Haiti Update July 2021

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July 2021 Update
Guenson and Claudia Charlot

Greetings friends, 

Haiti is again making headlines worldwide. Another dark day in our history. Another sad day. How long? When will our sunshine and beaches make the headlines instead of chaos and mayhem? For the past year, Haiti miraculously escaped the brunt of COVID-19, with only 462 deaths to date. Last weekend, we narrowly escaped hurricane Elsa, now this! 

We just came back a week ago after a hectic month of travel, conferences, and speaking engagements for Emmaus University where Guenson is president. We were finally able to get away yesterday for 3 days’ rest when we heard the shocking news of our president’s assassination this morning (July 7, 2021). We hurried home and stocked up on food as a precaution. No time to rest!

 How we are feeling right now is hard to describe. We don’t know what to think. We don’t know what to say. This is horrific. Details are still sketchy about who is responsible but reports are that the assailants were Spanish- and English-speaking. The country has been somber and the streets of Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitian (where we live) have been empty all day as many process the shock of this incident. What’s next? 

Despite all the uncertainties, we are still certain Haiti is where God has called us to serve Him. Though unfortunate such circumstances are, they justify our calling to raise up transformational leaders in Haiti. We are still committed to this call. More than half of Haiti’s population is under 24 years old. We are convinced that these talented, hard-working young people are the key to transforming Haiti. 

We urgently crave your prayers for the mighty hand of God to cover the nation of Haiti in this time of grief. Pray for Emmaus University. The academic year starts in 6 weeks. Pray for our emotional wellbeing. Pray for strength and resilience. Pray for peace of mind. Pray for discernment  and more wisdom for the days ahead.