“Merci” from the people of Haiti!

"Thank you for being here to help." One evening a few members of our team went into downtown Port Au Prince to help show "The Jesus" film, a portrayal of Jesus' life as found in the Gospel of Luke. Well we were there a young man of about fourteen handed a small Haitian flag to one of my team mates and said "Thank you". Andy was totally unprepared for this and said that he was sorry that he had nothing to give in return. The young man replied, "You don't need to give me anything, I just want to thank you for being here to help!"

Since I have returned from Haiti I am often asked, "Did you have a good time?" I know the question is coming but I never quite know how to reply. How can I call a visit to the most impoverished nation in the Americas a good time? How can I say that I had a good time seeing whole city blocks that need to be hauled away in dump trucks and put in a landfill? How can I say that I had a good time seeing parks the size of a city block filled with tents and tarps and bed sheets for protection from the elements? How can I say that I had a good time, knowing that in these tent cities young women would be violated each night? How can I say that I had a good time, knowing that the 494 people being trained as trauma counsellors all slept outside again last night?

I have decided that yes, in spite of these things, I had a good time. I was blessed to be part of a group of seventeen individuals who came together to serve the people of Haiti. We came from three countries and more than ten cities from Vancouver to Boston to Oxford. We quickly went from being individuals to a unified team and by the end a family. Our team was willing to do whatever we could to help, from seeing over 2000 patients to loading a truck with 35000 pounds of food for distribution. I think that everyone on our team would agree that God put us together to help in a very special way and blessed us with fantastic people who are now friends.

 I had a good time because I was able to meet and help some wonderful people who are in a very horrible situation. I have wondered over the years why I am blessed to be living in Canada when others are not so fortunate. I found the people of Haiti to be just like us, only they have been born into poverty. The laugh, they smile, they have friends and families. They would like to have hope for their future, enough food, a home and a school for their children. I am blessed to live in Canada so that I can bless people like the ones I met in Haiti.

I had a good time because I have hope for the nation of Haiti. Many times I wondered if there was any hope. Will the nation of Haiti be rebuilt, and like the Bionic Man, be better than it was before? Will the wealthy nations and people of the world remember Haiti and help her to become a nation that can support herself and even prosper? I have hope, because I believe that God does not want his people to live like they have in Haiti.

I will close with the verses that are the theme of the Nehemiah Vision Ministries where we served:

Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.
      They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work. (Nehemiah 2:17–18)

Merci beaucoup and thank you for being part of this journey – Mel Dick