A Humble Helper Arrives

Day Six:  It is Monday morning and I am back in Port au Prince after spending two days in Mole Saint-Nicolas. While nobody can predict the future, I would not be surprised if the events of the last 48 hours will be talked about for years to come.

While this space doesn’t allow for great elaboration, here is one occurrences worthy of special mentioning.

Immediately upon my arrival in Mole, the town’s leader agreed to meet with me at his home. Though in his 80’s, he has been, and continues to be, a force in all of the Northwest of Haiti. An hour or so into our conversation he brings to me two family heirlooms that he has never shared with a foreigner. Both were medals that his son had been awarded, posthumously, after being killed in the line of duty as a policeman. I was touched by this very personal gesture.

At the end of our meeting, he turned to my colleague, who is a Creole speaking Haitian and says, “For years I have been afraid to close my eyes (die) in fear that I would leave my family, and my community, alone to face an uncertain future.” He then added, quite unexpectedly, that he “could now close his eyes because he has now meet the man that God has sent to care for his beloved country.” My colleague was stunned by such a proclamation. As for me, I was humbled and honored by his words and they still echo in my ears to this very moment.