Update From Haiti

January 20: Teas of Joy; It’s a Miracle!

I rejoiced and gave thanks when I saw this story in the news. Fifty hours into its nightmare, Port-au-Prince deserved a miracle. His name was Redjeson Hausteen Claude. Limp, bewildered and barely two years old, he was lifted from the rubble of his collapsed home by an exultant Spanish search-and-rescue team, three days after the earthquake struck.

The boy defied a disaster that laid ruin to the Haitian capital, leaving many tens of thousands dead. His face broke into a thankful smile when he saw his mother, Daphnee Plaisin, and she cried tears of joy and relief as he was handed to her. There has been little of either for thousands of others still hoping for miracles of their own.

Today the efforts are focused primarily on saving those who survived the massive earthquake. Lack of food and clean water pose a threat to hundreds of thousands of impoverished people. The basic infrastructure of society is completely destroyed. Medical services, police protection, electricity, running water, sanitation—all have been wiped out. The only help that is available is that provided by outside groups and governments. What I have seen since I arrived has been heartbreaking.

Diseases like cholera and malaria are greatly feared, because so many bodies have still not been buried. And without clean water and food, many more will die in the days ahead. That is why the Jerusalem Prayer Team has made a major commitment to help Haiti. The Red Cross says that three million people are in desperate need of aid.