Taking Hope and healing to the hurting people of Haiti –by Sarah Wimmer
A series of stories of 5 weeks spent in a broken nation, where hugs were bandaids, hands became hope and a song bonded souls. It’s not just the kids that were mending. Listen how God touched the lives of those who went and forever were changed. This is my story of Hope in Haiti.
The day the earth shook
January 12, 2010 a 7.0m earthquake rocked the nation of Haiti. The epicenter was near Leogane, about 15miles southwest of Haiti’s capital city Port Au Prince. Carrfour, Petit Goave, Grand Goave and Gressier all experienced violent shaking, severe structural damage and mass loss of life. None of the images coming from the TV could have prepared me for the shaking I was about to experience.
Thousands feared dead one report said, while that number grew by the hour CNN headlines were muffled by the crying in my heart for the lost souls of Haiti.
I was in room 58 stocking draws with supplies when I heard the news, I caught the eye of a Haitian co-worker as she swallowed the information via text message and thought to myself, “Oh God please! Save them!” I spent the next two days broken in tears and searching for a way to Haiti. Gota love facebook. I sent a message to a few friends who are, “in the know” and by Thursday night I had information about a few groups. I prayed, “God who ever will take me there, just get me there.” A good friend Jan sent this posting from TDA Africa; “TDA is presently mobilizing URGENT support for earthquake victims in Haiti- together we can make a difference!”
Friday morning the 15th I sent an email to put my name in the hat as it were with TDA and by that afternoon Melissa gave me a ring. I told her I was available to help however I can. She asked how fast I could come up with 3k. “Let me make a few calls” I replied. (Knowing all I need do is call “the Big Man”) “Great, we leave in a week.” she said.
Friday evening I got the word out and the world around me responded with open hearts. By Sunday afternoon I had reached my goal and by Wednesday evening God had just about doubled my funds. Got the time off from work with only a little bit of flak but had some awesome boss’ who know me well, go to bat for my cause to “Heal Haiti”.
January 22 the eve of my 30th birthday three beautiful children and their Mama send me out with the most precious prayer and faith. I have to tell ya, that was by far the sweetest “commission” prayers I have ever heard!
I get to LA, realize I forgot my debit card but do have my passport and underwear, somehow I get to the hotel and check in for a few hours before meeting the team at LAX in the morning. 530AM is always too early, I meet my new friends at LAX, hull I don’t know how many pounds of supplies and the airline checks it all for free! It’s off to West Palm Beach Florida. All bags accounted for, a two hour drive to the hotel, in bed by 2am up by 5am (again I say, TOO EARLY) to meet at MFI (Missionary Flight International) to catch a jet to Haiti. Yes I said Jet. Thank you Mr. Joe Gibbs for lending your jet and crew and flying us and many others to Help Haiti and thank you MFI for getting us there.
January 24 2010 12 days post quake and 52 aftershocks later we arrive in Port Au Prince.
Sitting outside waiting for our contact to pick us up we learn that there is a hospital just across the field. Our medical team sets down our bags and takes a walk to see. We round the corner and see large white tents, people running around and patients everywhere. We meet the DON and offer our assistance. “We’ve got our pediatric unit over there, ICU here and adult ward here. There are the gloves and supply table. Here’s some tape, make a name badge for yourself. We’ve got nurses working 32hr strait and their exhausted, how long can you stay?”
I don’t think I will ever forget that first look at Haiti. Cots on the floor rags for bandages’ broken bones not yet set, the look of pain in their eyes. Everyone there was after the same goal, Help. Just help them. It was the true definition of controlled chaos in action. The University of Miami; Project Medishare in the first stages of relief set up tent hospitals complete with surgery. Now I can’t vouch for the sterile environment, but as we soon learned, “this is Haiti, ya do what you can” and Project Medishare was doing just that, saving lives.
Not in country 5 hours and we were elbow deep in patients. I head to the Ped’s ward and help with a little one only a few days old and we learned only a few days maybe only hours left to live. The baby was just too sick and we did not have any of the resources to do anything about it. A few beds over was a young teenager screaming because she thought there were maggots in her wound, there wasn’t, but comfort was still needed. Just across the row of cots was another young child with no legs and a mother holding her face looking in disbelief. Their eyes all told the same story, “oh my God, what just happened?”
“Our ride has arrived, you’ve got 5minutes” David a videographer from Cali said, our hears sank, we had to leave. We gather outside and walk back across the field, “you ok?” we ask each other. With a deep sigh: “yeah… yeah. I’m good” was the only response you heard. It was quite for a few moments as we gathered our bags and loaded the van. Not sure what we just saw, not sure what we were going to see next, but we all knew that we were in the right place at the right time and I think the whole team knew at that point, we had a lot of work to do.
It’s evening now. We drive just around the corner to what would become my home for a few weeks. At first glance it looked like the city had been bombed. Down an ally we head for the New Life Children’s Home campus to meet the rest of the team setting up our tents and sorting supplies. That night we slept… well, lightly rested in our tents wondering what tomorrow would hold……….
