By Ivy Jelden
The Orange County Register
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — “This assignment could have broken my heart, if I hadn’t seen all the good things God is doing in this tiny nation,” said John White, president of Firefighters for Christ, about the 10-day work trip he spearheaded in the disaster torn Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Eyes full of tears, White recalls the devastation of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that left millions vulnerable. He learned about a child whose wrists were stuck underneath a fallen building not allowing him to pull himself free. A compassionate bystander cut off the wrists and ran with the child 10 miles to the hospital where he received care. The medics with Firefighters for Christ treated multiple cases at their post such as a woman who had packed a deep leg cut with mud for 12 days before obtaining proper care.
White reports that 13 men from the 173rd Airborne Division gave their hearts to the Lord at a chapel service. The new plans in the works are for a week of crusades in Port-au-Prince through April 20; the group was to leave April 13. White will tag team with Haitian evangelist Yveto Dorce, who will preach and translate English into the three other native languages — French, Creole, and Spanish.
The other venture for the Firefighters for Christ is to build a fire station in Port-au-Prince.
Firefighters for Christ is a volunteer ministry and the men who participate pay their own way, usually take time off from their regular firefighting obligations to go on missions to help people affected by disasters.
To learn more about the Laguna Hills-based Firefighters for Christ contact johnwhite@firefightersforchrist.org and firefightersforchrist.org.
Copyright 2010 Orange County Register
All Rights Reserved