A request for prayer for Haiti

This is a special message -- actually a special request for prayer. As most of you know, I am involved with Child Hope International, a ministry in Port-au-Prince, Haiti that combines an orphanage, feeding program, medical clinic, and school. Lately we have received requests from Haiti for prayer for two main needs. On top of the ongoing aftermath of the January 12 earthquake, Haiti is suffering with two other afflictions:

1. There is a cholera epidemic sweeping through Haiti. So far none of the children of Child Hope's orphanage have contracted cholera, but Markenson, a graduate of the program and employee at the orphanage, lost a younger brother just a couple of weeks ago. Some 4700 have gotten the disease, 337 of which have died. Cholera is caused by contaminants in water. Please pray for the people of Haiti regarding their water supply.

2. On top of the cholera epidemic, tropical storm Tomas is headed toward Haiti. Thankfully, the storm has been downgraded from a hurricane. However, it is still expected to dump a great deal of rain on Haiti, which will cause flooding and mudslides, and further disrupt water sources. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are living in tent cities. Most of them sleep inside a one-room shelter made of a frame of light branches and a covering of bedsheets and plastic. One person said that waiting through a bad tropical storm in one of these shelters would be like riding out a tornado in a light trailer. Please pray that suffering from the storm will be minimized.

Thank you!

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