Flying into Haiti, I saw at first what looked like swimming pools, but as we were getting closer to the ground, I realized that they were tarps and tents.  The tents are everywhere, even between runways.  My experience in Haiti was one filled with many emotions.

My heart was grieved at the devastation I saw first hand and people’s great despair.   Rubble is everywhere.   Some of it has been bulldozed and is piled up seven feet high like snow.  Everyone has lost somebody and usually several relatives, friends, and neighbors, all at once. The grief is obvious everywhere you go. 

Everywhere you look, people are shell-shocked.

Their faces have the same expression of soldiers that have just come back from the battlefields.  They all have gone through so much emotionally and physically.   They have lost everything in the earthquake and can only survive thanks to the relief agencies present on the ground.   They all look beaten down.   They have lost hope and trust in a better future.  “If only I can make it through this one day”, they all seem to be saying through their eyes full of sorrow.  I saw people hurting and confused, bound by fear.  We were told that they are afraid of sleeping at night and so they walk around the tents in the darkness…Some of the tent cities are next to mass burial sites.  The spirit of death is oppressive. 

It is hard ground and plowing it was even harder! 

We met one obstacle after another: team members got sick and couldn’t make the trip; our plane was delayed from landing; to the bus that we took from the airport to the stage that did not have gas in the tank. I remembered what my grand-father told me, “Don’t let your circumstances dictate to your anointing, but let your anointing command your circumstances.”   We took authority over the onslaught of the enemy and stayed focused on the mission at hand.

The heat became unbearable. Our own team started suffering effects from the heat.  This heat prevented many people from coming to the stage.  Many of them stayed in the shade of their tents. However, we knew that under the tarps and sheets, they were hearing the music and the message of Hope.

But in spite of the sorrow, misery, and obstacles, the presence of God was there and powerful. As I preached the Gospel, the power of God was present and the greatest miracle in the entire world was manifested. The Hope Alive event was held directly across from the National Palace in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The stage area was surrounded by an estimated 50,000 people living in tents and people who had gathered on every nearby street to listen. As I gave the call for salvation, at least a thousand people raised their hands high in the air to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior! Countless others were impacted while listening in their tents surrounding the stage.  There is no doubt in my mind that we made an eternal impact on this nation.
 
The bands were awesome and the crowd started to respond as one by one each band took to the stage. The Haitian people love hip-hop, pop and reggae. The Ambassador, J.R., and Prodigal Son did not disappoint them. Some started dancing, waved their arms in the air, and smiles started to appear on faces. The spirit of the Lord was moving.

As I was preaching, I was reminded of the words Jesus spoke in John 16:33 when He said that in this world you will have trouble, BUT be of good cheer for I have overcome the world!  Praise God for the But. Jesus also said in John 10:10 that the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy, BUT I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly. Jesus truly is the only hope. He is Hope for the hopeless.

This event was a powerful experience, one that I will never forget.

I have been in many poor countries and in countries still recovering from brutal civil wars, but the spiritual, emotional, and physical pain and oppression I felt in Haiti brought me to the cross!   These people have no hope left!  Just like Jesus at the cross, they have been stripped of everything even their human dignity! Ah, But there is a resurrection day on the way!

Despite the suffering, I also saw opportunity.  I saw hope rising as we preached the Gospel in a way never done before in Haiti.  God sent us and we obeyed the call and released God’s anointing on the nation.  What we did in Port-au-Prince, bringing God’s Word amid the devastation from the earthquake, can only be described as remarkable.   Jesus is alive and Haitians’ renewed hope is coming alive in Christ!  God is pouring His spirit upon the nation of Haiti! 

Even though Haitians are trapped in poverty, they are discovering that they can be rich in Christ.   There are talks all around the globe on how to help rebuild Haiti, but only God can rebuild Haiti upon the Rock!
 
This was more than an event. It was the beginning of a spiritual awakening. God is shifting the destiny of Haiti and is bringing a blessing of healing and restoration to the land and its people.   

We will be back to Haiti.  This is the first step in a long road…and I am dedicated and determined to finish what God has given me.

Thank you to all of our faithful partners who are standing with us through your prayers and financial support! If you haven’t already, please pray about becoming a partner with Ben Cerullo Ministries. Join hands with us today and be a part of covering the world with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Together, we can make a difference for the Kingdom not just in Haiti, but all over the world!

Our mission is to reach one million souls in the next five years!

People forget that the ultimate humanitarian act is to preach the Gospel.   This is what unchains people’s heart and releases their dreams!

Have a Blessed Easter!  Jesus is Alive!

Ben Cerullo