A story that says a lot....

From Katy to Haiti and back: What God taught me through earthquake relief

Houston Chronicle, March 02, 2010

My name is Scott Svendsen and I am from the Katy area. I went to Haiti with a medical team through Kingsland Baptist Church who teamed up with an organization called Builders Without Borders. I just want to share my story about going to Haiti about a week after the earthquake shook this area that has left over 260,000 people dead at the last count taken.

The nation of Haiti has needed help long before the earthquake shook this nation. It is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere that has struggled through many hardships such as government corruption, riots, and other natural disasters such as hurricanes. They lack the fundamental things that we enjoy every day.

Why did I go? The Lord tugged at my heart when I learned of a group that was gathering people to go to Haiti. I felt that I was called to go and serve those in great need. I was available to go to Haiti, since I was not currently working, and I was going through a hard time in my life.

I never thought that I would be in another country helping the people of Haiti recover after an earthquake. There are many unexpected things that happen in our lives, and we don't know how to respond to the unexpected. In this case, I, like Isaiah, said, "Here am I! Send me!"

I was excited to go through this open door that the Lord had opened. I could tell many stories about this journey how the Lord had used us to be His hands and feet. I will share the following story that touched most of us that went on the trip.

On our last night there, Carlton, Kim, Dr. Anthis, and I did the night shift in the pre-op area of the hospital. We continued to make rounds and check patients through the night. At about 5:30 in the morning when things were quiet and peaceful, we were sitting and having a conversation with one another, when we heard one of the patients start singing "Amazing Grace" in the Creole language.

We sat there and listened to her sing, and I must say that it was the most beautiful song that I had ever heard. It was like an angel was singing. The lady was a 31 year old choir director from a local church whose name was Darlene. We had heard her sing in the hallways while we were there. She had suffered a pelvic fracture and a broken femur while trying to protect her sister's children when the rubble started to fall on them. She did this by covering the children up with her body to keep them safe.

The children were o.k., but she was not. Her injuries were very painful, and every time Darlene started singing, it meant she was in severe pain. Since there was really no pain medicine for the patients much stronger than Motrin, singing was her way of coping and our indicator of her pain level. Darlene would sometimes sing for hours, and sometimes, those that were around her in the hallways, would join in and sing with her. She would be singing with a hand raised and a hymnal in the other hand.

We called her our "songbird" because her music would bring some peace to the unrest that permeated the hospital. Darlene was anchored in something bigger than what life could throw at her. She was anchored in Christ, who gave her endurance and peace during this tough circumstance that she was facing. She truly praised God in her difficulty, and this reminds me of Paul praising the Lord during his difficulties that he faced in his life.

What are some things that I have taken with me from this trip? I had many thoughts as we flew back to the United States. Some of the thoughts were about how strong the people of Haiti were in the midst of this chaos. They showed great patience and a lot of appreciation during a disaster that brought such devastation to a people who already had many problems before the earthquake.

My current storm that I was currently facing in life wasn't that big of a deal compared to the pain and suffering that I encountered in Haiti. We are so blessed beyond measure! We take so much for granted, and we don't realize the blessings that we truly have been given. God reveals himself in many different places, and I did see Him in Haiti, working many miracles through many people who were willing to serve Him. Matthew 25:35-40.
"'Tis easy enough to be pleasant, when life flows along like a song; but the person worthwhile is the one who will smile when everything goes dead wrong."--Ella Wheeler Wilcox