Bouchér :: The Wedding Blog

I’m back from Haiti and wow…adjusting back to normal life has been odd. Going from interviewing several young kids who lost their limbs in the quake to being nice and comfy here in the states, staring at this computer screen, is nothing short of absolute restlessness and confusion. The trip could be described as overwhelming, tragic, hopeful, frightening, beautiful, depressing, and encouraging all balled into one unforgettable experience.

Day after day, the overload of visual stimulation of what my heart and mind had to process consumed me on both human and spiritual levels. Yes, almost a year and a half after the devastating 7.0 quake, it’s actually still that bad. Tent cities housing displaced families, pancaked buildings crushed to rubble, the thick smell of exhaust, urine and feces, burning trash piles lining the streets, stray, withered animals, street vendors galore, and millions of Haitians crammed together to form the hustle and bustle of the capitol city of Port Au Prince.

Since the quake back in January of last year, some estimates ranged from 220,000 to 316,000 deaths, most of which died within 30 seconds, with an estimated 300,000 injured, and an estimated 800,000 still living in tents. Mass graves were the only solution to the thousands of bodies that needed a burial for the sake of preventing disease(which partially why the toll is uncertain). Over 60% of the structures in the capital were also destroyed, including almost the entire government infrastructure.

To be honest, after a few days into the trip I literally went numb both mentally and emotionally, it was the only response that could get me through the task at hand of capturing the images and video. Our church The Flood, and their partner Children of the Nations (COTN), asked me to document the Vision trip that involved lots of on-location research for a new branch in Haiti. Children of the Nations is planning to purchase land in Haiti to build more clinics, schools and offices to help address the long term need in Haiti.

Through the footage and images I had the honor of capturing, our church is currently promoting a fundraising campaign called HOPE FOR HAITI to raise $100,000 to start this COTN project in Haiti. Check out this powerful campaign video below that the talented team at The Flood did with the footage/images; please spread the video on your facebook pages for awareness purposes and consider donating any amount, honestly anything makes a difference collectively. Children of the Nations is a non-profit organization who’s goal is to “raise children who transform nations”. This is achieved through partnering with nationals to provide holistic, Christ-centered care for orphaned and destitute children, enabling them to create positive and lasting change in their nation. This is what I love about COTN as they empower the people themselves with a hand-up rather than hand-outs, which often don’t provide long term solutions.

WHAT I SAW AND SHOT, WHAT IS NEEDED, AND HOW WE CAN GET INVOLVED. PLEASE WATCH AND SHARE…

Hope For Haiti from FloodSanDiego on Vimeo.

Again, in a nutshell, the purpose of the trip was to initially tour the existing Children of the Nations clinics, schools and programs that have been established in the neighboring country of the Dominican Republic; to see their impact, and then to travel to Haiti to gather information on how and where to establish a similar COTN site to where the need is greatest. My specific role was to document the entire process in terms of the need, the vision, and the plan to achieve this goal of meeting long-term needs through the youth of Haiti. The footage and images that I captured are currently being used by churches and COTN to bring awareness to the need in the form of fundraising campaigns through multimedia online and off.

A lot of people wonder if there is any hope for Haiti as they don’t see much change since the quake. The problem is though that all the money for relief efforts were exactly that, for immediate relief. The scale of the devastation is not your average natural disaster and calls for much more long-term need for the Haitian people to be able to recover. The truth is that most of the money that has been spent thus far has gone to simply keep people alive. In order to do more than just stay alive, the Haitian people need jobs and education. The people need the necessary tools and resources so they can change their own situation and rebuild their own country. To do this though, people must be willing to invest in more than just emergency relief. There is simply no equivalence between the money spent thus far and the need that still exists.

Our lodging was surprisingly nice the whole trip, though interesting in ways . Although the plumbing worked well in all the places we stayed, due to the cholera outbreak we all used bottled water when brushing our teeth. You can shower in the water but opening your mouth could lead to serious problems. At the hotel in Port Au Prince, my roommate Andrew and I’s hot water handle in the shower literally had an electric current running through it that shocked you when you went to turn off the water lol. We had to cover it with the shower curtain to turn it off each time.

Before leaving the United States, the CDC recommended all sorts of vaccinations and pills including malaria, typhoid fever. Knowing that malaria was a risk, I wasn’t too thrilled about the 12 mosquito bites all over my body since I was only halfway through my 6 week prescription. Though apparently the mosquitoes weren’t infected because I felt awesome the whole trip and am still here to tell the tale . Though I was definitely sweating more than I ever have in my whole life as we often had to wear pants and long-sleeve button ups. The Haitians are very properly dressed in professional situations, even in tropical 90+ degree temps, these guys are sometimes wearing 3 piece suits!

