Haitian Revival

Last year, the people of Haiti celebrated Kanval, a.k.a. Mardi Gras. They decorated bicycles, motorcycles, horses and donkeys. They made Indian, African and Zombie masks and danced to carnival music around parade floats. For three days, they celebrated music, nature, history and religion, indulging in food, drink and temptation.

January 12, 2010, changed all that.

A Nation Ready for Change

This year, President Préval of Haiti canceled Kanaval. Instead, he called upon his nation for three days of prayer and fasting. Christian leaders within Haiti had only five days to prepare for the event. On February 12, just one month after the devastating earthquake, more than 1 million Haitians responded to his cry.

Rev. Calvin Lyerla, founding pastor for Acts 2 Worship Center, was there that first day.

“As the sun was rising on the morning of February 12, 2010, I could hardly believe my eyes. Crowds were gathering right in the shadow of the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince…As the day began to break, there were more people than the eyes could even see. They were standing with their hands extended to Heaven…There were desperate Haitians crying out to God Almighty to forgive them and heal their country. There must have been 1 million or more filling that Main Square in the downtown area…Scriptures were read, prayers were prayed, songs of worship were offered up, declarations of repentance were made…”

For three days, from sunrise to sunset, thousands upon thousands of Haitians gathered together in search of forgiveness and hope. People of all ages crowded the streets, standing anywhere they could. Some stood on cars and busses. Some stood on rooftops. Some clung to trees. By the last day, there were over 3,000 confirmed conversions. Of that number, 101 were former Voodoo priests.

Revival in Haiti

New churches are emerging across the country of Haiti. Worship and prayer meetings are erupting every day. But some question if the people of Haiti are truly believing or simply coping.

To many though, the revival is “real.” Sarah Bennetch, one missionary in Haiti, said, “There is a spiritual phenomenon going on in this country that I don’t know if anyone’s ever seen in our lifetime…Missionaries who have been here long-term report it as being never seen before…It doesn’t matter how much the earth shakes anymore, they put their trust in God.”

Missionaries urge for prayer that revival continues in Haiti.