friday, november 13, 2009
Praying for the Nation of Haiti - Day Two - Thursday
Thursday morning was begun bright and early as the team gathered for devotions at 7 a.m. During our devotion time we spent a while on some prayer orientation issues such as how we pray together in community. Coming from all different churches and experience such as our team has, it is important that we reflect and talk about some of these issues of prayer.
Following our breakfast, eight of us piled into our vehicle and Jenny drove us forward to downtown Port au Prince. This morning we focused upon prayer for the nation of Haiti as we began our time in this nation. Jenny talked to us about the forming of the nation of Haiti and the personnel in the present government. Then we began a time of prayerwalking around the presidential palace, the most prominent of the government building.
We had a significant time of prayer for the nation as we walked around the palace. We were called by God to pray for particular people we met on our walk. We made the entire circle around the palace and interceded before God for the nation of Haiti.
Around the presidential palace are a number of important monuments. This one pictured below is a monument to the unknown slave who was involved in the original revolution of the slaves of Haiti. Here a slave is blowing a conch shell to summon the slaves to revolt. It is a powerful sculpture.
From the presidential palace we traveled a short distance to the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Haitian Episcopal Church. Holy Trinity is home to a number of well known Haitian murals. We viewed the murals, prayed for the Lord’s blessing upon Holy Trinity and proceeded to St. Vincents, an orphanage run by the Haitian Episcopal Church for handicapped children.
Every day St. Vincents feeds 150 children and seeks to educate them in the Christian faith and ways of this world. Today they also fed the eight of us. Father Sadoni is the priest who is in charge of St. Vincents. He led us on a tour of the orphanage and the medical clinic, including an operating room. Since several of us know Sadoni, it was a privilege to pray for him and for St. Vincents. This picture is of us praying for Father Sadoni and St. Vincents.
We stopped at a university to visit and pray with another friend, Father Colbert, a university professor and an Episcopal priest. This is picture of Father Colbert.
Following our prayer time, we left for Baptist Bible College and Seminary and received a tour of this school among an oasis of trees in the midst of the city. There are 200 students studying for ministry here. We gathered with a group of faculty, staff and several Haitian CRC pastors for a time of prayer.
The trip back to the ministry center was a bit bumpy! But we made it by dark. A great meal was shared, a time of debriefing, and some games for the evening. We headed to bed, thankful for the opportunities to pray and build the kingdom of God.
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