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Dakotans to Haiti

Posted on Mar 04, 2010

Sunday, January 24, 2010, a group of eight people, some from the Grand Forks Adventist Church and others from the community, met at the church to pack 24 bags and boxes of supplies to take to the Ruuska Village Orphanage in Haiti. The group is a mixture of nurses, EMT and willing workers. At about 4:30 p.m., they drove the 326 miles south to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in anticipation of a morning flight to Florida.

Through contact with a humanitarian group, they were able to fly from Ft. Lauderdale into Cap Haitian, located on the northeastern shores of Haiti, via private jet. However, due to the number of supply boxes they brought, the group was divided into three flights. Brenna, Faye and Dean (Group One) flew out first and started their journey. Terry and Celeste with several medical professionals comprised flight two and Logan, James, and Troy were slated for the third flight. While they waited they enjoyed the 75-80 degree weather, in stark contrast to Grand Forks chilly temperatures. Logan, James, and Troy joined Terry and Celeste to comprise Group Two.

Cap Haitian is a city of two million, the second largest in the country. Group Two's accommodations were nice, with all the modern conveniences. They went to bed listening to a man preaching in Creole (a mix of French and local dialect), which lasted for a couple of hours. Shortly after the sermon, they were serenaded by drumming and the constant crowing of roosters. The next morning they queried their host regarding the man's preaching. They were told that the Adventists were having a service is someone's back yard. The drums, however, was the entreating of voodoo! The majority of citizens are considered Catholic but retain their voodoo practices.

Group One had traveled all day to reach Ruuska Village. The truck they were in broke down and they had to transfer to a different vehicle. This happened twice. The last two hours of the ride was made in the back of a truck hauling bags of cement down a dusty road.

Group Two traveled from Cap Haitian to Ruuska Village with a local pastor and an armed policed officer who happened to be dropping off supplies in Cap Haitian the same day that they needed transport.

Upon reuniting at the orphanage, they spent their time repairing buildings, restoring the wall around the compound and fixing the entrance to the orphanage. The medical team made good use of the 25 -50lb tubs of medical supplies to aid a number of people.

Brenna said that God truly went before them. They have counted 28 miracles and each of them has a story to tell regarding what they have experienced.

Author: Leanne Erickson