For one week in January, 17 people from across the U.S. – five different congregations from California to Texas to New York – traveled with Luckner Fond-Rose (known to all as “Maya”) on a week-long Trip to meet and be transformed by the people and the spirit of Haiti. Sponsored by the Haitian Timoun Foundation, the journey inspired laughter, tears, wonder, gratitude, and a renewed sense of hope and call for every traveler. Three of the strongest examples were Jacquelynn Vail, Meredith Davis, and Ashley Chylla – three teens, who share a few thoughts and feelings here, in their own words.
From Jacquelynn and Meredith:
The idea that we support Haiti financially, and that some of us receive a card from a child that we sponsor every holiday or so, is given an entirely new meaning when you step out of your comfort zone and enter their lives and country. Your 6 a.m. Starbucks and morning commute are either a thing of the past or given an entirely new meaning when you leave the place you were so blessed to be raised in and go to one that might as well be on a different planet.
You step off your plane and into a new country, culture, and a new way of living. It’s hard to believe that only ninety minutes ago, you were in Miami, Florida and your biggest worry was whether or not your butt looked good in those jeans. You are immediately slapped with humidity and burning trash. We had the luxury of an air conditioned bus, while our eager eyes tried to take in this brand new world, and how it functioned, and as we zoomed down the streets, noticing hundreds of cars but no road signs or stoplights. There were women selling simple, everyday items, like a toothbrush, to feed their family. The thing that overwhelmed us the most was the obvious lack of nutrition in stray animals and even small children.
Ice cold water and a very warm welcome awaited us at St. Joseph’s Home for Boys, where we were spoiled with our own beds, even though we chose to sleep on the roof under the stars. We also took “bucket baths,” got two great meals a day, and had electricity. But we soon understood that all these things are very hard to come by in Haiti. At our hotel in Jacmel we had to order dinner after breakfast, because it took all day to go through the town and find the food.
But in all its need and all its misery, Haiti contains the most amazing, hopeful, and inspirational people you will ever meet or hear of. From a man who was both physically and mentally abused by his parents, whom he now supports financially. To a women and her husband struggling to care for their own children but still taking in a child who lost everything, including his family, as the result of a natural disaster. After feeling your heart break for those known as "less fortunate" than you, the sunset on a local beach with Haitian kids was all that we needed to be reminded that God truly is everywhere, even a place considered one of the poorest in the world.
We met children at Wings of Hope [HTF partner, and the premier home for severely disabled in all the Caribbean] who literally reached out for your hand, but ultimately took hold of your heart. As you look into their eyes you see a story of a child left behind, simply because they are disabled, left for nothing, and left for dead, but somehow all that pain and anger that you feel for them, because they don't know better to feel it for themselves, melts away when they look into your eyes, and give you a huge smile. [Photo above is Jacquelynn with her family's sponsored child, Delome, at Wings of Hope.] It is pure, innocent children like this that help you realize your true purpose, and why it is that God called you to this beautiful place.
Just because some of you have not yet experienced something like this doesn't mean this isn't what you are called to do, we are here to share this with you because we know that it will affect you the way that it is meant to and you will take it as you must. Thank you for helping us take this amazing opportunity to extend our hearts, to expand our minds, and to come so close to God and all that he is doing. Now let us help him on his mission to save others. We love you, thank you, and Gods peace.
From Ashley:
In all honesty I never thought I would be going to Haiti. I mean I had heard about it in church. The whole “Haiti needs us and we need Haiti,” but who really knows what that means. If you haven’t been you’re just sitting there thinking “uh huh, sure they need us.” I had always wanted to go on the trip. To see what it was like first hand, but I didn’t have the courage to ask to go. I received a letter in the mail. Its return address was Abiding Hope, all I could think was “oh great, more senior high stuff.” As I start reading I realize that they’re asking me to go to Haiti. After the shock had kicked in and gone I thought about it. I was really worried at first, missing a whole week of school, and going to a country with a high crime rate, uh not for me. I just couldn’t let those be my reasons though. I couldn’t miss this opportunity. I called the church up and said yes. I had no idea what I had just gotten myself into.
Walking off the plane in Haiti was the first of many firsts for the trip. I had never had to walk down a flight or stairs to get off a plane. While I was complaining about the stairs it hit me, I was in Haiti. Everything was different; the smell, the look, the feel, the whole bit. As your leaving the crowded airport you see the poverty. There are tons of people selling goods on the side of the street, people bathing in rivers, animals everywhere, and street children roaming around. That’s when you only start to get it, though. Almost everywhere we went we were greeted wholeheartedly. We were lucky enough to have great accommodations. We couldn’t help but notice that most of Haiti didn’t live like this. The electricity is only on for about five hours a day and it varies when it’s on. This made driving a pain: first, there really are no traffic laws; and second, when the power isn’t on neither are the stop lights.
Seeing the kids and Haitians that help the kids showed me real love. These children loved you no matter who you were. It didn’t matter that you couldn’t speak their language, or that fact that our skin color was so different. In their eyes we’re all just children of God. They would trust you, play with you, and cherish their time with you. Even though these people are physically poor they are rich in spirit. They were some of the happiest people I have ever met. To think that there are spoiled kids in the States with tons of toys that will never be happy but there are Haitian children with nothing that are happier than ever.
Truthfully, the hardest part of the trip was leaving. We get so attached to those kids that we could barely speak to that we didn’t want to leave them. Even worse than that was after the trip. It was impossible for me to go to the mall without getting upset at people buying things they don’t need. I can’t sympathize for my friends’ simple problems anymore, and two dollars will never mean the same thing to me.
I can only hope that we keep putting our time, love, and money into Haiti. I have a new passion to help this country that needs us but most of all we need it. I can’t make changes by myself, I need more people. We need people to see Haiti’s needs, only then can you truly understand Haiti. I plan to go on many more of these trips and do as much as I can to get money and help for Haiti. If we get enough people, we can make a difference for all people.
