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“Crandall flew to Haiti Saturday, Jan. 23, with Julius Hunter, a Baton Rouge, La., pastor, pilot Bruce Case and 1,200 pounds of medical supplies as part of a six-day mission aided by King's Wings, a West Palm Beach-based charity,” wrote Rogers. “There, while attending to Haitians wounded by the Jan. 12 earthquake, Crandall witnessed the chaos, confusion, suffering and hope that emerged.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday it was "unfortunate" that American Christians are suspected of smuggling children out of quake-hit Haiti even if their intentions were good. Haitian prosecutors are due to decide Thursday whether to charge the 10 Christians, who have been held by authorities there since they attempted to sneak a group of 33 children out of the country. "Trafficking of human beings, particularly of children is a problem across the world," Clinton said after holding talks in Washington on Wednesday about the problem of trafficking in persons worldwide. "The Haitian nation acted to protect children...

MERIDIAN, Idaho (BP)--Members of two Southern Baptist churches in Idaho are awaiting word on what a Haitian judge will decide Feb. 1 when he hears the case of 10 Americans accused of unlawfully trying to remove 33 children from Haiti. Five of the 10 are members of Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian, Idaho, and three are from Eastside Baptist Church in Twin Falls, including Eastside's pastor, Paul Thompson. Two others are believed to be from other states.

Late Friday afternoon, ABC 4 confirmed that at least 50 children were on a flight headed to Miami, where they will be processed into the country by TSA officials. -SNIP- The text posted at 8:48 a.m. Friday morning to the Utah Hospital Task Force blog said, "We have negotiated the release of 125 orphans bound for SLC and are on ramp in Haiti. Steve Studdert and Executive team along with full support from US Military and US Customs and ICE Agents made it happen. It is truly a miracle."-SNIP- ABC 4 News has learned Stephen Studdert, the task force leader,...

The five men and five women were in custody in the capital, Port-au-Prince after their arrests on Friday night. -SNIP-Authorities said the Americans had no documents to prove they had cleared the adoption of the 33 children -- aged 2 months to 12 years -- through any embassy and no papers showing they were made orphans by the quake in the impoverished Caribbean country."This is totally illegal," said Yves Cristalin, Haiti's social affairs minister. "No children can leave Haiti without proper authorization and these people did not have that authorization."-SNIP-"We have a Baptist minister here (in Port-au-Prince) whose orphanage...

Mass graves. Tent cities.More than 90% of the nation’s structures damaged or destroyed. No food.Amputees and orphans left to fend for themselves. Nearly all of the businesses gone. No employment. Yet it still gets worse for the people of Haiti. Haiti’s Prime Ministery, Jean-Max Bellerive told CNN that he is receiving reports of children being stolen and trafficked as slaves, sex slaves and for the purpose of having their organs harvested to be sold.

In light of another earthquake having just hit Haiti this early this morning, this blog article becomes much more important. This little clip is heartbreaking. Now, this is beginning to shape up as a catastrophe on top of a catastrophe. CNN’s Soledad O’Brien pointing out today that the relief workers are unable to get aid to orphanages either because they have pushed it down the priority hole or they are simply overwhelmed. My guess is its a combination of both but wouldn’t you think in a failed state where orphanages are a staple of the society someone would put children...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Jean Peterson Estime was outside playing soccer when his home pancaked in last week's earthquake and killed his parents and five sisters. Now he sleeps with thousands in a Port-au-Prince park and forages in rubble for food and goods he can sell to survive. "I'm trying to get a little job so I can take care of myself," he says, attempting to look brave even as he shuffles his dirty feet in too-big sandals. What the 13-year-old really wants is someone to take him in. Tens of thousands of children have been orphaned by the magnitude-7.0 quake,...

The tragedy in Haiti has touched so many. I can’t even begin to wrap my head around the images my amazing colleagues are bringing us from the devastation, each story more heartbreaking than the next. Two days ago I got a call from a good friend of mine in L.A. who helps to run Angel House Orphanage in Haiti. Her name is Shannon Hoffman, and I used to work with her husband Gary who is a radio news anchor and reporter at KFI-AM 640. Gary and I were also field reporters together in Sacramento at Newstalk 1530 KFBK, and we...

