It was just over two months ago that Haiti exploded into a mass of manifestations, protests and the burning of public property and government buildings. It was because the results of the recent election had been announced and the people weren’t satisfied with the results. On the tail of an earthquake, a cholera outbreak, and a tropical storm, the news of the final candidates did not bode well, especially in light of all the rumors and accusations of election fraud coupled with a country very dissatisfied with their current administration. Haiti, with an already very sordid past would add 2010 as another chapter in a worn out tale of despair.
Today, there is a nervous energy in the air. Run off election results, which were recounted, are slated to be announced this afternoon. Its anyone’s guess as to what things will look like on Thursday morning. It is hopeful but unknown what the local and national reaction will be. It will solely depend on whether the majority likes who is put on the ballot. Baby Doc is still in the country, Aristide, another exiled dictator, is rumored to be trying to enter the country, and the sting of an already tumultuous year hang heavy on everyone’s minds.
At times, when we look at the surface and only see the problems in Haiti, the solution seems to elude us. For as many NGO’s and Humanitarian agencies there are at work in Haiti, there are as many opinions as to whose fault this is and what it will take to fix this broken place. RMI has been on the ground in Haiti for over 25 years. Collectively we have seen first hand ill-fated elections, coups, embargos, hurricanes, earthquakes, starvation, sickness and death. Despite it’s beautiful tropical setting, Haiti is not always an easy place to live. Quite often it’s anything but easy. Yet we continue to do what we do, to live as we live, and serve as we serve in this broken place because we believe there is a solution to this brokenness. That solution is the reason we exist. We believe that in Jesus Christ old things become new. We believe that what was broken can be restored. We know that what often feels forgotten is eternally loved and treasured. That is why we do what we do.
On this day, February 2, 2011, please join us in praying for Haiti. As we all await the election news and what may follow, let us hold fast to what we know. We know that we serve a sovereign God who is not interested in politics nor limited by our human need to have control. We know that God is a loving God full of wisdom and goodness who longs to save His children. Please pray that God, above all, would have His way. Pray for those of us on the ground, that we would be strengthened and encouraged as we face long days. Pray for our Sister Churches, that they would remain committed to the cause of Christ and fervent in their love for the Haitian people. Pray for the team that we have in country, that they would be protected and arrive home safely. Pray for Haiti’s leaders, for wisdom and direction. Pray for her suffering, that relief would come. Pray for her lost, that they would be found.
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