Orphanage in Haiti
It is an odd transition, coming back into the States after being in a third world country. Especially one where there is so much devastation and destruction. One thing I can never describe accurately, will be the smell or the sounds. The first afternoon I was in Haiti, I went out with a couple of the guys to see what it was like on the streets of Port-au-Prince. There are tents everywhere, and people walking around with what seemed to me, no sense of where they were going.
It struck me in an odd way that as the day became night, the streets became busier. We are all so accustomed to having a home to go home to, at the end of the day. These poor people are lucky if they have a tent or any form of shelter over their heads. They are on the streets at night because they haven’t got the comforts beyond a nylon cover to protect them from the elements.
It saddens me deeply that people are living under such horrible conditions. My heart breaks at the thought that hurricane season is right around the corner, and the tents will blow away with the first strong wind. It troubles me that sustainable housing has not yet been provided. What troubles me more, is the fact there are still communities that have seen NO AID since the earthquake occurred. How these people are surviving on no food, water, or medical supplies is beyond my scope. It has to be by the sheer grace of God and their individual human spirit. There are no words to describe the suffering .. or the resilience of these people.
Although entire families were wiped out in a short thirty seconds, their loved ones are pressing on and finding ways to survive. When Sammy (he lost his mother, wife and children in the earthquake) told me he did not have a hard life because people like me come, and give him hope, I had no words to respond. You see, I am the first one to admit that I sometimes get caught up in my own problems. Things that trouble me deeply and make me sad or insecure.
But what Sammy and so many others that we met did, was make me reflect .. on what I do have .. and on how great it is to share my smile and laughter with another person. How beautiful it is to know that I can make a difference, just by showing up. As I go about what I need to do today, I am thanking the stars above, for what I do have .. and the fact that I have a car to drive and a house to clean .. and loved ones who are all over the world .. encouraging me to be the best I can be.
Thank you all for your encouragement .. it just is weird, being back home ..
Always,
Robin
Tags: can-do.org, donations, Haiti, humanitarian, volunteering