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Ministry Stories by Stephanie Pridgen on 4/28/2010
In Haitian Creole Marassa means "the twins". It is also the name for a couple of tent communities residing side-by-side on the outskirts of Port-Au-Prince, each containing approximately 2,500 residents in a low lying riverbed area.
Thursday we took enough supplies to the twins to provide 15,000 meals of rice and beans.
The load weighed so much that the machine bearing this precious cargo suffered two flats and a double blow out while trying to traverse the city, leaving us stranded for hours on the roadsides of Port-Au-Prince with a temperamental truck determined to no longer carry its heavy burden.
We transferred dozens of sacks into the back of our vehicle to relieve some pressure from the overburdened truck. In the meantime, one of the twins' parents came looking for their much needed and promised provision. Thankfully the camp's president that came in search found us and we were able to load down his truck with boxes of oil, further lightning the main distribution truck's load.
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His forsaking occurred before the nation was shaken to its core but because of his disowning an orphanage full of girls had their lives spared.
"It was like walking through the book of Acts" is how one of our participants recently described his day of ministry here in Haiti.
As we traveled down the road and out of Port-Au-Prince, there was a change from the dusty, dingy streets crowded with people to a lush, verdant landscape running parallel to the sea. Peppered among the amazing scenery provided by nature was another amazing scene, building after building shattered and pancaked.
Daily now the clouds gather and take on a dark persona, the winds shift and inevitably an incalculable number of free falling water droplets descend on Port-Au-Prince. The forecast for this week alone predicts several inches of rain will fall in this disaster stricken city.
They carry out their mission with only the light from a few headlamps in the predawn darkness. Jokes and laughter have ceased, replaced with a sense of urgency to get in and get out quickly, seen by as few as possible.