We have safely arrived in Port-au-Prince! The flights from Jacksonville and Miami were both very smooth and entrance to the country was not nearly as stressful as we thought it might be. We were met at the airport by members of the Florida Disaster Relief and they took such great care of us! We were able to see some of the earthquake devastation immediately and were instantly overwhelmed by the “tent cities.” We are staying in a compound owned by the Florida Baptist Association and the people here are some of the most precious, caring people who epitomize “servanthood.” We have been given a driver and an interpreter who will be with us for the duration of our trip and we’re already nuts about them! Esther, our interpreter, travels up to 4 hours one way to work here as an interpreter in order to take care of her family. She has 2 children and her husband is a pastor of a village church. She took us all around the city today and showed us the Haitian Palace, which now lies in ruins, as well as the remains of a Catholic church that had some of the most beautiful architecture. She told us that 12 priests were gathered together for a meeting in the church the day the earthquake hit; all 12 perished. This is the story we are hearing over and over – brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, children – all casualties of the 7.0 earthquake. Esther said the ground literally moved her children up and down in front of her eyes. None of us can even begin to imagine…
With all of that in mind, we know that we are here for a purpose. We’ve already been part of a “miracle!” Kaye, our Ministry Team Leader, told us when we arrived that the opportunities for ministering to children are prevalent this week. They had been praying about what they were going to take into the villages and thought they may have to purchase items. But then they prayed that maybe, just maybe the team coming in from South Carolina would bring some things with them. And boy, did we ever! When we told her about the Dum-Dum suckers, the soccer balls, the jerseys, the Happy Meal toys, the jump ropes, the coloring books, the crayons, and even about David bringing his guitar, she was THRILLED! So off we go tomorrow, about an hour and a half away, to help with rebuilding “White Stone Church” and to minister to the children in the area. We’ll have the chance to play with the kids and tell them stories and share the hope of Jesus! God is so good and we are so excited!
For those of you who are covering us in prayer, here are a few specifics:
- David has been struggling with a sore throat and congestion. The dust here is terrible and we need the Lord to do a complete healing work in him!
- Voo-Doo is very strong in the entire nation of Haiti. There is a saying that Haitians are “80% Catholic, 20% Protestant and 100% Voo-Doo.” We’ve been told stories about strong Believers who still struggle with fear because of the hold witch doctors have on people. Please pray that we will be able to love on the people here and show them that “perfect love casts out all fear.”
- Pray for open doors, creativity, and wisdom on how to engage the people. We were reminded tonight that we’re here to rebuild, we’re here to serve, but most importantly, we’re here for relationships.
Thank you for praying for us…We’re expecting great things tomorrow and all week long!
