Miraculous Intervention

There is a belief, in Haitian Vodou, that people can harness the power of evil spirits to harm those who cross them. Carlot’s mother, Genevieve, drawing strength from her Christian upbringing, devised a plan to shield Carlot from the negative energy of curses allegedly placed on her son by his father’s wife and family members. She encouraged Carlot to focus on inspiring Bible verses, nurturing Carlot’s faith by teaching him God’s uplifting promises. Carlot found peace as he claimed those promises.

Every morning, before leaving the house, Genevieve would pray for her son’s safety. She sold clothing on the bustling streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Whenever Genevieve had to leave Carlot at home she worried for his safety and instructed him to stay inside their small shack, warning him never to leave for any reason except fire.

But one day Carlot disobeyed his mother. He saw some boys playing soccer across the street from his home and thought, I could play with them for a little while and be home before my mother gets back. So he opened the door and ran into the street, looking straight ahead at the boys playing. He was in such a rush that he failed to notice the car speeding toward him. The sound of brakes squealed as the car came to a stop in the middle of the road. Carlot’s little body lay limp on the street.

As he walked toward the area where the latrines were, he heard a loud ‘pop, pop, pop.’ 

Neighbors and strangers ran to see what had happened. More people gathered in a crowd curious to see what was happening when Carlot sat up. He simply woke up, unaware of what was going on. The front tire of the car had stopped only an inch from his little head. There were no bloody marks on his head, no signs of injury. “But if he isn’t injured, why had he been lying unconscious on the street?” the people started to exclaim. Carlot had apparently fainted as he had darted into the street, probably from hunger, and this had saved him from getting hit. He was unconscious for only a minute or less. Jumping to his feet, Carlot ran back to his house completely unharmed.

A few weeks later Carlot awoke in the early-morning hours needing a visit to the public latrines. There was no running water and no toilet in his house but the public latrine was behind his home. As he walked toward the area where the latrines were, he heard a loud “pop, pop, pop.”

His eyes adjusting to the dark, Carlot could see a man close by with a gun pointed in his direction. He backed up against the building behind him, not moving a muscle. The man looked toward him, but he did not lock eyes with Carlot. It was almost as if the man could not see him. The man pointed his gun, ready to shoot anyone else he should find walking the streets, his eyes darting back and forth for a new victim. Something (or Someone) evidently blocked the man from seeing Carlot, who stood less than a block away. The man holding the gun as if about to shoot moved the gun from left to right, but saw no targets. Then the man walked around the block and on to the other side of the next building, giving Carlot an opportunity to escape. The boy ran all the way home without stopping.

The next morning loud wailing could be heard throughout the city as people discovered the bodies of friends and loved ones lying on the streets. Carlot learned that there had been an uprising (a coup d’état) that night and the gunmen had shot people all over the country.

Carlot had memorized some wonderful verses about God’s protection, and he believes God protected him from the car and from the gunman. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10).