Earthquake in Haiti—Assessment Team Returns Home

As we start to write this simple report we recognize that words alone will not be able to fully paint a picture of our assessment trip. We can share something of the devastation and destruction we saw. We can share something of the stories we heard, stories of both bad and good news. We can share something of the dust in the air and of the smell of the many bodies still lost in the vast piles of rubble. We can share but we cannot help you experience the true picture of devastation that has come to these people.

The general destruction of buildings that we witnessed will have a big impact on the Haitian people for many years to come. The destruction of housing means people are, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, living in makeshift accommodations. A coming concern is the rainy season beginning at the end of March followed by hurricane season beginning on 1 June. The rains and storms will make the housing situation worse and more dangerous.

As we met with church people there was a universal welcome for us and a real appreciation that we had come to visit with them. They saw this as confirmation that they were indeed part of a larger community. We were able to share with them the concerns of the whole Community of Christ and how these concerns were being shown by generous financial gifts. Your giving to Oblation has reached more than half a million dollars that will aid our brothers and sisters in Haiti directly.

We were able to spend some initial oblation aid on temporary shelters for worship, food, water and medical care. The mission centre financial officer and his team are working to share more oblation aid to meet the ongoing needs of church people. This will continue and increase over the coming few weeks.

There are a few things that will stay in our minds for a long time:
• The sight of the Haitian people, not just sitting back and losing hope, but working to improve what little they still had. The dust, the piles of waste and the vast piles of rubble were being moved by manual labour. People were starting to rebuild homes that had been destroyed and church members were already starting to consider how they could repair/rebuild their churches.
• The Sunday morning worship at the Petionville congregation, with the damaged church building and destroyed school as a backdrop to vibrant praise and worship. Then, as the sun struck the destroyed school, the smell from the bodies buried in the school wafted over the group who were worshipping. Even in the grip of death they wanted to worship and to look forward.
• The Friday national day of prayer at the Petionville congregation with 600 people gathered for a time of prayer, but also praise. The scene a little different from the Sunday worship for now you could see oblation dollars at work as the congregation was shaded from the sun by a huge tarpaulin.
• As we left the Petionville congregation to make our way to the airport for our flight home we saw many churches with large congregations worshipping outside (as the buildings were not safe) blocking pavements and roads. But who cared as there was need for this opportunity as a nation to pray.
The faith of the people that we met can be expressed best in the words we kept hearing, “due to the grace of God’. In this they are giving thanks to God for their survival and for the ongoing blessings that God brings them.

Bundha Chibwe, David Waring, Steve Graffeo.