Beauty for ashes
A garment of praise for my heaviness
Beauty for ashes
Take this heart of stone and make it Yours, Yours
I delight myself in the Richest of Fair
Trading all that I've had for all that is better
A garment of praise for my heaviness
You are the greatest taste
You're the richest of fair
“Beauty for Ashes” by Shane Bernard & Shane Everett
That song keeps playing in my head. I definitely saw beauty in the ashes this week. For me, only God can provide that kind of hope. There will be photos soon, but not today. I can’t look at them today. They pale in comparison to the images seared in my head. I never made it to Port au Prince to see the buildings and rubble left by the earthquake in Haiti, but I didn’t need to. For seven days, I lived in a tent alongside the people who survived the quake, 45 minutes away from Port au Prince in Fond Parisien, near the border of the Dominican Republic. The victims sought help and sanctuary there, and received it from a Christian orphanage, Harvard, and volunteers from around the world for four months.
Almost all the patients lost a family member and the majority lost an arm or leg. A little girl who played with me on multiple occasions was burned almost all over her body. I watched as my new American friends provided medical care and physical therapy. I hugged, played, and loved on Haitian kids. I helped dispatch patients, most moving to another tent in a nearby refuge camp. I lifted, pulled, and carried tons to help close down this emergency clinic. I made three close Haitian friends -- all 20 years old, all survivors, all trying to figure out what to do next after the clinic closes with no job and no school to go back to.
This was my 8th international mission trip. In the past, I’ve been able to devise ways to share the experiences at different levels for different people: the one minute summary for the mildly interested, the 5-15 minute version, and the longer “here’s what really happened” sharing session, but right now I’m having a hard time effectively communicating any version. Over the next two weeks and beyond, I will be sharing and editing extensive video footage with my film students about the trip. I’m not sure how much impact my short trip had, but somehow I hope the video will bring more awareness and help. The headlines around the world have already forgotten Haiti, but they’re still living in the chaos that’s left behind. Below are just a few words that come to mind to describe the experience.
Humbling
Heartbreaking
Frustrating
Shame
Desperation
Hope
Joy
Thankful
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