In September – literally two days before Hurricane Matthew devastated the southern peninsula of Haiti – I was in the country for the dedication of two schools. Sadly, one of those missions was damaged by the storm.
Cross Catholic Outreach’s Haiti disaster response team is currently hard at work delivering meals and other crucially needed aid to survivors of Hurricane Matthew. During its travels, the team has listened to firsthand accounts of that terrifying experience. One couple told how their house began to fall apart in the middle of the night. After one room tumbled down the hillside, they ran to the front porch, hugged each other and huddled behind the door, which had blown open and pinned them against the wall.
When the devastating 7.0-magnitute earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, I was in the southern city of Les Cayes visiting a Cross project. There was a slight swaying of buildings and I remember wondering if it was worse elsewhere in the country.
Just in the last decade, teacher Camineta Guillame has witnessed a transformation in the way Haitian students act. Sometimes God’s revelations occur at the most unexpected times. I experienced one of those transformative moments on a recent mission trip in the Central Plains of Haiti. It was one of those rainy days, so our group had scheduled as many indoor venues as possible.
As women, the challenge began with a serpent’s seemingly innocent question: “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?’” Translation: “Eve, if God really loved you, why would he withhold something good from you? Do you have any real value to God?”
I recently met up with the Cross Catholic Outreach-sponsored students at the Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP), a university scholarship program for impoverished, high-achieving students throughout Haiti, and wow – this group is impressive.