Celebrations of hope and praise echoed across Haiti on Easter Sunday. Churches everywhere overflowed with worshippers, including thousands of people who accepted the Lord after the earthquake in January.

Though the disaster drove many people to churches out of fear, effective witnessing and discipleship is helping transform that fear into living faith.

The slums of Cite Soleil, situated on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, were alive with song as believers gathered in groups of 50 to 200 under tattered tarps and tin-roofed canopies to worship Jesus Christ. Many lost virtually everything in the quake, but their faith made them joyful and strong.

Over 3,000 people assembled at the Christian Church of the Cities, the largest congregation in the heart of Cite Soleil, where Samaritan’s Purse has provided medical care, food, shelter, and hygiene kits. The building trembled during the service—only this time, it wasn’t an earthquake that rocked the foundations, but jubilant believers singing and swaying in praise.

Pastor Medeus Profaite gave a clear presentation of the Gospel.

“Christ died on the cross in our place,” he said. “We have a responsibility to go out and tell others that He has risen. We serve a God who is alive!”

Ten people responded to his call to accept Christ and walked to the front of the church to profess their faith. Among them was a 14-year-old girl named Edna.

“I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, and I will follow Him with all my heart,” she said. “It makes my heart glad.”

The children’s ministry at Pastor Profaite’s church has grown by more than 200 since January as new families joined the congregation and members witnessed to their neighbors. During children’s church, you could hear hundreds of little voices shouting, “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”

A 12-year-old boy named Manes brought two friends with him.

“Easter is special,” he said, “and I want them to hear about Jesus.”

Reaching Beyond Church Walls

In the village of Source Matelas, over 300 people gathered for a Good Friday service in the community’s Christian Church. Pastor Iclair Balthazar led the congregation through seasons of fervent prayer and praise, wrapped around a Bible study of the seven last statements Jesus made as He hung on the cross.

Pastor Balthazar said that the earthquake had a transforming effect on believers across Haiti.

“When the earthquake came, many churches were damaged and walls fell down,” he said. “But pastors held services outside and people saw that they were the church, not the building they met in. It changed the way Christians in Haiti think about themselves and what it means to be the Body of Christ.”

A youth pastor named Matthias said that before the earthquake, several women in the congregation had a dream in which God impressed on their hearts that He was watching over their church. Many homes and buildings in the community were destroyed by the quake, but the church stood firm, attracting people who were searching for answers from God.

“Our church has grown,” Matthias said. “We now have more than 1,000 members. People who once knew about Jesus, now have come to know Him in their hearts.”

Looking To Jesus

A young pastor in a dress shirt and tie led a group of nicely dressed women from his church on an afternoon prayer walk along the rutted, dirt roads of Titanyen. They stopped and prayed along the way, extending their arms toward homes that were often in ruins.

“We pray in front of every house, asking for God to bless and comfort the people of our town,” Pastor Merete said. “We thank God for sparing us. Now we need His help to rebuild our lives.”

A grandmother named Clele stood in the doorway of her battered concrete-block home. Her 10-month-old granddaughter slept quietly in her arms.

Clele was in the kitchen making food for the baby when the earthquake hit. She grabbed the child and ran outside. “I knelt down and lifted my hands to God saying, ‘Jesus! Jesus!’” she said.

The back half of Clele’s home collapsed into a twisted pile of concrete, wood, and metal, but no one in her family was injured. Clele thanks God for sparing her family and declares she has renewed faith for the future.

“With Jesus, everything is okay,” she said. “But without Jesus? You can’t have anything if you don’t have Jesus!”

Following the Good Friday service, churches invited the entire community to watch an outdoor showing of “The Passion of the Christ.” Before sunset, large crowds had already gathered to watch the dramatic reenactment of the crucifixion.

Christ’s offer of forgiveness and eternal life stood in stark contrast to the darkness and death that covered Haiti after the earthquake. Nearly 230,000 people died in the quake and millions grieved the loss of family and friends.

Yet Easter in Haiti revealed a nation of people who had been tried by fire, but are finding hope and forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ.

Samaritan's Purse , Haiti , Evangelism , Help for Haiti , Signs of Revival and Renewal