UPDATE - Lucien & Estelle Gustinvil - National Church Planter, Haiti 3/5/10

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Thank you for your emergency support and prayers. My family and I are safe now even though there are continuing irregular earthquake aftershocks in my area. We lost most of our things in the earthquake and the outer courtyard walls overturned, but the house still stands. I will have to rebuild the wall and enlarge the space for the church. All the Beracah church family sends their thanks to you for your assistance in sending support, with which we were able to provide them with food. God bless you!

We were in the position that each of us could have been among the 200,000 victims of the earthquake if it were not for God's direct intervention. The grace of God! I had hardly moved before the wall fell down where I had stood. My wife and Doana got out of the house and they did not have time to get through the gate before it overturned with the wall that had sustained It. Lucette was in nursing school in a building of three stories with hundreds of students, but God kept the building from falling down. There was only one door clear but the students were able to evacuate the building just after the earthquake. At this time I was detached from all contacts except Jesus. I was in the garden, and when I realized I could not move, I dropped down to the ground on my belly. When I felt that the ground seemed to be cracking under me, I cried out, "Jesus!" I did not cry because I had confidence in Jesus' promise in Matthew 28:20.
         
During all the week and weekend that followed, we were short of money and food. We lost all hope of finding something, since in every place there was nothing but lamentations, debris and cadavers. My wife gleaned some vegetables in our garden that we cooked and she purified the water we drank. We got bad news that the house at Delmas where I lived before fell down and six people died in it. We were waiting for an improvement of the situation when our coordinator, Brian Hampton, surprised us by arriving, bringing your emergency support. That was a salvation for each of the national pastors in Haiti. Thank you so much!