As we traveled from place to place, we were always in awe at the sheer density of people in Port Au Prince; it’s mind-boggling to think that this is everyday life for those living there. With loudly decorated tap-taps(Haitian Taxis) whizzing by with passengers stuffed inside like sardines in unbearable heat and humidity; you get a sense of what us humans can endure if you’re conditioned to it. Huge mounds of trash litter the city, and fill entire water canals. The waste litters the streets like snow pushed aside by cars, as in their world there are no trash cans at every corner, you just toss your trash wherever you like.

As you walk by crumbling structures with Haitians still making use of the remains, you wonder how what’s left behind of the building is still standing and how another small aftershock could easily bring the rest down. One family we visited had a toppled neighbors house leaning against theirs in an unnerving position. The father actually risks his life each day working inside his little workspace tailoring clothing to make ends meet while the family sleeps in a tent nearby overnight for fear of everything collapsing. Here’s their story…

We spent most of our time traveling all over the city in two separate passenger vans, visiting families in tent cities, touring potential land sites to build COTN centers and meeting with other local organizations to strengthen the effort. We also visited Leogane, which was 15 miles outside Port Au Prince and was the epicenter of the quake. The photos I included of the most devastated structures were shot there. As we drove by the once massive Port Au Prince Cathedral, it was eerie to hear our COTN guide mention how the head priest was inside when it collapsed. We passed many, many pancaked buildings with stories of everyone inside being crushed, knowing that the bodies clearly were still inside a year and a half later.

A lot of Haitian citizens lost everything in the quake, their home, all their belongings, their families, and their dignity. Though you wouldn’t be surprised to see a pristine looking man with a dress shirt and tie popping right out of a filthy tent within one of the camps. Or an immaculately dressed woman in a pure white dress. The Haitian families in these tent cities are respectable, hard working people who were once living in homes and contributing to their country, raising their families and then the quake turned their lives upside down in less than 30 seconds. Though they press on and try to rise above the mountain of setbacks before them.

Some of the families we visited in the tent cities started storefronts with the micro-loans given to them by COTN, whereas others who are still awaiting sponsorships are doing what they can by selling candy on a tray, here’s a video of us visiting that specific family below. The little ones that are too young to work often run around with makeshift toys made out of strings attached to random junk with no supervision or adult to look after them.

The kids I came across were always fascinated by the camera gear, they got such a kick out of seeing pictures and video of them in the viewfinder. As I’m sure a lot of them probably have no photographs of themselves to speak of. The kids over there are so unreserved and affectionate. They just want to hold your hand, lean against you, play with you, and feel loved.

We were also lucky enough to visit a friend from our church who is working with Billy Graham’s disaster relief organization Samaritan’s Purse; we got a whole tour of one of their Haiti compounds that lies right on the Caribbean water’s edge. We also got a chance to visit another one of their sites where pre-built structure components were being pumped out in mass quantities. I witnessed so many organizations in place to help, but they simply don’t have enough donors to tackle the massive task at hand.

As I mentioned earlier, we were able to tour numerous existing COTN sites in the Dominican Republic. It was strange how the Dominican Republic looked pristine in comparison to Haiti, you wouldn’t even think it’s the same island. We were able to see what a contrast it was to have kids dressed nice, in school and having meals provided for them. There was also a COTN vocational school with tons of computers, English language classrooms and sewing machines among many other trades that are offered to the communities there. It was very clear that COTN is changing lives and transforming nations after seeing everything firsthand and speaking with the locals.

The people of Haiti are definitely determined to rise above their circumstances, they just need the opportunity. We were able to visit 12 families that COTN has taken under their wing . I had the privilege to video interview 3 children from the families that had been permanently injured by the quake. The moment I hit the record button, I immediately saw how incredibly strong these kids are. Seconds prior to recording they were all playing and laughing together, then when it was time to recall their story, it was like I was listening to a mature 30 year old adult describing every detail with no sign of weakness in their voice. Mikerline’s story was one that really stood out. We actually got the chance to visit her home, or what was left of it, and I photographed her on the exact spot where she pinned after the earthquake that took her left arm.

Hope For Haiti – Mikelyn from FloodSanDiego on Vimeo.

After we heard the many family’s stories, Chris Clark, the president of COTN along with our church’s head pastor Matt Hammett, spent the rest of the day meeting with each family individually, in private, to ask them what their specific needs are such as micro-loans to start businesses back up and other basic needs. While that was going on I was lucky enough to meet a Haitian guy named Joel who not only helped translate in the interviews but also let me borrow his guitar. I was thrilled to just hold a guitar as it had been over a week since I played last. The kids were immediately drawn to it and before I knew it I was teaching these kids flamenco strumming techniques for the rest of the day. It was awesome, they are incredibly quick learners and very focused. One child named Stanley only had two fingers left on his right hand but it didn’t phase his him or his abilities(check out Stanley’s story below). Even Mikerline with one arm gave it a shot with her nubby left arm and put it over the fretboard with a huge burst of laughter, not pitying herself one bit but doing the best she could.

