Hello,
I hope this finds you well. As you know from our previous e-mail, we are back in Haiti. We hit the ground running. We arrived during an 8 night crusade in Perou. Since we have arrived back in Haiti, we've made two trips to port, we have had a crusade, baptisms, a wedding and the death of Nathan's nephew. All in less then two weeks. Life just doesn't stop to let you catch a breath sometimes. Your prayers are really a life line for us. So thank you so much for investing in us and this ministry.
The funeral for Nathan's nephew is this coming Thursday. We would greatly appreciate your prayers. How his death came to be speaks volumes on Haiti's overall view of the value of human life. Some of the expectations we have during a medical crisis in a first world country are so different than the rest of the world. We expect quick responses, to be admitted to a hospital with out proving the means to pay. We expect the hospital to provide everything we need for surgery or to get well. We expect great care by nurses, doctors, etc. We see here in Haiti so much of the destruction that the fallen and evil world leaves behind. Nathan's nephew was a young boy, just 14 years old. It's an all too often sad but typical scenario around here. The boy injured his foot playing basketball. He didn't want to tell his grandmother, who he lives with. He lives with his grandmother because his mother went to the Bahamas to live and his father went to Brazil. (Many men fall pray to stories of big money in Brazil, doesn't work out that way, and then they can't get back.) He finally told his grandmother when it was swollen up like a melon. She waited a few days before asking for help to go to the hospital. They were slow in determining that he needed surgery on the foot. But, he needed blood for the surgery. (It then falls on the parents or someone outside to get the blood) But, he had type O negative blood, hard to find here. I thought I was O negative and wanted to help so bad, but it turns out that I am type A negative, which is also rare and hard to find here. In Haiti the hospital will not call around and help you locate the blood, oxygen or the medications you need. Red Cross will also not help you locate blood or oxygen if they do not have what you need. So Nathan started calling hospitals and the different Red Crosses in other cities, but was unsuccessful. Dr. Ralph finally found someone in Port-Au-Prince who knew someone who was O negative, they said they would give blood the next morning. So Nathan drove all the way there, but his nephew died during the night.............. So very sad. The world is so very harsh here and human life is not very valuable.............no one ever seems to be in a hurry or helpful when in a crisis here. It breaks our hearts. So many deaths are preventable, as are cases of child trafficking, human trafficking, abuse, even the kidnapping for organs from children. These tragedies are daily occurrences here.
I can not put into words how important and valuable your prayers are to help the people of Haiti. We need them for wisdom and discernment on how to best come along side and help the people of Haiti. They need your prayers so that their eyes are opened, the ears can hear and their minds learn, and their spirits acknowledge and follow God.
One of the words given during the crusade in Perou, was that it was time for them to stand up and start fighting back the enemy, to NOT sit in the pews and let life happen to them, but to actively FIGHT the enemy for their families, friends, neighbors, villages and the country of Haiti. God is calling forth His army won't you please join them by coming alongside them and fighting with them in prayer?
Blessings and thanks,
Chris
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