We went into the southern regions of Haiti last week to assess damages and identify needs and the ways that HHH may be able to help best. What we saw:
The Bad:
– homes utterly destroyed, severely damaged, and some people crawling into collapsed homes…still living there
– children walking around without direction and looking disillusioned
– schools and churches completely destroyed so that there’s nowhere to go for education, or to find comfort, worship, or agreement in prayer which is a huge part of the Haitian Culture and where we have always found our strength in such moments of trials
– the elderly sitting on the side of the road, heads down, pieces of cloth on their heads (usually to protect from sun but this was in lamentation), some too weak (pregnant women fit this description also) to get into the distribution lines because so much time was spent without food and water
– road blocks with angry hungry people being passed over because donations are going to the hardest hit, more common regions and they feel neglected, abandoned
– when giving money, as we were out of supplies, and offering to pray sometimes people turned away as if to say, “Bondye? Ki Bondye sa a?” (God, what God?!)…the Gospel is the biggest need along with distribution of food, water, cholera prevention kits, and supplies to reconstruct better homes ALL PURCHASED IN HAITI.
The Good:
– Haitians caring enough for their own people to go to those areas and assess and help our people as God provided and led
– Michael Philip of Innerchange surprising us with a donation of food and water to distribute in Les Cayes (Okay)
– Haitians giving each other a hand, cleaning up and organizing, and sawing fallen trees to clear properties
– Haitians from churches in other regions helping with food distribution
– local vendors at their market stands working hard and trying to move on
– local organizations making effort to coordinate and work in unity
– a group of people meeting us to pray in Port au Prince showing their awareness of this need, crying together, worshipping together, sharing our experiences together, and making a conscious decision to TAKE THE GOSPEL TO THE SOUTH.
The Plan:
Return South in a few weeks to get some plants down there and HHH plans to pray for people, counsel and encourage them, and distribute Bibles as we believe many were destroyed, share the Gospel, and connect people to other organzations that can best meet their specific needs, start a plan to rebuild churches and look into temporary education solution.
If you would like to help please research local NGOs in the southern region. They already have boots on the ground and are able to not only further assess but provide the help needed. Haiti One is a wonderful organization that is very much involved in those efforts.
HAITIANS HELPING HAITIANS 