Relief

The American team of volunteers on trial for abduction charges related to 33 Haitian children had tried to take dozens of other children across the border, said a Haitian police officer.

A few days before their arrests, the ten volunteers attempted to take 40 children to the Dominican Republic, the officer, who requested not to be identified for fear of reprisals, told CNN on Monday. The officer thwarted the group's plan after he was alerted by a concerned citizen about the bus loaded with Haitian children.

Edwin Coq, the U.S. team’s former lawyer, said the officer testified about the earlier incident before the court last week. more >>

The head of a global ecumenical body praised a G7 decision to cancel Haiti’s debt, and urged other financial institutions to do the same.

In a letter Monday to the finance minister of Canada, the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, said he shared the same deep concern for the people affected by the devastating quake in Haiti and thus welcomes G7’s decision.

But he hopes that the debt cancellation does not stop with G7 nations, and that other countries and lending institutions will also be encouraged to forgive Haiti’s debt. more >>

While the New Orleans Saints’ Super Bowl win Sunday may have wiped away memories of the Gulf Coast hurricanes that hit their city five years ago, the mourning in Haiti – for many – still has no end in sight.

Nearly four weeks after Haiti’s 7.0-magnitude quake devastated the capital city of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas, life remains difficult for thousands in Haiti who are without food, shelter, and – most desired – the loved ones they’ve lost.

"Haiti is a nation in mourning," commented Sian Platt, child protection specialist for the Christian humanitarian agency World Vision. "People have not just lost homes, jobs and everything they own, they are somehow trying to come to terms with the death of those who loved and supported them.” more >>

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, have asked President Obama to “do everything within the authority of your office” to free the American missionary team charged with abduction in Haiti.

In a letter dated Feb. 5, the leaders said it is “the consuming passion” of Southern Baptists to share the good news with the world and to “love every person He has created.” This characteristic is especially apparent during times of disaster when Southern Baptists work alongside other humanitarian groups to meet the physical and spiritual needs of people.

Though the leaders admit they do not know all the facts in the case of the detained missionaries, they say it is their understanding that the volunteers were trying to transport 33 Haitian children across the border for humanitarian purposes. more >>

With the controversy surrounding the American Christian team in Haiti, several large Baptist bodies have distanced themselves from the group by clarifying that they are not members of their organization.

The global fellowship Baptist World Alliance issued a statement Thursday “to assure its member bodies, the media and the public” that neither the team of missionaries nor their churches are affiliated with BWA or with any of its member bodies.

Similarly, the American Baptist Churches USA on Wednesday stated that the ten American Baptists arrested by Haitian authorities over concern about child trafficking are not members of churches affiliated with the denomination. more >>