'Piercing Wail' Followed Haiti Quake

A Christian Reformed Church missionary spoke to the news media in west Michigan yesterday, describing the terrifying experience of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti and also how the CRC is helping the people there.

"CRC people, including my husband, Zachary, are still there and working hard. I ask that people pray that we will do what God wants us to do in Haiti," Sharon Segaar-King said at a news conference in Grand Rapids, Mich.

"Because the church has been there for 30 years, we can meet with the leaders of communities and figure out what to do. We know how things work," she said in an interview. "Our hope comes from Jesus Christ and that is what we can bring to the people of Haiti."

Segaar-King and her husband, Zachary, and four children were eating dinner in Port-au-Prince when the massive earthquake rolled through. Dishes, books and other items flew from cupboards and shelves as she and her family quickly escaped into the street. Two of her neighbors were not so fortunate; they died when their home collapsed.

"When we got outside, we heard this piercing wail," she said. It sounded as if people were in great pain and crying out to God. "We saw some unforgettable things. There were many reports of death and destruction. I saw bodies covered by sheets in the streets. It was overwhelming. You can’t even take it in."

Several days after the earthquake, Segaar-King and her four children left Haiti together with another missionary wife and her children, because it was becoming more and more difficult to find food, water and medical care for the children. She flew to Grand Rapids, where she grew up and has family members.

Her husband has remained behind to work with other CRC personnel, especially members of the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, in the relief and reconstruction effort.

On Wednesday, the Port-au-Prince region was hit again by a strong aftershock, causing further damage to buildings. But Segaar-King said she spoke to her husband and he was safe.

She and her husband have served with Christian Reformed World Missions in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, since 2005. They are graduates of Calvin Theological Seminary. Both speak Haitian Creole. In their work, they do leadership training for Haitian pastors, deacons, and other church workers and host groups from North America that come to Haiti to do short-term mission work. They also have been involved in the construction of churches as well as helping to expand the CRC’s Back to God Ministries International radio ministry in Haiti.

Also at the press conference, Segaar-King asked people to think twice before going to Haiti to try to help. "Don’t hop on a plane and go down there. By being there you would almost be a burden until water and food are readily available to the people of Haiti," she said. "There will be time later for people to help, especially in the reconstruction."

She also urged people to be selective in choosing where to send donations. She noted that the Christian Reformed Church has been in Haiti developing partnerships with a wide range of organizations for 30 years, so it already has staff on the ground as well as networks and expertise in how to address the disaster.

Segaar-King says she hopes to return soon to continue the work in Haiti with her husband.

CRC ministries have worked collaboratively for many years the under the name Sous Espwa (Source of Hope). The Haitian CRC ministry center also survived the earthquake and a medical relief team is using that facility.

Tom Post, a CRWRC team leader with many years of experience responding to disasters, said a key is to treat people as survivors and not victims, to offer them pastoral as well as material care and relief and to give them the opportunity to participate in decision-making and rebuilding.

Rev. Jerry Dykstra, executive director of the CRC, told the news conference, "I believe that it is a gift of God that there are people in Haiti who have been there, know the country, and will be able to help during this time of tremendous pain."

For the latest news or to make a donation, go to www.crcna.org/Haiti.