For this moment normal life is on pause for everyone in Haiti. Pastor Carl Gilles explained the other day, “I had plans to do leadership training but right now all of that has to wait.” He was talking about the current ministry of the Wesleyan Church in Haiti and how all of us have had to shift our focus off of our original goals temporarily in response to the pressing needs of those in this nation. All the missionaries here have turned their attention to disaster relief. English and computer classes, pastoral training, national church meetings have all been put on pause as aid distribution, medical relief, and international communication take precedents over what had been planned.
Similarly, the Haitian people are living in limbo. Many of them are still sleeping in the streets and waiting for schools to reopen. They are returning to work and trying to go back to what was normal, all the while waiting for the grief to pass and waiting to see the ramifications of all that has happened since January 12th. “This thing isn’t over yet,” Dan Irvine lamented over supper this weekend. “We could see a wave of deaths from tetanus and another wave of death from infection.” It’s going to be a long time before we fully understand what has happened in this country.
In the meantime, we are continuing to respond to the needs God puts in front of us and looking forward to a day when Haitians and expatriates alike can sit down and cast a vision for the future of this country. Already there has been talk of relocating Port Au Prince. We have also heard people comparing the capital city to New Orleans where innovators are rebuilding the city better than it was before. Though we’re not sure what lies ahead, we are trusting that there is a future for this place. For now, we simply ask that all of you would continue to pray and continue to trust with us that God is not done yet.
