The devastation from the January 12 magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck about ten miles southwest of the Hatian capital of Port-au-Prince is, for most of us, unimaginable. With the death toll officially at 70,000 as of Tuesday morning, it is expected to rise to more than 100,000. According to aid workers, 3 million people are now homeless and without food, water or basic sanitation. To put that number in perspective, Port-au-Prince's population prior to the quake was estimated at 4 to 4.5 million people.

^{A car damaged when the earthquake struck is seen in this January 12, 2010 video grab.}

Governmental and non-governmental organizations all over the world are asking for money to help the people of Haiti. Unfortunately, a number of scam artists are also trying to take advantage of people's willingness to give in times of dire need. We wanted to compile a list of well-known, reputable Christian charities that are "on the ground" in Haiti, getting people the help they need, often in spite of government bureaucracies.

^{People are seen near the ruins of a building in this January 12, 2010 video grab.}

If your local church is collecting money for Haitian earthquake relief, we encourage you to support that effort. If not, or if your church doesn't know where to send the money it collects, we recommend the following ministries:

(Note: You can click on the organization's logo to be taken directly to their online donation form in a new tab or page.)

Mercy Ships - headquartered here in East Texas, Mercy Ships has mobilized its Disaster Response Team to address both medical and non-medical needs. You can give online here, call 903-939-7000, or mail your contribution to P.O. Box 2020, Garden Valley, Texas 75771.

Youth With A Mission - One of YWAM's largest training centers is also located right here in East Texas. YWAM-Tyler has missionaries serving in education, health care and relief work in Haiti. You can give online here, call 719-380-0505, or mail your contribution to P.O. Box 26479, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80936. Mark your contribution "Haiti Relief."

Compassion International - Compassion is dedicating all funds donated to Haiti earthquake relief to immediately reequip the organization's local support structure and provide for the immediate needs of Compassion-assisted children and their families. You can give online here, call 800-336-7676 to speak with a Compassion representative, or mail your contribution to Compassion International, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80997.

Samaritan's Purse - Perhaps best know for their Operation Christmas Child gift-filled show boxes, Samaritan's Purse is delivering medicine, equipment and personnel to help with the rescue and recovery efforts in Haiti. You can give online here, call 800-528-1980 to donate by phone, or mail your contribution to P.O. Box 3000, Boone, North Carolina 28607-3000.

Salvation Army - Although severely suffering from the effects of the earthquake, The Salvation Army in Haiti has been fully mobilized in reaching out to help others. The initial response has been aimed at helping people survive. This life-saving effort concentrates on getting food, water and shelter to as many people as possible. You can give online here, call 703-684-5528, or mail your contribution to P.O. Box 1428, Alexandria, Virginia 22313. Please designate mailed donations for "Haiti Relief Effort."

Please note: We are aware that there are many other reputable, Christian organizations, churches and individual missionaries providing aid to the people of Haiti. The ministries listed above are those with which we are extremely familiar, that we know to have the ability to process the large volume of contributions we hope this effort will generate and to get the needed personnel and supplies to the affected areas quickly.