We wrapped up our construction project today, and the wall that we have been working on this week finally completed. At lunch today we invited the workers that have been co-laboring with us to join us for pizza. After serving the workers with the meal, we presented them with the gospel message. Afterwards one of the workers came up to us and told us that he would like to invite Christ to be his Lord and Savior. We led him in a prayer of commitment and celebrated with him in his decision!
After we departed the job site, we visited the ruins of a church that had collapsed during the earthquake, killing the pastor who was inside. The congregation now meets in a UNICEF tent about 2 blocks away. We then drove through the downtown area of Port au Prince and some of the more directly affected areas, and the destruction is just impossible to describe. Although people are attempting to carry on with life, the devastation makes even the basic functions difficult. Even though aid money is flowing into the country, most people do not realize that this aid is only short term and temporal in nature--there is no long term plan for rebuilding. The reality of the situation really hit home when we drove by the Capitol building, which was still crumbling and unusable. Six months after the earthquake and not a hint of reconstruction activity to the center of their government. Most of the multistory buildings still lie in ruins, no doubt with bodies still inside them. Imagine the feeling that you felt deep in your gut on September 11, 2001, and that is the feeling that you are left with as you pass through these areas.
Tomorrow we will stay within the walls of the orphanage and school complex within which we are living this week. The word on the streets here is that there will be political demonstrations in the downtown area tomorrow which will make it potentially unsafe for us to venture out on the streets. We are in a safe and secure environment here and a fair distance from downtown so no need to worry about our safety, but do not be surprised if you see some footage from Port au Prince tomorrow on the news. We will use our time tomorrow to minister to the orphanage children who are so in need of love.
We love all of you back home and miss you, but we all know that God has used this team this week to minister to the Haitian people. This is a flexible and determined team, and they have truly done an amazing job this week. Thank you for your continued prayers!
