A memorable journey to Haiti and back

Canadian Author and Speaker Donna Carter, her husband Randy and their 21-year-old daughter Kendall were in Haiti when the earthquake hit.

The following are excerpts from a letter to their friends..

Randy and I are overwhelmed with gratitude for the love, concern and prayers of our friends. All through our ordeal, there was never a moment when we did not feel cushioned by God’s presence and peace. We knew we were being carried by your prayers.

Our American Airlines flight touched down in Port au Prince, Haiti late Tuesday afternoon. As soon as the seatbelt sign went out, we stood and gathered our belongings and I said to our team, “Let the adventure begin!” I had no idea…

Because Compassion Canada’s president, Barry Slauenwhite, was traveling with us, the Haitian Compassion office had arranged a diplomatic arrival for us. That meant that while other passengers stood in customs lines and fought through the normal chaos of a third world airport, we relaxed on leather sofas in an air conditioned lounge and waited for these things to be done for us. The process took quite a while and by the time we boarded the bus the Haitian office had arranged for our transportation to the Hotel Montana, the other passengers aboard our flight had left the airport.

Randy and I had been to Haiti previously, and we were excited about sharing the unique experiences of this country that God has tethered to our hearts. Our team commented on the sights and sounds of Port au Prince as we navigated the narrow, congested streets; like the pigs foraging on the roadside. The next thing I remember is seeing pedestrians on the road staggering, trees swaying ,and dust billowing. My first thought was that a windstorm had suddenly swept in, but then concrete walls on either side of the road started heaving and waving. A woman fell on the road in front of our bus and not a second later a wall came down on her. Frantic people ran into the streets which quickly become almost impassible. Torn power lines hung down into the street and chaos reigned.

Our bus crawled along for hours trying to make a trip that would normally take only minutes. We wept and prayed as we took in the horrific scenes surrounding us. We kept trying to text our families but were unable to get reception. Finally two members of our team with i-phones connected. Miraculously, within the half hour that communication was possible, we were able to text and hear back from Kevann at home. It was such a relief for each family member to know that the others were all right. With darkness descending, the Compassion representatives traveling with us decided to try to make it to the Compassion offices which were closer than the hotel. Upon arrival there, it was quickly determined that the offices were not a safe place to stay as that building had also sustained damage. Seconds later we learned that the Hotel Montana had collapsed. Had we not been delayed by our diplomatic welcome, we, along with many of the passengers on our flight, would have been at the Montana. We would have been checking in or unpacking in our rooms when the hotel collapsed. I knew that out of all Barry’s many trips to Haiti, this was the first time arrangements for a diplomatic reception had been made. We realized in that moment that God had chosen to spare our lives.

It was obvious that we needed to find someplace to stay the night. One of our team had previously noticed the Canadian Embassy was right across the street from the Compassion office. I suggested we ask if we could stay there. Permission was granted and the gate opened to admit our bus. Shell-shocked, we stumbled off the bus to be greeted by the Ambassador’s assistant who said, “Welcome to Canada.” I don’t think we understood the power of those words until a few hours later when crowds of wounded Haitians started gathering outside the gates seeking the sanctuary that belonged only to those on the inside; those blessed to hold that little blue book with Canada embossed on the cover in gold. That night we slept on the ground of the embassy compound because the buildings were damaged and unsafe. We will never forget the sounds of that night. No sirens. No sign of help on its way; just the loud bang of buildings giving way and screams and wails of the bereaved and injured.

Late the next afternoon we were informed that the UN would escort us to the airport and the Canadian Forces would fly us home. We had just a short time to gather only what we could hold on our laps aboard the over-loaded Hercules. The trip to the airport provided our first glimpse of the world outside of the embassy in 24 hours. That is when we saw the images you have seen on the news: corpses lining the side-walks, people trying to walk painfully on broken limbs. Broken hearted parents cradling dead children…The demolished infrastructure and chaos of the streets created several delays. By the time we arrived at the airport the flight crew had been on duty 14 hours. The decision was made to evacuate us to the Dominican Republic for the night. The next day we re-boarded the Hercules for Montreal. There we were met in the middle of the night by Foreign Minister Cannon and the Red Cross who took care of our immediate needs. The next day Westjet graciously bore the expense of flying us home where we were met at that airport by many family members and friends.

These days we are wrestling with many emotions. For Randy, the frustration of not being allowed to leave the embassy compound to help free those buried at the Montana is difficult to bear. We are well aware that of all the people caught in the earthquake, we were the least affected. Nothing collapsed on us. We were not injured. We all are struggling with the guilt of being treated preferentially because we are Canadian while the Haitians received no relief. We have been through a post traumatic stress debriefing and have identified in ourselves symptoms typical of people who have encountered highly stressful circumstances. We trust God will heal those psychological wounds over time. And we are seeking God for what he has for us as a result of this experience.

Words we heard last year in China came to mind. They were spoken by a man who I imagine is the underground church equivalent of the Apostle Paul. He said, “When God shows me something new, I ask him two questions: Why are you allowing me to see what I see? and What do you want me to do with that experience?” These are the questions we are asking now. We spent only thirty hours in Haiti, most of them in the relative safety of the compound of the Canadian Embassy, haunted by tortured cries all around us. It seems God put us in Haiti specifically for that earthquake. Now we are praying for guidance to steward that experience well.

Donna Carter is a speaker and author with Straight Talk Ministries and volunteer spokesperson for Compassion Canada. Donna may be contacted through www.straighttalk.ab.ca.