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DeLynn's Personal Journey to Haiti
My experience in Haiti was definitely life changing which is what I expected but…….
I really didn’t know what that meant until now.
DeLynn Boyd-Hale
EspreeNet News Service
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A RUDE AWAKENING: Reality in Haiti
On Sunday we piled into the bus and took a tour of Haiti. Some of the group wanted to
get some souvenirs to take back home. We stopped at a roadside vendor where
beautiful artwork was displayed. We were instructed to be careful what we purchased as
the meaning of some of the paintings were from dark places. There were a couple of
beautiful things that I wanted to buy but decided better of it. I had purchased a piece of
art that the kids at the orphanage had done personally.
After this brief stop we drove around and experienced Haiti from the safety of the bus.
Over a year later the devastation from the earthquake was very evident and still very
fresh. It looked like time had stopped. I wondered what had been done. Broken
buildings. Massive tent cities. Port-a-Potty stations for all these people. Tanks filled with
water. People were walking in the streets. I wondered where they were going. It didn't
seem like there was much for them to do. We drove by several tent cities and wondered
how long those families would have to live this way. I wondered how they were
supporting themselves. How they were eating. Clothes hung on small clothes lines.
Women were bathing children in small tubs. Some were braiding hair. Some were just
sitting. Crime happens in these Tent Cities but often times the police won’t come so they
just endure. Can you imagine the police not coming when you call? We drove down a
street where a naked woman was bathing in mud out in the open. We were surprised.
We were saddened. We wondered – why? My heart broke as I wondered what they
were thinking. I wondered what life was like for them before the earthquake. I
wondered what life would be like in a year from now, five years from now. I wondered if
I could have half the strength they have. I wish, I wish, I wish I could help them all.
Prayer changes things so that was my gift to them.
We visited another orphanage. There were army like tents in the backyard of a
"mansion" (and I use that term loosely) where all these children lived. The owner
required them to pay rent to live in his back yard. They will soon be evicted from this
space because they can’t pay. Who knows where they will end up. Our visit with the
children was another powerful experience. They sat in their seats and sang to us, played
the hand held instruments we brought along while Katia spoke with them and told them
about us. We did arts and crafts and sports with the children for a short time. And then
we left.
We went to a local hospital where wheelchairs were made out of lawn chairs. We
weren't sure we would get inside but we had a doctor with us and her credentials
opened many doors. We were given a tour of the hospital. What I saw and experienced
there broke my heart. We went to the ward of abandoned children. One child - maybe
about 1 - lay in a crib and just stared. I wondered if he was looking at me or through me.
Even as I type this my heart is breaking for that baby. Other babies and toddlers would
reach for us or just follow us with their eyes. There were so many emotions flowing
through me. I wanted to take them with us. I have heard the stories of how children are
abandoned at the hospital. In some hospitals and orphanages some children are left to
die by starvation. I just can't imagine.
How blessed I am. How blessed I am. How blessed I am. How blessed I am. How blessed
I am. How blessed I am. If I lost everything tomorrow I would still feel blessed.
ME TODAY: I am changed forever
WOW! What a journey Haiti was. Only a short time ago I was in one of the most
impoverished counties in the Western Hemisphere. Believe it or not ……. I can’t wait to go
back. Haiti is still so very broken. If I can add a ray of hope to “my children” in Haiti I have
to go back. God has changed my life in so many ways through this journey.
The brightness and darkness of Haiti are the children. The children of parents that love them
but can’t provide for them. The children that are victims of tragedy and devastation. The
unwanted, deserted, unloved, unvalued, parentless innocent children of Haiti. They deserve so
much more.
In many cases the orphans living in orphanages are the lucky ones. Thousands of children
walk the streets of Haiti scrounging for their next meal, being assaulted, unable to attend
school and nowhere to go. Just the basic necessities that we take for granted here in the US
are a luxury to most and out of reach for so many. I have such a new perspective and outlook
on life and what is important.
The orphans are in such great need. The atrocities that continue to happen in Haiti are just
sickening. The government is so corrupt that very little is being done for the people. A
decorative fountain was being built amid the mass poverty of one of the many tent cities
where thousands still reside instead of providing for the residents. These orphanages do such
great things for these awesome children that our team is committed to coming up with ways
to care for these children. After our journey it was obvious that we had a task laid at our feet.
We could either look the other way or do something about it. The children were thriving on
the hugs, kisses, love and affection we poured onto them. They were grateful for the time we
spent there just playing games, doing arts and crafts and showing them how much we care
about them. How could we go home, share our stories and then go on with our lives? We
couldn’t!
On the plane ride home Carol, Kimberly and myself were blessed to sit near Dan. He may
have wanted to relax and decompress but our minds were racing with ideas. We talked his ear
off with ideas. We came up with the idea of creating a Task Force on Facebook. The purpose
of this task force is to allow other people to get directly involved. Not everyone can pack up
and go to Haiti but they still want to help. We post the needs for the orphanage and members
of the task force post their ideas or recommendations on how to get the requested items. For
example, Dan is creating a program for the boys that will be “aging out” to acquire welding
skills, learn English and become computer literate. We then posted what was needed on the
task force page and have secured many ideas on teaching the children English. We have 4
laptops donated (Thank you Karen) and are working on acquiring welding supplies. We have
people sending birthday cards to the children with a stick of gum or piece of candy in it.
Many of us are committed to going back. Shannon and Alisha have already gone back on a
construction trip. And several of us are planning on going back in February. If you are
interested in going on a future trip please let me know. Yes it is expensive but there are great
people out there willing to provide support, even strangers like my new friend – “Craigslist
Gary” – which is the name he was affectionately given by my friends after they heard my
testimony about how a complete stranger paid for my airline ticket with a voucher he had
based on an ad I posted on craigslist in Atlanta. Even more interesting is he lives in
California. It could only be God that made him see my posting. God is so good.
I want to share so much more of what God did for me in Haiti but I would never get this out.
My heart is so full. My awareness is so keen to what I need to do. Thank you for being a
blessing to me with your support.
Read more of this trip report
MY PERSPECTIVE - OUR RESIDENCE - THE ORPHANAGE
Now What?
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In 1791, the slave population revolted--led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, Jean Jacques Dessalines, and Henri Christophe--and gained control of the northern part of the French colony, waging a war of attrition against the French. By January 1804, local forces defeated an army sent by Napoleon Bonaparte, established independence from France, and renamed the area Haiti. The impending defeat of the French in Haiti is widely credited with contributing to Napoleon's decision to sell the Louisiana territory to the United States in 1803. Haiti is the world's oldest black republic and the second-oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States.
Full name: Republic of Haiti
Population: 9,719,932 (2011 est)
Capital: Port-au-Prince
Major language:
French/Haitian Creole
Independence Declared: Jan 1, 1804
Internet domain: .ht
Currency
Gourde (UN)
Calling code:
509
Drives on the:
right side
Religion:
(2003)Roman Catholic 55%, Protestant 28%
Geography:
Haiti is on the western part of Hispaniola, the second largest island in the Greater Antilles. Haiti is the third largest country in the Caribbean behind Cuba and the Dominican Republic (the latter shares a 360-kilometre (224 mi) border with Haiti). Haiti at its closest point is only about 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) away from Cuba and has the second longest coastline (1,771 km/1,100 mi) in the Greater Antilles, Cuba having the longest. The country lies mostly between latitudes 18° and 20°N (Tortuga island lies just north of 20°), and longitudes 71° and 75°W.
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