Praying for Haiti

In 2005, I went on my first overseas mission trip (not including Mexico). I went to the Dominican Republic with FUMC Houston. During this time, we were working in Jimini, which is located on the border and is a site for Haitian refugees who have come to the DR searching for a better life among the natives who reside there. I can't remember right now if it was an earthquake or monsoon which had devastated that area years earlier. The team decided to cross into Haiti right at the border with our missionaries to hold a prayer walk through the marketplace as we got to see Haiti for the few minutes we were there. I can't begin to describe the heaviness which filled the air. It seemed as if the air held the Haitians inner thoughts of depression, failure, pessimism and overall darkness. It was a hard prayer walk to say the least.During the past 2 weeks, there have been 2 massive earthquakes that have devastated Haiti. I'm not going to let you know about the statistics because with the constant communication in the world today, the stats are everywhere. There are things following this and previous national disasters that are overlooked. One of my friends posted a link to an article in The Atlantic called Island of Lost Children. Please go read it. It's necessary the world knows of what's really going on with those children who are separated from their loved ones and may be forced into a horrendous situation of slavery. It broke my heart this morning.I didn't think I'd post about this up this quick, but here's a heads up on more Haiti related talk we'll be having soon. Shaun Groves, a Christian music artist who is a representative of Compassion International, is working with them to headline a one day event in three major U.S. cities in support of Haiti. There will be more about this as information comes about, but please be in prayer for Haiti as well as this event.