Haiti Orphan Relief Team: February 2010

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Final Trip Update: Their Own Words

Our team has made its way home…leaving our hearts in Haiti. As we return to our cul-de-sacs and lattes, it will be hard to find the words to explain what we have witnessed. Many of us are well-traveled in indigenous countries, but to see the poorest of the poor loose all the little they had is difficult to comprehend. Amidst this devastation, the faith of the Haitian people surpasses all human understanding. Without the Haitian Christian church, thousands more children would be dying now. The pastors we met cannot hold on to hope or life for these children for long without the outstretched arms of sisters and brothers in Christ.

All told, HORT visited more than 50 churches, a dozen orphanages and spoke to 170 pastors. But of all the words of all those visits, a few scribbled words of a child may have touched me the most.

One day as we were leaving a small, primitive church, the orphans who had gathered there for shelter and care stuffed these little notes in my pockets.

I asked the pastor what these were…he said they are the children’s prayer requests.

On these tiny scraps, these children had written their hopes and dreams for help from America. Tearfully, I tucked them into my pocket, intending to have them translated later. But somehow I could never bring myself to do it. The specifics of their words matter little compared to the faith that they represent. Just knowing that these little prayers went up to heaven by way of my pocket was overwhelming.

God can meet these requests…through you. In the upcoming weeks we will be posting profiles here of some of these churches that are caring for children in Haiti. Pray for your church to come alongside a Haitian church so that these children, and their prayerful words, can be redeemed to God’s glory. Contact HORT today.

Jodi Tucker for HORT

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Day 10 - They Found His Son

Today we began the day with great anticipation and pride that we might reach our targeted number of 50 churches visited. However, we fell short of this goal with a gut-wrenching development.

One of the pastors we have been talking with all week, Pastor Moise, has been busy serving orphans in his community. Astonishingly, he has been doing this while his 8-year-old son has been missing since the quake six weeks ago. No one knew for sure of the boy’s location when the quake hit, and there was hope that he had gone off somewhere. Today, as we approached our goal of visiting this 50th church, Pastor Moises’ associate called to say that he regreted he would be unable to keep our appointment. Remains of his son had been found in the rubble of his school.

Here we were, focused on “accomplishing” our target of putting the 50th church on the map, and God calls our pride up short with a stomach punch that reminds us yet again of the depth of this tragedy. Individual lives, not numbers, are what matters.

Earlier in the day across town, Pastor Joseph had showed us a rubble pile that used to serve orphans next to his church. With tears in his eyes, he told us that one of the 75 children in their care had been interred in the pile. The church has no access to heavy equipment and cannot reach the child’s body.

Pastor Joseph shows us the house where a child in his care remains interred.

Yet another reminder that this heartache is still new and far from finished for the people of Haiti.

So, rather than focusing on numbers or our accomplishments, let us tell you about the individuals with HORT that have been doing this work for the last two weeks. Our initial deployment team represents numerous ministries. We have laid the groundwork for what will be tens of HORT partnerships this year, involving hundreds of people. Will you be part of one? We pray you will.

Here are just some of the fine people who made HORT possible:

Aaron Bensko, volunteer photographer and videographer, documented all our progress with awesome photos.

Alan Hunt interviewed countless pastors and also found time to entertain the children.

Beautiful Evanson, one of our drivers, hopes to be a cardiologist one day...there are only three in all of Haiti.

Commander John Roberts has kept us on task and on mission with his amazing leadership skills.

David Leventhal had all the answers for every technical problem.

Dr. Byron Schick kept us safe and attended to our medical questions.

Jen Gash was a whiz at coordinating our logisitics.

Jodi Jackson Tucker served as information and supply officer.

Mishlay, our awesome household helper, chopped fresh coconut for us one morning.

Pastor Diula Previlon, born in Haiti, served faithfully as a translator and cultural adviser.

Pastor Theo Sandburg, the youngest member of the team, was a great spiritual leader for all of us.

Paul Myhill put the resources of his organization behind this endeavor.

Scott Vair worked day and night planning all our meetings and manuevers.

