Please Pray

Late this morning, a 3 story school building collapsed in Petion-ville. Over 500 children aged 5-18 were in class at the time.

The news reached us over the radio. There was a hushed silence in the NICU as our minds and hearts struggled to grasp the magnitude of the tragedy. Tears sprang into our eyes as a distraught mother wailed 'my child, my child'.

She might not know, even now, whether her little one is dead or alive. 30 are known to have died and the death toll is rising by the hour.

The UN and the Police are on sight. They don't have rescue equipment. Ordinary Haitians are digging through the rubble with shovels and with their bare hands. Ordinary Haitians are co-ordinating efforts to get water to those who are trapped. Many have gathered to pray in the vicinity of the school. There is so much to admire about the Haitian character.

My mind is drawn back to another school tragedy that happened 1/2 a mile away from my own school desk in Dunblane, in 1996. A sea of flowers lined the route to that school. The eyes of the world were on us for months. I can't help but wonder if the world will remember the children and families of College Promesse Evangelique school a month, or even a week from now? Please pray for them.