A round-up on Mennonite presence in Haiti

Since the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, mainstream media worldwide have been following individuals from their areas — including some Mennonites — as a way to report on the Haiti earthquake. In between interviews, some Mennonite workers have been writing their own updates. Here are some of the reports available:

• Mennonite Central Committee is providing podcasts from workers in Haiti and updates on its Facebook page.
  

  Joel and Rachel Hoffman were serving with MCC in Haiti. The Albany (Ore.) Democrat Herald reports that the couple flew to Portland Jan. 15 to be with family in Oregon. As Rachel Hoffman is Australian, and the couple previously lived in Brisbane, Australia, the Australian media have followed the couple as well. Brisbane-based The Courier-Mail interviewed the couple, who were each injured when their apartment building collapsed, with Joel Hoffman receiving 20 stitches. They said they may return to Haiti. The couple have not yet had a chance to write on their own blog as they recuperate.
  

• Souderton (Pa.) Mennonite Church had a short-term service group in southern Haiti when the earthquake occurred. Beverly Miller of Harleysville, Pa., among the Souderton group, wrote an article for The Reporter, a newspaper based in Lansdale, Pa., about surviving the earthquake. She sent additional e-mail reports to The Reporter before the group returned to the U.S. Jan. 18. A news site for three area newspapers has a lovely photo of a grandmother embracing her grandson upon his arrival in Franconia.
  

• Hartville (Ohio) Mennonite Church — which with more than 500 members isn’t exactly tiny, contrary to the local headline — has been sending service groups to a boys’ orphanage in Port-au-Prince for about a decade. Two of their members, Jared and Jalayne Coblentz, went to Haiti in October to help start a girls’ orphanage. The couple have been blogging almost daily about their neighbors and sharing prayer requests.
  

  Jared Coblentz’s father, Marion Coblentz, who has supported the boys’ orphanage for more than 10 years, arrived Jan. 19 in Haiti. Additional members plan to follow, Sue Nisly, Hartville secretary, told me. They hope to repair damage to the orphanages and help Haitian partners.
  

• James Arbaugh, a missionary in Haiti, has been blogging updates about the earthquake and relief efforts. Arbaugh and his brother, Joe, who each have long-term experience in Haiti, are coordinating Virginia Mennonite Missions’ efforts and are working with local Mennonite pastors and MCC.
  

  VMM sent a group of 10 people to Haiti Jan. 21, including relief workers, a parademic, emergency medical technicians, a firefighter, a physician and several nurses. Most of the participants have been on medical teams in Haiti, and some will serve as Creole translators. The News Virginian of Waynesboro, Va., and The News Leader of Staunton, Va., interviewed some participants before they left. VMM is posting updates on its Facebook page and is waiting to hear from people on the ground as to whether more medical teams are needed, Galen Lehman, VMM Caribbean regional director, told me.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate any English-language blogs or news sites by Haitian Anabaptists. If you know of any, please post information in the comments. — Celeste Kennel-Shank