Only God Can Save Haiti

Hello to you all,

I am writing you today from the mission complex I am staying at around the outskirts of northern Port Au Prince, Haiti. I have not had internet until today and am happy to actually be able to update you all. I did not expect to be able to do so.

I am writing with honestly a heavy heart right now. The situation here is dire to say the least. On wednesday, myself, Remy, and Vilbrun drove into downtown Port Au Prince to go to various locations. We went to Remy's house, several refugee camps, a church and a school we knew of that collapsed, a hospital where Remy's brother works and a few other places. 

I am keeping a lengthy journal on my computer as well, documenting each day. I am going to insert a few sections of that journal to better describe the situation as in the city as I saw it yesterday:

"Just driving through the northern part of the city, you would never know that the destruction was as bad as it is. Even into Delmis, the district where Remy has his home, there were only occasional buildings that I noticed were destroyed. Nothing like what I had pictured. But then, we began to see more of the city and also see a few buildings in person and hear the story behind who was there. As we entered the downtown part of Port Au Prince, the power of the earthquake became much more noticeable. I would say that 1 of 4 buildings in the downtown area were destroyed… raised to the ground… and as you keep driving, block by block it began to hit me. Each and every building there has a story… somebody was there and there are literally thousands of buildings that have collapsed.

I clearly remember driving by one particular building… The top 4 floors were intact but the bottom 2 floors of the building had been crushed under the weight. From the road, we could see beds that were sticking out the side as the walls had fallen off... the beds were crushed under the weight of thousands of pounds of metal and concrete. People lived there… people I am told, probably died there and are entombed there. Every building destroyed has a story… somebody’s home or work… somebody’s life possibly lost. Two hundred thousand people killed in an instant by the massive amounts of concrete that caved in all around the city. "

We also walked through the downtown district of Port Au Prince on Wednesday. The UN has troops stationed all over the city and we felt secure enough to enter a few of the camps. Right in front of and all around the national palace there are thousands of people living on the street... well there are people living everywhere on the streets, but there was a concentration of people here. There are refugee camps everywhere but these camps were the only ones I have so far entered. People are living in dire need of help and supplies. I wish I could better describe what is happening here. 

I have heard and seen story after story of people who need help. Mass amounts of people are starving and even more are homeless. The lucky refugees were able to get a tent and aid from the UN or US government. We have seen many camps where the people are living totally outside, with little or no cover. It has rained every night for the last week and a half too. 

My heart breaks because there is such a great need and so little that I can actually do. People everywhere need help and there is so little that I can do besides pray with them and encourage them. Even today, we went to an orphanage that is in huge financial trouble. The business that was in Port Au Prince making money to support the orphanage was destroyed. Now, the leader of this orphanage has no place to turn. He has 35 children who need food and shelter, but he has no way to provide for them in the coming months. He is a good friend of Remy and we had a chance to pray with him. I honestly am deeply saddened that I feel I can't do more. I know that the Lord is in control and has the power to perform miracles... and he does. He can provide for every need this orphanage has. My sadness is turned to Joy knowing that even if I can't physically provide for these people, I trust and pray to a God that is more powerful than anything that ever was and ever will be. God can provide for these people and I pray that he does. Only God can save Haiti.

It is very late here, so I am going to go to bed. There is so much more I could say, but I know that I have already written a lot. I am doing fine right now and appreciate your prayers and support. Please pray for the people of Haiti. They need help and I pray that God would provide for the needs of these people. If you want to talk to me over facebook or SKYPE, I will be on at different times throughout the trip. Send me a message and I can try to get in touch with you. 

Thank you and have a good night,

-Garrett Luck