It has been a while since we have been able to go back to Haiti. See the post from the Love A Child website below to get an idea why. But, praise God, because of your obedience to continue to support the people of Z’Orange we have been able to provide funding so far for teachers, pastors, and interpreters, and food for the children and elderly. We also are sending some food to a small orphanage near the TEM mission and to Daniel’s voodoo village. Cal Griffin and I were able to go in November 2020 for a short visit, but now it is too dangerous. We are getting to the point where we need more food for the children and the elderly, and funding for the school. The people of Z’Orange are depending on God to get them through this crisis. We need your help.
A majority of the missionaries to Haiti have left the country with no intention of returning. Please take some time to pray to see how God can use you to help our Christian brothers and sisters in Haiti.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ขโฆ(from Love A Child missionaries Bobby and Sherry Burnette)
People have been asking me, what are the real conditions in Haiti? I really donโt like talking about it, but I will share some with you.
Haiti is in a political, constitutional, economic, medical, and food crisis! Haiti has been on a ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ, โ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ โ (most dangerous warning), since March 5, 2020. Due to violent crime, such as armed robbery and carjackings, and a spectacular rise in kidnappings. Victims have included U.S. citizens. Shootings, murders, riots, roadblocks, burning of buildings, and an abundance of criminal activity.
Protest demonstrationsโฆ. some peaceful, some are not. Many opposition groups are demanding President Jovenel Moรฏse leave or resign. They are trying to destroy the President of Haiti but actually, what they are doing ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ. Itโs truly heartbreaking.
In Port au Prince and other areas, private cars, trucks carrying the poor, and other vehicles have holes where AK-47s and other guns have shot them. These people were armed with guns by those who purchased them. Yesterday, we saw one truck which a company had bullet-proofed 6 months ago. On Monday, it was hit 45 times with big guns while driving in Port au Prince!! The first three were on the driverโs side. The bulletproofing worked! He brought it back in to have it moved up to a Level 5 bulletproofing. This is how dangerous Haiti is now!
Our area here in Fond Parisien is safe. The problem we have is with the Papaya Gang, who is about 8 miles down the road from us. This is the only road between the airport and us. (The Papaya Gang practices Voodoo, they are on drugs, drink blood and eat human hearts in their ceremonies.) Itโs the only road in and out. You never know when they will attack you. They have killed people and shot up a big bus three weeks ago, traveling to the Dominican Republic. Many of the people came to our clinic. Before that, they shot into a poor Haitian tap-tap while trying to rob the poor people and ended up killing a baby and a woman. They, among others, were brought to our clinic for their medical emergencies.
Every time we travel down the road, itโs like playing โRussian roulette.โ You never know when they will jump out with their AK-47 guns. If you donโt stop, you have a good chance of being killed. They have been doing this for two years!
Sherry and I really worry about our Love A Child workers who have to go through there. Some have been robbed, our clinic van was stolen, and they took our people with it. (PTL! We got the people back but not the van.)
In this area, I would say truthfully, probably over 200 vehicles have been stopped and stolen on this road. Please pray for all of our safety. Actually, Sherry and I are โon edge every day,โ not knowing what will happen today.
This affects the โpoorest of the poorโ in many ways you might not understand. The majority of the poor make their living in โsellingโ (commerce) on the streets. They donโt make enough to live on, just to survive. One poor mother may sell five tomatoes and use that money to buy five pieces of bread or anything. They are just โsurviving.โ They used to take their products to the market, but now, they cannot go to the market because of the gangs. They will be robbed or killed. When our LAC children go to their universities, they always fear being shot or killed or kidnapped!
You may ask, โWhy are we still here?โ Itโs hard to explain โa calling.โ It stays upon you day and night never leaves. We โknowโ that God calls us to Haiti to help the poor in any way we can. Now, we ask you to pray for us as never before, for protection and wisdom. We have โput our hands to the plough,โ as many other missionaries have done. Please remember us and all the other missionaries here in Haiti, and above all, remember the poor.