Brittany shares about going to Haiti

King Family Update

Thank you all, we feel extremely blessed. To date our family and friends have donated about $3400 to help us go and serve Haiti. The final price we need to raise has also lowered to $6000 which means we are over half way there! We are getting very excited about the opportunity we will have to serve in Haiti. The kids in particular are excited about making new friends and handing out food to families who otherwise would have nothing. Please continue to pray as we prepare for this family service experience, and thank you for being part of it.

Voodoo

One of the main religions in Haiti is Voodoo. This religion is about fear more than anything. It goes way beyond mere superstition and often gets violent. When I was in Haiti last year I had a chance to hear the testimony of a former witch doctor. He shared with us how he use to go out at night, get drunk, and then look for people to hurt. I recently got am email from our friend in Haiti regarding the inroads they are making in helping people escape voodoo and a life of fear.

"Many of you know that the season of Easter is also a time for many voodoo ceremonies. Starting on Easter, Andre, a witchdoctor that lives in the neighboring community, decided to hold nightly voodoo ceremonies. He wanted it to last the entire week. We have talked to Andre several times about his life and about Christianity. God has also given us the opportunity to help him medically and materially through the giving of food and clothes. We have invited him several times to our Sunday afternoon service, but there has always been excuses. When we heard the voodoo drums on Easter night, it was such a disappointment. JeanJean suspected it was Andre and was burdened for his soul. God put it on our hearts to pray right then for Andre and the others in the area that would want to participate in the ceremony. We prayed mightily for the men and women that have recently come to know Christ. We prayed that they would not be tempted to revert to their old practices. We prayed for our youth because so often the youth search for things to do and end up dabbling in evil just to check things out. JeanJean then had a chance to talk to Andre on the Tuesday after Easter. Andre told us that he had planned to have the ceremonies each night for a week but was stopping them because no one came!!! He just couldn't understand why no one wanted to participate. JeanJean shared with him about our prayers and again invited him to come to church on Sunday with us. He told us he may just do that. Please pray for Andre."

Haiti - A Country in Dire Need

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Last year when I was there we went to a kindergarten graduation. The ceremony was three hours long and there was a huge party afterward. The Kindergarten graduation is the biggest celebration of any life event in Haiti because many kids don't live to the age of five and of those who do live getting to go to school is even rarer.

During the 2008 hurricane season, four tropical storms struck Haiti, which resulted in torrential rains, extensive flooding and mudslides, and hundreds of reported casualties. The lack of governmental infrastructure and rescue services combined with impassable roads and bridges severely hindered rescue and relief efforts. In late August and September 2008, heavy rains and gale-force winds from hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike pelted the country's coastline and interior causing heavy flooding and mudslides. In the aftermath of the storms, eight of the country's nine departments reported significant physical and economic devastation. The storm damage came on the heels of the civil unrest in April 2008 regarding the already dismal economic conditions in the country.