When I returned to the Cybercafe this week, I found all of the windows of the stores on the bottom broken and two of the three stores empty. My first thought was that the two empty stores had been looted, but when I talked with the owners I found out it wasn't as bad as it seemed. Looters had taken some things, but not that much and they were able to remove many things before the second wave of looters appeared. Still their loses were great, especially compared to us who sustained no damage at all!
About 11 AM on Tuesday April 8th about 200-300 young men from the poorest areas of Port-au-Prince marched up the main street of Port-au-Prince called Delmas that goes from Cite Soliel (the poorest part of PAP) to Petionville (the richest part of town).
All along the way they broke windows in both cars and buildings, including the shops right below our cybercafe.
Some stores they looted as well, such as the foodstores and gas station mini-marts. The gas station right next to us had floor-to-ceiling glass windows and they totally smashed and looted that store.
All the while our two employees, a young lady named Jackie and a young man named Lucas were in the cybercafe on the second floor trying to protect our windows and keeping the doors locked. When the violence erupted they also allowed those who were in the stores below to find shelter in our store.
As I thought about this, it reminded me of when the Psalms tells us God hides us in the cleft of a rock. God truly delivered our neighbors and he used our cybercafe as the "cleft in the Rock."
Jackie and Lucas also helped the store owners remove their merchandise so that no more would be taken. They are my heroes this week!
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