Arriving in Haiti was quite the experience. It was loud, crowded, and frankly it smelled. I was overwhelmed walking out of the airport and having all of my senses bombarded all at once. As our contact, John Lorient, picked me up and we made the one-hour trip to Merger, I was shocked at the living conditions I drove by.
The streets are covered in trash. In the open markets, locals sort through piles of clothes scattered across the filthy ground and even fruit stands with garbage and flies in between. One of the most heartbreaking moments of all though was still seeing some piles of rubble left over from the earthquake a few years ago. This region of Haiti was hit harder than any other. Even our contacts house was completely destroyed at the time, yet nevertheless they rebuilt their home. And it’s quite beautiful in its own way. Set high up on a hill with a gorgeous view of the water.
The poverty and devastation here is very real and affects the large majority of the population. The cultural poverty is even more painful to see. Such hopelessness makes your heart break for these people.
However, amidst all the brokenness, there is still a beauty here. They have a wonderful sense of community and heavily depend on each other. They still find time to laugh and the children still find a ball to kick around the street. Many of these streets still having rubble scattered around.
Also, the week we were there was during the final stages of the World Cup. Nearly every home had either a small television displaying the game, and if they didn’t have one, they would all crowd around a radio. It was clear that most of the them were cheering for Brazil because one afternoon as I was sitting on the roof overlooking the town, Brazil scored a goal, and the entire hillside and valley below erupted in cheering. I’ve never heard such a sound come from so many homes at once.
No matter the devastation around them, they still find ways to enjoy life and thrive a little. Yet, this country has a long ways to go and many of these people are in desperate need of a relationship with their Maker. But I believe God has the power to redeem anything, even an entire nation. He’s done it before. Some of the believers here will tell you that you can already see glimpses of it since the earthquake struck. Glimpses of hope. I’m praying there will be so much more here in the days to come.
