After the recent news story about the insecurity crisis in West Haiti and its surroundings, many of you have contacted us to check if we are safe, and we are truly grateful for your prayers and words of encouragement. We are safe, we praise God for that!
Unfortunately the kidnapping problem has been ravaging in Port au Prince (the capital city) and its surrounding areas for many months now, to the point that many areas are left bare, even the locals had to migrate and avoid them. Although this situation has complicated what we knew as normal, the South remains calm and safe.
Due to the gang violence and unreliable access to the West however, the rest of the country is somewhat handicapped. Nowadays, people are forced to travel by air within the country because long distance road trips are unsafe, the cost of living in the provinces keeps increasing because everything is found in the capital city, and transport of goods is unsafe and unreliable. Ongoing fuel shortages and increasing prices also continue – for example, a gallon of gasoline costs 1000 gourdes which is $10 US from a street seller, and you can’t even get it at the gas station.
Please pray for hearts to be transformed, as sad as this may sound but the country of Haiti needs freedom from the bondage of its own people and Satan’s hold on them. We join you too in praying for the hostages, that they will be safely released and soon.
In God’s hands,
Juska and Jona