La Gonâve Spared From Hurricane Melissa’s Destruction

Our sister church in Haiti, St. Jean-Baptiste, and its schools were spared from hurricane Melissa’s destructive winds and rain last week, priest-in-charge Père Vil reported to me. He was thankful for our prayers prior to the storm and during, as I was in contact with him via WhatsApp. He was most thankful for us and our prayers as we tracked the hurricane together. God heard and answered ours and our Haitian brothers’ and sisters’ prayers. Praises and glory to God! Père Vil’s last words before the storm were “sky still cloudy and the wind very strong. But know, our God keeps us safe.”

Hurricane Melissa left at least 25 people dead in a section of the Haiti mainland. Unfortunately, heavy rain caused La Digue River to overflow in the southern coastal town of Petit-Goâve, flooding homes.

“I am overwhelmed by the situation,” Petit-Goâve Mayor Jean Bertrand Subrème, who urged the government for assistance to help victims, told the Associated Press. Please keep our sister church, schools, and the community of Plaine Mapou in your prayers as the basic needs remain for food (most school children get only one meal a day at school), clean water, healthcare, educational support, books, teacher salaries, transportation, agriculture, adult literacy education, etc.