Wow it has been a crazy first few days for me in Haiti (and the Dominican Republic) but God is working in just the few days that I have been here. I left on Tuesday the 23rd of February from Atlanta and took a flight from Miami to the Dominican Republic. I landed in the DR around 4:45pm and by 5:15 I had my luggage and was walking outside the airport looking for my ride. My ride was not at the airport and I had to get to the bus station in Santo Domingo by 5:30pm to catch my bus to Azua, where I was going to be staying the night. I can’t speak any Spanish and the taxi drivers only understood a couple of words of English. One taxi driver understood the words “bus station” and so he took me to the station and we got there at 6:00 pm. My bus was about to leave when I got to the bus station which I know God orchestrated. So I got on the bus hoping someone would be able to speak a little English but no one on the bus understood what I was saying. Halfway through the trip to Azua a German man, named Cod, got on the bus and was heading to Azua. Cod spoke good English and understood Spanish and several other languages. He helped translate for me with the people on the bus. One guy on the bus named Raul allowed me to use his phone to call the Pastor of the place I was going to stay the night. The Pastors name was also Raul. I was able to share the Gospel with Cod but his heart was hardened to it. After 4 hours I finally arrived in Azua and Pastor Raul sent a friend of his named Arodi to pick me up. So despite not being able to speak any Spanish, having no cell phone, and having no clue really where I was going the Lord was faithful and took care of my needs and I was able to arrive safely to my destination for the night.
The next day Pastor Raul sent Arodi with me on a bus to Jimani which is at the border of Haiti. This trip lasted about 3 hours and was a little bit rougher. We caught a bus that was already loaded with people and luggage. I counted the seats on the bus and the number was 27 the actual number of the people on the bus was 38. I also ended up sitting between the two biggest people on the bus which to say the least was very uncomfortable. Praise the Lord I had my Ipod with me!! I don’t know for sure but I think Arodi might have wished he hadn’t come with me on such an overloaded bus. The roads in the DR and Haiti are both extremely rough with a lot of speed bumps and a whole lot of pot holes. I arrived in Jimani and waited for another half hour at the bus station before my ride arrived. The ride across the border into Haiti wasn’t bad it took us about an hour and a half before we arrived at Pastor Christian’s house on the outskirts of Port au Prince. The groups for now will be staying in tents in Pastor Christian’s yard. The yard is not like most yards in the US but it is filled with gravel so it has taken a little time to get use to (thank God I took a pad to sleep on top of).
The first full day I was in Haiti, me and another leader, named Benny Veale, went into the very center of Port au Prince and bought 62 tarps for the people in two different areas that the AIM group had just started ministering to. The city was a total wreck, with nearly every building having some kind of damage to them. There were a lot of military personnel and vehicles along with helicopters flying overhead. Many people were walking the streets and many areas having tarps and tents set up. The traffic was horrible it took us 4 hours to go about ten miles to get the tarps and then go back to Pastor Christian’s house. The group split up into two groups and went to separate locations to pass out the tarps. The rainy season is coming within the next few weeks and still many people don’t have any tarps or tents and needless to say that don’t hardly any food at all. One community, that the group had just met, had received no help because no one knew they even existed. Most of our efforts over the next week or two will be in this community. It is a huge praise that we came across this community. I believe that God is going to do a mighty work in this community.
My first stay was short lived as I had to go back to the DR on Friday to drop off the first group at the airport and pick up the next group. Another 8 to 9 hour drive back to the DR airport, I am glad that I like driving. The Haiti airport has just reopened so the next group that comes we’ll be able to pick up in the Port au Prince airport which is only about 30 minutes away without traffic. As of right now I am in the DR at a nice hotel just having dropped off the group at the airport and taking some down time. I will be staying in the DR until Monday morning. I will be picking up this next group on Sunday and will be staying the night and heading out early Monday. Thanks for the financial support and all the prayers. My goal is to post at least one blog per week if not more to keep everyone up to date on everything that is going on in Haiti. I ask that you would be praying for me in several areas. Pray for my safety, for wisdom in leading, for my financial support, and for God to continue to work in Haiti. If anyone has any questions about Haiti they can either email me at: [email protected] or facebook me. I will try to answer as quickly as possible.
In Christ,
Ben Valentine
