ELCA youth return to New Orleans in 2012 When ELCA youth return to New Orleans in 2012, it will be the first time in the ELCA Youth Gathering history that the event has been held consecutively in the same host city. The gathering will be July 18-22, 2012. The triennial Youth Gathering is the largest event organized by the ELCA, bringing together tens of thousands of high-school-age Lutherans from across the country and overseas for leadership development, faith formation, service opportunities and more. In the summer of 2009 about 37,000 Lutheran teenagers, adult leaders and others gathered in New Orleans not only to paint and make home repairs but to learn about and experience the faith of people who live there. Residents of New Orleans and others along the U.S. Gulf Coast continue to recover more than four years after Hurricane Katrina. "I don't think that we have learned all we can from New Orleans, yet," said Heidi Hagstrom, director for the Youth Gathering. "New Orleans has so much to teach us about practicing God's hospitality. By paying attention to the spirit's activity in and through New Orleanians, I think we get a glimpse of God's intention for the whole world," she said. The Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) and the Definitely Abled Leadership Event (DAYLE) will be held July 15-18. DAYLE is a leadership event designed to "bless and empower" gifted young people with a range of physical, cognitive and emotional differences. MYLE is a "multi-ethnic and multi-generational" event designed to equip young leaders to help lead their congregations into "fuller inclusion as a diverse church in a diverse world." The announcement for the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering was made in Charlotte, N.C., during the Feb. 4-8 ELCA Youth Ministry Network's "Extravaganza" for youth workers. Comments (0) | Permalink |
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Funeral, burial for Ben Larson Feb. 6 A service of "song and prayer" for Benjamin Judd Larson will be held Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, Decorah, Iowa. Immediately following the service Larson, 25, will be buried in Phelps Cemetery, Decorah. Larson, a seminary student, was killed in the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti. The Luther College Nordic Choir will sing at the service and internment. Larson was a member of the choir while a student at Luther College, Decorah. "On Jan. 31 the remains of our son, Ben Larson, arrived in Dover, Delaware," said April Ulring Larson, Ben's mother, in a Feb. 3 statement:"Ben left the dear people of Haiti and began his journey home from Haiti to Dover, to Philadelphia, to Minneapolis, and finally to Decorah." In her statement, April thanked people for the compassion expressed to the people of Haiti and the "compassion for our family. We continue to covet your prayers for us and for the recovery of Haiti." April is senior pastor at First Lutheran Church, Duluth, Minn., and former bishop of the La Crosse (Wis.) Area Synod. Ben's father is Judd W. Larson, interim pastor at Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Duluth. Ben's body was recovered Jan. 28 from the collapsed St. Joseph Home for Boys, Port-au-Prince, by a local work crew that went inside the rubble to find him. He was in Haiti with his wife, Renee Splichal Larson, and his cousin, Jonathan Larson. All three were inside St. Joseph Home for Boys at the time of the earthquake. Renee and Jonathan were trapped in the building but managed to escape. Ben was buried as the building collapsed. Ben was teaching theology to Lutherans in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. He was a senior at Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa. Renee and Jonathan are also senior seminary students at Wartburg. Ben's "earthly journey in Christ comes to an end and he rests in God's arms until Jesus comes again," said April. "We remember words from the hymn that Ben so dearly loved and requested for his funeral 'some day,' 'Lord Jesus, You Shall be My Song.'" Comments (0) | Permalink |
Scott Roeder convicted of murdering Dr. George Tiller, ELCA member A Kansas jury convicted Scott Roeder of first-degree murder Jan. 29. Roeder gunned down Dr. George Tiller, a member of Reformation Lutheran Church, Wichita, Kan., in the church foyer before Sunday service May 31. Tiller was one of a few physicians in the United States who performed late-term abortions and was often targeted by anti-abortion protests. Reformation is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. According to CNN Roeder testified that he shot Tiller to protect unborn children. He said he had no regrets in killing Tiller. Members of Reformation testified that they had seen Roeder at church several times before the day he shot Tiller at point-blank range in the head. Roeder, 51, Kansas City, Mo., faces life in prison. Comments (0) | Permalink |
