Lutherans Around the World Respond to Haiti

Posted on 15. Jan, 2010 by in Haiti



Eberhard Hitzler, Executive Director of LWF’s Division for World Service

“You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay O my God.” Psalm 40:11

Thankfully, US Lutherans are not delaying in their concern and care for the people of Haiti. LWR’s phone is ringing, the mailbox is filling and the web site is receiving record hits. Why? Because all of us are a part of the answer to the prayers of millions of Haitians whose needs are so great. We cannot delay our support and action.

I am thrilled to hear that our partners the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) find themselves in similar situations.

I am thankful that another of our core partners—Lutheran World Federation (LWF) which has not delayed as they begin to stage a massive response to the situation in Haiti. I just got off the phone with Eberhard Hitzler, Lutheran World Federation’s (LWF) Executive Director for World Service. (You might recognize Eberhard’s name because he frequently reads and comments on my blog. He is a dear friend.)

I always come away enriched, challenged and motivated from my conversations with Eberhard, but, today I was particularly struck by one of Eberhard’s comments. He said, “The earthquake in Haiti was a devastating event. But, for many of those living in Haiti the situation before the earthquake was also horrible. Maybe now we can all assist the Haitian people in rebuilding a country that becomes better than it has ever been.”

It is clear that the rescue, recovery and rebuilding efforts in Haiti will be vast. LWF is gearing up for a massive operation that will require significant financial resources. Before we hung up, Eberhard offered one final call to Lutherans around the world: “When it comes to the earthquake in Haiti—think beyond this moment. We must view this and work with the long-term perspective in mind.”

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  • Nikki Massie

    In the midst of so much suffering, Mr. Eberhart's comments gave me pause. As you said in your video message, "God's wisdom is not our wisdom." I have faith, however, that in our collaborative efforts we are working toward God's plan and for that I am thankful to be a part of it all.