Hard day. The ear plugs blocking out the rooster this morning may have been the only positive for the day. Cody's texts got increasingly worse and distressful as the day progressed. By 9:30 am, it was already another busy day. Just after 11 am, Cody was headed to Port au Prince in the ambulance to pick up two orthopedic patients at the general hospital. It was Cody's first trip to the hospital. He was a passenger getting chauffeured by a Haitian guy. Cody said he was excited to see it, but also nervous about the unexpected. Then at 12:31 pm, Cody texts that he's "
gotta be honest...he feels a little unsafe. This is incredible. Eye opening. You'll never understand. It's awful." This is the first time Cody has felt unsafe. And it's the first time I've worried about Cody being there. He said they were driving through town, still in the ambulance. Town is rough. Thousands of people and traffic wasn't moving. There are no laws. No rules. No police.
"It's a free for all." People were coming at Cody. Not malicious, but probably because of his white skin which automatically labels him as a westerner and humanitarian which means money, food, shelter and help. People would come to him, not sure of what they were saying. The driver acted like it was no big deal. The driver spoke broken English, so Cody didn't really understand what was going on. The people weren't rioting or anything. He said, "
It's hard to explain. This is the worst place I've ever been. I feel terrible for these people." After picking up the two patients, Cody climbed in the back of the ambulance. He said, "
It's better I can't see out I think." Cody did see some of our soldiers which gave him comfort. Most of the buildings in town are rubble. Some are still standing, but not many. He described it like "
going into a war zone". Then no wonder our troops are there! As Cody rode in the back of the ambulance, he told me about one of the patients. A woman. She hurt her foot during the earthquake. Her foot smelled terrible. It was severely infected. There were flies and maggots on it. She will have her entire foot removed today. Then he told me more heart-wrenching stories.
"Saw a set of one-month-old twins this morning. They weighed three pounds. Skin and bones. They will probably die." In Haitian Voodoo, twins have special powers that can be dangerous. This may be seen as a curse. (
http://people.howstuffworks.com/voodoo.htm/printable) Often times, twins are just abandoned. I do not know if parents accompanied these babies to the clinic. This is a sad, emotional day for Cody. He spent part of the afternoon after transporting patients cleaning the back of the ambulance - maggots from the lady's foot. At nearly 5 pm, I got an update on the one-month-old twins. "
Monica (the nurse)
just told me those twin babies both are HIV positive. They are not going to make it." Evening time was spent reflecting on the long day. Reflecting on what Cody saw and felt. Hanging out with his team. Processing and relaxing. Is Cody struggling with the devastation he is seeing? Yes.
"It's just frustrating to see people die like this. Because this isn't living. It's ridiculous. These people don't deserve this." How did Cody see Jesus today? To be honest, he said it's hard to see Jesus in all of this. It's more like
"Where is Jesus?" God is at work in the Americans working their tails off for people they don't know and will probably never see again. That is agape love - Christ-like, self-denying, self-sacrificing love.
A familiar song kept replaying in Cody's ears today, but with a new meaning. Haiti is Cody's heartsong...
There Will Be A Day By Jeremy Camp
I try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that trys to grab
The many trials that seem to never end,
His word declares this truth, that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew
But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we’ll see Jesus face to face But until that day, we’ll hold on to you always
I know the journey seems so long
You feel you're walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you’ve walked out all alone
Troubled soul don’t lose your heart
Cause joy and peace He brings
And the beauty that’s in store
Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting
I can’t wait until that day where the very One
I’ve lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery this is why this is why I sing….
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we’ll see Jesus face to face There will be a day, He’ll wipe away the stains,
He’ll wipe away the tears,
He’ll wipe away the tears…..there will be a day.
Four things Cody knows for sure out of all of this - 1.) He is getting his Paramedic license. 2.) His team has bonded like super glue and plans to stay connected once back home. 3.) He is so broken for these people.
"There's just something so different about them. You'll see." and 4.) He's coming back to Haiti soon.
