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One week ago, Hurricane Matthew ripped through Haiti, leaving a path of destruction. As we watched the storm path on radar, our concern grew for our outpost locations in southern Haiti, praying as we watched these communities take a direct hit. Not knowing what to expect, our relief team finally made the difficult journey to these towns and what they discovered was heartbreaking.
Torbeck is our southernmost community where Lifeline has a church and school, but the community has been wiped away. Julie, our Mission Team Manager, traveled with the relief team, and shares:
We made it out to the southwest part of Haiti and, the closer we got to Les Cayes and Torbeck, the quieter it was in the truck.
The destruction we saw out the windows looked like a war zone or where several tornadoes went through.
We stopped at Lifeline’s church and school in Torbeck and spoke with the minister and the people there.
There was NOTHING left in the area.
I spoke with Herald, a man from the church who spoke English. He said,
“We have no food, no clean water, nowhere to sleep. Nothing.”
This was one week after the Hurricane! I was so sad and did not know what to say except, “Mwen regret sa anpil” – “I’m so sorry.” He replied, “We don’t know what to do, but God does,” a phrase he continued to repeat as he showed us what had become of his town.
Our team was all so down when we started driving home.
After driving for about two hours, we started passing UN trucks and big semi’s carrying rice and beans.
I wanted to cry because Herald knows we serve a big God and that God was going to hear their cries.
I don’t know if the trucks will be going to his town, as there are thousands and thousands of people who are hungry, but I know that Lifeline will be going back with food tomorrow to ease their suffering.
In the United States, we have terrible tornadoes and hurricanes and it’s heartbreaking for the people that have lost loved ones; I know how much that hurts. We always say houses and possessions can be replaced. Unfortunately, for the Haitians, that is not so.
They do not have insurance or access to home loans or savings accounts or credit cards, or even a government that will help them. They truly are at the mercy of people, like you and I, who can come alongside and help them rebuild what little they had.
I pray that your heart is moved to help with this crisis. Lifeline is doing our best to help the people in the hardest hit areas.
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