Dear Ministry Partners:
Thank you so much for your prayers and support! How we have sensed God's presence through the prayers of so many!
Re-cap of the day- 08/16/2021:
-Dony left for Haiti this morning and by the time he landed, he made contact, on the plane, with the CEO of another ministry in northern Haiti who gave 40,000lbs of food. Talk about Divine appointment! Arrangements are already made for this to be picked up. Pray that it gets to the needed locations safely.
-He was also able to secure two trucks of water to be delivered.
-He found several cities in and around Port-au-Prince where food can be purchased; no need to go to the Dominican Republic! An additional 10,000 lbs of food purchased! Praise God!
-Contacted Go Ministries in Santiago, DR with a list of immediate medical needs. John is working on sending those by the end of the week to the affected cities. Another praise!
-Another ministry partner made contact about sending food containers. No promises made, but will try to secure 6 shipments of MannaPackTM-Rice that are highly nutritious. Each shipment of 1,260 boxes of food can provide 273,420 meals. Pray that God will work out the details for these 6 shipments and trusting Him to provide the needed funds.
-Another ministry partner called to say that there are currently 6 Haitian doctors who were doing field work for their university in another part of Haiti. They are ready to offer their services. Preparations are being made for their arrival to Les Cayes.
By God's grace, Louis is fine after going through such a terrifying experience. One of his daughters, who was with him, describes the house as swaying forward, then backward, then a jump in the air before settling back on the ground. Martina, his other four daughters and grandson are in Central Florida.
Louis' days are busy as he listens and hears the pain in the city of Les Cayes. Everyone knows someone who has passed away, says Louis. Seeing the structural damage around the city is also overwhelming. One such structure that is severely damaged is his own church, Bon Berger Church, which he has pastored for over 20 years. Almost every column inside the church is cracked. It's hard to conceive, but it is likely that Bon Berger, which has been the home church for so many, will have to be demolished and rebuilt, by God's grace.
Other ESMI children villages, churches, and schools in and around Les Cayes have not fared well. Lots of structural damage. The children are safe but they too have been sleeping outdoors. Temporary housing will be needed. Pray with us for God's provision.
Tonight, Tropical Storm Grace is not being so graceful. Heavy rain is already being experienced in Haiti that will last throughout the night and all day tomorrow. Flooding is expected in many cities including Les Cayes. Not sure when and how to get to Jeremie as the road was made impassable by a collapsed mountain after the earthquake, and all in-country flights are canceled for tomorrow due to the storm.
Indeed, Tropical Storm Grace presents yet another challenge, especially for those affected by the earthquake just 2 days ago...BUT
"God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling."
~Isaiah 46:1-3
Continue to pray for our Haitian brothers and sisters. We know God is faithful and somehow, He will bring good out of this. May He use this to draw many to Himself.