Utah Haiti volunteer blog: Angels, hope, church organization

Mormon Times ^ | February 3, 2010 | Curtis C. Newman

[greyfoxx39]

Curtis C. Newman, a volunteer for the Utah Hospitals Task Force, is writing a series of first-person stories on what he sees in Haiti.

 

Wednesday, Feb. 3: Tender mercies

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Marlin Cheri was standing near a cinder block wall of her home when a wall fell over during the earthquake. She was able to cover most of her head and escape most of the debris. Unfortunately, a piece of cinder block damaged her forehead and left eye. Her face was lacerated deeply, including her eyelid and eye.

She came to today to Community Hospital of Port-au-Prince to see what could be done and to change her dressings on her scalp. Somewhere, another hospital had told her that nothing could be done to fix her face. We could sense the hope she had bottled up in her 12-year-old body, hoping this wasn't true.

I sensed that she wanted to let it out, but was afraid of disappointment. Would this be another hospital to turn her away? I know that it is not just coincidence that certain people are at the right place at the right time. Fortunately for us, Dr. Carl Bell, from Arco, Idaho, was with us today.

Dr. Bell has the ability to engage his patients, and he is such an advocate for them. He listened carefully to her story, and immediately left the exam area and went into the operating room to find a plastic surgeon. Ten minutes later, with a surgeon in tow, the surgeon was examining Marlin and telling her to come back tomorrow for surgery. The surgeon told her that he could fix her face! She was glowing and so very happy.

Part of the fun of returning to camp each night is listening to the stories from others. There are amazing adventures that each of us have each day.

Keith Leavitt is my tent mate. He owns a construction company in Utah. It was his duty to lead a crew to inspect LDS members' homes in the area. While there was some loss of life from the ranks of the Haitian wards, generally they fared well. Keith related three instances where there was complete destruction of surrounding homes, but homes -- and more importantly, lives -- were spared.

In one instance, a neighbor's home leans precariously, with most structural support gone. Yet it did not fall on a member's home, and preserved their lives. In another case, a member's home was saved when a 10-foot retaining wall collapsed on a hillside, crushing homes below. The wall stopped falling, just short of this neighbor's home, whose family was able to escape.

I think one of the most inspiring stories was that of Bishop Maloi Savere of the Frères Ward in Port-au-Prince. Approaching his home by a small alleyway, we see two homes on each side, with the second floor collapsed onto the first floor, and both homes leaning away from Bishop Savere's home.

Amazing? Yet explain this: The home on the slope above his home tipped over uphill. Of course, he is grateful for this, especially since a few of his kids were in the home, on the front porch, at the time of the earthquake.

I'll conclude my entry with a story of a Haitian sister who lives in a two-room, 15-by-15-foot home, where the ceilings, walls and floors are all concrete, with no electricity or running water.

She is obviously poor, yet happy and humble. While inspecting her home for damage, a team member accidentally overturned a bucket, which revealed the precious woman's tithing receipt. She has very little food, very little water and very little income, and yet she pays her tithing.

I wish all of our church -- and America -- could meet these humble, hardworking and happy people of Haiti. I'm sure they would fall in love with them, as I have.

[svcw]

a team member accidentally overturned a bucket, which revealed the precious woman's tithing receipt

Roll eyes, on that one.

[svcw]

Part of the fun

Fun? Fun, the country has lost over 200K people by some counts, death destruction everywhere with no end in site and you are having FUN! moron

[humblegunner]

She is obviously poor, yet happy and humble.

I'm humble, it isn't always a happy thing.

could meet these humble, hardworking and happy people

The author makes much of being humble.
My log-in may have been hacked! ;-0

[reaganaut]

From the article: . It was his duty to lead a crew to inspect LDS members' homes in the area. While there was some loss of life from the ranks of the Haitian wards, generally they fared well.

Well, so much for this being a trip to help ALL people. Nope, as usual, the LDS work benefits the "worthy" LDS members.

[svcw]

Ok, wait. That means these ldsers are only helping ldsers if they recognize a tithing receipt.

[svcw]

Bingo

[GovernmentShrinker]

It’s perfectly appropriate for the Church to make a special effort to help its own members, who have been paying tithing into Church coffers, often for many years. The Church IS helping a lot of non-members too, but if I was a member of the Church and had been paying tithing for years, I’d expect to be high on the list of those who get help.

Inspecting still-standing homes is an excellent priority, too — a lot of good can be done very quickly and inexpensively. I’m reading that a lot of Haitians whose homes are still standing are afraid to go back inside, because they’re afraid that damage has made them prone to collapse (a very reasonable fear, especially since small aftershocks continue). Having a competent professional inspect these homes may save the lives of some people who would have stayed in unsafe houses, and may enable others to safely stay in their homes as well as take in friends and relatives (including non-Mormons).

