Contact Diane Morrow

(800)927-1517 dmorrow@tbbmedia.com

photos and interviews available upon request

Colorado Springs, CO—The horror of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Haiti remains a vivid, debilitating memory for thousands of survivors. Medical care and food supplies are catching up with the needs. New housing is starting to replace some of the temporary shelters. The urgent unmet need now is treating the hidden wounds of those who have lost loved ones and all their possessions. Experts estimate that over 50% of those who experienced the earthquake are suffering mild to suicidal trauma.

Haitian pastors and other Christians are being called on as never before to minister to the suffering.

A survey of 75 ministries working in Haiti revealed a consistent lack of knowhow in trauma counseling, with few resources available on the topic. To assist Haitian pastors and lay leaders, David C Cook moved quickly to develop a Christian Trauma Kit incorporating world class material that has been tailored especially for the aftermath of the quake. The kit is available in both English and Creole and is provided to Christian leaders and ministries at no charge. Many Christian relief organizations have already adopted it for their workers.

Dr. Dieumeme Noelliste, vice chairman of the board of STEP (Seminary of Evangelical Theology of Port-au-Prince) and professor of Theological Ethics at Denver Seminary, recently returned from a visit to Haiti, where he experienced firsthand the needs of Haitian pastors reeling from the trauma. “A pastor at a conference in Port-au-Prince stumbled into my arms and hugged me and cried. He had lost five members of his family in different places around the city. He held on to me and wouldn’t let go,” Noelliste says. “This trauma kit will minister to leaders like this pastor and will help them begin the long task of helping others move toward wholeness. People are desperate for ways to deal with soul pain and panic.”

David C Cook’s trauma kit offers easy-to-follow best practices that Christians can use to help both adults and children toward wholeness. Because the pages of the kit are perforated, grief counselors can easily detach them, make photocopies, and pass them on for free to those in need. It includes five tools:

• Healing the Wounds of Trauma: How the Church Can Help—an 11-session curriculum that guides pastors and leaders through the healing process, both their own and that of the people God wants them to serve. This portion was adapted for Haiti by Cook from a series developed by Wycliffe Africa to show churches how to minister following genocide or widespread AIDS deaths. It is designed to be used in a group.
• When You Lose Someone You Love: Comfort for Those Who Grieve—Pastors and church leaders will gain an intimate understanding of the struggles grieving Christians go through. Ideally, two people should read this section at the same time and discuss it together.
• Human Questions and God’s Response: A Scripture Guide for Church Leaders—Biblical principles answer questions for which there are no simple answers.

And for children:

• God’s Peace, My Peace: Trusting God in Terrifying Times—This activity-based lesson will help children ages 4 to 10 replace their fears with peace. A prayer walk helps children get in touch with Jesus, as they share their emotions with him. The lesson is designed to be used by parents and children, or with groups in a Sunday school or orphanage.
• Someone I Love Died—This interactive children’s book gives children an opportunity to draw their thoughts and feelings. Through art therapy, children learn to talk honestly with God and understand that God never gets angry when a child shares his real feelings, even when they include anger and pain and hurt.

The emergency publication of this trauma kit is one of the many ways David C Cook is accomplishing its global mission to equip the worldwide church. “Can you imagine trying to comfort someone who had several family members crushed to death and who lost their home and everything they owned? That is what Haitian Christians face several times a day, even as they try to cope with their own grief,” says Eric Thurman, leader of Cook’s global initiative. “One of the few positive outcomes of tragedies like Rwanda and the 2004 tsunami is that Christians learned how to effectively counsel trauma victims. David C Cook has taken the best of that training and is making it available to Haitian churches.”

Contact David C Cook for these valuable resources if you are involved in ministry in Haiti or among Haitian communities here in the United States. Donations for this project are tax deductible.

Since 1875, David C Cook continues to be a leading nonprofit global resource provider serving the Church with life transforming materials. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Co, with offices in Elgin, Illinois, Paris, Ontario, Canada, and Eastbourne, UK, David C Cook resources are published in over 150 languages, distributed in more than 80 countries, and sold worldwide. The Kingsway music division produces over 30% of the top 500 praise and worship songs sung around the world. For more information, visit www.davidccook.com.