SIX MONTHS ago, Haiti was rocked by an earthquake.
Remember that?
Did you remember them this week in your prayers,
or had you forgotten that they are still affected?
Adventures in
Missions (AIM) has a long
term commitment to Haiti. We’re not pulling out. We’re mobilizing pastors, caring for
people, and helping rebuild.
Several
of my personal friends are in Haiti this summer. My former World Race squad-mates Janina
Laier and Kyla Cornelius are actually leading another World Race squad whose
first stops during the months of July and August are Haiti and the neighboring
Dominican Republic.
Kyla writes, “I looked over the endless fields of tarp
homes, the rubble-strewn streets, and hopeless faces and realized that I am
absolutely incapable of having any sort of impact in this place. I was humbled.
I realized that I can do nothing in this
place, but God can.�
Read blogs from the World Race P squad at
http://www.theworldrace.org/?tab=blogs&squad=groupm
Another former
World Race squad-mate, Neil Bruinsma is responsible
for juggling all 800 participants that come to Haiti for the summer. He
finds good pastors for the teams to partner with and arranges their housing.
He writes, “It is a delicate balancing
act of people’s emotions, physical health, supplies needed, unreliable
transportation, spiritual warfare, peanut butter and jelly, ministry, foreign
culture, and the movement of the Spirit.�
God bless him!
And yet another
former World Race squad-mate, Steph Connors, is also spending
the summer in Haiti, primarily on a photography mission. (I borrowed all these
photos, many from her.) Steph was
amazed to hear Haitians reply to the
question, “What do you need?â€� by asking for prayer – not food, a house, or a job.
Prayer.
They must realize
that the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces
wonderful results. ~ James 5:16b
My friend Jimmy
McCarty, also a World Race alumni and AIM staff member, totally understands the
spiritual battle going on. He just
returned from a short trip to Haiti, and he writes,
“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 canceled 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 … 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!�
Read the entire 4-part series on Jimmy’s blog, starting here:
http://jimmymccarty.theworldrace.org/?filename=haiti-part-1-of-4
The “ton� left to do includes removing rubble, providing
water and medical help, and educating the people of Haiti. You know this education is dear to my
own heart.
According to USAID,
Haiti’s public school system is only able to provide free education for about
10% of Haiti’s children. Scroll
down and watch the video below (by my friend, World Race alumni Katie Rowland) to learn how the church is responding and
how we can support the church in their
efforts to educate the children of Haiti.
And finally, please PRAY, especially for the spiritual leaders of Haiti.
Jimmy reminds us that “they carry an incredible responsibility
to not only provide for their own families but to organize incoming teams,
start schools, organize orphanages, (raising money for both), and lead 3-4
services a week for their (in some cases) booming congregations. Quite frankly, they’re exhausted.� But God is definitely moving!
You can click on
the highlighted names above to read more on my friends’ blogs and/or go to this centralized site to read much
more and to watch many more inspiring videos:
