Steve's Haiti Report

One week ago, we completed the Journey of Compassion to Haiti. While many of the activities were familiar (medical clinics, training pastors and leaders, outdoor healing evangelism meetings), there was nothing "familiar" about this Journey.

Although all of us read articles, looked at pictures, watched television special reports, the impact of actually being in Haiti was beyond what many of us imagined. Statistics, even photos simply cannot convey what has happened to this nation. Every member that I spoke with was greatly challenged and moved by what we experienced; yet all of them were glad and thankful to have come at this great time of need. We gave and we received. We taught and we learned.

What stopped the feelings of being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the disaster was learning to simply focus on the person or family in front of us. There is an indomitable will to the human spirit. In the midst of the countless tragedies surrounding them, they keep moving forward, determined that tomorrow will be a bit better than today. We encountered so much joy in the midst of suffering–one night I stood on a platform and watched as a thousand people sang and danced their jubilation and thankfulness to God. In the press of such need, the smallest gesture of help was received with gratitude.

Many team members have written eloquently of their experience. You can read some amazing stories on the Impact Network. Let me offer only a few highlights here:

We treated about 2,000 people in our medical camps. In one refugee camp, we encountered the sickest children. A huge number of women were suffering from infections. During the six clinics, every single person was offered prayer. We saw too many healings at each clinic to count–many lumps and tumours disappeared instantly; people walked for the first time in months; fevers left; ears were opened.
Due to several rain storms, we were only able to conduct 4 outdoor healing evangelism meetings. Yet, as the Lord began to heal on the first night, the meetings grew from 1,500 to about 4,000 people. One night there were easily 1,000 people healed. Our team of 48 prayed quickly because of the size of the crowd. Perhaps 100 people suffering with cataracts were healed en masse. Withered arms were made whole, deafness left, a woman who could barely walk began to run up and down the stairs, so much chronic pain left (with the people coming back the next night to testify and verify their healing) that it would be impossible to chronicle it all.
Our project team was busy every day building a roof for an outdoor kitchen that feeds over 300 people a day; a house was painted with weatherproof paint (a necessity for the hurricane season that is about to begin); drainage ditches were built around tents; a soccer field in a tent city was levelled and cleared of glass; collections of tools were purchased and a too co-op was created to help make the men in the tent city more employable; tarps were put up, roofs were repaired. Practical and powerful demonstrations of the love of God.
We are helping to set up some very small "micro-businesses" that will allow some people to move from the totally dependent (and seemingly hopeless) situation in the tent cities as they begin to earn income. As one woman realized that she was being offered "living hope" and a way out of the despair of the tent city, the transformation in her countenance was astonishing. I have no words to accurately describe it.
48 people from four nations came together–31 of them were on their first ever Journey–and in only a few days became a cohesive, supportive and effective team.

Thank you to all those who prayed for us, and to those who surprised us with financial gifts to help the Haitian people. Your generosity was remarkable. In a very real way you were all there with us, bring tangible hope to thousands.

Steve

Tags: Haiti

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