Haiti, a tour

So, you arrive at the Port au Prince airport, an adventure in itself. Once you step out the front door, outside the fence, you're "greeted" by a large group of shouting people (who, for a small fee, would like to help you with your bags) and a surprising amount of traffic.

Some of the tent cities you spotted from the plane, are brought closer. Not all tent cities are created equal, you learn. You hear stories of knife fights over tents, brutal robberies during the night. The walls of a tent, though preferable to the crumbling walls of former homes, offer little protection. Some are not tents at all, but bedsheets, plastic, and cardboard hung from make-shift poles.


Then, you get a glimpse of the rubble, sporadic at first, but as you make your way into the heart of the city, you realize it is nearly uninhabitable. The cathedral is a before and after picture (top/bottom), the other pictures were taken on the drive through Port au Prince. The palace you may have seen on the news. Many of the government buildings - among the oldest structures in the city, were utterly flattened. "Mountain" goats seize an opportunity to explore the remains of a home and children play on what used to be a roof.)

Imagine being trapped under that concrete. Imagine the utter pain of a compound fracture, knowing you were bleeding, without food or water, unsure if you would be found, rescued. Lying day after day in the sticky heat, night after night alone under what used to be your home, your work place, your school. We found that everyone had a vivid memory of the 53 seconds of earth shaking terror. For some, the horror didn't stop for many days.

So what was Haiti like before, you wonder? As you rove through the city you notice that some places don't seem to have much rubble, perhaps these parts looked quite similar prior to January 12th.

And that's the tour. Thanks for coming folks... OK, so it's hard to know how to finish this post. I want to end with hope. But Haiti is very much a worst case scenario and hope, though alive in the hearts of her people, is elusive once you take in the scope of what has happened - even before the quake, and what is happening today. We have to pray for Haiti. What hope is there apart from Christ? Apart from the body of Christ interceding on behalf of a broken nation? Apart from a miracle?

I've been reading my friend Barbie's blog again. I don't mean to hound you about it, but she gives such an amazing, raw recount the situation on the ground in Haiti. Her most recent post is about a dying girl who is denied entry into the emergency room that could save her life - a true story - a purely political power play. Disgusting. It's coupled with a call to action - a plea, really.

Special thanks to Laurel Clay and Sarah Holm for the use of a few of their photos!