The eleven members of our initial deployment team.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Day 9 - 44 Churches, 44 Chances

In just nine days, HORT has visited 44 churches in Port Au Prince and Saint Marc.

Already poor by American standards, these churches now carry on with children sleeping on their grounds, lack of food and water, buildings that took years to build laying in ruins, and congregations riddled with earthquake deaths.

One thing they are not short on is faith - the kind of faith that would inspire any Christian. Last night at 2:30 a.m. as our team tried to recover from the third aftershock in 24 hours, the village below us broke into spontaneous worship, and the strains of “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus” in French rose up to our rooftop camp.

The only thing missing here is YOU. Your church, your partnership, your support. Our work here is not done and we believe we will map 50 potential partners before we come home. But none of this has purpose unless the American church steps up to come alongside these churches to rescue children.

As you look at these photos, think what your church can do. Remember your church’s intact building, air conditioning, carpet, cushioned seats, sound systems and laughing children. Now imagine worshipping amongst rubble in a tent city with children that are hungry, scared and homeless. Remember how much your church has already, and consider what a blessing it would be to be part of God’s redemptive plan for these children. Remember James 1:27. Make a choice to help in Haiti. Your joy on earth will be surpassed only by your reward in heaven. For more information on church-to-church partnerships, fill out this form and HORT will contact you.

Born in a tent camp eight days ago.

We were amazed at how politely these children shared on piece of candy, until we realized they also share this one mattress each night!

The pastors wife caring for these children fears they will all be sick when the rains come.

Her name is Lovely.

Alan Hunt prays with a Pastor whose church has crumbled.

Children in a tent city because their orphanage collapsed.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Day 8 - "He is an Orphan Like Me"

Today was a long day for the Haiti Orphan Relief Team. It began at 4:30 a.m. when we were awakened by a 4.7 quake aftershock. As there is no electricity here now, we fumbled in the darkness to run from our rooms on the second story of the house. All week we have been talking to people, especially children, who are too afraid to sleep inside since the quake that killed 200,000. We had wondered to ourselves,”Why don’t they just go inside the remaining structures? Why must they camp in the open?” This morning, God gave us a glimpse of the terror they have experienced. Suddenly, we have a whole new level of empathy for what these children have experienced.

Unable to return to sleep, we packed up our gear and headed out to the area of Saint Marc, about a two-hour drive north of Port Au Prince. St. Marc is a coastal town that has swelled with tens of thousands of people that have come from PAP since the quake. We know that the churches in this area were already at capacity caring for local children, and wanted to see how we could help them receive the orphans of the quake.

Life, the old way and the new way, Saint Marc.

By dividing our team, we were able to visit 12 churches and hear the hearts of the pastors. It is so humbling to see how these men of God serve in the simplest of circumstances.

At each location, we try to explain to the children why we are there, and that many children in America are praying for them.

On the way home, the long ride enabled us to get to know our fantastic interpreter, Smit, 27, who has been with us all week. Smit is a very agreeable young man who has learned the routine of our church visits, and has been a great help communicating with our partners. When he is not interpreting, Smit usually rides “shotgun” in the back of our truck, but today due to a series of circumstances that left us changing vehicles, he rode inside with us.

Smit, to the left of Alan Hunt, listens carefully as he interprets one of our pastors meetings.

We told Smit we were considering moving our sleeping arrangements outside tonight due to the aftershock. “I sleep in a tent” he said matter-of-factly. Soon, we learned Smit’s house was destroyed in the quake. He lost his mother years ago and did not know his father. “I guess you could say I am an orphan.” We felt shame as we realized we had been using Smit to talk to others about orphans all week, and never inquired about his circumstances.

He went on to say “I work as an interpreter to support myself and help others. There is a boy, Daniel, who has been staying with me in my tent since a few days after the quake. I found him on the streets with nowhere to go. When I finish this job this week, I hope to buy him some clothes. He is an orphan like me.”

Kethlene is 18 and teaches at one of the tin churches we visited today.

Little Dauna stole our hearts.

There are many ways to communicate across a language barrier.

This beautiful lady, Dorheus, cares for 57 children daily, and does it joyfully and with God's love.

