“We have no right to
judge the rich. What we desire is not a
class struggle but a class encounter, in which the rich save the poor and the
poor save the rich.”
Mother
Teresa
We spent our last day in Haiti at Grace Village in Titanyen. Grace Village, being built by Healing Haiti,
is a beautiful, sprawling complex that sits atop of hills of Titanyen and is
home to an orphanage, school, tilapia farm, guesthouse, a nearly completed
medical building, and a feeding center that Reiser Relief helped to fund. It is also where Reiser Relief will be
funding the completion of an eldercare center to be named in Father Reiser’s
memory. What an upbeat way to spend our
last day in Haiti--playing with the orphans, and helping to wash the feet,
shower, do craft projects, and feed the local elderly people that were there for their quarterly
medical visits. While interacting with
both the young and the old, I was reminded of Father Reiser’s dedication to
providing dignity to the lives all God’s children from cradle to grave, and I
was proud to see our team helping to carry on his wishes in Haiti.
Our last day here was also significant as it was the
three-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in
2010. One of our Haitian staff members
led us in a beautiful prayer remembering the over 250,000 people who had died in
the earthquake, the largest tragedy of our lifetime. As one of our Haitian staff shared his story
with me about the day of the earthquake and the horrific things he witnessed, I
was overcome with the incredible resiliency of the Haitian people and their
steadfast faith in God throughout all their suffering. I was also amazed at the progress that has
been in returning normalcy to their country in the three short years since the
earthquake.
Many Haitians who died in the earthquake are buried in mass graves.
Tomorrow our team heads back to what we know as
reality. We came together in wonderful
ways as a group this past week, but yet, we will all take different things home
with us. I am honored and privileged to
have had the opportunity to be witness once again to the lives of the Haitian
people. We came to give to them, but
they gave to us, too. They shared their
happiness for life and their deep faith, we were given smiles of welcome and
hugs of gratitude, and they welcomed us to join them in their prayer and
worship. But we also witnessed the
extreme poverty, and the looks of desperation in many of their faces are
impossible to ignore. In spite of what
has been done, there is so much more to do.
The continued suffering of so many of their people is unfair and so unnecessary. Thus, my desire to continue to help this
country grows stronger.
Packing food to deliver to a nearby "tent city."
Bondye Beni’ou,
Ann
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