Wow, it's hard to believe that our trip is almost over. I want to start by thanking everyone who has been praying for our team while we have been in Haiti, all of our family and friends and a special thanks to my friends at New Horizon High School who helped to support our team!
I wanted to blog closer to the end of our trip because I thought it would be easier for me to look back and reflect rather than just talk about the happenings of the day. That being said this trip was much like many other things in life in that it was not what I expected. I was preparing myself before I left to deal with many different traumatic scenarios, people dying, bandaging serious wounds, and perhaps even having to deal with knowing that there was nothing I could do to help someone. Although our team did encounter some very sick and injured people many of the survivors had already been cared for by one of the many other organizations that were operating in Port Au Prince. We were able to set up clinics and meet the needs of many Haitians who had probably not had access to medical attention for quite some time and I know that the people we helped were very grateful to us. Personally, I felt that the biggest impact that I was able to have came when our team traveled to Gonaives to work at the Jubilee camp. Having limited medical knowledge the majority of the people there that needed help saw Vaughn, who is a PA, or Gwen, Kellie, and Liz who are all nurses. I felt a bit lost because I wanted to help so badly but didn’t really know where to start. It seemed that the only thing I was able to do was play with the kids, who clung to us as soon as we arrived, and help out with feeding the children. It’s amazing how much they have in common with many of the children I know in the states even though they have no real similarities in regards to lifestyles. Many of the children were not wearing any clothes or shoes, they had no toys except what they made out of the trash that was lying around their homes, and I couldn’t effectively communicate with almost all of them. What I did notice they had in common were the smiles, the laughter, and the craving for attention from anyone who was willing to give them the time of day. Many of the children were left alone during the day, not out of a lack of love but because of the culture and the necessity of the parents to focus their efforts on providing the basic needs. When we showed up and were willing to sit them on our laps and hold their hands it was almost impossible to get them to let go, even if it was to give them a plate of rice and beans that would almost certainly be their only meal of the day. The openness to our arrival didn’t stop there. Many of the people Brian introduced us to in the city welcomed the team with warm smiles and some of the biggest hugs I have ever had in my life. They invited us into their homes, which consisted of a one room hut built out of mud and sticks, and shared their life stories with us. Although we had never been deprived of food a day in our lives and they struggled to figure out where their next meal came from I feel certain they would have offered us whatever they had simply because they appreciated us being there to listen to them. I found the Haitian people to be some of the most beautiful people I have ever met. Even though they live in unimaginable poverty you wouldn’t be able to tell based on their warmth and love. Although I wasn’t sure what I was going to be able to do to serve the people in Haiti when I first got there it became evident in Gonaives, showing them the love of Christ by being willing to do the most simple and natural aspects of humanity and starting a relationship with them. Most of the people there didn’t need the medical attention that I could provide, they needed me to show them that even though my life is completely different than theirs I still love them and care about their wellbeing. Because of my personality it was hard to come to the conclusion that I could not physically meet the needs of the people I came into contact with, it’s heart breaking to look into the eyes of a hungry and thirsty child and try to convey to them that I had no food or water to give them and I don’t look forward to ever having to go through that again. All I could do for many of the people there was love them unconditionally with all of my heart. But I found that that is the most important thing I could have done. Just giving the people food, water, medical attention, or shelter would not be enough, sure it would meet their physical needs and help to make sure that they would see tomorrow, but that doesn’t meet the greatest need that we all have. Many organizations are currently working in Haiti to provide many of the necessities that I mentioned above but I was able to get to know and love individuals that I will always remember and hopefully they will remember that someone cared enough about them to not just care for them physically but to listen to their story. Scripture tells us that the greatest commandment is to honor the Lord our God and to love others as we do ourselves. I learned on this trip that the Haitian people are more than just victims of a massive earthquake, they are my family in Christ and just working to solve the problems the earthquake caused would be drastically missing the purpose of why God called me to go to Haiti in the first place. I believe God called our team to Haiti to build relationships with the people there so that we could be a small example of God’s love for them. Obviously the physical needs of the people there still need to be met, but I learned that it can’t come from a desire to save people from their tragedy but instead from a true love for those who you are helping if the impact is going to go beyond the immediate and into eternity. I know that it’s cliché’ to say that I got more from the trip than the people that we helped, but I did. There is so much more work to be done in Haiti and I encourage all those who are following the blog and the teams to continue to pray and give as the Lord leads you. Know that the work that Rapid Response is doing in Haiti is meeting the physical needs of the people there but going to extra mile to build relationships and demonstrate the love of God to the people in the country. I will always cherish the memories of my first trip to Haiti and pray that the Lord calls me back to continue to get to know and help the people there.

P.S. I wrote this at 1:00 AM on our last night out of the country, so hopefully it makes as much sense to those who read it as it did to me as I wrote it…..

- Todd