Two weeks after coming home from The World Race, I left St. Michaels to head to Haiti for a week to help AIM with their relief efforts. I didn’t know what to expect. News of the epic devastation broke my heart. A massive tragedy in one of the poorest nations in the world.
The stats are shocking and heart breaking.
- A death toll of 230,000 in a country with a population of just over 9 million. This is roughly one in 36 people.
- 200,000 children were left orphaned and now live on the streets of Haiti.
- 1.3 million people are currently living outside of their homes.
I expected to be greeted by anger, hopelessness, and devastation. I saw destruction. Dead bodies. Rubble. Pain. Injuries. Mourning. One day, I was walking down the street and a woman handed me her baby and (through a translator) asked me to pray that her baby would, “not be hungry anymore.” It was a very tough week.
Surprisingly, the thing that I was struck by more was the joy, love, and HOPE that dominates Haiti. A newfound appreciation for their lives, and a hope for a new Haiti. People are still flooding to Haiti from around the world to lend a helping hand, and are being blessed by what they witness while there.
I was blessed by the opportunity to help in Haiti. We played with the beautiful children. We passed out hygiene kits, medical supplies, shoes, food, clean water. We prayed with anyone who asked. And we learned more than we could have expected.
Please continue to pray for Haiti and help in any way that you can. Experts are predicting that it could take 10 years for the nation to recover – if they will recover at all. But – if you ask the Haitians – there is no ‘if.’ There is only HOPE.
