"Stomp"

I've got to pass this story along. I work for a company that has employees in Haiti. One of these employees is Darry "DJ" Williams. He wrote the letter that I am pasting here. The story is real, and a few of the pictures are a little graphic; but it's worth it.

July 08, 2007
My day started as it usually does, up at 4:45 am. I start my day listening to The Angels of Praise and then Kirk Franklin, Rance Allen, Rev. James Cleveland, and a few other gospel artists. I listen to it while showering, getting dressed, and working out. During this time I practice my Holy Ghost dance (just in case I gotta use it at revival one day). I’ve found that gospel music helps get me motivated and focused. I ate breakfast and grabbed a bottle of frozen water out of the freezer. It’ll melt in no time ‘cause it’s extremely hot down here every single day of the year. I know I may sound like I’m super holy to some of you right now, but wait a minute I gots (yeah I said gots) to keep it real with you. As hard as I try, it usually doesn’t last all day. I don’t know how it happens, but before the day is finished the gospel artist have been replaced by T.I., Snoop Dogg, and Tupac. And the Holy Ghost dance has turned into the electric slide and the crip walk. I know it sounds bad, but He’s still working on me. Y’all just keep on praying. Oh yeah, and the water has been replaced by a couple of cold ones. Now this aint that bad, beer does have water in it. Didn't Jesus turn water into wine? O.K. let me stop before my mom gets mad.

I’m now on my way to pick up my partner, Kaba. Kaba is from Guinee (Africa) and has got to be the oldest police officer in the whole wide world. He’s always sleeping, even while standing up. When we have our group meetings he falls asleep as soon as he sits at the table. I like tapping his foot ‘cause he always wakes up looking crazy like he wasn’t asleep and like he’s gonna do something. I wish he would.

Today is my first day working with Kaba and I don’t know what to expect. My interpreter has the day off and Kaba speaks french so I guess we'll both be looking at each other like we're crazy, trying to figure out what the other is saying. I like him because he’s funny and we get along fine (when he’s awake) but there are some things about him that make me uncertain if we’ll make it through the day. See, he has this habit of making this smacking sound while sucking his ole raggedy teeth. It drives me up the wall. He’s a chain smoker and cigarette smoke messes with my sinuses. Then he’s always coughing and hacking like he’s got TB or new mornia (my grandma’s way of saying pneumonia).

We’re about four hours into the shift and everything’s going fine. I brought my bible with me just in case I got a chance to go to church this morning. My friend Danny, an American from Naples, FL who operates an orphanage here in Jacmel, was preaching and had invited me to come. I was sitting in my truck in front of the police station reading my bible (remember it’s still early in the day) because it didn’t look like I’d be able to go to church. Kaba came out of the station with a Haitian officer and told me that they had just received information that a child was in a toilet. Now, a toilet here could mean anything.

Toilet
We left the station enroute to the area and was flagged down by a lady in front of a school. She led us behind the school and to an outhouse which sits about 100 yards behind the school.

Outhouse
The outhouse is newly constructed and has ten toilet stalls. I observed a young man named Toussaint desperately chipping away at the concrete toilet, but to no avail. He handed me his flashlight and I looked down into the pit and observed a baby. Toussaint said that the mother had dropped the newborn in the pit because she didn’t want it. I could see that the baby was moving and knew that time was of the essence. Toussaint also had a rope and was trying to lasso it around the baby’s foot to pull her out of the pit.

Baby in Toilet
I notified the Sri Lankan Army of the situation and advised them that I needed them ASAP. While waiting for them to arrive the crowd began to swell with onlookers and the media arrived. I told everyone to back up. I didn’t mind their presence as long as they kept their distance. I allowed Toussaint to stay on the scene and continue to monitor the baby, but told him to discontinue his rescue attempt with the rope.

While waiting for the Sri Lankans to respond I felt discouraged because I had no way of rescuing this child. It seemed like it was taking them forever to respond. I knew that if I was home (Brunswick, GA) that I would hear that diesel engine of Brunswick Fire Department’s First Responder humming down the street. They would have run over everything in sight and would have had the state of the art equipment to rescue this child. The EMTs would be waiting anxiously to administer aid and my officers would have the location secured with crime scene tape and all spectators would know better than to cross that line.

But instead, I had everybody and their mama going in and out of the stall, looking down in the toilet and sucking up all the baby’s air. I was back and forth from the street and left a Haitian police officer in charge of keeping the crowd back. Lord only knows how many people I snatched up by the seat of their pants and tossed out of the stall while they were bending over and looking in that toilet.

Crowd Control
The Sri Lankans arrived, led by Major Manada. I briefed them of the situation and led them back to the outhouse. They worked quickly and broke up the concrete two stalls down and lowered a soldier into the pit.

Sri Lankan breaking Toilet
He wrapped the baby in a towel and secured it to the rope which was then pulled out of the hole. When the soldiers opened the towel the baby started kicking and crying and the crowd erupted into cheers. The umbilical cord and placenta was intact. One of the Sri Lankan medics ran with the baby to their ambulance and the crowd followed. We rushed to the hospital which was just minutes away.

