I was privileged to be a part of a Mondanock Bridge Builders team of 10 guys going to Haiti last week. This was my first trip to Haiti, so many have asked me what were my impressions. I have tried to write them out here in the form of a report on our trip. Our main purpose was to bring tools and supplies down for the orphanage and aid in removing the rubble of the collapsed top floor off of Pastor Franzli's house. We praise the Lord for a successful trip.
We saw the Lord's hand and provision on us from the very start of the trip. At the airport as we checked in the bags, we were told that we would have to pay an extra $30 per second bag. This was an unexpected expense, but after checking us all in, (and charging us) the attendant did some checking and found that she could refund us all because it was aid for Haiti. So we ended up being able to bring all the bags at no extra charge. We ended up flying into the Dominican Republic because the airport in Port-au-prince wasn't open to commercial flights. This added many more hours travel to our trip as we had to get land transport from the airport to the border and then on to Port-au-prince. I was fine with landing there, as I knew Spanish, and was glad to help the team with translating. Franzli's brother-in-law, Michel, met us at the airport and helped us get taxis to the crossing. It was a long 6 hour trip but we got there after dark, and an hour and a half after the border had closed. At first it didn't seem like we would be able to get through, so while Bob patiently explained our case to the guard, we met to pray behind the vans. The Lord opened the gate for us and we were able to transfer ourselves and the luggage to the truck waiting for us on the other side.
My first impressions of Haiti were darkness. As we snaked our way along the bumpy road standing in the back of what can best be described as a cattle truck my eyes searched the dark landscape or watched what little could be seen from the headlights of the truck. Occasionally we passed through some small towns, but even in those the light was dim. There were just a few lights hanging here and there in the houses or smoky diesel lamps on tables along the road. I remember in one town passing a crowd, where they had someone laying on a table. I don't know if it was a wake or a healing ceremony, but all seemed dim and dark as we rolled on past the crowd. We finally arrived in the city. The only place with bright lights was the airport. As we bounced up the dark streets into the neighborhood where Franzli and Julie's orphanage is, there were just a few houses with generators and lights. That is quite a contrast to all the lights we saw when we flew back here and landed in New York City! We finally arrived at the orphanage at 10:30pm, after having traveled since about midnight the night before. We praised God for allowing us to make the trip and arrive with all the supplies!
The next few days we worked hard along side a crew of Haitians clearing away the collapsed floor of Franzli's house. This was grueling work in the hot sun. Some of the crew got badly sunburned. We were worried that part of the floor would fall and crash a hole into the neighbor's house. The Lord was gracious and it fell little by little and turned on its side instead of puncturing the roof as we chipped away and cut the rebar holding it one by one. The neighbors had been afraid to enter their house with this big chunk hanging over their house and were relieved to have it all cleared away. All the cement was smashed up with sledge hammers, shoveled into buckets and carried down two flights of stairs to the pile in the street, where it was later shoveled into a dump truck. The rebar was cut apart and taken down as well. We praise the Lord for the safety He allowed us to have as we worked.
On Thursday we finished up early and prepared over 300 love-in-action bags to distribute that afternoon. Each bag had rice, noodles, oil, and some canned meat. These we took in the truck to the street in front of Franzli's house. When we got there the street was full of people waiting. These we were able to pass out of the back of the truck to the line of women who were waiting. We drove off just as we came close to the end of our supplies as we did not want to be part of a riot, and there was not enough for everyone. Thankfully everything went very smoothly, in spite of a few people trying to sneak into the front of the line.
Friday the President of Haiti had called for the start of three days of prayer for the city. We were able to ride the truck to the down town part of the city near the government buildings. This was an area of the city that was the hardest hit. In that area almost all of the buildings were severely damaged. There the odor was strong as there were still buildings with the deceased in them. In many different places the Haitians had gathered throughout the city for prayer services. Some gathered under tarps near their churches or on the corners of parks. All the parks and empty lots are now all covered in tents, as many have no home to go back to, and many others were still too afraid to sleep inside a building. As we traveled along we could still see many dangerous places where the buildings look ready to collapse further. Some buildings were leaning toward the streets where people are constantly walking. Electrical wires were down low in many places. It will be many years before they will be able to fully rebuild!
As I said above, my first impressions of Haiti were darkness. Praise the Lord that there is LIGHT shining out in that darkness. I saw it in the lives of the Haitian Christians. I heard many of them share testimonies of God's protection and grace in the midst of such great suffering and death. One pastor was sharing how he was in a meeting down town. He felt the Lord telling him that he should go out, and he did. Shortly thereafter the earthquake struck and the others in that meeting didn't make it. Even at the orphanage where we stayed, all the children were in the yard when the earthquake struck and the walls around the property had fallen out away from them instead of in on them. Those walls were a beacon of God's provision and protection for them. I saw God's light in Franzli as he was being very generous to those around him and reaching out in love to his neighborhood. Lastly I saw the light in the fact that for the first time the government was calling on the people to turn to God and pray. Julie shared that this was the first time ever there has been a national day of prayer. As we traveled around that Friday and saw many of the Haitians turning to the only true LIGHT I was struck by the fact that only He can provide a full restoration for the Haitian people.
Praise the Lord for the Hope and Light that He provides!
In His Grip
Kevin
