Finding hope in Haiti

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

When a tragedy like the January 12 earthquake strikes, people are often desperate to find hope. In Haiti, the Church of the Nazarene has been pointing toward the one in whom we have found hope, Jesus.

After experiencing unthinkable destruction and loss, hundreds of people in Haiti have come to also find hope in the risen Savior. Beramon Honore, the district superintendent in LaGonave, an island off the coast of Haiti's mainland, reports, "The entire island is in revival. It was not planned. It was not anticipated. But we have revival nonetheless." The Ansagalè church (second photo in slideshow), one of those completely destroyed in the quake, reports 350 new converts and 113 baptisms since the earthquake. LaGonave has a population of 100,000 people.

Haitian district superintendents, such as David Elissaint, of the South District, are reporting that there has been an excellent response to Christ's call to faith in him since the quake. Lucien Jean-Baptiste, superintendent in the Central District, which was hit hardest by the disaster, reports hundreds coming to Christ. Part of that response is coming through the efforts of Nazarene Youth International (NYI), which has been organizing services to announce God's good news in "tent cities" under the direction of NYI Coordinator Pierre Ornan Audain.

"In a recent worship service, 73 souls came to Jesus," NYI reported. In addition to caring for the spiritual needs of people in the Port-au-Prince and Carrefour areas, Nazarene young adults collected what food they could and then partnered with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries to multiply those resources in order to meet some of the physical needs of those touched by the destruction of the earthquake.

Those who lost everything are now finding new life. All around the country people are finding Nazarene churches and are hearing the gospel message of hope. And where there are no Nazarene churches, including tent cities, Haitians are planting them. Mareus Cénatus, superintendent on the South Central District (in and around Jacmel), reports that at the leading of God's Spirit, pastors on his district have already started seven new churches.

Please continue to pray for Haiti and the outreach of churches to their communities.

Click here to find out what can be done to support these efforts.
--Caribbean Region Communications (Slideshow available)
 

 

< back to Caribbean

next article >