In July of 2020, I was able to visit the ministry compound despite COVID-19 circumstances. It was an incredible trip, and I’m excited to share some of my favorite stories on the Connect 2 Ministries blog.

Sunday, July 12, 2020

After the service, I went and had breakfast. Poyis came and told me that he was going to drive to another town to pick up some men who wanted to help paint the new Children’s Home. Poyis gladly agreed to let me tag along.

Poyis, Moto, and I got onto the school bus around 10AM. We were headed to a village a little ways north of Port-au-Prince near the ocean. We were going to pick up a group of men who had told Poyis that they would like to help finish painting the Mercy Children’s Home, and that they would offer their labor for free. Poyis had met these men and their families a while back when he went to speak at a conference. These men were all part of the same church and heard Poyis talk about the Children’s Home and wanted to help. So, this Sunday afternoon and evening and probably next, they were going to paint.

Poyis drove and I sat in the seat right behind him. As he drove we talked and I asked him tons of questions about everything I saw. The area we passed through right next to Onaville had more of a city feel to it. The area was called Canaan. The main road was paved, but every side road into the neighborhoods was dirt. I saw lots of people. We drove through two different Market centers with lots of people and Tap Taps (mini-bus) and motorcycles (taxi) Poyis told me that these places were like central transportation exchanges. It is hard to describe how many people I saw, each going in a different direction with a different purpose. Poyis is a good driver and maneuvered the bus through places that were very narrow.

One of the things that he shared about Cannan is that before the earthquake, it was very sparse. After the earthquake in 2010, there were an estimated 100,000-300,000 people who died and thousands were displaced from their homes. Those displaced from their homes lived in tent cities for about one year until finally the government came in and tore down the tent cities

Wiley Kennedy serves as Director of International Ministries with Connect 2 Ministries. To learn more about Wiley, visit Who We Are, and to learn how you can make a difference, visit Join the Impact.