International Ministries raising $50,000 to help partners affected by hurricanes

International Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA, with church partners and missionaries, is actively working to respond to the aftermath of Hurricanes Felix and Dean, which raged through the Caribbean and Central America in recent weeks. Despite the recent storm systems, missionaries report they are safe and actively working with the churches to provide relief and to begin assessing next steps, reconstruction and ongoing relief. They request that American Baptists continue to support and partner with them in the effort to meet needs estimated to cost nearly $50,000.

Give online now to One Great Hour of Sharing.

Hurricane Felix is the latest system to blow through the Caribbean and parts of Central America, striking the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua and Honduras on Tuesday, Sept. 4. Church partners are reporting more than 6,000 displaced families in need of emergency relief. And news agencies report at least 130 have died.

Hurricane Felix comes right on the heels of Hurricane Dean, which struck Jamaica Aug. 19, and later other parts of the Caribbean, and Mexico. In Jamaica, at least five people were killed, and extensive property damage was sustained.

Rev. Dr. Jose Norat-Rodriguez, the Caribbean and Latin American area director for International Ministries, is in Nicaragua now. Norat-Rodriguez reports that missionaries David and Laura Parajon and Ketley and Vital Pierre are safe, and helping respond to the needs of one of the primary partners of International Ministries -- the Council of Protestant Churches of Nicaragua. The Council reported Sept. 6 more than 15,800 people were displaced, nearly 7,900 homes destroyed and more than 40,000 people directly affected by Hurricane Felix.

With funds from One Great Hour of Sharing, International Ministries has sent a grant of $5,000 to the Council, with more assistance needed after the damage assessment. One of our missionaries, David Parajon, a doctor, will fly to the region to provide medical assistance. He asked for support to have communications for him and a work team coming from Kansas in a few days. Laura, his wife and fellow doctor, told International Ministries, "There are thousands of hungry people who also don't have clothes. Many people are falling ill. The Atlantic coast in the best of situations is already hard to get to and in the regions we are going to there is no communications." The projected cost of their communications equipment is $8,000. The Parajons will oversee the medical assistance with the Council in three remote villages of the Northeast Atlantic. They will be able to fly back and forth from Managua -- the capital -- to this remote area, because the Missionary Aviation Fellowship is donating a Cessna 206 airplane for one month. However, the Parajons will need to raise $28,000 to pay for fuel and maintenance costs for the month.

Meanwhile, weeks after Hurricane Dean, Jamaica is still struggling to recover. The Jamaican Baptist Union reported that among its churches and members, 45 sanctuaries sustained significant damage, along with 20 parsonages, 20 schools and the seminary. At least 75 households with Union members are still recovering. International Ministries also provided the Union an initial $5,000 grant through One Great Hour of Sharing.

Missionary Tim Long, based in Mexico, just returned from a fact-finding mission to Jamaica for International Ministries. He reports "extensive damage."

"A point that is important," Long said, "is Jamaica, over the last few years, may not have been hit directly by storms, but they have skirted the coasts. So Jamaica, and the churches have had to deal with yearly hurricanes such as this, that take away so much of their energy and time as they deal with clean-up and assisting people in need."

Danielle Redwood, a spokeswoman for the Union said that an immediate need now was something to protect buildings. "People would really appreciate heavy tarps, which they could place over damaged roofs until construction can begin," Redwood said. These tarps cost about $85 each. If one tarp was provided for all 160 churches, homes and schools damaged, it would cost $13,600. Redwood said, larger buildings, such as schools or churches, may need two or three tarps to temporarily replace damaged roofs.

Not directly affected were missionary Kristy Engle, based in the Dominican Republic, and Mabudiga and Kihomi Nzunga, based in Haiti.

Give now by sending donations to International Ministries. Checks to International Ministries should designate Hurricane Felix or Hurricane Dean, so the funds may be directed to our partners or missionaries affected. Also give online to One Great Hour of Sharing.

Formed in 1814, International Ministries is the oldest Baptist mission agency in North America. The organization serves the more than 5,800 churches of the American Baptist Churches USA. Globally, International Ministries partners with more than 500 educational institutions and 125 hospitals and medical facilities. More than 1,800 volunteer, short-term and career missionaries work together with some 15,000 trained national workers, who serve about 22,000 congregations and nearly 3,000,000 baptized members.