This was an excellent response to my post entitled “Does God Hate Haiti?” by my friend Darryl Smith:
The appropriate response is indeed one of lament.
God has been and always will be in Haiti in a MUCH BIGGER WAY than what you would see in any church in Canada or the USA. Why? Because of the suffering and poverty.
Travel to any developing country where they don’t have all the “luxuries” we have and you will see churches that are truly alive because they don’t have all the STUFF.
They sometimes have enough to get by, coupled with a FAITH that is deeper and more real than any big brained theologian could ever hope to realize. 
Haiti has a poverty rate of over 80%. Satanism and witchcraft are common BUT the Church of Jesus Christ is there too – if you followed CNN during the first few days after the quake, you would have seen hordes of believers marching through the streets singing praises to God.
The local Church in Haiti is an instrument in the hands of God and Compassion International is a small part of what God is doing to assist them. A map of the country that shows the churches who have partnered with Compassion is a beautiful sight to see. 230 churches with an army of thousands who volunteer are a very real and tangible proof of God’s love for the people of Haiti. This ministry began in 1968 and now there are over 65,000 children who benefit from what selfless people strive to do every day – break the bonds of poverty, put an end to the suffering and bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to a broken nation. It all began with one man who had a God-given passion to make a difference.
Jesus was unable to perform any miracles in the towns where the people didn’t have any faith so he just passed on through. Most of the people in Haiti have few possessions but they have a faith that puts us to shame. Jesus feels right at home there – miracles are a regular occurrence.
Even God’s chosen people lived in slavery in Egypt for hundreds of years and God judged that nation in order to set them free. Many hope and pray that this disaster will be a tipping point to bring about justice and mercy in a nation that has suffered at the hands of a corrupt government for far too long. The church is rising to the occasion!
Bravo Darryl!
