DEAR FRIENDS,
The newspapers were full of it: what a terrible earthquake it was in Haiti! It was even the worst disaster of the recent years. The numbers do not lie: more than 220 000 deaths and approximately 1.2 million people who have no home! (According to the latest information from the UN on March 1, 2010) To watch all the news, especially the plight of the children, touched us deeply.
Before the earthquake there were already many orphans, nearly 400,000 according to UNICEF, and the expectations were that this number is now doubled! Haiti was also one of the countries where children were sold. Dealers in children went through villages where they gave the false hope to the extreme poor parents that their children would have a better future: living, working and training in the capital Port au Prince, if the parents would give or sell their children to them. But in reality, these children, nicknamed the "Restavec" were used as house slaves to clean, cook, fetch water, or sometimes worse: as private sex slave. Sometimes Restavec children were only 5 or 6 years when they were removed from their parents ...
"Oh Lord, help all these people, Lord comfort them, give them new hope ..." we prayed. And what has often happened: He asked us to be an answer to our own prayers. Johan went with 2 coworkers of our base and 7 from other bases from Youth with a Mission in Brazil for three weeks to Port au Prince to help.
They slept on top of the flat roof of a police station, now used as a clinic and in front of the half collapsed palace. A large tent camp formed in the square right before them, and they had their hands full. The surgeon and two nurses of the team have treated hundreds of patients, while the rest of the team helped with the cleaning of the rooms and toilets (no running water!) Preparing and distributing food parcels and providing programs for children in various camps. Johan also attended together with some others, the meetings from the UNICEF, to see how we in the second half of the year we could contribute to structural help, for example by offering local Christians various courses and seminars in the field of trauma among children, training for teachers, establishment of work among children in need, etc.
Because of my back problems I did not go to Haiti, but instead helped here in Brazil by directing people on how to give, go and/or pray. On the national website of JOCUM Brazil was a new email announced for everyone interested to help and all those e-mails arrived in my "inbox" ! Wow what a job! But also very rewarding, there were some new teams formed to go and there was an account opened and the last teams were able to take big offerings with them. Johan told me after returning home from his trip to Haiti, that he in all his travels had never been as deeply touched as this time. We are still praying about our next step.
TWO MORE CHILDREN AT RISK SCHOOLS AND TWO MORE GRANDCHILDREN
In May and June we hope, between the births of two new granddaughters, to teach in two Children at Risk Schools, one in Mumbai, India and the other in Perth, Australia
A few pictures from 2008, when we were three months in Calcutta to lead the Children at Risk School
Lots of thanks for all your support, financial gifts, prayers and e-mails!
We pray God's richest blessings upon you!
Johan and Jeannette Lukasse
PRAYER POINTS:
• Thank God for the opportunity that Johan had, to go to Haiti for 3 weeks. Pray for the following teams and the plans for the second half of the year.
• Thank God for the 2 new granddaughters. Pray for the birth of Naiomi and Eva, that they and their mothers, Johanneke and Michele, will be healthy.
• Thank God for the multiplying of the Children at Risk Schools. Pray for the weeks that we will teaching.
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