A 'dignified and respectful' recovery On Thursday evening, Rafael Malpica-Padilla, exectuve director of Global Mission, informed Benjamin Larson’s family that Ben’s remains had been removed from St. Joseph’s Home for Boys near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. A statement from the family appears on the Web site of First Lutheran Church , Duluth, Minn., where Ben’s mother, April Ulring Larson serves as pastor. The response of Ben’s wife, Renee Splichal Larson was, “What would we do without the church! What would we do without the church!” Renee, Ben and Ben’s cousin, Jonathan Larson, were in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. Renee and Jonathan escaped after seeing the top two floors of the six floor building collapse on Ben. All three were in Haiti for J-term as seniors at Wartburg Seminmary, Dubuque, Iowa. Since government efforts to remove Ben’s body would take at least a month, the ELCA’s International Development and Disaster Response Director, Louis Dorvilier, hired people of Haiti to remove rubble and the concrete beam which had fallen on Ben, in order to return his remains home. The recovery effort began on Tuesday and was completed Thursday evening. Ben’s body will be flown on a military plane to a city where he will be officially identified and returned to the Midwest for burial. Said his family in the statement, “Ben so dearly loved the people of Haiti, and it was these loving resourceful people, together with his beloved church, the ELCA, who joined hands to bring Ben home. His family is deeply grateful.” The statement ends with a postscript dated this morning (Friday) from Renee Dietrich, St. Joseph’s home, to Ben’s widow, Renee: “I know you know this already, but they removed Ben's body from St. Joseph's last evening. Michael said it was very dignified and respectful. The person leading them down was holding candles. Know you are loved and supported and constantly in our thoughts and prayers.”
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Body of ELCA seminary student, Ben Larson, recovered in Haiti The body of Benjamin Judd Larson, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America seminary student who died in the Haiti earthquake, was recovered Jan. 28. Larson, who was teaching theology to Lutherans in Haiti at the time of the disaster, was buried when the building he was in collapsed. Larson's body was located Jan. 27 inside the destroyed St. Joseph Home for Boys in Port-au-Prince by a local work crew that went to the site to find him. The crew worked to remove multiple layers of concrete so they could recover his body, said Ben's wife, Renee Splichal Larson, in a telephone interview with the ELCA News Service. "It's a relief that they have found Ben," she said. "It's a huge gift that people (took) the time to get Ben's body out so we can grieve and bury him." Renee, Ben and a cousin, Jonathan Larson, were all inside the St. Joseph Home for Boys at the time of the earthquake. Renee and Jonathan were trapped in the building for a short time, but managed to escape. They reported that Ben, who was near them on the same floor, was buried as the building collapsed. Renee said she heard Ben singing a hymn from under the rubble, but the singing soon stopped. Renee and Jonathan returned to the United States a few days later after their unsuccessful attempts to rescue or locate Ben at the building site. Both Renee and Jonathan are senior students at Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, as was Ben. Wartburg is one of eight ELCA seminaries. Renee said she is "comforted" to know that her husband probably died shortly after the singing stopped, though she admits to feeling a different kind of grief now. Since news of what happened to Ben was first reported, Renee said she and the Larson family have learned of special services and prayers for Ben "from all over the world." Renee said she "feels" all of those prayers. "I feel I'm being carried by the prayers of the people," she said. "I've learned a lot through this experience — the one very solid thing is the power of the Body of the Christ, and the people who comprise it. We have all felt encompassed by people's love and care." Among the many messages sent to the Larson family was an extraordinary message from the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, one of the world's fastest-growing Lutheran churches, Renee said. The church's president is a friend of the Larson family, she said. "They wrote this beautiful letter. There were pages and pages with it, signed by leaders of that church," she said. Despite her own grief, Renee said she is aware that many people are finding connections to Haiti "through Ben and through us," she said. "The people of Haiti need our prayers and support, and so do we." Larson's body was taken to the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, said the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission. From there the U.S. military is expected to return Ben Larson's remains to Dover (Del.) Air Force base, perhaps as early as Jan. 29, he said. Louis Dorvilier, director for international disaster response, ELCA Global Mission, arranged for a local crew to go to the St. Joseph Home for Boys to locate and recover Ben Larson's body. Dorvilier arrived in Haiti last week to join a response and planning team from the Lutheran World Federation Department for World Service and the Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alliance. Renee said she is grateful for the ELCA and its leaders on the family's behalf in Haiti. "If we did not have the church, Ben would not be coming home," she said. The family held a memorial service for Ben Larson Jan. 22 at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, where Ben earned a bachelor's degree. The college is one of 27 ELCA colleges and universities. This weekend, a celebration had been planned in Haiti for the 25th anniversary of the founding of the St. Joseph Home for Boys. That event has been postponed. Instead, friends and supporters of the home will gather Jan. 31 for a prayer service at Hayes Barton United Methodist Church, Raleigh, N.C. Renee and Jonathan have been invited, but are unsure if they will be able to attend, she said. Comments (0) | Permalink |