Part two coming soon
The search for survivors
A series of stories of 5 weeks spent in a broken nation, where hugs were bandaids, hands became hope and a song bonded souls. It’s not just the kids that were mending. Listen how God touched the lives of those who went and forever were changed. This is my story of Hope in Haiti.
The day the earth shook
January 12, 2010 a 7.0m earthquake rocked the nation of Haiti. The epicenter was near Leogane, about 15miles southwest of Haiti’s capital city Port Au Prince. Carrfour, Petit Goave, Grand Goave and Gressier all experienced violent shaking, severe structural damage and mass loss of life. None of the images coming from the TV could have prepared me for the shaking I was about to experience.
Thousands feared dead one report said, while that number grew by the hour CNN headlines were muffled by the crying in my heart for the lost souls of Haiti.
I was in room 58 stocking draws with supplies when I heard the news, I caught the eye of a Haitian co-worker as she swallowed the information via text message and thought to myself, “Oh God please! Save them!” I spent the next two days broken in tears and searching for a way to Haiti. Gota love facebook. I sent a message to a few friends who are, “in the know” and by Thursday night I had information about a few groups. I prayed, “God who ever will take me there, just get me there.” A good friend Jan sent this posting from TDA Africa; “TDA is presently mobilizing URGENT support for earthquake victims in Haiti- together we can make a difference!”
Friday morning the 15th I sent an email to put my name in the hat as it were with TDA and by that afternoon Melissa gave me a ring. I told her I was available to help however I can. She asked how fast I could come up with 3k. “Let me make a few calls” I replied. (Knowing all I need do is call “the Big Man”) “Great, we leave in a week.” she said.
Friday evening I got the word out and the world around me responded with open hearts. By Sunday afternoon I had reached my goal and by Wednesday evening God had just about doubled my funds. Got the time off from work with only a little bit of flak but had some awesome boss’ who know me well, go to bat for my cause to “Heal Haiti”.
January 22 the eve of my 30th birthday three beautiful children and their Mama send me out with the most precious prayer and faith. I have to tell ya, that was by far the sweetest “commission” prayers I have ever heard!
I get to LA, realize I forgot my debit card but do have my passport and underwear, somehow I get to the hotel and check in for a few hours before meeting the team at LAX in the morning. 530AM is always too early, I meet my new friends at LAX, hull I don’t know how many pounds of supplies and the airline checks it all for free! It’s off to West Palm Beach Florida. All bags accounted for, a two hour drive to the hotel, in bed by 2am up by 5am (again I say, TOO EARLY) to meet at MFI (Missionary Flight International) to catch a jet to Haiti. Yes I said Jet. Thank you Mr. Joe Gibbs for lending your jet and crew and flying us and many others to Help Haiti and thank you MFI for getting us there.
January 24 2010 12 days post quake and 52 aftershocks later we arrive in Port Au Prince.
Sitting outside waiting for our contact to pick us up we learn that there is a hospital just across the field. Our medical team sets down our bags and takes a walk to see. We round the corner and see large white tents, people running around and patients everywhere. We meet the DON and offer our assistance. “We’ve got our pediatric unit over there, ICU here and adult ward here. There are the gloves and supply table. Here’s some tape, make a name badge for yourself. We’ve got nurses working 32hr strait and their exhausted, how long can you stay?”
I don’t think I will ever forget that first look at Haiti. Cots on the floor rags for bandages’ broken bones not yet set, the look of pain in their eyes. Everyone there was after the same goal, Help. Just help them. It was the true definition of controlled chaos in action. The University of Miami; Project Medishare in the first stages of relief set up tent hospitals complete with surgery. Now I can’t vouch for the sterile environment, but as we soon learned, “this is Haiti, ya do what you can” and Project Medishare was doing just that, saving lives.
Not in country 5 hours and we were elbow deep in patients. I head to the Ped’s ward and help with a little one only a few days old and we learned only a few days maybe only hours left to live. The baby was just too sick and we did not have any of the resources to do anything about it. A few beds over was a young teenager screaming because she thought there were maggots in her wound, there wasn’t, but comfort was still needed. Just across the row of cots was another young child with no legs and a mother holding her face looking in disbelief. Their eyes all told the same story, “oh my God, what just happened?”
“Our ride has arrived, you’ve got 5minutes” David a videographer from Cali said, our hears sank, we had to leave. We gather outside and walk back across the field, “you ok?” we ask each other. With a deep sigh: “yeah… yeah. I’m good” was the only response you heard. It was quite for a few moments as we gathered our bags and loaded the van. Not sure what we just saw, not sure what we were going to see next, but we all knew that we were in the right place at the right time and I think the whole team knew at that point, we had a lot of work to do.
It’s evening now. We drive just around the corner to what would become my home for a few weeks. At first glance it looked like the city had been bombed. Down an ally we head for the New Life Children’s Home campus to meet the rest of the team setting up our tents and sorting supplies. That night we slept… well, lightly rested in our tents wondering what tomorrow would hold……….
Part two coming soon
The search for survivors
