When I heard about the 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti yesterday my heart sank. When I heard that it hit Port-au-Prince. When I was a senior at Loras College I spent a week down in Haiti at Louventure Cleary School just outside of Port-au-Prince. I’ve since seen pictures and video of the devastation there and I felt the need to share my experience with you. I tell you, even today, two years later, I think of the people of Haiti on a daily basis. It’s hard not to when you realize how little they have and how much we have.
I wanted to share a reflection I wrote immediately following the trip:
What you receive as gift, you must give as gift. It’s such a simple statement. And this past week six Loras students (Dave McElroy, Matt Brumfield, Alex Clesen, Daniel Hertzner, Hans Sleichter and Megan Heffernen) learned exactly what that means. As we left Keane parking lot at 6:00 am on Saturday Jan. 19th, none of us has any idea what would be in store for us. After packing 16, fifty pound bags, we loaded into three vans and drove to the Chicago airport. A few hours later we landed in Miami, where we spent the night. At 5:00am the next morning we headed to the airport and boarded our plane for Port au Prince, Haiti. By 10:00 am we were walking off the plane into sunny, 90 degree weather. It seemed like paradise, at first. But once we got our bags and loaded them into a truck (surrounded by security staff) and began our journey into the city, the reality set in. We were not in the United States anymore. We arrived at Louveture Cleary School, unloaded our bags and began sorting donated items.
All of these, minor details to the actual experience in Haiti. Late that afternoon, for the first time in several years, our group was given the opportunity to walk around the neighborhood. This was our first real impression of Haiti; tin roofs, children running around barefoot, and playing soccer with a flattened soccer ball. But we were surprised to see how happy everyone was. One lady, Mepriz, was so happy to see us she invited us into her home, which was no bigger then a large closet. She was so proud of what she had that she wanted to share it with us, she wanted us to be a part of it. For most of us, that will be a moment we’ll never forget. Seeing the love, pride and compassion in someone who has almost nothing, yet has so much joy for life.
As the week went on we had the opportunity to share conversations with the students of LCS. We started to see Haiti through their eyes. We kept hearing things as simple as “I want to stay in Haiti and make a difference when I graduate” to “All I want in life is to have a family and a home” and even “Faith, hope and love, that’s all you need” With words like these floating around it was clear to all of us that the people of Haiti truly do give back what they receive.
On Tuesday morning we had the opportunity to visit the Missionaries of Charity. First we attended mass with the Sister’s and then we spent the morning up at the orphanage with sick and malnourished children. This was the hardest thing for all of us to see. We were forced to wrestle with emotions that we hadn’t experienced before; often emotions that evoked tears. This was poverty first hand, right in front of us. And it was hard to see. We did, however, learn the power of human touch. Considering that most the children there were content, as long as someone was holding them. We gave them the simplest gift, of human touch, by holding them for a few hours. And the joy in their eyes, as we sat with them and played was powerful. Leaving the Missionaries of Charity was hard for all of us, the car ride back to the school, was quiet.
After such an emotional experience, early on, the group realized what life was all about for the people of Haiti. We saw hope, and we wanted to be a part of it. Through out the week many of us gave back of the gifts and talents we’ve received as we painted the chapel, dug a six-foot hole, cleaned up the school and taught the kids a thing or two about soccer (some might argue that they taught us more then we taught them). Regardless of all the things we did in a week’s time, it wasn’t so much about what we did as it was about how we did it; with love. When we left Dubuque on Saturday, we thought we wouldn’t be doing a little bit of service for a week and then we’d come home. But after a week in a third world country each, we realized there was more to this week then service. Every one of us has changed forever. We’ve seen it, but more importantly we’ve experienced it. We learned about Haiti through the eyes of its people. And if it’s the people that make the place, then Haiti is an amazing and outstanding place of hope. A place where hope is about giving back what you’ve received.
So there you have it. It’s an unbelievable country with unbelievable people. I heard the news and I wanted to leave and go down to help. I know there are some Loras students going down to help at the end of the month. I’ll find out if they are still going after the earthquake. My heart feels for them today. I pray that they get through the devastation and bounce back but reality tells me it will take years for them to rebuild all that’s been broken. I also found out this morning that LCS is in good shape, relatively speaking. However about 7 students are in the hospital for injuries. One with a serious injury. I also found out that the Archbishop of PAP was killed in the earthquake. He made the trip out to the school while we were there to say mass for us. That’s really sad. The staff and volunteers are safe but the country is in my prayers.
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This post was written by lsquires on January 13, 2010
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I think it’s a fantastic idea and quite frankly it makes me want to buy something…knowing that it will “force” me to donate some money. Not that it’s forced but it’s a way to do two thing at once. They dont’ ask for a specific amount, although they’d prefer you donate 25% of the full price item. Watch the video below and see how Designer Jonathan McCoy explains how easy it is. Maybe it will inspire other businesses to do something similar!!
