17 Minutes with Hugo

He was wearing a black shirt with a drawing of a cross.  It said “Killed in the line of duty” and had a quote from Philippians.  Hugo had been wandering the streets of Port-au-Prince, but when he saw us he motioned for us to come to him.  My teammate Ted was taking video and stills in front of the collapsed Treasury and Hugo saw something he thought we’d want on film.  More than 3 weeks after the earthquake, a young man’s body lay covered with dust, trapped beneath shards of concrete.  I could see his face, his ear, his arm.  It was heart-piercing and unforgettable.

Hugo’s home was crushed and his family was dead.  He asked if we could pass word to his cousin in the U.S. that he was still alive.  He didn’t seem to know where he was going.  I asked him about his shirt – was he a Christian; did he have a church?  While we spoke, Haitians continued to wander up and down the streets.  A young woman balanced a hardshell suitcase on her head and just watched us from the corner.  Military convoys passed by, the Red Cross, the UN.  Two CAT earth movers were parked next to the twisted rebar, unmanned.  Ted spoke softly with Hugo as we tried to offer him compassion and aid.  Then we had to leave.

The media reports the numbers: how many dead, how many orphans, how many homeless.  There is tremendous darkness, tragedy and pain.

Only Christ can bring hope.  No amount of darkness can consume light.  For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness” made His light shine in our hearts…

We can build the Kingdom together.  Offer the Gospel to the lost.  Build new communities.  Bring healing and hope.  Get ready to join in – you can find your role as the Church comes together for Haiti.  More very soon…