helped us provide emergency relief — food, medicine, and other supplies — to victims in the days after the quake. It then enabled us to work with our ministry partners in the months after the disaster to provide recovery and relief to thousands of displaced earthquake victims living in refugee camps.

In addition to the food we continue to ship to earthquake victims, Cross Catholic has turned its efforts to recovery with a plan to build hundreds of earthquake-resistant homes.

Now, six months since the earthquake, we have been able to turn our efforts to long-term recovery — clearing debris to make room for new structures and rebuilding schools and homes. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we’ve also began a plan to build hundreds of earthquake resistant houses in Port-au-Prince and three other regions for families whose homes were destroyed.

Please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers as we continue to work with our ministry partners to rebuild the lives of the earthquake victims.

Click here to read a full report of what Cross has been able to do to help Haiti in the last six months thanks to the generosity of American Christians.

We’ve made the news in Rome, and the topic is Haiti disaster relief. Cross Catholic President Jim Cavnar was recently interviewed by a Vatican reporter for an inside perspective on Haiti’s humanitarian crisis. Jim’s comments were published in a story announcing Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to finance the rebuilding of a Port-au-Prince seminary destroyed by the quake.

Since the earthquake, Cross Catholic President Jim Cavnar (right) has traveled from the front lines of Haiti disaster relief to the Vatican to support ongoing aid efforts.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

“The Haitians have always been very religious, even though they are very poor, and their faith has remained remarkably strong in the face of such tragedy,” Cavnar said after meeting with Cardinal Paul Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.

Cavnar, who visited Haiti in February, said, “The church in Haiti was hit very hard” by the earthquake, which killed dozens of church workers and severely damaged churches, schools, hospitals and seminaries. Still, he said, even the day after the quake, walking through the streets of the city, one would come across groups of people praying and singing hymns.

Each year, the Pope chooses a specific cause to support with the collection from his Holy Thursday evening Mass. His decision to fund the seminary will be a huge encouragement to Catholics in disaster-stricken Haiti. When the Pope first made the announcement, Jim was in Rome meeting with Cardinal Paul Cordes, head of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the group responsible for distributing the Vatican’s humanitarian funds. Cross Catholic collaborates with Cor Unum, and thus with the Pope, by giving about $500,000 per year to specific projects in need of funding.

Cross International Catholic Outreach’s close relationship with Vatican officials and years of experience in Haiti have equipped us to speak to Catholics in a meaningful way about the ongoing recovery efforts. Jim has a great passion for the people of Haiti and is working overtime to ensure that the world does not forget the deep needs of this desperately poor country. Click here to get involved in Cross Catholic’s Haiti recovery efforts.

Romans 8:28 is one of those Bible verses that is easier to believe when life is going well. But when tragedy comes our way, that’s when we really need to hear that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”

Moise Vaval (center) and Cross International Catholic Outreach Projects Officer Claudio Merisio (right) have worked together to organize aid distribution in Haiti.

This verse was a recent focus of our morning devotions here at Cross Catholic, and a very relevant one in light of the suffering we’ve been encountering in Haiti. God doesn’t promise us a carefree life, but he gives us hope in the midst of hardship and strengthens us to do everything to his glory.

It’s hard to stand among the ruins of the Port-au-Prince cathedral and see signs of God’s providence. But as Christ once told his disciples, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” One person who has displayed this supernatural hope is Moise Vaval, a Haitian pastor and friend of Cross Catholic. Moise lost his son Jean-Marc to the earthquake when a school building collapsed on top of him. Moise spent two full days digging through the rubble to find Jean-Marc, who was just short of his ninth birthday, but to no avail.

It would have been easy to succumb to despair, but instead Moise jumped into the disaster relief effort, all the while thanking God for sparing his other three children who had been in the same school. Moise’s volunteer service was crucial to our work, as he tirelessly coordinated the distribution of Cross Catholic emergency supplies to mission partners and refugee camps throughout the country.

God’s people very often shine brightest when times are darkest. Moise, like so many other compassionate people who are working alongside Cross Catholic, has been an inspiration to all of us. We can approach the difficult task of long-term recovery with cheerful hearts, knowing there is real hope for Haiti and for all who seek refuge in Christ.

Below is a video of relief supplies being unloaded from the 220-foot ship that was carrying 10 containers from Cross International Catholic Outreach. The food, water, medicines, and other goods are now being used by our ministry partner Fr. Marc, who cares for 760 orphans, and they will also be distributed to earthquake victims in Les Cayes.

Because the southern seaside town has only a small harbor with a wharf that cannot accommodate large vessels, small boats were used to transport the relief supplies to shore. Loading the 20-foot containers on the little boats was quite a feat!

After weeks of anticipation and a few bumps in the road, 10 containers of relief supplies from Cross International Catholic Outreach being carried by a treasure-hunting ship reached our ministry partners in Les Cayes, Haiti.

The 20-foot containers — carrying food, water, medicines, and other urgently-needed relief supplies — were a welcome site to Fr. Marc, who has been spearheading our efforts to help earthquake refugees pouring into Haiti’s southern region, and the more than 600 orphans he cares for at Pwoje Espwa.

The crew of the 220-foot Sea Hunter, which partnered with Cross Catholic to ship the supplies, encountered three vicious storms that delayed their journey. But through God’s providence they have arrived safely with the precious cargo.