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Larson body located Renee Splichal Larson awaited official word Wednesday afternoon that her husband’s body had been recovered from the rubble of the St. Joseph Home for Boys in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Benjamin Larson, 25, was in the building with Renee and his cousin Jonathan Larson at the time of the Jan. 12 earthquake. Renee and Jonathan escaped and eventually returned to the U.S. All three, seniors at Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, were in Haiti for J-term. Ben is the son of April Ulring Larson and Judd Larson, Duluth, Minn., both ELCA pastors. Renee told The Lutheran today (Wednesday, Jan. 27) that she had received a call from Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director of ELCA Global Mission, Wednesday morning saying that “they have located Ben and hope to have his body out this afternoon.” She said Malpica’s text message sent to her after the earthquake assuring her that the Lutheran World Federation staff would “care for Ben and work to get [his body] out” was the only reson she was able to leave Haiti. “I also knew that the people of St. Joseph’s would watch over his body and protect the building so that Ben would not be lost. Ever since the earthquake I have entrusted Ben to the Haitian people and the Church, and they are the ones who have prayed and worked so hard to get Ben out.” Comments (4) | Permalink |
Lutheran college students stranded in Machu Picchu Two professors and 21 students from Gustavus Adolphus College are stranded in Machu Picchu, Peru. Heavy rains and flooding produced mudslides in the area, blocking roads and limiting other means of transportation. The group is among an estimated 2,500 tourists and others waiting to be evacuated. Gustavus Adolphus, St. Peter, Minn., is one of 27 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The group is safe and morale is good under the circumstances, said trip leader Debra Pitton, professor of education at Gustavus. Gustavus Adolphus College's media relations office provided information for this story. Comments (0) | Permalink |
ELCA members, congregations contribute more than $1.2 million for Haiti Individuals and congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have contributed more than $1.2 million to fund relief efforts of ELCA partner organizations working on the ground in Haiti, said Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission, in a Jan. 19 conference call. Malpica Padilla said the figure includes gifts sent to the ELCA through the Web and those contributed by callers using credit cards. Checks that have been sent to the ELCA are not yet included in the total, he said. "We anticipate we are close to $2 million," he said. Funds sent to the ELCA are being channeled through three partner organizations for earthquake relief in Haiti, said Malpica Padilla. Recipients include: • The Lutheran World Federation, Geneva, working through Action by Churches Together to provide shelter for people left homeless by the earthquake • Lutheran World Relief, Baltimore, providing material aid such as hygiene kits and materials to be used to care for babies • Church World Service, New York, for construction of temporary water systems and distribution of water purification materials Comments (0) | Permalink |
He spent his last breath singing: Wife, cousin remember Ben Larson The past week for Renee Splichal Larson and Jonathan Larson has been filled with danger, uncertainty, heartache and deep pain as they mourn the apparent loss of Renee's husband and Jonathan's cousin, Ben Larson, 25, in the earthquake in Haiti. The two Evangelical Lutheran Church in America seminary students, in Port-au-Prince at the time of the disaster, returned to the United States Jan. 15. They spoke to the ELCA News Service Jan. 18. Renee and Jonathan told of their escape from the collapsed St. Joseph Home for Boys and their unsuccessful attempts to rescue Ben. They also talked about the suffering of the people of Haiti, their strong feelings of gratitude for the ELCA and the positive influences it had on Ben throughout this life. "All he wanted was to be a pastor in this church," Renee said. The three senior students at Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa -- one of eight ELCA seminaries -- went to Haiti to teach Lutheran theology to members and pastors of the Lutheran church during the seminary's January term. Renee, who grew up in Garrison, N.D., was also doing interviews with local people for a master's thesis about the emerging Lutheran church in Haiti. That all changed on Jan. 12, when a severe earthquake struck Haiti. At the time of the quake all three were together in the St. Joseph Home for Boys. "We were all together on the same floor," when the building began to shake, Renee said. "We all kind of panicked and started running. Jonathan and I were together. (Ben) was hugging a pillar in the middle of the floor. I turned and I saw him, and I saw concrete starting to fall on him. I called for him and started