Help and Hope in Haiti, one person at a time

In June of this year, I got a chance to visit Highland Park United Methodist Church’s Medical Clinic in Haiti for the very first time. I wanted to see more of Haiti than the clinic in Petit Goave, so I spent a few days in Port Au Prince first.

In my work as Outreach Director for HPUMC, I have traveled to a lot of places and seen all kinds of poverty. But I don’t think I have ever seen such despair and so many people living in such difficult conditions than what I witnessed in Haiti. As we drove through the streets and saw such overwhelming need, I began to wonder how we could possibly make a dent in the great sea of need. Should we be sending our resources or were we just trying to “chlorinate the ocean?”

In other words, was Haiti a hopeless situation? Frankly, I just wanted to get back to Dallas and figure out how to stay there.

Then I met up with the rest of our team from HPUMC. Together, we traveled to Petit Goave, stopping first at the church where we were welcomed warmly by our longtime Haitian friends. The Siloe Clinic is part of the Methodist Church of Haiti. Our teams have become such a big part of the community, and they asked about familiar team members, the experience began to feel more personal for me.

That afternoon, we were chauffeured by our Haitian teammates from the Methodist Church’s guest house (which happens to also be the home of the local pastor) in the back of two trucks. The streets of Petit Goave were much quieter than Port Au Prince. It was very emotional to drive up and see the clinic that I had only seen in photos before. Seeing Dr. Foree’s name on one of the buildings, as well as Jean Arnwine’s name, made me feel so proud. But, the building was nothing compared to the people I met there the next day.

The clinic was flooded with people who came for general medicine, pediatrics, and dentistry. We saw 573 patients that week, but what really happened was that we connected with 573 of our brothers and sisters in Christ. I met a man who was out of pain for the first time in years because of the dental work he received. I met two young parents who were so relieved that their baby was finally healthy. I met another young woman who was given medication she could not have afforded otherwise.

I quickly realized that the situation I previously considered to be nearly irreversible, was just the opposite, and that the ultimate approach for me would be helping people one at the time.

My sense of hopelessness went away after that experience. I knew then and continue to believe that our church makes a difference in Haiti, one person at a time. Specifically, we connect with and equip one person at a time. When our eye doctors (both Haitian and American) fit one person with glasses, that person has been equipped for a better quality of life. When our American team members give one person the tools he or she needs to feel healthier, they are connecting and equipping one more life.

I know now that we will keep going to Haiti and trying to make a difference. I am so very proud to be a part of a church that does not give up when things are difficult. It would have been easy to give up after the earthquake that devastated the region in 2010. It would be easy now to just say the need is too great. But, we do not say that.

Instead, we ask, “Who is the next person that can be helped?” And I believe that this is exactly what Jesus does with us. He never gives up and he continues to help - one person at a time.