Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCA)

Winning the spiritual battle for Haiti

God is at work amidst the devastation

By Amy Westervelt

Published May 1, 2010 in Witness

On January 12, 2010, the world’s largest earthquake since 1970 struck Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Among the nine million people who live there, 50% are illiterate, 10% of the children are slaves, 80% live below the poverty level of $100 a month, and over 66% have no job. About 80% claim Catholicism and 16% Protestantism as a religion, but nearly all of them mix voodoo and demonism into their practice.

In late February I went to Haiti on a trip that had been planned back in October as a dental missions trip. It quickly became a relief mission to Canaan Orphanage, located 80 miles north of Port-au-Prince, and run by Sister Gladys, a nurse saved by Christ from a life of drug addiction to a life of mercy ministry and evangelism.

The purpose of the orphanage is not necessarily to have all the kids adopted, but rather to raise them to be godly men and women who potentially go to the U.S. for college and then return to Haiti. Not only does it provide housing and an education for the kids; it also has a clinic on site that provides medical care to people from surrounding towns. Since the earthquake the staff has been distributing food to pastors and members of churches in need.

After putting together bags of food, some of our team went to deliver the food to two towns: Léogâne and Petit-Goâve. These towns were hit worse by the earthquake than Port-au-Prince but did not receive relief because they were on the outskirts of the capital. People there were in desperate need of food. We went to the churches (which were in rubble) and helped the pastors pass out food to their members. When we arrived in Léogâne there were over 100 people in line who had been waiting at least eight hours for our arrival. I was overwhelmed by the scene as God reminded me of Christ’s words spoken in Matthew 6:26:

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Overwhelming loss

I was unprepared for the devastation in these towns. The news could not have adequately described it. Practically every structure is in rubble on both sides of the roads. Schools, markets, homes, government building, and churches are flattened. The stench is unreal, and most roads are barely drivable. Tent cities consume every open space and even the medians of busy streets. We walked through a tent city in Léogâne where thousands of people are in a small space with makeshift tents made from sheets, tarps, and some wood. What is left of all of their possessions is crammed into their tiny space. Children are literally wandering the streets; many of their parents did not survive. Churches (where many people would run during tragedy) are in rubble, with very few pastors surviving the quake. The needs are simply overwhelming. However, be assured that the gospel is shining brightly. A country built on voodism and witchcraft since its origin is realizing its need for the living God. And those who know Christ are living out the gospel in what we would deem radical ways.

Throughout the week we spent time with the 96 kids at Canaan Orphanage, who range in age from 4 weeks old to 18 years old. They have been steeped in rejection and abandonment, and they have a deep longing for someone to love them. They are loved well at the orphanage, but it can do only so much with so many children. And within Haitian culture, a mom is considered a good mom if she provides for her kids, not if she nurtures and loves them (like in America). This not only leads to kids not being loved; it also leads to rampant sexual immorality because very few men and women understand how to build a relationship on love. It also makes the concept of a God of love difficult for children to understand. However, the children that do get it really get it, and it transforms the way they view their lives.