Gas Shortage, Unrest, and Prayers Needed

We are coming and asking for prayer…Again.

Some variation of this title has been an ongoing theme for All Things New and for other organizations in Haiti for over a year now.  Last July was the first big blow up, and it really has not stopped since.  I hesitated a little to write about it again because I do not want to focus on the negative.  I do not want you guys to grow tired of hearing about the struggles or even give up on this country that we love.  At the same time, we need your prayers, and so I write…again.

I understand that there are struggles everywhere, there is devastation in the Bahamas, and even in your own home city there are children and families whose needs are not being met.  So we come, again, asking for you to add the country where our kids and employees live to your prayers.  We are asking, humbly, that the constant prayer requests and struggles that Haiti has been going through do not cause fatigue in your minds or hearts.  We understand that Haiti has deep issues and that is why we are asking for even more prayers.

Here is what has been going on over the past few days:

• There is no gas in the country.  Well, there is gas, but it is not accessible to the population and most gas being sold right now is being sold on the street for 3x-5x the price.
• The government is going to raise prices on gas again.  There are a lot of reasons for this, and it is necessary, but it is going to cause even more issues.
• The opposition is revving up their efforts to make the sitting President (Jovenel Moise) step down.
• There has been no school countrywide since Monday and most schools will not even try to open again until next Monday.  It is too dangerous to go out on the streets…This is only the second week of school.
• No gas means no electricity for businesses and people (most people who have electricity use generators).
• No gas means that businesses shut down and people cannot get to work.
• No gas means that the motorcycle taxis that run the country are doing little more than sitting empty and not moving.  The same goes for the tap-taps (public transportation).
• There are road blocks and burning tire barricades all over the country, essentially bringing the country to a halt. Supplies cannot leave Port and cannot get to the rest of the population.

These are all general problems, but they all affect All Things New as well.  

• Our kids have not even started school because their school was shut down last week due to some local issues and this week because of the countrywide problems.  We are hoping to start this coming Monday but they will miss 2 weeks of very important learning time regardless.
• Lener could not make it to the market to buy supplies for the kids.  He tried to go yesterday but there were roadblocks everywhere and he had to turn around and come back.  He will find food and supplies but it will be much, much more expensive and at some point, if this keeps going, things will get very difficult.
• We have heard that the government is going to focus its increased gas prices on diesel products.  Both of our trucks and our generator run on diesel because it has always been cheaper and easier to find than gas.
• Trips down to Haiti are not safe right now.  That means for teams (which we are not brining at all) but also even for our family.

The bottom line is that we need prayer.  Haiti has gone down hill considerably over the last few days and I am not sure when it will stop.  All of these things are very short descriptions of much deeper problems, and the biggest fear is that things could deteriorate even further and very quickly.  If you would like a more substantial explanation of things, please feel free to ask or to contact us.  It is too much to explain here but would be easier in person or 1-on-1.  Please pray for these issues, pray for the kids, and pray that ATN can continue to operate and do the things that GOD has called us to do in the midst of these issues.