The Day of The Haiti Earthquake
// New Missions
On Tuesday morning, January 12, I found myself up very early. It was 4:30 a.m. and I was picking up a group of students to take them up the mountain to see the sunrise. There we stood… the morning of what would become a historic day, as the sunrise broke over the mountain range and to our left we could see the entire Leogane Plain, with our mission off in the distance. It felt like just any other day. Yet soon our region would become torn and broken.
After we enjoyed breakfast at the mission we loaded the flatbed trucks filled with Christmas shoeboxes and went to the Brache-Millot school and gave each child a shoebox and spoon. Inside each classroom our team members assisted students in opening their surprise gifts. It was a precious sight. Little did we know that only hours later, the roofs we were under would come crashing to the ground. Thankfully, at the time of the earthquake (just before 5:00 p.m.) no children were in school.
Allison Starcher, from Orlando, Florida, shared the joy of opening a shoebox gift with a child in the Brache-Millot school on the day of the earthquake.
Lunch was served at the mission and off we went to the village of LaSalle for ministry hut by hut. I walked into a hut and prayed with a family to receive Jesus. Less than a few hours later, those thatch homes would be shaken, and the hearts of those Christians would be secure in knowing Jesus.
The cries from the villagers all around us were directed to God. Hymns of praise were sung throughout the night of the earthquake. They made it loud and clear who they worshiped–Jesus!
Looking back, the poorest of the poor living in mud thatched huts had their lives spared–because no concrete would come crashing upon them. Plus, Haitians typically live outside. The only time they go indoors is to sleep. At the moment of the earthquake, I was thrown to the ground…the concrete beneath me began to crack in half, and the earth opened up like a scene from a movie. I was in total shock! When I finally found my balance, I began to run toward the beach, away from the buildings. I called for all of the mission team to gather–wanting to assure everyone was safe. Glory to God, none of us were injured! Shortly after, all 44 of us evacuated to our high school property due to the threat of a tsunami. At the end of the day, I found myself sleeping on the ground, and feeling tremors all night long. The sounds of Haitian Christians singing in the distance removed any fear. I also held strong to the memories of the ministry we shared earlier that day. We are changed forever because of this earthquake.
Earthquake Caught On Video: Call or order free at newmissions.org the DVD of when it all happened.