Haiti - one month post earthquake

The following is a report I received about a small church mission in Haiti that is doing what it can to help, it's a straight report taken from an email.

Calvary Chapel Caneille is a fellowship of believers who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for our sins. We believe that the Bible is God’s inspired, infallible, and precious word to us. The mission of Calvary Chapel Caneille is:

• Proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ
• Teach the Word of God
• Demonstrate the love of Jesus

February 12th was designated as a national day of prayer and fasting by the Haitian government for people to pray specifically for their country of Haiti.

Schools were closed. Under prior circumstances, that day would be a day off, kicking off the celebration of “Carnival” with Mardi Gras following the coming week.

In the midst of tragedy and sorrow, God is doing a work in Haiti.

Please pray for the people of Haiti to abandon voodoo and satan, and repent and turn to Jesus Christ.

Thank you each and everyone who has made so much possible through your prayers, encouragement, and support! Our hearts are encouraged by the outpouring of concern and support. Our heavenly Father knows and sees and has a reward in store for all who are faithful,

Bastia went to Port au Prince last week and reports on what he saw.

Upon entering PAP, tents are seen everywhere with a heavy concentration in the airport area. Those without tents have created a shelter from sheets and coverings available.

No one sleeps in their house – everyone is afraid.

People tremble in fear as big trucks roll by which cause the earth underneath to shake.

Signs are seen everywhere in English and Spanish, “we need food and water”.

Many international teams continue to work diligently to remove rubble from the streets allowing improved passage.

Front loaders are constantly at work, yet so much rubble remains yet untouched.

The work is massive in magnitude and is not imaginable even when the stark reality is seen with one’s own eyes. As Bastia puts it, “When I went downtown there was so much damage – it’s like your eyes cannot keep looking at things like that”.

When standing in the street, the next street can be seen across from it as all the buildings have toppled.

Many dead are still entrapped in buildings, sending out a bad odor. People everywhere wear a make shift mask whether they be the taxi driver or foreign aid worker.

There are unspeakable things that seem so disrespectful to the dignity of mankind. As Bastia walked by, a dead body was put inside a suitcase and carried off. The suitcase could not close…

Praise the Lord, 25 tents arrived late last Saturday.

The timing was perfect as schools reopened Monday and there was a need to free up the classrooms and teacher’s dorm where people were staying.

Sunday afternoon began the tent erecting.

Everyone was determined to accomplish the task. Men, women, and children all helped. Once it was understood how to erect the tent, everyone took off with it.

People were delightfully surprised to see the size and type of tent.

They are 13’ diameter and high enough inside for people to stand up. They are made of durable plastic.

There is now a city of white tents which can be seen from afar. People residing in the tent city have named the city “Jerusalem” in honor of what God has done for them.

They enjoy having their own place.

Children have lots of room to play and are making new friends.

As tents were put up, word got out quickly, and there are now over seventy people in the camp.

The woman who was in the hospital with the broken leg was discharged from the hospital and is now staying at the camp. She had been in PAP for two weeks with a broken leg and still had not seen a doctor.

Bastia brought her to Hinche where she had surgery and is now recovering well.

There is a family of five children ages 10-15 whose house collapsed during the quake, trapping two sisters inside for three days. The other three children were outside and unharmed.

It was thought that the two sisters died when one day there was a loud noise heard from within the house. The neighbor made a hole above with a hammer and was able to extricate the two girls. Both have leg injuries and are now recovering well at the camp.

Their mother had gone to the market that morning to sell and never returned.

Their father has been dead for many years.

The people are completely dependent on us for every need.

Toothpaste, soap, toilet paper, shoes, combs, laundry soap, blankets, and food three times a day are some of the needs provided for.

There are about a dozen children from the camp who have been taken into School of Grace. Bastia rented a house in Hinche for the High School students to stay for them to continue their schooling in Hinche as there are no High Schools in the Caneille area. Lodging, tuition and food are being paid for.

There are devotional services morning and evening.

A few Sundays ago, Bastia shared from Matthew 24, “What will be the sign of your coming?” The power and presence of God was tangibly felt. Five accepted Christ including a woman who resides at the camp. The church is growing, and there is a spirit of anticipation and excitement within the fellowship as people see the hand of God at work.

There have been visits by the mayor of Hinche, World Vision, and a journalist.

The mayor shared that Calvary Chapel was doing what the city could not do – taking care of those in need. He noted much foresight and good planning in how the camp was established.

The mayor is a Christian and was able to share some encouraging words from scripture with the people. People at the camp shared with the journalist that they felt well cared for. They have a “house”, food three times a day, and all needs taken care of.

Many of the children are unsaved also. Betty spent some time with the children reading them a story about Jesus and teaching them Christian children songs. They also spent some time coloring. The children loved it and are very open.

In addition to tents, the Lord has also provided batteries, inverter, and a generator to recharge the batteries.  Lighting will provide good security for the camp.  There is no electricity in Caneille.

Water supply continues to be an ongoing problem. The well gives little water, and water is brought by mule or by hand in 5 gallon buckets. A solar water purifier has been purchased and should be arriving next week.  This will allow purification of water taken from the river.   Present needs for the camp are an outdoor toilet, shower area, cistern to hold water, and a storage building to house the batteries, inverters, generator, and water purifier.

We are open to taking teams now. American Airlines is taking reservations and MAF will be resuming their normally scheduled flights on Feb 22^nd. We have a need for work teams to build an outdoor toilet, shower area, water collecting cistern, and a secure storage building area for batteries/inverter and water purifier for the base camp. This could be combined with other ministering such as organizing and distributing supplies, sharing at evening devotional times, and children’s ministry, Presently, we are waiting on the Lord to provide funds for the building projects.