STEVE---FROM HAITI
Day 12-"So, where were you when...?"

There is no need to finish that question...no need at all. Unlike some TV or world event that effects many, if
not most- this was a moment, some 40 seconds, that every single person in Port au Prince remembers, and
will remember, for the rest of their lives. Today, I'd like to share some of their stories. We can get caught up
in the food distribution and relief efforts and teams that are coming and.... and...and it would be wrong to
gloss over what was experienced and what was felt personally by each person. For those of you who come
down in the future could I challenge you to remember this simple question? These personal stories are incredible
in their power, unforgettable for their victims, and will forever mark the lives of those who just happened
to be here at around 5 p.m. on January 12, 2010.
~~~~~~~
Ed is the head of a Mission organization with a school, orphanage and church. He has served here with his
wife for many years and at 5 p.m. on that day, he was standing outside when the earth buckled and threw him
to the ground. His first thought? "My wife, no-no-no, my wife's in the house!" He tried to run but was thrown
to the ground 3 times before he could make it to his house. He arrived bruised and a bit bloodied, but his
house was (mostly) still standing-his wife uninjured. 3 weeks have now passed and they refuse to sleep inside...
~~~~~~~
Less than a quarter mile away Mary and her husband Jim were upstairs in their living room when the house
began to shake and the entire second floor "pancaked" (that's the most common word here for the affects of
the quake) on top of the first floor (in other words, the first floor was no more) and as Mary ran to where the
indoor stairs used to be, that wall collapsed, with only one wall of the second story still standing. Her husband
yelled to her to run for the outside stairway. When they reached that wall they ran out, literally running
from the second floor onto the ground (again, there was no more first floor). As Mary recounted this story,
she said that it was a miracle the second story door was opened, which allowed them to run out. Jim corrected
her by saying "Mary, we didn't run out the door, we ran out the wall!" Theirs is a miracle story of coming
out unhurt, from a two story house with only one wall remaining.
~~~~~~~
Augustine was outside, chatting with friends when the shaking started. His friend started to run for the house,
running "to" shelter. Augustine tackled him...and within seconds the house was flattened. Were it not for the
tackle, this friend would have perished.
~~~~~~~
At 5 p.m., Leunard was cooking dinner outside over an open fire while 8 relatives chatted
inside. Her cooking pots were thrown to the ground and her entire house collapsed. 7
miraculously survived ....but her sister did not. As she recounted "her story" she spoke
without feeling, devoid of emotion-almost what you'd call "numb".
~~~~~~~
Olrich was ending play practice at church with a time of prayer. With Haitian passion and emotion- many in
the group were stomping their feet and calling on the Lord to rain down His power. They felt the ground begin
to shake and ran outside. For a split second they thought they were experiencing an answer to prayer, when
suddenly they knew the truth and ran-ran as fast as they could to their homes.
Day 12-"So, where were you when..."
And then there was Roger's story.
Roger had taken a TapTap (Haitian form of a bus/taxi/van/rickshaw) the 10 kilometers to afternoon classes
at seminary that day, and he was downstairs studying theology. Upstairs were about 40 students with another
30 or so in his classroom on the first floor. At 5 p.m. there was some initial movement, most realized
what was happening, but before anyone could react an entire wall fell on the class, killing several. He
wanted to run but fell before he could stand. Rocks were hitting his head, he couldn't see amidst the cloud
of concrete dust filling the classroom. The girl next to him was screaming and he held out his hand to her,
willing her to run with him to cover. At that moment he looked up and saw the professor, a local pastor,
crushed by a second wall coming down. With tears in his eyes, Roger told how he felt "led" through the
dust and rubble outside, but not before having a hand grasp his leg from a fallen student pleading for help.
He led the first girl outside, and yelled for others to help go back in and save those perishing. A friend told
him that he was crazy, and in the next instant the whole building pancaked before his very eyes...none of
the students in class on the second floor survived...not a one.
Everywhere there were screams and panic, houses and walls and buildings continuing to fall. When the
shock of the moment passed, he too thought of his family. With no transportation available he walked, ran
and walked for over 3 hours to get home. He was bruised and bloodied but all he could think about was
"my family...my family". He could barely speak as he told of running by buildings still falling, devastation
everywhere. In his words: "that day I saw death...I saw death come to me."
Late that night he arrived home to find his entire family safe and sound.
He couldn't sleep that night...but then who could? And he, like many, still finds
it difficult. He went on to tell us how he senses the ground shaking every day,
even when he knows it isn't.
He's a pastor...a theology student and he can't get over the question "Why?"
Why was he spared? Why were the others not? Why did this happen at all?
But he knows there are no answers. He spends a good part of every day just
listening, listening in the village, listening on the hill, listening to the kids at the
orphanage as they tell their stories. For they all have one, and they all need to
be heard.
"But Roger" we asked "What do you tell the people when they ask why?" He responded "I tell them I don't
know ... I tell them I don't know" but then he paused for a moment and added these words: "But I also tell
them to not give up."
And somehow, on this afternoon we see a people who haven't given up. Roger is out listening to others,
Jony just got back from the hills distributing food and money. While walking through a slum, Jony saw a
young girl all alone and totally dejected. After visiting one last family he walked up to this girl, told her to
not give up, prayed for her and then gave her enough money for rice and beans for the week. As he walked
away the girl screamed out "Thank you, Thank you-I had nothing...nothing to eat. You've allowed me to
eat today." No, she won't-she won't give up...not today.
And incredibly, there is one comment shared by not just a few of my new Haitian friends. Roger said
it...Augustine said it....Charles said it...Jony said it as well. The words vary slightly, but allow me to use
Jony's words to end this letter:
~~~~~~~
"I believe this is the beginning of a new Haiti. Pray for us. Pray for us for this to be true."



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