Haiti – The Aftermath…

Well I am sitting in Fort Lauderdale airport. So many thoughts going through my head. As I sat on the flight helping Haitian’s who cannot read and write fill out their Custom’s paperwork, Spirit Airlines attendants handed out Mastercard applications to everyone, promising 3 free flights… of course nobody can read the fine print.  The whole scene made me sick to my stomach. I mean really… time and place.

I purposed in my heart that this time when I came home I was going to just blend back into my North American life and not pass judgment on our greed and wanting for bigger and better, for more and more. It has only been 2 hours and I am failing miserably.  I am so confused. On one hand I am so proud of my heritage and my country. We are so blessed to have what we have and live in prosperity. And on the other hand I am ashamed at how easy it is to forget that beyond our bubble, there is so much more.

Today, on my flight out of Port au Prince I sat beside a gentleman who was a native of Haiti but has lived in the USA for many years. 2 months ago he returned home to visit his family so he could take them the money that he had been raising. He was sad to discover that many of his friends had perished in the earthquake. As we talked he told me how grateful he was to God that his family had been spared and that he was able to make money to provide for them. He told me he was also grateful that I would visit his country to help those in need. And then he said, “I am your brother because we were made in the same image of God. You are my sister. We share same love.”  Ummmm…. it’s like he was quoting my own blog back to me!

Yesterday at the clinic for my last shift I was very emotional. It didn’t help that the interpreters kept saying, “We are going to cry today because you leave.” I am realizing that what is so overwhelming about this experience is the fact that I am not just creating a relationship with one person, but with an entire team of people. And all that shared love and joy and camaraderie fills me to overflowing. I have choked back sobs several times just while sitting here, the ache in my heart already more than I can bear.

When I was in Haiti in May my interpreter’s name was Luco. He is a gentle man who has a slight limp and limited use of his hands because of a childhood illness. We emailed a few times over the months and always asked about my family and friends. Before I left to return to Haiti a friend (Anna) gave me an iPod to give to one of the interpreters and I knew that I would give it to Luco. So yesterday for our last day I ordered take out (street meet) and cola’s and we had a party at lunch time. We listened to music and shared some laughs and it was quite lovely. Luco asked if he could see me in a private room which worked out fine for me because I wanted to give him the ipod without the others seeing. I wish there was a private video so I could capture how excited he was to receive the gift but take my word… he was overjoyed! I even gave him a wall charger so he could plug it in to charge and not need a laptop.

In the meantime he turned around and said that he also had something for me…

As you can well imagine there were some tears. What a beautiful gift. Note the spelling of my name… I love how he spelled it exactly as it sounds. The team back on the compound think he was sending a message.

Anyway… as I was typing this out there was a request for folks to give up their seats to take a later flight to accommodate some stand by passengers. Does this sounds familiar? I volunteered immediately but did not get my hopes up because the last time I thought it was going to play out in my favour I ended up boarding last minute.

Today I am happy to report that I was able to make the switch and for compensation in doing so I received free round trip airfare to anywhere (Haiti) and a first class seat home tonight.

Thank you all so very much for your love and prayers. I truly love each and every one of you. I pray that as you read these blogs, the eyes of your heart were opened to the needs of the world but also to the need to just love each other.

That being said… I met this fella at the airport in Port au Prince this morning. He would like to marry a Canadian. He is either 23 or 30 (offered both ages) but either way I told him I would do what I could! I have his number if anyone is interested  🙂

One Love xoxoxoxoxo