Hurricane Matthew Through the Eyes of a Church Building

They call me the Christian Reformed Church of Villa-de-Woz.

For many years, I was only four walls and a tarp. People would come from around my village in their nicest clothes to sing joyful songs, but when the rains came I felt like I was letting my people down because I could barely keep them dry.

Then in the beginning of 2012, something wonderful happened. All around I saw ladders, wood, and screws. The buzzing saws and pounding hammers went on for months.

I overheard the people talking and these supplies for my new roof were donated by SON-BEAM International and Christian Reformed World Missions.

They said they were adding extra trusses and threaded rod that would help me withstand the earthquakes and storms like the huge one we had in 2010.

As quickly as they came, the workers left and people began worshiping inside of me again, and I was overjoyed to see that people could gather again without worrying about impending rain.

Children came to laugh and learn about God’s word, women came for conferences led by CRWM’s Sharon Segaar-King, and everyone came to praise and worship God.

Then in October 2016, my first real test came. The winds started howling and the rain came pouring down.

“Into the church!” people cried, and soon I was filled with people from my village. They were all depending on me to protect them from Hurricane Matthew. Hours went by and I stood strong for all the people of Villa-de-Woz.

As the storm calmed, I looked around and felt devastated by what I saw. Mattresses, clothes, books, and trees were scattered by the wind and flood. Tin roofs and entire houses were smashed. Roads and bridges washed out.

In the following days, the roads slowly dried and Zachary King reached me from below the mountains. Zach is a CRWM missionary and he came with staff from World Renew bringing rice, beans, and other supplies to help with relief.

There’s still much work to be done here in Vila-de-Woz and in other villages like it. But I’m thankful for the small part I could play in keeping people safe.

Please pray that God will continue to provide for the people here in Villa-de-Woz and throughout Haiti. Pray that pastors who have been trained by Zach and others over the years will be able to effectively share God’s good news with those who have lost so much in this storm.

Missionary: Zachary and Sharon Segaar-King