Back from Port au Prince, Haiti

So I made it back from Port au Prince, Haiti. While I was there I noticed immediately the thousands of tents that have now become the new neighborhoods. Where everyone used to live in homes they now live in a domed piece of plastic. It is hard to think that we do for recreation on a weekend camping trip is now homes for I would say years to come.

While it is a sad story and this trip was a challenge for me, I found myself encouraged by the strength and resilience of the Haitian people. I would be holding a conversation and they would point to demolished homes that looked like a pile of stones. As they talked they would respectfully and emotionally tell us that they still have family buried in the rubble of the Earthquake from January. You would expect that this would steal their joy and they would be in give-up mode, but what I heard every evening proved differently.

Around 7pm I would hear the sweet sound of families worshipping our Savior. Brother Naten (PCG world mission director) and I excused ourselves from our company and moved down the hill to the sound of voices being raised and hands clapping. We were like bugs to bright lights. We could not stay away. As we sat and worshipped, we could see hurt but not defeat. The children would sit with us and slip their hands into ours. These kids had lost parents and family in the tragedy, but they are doing what kids do best and that is play and persevere.

We have great leaders representing us in the rebuilding cause. Walter Stecker, Virgil and Janie Kincaid are committed to the organization of PCG teams coming for years to come to be the hands of skill for rebuilding the houses of worship and the hands of hope for rebuilding the spirits of people.

We currently have 110 tents on our property housing 1150 people. We are an oasis in the desert. The only building that is strong and standing on the hillside is our Mission House. After I returned home I found out that Don and Peggy Allen built that house years ago. Bro. Allen shared with me that he built that house with steel in every linear foot of the walls. Haitians do not build their houses with the same specs because they lack the finance. Through the help of PCG years ago, Bro Allen was an instrument to what we are experiencing now as our lifeboat to house people for years to come to help rebuild our works and fulfill our obligation to help families. God has plans that go beyond our knowledge.

As we left our last day I got to give basketballs and soccer balls from our HOPE thru HOOPS Haiti project. The faces of the kids and Pastor Renald beamed as we committed to bring hundreds of these balls back to for kids to resume some normalcy in their lives. Here are some pics to share the moment.