Compassionate people everywhere have been moved by the plight of the earthquake survivors in Haiti. Pastor Mike Howerton of Redmond’s Overlake Christian Church (OCC) has unique connections to the situation through his own family, his congregation and an ongoing advocacy program called the OCC 2012 Vision Initiative of Orphan Care.

Howerton’s brother and sister-in-law, Mark and Kristen Howerton of Costa Mesa, Calif., have for three years been engaged in the process of adopting an orphaned Haitian boy named Kembert. Kristen and the couple’s youngest child, 8-month-old Karis, were actually at the orphanage in Haiti on Jan. 12 when the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck. Kristen and Karis were able to fly back to the U.S. on Jan. 15. But due to bureaucracy, they had to leave Kembert behind.

That same day, the Howerton family was watching ABC’s “World News Tonight” and spotted Diane Sawyer hugging Kembert outside the crumbled orphanage. So they knew he was safe, but were desperate to get him out of the devastated area as soon as possible.

This past Sunday, Pastor Mike was ecstatic to tell congregants at OCC that Kembert was with his American family, even though the adoption has not been finalized.

“It was an incredible victory when the Haitian and U.S. governments opened Humanitarian Parole,” said Mike. “It’s not a fast-track but they’ll be able to complete the process here instead of in Haiti. … There’s a two-year window, working with the Department of State to close.”

Mike noted that he and his wife have been trying to adopt an orphan from South Africa. In every case, both domestically and internationally, adoption takes time because agencies strive to ensure that they are putting the child into a stable and nurturing environment, he acknowledged.

Providing immediate help for Haiti, OCC members have given at least $20,000 to Medical Teams International, Inc., which has an office on-site at the church.

Pastor Mike said he and his church want to do even more.

The OCC 2012 Vision Initiative of Orphan Care, he stated, “is an initiative over the next three years … to facilitate 2,000 orphans into loving and caring homes.”

On a local level, OCC is hosting Washington state classes for prospective foster or adoptive parents. The church is also promoting adoption care in other countries and advocacy issues, such as petitioning for speedier adoptions in places like Haiti and Kenya, where so many children are in crisis.

“There are laws on the books now that make it difficult for Kenyan families to adopt children of relatives who have died — nephews, nieces, grandkids and so on,” the pastor pointed out.

This is a humanitarian project, “trying to help empower them to do this,” he said. “But it is also mandated by Scripture to care for widows and children. Jesus himself was adopted by Joseph. … Our church mission is ‘LOVE GOD. LOVE PEOPLE. SERVE THE WORLD.’ Orphan care comes under that part, to serve the world.”

Overlake Christian Church is located at 9900 Willows Rd. NE in Redmond. For information about its worship services, ministries and efforts to help orphans in Haiti and elsewhere, visit www.occ.org or call (425) 702-0303.