Local families pray for loved ones in Haiti

At least two families in the area are feeling their own after shocks from the devastation caused by the major earthquake that struck Haiti Tuesday.

Mahlon Smoker of Himrod says his brother Lloyd, a former Dundee area resident and Lloyd's son, Rodney and his family are in the midst of the tragedy. The Smoker family moved to Haiti to support their church's ministry work.

Mahlon's voice filled with emotion Wednesday morning as he talked about what his family members have been through already.

He said Rodney, 28, his wife and their 1-year-old son were trapped when their house collapsed around them. Rodney was able to see some daylight and managed to dig his way out of the rubble, saving his own family, only to discover that his nearby homes were completely destroyed and many neighbors were dead.

There were 30 children in the school building that is part of their ministry, and as of Tuesday night, only 10 children had been pulled from the rubble that remained of the building.

Lloyd Smoker told Mahlon that the Haitian boy he had adopted was teaching in the school at the time of the collapse. They had heard his voice among those that were calling for help Monday night, but Wednesday morning, there were no more cries for help.

Lloyd Smoker had previously worked for the Dairy Herd Improvement Association in the Finger Lakes, and had lived in the Dundee area before moving to Haiti.

The Smokers live in Carrefour, very near the epicenter of the 7.0 magnitude quake. Their community is just southwest of Port-au-Prince, the nation's capital.

Mahlon Smoker says it's too early to say what his relatives will do, but he's hoping at least his nephew's wife and their son will return to the U.S.

Another young family with local ties, Anthony and Julie Hostetler of Rock Stream, are in Port-au-Prince, where massive concrete structures have crumbled, reports Martha Burkholder, who with her husband Noah and scores of other area families, organize the annual Haiti Benefit Auction.
The Hostetlers, who are expecting a baby in just a few weeks, have been able to get word to Mark and Mary Ellen Hostetler in Rock Stream that they are OK, but more news is limited because of the communication problems.

They are members of the Lakeland Mennonite Church.

Martha Burkholder, who has travelled to Haiti with her own family to work on and visit mission projects, says she's very concerned about the people of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

"I don't know where they would start. They don't have earth movers like we do," she says.

She says she always felt safe when visiting because of the U.N. Peacekeeping forces. Initial reports from the country indicate that a large number of people, including the mission chief, Tunisian diplomat Hedi Annabi, were killed or trapped when that U.N. structure collapsed.

The Burkholder's son, Steven, led a group of volunteers on a 10 day trip last January when they constructed three new buildings as part of the Christian Aid Ministries programs that benefit people in Haiti.

Over the past five years, more than $1 million has been raised at the Haiti Benefit Auction held at the Yates County Fairgrounds each June. Funds have helped pay for training 700 teachers. Clinics, medications, school systems and more benefit from the efforts of the Haiti Benefit Auctions.

Martha says anyone who would like to make a contribution to help the ministries can send a donation to the Haiti Auction treasurer, Alvin Horning, Jr., 1700 Stiles Road, Penn Yan, 14527, and indicate the contribution is for the earthquake victims.

Donations can also be sent to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013; by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-257-7575) or online at www.redcross.org.

Preparations for this year's Haiti Benefit Auction are already underway, adds Martha. An all-day Community Quilting event will be held Feb. 17 and 18 at the Benton Fire Hall. Anyone who would like to support the effort is welcome to come and help, she says.

The American Red Cross has set up a website to check on family members in Haiti. You can find it here.