Haiti April 2010 Trip

I write this after a day and half in Haiti. First of all, it has been a surprisingly pleasant visit. Pleasant in that we are safe, we've had good weather, clear roads and it's wonderful to see the Haiti partners that we've worked with over the years.

On Monday morning, we arrived in Port-au-Prince and traveled to St. Joe's. The airport is always difficult to exit as there are always people who are day laborers who want to help with luggage. But, we made it through that just fine. On our way to St. Joe's I was impressed to see that the Haitian people are working very hard to rebuild their country. On every block people were removing rubble by hand and with shovels. Trucks drove by with their beds full of broken concrete. It was remarkable to witness. The media may have turned their cameras away from this country following the disaster - leading us to forget our haitian neighbors. However, they are recovering and living day by day following the January 12th disaster.

In the neighborhoods the destruction from the earthquake varied from block to block and house to house. One house might be in shambles, but the other next to it is unscathed. it reminded me of tornados in Nebraska - some things make it through untouched, while other areas are completely destroyed.

When we arrived at St. Joe's, we saw the 'new' facility. Eight boys live there now, with Bill and Walnes (from the RDTH tour). Right now their task is to tear down the existing St. Joe's building. It is entirely unsound. Bill Nathan walked us through the rubble and shared his survival story. Obviously, it evoked a lot of emotions.
The most touching part of the walk was visiting the room where Ben Larson perished. Being there made me miss him a lot. It also made me grieve again for Renee and his family. However, in the midst of the grief, I know that Ben would want us to continue on and most importantly continue our work with the poor and those in need.

We then drove to Jacmel. the trip was about 4 hours, a little longer than normal. Again, we saw a lot of destruction and the irony of how things had fallen. When we arrived in Jacmel we visited with our friends from Trinity House and it was great to see all of them.
Today, we've spent time with TETKOLE staff. We've learned about their dreams to build a vocational school for motorcycle mechanics. We met some of the children who benefit from their work. We also visited the new location for PAZAPA and the Deaf School. Their cirucumstances actually improved as they were confined to an old building in the city. Now, they are on 10 acres of land and attempting to build a community outreach center for children with disabilities.

The saddest part that I've experienced so far is seeing the 'remains'of relief groups that came quickly after the quake. Old tents, supplies, 'stuff' sit around unused. Verbo, our leader shared with us that everyone has left - going home to their life before the earthquake, except for you who remain with us like family. That moved my heart. In Christ, we are family and we stick together though all of life's storms. We weather those storms together - before, during and after the difficult moments.

Today, Dr. Al and Lori Beck, Ronda Anderson and our HTF dental student, Jacque Auguste, are holding a dental clinic. I've not been with them today, but I look forward to hearing their reflections tonight.

Perhaps the greatest good we are doing while here is listening to the stories of the earthquake. It was a nationally devastating moment. Everyone was somewhere when it hit. Everyone witnessed difficulty. Listening to our brothers and sisters share their experience is a healing time.

Let us be family together as we are family to our partners in Haiti. In doing so we are brothers and sisters in Christ. And by doing this we will indeed share God's love and live his mission to love him and love our neighbors.
Peace,
Pastor Rhonda