Day two in the DR…
We were still waiting to get our flight into Port au Prince arranged, so it was decided that we would spend the day visiting CURE patients in the DR. First on our list of priorities was to go to the CURE hospital, and see the Haitian patients that were being treated there! We were anxious to get to the hospital and see these patients, mainly because that is what we were there for- to help the people of Haiti who had been injured in the earthquake. However, there was also the added incentive that there were few Kreyol speakers at the hospital, and the CURE team was excited that I would be able to communicate with these patients.
The interactions with the patients that morning had a deep impact on me. I later wrote about the experience…
We were still waiting to get our flight into Port au Prince arranged, so it was decided that we would spend the day visiting CURE patients in the DR. First on our list of priorities was to go to the CURE hospital, and see the Haitian patients that were being treated there! We were anxious to get to the hospital and see these patients, mainly because that is what we were there for- to help the people of Haiti who had been injured in the earthquake. However, there was also the added incentive that there were few Kreyol speakers at the hospital, and the CURE team was excited that I would be able to communicate with these patients.
The interactions with the patients that morning had a deep impact on me. I later wrote about the experience…
We were given a tour of the facility… but getting to see and talk to the different patients had the most impact on me…
We went upstairs to the private patient rooms, where they had a few patients who had been brought over from Port au Prince. The first patient, a young mother was stable, and very obviously thankful to be alive. She told us she had two children, one 2 years old, the other 2 months old, that she had left in Haiti with her family. She had somehow gotten to Santo Domingo to have surgery for a broken leg. As we spoke to her, she and the family members in the room shared over and over how thankful they were that God had spared her life. When we asked if we could pray with her, her face split into a beautiful smile. What a joy to join in prayer with this precious woman, thanking God for her life, and praying healing, protection, and provision over her entire family.
We entered the next room, and met Bernagene, a young girl, with a broken heart. Although her aunt was with her, neither of them spoke any English, so I was asked to translate. I went to her bedside, and immediately felt my own heart breaking. As I looked at her beautiful face, her eyes spoke it all to me…pain, fear, confusion, and loneliness. Bernagene’s right leg was in a large cast, and her right hand was wrapped in a large bandage.
We were told that she had been at school when the earthquake hit. The ceiling of the room she was in had collapsed, leaving only about 3 feet of space. Her leg had been fractured, and three of the fingers on her right hand had been severed. As she lay in the hospital bed, her world seemed to be crashing in on her. I asked her how she was feeling; she looked at me, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, “Li fe mal anpil (It hurts a lot.).” She took my hand, and as the tears started to spill down her cheeks, told me how she had almost completed secondary school, and was looking forward to graduation- but now, she wondered if she would ever walk again. I assured her that the doctors at CURE would take care of her, and that before too long, her leg would heal, and she would be able to walk again. “But my hand, what about my hand?” As we talked, she told me that she was right-handed, and without her fingers, she didn’t think she’d ever write again. As the tears slipped down her cheeks, Jen grabbed a tissue and wiped them away…Bernagene looked at her, and a smile played at the corner of her mouth. Someone suggested we pray for her, and asked that I lead out…I hesitated, afraid I too would cry, but then held her hand as we prayed for her, asking God to heal her, and allow her walk, asking God surround her with peace, and give her an understanding of just how much she is loved.
We left Bernagene’s room, and walked out onto a balcony. As I looked out over the city, my heart ached, and I found myself asking, “Why?” Why did this tragedy have to happen? Why the devastation? Why the pain? Why Bernagene? I walked away from the group as the tears began spilling down my own cheeks…
I don’t think I will ever forget the heaviness, the pain, and the brokenness that overwhelmed at that moment. And yet as the tears streamed down my face, it was as if God whispered, “This is why I have you here. To show my love to those who are hurting, and to bring healing to those who need it most.” I was reminded of the lyrics to a song I love so much, “Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours…” and in that moment I understood the broken heart of the Father.
We left Bernagene’s room, and walked out onto a balcony. As I looked out over the city, my heart ached, and I found myself asking, “Why?” Why did this tragedy have to happen? Why the devastation? Why the pain? Why Bernagene? I walked away from the group as the tears began spilling down my own cheeks…
I don’t think I will ever forget the heaviness, the pain, and the brokenness that overwhelmed at that moment. And yet as the tears streamed down my face, it was as if God whispered, “This is why I have you here. To show my love to those who are hurting, and to bring healing to those who need it most.” I was reminded of the lyrics to a song I love so much, “Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours…” and in that moment I understood the broken heart of the Father.
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