Blog Posts from The Team

Paul Myhill, World Orphans

Inside the Rubble and Outside the Doors - I walked the perimeter of Rood's apartment building and came across a lone girl in pink and braids who stood in front of the remains of another portico. A metal grated door was heavily-bowed out as the mass of the second story had crashed down upon it. Nine year-old Valentina pointed at the door and quietly said "famille." Read more.

Aftershock - I was awoken early this morning by the whole house shaking and a deep low rumble that sounded as if the underworld was growling. Read more.

David Leventhal, Hope for Orphans

There was no light in his eyes - When I got out of the vehicle I was immediately drawn to one little boy with a dusty button down shirt that was missing the middle button. I went over and knelt down to get eye to eye with him. In the best French I could muster I told him my name was David. My heart broke when he finally looked me directly in the eye. There was nothing there – no spark….no light. Read more.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Day 7 - His Compassions Never Fail

As today is Sunday, our team had the honor and privilege of worshipping at the church of our host pastor, Gerald Bataille. This church has only walls, and several hundred people, including the pastor and his family, have been camping there since the quake. Pastor Bataille and his family have been serving orphaned and vulnerable children since 1988, and have raised over 100 children. Twenty seven of these have completed university.

Pastor Bataille prepares to preach this morning.

After the service, we were able to visit one of the homes operated by the Batailles, and see the preparations to serve many more children when arrangements can be made.

Later in the day, we also went out Carrefour, the epicenter area of the quake, to hold a follow-up meeting with one of our key partners, Pastor Fritz.

Scott Vair listens as Pastor Fritz tells of the destruction of his home.

Pastor Bataille based his sermon this morning on Lamentations 3:1-23. These words took on a whole new meaning for us as we realized that the people of Haiti are living this scripture. The pastor’s message to them: do not despair…the goodness of God is never finished. For today, HORT will let these photos, and this scripture, speak for our team.

Lamentations 3:1-23

I am the man who has seen affliction
       by the rod of his wrath.

2 He has driven me away and made me walk
       in darkness rather than light;

3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me
       again and again, all day long.

4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
       and has broken my bones.

5 He has besieged me and surrounded me
       with bitterness and hardship.

6 He has made me dwell in darkness
       like those long dead.

7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
       he has weighed me down with chains.

8 Even when I call out or cry for help,
       he shuts out my prayer.

9 He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
       he has made my paths crooked.

10 Like a bear lying in wait,
       like a lion in hiding,

11 he dragged me from the path and mangled me
       and left me without help.

12 He drew his bow
       and made me the target for his arrows.

13 He pierced my heart
       with arrows from his quiver.

14 I became the laughingstock of all my people;
       they mock me in song all day long.

15 He has filled me with bitter herbs
       and sated me with gall.

16 He has broken my teeth with gravel;
       he has trampled me in the dust.

17 I have been deprived of peace;
       I have forgotten what prosperity is.

18 So I say, "My splendor is gone
       and all that I had hoped from the LORD."

19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
       the bitterness and the gall.

20 I well remember them,
       and my soul is downcast within me.

21 Yet this I call to mind
       and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
       for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
       great is your faithfulness.

Imagine a child living here,

Jen Gash of Sweet Sleep listens as Junior Bataille decribes the beds needed for these children at his orphanage.

A baby naps in the courtyard of tent village at a church.

These three orphans, cousins, could not seem to smile despite our efforts to amuse them.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Day 6 Update - 128 Orphans, 18 Widows

Today was a very strategic day as we participated in a conference of over 100 pastors who are part of the Global Aid Network, (GAiN) a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Like much of Haiti, the conference center has been moved outdoors. Exhausted looking pastors came through rubble-ridden streets, dressed in shirts and ties, to sit on benches under a tarp tent in the sweltering heat and learn how to better serve their congregations amidst this unimaginable tragedy.