Baby out of toilet
We arrived to the hospital and they were slack as usual. It took 3-5 minutes to find the nurse, who looked like she didn’t have a clue, and there was no doctor around. I told them to follow me to a private hospital that is near my house. I called an American friend, Drex Stuart a retired pastor from Evansville, IN who operates Hands and Feet Project, an orphanage that takes in infants. I know that he recently had a set of twins in the private hospital and asked him to call and notify them of our situation so they could be prepared for our arrival.

While enroute to the hospital, Drex called me back and advised that the doctor didn’t answer his phone and that he would go to his residence. Drex also said that they would take the child and that it wouldn’t be a problem. We arrived at the private hospital and found the conditions to be much more sterile. We were met by two nurses who took charge of the situation. They called the on call doctor and advised him of the situation. He called back several minutes later and wanted to know who was going to pay him. He was more concerned about how he was getting paid then the baby so I told them to tell him to stay home. I didn’t mind paying, but I wasn’t paying him a dime. Drex and Michelle, one of his assistants, arrived with Dr. Jolicouer and advised us that Hands and Feet Project would cover the bill.

Dr. Jolicouer
The doctor was amazed that the baby survived the fall and also the time that had elapsed from her birth to her rescue which was at least an hour or two. He advised that everything looked fine on the outside. No bruises or marks, but that the next 48 hours would be critical and he would monitor her closely for internal problems and infections.

At the Hospital
I knew this child would be fine. After being dropped 30 feet into a pit and left for dead, there were no bruises, no signs of trauma, and she was just resting? If God wanted to take her then He would have already done so. I knew that I had just witnessed a miracle. Everyone involved knew it. Through my spiritual eyes I could see an angel catching her and lowering her to the cool floor while the Holy Spirit comforted her.

I had brought Toussaint to the hospital and he advised me how he knows the mother and that she has always denied being pregnant and would jump off of things in an attempt to lose the baby. He stated that he had observed her coming from the school and that her stomach didn’t appear as big and he noticed blood on her legs. He went behind the school and followed the trail of blood to the outhouse. He heard the baby and notified police.

Toussaint
I was sitting there finally calming down from the excitement. Tying to comprehend what all had just happened and just admiring how God had control of this situation and had put everyone in place. I was just about to bust out into that Holy Ghost dance that I'd been practicing when Kaba came through the door. He had the nerve to hand me a prescription for the mother who was at the other hospital. Ya see here in Haiti they give you a prescription to fill for medication, needles, gauzes, iv fluids, etc. before they touch you. The patient's family or friends must go to almost every pharmacy in town to fill the prescription and about time they return the patient may be dead.

Kaba better be glad that it was Sunday ‘cause if it was about Wednesday or Thursday I would have slapped him upside that bald head. What does he want me to do with this? I mean this is the same woman who left this child for dead and now she’s in the need of medicine that could save her life. But on second thought, I wanted her to live so I could beat her to death.

In a matter of seconds that million dollar question came to mind. WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?) Sometimes I hate when that happens because it just lingers and won't leave me alone. How could I call myself a Christian and ignore one of God’s children in need? Regardless of what she had done. But I still wasn’t gonna spend any money on her if I didn’t have to. Sther, a Sri Lankan interpreter, checked with the Sri Lankans and they filled the prescription free of charge.

We took the medication and supplies to the hospital for the mother. The mother is a juvenile and is from Marbial, a small village in the countryside, about 45 minutes from Jacmel. She was put out of her parent’s home because she was pregnant and she moved to Jacmel and is staying with a lady. Life here is rough and I don’t know what all she’s been through, but she showed absolutely no remorse for what she had done. She is doing better now (medically). Keep her in your prayers.

I drove Michelle, Jo (Drex's wife), and Sther to the police station to begin on the paperwork for the adoption process. While at the station, one of the officers asked if they had come up with a name and suggested Christela which is creole for Christ was there. Michelle and Jo came up with the last name Belle which means beautiful.

Christela Belle 5 Days Old
The rescue was aired on the local news that evening and has been on the radio all week. Christela has been the talk of the town all week long. Everywhere I’ve gone people have asked about her and many have expressed an interest in wanting her or wanting to know what they can do to help.

Kaba, and "DJ" holding Christela
Christela is definitely a miracle child and was God’s chosen vessel to bridge the gap between the UN, police, and the community. I am honored to have been a witness to this miracle. I am also humbled to have been asked by Drex to be Christela’s god father.

"DJ" with the Baby, and Two Rescuers

To God be the Glory,

Darry

This is Davey again. DJ sent a few videos our way as well, and some links to the orphanage web page, as well as snail mail addresses.

Orphanage
I'm more than happy to pass these along to anyone who wants. I hope a few of you out there got something out of this letter from Haiti. We (my company) lost someone very recently in another overseas mission, and this just made our day.

"I Got Rhythm"

Well I certainly had a fun weekend. Here's hoping you did as well. Since I can't figure out a coherent theme to this weekend, at least not one to post on, I figure this can be: A Slice of Life.

