Displaying items by tag: Caribbean

Since January, there have been no democratically elected officials in power. Gangs control Port-au-Prince, and other areas with violence, kidnappings, extortion, murders and rape. The Church has spiritual plagues, muddling Catholic practices with Vodou (a Haitian witchcraft) and animism (belief that rivers and rocks possess a spirit). For those with no religion, their ‘gods’ are survival and power. Haiti’s evangelical Church is 17% of the population. They work the clinics, hospitals and fly aid to the hungry and homeless, being Jesus’ hands and feet. We can pray for the Lord to show himself in this dark hour to the Haitian people. May God be their rescuer and their strength. Pray for wise, compassionate, and godly leaders within the Haitian government. Pray for the truth of the Gospel to release those in bondage to vodou, witchcraft and animism. Pray for the Haitian Church to embody Jesus' love for the poor and needy.

In Port-au-Prince your life depends on knowing where the boundaries are. Competing gangs are claiming areas, kidnapping, raping, killing at will and demarcating territories in blood. Cross from one gang's turf to another, and you may not return. Armed groups terrorise 60% of the capital by controlling roads. 1,000 people were killed between January and June. The last head of state was killed in office, creating a vacuum; there is no functioning parliament , and the US-backed unelected prime minister is unpopular. Half the population face acute hunger, 20,000 face famine-like conditions and cholera, but gangs are the greatest plague. Morning and evening rush hours are kidnapping times as commuters are snatched from the streets in a growing industry. Ransoms range from £164 to £820,000. Most victims return if ransoms are paid, but they suffer: rape, burns by melted plastic, and more. Catholicism is the official religion, but voodoo is the national religion. The majority of Haitians practise some aspects of voodoo.

Fritz Dorilas is the eighth journalist killed this year in Haiti. There is surging gang violence, political instability and targeted attacks on the media. The capital’s increasingly powerful criminal gangs battle for control in a political vacuum after President Moise’s assassination. Haiti has security and humanitarian crises after weeks-long blockades on key petrol terminals caused electricity and water shortages that exacerbated already-high rates of hunger. His killing came shortly after Romelson Vilsaint died during a Port-au-Prince protest when police threw tear gas and opened fire on journalists demanding the release of a colleague. Mexico has been plagued by journalists’ killings since the government’s war on cartels began. It is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a journalist: 13 had been killed by the end of August. A web of violence, corruption and impunity has plagued Mexico and despite government efforts to protect journalists, the situation has worsened.

Lebanon is trying to contain cholera in its most vulnerable communities. 290 cases and 11 deaths were confirmed since October 6th. Cholera is a bacterial infection caused by contaminated water or food, it spreads quickly and can kill within hours through severe dehydration. It’s completely preventable with clean water and sanitation access, usually provided by public utilities, but those empowered to deliver this have already made off with the money budgeted for the infrastructure. See Haiti is also grappling with cholera, and the timing couldn’t be worse. The previous outbreak killed nearly 10,000 people between 2010 and 2019. Now, over 1,700 cholera cases have been confirmed, half of them children, and 40 people have died so far. Haiti was already struggling under hostile gang takeovers in cities. A few medical centres try to treat cases, but they lack fuel, gangs blocking the seaport prevent fuel being released, bringing businesses and health facilities to a halt.

Haiti is in such a bad political, economic and security crisis that the USA has urged its citizens to leave the country. The government authorised prime minister Henry to ask the world for military help to stop gangs paralysing the country and causing a major humanitarian disaster. Powerful gangs have blocked the country's main fuel terminal since September, crippling basic water and food supplies. It is not clear to whom the request for intervention has been sent, and in what form the help would be given. The UN said, ‘We remain extremely concerned about the security situation in Haiti and the impact it is having on the Haitian people and on our ability to do our work, especially in the humanitarian sphere.’ Eight people died recently from cholera, raising concerns of a potential health crisis. Pray for the USA to act on Haiti’s previous request for a humanitarian corridor to restore fuel distribution.

Details have been outlined of temporary price control measures aimed at helping families to cope with mounting global inflation. The measures will affect 38 key staples such as eggs, bread, and sanitary towels. Prime minister Philip Davis announced the controls in a national address as part of broader measures to help the island nation, which imports many goods, to tackle the effects of rising price pressures globally. The controls, which limit price increases to 15% for wholesalers and 25% for retailers, will last six months, after which they will be subject to review. The prime minister remains confident that these additional measures will provide relief to Bahamian families. He also said the government would cut profit margins on price-controlled drugs and unveiled a $6 million investment in defence vessels, as they do not have the resources to deal with waves of undocumented migrants.

Haitians are surrounded by gang warfare. One of the largest gangs is 400 Mawozo who kill police officers. Outmanned and outgunned by well-armed gangs, police are demanding that the government back them up with better support and more equipment. The G9 is an alliance of nine gangs led by an ex-policeman. They control coastal ports and oil terminals, seize goods lorries, and extort money from businesses. An estimated 60% of Haiti’s capital is classed as ‘lawless’ by human rights groups. The city, similar in size to Los Angeles, is paralysed by dozens of gangs battling for power and territories. Once buzzing with nightlife, it now looks and feels like a ghost town. Shops are shut and residents have vacated homes, fearing of being caught in the crossfire. On city outskirts, huge swathes of the community are living from hand to mouth, without electricity or access to clean water.

Despite 2018’s change in leadership, Cuban churches face unrelenting pressure from a government that views churches as a threat to the revolution that began in the 1950s. Cubans are poor, and the government seeks to control every aspect of their lives. In April 2021, Miguel Diaz-Canel was announced as first secretary of the Communist Party, the first leader since the revolution who is not a Castro. Three months later Cubans protested over deteriorating living conditions and called for an end to dictatorship. Most Cubans are atheists and many engage in superstitious and spiritist practices, including Afro-Cuban Santeria. 11% are evangelical Christians. The government persecutes them and seizes churches. Believers meet in illegal house churches which are growing through active evangelism. Many Cubans have never owned a Bible. Many are closely watched and effectively under house arrest. Many are denied jobs. Pray for those distributing Bibles and supporting discipleship and evangelism.

In October we asked you to pray for the release and safe return of missionaries held hostage in Haiti. On 16 December the twelve Canadian and American missionaries made a daring night-time escape walking on rough moonlit terrain following the sheer guidance of the stars. After a number of hours of walking, day began to dawn, and they eventually found someone who helped them make a phone call for help. They were finally free. They had faced difficult and intense circumstances in captivity, including sweltering heat, mosquito bites and limited access to food.

Pastor Brant Cole took a team of teenagers to their sister church in Haiti. The night before they were to leave, Brant felt there was still something left that God wanted to do. As they drove through a village he saw a woman and stopped the truck; he needed to tell her about Jesus. The woman said she couldn’t receive Jesus; she was indebted to the devil. They told her repeatedly, ‘Christ died to take away every debt and sin in our past.’ Surprisingly, she invited them to her house. After sharing the gospel with her more fully, the power of the Word and Spirit burst into her and she was born again. Later, they discovered she was the local witchdoctor. Other Christians had witnessed the love of God to her for years, but she had refused. Then God brought a little team of willing teenagers from a distant land and created a miracle.