Greetings!
“We’re all safe at home. Please pray for our home village (Jacmel). Thank you.”
Delpha Pierre Louis, CIDM Field Director
Jacmel is in the 3rd week of violence as protestors storm the streets, creating street barricades with fire and/or throwing glass and rocks, and even some gunfire creating lock down throughout our entire beloved city.
Why are they protesting? Big problems such as Haiti’s national insecurity, high inflation, scarcity of fuel, devaluation of the gourde (Haitian currency) and desired oust of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. The challenges are real, but violence will never create a solution! Many cities in Haiti are currently experiencing this intense unrest.
Just today our CIDM facility that we lease from our good friend and wise businessman, Joel was under attack. Joel owns many properties in Jacmel along with the main gas station. The protestors had set their minds to burn down the gas station and his buildings behind which is where our facility is. Joel and his staff held their ground with gunfire, aiming to injure but not kill the protestors. They were successful in protecting what is rightfully theirs.
Our CIDM staff have been working from their homes for the past 2 ½ weeks and will continue to until this violence stops. Ww keep in close contact with them, as safety is the utmost importance for our beloved staff and their families.
The local jail has seen 8 prisoners die from starvation these past two weeks, as the government can’t afford the food to feed them. Thank goodness our friends at CCH, a ministry we’ve previously partnered with, is now providing food to the prisoners during this turbulent time. Thank the Lord, too, that Emmanuel, the young prisoner that reached out to us several months ago was miraculously freed, thanks to CIDM for making his case known to a judge. More on that story to come.
Schools will not begin the new school year until this unprecedented violence ceases. All schools nationwide will begin the new school year in October instead of the planned September. The sooner schools begin, the sooner we can teach in the 16 jr and sr high schools, reaching over 4,000 students per week with the gospel and teachings of the Bible.
The gas prices have soared to $10.64 per gallon. And we thought our gas prices were high in the USA – imagine earning $5 a day, if you even have a job, and trying to buy gas for your moto or using a moto taxi in which the rates have increased 5 times the normal.
Due to the chaos, we will not be able to have our monthly zoom call with our Haitian staff next Tuesday. Plan on Tuesday, October 11 for our next zoom call at 9:30 am, PST for a time to speak with our staff and have a time of prayer with them.
Thank you for your prayers for Haiti, our staff and the thousands of youth we teach and disciple about Jesus,
Darlys Bird
Co-Founder/USA Director