[greyfoxx39]

My log-in may have been hacked! ;-0

Oh NOES!

[GovernmentShrinker]

Some of this “faith-promoting” stuff is pretty offensive (and sounds just like what some Church leaders have counselled against in recent history), such as the tales of a Mormon’s house being unscathed while a non-Mormon next door neighbor’s house collapsed. There are surely plenty of examples of the opposite scenario. If it’s true that statistically the Mormon homes fared better, it’s probably due to pre-earthquake efforts by local Church leaders to promote safe construction practices by members, rather than divine interference.

[reaganaut]

From the article:

In one instance, a neighbor's home leans precariously, with most structural support gone. Yet it did not fall on a member's home, and preserved their lives. In another case, a member's home was saved when a 10-foot retaining wall collapsed on a hillside, crushing homes below. The wall stopped falling, just short of this neighbor's home, whose family was able to escape.

I think one of the most inspiring storieswas that of Bishop Maloi Savere of the Frères Ward in Port-au-Prince. Approaching his home by a small alleyway, we see two homes on each side, with the second floor collapsed onto the first floor, and both homes leaning away from Bishop Savere's home.

Amazing? Yet explain this: The home on the slope above his home tipped over uphill. Of course, he is grateful for this, especially since a few of his kids were in the home, on the front porch, at the time of the earthquake.

- - - - - - - - - - -

What really burns me is that there is seemingly NO CONCERN for those who lost their homes and their lives.

Instead it is several "pats on the back" of LDS members HOUSES that were saved!

Have these people NO compassion??!?! And the underlying current in this is: "wow, a house fell uphill, 'the church' MUST be true!! I am completely disgusted!

[svcw]

but if I was a member of the Church and had been paying tithing for years, I’d expect to be high on the list of those who get help.

So if I get this correct.

Tithing brings with it (not building the Kingdom of God) special privileges of service from the "true" church (lds) to help you because you contributed say more than someone else. So would that mean when you are room temperature you get to have a bigger planet or be closer to the mangod because you paid more. I mean do you also get a more comfortable pew in the front of the church so everyone knows how much you tithed.

Clearly you have zero (apparently) concept of what a tithe is or its purpose.

[greyfoxx39]

The Church IS helping a lot of non-members too, but if I was a member of the Church and had been paying tithing for years, I’d expect to be high on the list of those who get help.

I wonder if the Salvation Army and Samaritan's Purse are requiring recommendations in order to dispense aid???

..."I think one of the most inspiring stories was that of Bishop Maloi Savere of the Frères Ward in Port-au-Prince. Approaching his home by a small alleyway, we see two homes on each side, with the second floor collapsed onto the first floor, and both homes leaning away from Bishop Savere's home."...sounds a lot like a few garment-protection stories I heard in church once upon a time.

[svcw]

They don’t even ask. They work for the Kingdom not a church building.

[reaganaut]

excellent observation, svcw. i missed that one.

[teppe]

Your a hopeless religous biggot! Your fault finding would rival the best of the Pahrisees in Christ’s time!

Why don’t you just admit it ... you HATE Mormons and everything they do ... even the good things!

[reaganaut]

a team member accidentally overturned a bucket, which revealed the precious woman's tithing receipt

[greyfoxx39]

If it’s true that statistically the Mormon homes fared better, it’s probably due to pre-earthquake efforts by local Church leaders to promote safe construction practices by members, rather than divine interference.

Did you read that before you hit "post"? It kinda suggests some "superiority" at work there....

[Tennessee Nana]

Part of the fun of returning to camp each night is listening to the stories from others. There are amazing adventures that each of us have each day.
______________________________________________

What ghouls...

The author talks as though it is summer camp...

fun, amazing adventures, swapping camp stories..

HUUUUULLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO

THERE WAS AN EARTHQUAKE

PEOPLE DIEFD

PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING

THEY ARE INJURED, HUNGRY, HOMELESS

THEY LOST THEIR LOVED ONES

THEY ARE IN PAIN, FRIGHTENED, IN DESPAIR,

GLAD YOU THINK ITS A RIOT

THEY DONT

[MHGinTN]

Notice how quickly this ism apologist jumped into ‘you hate Mormons’? When they can’t get a nasty response to their lies, they immediately resort to this same deceitful conflating of the ism with the person. I was just reading along to see how long it would be before the momronism apologist resorted to the resty stanbys.