2.12.2010
Haiti: People, Places
This little boy lived in a tent city behind the Matthew 25 field hospital, and having lost nearly everything in the quake he was just as happy as any other boy I have ever seen even though his only toy was a handmade kite made from a plastic bag.
Chener and four beautiful Haitian girls. Chener is one of the nicest people I have ever met. When we met for the first time he told Grant he looked like Tom Cruise and told me I looked like Jim Carry. I responded telling him he looked like Obama. We all got a laugh out of that. He has learned English very well even though he has never been out of Haiti. Before the earthquake he was a math teacher at an elementary school in the Sopudep area, but like most of the country isn't working now.
Another Haitian boy with his friends living behind the Matthew 25 field hospital. The children loved to touch Chris's and Jordan's hair. They were fascinated with straight hair, especially if it was blond. They even loved the hair on their legs and would twist it between their fingers.
This little girl lived in the area where we stayed. Chris gave her his BYU hat so she could represent. Go Cougars. The picture on the right was taken just a block away.
The first morning we were in Haiti we started to organize some of the supplies and discovered that a few cans of formula had broken open inside the bags. After emptying a bag I went outside the front gate to shake out the powder. There were some boys playing in the street who came over to see what I was doing and to practice their English. "Gi'me a dollar," or "gi'me a cookie," were the only phrases they knew which was more than I knew of their language. I went back inside and continued to clean while they watched on from under the gate. While we cleaned they kept saying "lait, lait," over and over. We had no idea what they were saying, so we gave them a little nerf football that someone had brought. We were shocked when they didn't want to play with it and continued to say "lait." Chris speaks Haitian Creole so we got him to figure out what they were saying. After a minute he explained that they were asking for milk and that one of them had a baby sister at home who needed the "lait." Of course we gave him some and off he ran with it. It was amazing to see a little boy so concerned with his little sister, that playing with a new ball didn't interest him at all.
While in Haiti I saw many of these selfless acts. So strong was that characteristic among the people that even the young children realized it was a time for helping each other.
Brittany overlooking the rubble in the Sopudep neighborhood. This area was one of the hardest hit areas I saw. A lot of the houses there were built along hillsides and were multiple stories, so when the quake hit they fell on top of each other. This was also the area where Chener lived, so he was able to share some details about the area which made things more personal. Seeing the destruction in this area and hearing stories about the people and children who lived there was an emotional experience for everyone.
Christine getting attacked by the children. They loved her digital camera. As soon as she took a picture they would just about trample each other to see themselves on the screen. I felt like I was letting them down whenever I took their picture because I was using film. I really wish that I had brought a polaroid camera so I could have given them pictures.
More shots of the beautiful children at the tent city behind Matthew 25. On the right is one of the many letters that were written by children at an elementary school in Spanish Fork. The letters were incredibly touching and sincere.
An older woman looks on while an amputee has their bandages changed. On the right is the Notre Dame Cathedral of Port-au-Prince, an iconic building in the downtown area. 
This little boy loved to be held. He was so small and frail and was always wearing this little vest. I think this is Caleb holding him here. The boy was so affectionate I think it made us all question what he had been through and how the recent events had affected him.
Giving out the supplies we brought down to people who really needed them was so rewarding. It was sad to see how many people there were in need of simple things. As always these people were so grateful for the supplies we gave them.
On the left is a stuffed bear in the rubble. On the right is Fedeline and her baby brother. I mistakenly thought the little boy was a girl most of the time because of his braids and the feminine sandals. This little girl was only eight and would carry around her brother almost everywhere she went. I know first hand how older sisters can be with little brothers, so I bet she was responsible for the braids and the sandals.
The people I met and the places I saw in Haiti will never be forgotten. It was an unbelievable experience that opened my eyes to a few things that I had previously never considered. A lot of our time was spent at the Matthew 25 field hospital, named after this scripture:
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
One impression that I will surely remember is that each person there is an individual. I discovered that the situation was very different than what the news stations portrayed. The people were not savage or dangerous looters starving and fighting for food, but rather peaceful, loving, kind, enduring and innovative. It is an absolute tragedy that the people of the poorest country in the west now have the responsibility of recovering from one of the worst natural disasters in modern history. Each person there is an individual living their own life, facing their own challenges who is known and loved by God, which is something easy to forget being so far removed from the situation. Something that has been a challenge for me, and that my wife is very good at, is loving people I do not know. From this trip I have learned to open my heart to increase my love.
2.09.2010
Haiti: Photos and Memories
From the time I gained an interest in photography, nearly ten years ago, I have never had a hard time photographing people until this last week. I have never been shy taking pictures of people, but after seeing the pain that the Hatian people experienced I realized there was a solemn line that I would not cross to get a picture.
This realization came as I walked along a hillside street that had been devastated. Literally torn apart by the quake. Nearly all of the houses on the street had fallen leaving only death and destruction. As I walked along the roadside with Chener he pointed out the houses that had collapsed and told of his friends who had lived there and now were gone. He showed me where his girlfriend had lived and the rubble where she is still buried. As we walked a little bit further a grey truck pulled beside us on the bulldozed dirt road. He spoke to his friends in the truck while I stood by not being able to understand the language. As Chener spoke to his friends in the truck an older Hatian man approached and began to explain his loss. Now the five or so people in our group had gathered around the front of the truck and listened as Paul translated. The older man explained that his two daughters had been lost in the quake. One was twenty, the other was twenty-two. As he pulled two pictures from his pocket, perhaps the only physical reminder left of his daughters, tears welled in his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. Through tears he struggled to explain that he had raised them as a single father and the bright future they had. I couldn't help but share in the grief he felt. My emotions were overrun and with my camera in hand I thought of raising it to take a picture of the ravaged man but couldn't; the moment being too emotive and grave and his shattered heart being so frail for such trivial things.
That is when I realized some moments are are better left unphotographed allowing only the past feelings shared with others to serve as a memories.
This realization came as I walked along a hillside street that had been devastated. Literally torn apart by the quake. Nearly all of the houses on the street had fallen leaving only death and destruction. As I walked along the roadside with Chener he pointed out the houses that had collapsed and told of his friends who had lived there and now were gone. He showed me where his girlfriend had lived and the rubble where she is still buried. As we walked a little bit further a grey truck pulled beside us on the bulldozed dirt road. He spoke to his friends in the truck while I stood by not being able to understand the language. As Chener spoke to his friends in the truck an older Hatian man approached and began to explain his loss. Now the five or so people in our group had gathered around the front of the truck and listened as Paul translated. The older man explained that his two daughters had been lost in the quake. One was twenty, the other was twenty-two. As he pulled two pictures from his pocket, perhaps the only physical reminder left of his daughters, tears welled in his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. Through tears he struggled to explain that he had raised them as a single father and the bright future they had. I couldn't help but share in the grief he felt. My emotions were overrun and with my camera in hand I thought of raising it to take a picture of the ravaged man but couldn't; the moment being too emotive and grave and his shattered heart being so frail for such trivial things.
That is when I realized some moments are are better left unphotographed allowing only the past feelings shared with others to serve as a memories.
2.04.2010
Leaving for Haiti
I can't believe that we leave for Haiti tonight. This week has just flown by and I feel like today is going by even faster. I am full of different emotions about this trip, probably more than any other trip I have taken. Both Shalynna and I are touched by the generosity of the people who have donated supplies for us to take down. When I look at the amount of things that have been donated I almost can't believe it. Thank you.
Pictures will be up soon after I get back
Pictures will be up soon after I get back