I have cried as I’ve watched the graphic images coming out of Haiti. Watching a mother cry out in anguish because she’s lost five children broke my heart. The thought of losing a child is more than I can bear. I can only imagine the grief she must be experiencing. Hearing that residents of a nursing home are laying in the streets without food or water while the supplies are only a half mile away at the airport seems unthinkable to me. A 22 year old female missionary from Washington was found buried under the rubble. She was there helping...

The United States will temporarily allow entry to orphaned children from Haiti to receive needed care after the devastating earthquake in their country, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Monday. "We are committed to doing everything we can to help reunite families in Haiti during this very difficult time," Napolitano said in a statement. "While we remain focused on family reunification in Haiti, authorizing the use of humanitarian parole for orphans who are eligible for adoption in the United States will allow them to receive the care they need here," she said. The "humanitarian parole policy" will be applied...

Gov. Ed Rendell, Channel 11 has learned, was one of those on the flight from Pittsburgh International Airport to bring back dozens of orphans from the BRESMA orphanage in Haiti. Two sisters from Ben Avon run the orphanage and their story is making national headlines

Orphaned children from Haiti will be allowed to enter the U.S. temporarily on a case-by-case basis to ensure they received proper care, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State announced Monday. "We are committed to doing everything we can to help reunite families in Haiti during this very difficult time," DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement. "While we remain focused on family reunification in Haiti, authorizing the use of humanitarian parole for orphans who are

Saturday night I was watching CNN in the wee hours while taking care of my friend and patient who has pancreatic cancer. I was watching Fox, but I could not stand another second of Jerald Rivers, so I flipped channels to CNN. I watched a lovely video about two beautiful young Pennsylvania girls who were taking care of orphans in Haiti. After the video at about 3:00 in the morning, a message from CNN said that "after recording this segment, the Girls and the orphans were given permission to go to the U.S. I came home, and told my wife...

These are not the observations of paid strangers venturing into Haiti only for so long as the earthquake and the loss of human life garner the label, newsworthy. These are the observations of those living in Haiti who have been called there by God to serve the Haitian people in His name. These missionaries were in Haiti long before the earthquake and will remain there long after the news crews leave. These missionaries experience the poverty and tragedy and joy of Haiti on a daily basis and now they need your help.

During the quake, our three-year-old grandson told his mom that he thought a train was coming through their house. Our son’s reaction was that he knew something bad had happened but not until Wednesday morning did they know that something REALLY BAD had happened. Indeed, something REALLY BAD had happened. Having served on many mission trips to Haiti the area of the REALLY BAD was a very familiar place. I have walked on those streets, shopped in the stores and visited the Compassion country office that was right in the midst of the devastation. I could mentally picture these houses...

As of Wednesday morning, Compassion International reports that they have not yet made contact with their Haiti office, which is near the epicenter of Tuesday’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake. The quake has produced many aftershocks, including two of significant intensity - over 5.0 in magnitude. Communication to Haiti is virtually impossible with widespread damage to cell towers and communication lines. Compassion shared on Twitter that their reach in Haiti involves 230 churches helping 65,000+ children/families, 2,200 Child Survival Program moms and babies and almost 100 leadership students. “Based on the epicenter, media reports and our center locations, we expect centers have been...

Bobby and Sherry Burnette, the founders and directors of Love A Child Orphanage, are reporting widespread destruction in Haiti in the aftermath of Tuesday’s massive earthquake.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have donated over $100,000 to an orphan children charity on Christmas. Called the SOS Children's Villages charity in the US, it is a foster care facility, which enables siblings to stay together during the adoption process, reports contactmusic.com. "We have seen first-hand the remarkable job SOS does to raise orphaned and abandoned children and keep families together," Jolie said in a statement. Her partner Pitt said: "In this holiday season, many of us take for granted that we are surrounded by loving family members. The poor outcomes for foster children indicate that we must do...

Children excitedly reach toward Santa Claus, played by Pfc. Brent Read, HHC, 2nd HBCT, 3rd ID, to see what gifts he has to offer at a church in Kermles, Iraq, Dec. 24. Spartan Soldiers visited the orphaned children of Mosul and Kermles on Christmas Eve, bringing toys, candy, backpacks and shoes. Photo by Spc. Crystal Witherspoon, 3rd Infantry Division. FOB MAREZ — As smiling children filled a room almost to capacity, their faces shining and full of excitement, Col. Charles E. Sexton asked them, "Have you all been good boys and girls or bad boys and girls?" "Good!" screamed the...