Hope for John Peter
Yesterday evening I went over to the basketball court here on the YWAM base to spend some time with the refugees shaded from the burning Haitian sun. YWAM Haiti has been asked by the local hospital to house some of their less-wounded refugee patients, because they’re quickly being over-run by refugees from Port-au-Prince. I went to bless them and to pray for them yes, but I went also to hear some story. Just earlier that day I had witnessed the greatest devastation that my eyes had ever seen, and I wanted to hear something that would tie my heart to the humanity affected. Some process.
I wandered through the huddled humanity lying on straw mats across the concrete. I wondered about the disease and pain represented in that room. I realized I hadn’t washed my hands.
Jeremy and I prayed for a girl who wasn’t doing too well, then I moved over to a guy who had caught my eye lying on the other side of the room. I asked him his name, and in broken English John Peter began to explain to me that he’d broken his collarbone in the earthquake. His eyes were downcast and he resisted conversation at first, but as I felt led, I continued to ask him questions. I finally began to hear some of his story. In the earthquake last week, John Peter hadn’t just broken his collarbone. He’d also lost his father, mother, sister, and two cousins. I didn’t know what to do as he began to weep between grimacing from the pain. He began to say over and over, “I’m dead, I’m dead. It’s better if I’m dead.”
I just prayed for him. I asked the Spirit of God to come upon him and give him hope. I asked Jesus to heal his heart, and to be with him in bearing his loss. I spoke destiny and life over him.
As I stayed with John Peter, praying for him and speaking with him, something in the heavenlies began to shift. I went back to see him later that night and we laughed and talked for half an hour as I showed him pictures of Jenni and my family. By the end of the evening we were talking about wives, the future, and I was able to share Jesus with him. Jeremy and I are stoked to continue hanging out with him and others as we have opportunity. There is hope, and there is life coming to this place.
This place is soon going to be crying out for an army of intercessors, willing to go into the very center of the humanity struggling to survive, and speak, sing, pray, and demonstrate the love of Jesus and the destiny God has for this people. Now is the time for the Kingdom to rise! Jeremy and I were talking today about how amazing it would be to see teams of people come and intercede in the very midst of the city, in the tent cities, in the hospitals, then go from there and demonstrate Christ’s love in a palpable and quantifiable way. Feeding, clothing, healing. Talking. Crying. Laughing. For the broken…. Unto Christ.
There is so much hope for this nation. Though it has been majorly smashed up, now is the time for rebuilding, physically, socially, and spiritually. The input going into this nation is already tremendous, and it continues increasing, with no signs of an imminent crescendo. The money and aid flowing in, the Kingdom message, the people walking the streets speaking hope and living out love, its pounding every corner of this nation like waves on the shore. God’s love for this place is relentless.
All we feel is privileged to be here and to be a part of this. Privileged to meet the people we’re meeting. Privileged to work with YWAM here (I’ll post more about that later). Privileged to be a part of what God is doing. This is not just headlines. This is history.
(Feel free to re-post this blog anywhere and check out www.jeremybardwell.wordpress.com for Jeremy’s perspective on our trip!)
