4 Months After the Earth Shook Haiti.
From May 1, 2010 to May 8, 2010 I visited the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere to see what life was like 4 months after the earth shook in Haiti. It has taken me nearly 1 month to process everything that I saw, felt and thought while I was in Haiti. I expected bad but nothing could prepare me for what I experience
Crossing the Border
The magnitude of the earthquake’s effect met us at the border. We drove in from Santo Domingo. Three miles from the border there is an area called “Tierra de Nadie” translated “No Man’s Land.” Usually this stretch of land would be unpopulated and lifeless. However, since the earthquake “No Man’s Land” served as a parking lot for the all of the nations who sent humanitarian supplies. 18 wheeler after 18 wheeler with supplies from ALL OVER THE GLOBE parked bumper to bumper awaited to get into Haiti. At one point I saw a shipment from Iran and directly in front of it a shipment from Israel; interesting to see that these nations do have a similar interest. As we crossed into Haiti the frantic hustle of the country overtook me. Awaiting us was a market! Monday’s was the day that Haitians brought goods to be sold to the border. This added element to the crossing made it that more challenging because everyone wanted to show off their goods therefore crossing was slower than usual. After being “shaken down” by the self appointed border liaison we entered in through a narrow beach front which led us into the city of Fermathe.
Fermathe is located about 15 miles north of Port Au Prince. This is where we would be for the next 3 days. The drive into Fermathe revealed the devastation that that was still evident. Every mile that we passed was filled with rubble and debris. It is estimated that it will take 40 trucks a day operating for the next 48 months to clear Port Au Prince. In Fermathe we connected with the Baptist Haiti Mission (See Link). While there we journeyed 5 miles into the mountain side terrain to a small village to construct a home. The small 20 x 10 x 12 foot house took approximately a week to build. This home would house a family five. After this we headed into Port Au Prince
I met up with my missionary friend, Omyara Alvarez from YWAM Santo Domingo in the Heart of the City. We visited a makeshift clinic that sits on the edge of Port-Au-Princes downtown police headquarters parking lot. Blue tarps and metal lounge chairs form the "emergency room" intake center. Police monitor metal fencing around the area, allowing Haitian volunteers to pull patients out the crowd of people pressing against the fence. Most patients receive basic care in the emergency room, before transferring to the operating room or deeper wound stations, set up inside the police building. Several pediatric stations treat children.
My Takeaways
While I didn’t see physical death I did witness “soul death”. Soul death is when I look into the eyes of someone and can’t see life. That is what I experienced. I looked into the eyes of many Haitians who seemed like life was sucked out of them. I can’t get the images out of my mind. Ironically, for me this absence of life, made me evaluate the life that I was living with regards to what really matters. Life is indeed short, my God help us all weigh and consider how important and fragile it is each day we live it. I am praying on taking a team in 2011 into Haiti to build more homes and visit the clinic.
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For Pictures of My Trip to Haiti Click Here
