February 12, 2025 • 38 mins
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What if you found yourself trapped in a collapsing building, the ground trembling violently beneath you, with chaos erupting all around? That's the terrifying reality that my friend Roger Carole faced on January 12, 2010, when a massive earthquake devastated Haiti. Join me, Dan the Road Trip Guy, as Roger paints a vivid picture of that fateful day from his perspective inside a theology school in Port-au-Prince. His story brings to life the immediate aftermath—the haunting silence, cries of anguish, and the struggle for survival in a city turned to rubble.
Yet, in the shadow of despair, the light of hope and resilience shines through. Pastor Derson Louis offers a profound narrative of life's unexpected turns post-quake. We navigate his journey through fear and uncertainty, highlighting his unwavering faith and educational triumphs, despite the challenges posed by the earthquake and, later, the COVID-19 pandemic and gang violence. Derson's experiences speak volumes about the enduring strength and spirit of the Haitian people, demonstrating how even in the darkest times, resilience can lead to a brighter future.
Finally, I talk with my wife Linda. It had been a while since we discussed the earthquake in detail, and the conversation brought back some emotions for her. She arrived in Haiti on the day of the earthquake and stayed in the country for three weeks. The initial chaos was somewhat expected, but the real challenge after 3 weeks was finding a way back home. She shared the story of how, by God's grace, a pilot and a plane were sent to bring her back home. She then shared about the person who instilled in her a serving heart, which came as no surprise to me.
You can learn more about the work in Haiti by visiting, http://jihm.org
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy.
I'm your host, Dan, and eachweek we'll embark on a new
adventure, discovering memoriesand life lessons of our
incredible guests, From everydaytravelers to thrill seekers and
everyone in between.
This podcast is your front rowseat to inspiring stories of
passion, resilience and thepursuit of happiness.
So buckle up and enjoy the ride.
(00:39):
I had great intentions ofposting this podcast back last
month, on January 12th.
It had been 15 years since the7.0 earthquake struck Haiti.
According to Wikipedia ofcourse must be true there were
around 52 aftershocks of 4.5 orgreater after January 12th.
(00:59):
The death estimates rangeanywhere from 100,000 to 300,000
, depending on who you talk to.
We'll never forget that day,because of our involvement in
Haiti and for the mere fact thatmy own wife, Linda, arrived in
Haiti that very day.
I hope you enjoy thisconversation with three people
who are very special to me.
(01:20):
Well, I am talking to my reallygood friend, Carol Roger, today
.
I'm going to call him Rogerbecause that's what I always
call him, and Roger is fromHaiti, and I wanted to talk to
him about January 12th 2010, 15years ago, which is a little bit
crazy.
At 4.53 pm on that day, anearthquake 7.0 earthquake struck
(01:45):
Haiti.
According to the news, 1.5million people lost their homes
and 300,000 or so peopleperished in that earthquake, and
Roger was in Port-au-Prince andI just want to know, Roger,
where were you exactly?
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Hello, Hello, hello everyone.
And, like I then said, my nameis Roger Kewal.
Roger is my last name, buteverybody call me by my last
name, which is fine, because itmakes me feel like a man instead
of like a woman, you know.
So that's good.
Then you asked that question.
It looks like I was.
It was just yesterday when thathappened.
(02:25):
I was in a building, a schoolbuilding, and there I'm at 33.
And I was in that schoolbecause I was studying theology.
I was in the first buildingbecause it's a two-story
building and I was therestudying and the teacher, with a
bunch of students, knowstudents, they were there also
(02:47):
receiving the teaching from theteachers and Dermas.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Then the building began to shake.
Or were you out of the buildingwhen the earthquake hit?
Speaker 3 (02:57):
All of us.
We were inside of the building.
Okay, there was a churchservice going on in the church
area.
There was a church servicegoing on in the church area and
then the teacher was in front ofus really teaching us, and all
of a sudden, first of all wewere singing before we get to
anything and suddenly we feelthe building start to shaking
(03:22):
and first of all we said, well,it's just like a minor
earthquake, it will pass.
But it was not.
It continued to shake and itwas like strongly shaking and
all of a sudden, the teacher runaway.
There was some students leaninginto the wall and the wall just
(03:43):
collapsed on them and I figuredout that it was pretty serious.
Where I was, I was in the backwith another lady, a good friend
of mine, and then all of us westart shouting Jesus, jesus,
save us, save us.
It only took us about 25seconds to get where we were
sitting and then the wolf fellexactly to get away where we
(04:05):
were sitting.
And then the wolf fell exactlyin the spot where we were
sitting.
Wow, so, and the second storyof the building collapsed with
all the students that wereinside of that building.
It was about like 50 studentsin total.
So all of them they died.
(04:27):
It was a monster earthquakethat we've never experienced in
Haiti, and after that, when westand in the church, we felt
that the church was not the bestspot to stay and we went
outside.
And as we go to outside, we sawa lot of buildings collapse, a
(04:50):
lot of dead people in thestreets.
As we're going home all the way, there was no traffic vehicles.
There was nothing but peoplescreaming, people crying.
A bunch of dead people in thestreet.
Wow, that was very, veryterrifying.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
You walked back home, which was several miles away,
right?
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yes, it was.
