by Robin Fisher
Virginia, MN at the Coats Plaza Hotel
“I was in my home when the earthquake struck”, said Stenio Capre. ” It kept shaking, but the building stood and I got out OK.” He said that many of the wooden buildings survived the quake but most buildings were made of poor concrete. “To save money, they used more sand and less cement in the mix and those structures just crumbled. Only three of my churches were destroyed and ten were damaged (out of 290 churches). 300,000 people died in Port-au-Prince, but only nine died from my church. God gave his people special protection! ” Bishop Capre said the aftershocks were very terrifying and people refused to go back into any buildings. People were too afraid to sleep and stayed up praying all night – sometimes from 6:00PM until 6:00AM. When Stenio walked through the streets of Port-au-Prince he was shocked by the extent of the damage. Even today, there is very little clean-up of debris or re-building going on. “A few people who have some money are starting to re-build their businesses. But mostly the wrecked buildings are un-touched. The Haitian goverment does nothing to assist the people. Common problems include looting, kidnapping for ransom, and diseases such as typhoid, malaria, and cholera from drinking contaminated water. People are told they must boil the water first, but they don’t want to. ” Stenio wants to bring help to the people of Haiti in any way possible.
” My family members that live in Florida want me to stay there and be safe. But God wants me to minister in Haiti so there I will stay. I have been there 38 years and my goal is to start 1,000 (gospel centered) churches in Haiti !”
Bishop Capre went over the history of Haiti to show how the culture developed. The spanish ships led by Christopher Columbus killed all the indian natives on the island of Haiti. Then the french colonized the island with their African slaves. The slaves eventually revolted and used their voodoo religion to defeat the French. The voodoo protected them from bullets and allowed them to kill the French with machetes. The french leader , Napoleon, sold Louisiana to get the money to fight in Haiti. The similarities between Louisiana and Haiti can still be seen today with the french culture, creole language, mardi gras, and voodoo religion practice. Haiti won their independance in 1804 . Because voodoo won them the island, that heavy, dark spirit still hangs over Haiti. Haiti faces another election on November 28th. Stenio says the candidates always use human or animal sacrifices to further their cause. Bishop Capre wants to see his country brought out of voodoo. “After the quake, 52% of Haiti’s people believe in Christ. In 1970 – that figure was only 10%. ” He believes the dark influence of voodoo religion is keeping the Haitian government totally ineffective and corrupt. He praises the international aid groups that are helping the Haitian people. Groups like Samaritan’s Purse, TBN, Joyce Meyer Ministries, and the Red Cross , and many others are helping quake victims. “My people need EVERYTHING!” says Stenio. We need food and money to buy food. We are desperate for medical supplies. “If your hospital has an old ambulance, old lab eqipment, old X-ray machine, or old hospital beds – we need them in Haiti! We need helicopters, laptops, and right now I really need a radio transformer. My radio program is off-the-air until I can get it fixed. When I have computer access it takes 30-45 minutes to download one page ! We don’t have any reliable electricity so we could really use solar panels and batteries for a better system. This is not so I can have a better life in Haiti – this island has 8 million inhabitants and many of them don’t even have basic food and shelter. Better communications and transportation will help us reach these people in remote places.
Bishop Stenio Capre gave his talk to a small group at the Coates Plaza Hotel in Virginia on Monday evening, October 25th. He was happy to field questions and confirmed most of what Americans hear in the news. He also visited at the home of Tom and Pat Chapman in Field township. Information about Stenio Capre Ministries can be found on www.harvestofhaiti.org and e-mails can be sent to Stenio Capre at rev.scapre@harvestofhaiti.org.