How Would You Like Your Coffee?

“This is a bad start to my day, I received a black coffee instead of the flavored one I ordered.” I read this a few days after going through hurricane Matthew. I struggled with it. We are still adjusting to living here and then came hurricane Matthew!!!

Let me back up, we prepared for the hurricane the best we could being new to Haiti and never having been through a hurricane. We opened Starfysh’s guesthouse to it’s staff and immediate family that live in the Saline, knowing it would not be wise to have too many people stay there and having to draw the line somewhere (this is a gut wrenching decision to make). The Saline is a “suburb” of Anse-a-Galets that is at sea level and the housing consists of mostly tin and/or cement walls, dirt floors, and tin roofs. One of our staff brought his most important papers and sat on the steps at the guesthouse and cried as he was leaving friends and family behind. He was one of the few who truly understood how big Matthew was and what it could do. We spoke with and messaged other staff. One answered with “God will take care of us and provide” and away he went. As for ourselves, we moved to another mission as our home has a cement roof but the middle of the roof has roof access which consists of tin and if it ripped off, every room in our home more than likely would have flooded. 

During and shortly after Matthew we continued to message friends and staff via texts and Facebook to check in with them whether they were on higher ground in Anse-a-Galets, up the mountain, at the guesthouse, in Monwi, Saint Marc or Port-au-Prince. I had a hard time concentrating on anything during the storm so I spent a lot of time looking out the window and praying. At first I was scared but I continued to remind myself that God was in control and I had a peace overwhelm me that could only come from Him. Our family also spent time singing praise songs, the girls played card games and Bruce and I watched Facebook for updates on status of others not knowing when we would potentially lose wifi.

After Matthew, we started getting reports that the Saline did not flood nearly as bad as expected and the water level drained quickly. The reports were coming in and there were no deaths in the area. Praise the Lord!!! We then went with a staff member and checked  on his and another staff member's home in the Saline. The roads were covered in water yet (imagine one very large puddle) and we jumped from “dry” spot to “semi dry” spot. We were pleasantly surprised to see very few roofs ripped off in the Saline and minimal damage to Starfysh’s staffs’ homes. The biggest issue was everything was wet/damp and needed to be rewashed and dried.  One home's floor was dirt and the water was still seeping up. This seems minor but this is when cholera rears its ugly head so we advised on prevention and prayed the floor would dry quickly. We also checked on the garden and one post came up to the shade garden which the staff fixed within a couple days.

After the relief of knowing how Anse-a-Galets faired and watching it get back to normal within 48 hours the reports in the southern part of Haiti and up in the mountains on LaGonave started to come in. Heartbreak settled in once again. From the villages in the mountains and farther out on La Gonave, from what I have heard there were 2 deaths, many homes damaged, crops destroyed, some livestock and fishing boats gone. Then there were the reports of southern Haiti (Where Bruce was making plans to go less than 24 hours before landfall) which were and still are devastating... many deaths, many homes and crops completely destroyed and then cholera setting in, and additional rain continued to hit. It was and still is amazing to watch the grassroots organizations working together for the good of Haiti. They were able to respond faster and better as they were boots on the ground and know what is needed. The behind the scenes of communication of who has what and who can help who was so great to see. Many things were learned from the earthquake and there was a huge push to buy local to help keep and boost the Haitian economy. As for Starfysh, we provided moringa seeds to another missionary to help regrow crops in several villages in the mountains of LaGonave. They will be picking up several hundred moringa seedlings on Wednesday to distribute as well. This missionary also provided tarps to us so the school in Makochon could be covered as half the roof blew off. We also provided moringa seeds to local friends of ours who will use them to spread the word of God in the south. Who better than Haitians helping Haitians! Our emotions have been on an absolute roller coaster ride.

During this roller coaster ride, I read about someone’s bad morning state side because their coffee order was wrong. I reflected and pondered on it. I would assume they have a vehicle to drive in order to get the coffee, if they own a vehicle they more than likely have a job if not two, they also probably have a home that can withstand bad weather. Their home probably has electricity at a flip of a switch, running treated water at the tap, and indoor plumbing. I then think about the homes that don’t have any electricity, they may pay the city for a couple hours of electricity each day.  Some people walk carrying buckets and jugs to the community well to get their water for washing, cooking and bathing. Many people walk or may own a moto where we live. I see locals going back to daily living quickly with friends and family surrounding them. If this happened where we are from state side, how long would it take to recover? Families live by each other here and help each other out daily. As we walked through the Saline, immediately after the storm, neighbors were helping each other put a roof back on a home. One of our favorite things to do in the evening is watch the guys in our neighborhood play soccer on the street in  front of our house. How often do neighbors come together state side? How do you define a want? a need? an inconvenience? We can certainly learn from our friends in Haiti. How are you going to allow your coffee to start your day?