Haiti (MNN) — Haitians sighed with relief after the
candidates for the March 20 elections were announced.
Eva DeHart with For Haiti With Love says, "Two of the
candidates were staying on, and the controversial one had been eliminated. And
all of a sudden, the streets are quiet. It's back to ‘business as usual.'"
The decision to reverse the results of disputed first round
polls was sweetened by that sound of silence. "For us, that's a really good thing," DeHart
notes, adding that "the manifestations (riots) can get a little scary, and so
having them quiet in the streets is a good thing."
President Rene Preval's hand-picked successor was forced off
the ballot, but pop singer Michael Martelly will be facing off former first
lady Mirlande Manigat on the March 20 run-off, with initial results to be
released by March 31.
The results of the November 28 vote were questionable since
the Organization of American States found widespread fraud, missing votes, and
altered tallies.
A decision any other way by election officials could have
been disastrous, and there's still the question of what Preval will do
next. "I don't know how long that will
hold because the original thing was that President Preval was supposed to be
gone by February 7, which was the end of his term. Whether or not
that will create more riots if he does not go, we'll know very soon."
Legislation passed by Preval supporters last year in the
Senate would allow him to remain in office until May. DeHart says in this country–fraught with
unrest, high passions, and poverty, "Just pray that things go smoothly. There's so
much destruction, and with every manifestation, there's more destruction."
The government is already struggling to keep up the pace of
rebuilding after the January quake and the devastation of a cholera
outbreak. Poverty is a grim reminder of
how much there is yet to do. "In a
country that has so little, they need to get back to thinking positive and rebuilding,
instead of constantly tearing down and being in the emotional turmoil."
For Haiti with Love has been involved with feeding and building
programs as well as a burn clinic. All
of these outlets provide their staff with an opportunity to act in the name of
Christ. And just as often as they
respond, they have opportunities to share about the love that motivates them
and the Gospel that gives them hope in a hopeless situation.
Keep praying for their team. 2010 was a difficult year. While
God has blessed their ministry and used them as salt and light, the needs are
overwhelming. “We’ve been in a good place through all of this by having
the resources to pass along God’s blessings to the people that really need them.”
Pray for peace, for rest,
for grace and for safety. There are more
details about the scope of their ministry here.
