By Brian Heerwagen, CEO
Praise the Lord for a very successful day in Haiti! This was our last full day here and we had so many things to accomplish. But we got everything done and it was better than we expected!
Before I tell you about the ministry sites, I have to tell you about the place where we ate lunch. It was a crowded restaurant filled with cheerful people, and it had a sandwich bar, pizzeria, juice bar and bakery. It was fairly large and was air conditioned. What a great reminder that there a lot of different parts to Haiti. Even though the news tends to focus on the disasters, tent cities and poverty, and there is a lot of all that, there are also nice restaurants, wonderful grocery stores, good cars and big houses.
Of course, even with the good things that exist here, there are gigantic needs. One of the hardest hit places in Port au Prince was Trou Sable, a community in a very small area in the city that had grown to about 100,000 people by the time of the earthquake. It was nicknamed a "grave yard" because so many died in there, buried under mounds of immovable rubble.
Today, we went to Trou Sables, it was a very different image. There was life, and sidewalks, children playing, and a new church. The truth is that the new church building has become a symbol of hope and people are moving out of tent cities and back to Trou Sable. Using rubble from their old house along with tarps, and other creative resources, people are rebuilding and hoping to have a real home someday.
After playing with kids, and conducting several interviews, we ended up having a spontaneous time of worship with a keyboard and accordion for accompaniment. What a great memory!
We had a BIG list of things to accomplish on this trip. The lion's share of interviews culminated today with Pastor Guillomettre Herode. And they were fantastic! One of the profound statements he made today was in reference to those who think that "God is punishing Haiti." But, he said that it's more like God is chasing after Haiti, looking for the people to turn to Him, just like what God did with the Israelites.
Well, we are leaving here more convinced than ever that amazing things are happening here. Not everywhere, but definitely where we get to serve! Sending teams to work with Missions Door missionaries is the best thing we can do for Haiti. We have witnessed major accomplishments in a relatively short period of time and with limited resources. While the media reports about billions of dollars donated but "little to show for it," we are privileged to bring back video coverage and testimony of new church buildings, wedding celebrations, houses being built, water purification projects, and promises kept. What the leadership here said they would do, they are doing!
I am inspired! Our team has been blessed to see all this and we canl wait to show you through video real people and real progress!
Don't forget Haiti!
