Haiti (part 1 of 4)

I just returned from a short trip to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.  My sister Joy and brother Jason joined me for 5 days as we went down to survey the damage caused by January’s massive earthquake and contribute where possible to help serve the people of Haiti.

 

Truth: yes, nearly 200,000 people are buried in mass grave sites in PAP.

False: PAP was leveled to the ground – the reality is only portions of this major city were affected

 

Truth: yes, over a 1,000,000 people are living in tents (close to 1.2 million according to recent statistics)

False: everyone in the “tent cities” are there as a direct result of the earthquake – the truth is many of these tents are housing the homeless as well as those displaced

 

Truth: yes, churches in Haiti are growing at an exponential rate!

False: the greatest needs are met – the truth is many people just need water!  I’ve never seen a place before where hunger wasn’t the greatest need, but thirst.

 

 

While there are those who would scoff at this account, we cannot overlook the strong Satanic bondage this small country has been under.  The story goes that 200 years ago in an effort to gain its independence from the French and Spanish the leaders of Haiti made a deal with the devil where the souls of the Haitian people were sold to Satan.  The oppression has been more than spiritual – a distinct difference can be seen at the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti.  The 200 year oppression technically ended 6 years ago (in 2003) however the leader in power at that time (for fear or what not) had the Voodoo leaders (Voodoo is the national religion) extend the oppression until the end of his reign… which ended last year, in 2009.

In January 2010 an earthquake not only blew apart the physical spectrum of Haiti, but apparently the spiritual one as well.  The national “day of the dead” Mardi-Gras-esque holiday was cancelled due to the earthquake for the first time ever this winter.  The Christian leaders of Haiti led nearly 40,000 Haitians in a Ninevah-like prayer for their country – 3 days of prayer and fasting pleading with God to reclaim their land.

Today we see Haiti back on the map.  More relief workers than ever, more relief aid and money than ever and more missionaries than ever have traveled to this small country in hopes of rebuilding.  There is a ton left to do, but more importantly than that, revival has come!