The Path MEGAzine had an amazing timeworking with Helping Hands to Haiti on this mission trip to Haiti. The experience gave me a new perspective and understanding on what’s really happening. Our production company Parallel Path Entertainment videotaped the entire journey, and it was exciting to look at the footage when we got back in town. We’ll have video documentation available soon, but I wanted to give everyone an update on the state of Haiti as I saw it.
We journeyed into Port Labadee on the Navigator of the Seas. (A cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines). Royal Caribbean was nice enough to transfer 13 pallets of aid weighing an estimated 13 tons. The supplies were collected at various supply drives that Helping Hands to Haiti put on. I became interested in the efforts and was contracted to provide the video production. The passion of this group was amazing and the mission was unique. The visionary Pastor Gregg Patrick wanted to see his supplies go, “Directly into the hands of the Haitian people.” Too many of the supplies are being sent over only to sit on the docks and be sold on the black market by corrupt officials and intimidating thugs. We were flooded with a number of stories from locals claiming they were paying for aid that was meant to be given away for free.
When we arrived at Po
rt Labadee, the Haitian officers informed us that things could go badly if we delivered the goods our self. Just last weeka group of Haitians blocked the roads and jumped supply trucks and stole everything off of them in a ruthless and violent manner. Getting into the city was one thing, but getting out was another. We were to leave the Port of Labadee, and enter the city of Cap Haitian, which is about an hour away from the severely devastated Port of Prince. The 12 of us were the only ones allowed out of the Royal Caribbean owned Port Labadee.
Few out of our group were detoured by the warnings. We all had the danger in the back of our minds, but we were determined to at least make one stop to the orphanage. Father Duken owned the orphanage. The task was left up to Father Duken to pick us up in his Ford F-150 and take the twelve of us 30 minutes into the city of Cap Haitian. We journeyed on rough terrain and un-paved roads, piled up in the back of a truck with mission shirts of the same baby blue color. Y’all I was scared. We looked like tourists, and to make matters worse we quickly realized that the locals weren’t exactly happy to see us.
They were bitter, distraught, and yelled things in their French-Haitian dialect that wasn’t conducive of someone who was glad to receive aid. Our Haitian translator Roger, rode in the back of the truck and calmed the many Haitians inquiring about our visit down. Roger spared us many of the translations, but I do know we were being called white and pigs. That was odd to me considering that all of us who went were African Americans. Mass inquiries even prompted Roger to tell one of the locals we were Haitian-Americans coming back to help. If you saw how this guy came up on our truck you might have said the same thing! Many locals didn’t want to be photographed, even slapping the hands of one of us, screaming “No Photo.” The ride was slow, often crawling through thousands of people who blocked the streets. Many of the Haitians rode scooters for transportation. Some had cars, but most people walked. While walking, the local women would balance unbelievable amounts of laundry and fruits on there head. Father Duken our driver and orphanage owner stated, “90% of the people had no jobs.” Before the earthquake the city of Cap Haitian held 800,000 people. Now people were pouring in from the badly hit Port of Prince raising their population to an estimated 1.5 million. The city simply couldn’t hold it. People slept on the streets at night, and walked the streets during the day. I saw several men urinating out in the open, because there was simply nowhere else to go.
When we arrived at the orphanage, workers locked the 20-foot Iron Gate behind us, and we heard a touching sound. The children from the Orphanage were singing to us in French. They emphatically sung, “Welcome home, you are home.” We toured the orphanage and we were elated that our money and two of the pallets of supplies were going to this particular orphanage. Father Duken was doing a wonderful job with the children. Most of them were brought to the orphanage after their parents were killed in the earthquake. We took pictures and hopped back in the truck, trying to hurry back before the ship left us and before it started raining again. But there was one little problem. It seemed that we broke the tailgate on the truck. So we spent about 10 minutes trying to fix it to no avail. So two of the men had to hold the tailgate up and/or ride on it while holding themselves down on the incredibly bumpy ride.
As soon as we made it out on the street a United Nations UN truck pulled in front of us. I rode inside the truck, and reminded some of the passengers that if we didn’t spend that 10 minutes working on the tailgate, we would have never been behind this UN truck which was definitely providing security for our ride back. God was working this thing! The UN truck must have known we took a risk, and followed us all the way through the city. We were safe.
About 5 minutes from the cruise ship we see this huge truck coming at us on a one-way street. We had to stop and back up, while guards hopped out the truck and motioned us to move aside. The truck pulled up next to us. And it was our goods on the truck! Labels saying, “Haitian Relief – Helping Hands to Haiti” covered the goods being brought into the city. Everyone started cheering, and I rushed to turn on my camera to document the achievement. Our mission was complete. And for Pastor Gregg Patrick, a dream realized.
We continued into the Port, relieved and satisfied that we made it safely. We said our goodbyes to Father Duken, and all I could think about were the faces of those little kids. I felt like a hero. I felt a little guilty returning back to the luxurious cruise ship also. I realized how fortunate we are. This was an experience that will definitely make me count my blessings and reassess my needs. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11
“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
No matter if I have a lot or a little, I know God will cover the basics. And the basics to us is more fortune than some people receive in a lifetime. Through it all I will never forget Haiti. The majority of the people were curious, kind, and thankful. Their motivation for survival beamed through their facial expressions. I’m just glad I got the opportunity to make someone’s day better.
If you would like to give to the Haiti relief effort, please contact 1-888-92-HAITI or visit www.helpinghandstohaiti.org. They will make sure your contribution gets into the hands of the Haitian people.
See all the pictures from our Haiti trip on our Facebook page!
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Singer, songwriter, and producer Kirk Franklin adds another title to his resume as the Fo Yo Soul/Verity Gospel Music Group artist is penning a brand new book. The new effort, titled The Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Life’s Storms, is set for release on May 18, 2010 and will also be available on audiobook. In support of this release, Franklin will embark on a 9-city book tour which kicks off on May 18 in Atlanta, with stops in Washington, DC, New York City, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, and Houston. The tour concludes on May 28 in Los Angeles, CA.