It was amazing to see these kids with these insane injuries all bonding together. Afterward I walked hand in hand with Mikerline up the street to a place we were taking them to dinner at. It was really just a glorified McDonald’s, but it was special and out of the ordinary to eat at a place this nice for them; at that moment I felt so blessed to live in such abundance, but I also felt guilt and shame for the things I complain about back home. I felt so honored that Mikerline and her other friend(who also lost an arm) were often at my side. We shared my favorite, bubble gum ice cream together and I had to hold their cup while they spooned with one hand otherwise they’d have no way to eat it themselves. Though I felt a sense of sadness many times on this trip, the resilience of the Haitian people is unparalleled.

And though the Haitian people are thick-skinned from so much tragedy and hardship, a majority of them are incredibly friendly once you flash a smile in their direction and let them know that you’re not just another person trying to exploit their situation. They’ve seen so many people from other nations come and go since the earthquake, claiming relief and then over a year later there is little change. So they feel that you are just there to make money off of a photograph or to tour the devastation. I had an older Haitian lady refuse to let me take her photo. Instead she asked me to promise to help the Haitian people when I returned to my country.

The scariest part of the trip was definitely the day when we had to cross the Haitian/Dominican Republic border into an area known as “No Man’s Land”. It’s a strip of land that doesn’t belong to either country, and that day in particular it felt like driving through a sea of people and vehicles on the verge of a riot. Being white in No Man’s Land, let alone Haiti, was seriously sketchy. Our van had tinted windows all around the back but I was sitting shotgun and feeling pretty freakin’ vulnerable haha. Our Haitian translator Jean-Mytho made it absolutely clear that we were not to get out of the van. In Haiti, being white often translates into having money, and with all the relief efforts now diminishing with time and there being little change in the city, you’re not exactly welcomed with open arms. It’s amazing what the Haitians and Dominicans are capable of balancing on their heads, they apply the same principles to ever motorcycle or vehicle as well, piling everything sky high, it’s amazing. The photo with the lady giving me the evil eyes that you’ll see in this post is from this exact area and was shot from inside the van while we were driving. So take a look at that photo and imagine trying to drive through what’s directly in front of us along with semi’s next to you scraping by and people surrounding every inch of your vehicle.

There was another day I’ll never forget as we had the chance to attend a Pentecostal Haitian Church service as special missionary guests. About 5 minutes in we were sweating to death and we had elders in the church passing us hand written notes saying “please give me one hundred dollars” with blank stares that lingered our direction. But once we found out that the church service was going to be 4 hours, we decided it was best to just go with the flow and embrace the experience, lol.

Matt Hammett, our church’s head pastor gave an awesome sermon that was translated and received very well by the crowd. Without warning, towards the end of the service the bishop of the church asked our San Diegan pastors to start anoint and bless the entire congregation with oil. Only moments later, hundreds of people were lined up, ready for the missionaries from another land to bless them ;p! Adam, one of our pastors motioned to us to come over and help out; as the sheer numbers were too much for them to handle. At first I felt silly and unqualified, as I have never done something like that before. I also didn’t feel worthy to do it as I admired the Haitians ability to express their faith without any hesitations while here I was stiff and reserved anointing them. I wanted them to bless me instead!

But we went for it and one by one they came up, the sweat and heat between my man paw and their heads was insane, but as I began to pray over young and old, I felt a thrill inside me as I genuinely was honored to speak blessings into these people’s lives who so desperately needed help. And besides, they couldn’t understand a word I was saying most likely so I just went for it. Came to find out I went for it too much as we were supposed to spend like 2 seconds with each person and I was minutes deep per blessing. The bishop was getting irritated with our lengthy prayer style lol! Then after the blessings were over the music kicked up a notch and suddenly everyone busted out into dancing and singing, hand in hand, sweat flying, it was just…wow.

One difficult thing was spending several days in the Dominican Republic trying to understand Spanish and then going to Haiti and trying to understand creole, which is similar to French. I found that smiles, nodding and pointing worked best as usual haha. And to say the driving situation over there is crazy would be a total understatement. Luckily our drivers (Alejandro & Renzo) were total studs and knew how to take smart risks. Seriously though, LA traffic is tame in comparison and extremely structured in ways. In Port Au Prince if you don’t like the traffic, just cross the broken concrete center divide and drive towards oncoming traffic. Or just make up your own lanes to take like everyone else.