Friday I spent the whole day at the airport. Now I don't want to talk about work, not because they asked me not to, but because I think work, the very concept of it, is a terrible horrible no good very bad thing. Let's just say I walked up and down the baggage claim level collecting people and by the end of my day (6:30pm) I needed a foot massage and a bottle of powder.

I went out to dinner and spent a few good hours with the girl I am not currently dating. Wow is that relationship a little to much to go into at this point. For now lets say we were, now we're not but we'd both like to again.

I drove home at midnight and got a call from a friend of mine who lives in Philly. She was in town for the night and so we met up at her parents house and hung out for a couple of hours. I always have great conversations with her. She is my high school sweetheart, and we have stayed in touch and close for more than ten years since breaking up. The last good conversation we had helped me get over a calender style turning point in my life. This time we talked about love, and the walls we all build around our hearts. Is there any better therapist/guru/life coach than a good friend with a cup of coffee in the wee hours of the morning?

After going to sleep around 4 am, I was awakened at 8:00 by a phone call. Some friends of mine were moving from Maryland to VA and I had volunteered. Arriving in Maryland around 9:30 the apartment was... a little under prepared. I began having nightmares brought on by reading Disco Mom's blog entry (click on show original post to read her tale, then read on for more tales of woe), but fortunately the move proved very smooth. 10 people on the load and 13 on the unload with bagels and coffee on one end, and water, coke and pizza on the other end. Six hours later and we were done. I met some good people, got some exercise, and helped find a home for a 70+ year old table with plenty of good years left in it.

I went home and took a nap, because I promised to go to a birthday party that night. Now the birthday party was a little racy, so you may want to skip the next paragraph if you are... you know, what's that word? Oh right. Old. If you're old, you know, no fun anymore. Hee hee.

So the party was a hot tub party. The hot tub was small, the alcohol was flowing, and the music playing inside was not my cup of tea, so I spent most of the night outside on the patio. Now I don't want to describe myself and ruin Dave's fun; so lets just say that there were men there who were more attractive than me, and less; but all the men were in bathing suits at some point. As for the ladies, one was pregnant and two did not get into the hot tub. All the others did. In fact at one point in the night there were four woman in the hot tub at once. There were also four men in the hot tub. At that point, only one of those eight people had anything resembling a top on. I had a good night. And those girls who didn't end up in the hot tub? One of them did spend most of the evening in her lingerie after loosing strip Foosball. A good night indeed.

OK prudes, you can start here again. There will be no more discussion of topless ladies in this post. Oops. "If we shadows have offended..." ho ho ho.

I got home around 2:30 or so and went straight to bed. Woke up late, headed over to my folks for a send off meal for my Aunt, Uncle and cousin who were in town on vacation. Left there and went to go see Oceans 13. Go see it. Did you like the first two? You'll love it. Did you like the first one but the second one left you confused/cold? You'll love it. Have you not seen them? Go rent them and then you'll love it. Did you see the first one and hate it? What the matter with you! It was a good movie! Come over to my house, we'll watch them all and drink martinis and I'll explain why you are wrong in the head. It'll be fun. Not hot-tub-party-with-half-naked-ladies-fun (did it again, hee hee!) but good clean fun.

Went out to a lite meal after the movie. We talked about a lot of things, but if sort of devolved into us discussing lots of ways to mess with the people who try to get you to sign petitions at whatever rally/concert/Metro station you happen to be at. By unanimous consent, other peoples ideas were rude, but mine were evil and may cause volunteers to cry themselves to sleep.

After the meal, we walked through Borders and then headed for the house to hang out. Instead I got call from a friend who needed to talk. My Sunday night was spent late night with a cup of coffee, acting as confessor/guru/friend.

Sometimes I wonder, if this is all life has in store for me. Does it have more meaning? How can I get through one more day of work, much less a week, a month, 30 more years?! Then I have a weekend like this one. Who could ask for anything more indeed?

"Feel Good Hit of the Summer"

I was having a conversation with a friend in California and we started discussing how our childhood selves would view our adult selves. After the obligatory reference to a Bruce Willis movie we wished we didn't remember we began to discuss what would surprise our child-selves the most. This brought the conversation around to: the Seven Deadly Sins.

Now, being raised Roman Catholic I am very conversant with the big 7; but I don't know how familiar the rest of the world is with them. Sometimes people can roll off four or five and then get stuck, kind of like Dwarfs. I personally never remember Bashful. As for Sins, I list them here now.

• Lust
• Gluttony
• Greed
• Sloth
• Wrath
• Envy
• Pride

Now as far as I have been able to figure out, this list does not occur anywhere in the Bible as such, but Catholics have never felt constrained by the bible in finding ways to scare people into following.

Anyway... not a quiz really, just a question.

What Sin above are you most guilty of in your own life? No need to share, its kind of a personal question.

Thought about it? OK then spend today on the corresponding Seven Holy Virtue:

• Chastity
• Temperance
• Charity
• Diligence
• Forgiveness
• Kindness
• Humility

Next post: how to pull off a Spanish Prisoner scam, or possibly a discussion on Sikhs.