Tuesday, January 12, 2010, will long be imprinted on the minds of Dominicans and Haitians. That was the day a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti. The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses immediately authorized the Dominican Republic branch to send money to the Haiti branch to provide relief aid. Since the sum of money to be delivered was considerable, the six-foot-three-inch (1.90 m), 280-pound (127 kg) Bethel doctor, Evan Batista, was assigned to be the courier.

The decision to send Brother Batista proved to be providential because when he got to the border, he was informed that there was a desperate need for qualified medical help. Many critically injured earthquake victims were being brought to the Assembly Hall adjacent to the Haiti branch for medical treatment. When the Haitian brothers realized that the courier was the branch doctor, they telephoned the branch in the Dominican Republic and asked if Brother Batista could remain in Haiti. Of course, permission was granted, and thus began a massive relief effort to help our spiritual brothers in Haiti​—mere hours after the earthquake had struck.

The Purchasing Department at the Dominican Republic branch immediately got in touch with their regular food suppliers. As a result, over 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg) of rice and beans and other basic food items were obtained and sent to Haiti at 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 14​—apparently the first relief shipment from outside of the country to reach the border. Later that same day, three additional medical doctors from the Dominican Republic made the seven-hour-long road trip to the Haiti branch. It was well into the evening when they arrived, but instead of going to their accommodations, they went directly to the injured and toiled until midnight. By the next day, another four doctors and four nurses had arrived from the Dominican Republic. Surgical procedures were performed under very difficult conditions, using a make-shift operating room set up at the Assembly Hall. For the next week, these 12 treated over 300 injured people.

Every day the most serious cases were sent to the Dominican Republic to be treated. At times, the very vehicles that had taken relief supplies to Haiti rushed the injured to various medical centers throughout the Dominican Republic. The branch organized Patient Visitation Groups to encourage the injured and to make sure that they had the necessary medicine and supplies. Local congregations provided food and accommodations for family members who had accompanied their injured loved ones.

The tireless and selfless efforts of Jehovah’s people in the aftermath of this disaster epitomize the reassuring words found at Proverbs 17:17, which says: “A true friend shows love at all times, and is a brother who is born for times of distress.” Experience after experience shows how by means of his spirit and the Christian brotherhood, Jehovah has sustained his loyal ones even in the face of death. Intense relief activity continued for months. Jehovah’s Witnesses distributed more than a million pounds of donated goods, which included 400,000 meals. Some 78 brothers and sisters who are medical professionals from different parts of the world came and gave freely of their time and skills along with countless other volunteers.a