Richland Source reporter Dillon Carr shares the impressions he and fellow travelers collected from a recent trip to Haiti in February.)
MANSFIELD, Ohio – Visiting a country as impoverished as Haiti can be overwhelming–a few Richland County residents recently learned that firsthand. A group of seven local people, including myself, went to Haiti to experience the work of the faith based non-profit, Loving Shepherd Ministries (LSM). Three individuals on the team experienced Haiti for the first time.
Their thoughts before and after the trip differed. And they each learned something.
“When I arrived in Haiti my initial thought was ‘What on Earth have I gotten myself into?’ I saw machine guns, security fences, and Haitian peddlers,” shared Jessica Milliron. She had never been out of the country before their trip in February.
During the trip, Milliron described feelings of confusion. She couldn’t understand why someone would want to visit a country that has so much less than her home country. “Why would anybody want to do that,” she asked during a group discussion in Haiti.
“Once I visited the Homes of Hope, I saw so much more. I was amazed by these vulnerable children, who have known famine, abuse, poverty, and death – to radiate more love and joy than I have ever experienced,” she said.
Kristina Schwan had never been to Haiti either.
“The most surprising, and the most beautiful thing to me was the gentleness and the warmth of its people. How I could meet a human in a completely different world than I, when we don’t even speak the same language, share a smile with them and feel like I’ve made a friend,” remembered Schwan.
President of Transformation Network in Ashland Dan Phillip said he came with no expectations. He had never been overseas before but he said the opportunity came up and he jumped on it. He said he prayed for years to gain greater discernment and become a more generous person. Maybe this was a chance to do just that.
“I’d like to see the expansion of the kingdom of God, whether that’s in Ashland or there in Haiti,” Phillip said while on a connecting flight to Port-au-Prince.
When he got back from the trip, he was impressed with LSM.
“Loving Shepherd Ministries is doing a great job in developing the Haitian communities. Teaching them to take care of themselves and not giving handouts. I believe this is the best way to impact the culture in tandem with Christian conversion,” commented Phillip.
“I left Haiti not feeling guilty for what I have but rather responsible to help since I have so much. God tells us that [from] he who has much, much is required,” he added.
He also saw an opportunity for LSM to get involved with Haiti’s government and policy-making as a way for them to have a greater cultural impact on the country.
I was part of the team, too. What struck me most about this trip was my expectation that the Haitian people would hate me. I expected them to see my expensive camera, clean clothes, white skin – to see me as one more Westerner snapping pictures like a tourist on a safari.
I wanted them to hate me. If they hate me, shun me, persecute me, it would be easier to separate myself from them. The distance between us would comfort me, almost justify my privileged life. But they didn’t. Instead, they shared a smile with me and greeted me with eyes that communicated love – not hate.
Tom Culp, of Berean Baptist Church shared the same feeling before the trip. But after spending time with the people he expected to fear, he thought differently.
“I discovered they’re folks just like us,” said Culp.
Despite what we see on the surface in Haiti, the Haitians are not a hopeless people. They are not people to fear. They are humans living in the same world, even if theirs looks a little different.
See Haiti from my lense in the attached gallery (above right). It is a vibrant country with lively people.