The call of James 1:27

David Leventhal of Hope for Orphans and Paul Myhill of World Orphans encouraged the pastors to remember God’s command to care for the widow and orphan, especially now. We shared our purpose with HORT, to bring the American church alongside the Haitian church, to care for orphaned children.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the pastors ended their session by raising their voices in “How Great Thou Art”, amidst the destruction, death and need. Then, over forty remained behind to see if they might be able to be partnered with a church in the U.S. so they can do more to help children in their congregations.

As we gathered their contact information for follow-up, a weary man sat near me silently. He was clutching a tattered notebook and kept looking over a list inside. It appeared to be a numbered list of names and I asked our translator if the pastor would be so kind as to tell me what the list represented.

It begins with their names.

He said “I am trying to count them all. So far, we have 128 orphans, 18 widows.” Sometimes, it’s the little things, like 146 names on a dusty sheet of paper, which really take our breath away as we seek to respond to this tragedy.

128 orphans, 18 widows

Later we spent time trying to obtain the necessary gasoline to run our generator and pump water for our team. After one week here, many of us are praising God to have fresh water to do simple tasks, like laundry.

It is hard to describe what it means when millions of children are living on the sidewalks and hillsides with no water or shelter. All of life, even washing and bathing, goes on in plain sight.

Jodi Tucker for HORT

Friday, February 19, 2010

Day 5 Update - They Laugh No More

Today the Haiti Orphan Relief Team spent the day visiting 8 new church partners, learning details of their situation, and creating profiles of their capability and needs so we can find U.S. churches to come alongside them. The situation in these churches would humble anyone who can call an American church home.

Pastors are stretched to the limit trying to care for the orphans and vulnerable children in their congregations since the quake. One pastor has sold his car to buy food for the children. Another was asked “What would you need from a U.S. church in order to take in the orphans in your congregation?”

With great trepidation and humility, he looked at us and said “Could we possibly have three or four hundred dollars?”

Pastor Gaston lost his son in the earthquake and yet he perseveres, trying to serve the living children in his midst. The wall of his church is being held up by the wall of his home next door. The family, as well as several orphans in their care, is sleeping in tents and on the concrete floor of the church.

Pastor Gaston's church

Everywhere we went, beautiful children had assembled in the churches to sing us songs, believing we brought hope.

Baptiste Bethanie Church had 450 children waiting inside his church. About 30 minutes into our meeting, we asked the pastor “How many of these children are homeless?”

He looked at us incredulously and said, ”All of them. I thought you understood that.”

This toddler one of 450 homeless children we met today at Baptiste Bethanie Church.

Another five-year-old little girl told us her story like this: “My daddy was talking to a neighbor when the house began to shake. I went outside but he did not see me. He ran into the house calling my name, and it fell on him.” Stories like this were repeated to us all day.

Wisely, the youth pastor of a church that has existed since 1967 asked if we could consider providing counseling services to the children as part of the proposed church partnership. This is very important, he said, because he has known these children all their lives, and “they laugh no more.”

Jodi Tucker for HORT

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Day 4 - Without Jesus, I Would Die

We knew we would come face to face with children who had lost everything, but some stories defy human understanding.

Today our team traveled to Haiti Children’s Rescue Mission in the mountains above PAP, where we witnessed the strength and dignity of a boy named Rood.

With extraordinary bravery, Rood told us that the quake killed 11 members of his family, including his parents, all his siblings, and some cousins who were visiting the family. Rood said he was at the kitchen table “watching my mother feed the baby” when the quake hit. As they tried to run, the ceiling collapsed on them.

Rood was buried, face to face with his deceased mother. With his arm pinned, he was unable to move. Falling in and out of consciousness, he saw his dead siblings “get big” as their bodies bloated.

Three days later neighbors digging through the rubble found him, but the only way to free him was to amputate his arm.

When we asked how he copes, he told us “without Jesus, I would die.”

Rood is now in the care of Pastor Jean Nicholas and his wife. Their orphanage that normally serves 50 orphans, has been overrun with an additional 70 children since the quake. Exhausted staff are outnumbered by skinny, smiling kids. The new children have no beds, and many still sleep in the concrete courtyard, afraid to go inside since the quake.

Lists catalog the children by photo and what little information can be discerned.

