Haiti (MNN) — Roseline DeHart works with the ministry For Haiti with Love, which is based in Haiti’s former capital, Cap-Haïtien. She remembers when her home was a quieter town. But the unrest of last year in Port-au-Prince, including a prison break and an indefinite closure of the airport, has set in motion a national shuffle.
“Each day the gangs are taking over city by city down south, so everybody is moving,” DeHart says.
Thousands of Haitians have been fleeing to the North of the country away from Port-au-prince. They are primarily finding lodging, along with relative stability and safety, in Cap-Haïtien. But not all is rosy there.
“Everybody is bringing their business to Cap-Haïtien,” DeHart says. “But the inflation is still really high. People still can’t afford to eat. It’s getting very crowded.”
DeHart says to support the housing needs, her ministry built two houses last year and plans to build four more in 2025. But the influx of people is outpacing ministry capability.
Courtesy of Jörg Haller from Pixabay
“We don’t have the means to build houses for all the people that are asking us for housing,” she says.
Food is another issue. For Haiti with Love currently feeds about 100 people a day.
“Again, we don’t have the means to feed everybody. We would like to, but we can’t.”
Adding to Haitian’s daily concerns in Cap-Haïtien is an ever-present fear that gangs will join the northward surge.
“We are praying it doesn’t happen – that Cap-Haïtien stays safe,” DeHart says.
Her ministry expected 500 children at their Christmas program last month.
“We ended up having over a thousand children,” she recalls. “They got their tummy filled up, and they also got fed spiritually.”
For Haiti with Love also hosts a medical clinic. Dehart says the staff tell patients the free services reflect the free love of Jesus.
“They always ask us about who is this Jesus, and we tell them who Jesus is and tell them to pick a church and go to a church.”
With the unrest and violence, Dehart says many missionaries have already left the country.
“And I understand it is hard, but we are there and we want to continue to be there to help God’s children in Haiti,” she remarks.
Please pray for Haiti. Pray that Haitians would look to Christ for both spiritual and physical needs, and pray that For Haiti with Love would continue to meet those whenever possible. Pray for safety of and provision for families, and pray that God’s mercy would be evident to His followers in this country.
Featured photo courtesy of Patrice S Dorsainville via Unsplash
