From Haiti…
Bonswa from Haiti!!
For those of you that don’t know, Pastor Michael Kyker, Myself, Kyle Pendergrass, Nick Brakin, and George Koch are all in Port’au’Prince Haiti from May 8th until the 15th. (Just 36 more hours)
All I can say is wow. To sum it up in a few words: desolation, desperation, people need Jesus. That to me is the spiritual condition. Physically there is destruction, chaos, danger, and questions like, “Will this country and people ever recover??”
Insanity.
People keep asking us how we like Haiti, and I am very torn in giving them a response. My initial response is that we love it, but I feel like an idiot because I can only imagine them thinking: “huh? Have u looked around? There is almost nothing here but destruction!” so I normally explain that the culture and the people are what make it beautiful. Although some might say that they have almost no culture because they are so stripped of everything. But it’s certainly there. From the multiple influences of their language, to the way they have so quickly adapted to living in tents (if you can call them that) and how there are markets on every street. Everyone is an entrepreneur. They have to be. This is their culture.
They are broken survivors. From what I’ve seen and heard, they were just surviving even before the earthquake. It’s crazy. But these people are beautiful. I mean; they are PEOPLE. Different or not. They just expect violence, showering with a bucket, and crappy roads like we expect clean water, a new computer, and relatively safe streets. Not to bust on Americans, but I am just saying that we have no idea what their lives are like. BUT TO THEM ITS ALMOST NORMAL!!!! THAT’s what I’m trying to convey. People showering in the streets, and little kids squatting in the ravine behind the church like it’s normal. And it is.
There is so much chaos with some of these charities too! We’ve been told DO NOT give money to Salvation Army for Haiti Relief, among others because the money gets thinned out immensely. These people need your monetary support as they rebuild and hopefully restructure, but GOD do they need our prayers. They need Jesus. The government and authorities need JESUS. I cannot pretend to know a lot about what hinders this people, and the powers that be, but based on some more wise men than myself, and various sources, the truth might be that there is no recovery apart from Jesus.
So PLEASE give monthly (at least)(seriously go, go give now) to a dependable charity, but pray EVERY DAY for these people that will, most likely, NEVER EXPERIENCE THE SAFETY AND COMFORT THAT WE DO DAILY, very possibly not even eat daily. Not that they need our things, nor do we, but they need Jesus, as do we, desperately.
So if we believe in prayer….. then pray….. join me….. Jesus heal this land. this people. us sinners.