A two lane street can quickly turn into a 7 lane pileup with people suddenly trying to U-turn with motorbike taxis (with literally an entire family on them) whizzing in between, barely scraping past semi trucks with people piled in the back as well. Dogs even know to look both ways when crossing, no joke, they figure out real quick that you don’t want to be on the road longer than you need to be haha. It also doesn’t help that you could be flying along at 60 mph and then suddenly realize that the road is shifted all over the place from the earthquake.

With convoys of UN trucks often whizzing past, you never knew whether to be comforted by their presence or if their very presence meant you weren’t safe at all and that’s why they’re there. Despite safety issues, a huge part of me wanted to stop the van and get out at every intersection to shoot but we were on a tight schedule and I was not there to be a photojournalist in a general sense, though I would’ve loved to shoot there for months as shooting through a windshield and window tint has it’s restrictions of course. I was also asked to shoot more video than stills so that was quite the learning experience and I have a whole new respect for videographers!

Another interesting thing about Haiti is the strong contrast between the national religion of Voodoo and the ever so apparent Christian presence. One afternoon we walked the streets of Leogane to prayer over that part of the city. At one point we split off into a small group to check out the Voodoo temple in the city center. Not everyone in the group was gung-ho about this idea though as some of the team had been having intense spiritual dreams the night prior.

So our group of four decided to press on towards the Voodoo temple. We circled around the back of the building and there was a pitch black opening that I was able to poke my lens through. No one was there at the time but my camera was able to expose the blackness in video mode and a sideways cross was one of the first things visible on the dark and grimy walls. It was definitely creepy after hearing the stories of what goes on at these gatherings. One story involved a woman convulsing on stage while a red hot chili pepper was in her…you know what. Sorry, T.M.I. But that’s what’s going on.

Seeing the Presidential Palace still collapsed was quite a site as well. Imagine a building that looks like our white house toppled onto itself, even a year and half later with no change. Locals said that immediately following the earthquake, despite the utter chaos, people were cheering outside the palace gates because they feel so let-down and betrayed by their government.

With a new president about to take office, the Haitian people are passionately involved with politics and if they don’t like the job that this new candidate does, they’ll storm the capital and force them out as they have in the past. It was neck and neck between the pop star Michel Martelly and matronly academic Mirlande Manigat. Though Martelly ended up claiming victory just days ago. The name of Wyclef Jean was spray painted all over the city but that never panned out apparently. I’m sure once he saw Port Au Prince in person he quickly regretted his mention of running haha.

I was so blessed to be asked to document this trip by my church as I got to know so many great people on the team as well as the staff and President of Children of the Nations. It was also really cool for me to travel with the pastors from our church whom I’ve looked up to for so many years.

Again I want to thank my amazing friends and family that supported me and made this trip possible through their generous donations towards my travel expenses. I not only reached my fundraising goal but those team members who exceeded pooled the remainder together and purchased a much needed laptop for the COTN office that will soon be built in Haiti.

I’m honored if you have read along this far, and if so, I want to personally ask you…why not get involved in HOPE FOR HAITI? Consider donating any amount, sponsor a COTN child in Haiti, or just spread this post, the images or videos seen here and get some awareness going on(facebook, social media, etc.). I assure you that every single bit counts, and loving change requires action. And I’m not trying to speak on this without holding myself to the same call to action. If it’s any encouragement Marissa and I have found many ways to cut back on expenses which has enabled us to not only donate a large chunk to this cause but to also sponsor a new child every year we’ve been together. It’s totally possible and the satisfaction goes way beyond the sacrifice necessary! 13 wonderful, thriving sponsored children and counting, so you can at least sponsor 1 or 1 more, right?

Again, if you didn’t already please, please check out the powerful video below that our church The Flood put together with the footage/images shot for the HOPE FOR HAITI campaign to raise $100,000 by April 17th. To donate now please visit www.DIVEintoFLOOD.com/give and select “Hope for Haiti”. To inquire about direct donations to the COTN Haiti project please click here. Since the COTN centers in Haiti are not yet build, if you’re interested in sponsoring a child outside of Haiti right now, please click here. The funds raised will help start the project to build COTN centers in Haiti and also help the 12 families and their children in these videos.

Hope For Haiti from FloodSanDiego on Vimeo.

Also please check out these video links of 2 more inspiring children I interviewed and their amazing stories of how the quake affected them and what COTN has done to help them since.

Anderson

Hope For Haiti – Anderson from FloodSanDiego on Vimeo.

Kelvin

Hope For Haiti – Kervens from FloodSanDiego on Vimeo.

Since it wasn’t realistic to post all my favorite images from the trip on our blog, here’s a bunch more shots that I’d love for you to see from both the Dominican Republic and Haiti(Michael Perry, thanks for sharing a few of the extra images!)…