running toward him." At that moment the two floors above collapsed on them. Jonathan and Renee were trapped for a short time, but managed to squeeze out onto the roof of the building and called for Ben, she said. The collapsed building continued to shift as the aftershocks continued, Renee said. The two went back to the place where they had crawled out and called again for Ben. Renee said she heard Ben's voice. He was singing, not unusual for Ben who loved music. "I told him I loved him, and that Jon and I were okay, and to keep singing," Renee said. But the singing stopped after he sang the words "God's peace to us we pray," she said. "If he was alive, he would have been calling for help desperately," Renee said. "Ben spent his last breath singing." In the chaos of that night, Renee and Jonathan stayed nearby with local residents displaced by the quake. One of the people they were with was Bill Nathan, director of the St. Joseph Home for Boys, who injured his spine after jumping from the roof of the building to the ground. ABC News featured Nathan's story on Nightline. The next day Renee and Jonathan went back to the building, managed to get their passports, and did what they could to locate Ben, but could not find him. "Getting off of that roof was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do," she said. The two were advised to go to the U.S. Embassy, which they managed to accomplish with local residents' help, and seek assistance to rescue Ben, but there was no team to rescue Ben. They met up with a Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville (N.J.), medical team at the embassy, who cared for Renee and Jonathan. The students managed to get text messages to their families, asking for advice about what to do. Their families advised them to return home to the United States. "It was so sad to go. It took all of our strength to get back to our families," Renee said. Meanwhile, Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission, and a friend of the Larson family, had contacted the Lutheran World Federation and a member of Congress, trying to arrange for a team in Haiti to get to Ben. Those attempts continue. The Red Cross has estimated that as many as 200,000 people may have died as a result of the earthquake. In addition, questions are being asked about the slowness of the response. "People are so desperate," Renee said, adding that the devastation "breaks my heart. To know that the people of Haiti still have nothing is very difficult." She added that she cannot think about Ben "apart from the thousands of Haitians who died in the earthquake, the poorest of the poor in this hemisphere." The ELCA and Ben Larson Comments (0) | Permalink |
Thrivent matching Haiti gifts, $1 for every $2 Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has announced that, for Haiti earthquake aid, it will match its members' donations by $1 for every $2, up to $1 million. Thrivent Financial said it will add a maximum of $250 per member donation, and donations will be accepted through March 31, 2010. Funds collected through Thrivent will be directed through four Lutheran organizations: Lutheran World Relief, ELCA Disaster Response, LCMS World Relief and Human Care and WELS Committee on Relief. For more information, visit www.Thrivent.com. Comments (0) | Permalink |
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Lutheran aid worker: Haiti "looks like a war zone" "It looks like a war zone," said Eric Celiz, finance officer of the Caribbean/Haiti program of the Lutheran World Federation Department for World Service. Celiz was describing what he saw in Port-au-Prince, Haitim, following the Jan. 12 7.0 magnitude earthquake. It is said to be the most powerful quake to hit the region in 200 years, causing unimaginable suffering in this country—already one of the poorest in the world. "So far no real help is in sight," Celiz reported. He said streets were crowded with people left homeless, as well as people fleeing their homes for fear of aftershocks that continued to rattle the earth. The magnitude of the catastrophe has left a shocked feeling of helplessness, he said. People linger stunned before mounds of rubble with no genuine means of intervening. Others remain buried under the rubble and cry out for help, but the necessary equipment is lacking. "It is an enormous moral dilemma for everyone, including our staff," he said. Sylvia Raulo, director of the LWF Caribbean/Haiti program said between 60 and 80 percent of the buildings in the capital city are destroyed or uninhabitable. The Haitian Red Cross Society reported that as many as 50,000 people have died and up to 3 million are injured or homeless. Raulo said the immediate priority is to assess damage and needs for assistance. Another major task is to set up temporary shelters for people who have lost everything. For the moment it appears that no country program staff have been injured although one staff member has not been accounted for, she said. Meanwhile, ACT Alliance, the largest global alliance of churches and related humanitarian and development agencies, has begun providing extensive emergency assistance. A first rapid support team in which the LWF is participating has already been dispatched to Haiti to work with local organizations in assessing the damage and the help that is needed. Speaking to Lutheran World Information, the LWF news agency, LWF Department for World Service