One Year Later

Except for the sound of worshipers singing and people mourning, the streets were silent Wednesday, January 12th 2011 as all of Haiti remembered the events of last year. In Anses-a-Galets, stores closed and workers stayed home as others attended services to pray for their families and remember their loved ones. The sound of people praising God continued well into the night.

Across the water, in Port-Au-Prince, the scene was similar. GP missionaries Carl and Maya Gilles reported, “On the streets, people are singing, dancing and praising God. Others are crying, whaling remembering what they’ve lost.” It was a day of mixed emotions, as people thanked God for sparing their lives and cried again for those who are gone.

In the center of Port-Au-Prince, just outside the palace Haiti for Christ Ministries in partnership with several other evangelical churches hosted a Transformation Crusade. Buses transported thousands from tent cities to the crusade, and, according to Joel Trimble from Haiti for Christ, with the broken down palace as a backdrop, a reported 100,000 Haitians came together to worship our God.

This crusade on the 12th was preceded by a festival hosted by the Billy Graham Association on Sunday, where thousands more worshipped. In their latest newsletter, Carl and Maya Gilles exclaim, “We have heard that over 5000 churches and organizations have been working in unity to put together” this Transformation Crusade.

And their work was not in vain. As Dan and Joy Irvine, directors of Global Partners in Haiti explained, “For the past year the population of Port-au-Prince has focused on survival,” but the 12th was an opportunity for everyone to focus on something greater. Joel Trimble reports that as a result of the crusade, “Thousands committed their lives to Christ and received book of John follow-up materials.” Continue to pray with us that lives in Haiti are transformed as our God continues to make all things new in this grieving nation.

by: Justine Iskat