Traffic Jam in Haiti

After over a week of chaos in Haiti, things are finally beginning to show a sense of normality again. We had wondered when the roadblocks, riots, and strikes would ever end? It has been refreshing to hear the sound of vehicles passing outside our gate knowing that we can once again leave our compound without fear. Businesses, schools, and markets are all open again as well. The attempt to oust President Jovenel Moïse appears to have fallen by the wayside, at least for now.

Yesterday, Prit and I were returning home on “L” Street. ”L” Street is one of the main arteries in Cap-Haitian. The traffic was very heavy and it seemed to take forever and a day to get home. There’s no way to describe traffic in Haiti.  It’s like navigating a minefield. One must inch along with all the other vehicles and motorcycles. Then there are the pedestrians racing across the street to avoid getting hit.  There is no rule of law when it comes to driving in Haiti. It’s all defensive driving and it’s usually done at a snail’s pace. Motorcycles can turn into your lane at any moment and most of our energy is spent on making sure we don’t hit anyone. It can be exhausting just to go to town and back!

Normally, I would have been quite impatient with it all because it took so long to get home. However, it dawned on me that all these people crowding the street with their motorcycles and vehicles was actually a good sign. Why? Because it meant the city was no longer in crisis mode — at least for the moment. Instead of being bottled up on our compound, we were actually able to get out and go to town. It’s amazing how one’s perspective can change about the “drudgery” of everyday life after going through certain trials.

Please pray the calm will remain. We also ask for your prayers for President Jovenel Moïse. He has inherited a myriad of problems that go back decades — even back to the time when Haiti was a French colony.  Jovenel needs supernatural help to pull this country out of its doldrums and set it back on its feet. Moïse means Moses in the French language. Can we pray that this modern-day Moses can lead his people out of bondage — and into prosperity, much like the Moses of old did? We’ll also pray that the most confusion we’ll experience is that of the madness on ”L” Street.