Haiti: Ten Years Changed Us

It was inevitable that with the way life had become unstable in Haiti we made the choice to leave this place that had become home.  In this episode we will share some events, including our daughter's kidnapping and Dave being attacked while downtown. The year 1990 was the time of decision for us as our ability to function and carry out our work was greatly limited. 

Come walk with us once again as we recount the many events and stories that were a part of life in the year 1989.  Toby, our new dog, became a part of our family.  The political scene became more and more unstable. And we adjusted to the new realities. 

Even in Haiti, life has a flow and a rhythm to it.  We could enjoy the people and the place where we lived by getting to know the flow of this country and its people. Yes, Haiti had its many surprises and at times its disappointments, but it was what we had come to know as home.

Sounds ironic, doesn't it? Joy and pain mixed together. Sounds like birth. A little boy's birth in the midst of chaos and revolution. But that is how our son, Jon, came into this world. The USA was flying the former dictator, Jean Claude Duvalier, out of the country. And then the people responded in revolution against 30 years of Duvalier leadership and against those who aided that rule.

Of all of the things we experienced in this period of time, the events around what we call "the accident" were some of the most challenging to navigate. It definitely changed us.

Life and the most difficult moments we face comes at us in phases and at times in unexpected ways. This episode explores some of the things we faced, while also dealing with the daily realities of Haitian life. A hard life. With a good God.

We all experience struggles of sickness and other physical challenges at some point in our lives. But the difference is that when you live in a foreign country and land where communication is hard and medical help is limited it changes how you walk through it. This was also part of our story.

How life changes when you give birth to your second child in this place!  This part of our story was at times dramatic and definitely life-changing.  God helped us make it through it all with a new perspective on life.

The transition to our life in the capital city of Port-au-Prince was dramatic, but good. We needed to understand what life was like in this city of about 2 million people. 

Finally, the transition to life in Haiti began. All of the preparation and planning was done. Now the changes that this country and people would make in our lives became a daily reality.  Included in this discussion is the explanation of everything that was new to us, but that was normal, daily life in Haiti. 

Dave & Judi both flew into Haiti and spent the summer learning about life in this amazing country. The life-changing experience continued to deepen their interest and desire to make this their home and to adapt to the changes that were needed in order to do so.

As we introduce this series of podcasts entitled "Haiti: Ten Years Changed Us," we want to take you into the first visits into Haiti and how our perspective on so many things was changed and affected forever. Thank you for taking the time to listen in as our journey begins.