Contact: Jon D. Wilke, Faith Comes By Hearing, 505-881-3321
MEDIA ADVISORY, April 13 /Christian Newswire/ -- After the devastating earthquake in Haiti in mid-January, hundreds of disaster relief teams, aid agencies, NGOs and governments rushed into Port-au-Prince to provide the necessary food, water and medical supplies.
One non-profit ministry, Faith Comes By Hearing, came alongside more than 100 of these groups to provide 3,400 solar-powered Audio Bibles, called Proclaimers, to minister to the Haitians' spiritual needs.
"It is a word of hope in the midst of much suffering," said an aid worker who contacted Faith Comes By Hearing for Haitian Audio Bibles.
Three months have now passed since that dreadful day, and field reports are coming back from groups that used Proclaimers.
One aid worker, named Sue, noticed at a Bible study that not everyone had a Bible. So she approached the woman leading the group, who explained that some of the women and men weren't able to read.
"We gathered them and explained what the Proclaimer was and how it was to be used. This gift was received with joy, tears and hugs for all," said Sue.
Another team that took along Proclaimers was responsible for repairing freshwater wells and pumps to provide clean drinking water.
"We fixed 37 well pumps and had a Proclaimer playing at each well site in the disaster area," said Rick, another aid worker. "The people were amazed when they heard the Word of God, and they asked questions. The children love hearing the Word and smile while they listen."
This outreach has across-the-board support and is being generously funded by individuals, churches, foundations, and groups across the country. For example, a sub sandwich shop owner in Port Orange, Fla., collected donations for Proclaimers and gave nearly $4,800. A children's group from Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., also gave more than $1,300.
"The church as a whole took up collections for food, medical supplies, and also raised money for the tents," said Steve Young, SECC Children's minister. In the children's ministry, "The kids got excited about this because of the timeliness. A lot of the kids keep up with current events, and it was important for them to know that they helped someone."
Volunteer teams and short-term missions groups can continue to request Audio Bibles through the Every Church Every Village program. For more information, contact Haiti@FaithComesByHearing.com or call 800-545-6552.