I thought you might find this interesting and saddening. Below is a portion of an email I received this morning from Pastor Yves. My trip to Haiti in November I’m sure just changed objectives. There are a few of these names and towns that you have heard me speak of before. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in this country.
In the Love of Christ,
Tyler
Dear friends of GVCM,
This is an update on the three hurricanes that have devastated Haiti lately. I have seen natural devastations in this country, but not to this proportion. The thing is the storm of despair is an omnipresent fact for Haiti, classified as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Hannah, Gustav, and Ike only found their easy path with not much resistance. Destruction they came to do and destruction they left behind here. No one knows exactly the number of lives that have been lost, but the civil protection agency reported more than 200 dead so far, hundreds of livestock flushed down by the rivers into the sea, thousands of homes destroyed, leaving countless number of people homeless.
Food cost surge was already causing riots in the streets and with a lot of the small farm plantations devastated we can predict that the days to come will be somber for the people of Haiti. We are really worrying about that potential famine that will affect mostly the children. Our school principals were already complaining about the inability for the children to concentrate in the classrooms because of hunger. Transportation has also become an additional plague. Many of the limited roads are cut off, bridges have fallen and river beds are full, preventing easy crossings. No gas can get to Cap Haitian from Port-au-Prince and a gallon of diesel costs about $13 US.
Many of our humble church structures are compromised and many of our church members are homeless. I talked to Pastor Thomas from the church of Beudoret in the north this morning who confirmed to me that he got stranded in Beudoret where he was preaching a week of revival, and could not join his family in Port-au-Prince because the road from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitian was cut off by fallen bridges. From place to place the road was cut off. He had to walk many miles when he could not find a motorcycle to take him to the next cut off point. When he got to Gonaives, the town that was two story under water, he had to walk in the infested water up to his neck. He finally made it to Montruis he found a rock and sat on it to spend the night waiting for the next vehicle to come by and take him to Port-au-Prince. He reported that the roof of the school building has been compromised making it unsure the children can start school on October 7.
Five members of the church lost their humble homes and many more have roof damage. School was supposed to start on September 8, but so many school buildings have been damaged, and people are so busy picking up after the hurricane that the government decided to push it back until October 7.
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In Bois Gerard, pastor Yvon Simprival reported that the structure where the church and the school were meeting is completely destroyed leaving him with uncertainty about the only school of that small community. The same situation prevails also in Nan Baptiste, where pastor Saint Pierre reported two of the children homes destroyed and one without a roof.
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We really covet your prayers for this situation and the salvation of the Haitian people. We also would ask you to think about different ways you might be able to help. Please talk to your heart, your churches, and your friends about landing a hand to alleviate the terrible situation of many here in Haiti.
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