director Eberhard Hitzler said the top priority was coordinating the collaborating members and their relief operations."When such a disaster strikes, everyone wants to help. As good as that may be, we must avoid a situation in which a multitude of organizations work in an uncoordinated manner," he said. DWS was fortunate in that the Haiti program office was intact and most staff are well, Hitzler noted. Before the quake, DWS had been coordinating its activities within the ACT Alliance framework. As the LWF currently chairs the ACT Forum in Haiti, it is responsible for coordinating the massive relief assistance being offered by churches and related agencies to ensure that it reaches people quickly and effectively. "We can only thank God that we have such experienced people whom we can rely on," Hitzler said. It is also important that efforts be coordinated locally with the Red Cross, United Nations agencies and other partners, emphasized the DWS director. "Unfortunately, we do not have the equipment to rescue trapped victims," noted Hitzler, "but we are able to participate in relief work such as water and food distribution." Hitzler pointed out that DWS has broad international experience in assisting refugees and internally displaced persons, and collaborates closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Still, another crucial coordination problem remains for LWF and all other international aid. DWS has extremely limited food and fuel reserves for its own staff, already on the ground. Any additional aid teams must carry their own food, gear such as sleeping bags and sufficient cash with them to Haiti. Comments (0) | Permalink |
In the aftershock, Haiti donations roll in Phones at the ELCA churchwide office are ringing off the hook. Earlier, a woman called into the ELCA's toll-free number and donated $1,000. “She told us that was her one-month salary, but that the people in Haiti needed it more than she did,” said Eliza Alvarez, ELCA Resource Information. Alvarez, one of many staff receiving gifts and questions, hears many such stories after large-scale disasters. “People just want to help, to give,” she said. "Many congregations are requesting the new [Haiti] bulletin insert to put in Sunday bulletins," Alvarez said. By 9 a.m., Alvarez had already been in the office a couple of hours, but hadn't yet been able to retrieve all of the voice-mail messages from donors and prayers. There were just too many calls coming in. ELCA Communications, Information Technology, Development Services and other staff worked late posting and updating Haiti emergency appeal web pages, sending out electronic disaster alerts and readying online giving software for the Haiti appeal. "The earthquake changed everything," said Mary Short, Information Technology. "Yesterday morning, we'd actually scheduled an update to the servers, but this took precedence." "Ninety percent of our calls relate to aid for Haiti," Alvarez said. Some callers have asked about volunteering as part of a church effort, but Alvarez and others are cautioning them to wait. "We are not collecting any clothing or [material donations]. We are not organizing volunteers to go to Haiti at this time. The most helpful thing is for us to wait for more information from those who are responding on the ground," said Raquel Rodriguez, director for Latin America and the Caribbean, ELCA Global Mission. ELCA partners on the ground include Action By Churches Together, Church World Service and Lutheran World Federation, she said. "Right now, we are stressing financial gifts to ELCA Disaster Response," Rodriguez said. "Earmark your check for Haiti. We will send everything to Haiti; 100 percent. We won't keep anything for administration." Rodriguez said ELCA donors can also feel good about the way Lutherans coordinate disaster relief efforts. "In this situation, where the infrastructure has collapsed entirely, we work to assist and not hinder efforts," she said. Rodriguez said Lutheran World Federation staff in Haiti had reported "no major health care issues, although some have lost their homes." ELCA Presiding Bishop Hanson also gave thanks in a Jan. 13 message that LWF staff escaped injury. Communication efforts are a struggle, Rodriguez said, because of the lack of electricity and phone service, but Global Mission was able to contact the LWF representative in Haiti through Skype. To further information-sharing, Rodriguez said staff are providing also information to ELCA congregations known to have relationships in Haiti outside of synod or churchwide efforts. To give ELCA members can contribute gifts online or call 800-638-3522.
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Seminary students' status unclear in Haiti At least one student, perhaps two, from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Wartburg Theological Seminary are unaccounted for in Haiti, following a severe earthquake that struck Jan.12, according to the Rev. Duane H. Larson, Wartburg president. Wartburg, Dubuque, Iowa, is one of eight ELCA seminaries. International Disaster Response commits funds International Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America announced it will immediately commit $250,000 to support response efforts to the earthquake in Haiti. It will also advance another $500,000 in anticipation of additional gifts from ELCA members. To give ELCA members can contribute gifts online or call 800-638-3522.
