Prayers for Haiti

​Apostle Art Smith reports:

Prayers and concern for the people of Haiti who experienced a strong 7.2 magnitude earthquake this morning. The epicentre of the quake was in the western part of the country near a place called Trou de Nippes.
I’ve been communicating with our staff and key leaders. Staff in the Port au Prince area, Hinche and Cap Haitien are ok. Our former mission centre president, in Chardonnieres, in the extreme west, reports that he is ok, but that it appears they have experienced many collapsed buildings and at least one death. No word yet from other members, including a retired church employee who lives much closer to the epicentre.
Thanks for all of your prayers and concern.
For those of you who’ve followed the news from Haiti over the last number of years, this earthquake was centred in the southern claw, west of the Port au Prince area quake that devastated Haiti a decade ago. This zone was severely impacted by Hurricane Matthew in October of 2016. Community of Christ has many members in this area and we are anxious to hear from them and to hear the overall damage report.

And a further update:...
 
Thank goodness!  There is some good news.
I finally just heard from our retired full-time minister, Brother Narcisse Pierre.  
Thankfully, he and his family were early risers today.
They are all safe and unhurt.
Had the quake come earlier, things would have been different because the walls of their home have fallen down on their beds.
There is still much we don’t know.
Thank you for all your prayers.

Here is former mission centre president and current pastor of the Chardonnieres, Haiti congregation, Renand Hillaire, getting ready to spend the night on the mountain, up away from their homes and buildings (that are either fallen down or might still fall down). They retreated to the mountain from their coastal village, in the wake of the quake, to avoid possible tsunamis. They slept out here under the trees last night, waiting for the aftershocks to settle down.