God's "Healing Rain" falls on Haiti

On Thursday of last week, we began to hear the people of Haiti talk about three days of Prayer and Fasting to begin Friday morning and go through this evening (Sunday). In their own words, the purpose was to thank God for bringing them through the earthquake and ask Him to help them as they rebuild their lives and look toward the future. While driving through Port-au-prince on our way back to the Dominican Republic early Friday morning, thousands upon thousands of people were gathering in tent cities, open areas and in or near churches and were singing and praising God.

When I arrived in Miami yesterday morning, I was very disappointed to hear the media refer to what was taking place in Haiti as a "National Day of Mourning". Of course the people are sad for all they have lost but are focusing on their future. They are humbling themselves before God and asking him to heal their hearts and their land. Believers have been gathering for early morning and late evening worship services since immediately after the quake and thousands of people have been giving their lives to Christ as a result. Pastors have been preaching in the streets and meeting the physical needs of others instead of focusing on their own need for food, shelter and water.

After having the privilege of meeting Michael W. Smith last Thursday on the streets of Port-au-Prince, the words of his song "Healing Rain" began to flood through my thoughts and prayers for the people of Haiti. God is moving in a mighty way to touch the hearts and lives of the people not only in the quake zone, but all over the entire country. The churches are not relying on missionaries to come in and preach the Gospel, but are doing what they know God would have THEM do.

As I write this from my living room here at home, I think of the hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti who have no shelter from the upcoming rainy season. As the first rain came several nights ago, many people including some families of the Joy House team, were exposed to the elements due to only having bed sheets for shelter, if anything at all! With the help of the visiting missions pastors, we were able to purchase some tarps to help with the immediate need but are looking for a more long term solution.

We plan to begin building transitional housing (1 room made of 2X4's, plywood and corrugated tin) for families of the Joy House team and expand out from there. By early next week we will have a cost estimate to build one of these homes and will be asking people to help us with funds to begin the process.

After spending two weeks in Haiti, the vast devastation is overwhelming. It feels as if anything we do is only a drop of water in a desert. However, with the entire world working together and with God's help and guidance, we can and will make a difference in the lives of the millions of people who have suffered for so long.

John