May 2010: Visiting VM Groups in Haiti

Just got back from Haiti yesterday! Whew! Sweating steadily for a week. It is really hot and muggy there and it is only May. Visited with about sixty of our close to 300 groups there and I can tell you that there is a lot of enthusiasm and activity in helping to rebuild the country and to rebuild the shattered lives of the Haitian people.  The physical infrastructure is still in a shambles and the rubble seems to be largely still where it was when I was last there in February. But many many people are pitching in and the work is going forward. It is just such a big job that it is hard to see the effects yet.

David, South Africa: I know I have contributed

I recently got back from Haiti and to say they need help in that country is such an understatement. The people of Haiti are so spiritual. After seeing the devastation of the earthquake I realized why - spirituality is all they have. The children are amazing. I would smile at the children or say hello and one for one, every time,their faces would light up and beam with joy just from that simple smile and hello. There was no promise of food, or candy, or money--just a wave and smile from me from the car window. But that was enough for them to know someone cared.

VM Blog: Christina Alexander says Haiti is a long-term commitment

When the Haiti earthquake struck, Christina Alexander decided to go. She was on one of the first Scientology-chartered flights that brought doctors, nurses and other emergency response personnel to Haiti. What stuck her in Haiti was the desperate lack of everything, even the most basic needs. “I felt really proud but humble, and honored to be there among such selfless, hard-working volunteers from all over the world,” she said.

Barrett/USA: "By the end of our stay there we had that place in ship shape."

I arrived in Haiti on the second charter flight from Los Angeles on the 21 January 2010. For the first day we were just establishing the camp, putting up tents, sorting supplies etc. We then went on a project at University of Miami Hospital in Port-au-Prince at the request of one the head doctors. This ended up being the project I would work on for the next two weeks.

When we first arrived at University of Miami Hospital we didn’t get the warmest welcome. They didn’t allow us to bring any more than four volunteers and we were stopped by the not-too-friendly Special Forces security when we arrived. We explained that we were there upon request but they didn’t let us go until we had them talk to the head doctor. Once in, we asked what was needed and they had us organize one corner of the hospital supply tent. We then moved on to the food section of the tent and this is where the hospital staff could see what we could do for them.

Ellen, Mexico - Is this really reality what we live in?

Is this really reality what we live in? The roads, the buses, cars, perfumes, restaurants... As I was walking through the duty free shops at the airport today I realized how fake the modern world seems to me now. Hunger is now real to me, thirst is more real, but not what new bag i'm going to buy, that doesn't seem to matter anymore. Its almost as if what my old reality was, is no longer existent in my mind.

This short time I've been back from Haiti, I still have my thoughts over there and I keep comparing life here, to life there. Frankly, there's nothing to compare. They have nothing and we have everything.  The cold hard truth that i got snapped into me is that my life here in the "real world" is so simple, easy and comfortable, i have running hot water, food in a refrigerator and clothes hung up in a closet, its almost shocking to me that I never really noticed those details before and it makes me sad to think i didn't appreciate them either. I feel so gratified to know i will have food tomorrow and a place to stay, and a mother to hug.