As of 8/18, UNICEF has reported that 1.2 million people have been affected by the earthquake in Haiti, including 540,000 children. The death toll has surpassed 2,000. Christianity Today has outlined specific ways to pray for Haiti, as its correspondents spoke with Haitian leaders and missionaries on the ground about what it’s been like in the earthquake’s aftermath.
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti.
At first, my mind immediately thought of the missionary I had served with there years ago. Then I realized the epicenter of this earthquake was far away from Cité Soleil, where he was located.
I began to scroll through videos capturing the damage, trying to pinpoint the area most affected before realizing that the majority of the southern and western regions were reeling from the earthquake’s impact. It was much worse than what I had braced myself for. Flashbacks of downtown Port-au-Prince, parts still in rubble almost 5 years on from the 2010 earthquake, remain vivid in my memory.
In each video, I’m looking for just one face, hoping she’ll pop up somewhere alive and well, putting my fears to rest. Les Cayes is her hometown. Though we’ve never met, we’ve passed letters back and forth over the last couple of years. I received an updated set of pictures of her, and this time she’s smiling. Her photo is on my refrigerator.
As of 8/20, Compassion International reported that 4,226 of their beneficiaries (supported children) were ‘affected’ by the earthquake. Whether that means displacement from home, injury, or death remains unclear, and they are still in the process of confirming the status of all other beneficiaries. How do you pray for someone when you don’t even know if they are alive?
My heart for Haiti grew as a result of a few short-term mission trips there. Our team spent time in and around Cité Soleil, mostly with children and at orphanages. I quickly learned that if not adopted before coming of age, orphans are effectively forced out and have to navigate life for themselves. For many boys, that means joining a local gang—a community that can provide them with protection. The danger is not only external—even while at an orphanage, sexual assault by other children or administrators is not entirely rare.
Interacting with the older children was always heartwarming yet heartbreaking. They understood that time was ticking and that their options for a brighter future were slim. They understood that their living situation was not normal. Early on, some adopted survival practices to get extra rations—their faces showed no hint of shame when blatantly lying, pulling on my shirt for their ‘first’ bag of water. Yet others, though just as hungry and thirsty, would take their only portion and share it with the younger boys and girls. I sympathized with the first group and was continually humbled by the latter group, wondering if I would have it in me to do the same.
I began supporting Amanda through Compassion International a few years ago. She stood out to me because of her age. She was on the older side, closer to the edge of adulthood, and I hoped to support her through the nebulous path that lay ahead.
A taste of her personality has come through in the letter scans I’ve received. She always writes with blue ink, in a careful cursive Haitian Kreyol script. She sings in her church choir, likes to joke around with her friends, and seems youthful yet mature beyond her years. She bought a nice dress for her birthday, and asks me to pray that she will be able to attend college so that she can become a lawyer in Haiti. She tells me about a talented Haitian Christian Musician, Delly Benson, and shares that she’s been attending a cosmetology school for fun during her summer break. When I asked her about anything she’d been learning at church, she replied with,
I learned a nice verse from Revelation 3:11. “I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.”
Reading this verse now, as I daily await news of Amanda’s safety, resonates in such a different way than it had before.
In this letter to all of his children, Jesus tells us to hold fast to what we have—to him, our salvation— so that no one, not even the heartwrenching devastation of an earthquake, can seize this crown he has bestowed upon us as his royal sons and daughters. How do you pray for someone when you don’t know if they’re alive? You pray with conviction, and call upon God to do what he has promised—to bring his children home, whether here or to heaven.
Please join me in praying for Haiti’s recovery, and for those like Amanda to be safely reunited with loved ones.
Update: Heidi Wong received a letter from Amanda in September. They are still in communication. You can donate to a disaster relief fund through Compassion International here.