SGWM Newsblog

Haiti Update #4

Greeting from Haiti,

Well today was a different day of ministry. I think the best way to describe it would be – a time of learning. After devotions this morning with the team we headed out to find a food storehouse where we could purchase food in bulk. Once again the Lord led us to the right place and we were able to purchase 100 bags of rice to give to families in need. Pastor Marcel has about 20 satellite churches that have branched off of his fellowship into the surrounding communities and villages. A lot of those pastors have contacted Marcel and told him that they are running out of food and that the people in the churches are quickly running out of food. So Lord willing we will be able through Marcel to put this food into the hands of the pastors of these churches so that they can help distribute it to their fellowships. We also hope to purchase a lot more food in the near future. Please pray that the Lord would provide all the finances needed. Also, as we spoke with the storehouse manager, he shared with us that there are no more shipments of food coming in to the country.

Yes the NGO’s and various governments are distributing food but the local business’ and economy will be suffering even more in the near future due to lack of inventory on an ongoing basis. It is our heart to come alongside the local contacts we have made with the Haitian business owners; like the pharmacy and the storehouse, and use them as our suppliers so that we can do our part in helping not only feed the people but also give the economy a boost. Yes it might be a little cheaper to purchase food over the border in the Dominican Republic but once you include the transport costs and import taxes the savings would not be worth it. So we think it would be better ministry to simply invest in the local businesses and help them, in the small way we can, get back on their feet.

After we finished purchasing the rice we started the long, smoggy, traffic congested, journey into Port-au-Prince. To be honest we were all in shock. It looked like a war zone. Houses and building totally demolished and people sleeping in makeshift tents out on the streets. We were able to travel around the city and view the Parliament building, the massive Catholic Church that was almost totally destroyed, and many other prominent buildings brought down to a pile of rubble.

I have uploaded a couple hundred pictures into our Haiti Picture page (see www.sgwm.com/newsblog and click on the Haiti Picture tab) for you to look at. To be honest it is hard for me to type and describe the devastation that has taken place here in Haiti. I think to be honest I am still trying to process all the things that I saw today. Doing missions I have seen a lot of death, sickness and poverty. But I have never seen anything like what I saw today. The feeling that goes through you is something like total hopelessness. However, we have a God that is ALL POWERFUL and full of HOPE and even though we are weak He will always remain strong and able. And as I have been praying over the immense task ahead of us the Lord keeps ministering to my heart this saying, “I want to rebuild Haiti upon My Righteousness.” This is a county that is riddled with corruption from the top down and I believe God wants to move in the hearts of the people of this nation and bring them into fellowship with Him. That’s my prayer and my heart for this nation… would you please pray with me?

After we traveled through the city we stopped to get some gas and ran into a patrol of US Army Rangers. We first walked over to them and gave them all handshakes and hugs and thanked them for serving our Country. Then we had a sweet time just hanging out with them and hearing their stories and struggles with what is going on down here and we were able to get a lot of “Intel” (keeping with the Army lingo) from them on various ministries and NGO’s that they have run into. Please keep our Guys (US Army) in your prayers as they serve. One of the stories they were telling us was about the prisoners that have escaped from the prison that totally collapsed during the earthquake. They were sharing about how all the gang leaders that were in prison have returned to “reclaim their territory” and the gang violence in downtown Port-au-Prince has skyrocketed. They were sharing how they hear the gunfire all night long from the gangs fighting each other.

From there we drove back home for the night and had a sweet time of fellowship and debriefing as a team. Please keep us all in your prayers. We still have a few days of ministry ahead of us and are all feeling a little tired. Praise God that none of us has gotten sick.

Again, please check out the photos on http://www.sgwm.com/newsblog as well as keep helping us spread the word about what God is doing down here by re-posting these updates and photos on your facebook, myspace, twitter, blog, etc. I also want to thank you for all your prayers… please keep them coming.

God Bless,
Mike

Director
Saving Grace World Missions

For more information please visit:
http://www.sgwm.com
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“Reaching the Nations… One Soul at a Time.”