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Wartburg Seminary student's status unconfirmed after Haiti quake Wartburg Seminary President Duane Larson reports a seminarian is believed dead in Haiti. The death has not been confirmed. In a message on Wartburg's web site , President Duane Larson wrote that seminarian Benjamin Judd Larson is believed to have been killed in the Jan. 12 Haiti earthquake. "I have just spoken with Benjamin Larson's mother, April," Duane Larson wrote. "It is believed now that Ben has been killed in the Haiti quake. Both Jonathan Larson and Renee Splichal Larson (Benjamin's wife) are together safely. They were in the same building as Ben when the quake hit. They made it out, eventually found each other, then returned to St. Joseph Guest House in the attempt to rescue Ben, to no avail. We understand that Renee and Jonathan will return to the U.S. this week. Four Wartburg seminary students, including Benjamin, were spending the January winter term in Haiti. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson said at a Jan. 14 staff prayer service, “We hold Renee, April, Judd, Jonathan and all of Ben’s family and friends in prayer, trusting in God’s mercy and the promise of the Resurrection. ...Our prayers are with the people of Haiti, and their families and friends throughout the world.” First Lutheran Church, Duluth, Minn., where Benjamin's mother, April Ullring Larson, is pastor, hosted a Jan. 14 community prayer service for the people of Haiti. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission, said he has visited St. Joseph Home for Boys, the building where Benjamin Larson is believed to be trapped on the third floor. Renee, Jonathan and LWF staff were unable to access Ben's location, Malpica Padilla said. **************************************** At 6:30 p.m., Jan. 14, after this story was written, Benjamin’s parents, ELCA pastors April and Judd Larson posted this personal statement on the Web site of First Lutheran Church, Duluth, Minn. As an infant Benjamin Judd Ulring Splichal Larson was wrapped in the arms of God in the waters of baptism, and from those waters, his life was an outpouring of love and joy, laughter and play, in response to God first loving Ben. Ben’s love of God, walking in accompaniment, passionately loving others, listening and learning from those who are poor across the globe, drove his serving.
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Haiti: prayer with news Here it's not unusual to have prayers and hymns precede a news conference. It's an impromptu format—-over the lunch hour and open to all—often used by ELCA Disaster Response staff to quickly and effectively pool information across staff involved in every aspect of a disaster appeal. Today at noon churchwide staff filled the Chicago offices' chapel to pray for all who are affected by the Jan. 12 Haiti earthquake. At the service, ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson read Romans 8: 22-27, a Bible passage he has been sharing with loved ones of those affected. Staff offered names, personal prayers and sang hymns. Daniel Rift, director of the ELCA World Hunger Appeal, told staff, "As we share in the agony, we also find ourselves in an astounding place of giftedness. As of this morning, well over 2,000 gifts have come in. ... This is not only a time when our hearts are broken, but when we hold onto hope." Rift said that a Lutheran World Federation colleague estimated that 62 to 80 percent of buildings had been destroyed, and more than 100,000 people had taken to the streets. Rift said the Lutheran World Federation is taking a lead in providing emergency relief such as preliminary shelter, water and assessing needs. LWF offices are "operational and communication is up via Skype," he said. Raquel Rodriguez, director for Latin America and the Caribbean, ELCA Global Mission, shared that an LWF team plans to arrive in Haiti as soon as next week to take charge of logistics, water and other needs. Of concern, she said, is that currently "we only have food and water for 1 to 2 weeks for LWF staff on the ground. ...Any relief efforts have to be self-sustaining." According to Raphael Malpica-Padilla, director, ELCA Global Mission, the ELCA is the single major supporter of the LWF-Haiti office. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, according to the CIA World Fact Book. Eighty percent of residents live in poverty and 54 percent in abject poverty. An emerging Lutheran church in Haiti (Eglise Lutherienne d'Haiti) is a companion to the ELCA Florida-Bahamas Synod. Michael Nevergall, assistant director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response, told churchwide staff that medically-trained volunteers should contact the Medical Reserve Corps. Other volunteers can provide his office with their email addresses, he said, for possible future trips. "This is not the time for [non-medical volunters] to go. It's just too chaotic a situation," he said, adding that after several weeks, ELCA International Disaster Response may know more about future volunteer needs. "When one part suffers, we all suffer together," Hanson reminded staff as they returned to work.
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