Pastor Nicholas met with us to discuss our church partnership opportunity. His church is still standing, but he lost his personal home that took 15 years to build. We hope to find a U.S church partner to come alongside Pastor Nicholas soon. (If you'd like more information, contact us.)

We also connected to six new church partners through the Global Orphan Project. Trace Thurlby inspired us with his perspective on the importance of consulting with nationals as we build long term solutions in Haiti. For example, putting photos of missing children up on web seems like a good idea to Americans, but few Haitians have internet access. All the more reason the church is the right solution at this time. “We can share the love of Christ…people in Haiti are turning to Jesus” said Trace.

Alan Hunt and Trace Thurlby of Global Orphan Project

Finally, our meeting with Global Aid Network (GAiN) brought much fruit. Esperandieu Pierre, National Director for Campus Crusade for Christ, and Director of Haiti Disaster Response, is including us at a pre-scheduled conference of 100 pastors from across the region. Our team will present the church-to-church solution being facilitated by HORT.

Jodi Tucker for HORT

Wednesday Team Blog Posts

Paul Myhill
Peering into Tin Cans - To have a man run out of a tent city and simply ask, "Do you have any water?" affected me far more than bloated or burning bodies. I thought of myself and my own family and the things we take for granted. This poor man, who no doubt had lost everything, was asking for the proverbial cup of water. Read More.

David Leventhal
Why God does not treat me as a restavec… - In some of the developing countries I’ve traveled there is a form of “adoption” that is generally accepted but which stands in opposition to the biblical concept. Read more.

Jen Gash
Faces of the Children We Met Today

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Day 3 - Familyless and Homeless

Our travels today took us out of the center of Port Au Prince, to see the outskirts and hillsides around the city. We discovered conditions for children even worse than what we encountered downtown yesterday. On the hillsides, roads are barely passable, homes have collapsed onto each other as dominos, and the situation for orphaned and vulnerable children takes on even more desperation.

Here we met Bebeto, a boy of 16 who described himself as “familyless and homeless.” His mother had sent him out for a gallon of water when the quake hit. Their home collapsed with her inside, leaving him without family. He told us he “praises God” that he was able to remove her body from the home. He placed her body on the sidewalk and she was later removed by government workers. Bebeto was grateful that this meant she had a proper burial, unlike many others who remain inside toppled structures.

Around Bebeto’s village, everything lies in destruction. His high school and church are gone. At one point we asked him why there was one parcel that was completely cleared of rubble, while the surrounding buildings lay in piles of ruins. Bebeto explained that this had been the site of an elementary school, where at least 100 children, aged 3 to 12, had died when it collapsed. The villagers had cleared the area to locate the bodies of the children. A makeshift memorial of flowers and ribbons is the only visible reminder of what once was there. The lot is now being prepared by locals so that the homeless can take advantage of the clearing and create tents.

Earlier in the day, we were able to meet with Pastor Jeanty, who serves as the treasurer of the Union of Evangelical Baptist in Haiti, as well as working to promote leadership across many other organizations. Pastor Jeanty estimates that, extrapolating from the government death statistics, approximately 200,000 children were orphaned by the quake. And, he added “the local church knows about children that are not on any official list.” Our model of building church-to-church partnerships resonated with Pastor Jeanty, and he is arranging for us to meet with 20 new potential church partners next week. These partners are in and around the quake center, and have a heart for the orphaned child.

Finally, we were blessed to provide two kinds of unique assistance today as God arranged. Our first meeting of the day was held in a church that had previously been occupied by a medical team. A woman named Jacqueline hobbled up on a primitive crutch, with dirty bandages on both legs, thinking we were a clinic. She had been injured in the quake by falling cinder blocks, and was badly in need of a dressing change. Our team Operations Chief, Byron Schick, DVM, was able to treat both wounds using our first aid kit and a little ingenuity. Nearby, the congregation sang familiar songs in French as they worshiped God in the hot sun, praising Him for life.

In addition, we provided a water purification system to a young pastor from a rural church that had traveled many miles to meet us. His church has been overwhelmed by more than 50 newly-orphaned children needing water, food and shelter. The system will purify 12 gallons per day for these children for the next year.