The Sea Hunter coming into the port in Miami, Florida, where it picked up 10 containers of relief supplies from Cross International Catholic Outreach before heading south to Haiti.

Because Les Cayes has only a small harbor with a wharf that cannot accommodate large ships, skiffs were used to transport the supplies to shore where they were trucked to our ministry partner.

Dozens of boxes of food were a welcome site to Fr. Marc who cares for more than 600 orphans in Les Cayes.

Cross International Catholic Outreach President Jim Cavnar and several staff members recently returned from a trip to Haiti. During their time in the earthquake-devastated country, they visited several of the ministries we are helping during this time of recovery.

In their first few hours on the ground the staff was struck by the empty streets of Port-au-Prince, which before the earthquake were teaming hundreds of vendors, children, cars, and animals.

Jim Cavnar, president of Cross International Catholic Outreach, surveys the damage in Leogane where nearly all of the houses were destroyed by the quake. Cross Catholic is supporting an IDP camp of about 200 people who lost their homes there.

“It was like being in a ghost town on the set of a Hollywood movie — it was unreal,” Jim said.

Michele Sagarino, vice president of development, added, “The lack of life in the streets and knowing what that means was very hard to process.”

The group from Cross Catholic met with Gladys Thomas, who runs an orphanage and Christian school we support just outside the capital, to survey the damage her ministry sustained. She told them that they’ll have to completely replace one of their buildings and rebuild the tall cement wall that protects their property from trespassers. She also said that her ministry has taken in 20 new children since the earthquake.

Jim and the staff from Cross Catholic also visited an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp we are supporting in Leogane, which was at the epicenter of the deadly earthquake. Despite the extensive destruction, there was hope among the people in camp. They had just received another shipment of rice when the group from Cross Catholic arrived.

With tents and supplies from Cross International Catholic Outreach, Project Medishare was able to set up a makeshift hospital that is helping hundreds of earthquake victims in Port-au-Prince.

After visiting a few other ministries we support, assessing damage, and planning an approach to help, the team from Cross Catholic stopped by Project Medishare’s tent hospital. Jim and the staff were very impressed by the work being done there — work that has been going on since the first day after the quake. Cross Catholic provided tents and supplies to the ministry, which were of great use when the ministry set up makeshift surgical and exam rooms, an infirmary, a lab, and a pharmacy.

Overall the group was impressed by the work we’ve accomplished together with our ministry partners to help those suffering in Haiti. “Our partners are showing tremendous courage and faith in the wake of this disaster,” Jim said. “Though it was difficult to see the suffering, we were glad to also find hope among the people as we met with our partners. We feel blessed to be a part of the recovery efforts that are bringing relief to those hurting in Haiti.”

Click here to learn more about our relief efforts in Haiti.

In Haiti, one thing has always been certain. Through all the poverty, tragedy, and violence that has plagued the small Caribbean nation, Haitians have always celebrated Carnival.

Many churches were destroyed in the earthquake. But Haitian’s faith in God remains strong

But not this year.

The lively annual festivities, which would have begun Sunday and ended today, have been set aside, so the Haitian people can observe three days of mourning and fasting. Haitian musicians cancelled their Carnival performances and instead are raising money for earthquake relief.

It’s amazing how God can use the worst of tragedies to remind us that he is in control. We are confronted with our own helplessness, with our absolute dependence in God’s mercy and compassion. Shortly after the earthquake struck, our own staff reported seeing groups of people openly praying and worshiping God amid the ruins of Port-au-Prince. Though the church buildings were destroyed, the faith of the people remained intact.

As Cross Catholic begins to look forward to Haiti’s long-term recovery, we consider our spiritual focus an integral, rather than peripheral, part of our mission to the poor. The people of Haiti need hope, and our mission partners are there to lead them to the only hope that lasts. Whether we are supporting orphans at Pwoje Espwa, building houses for destitute families through the Kobonal Housing Project, or helping the Haitian Health Foundation rescue malnourished children from the brink of starvation, we do our work in Christ’s name, because he is the one who changes lives. A meal will sustain a child for a day, and the sturdiest rebuilt house will eventually weather away, but Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection sustains us forever.

Cross Catholic Projects Officer Mike Henry helped to hand out emergency aid in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Jacquet.

On Saturday, Cross Catholic took part in another emergency aid distribution. The event was held at a church in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Jacquet. Much of the city remains in ruins since the Jan. 12 earthquake, and those who have not fled to outlying areas are still in need of food and shelter.

The distribution at Bethlehem Church was coordinated by our Cross Catholic mission partner World Concern, to whom we sent an emergency airlift of food, water, sheets, and blankets. During the distribution, Cross Catholic and World Concern handed out half of the Cross Catholic-sponsored food supply of nutrient-rich meal packets, as well as rice, beans, and tarps, to desperately needy local families who have lost everything: their homes, possessions, livelihoods, and even loved ones.

Today, Cross Catholic is on the ground in Haiti working with our partner Arc en Ciel to distribute food to earthquake refugees at internally-displaced persons (IDP) camps. There is so much work still to be done in Haiti, even if the crisis is no longer on the front-page news, and Cross Catholic is keeping boots on the ground to help ensure that no needy person is left behind. Click Here to learn how you can support our Cross Catholic disaster relief effort.