It was because, you know, whenI start walking from the school,
which is Denmark 33, all theway to Bonn-Rippel, it was
really a long, long walk,because when I get there it was
already dark right, yeah, andthe streets were empty of cars
and vehicles and, as you and Iknow, the streets are usually
(05:36):
packed with yes vehicles streetsare packed with vehicles, but
that night, that day, it wascompletely empty, no traffic.
it was completely empty, notraffic, and it was people all
over the streets screaming.
Everyone just lost a loved oneor somebody or a family member.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
You got home.
Of course, the houses where youall were at were OK, but
everyone was a little fearful togo back inside, right?
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Yeah, that night, all of us, we slept outside the
building and the yard because wewere so afraid to go back to
the building.
Now, two days after theearthquake, we myself and a
friend of mine his name isWesley Altimi we who decided to
stay, you know, to go liveinside of the house.
(06:25):
And then there was another onecoming and the building was
shaking.
I mean, I didn't know what todo.
I was trying to drop from thesecond store building all the
way to the ground, but it wastoo high, so there was like a
palm tree and I grabbed it andslide all the way down and it
(06:48):
was funny, but that was the onlyway for me to save my life.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
You got out the next day just to kind of survey the
damage and see what was going onaround the neighborhood there.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, we went and walked around to see what's
going on, how people are feelingand the area in Bonrepo.
There was not many damages, butthe most damages they were in
Port-au-Prince area and Leoganeand other places in the West
Department.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Yeah, and a little bit.
You know you mentioned, youknow bodies laying in the street
.
I'm guessing the bit.
You know you mentioned you knowbodies laying in the street.
I'm guessing the officials.
The government was trying tofigure out.
What are we going to do?
Speaker 3 (07:40):
And they ended up creating a mass grave just a
little bit north of where youwere.
Yes, yes, it was at StChristophe, that's how they call
it.
Some people call it like Tietan, but it's St Christophe, that's
(08:08):
how they call it.
Some people call it like Titian, but it's not really Titian.
This area looks like kind oflike a Tit together.
It was.
It was not good to see, it wasnot good, right?
Speaker 1 (08:12):
yeah, because that day it looks like everyone was
kind of like equal doesn'tmatter if you were rich or poor,
they just basculate you justthe same way with anybody yeah,
and I, uh, I have a picture ofyou and I know I've shared it a
few times, but I believe thefollowing Sunday you all made it
back to church, gathered peopletogether, people got there by
(08:36):
walking or however they couldget there, and I remember you're
in the middle of this bigcircle of people and just
praying and worshiping, right?
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Amen, yes, that's what we did.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
So fast forward 15 years, roger, and a lot has
changed.
Of course, in Haiti, and itseemed like there were some good
years there, and, of course,over the course of the last
three years I think three, two,three you probably know better
it's been taken over by gangs,really.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Yes, it's the most devastating situation that we
have going on in Haiti right now, especially for the West
Department.
Most of the things that'shappening in the West Department
, where the capital isPort-au-Prince yes, the gangs
are taking over over there.
It's likely about 80 to 90percent of yes, the gangs are
taking over over there.
It's likely about like 80 to90% of the West Department.
(09:29):
They're taking over, eventhough we have kind of like
support, like UN support andmany other like three countries
have been gathered and to helpour police forces, and this is
still like a huge thing for themto do, because the main problem
(09:50):
is that a lot of the populationhave been kind of like mixed up
with the gangs.
They live in the same areas andthat really makes it really
difficult for the police forcesto go there and then fight
against the gangs.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Yeah, tough situation you.
As long as I've known you,roger, and we've known you for
now 17 years, a little bitbetter.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah, before.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
the earthquake, you have to be one of the most
optimistic people I have evermet, the most optimistic people
I have ever met.
When I called you a couple daysago, I could hear the joy in
your voice and I know you holdout a lot of hope for the future
of Haiti.
What keeps you so optimisticabout Haiti?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Well, first of all, I believe that whenever it's, you
know it's darker, somehowthere's going to be hope.
It cannot stay forever and dark.
I mean, when darkness comes,for example, when it's night, we
know for sure that there'sgoing to be a morning.
The sun will rise.
Somehow.
(11:00):
Life is just like that way.
Somehow is life is just likethat way and I believe that, uh,
even though haiti is going thatin in deep darkness, one day
it's there will be light.
So that's how I I believe itand that's why I'm staying, you
know, optimist and and this areaand, and I know that it's not
(11:22):
going to be that way.
Remember it was like 1804.
Before then, haiti was deeplyin slavery right, and after that
, we have those forefathers, thefourth, in order for us to get
our independence.
We got it.
So, even though we live in thishour, which is really darkest,
(11:46):
but we know for a fact thateverything is going to go back
to normal and God will not leaveus just like that.
We are for God.
You know, god is our father.
God give us hope and we believethat, no matter what's going to
happen, no matter what'shappening, somehow God will make
a way for us to get out of thisdarkest time.
(12:09):
That's just my hope, and no onecan take that away from me.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
No, they can't and you hang on to that because we
want to visit Haiti again.
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely,we want to visit Haiti again,
yeah, absolutely.
Well, Roger, I appreciate youcatching up with me and just
sharing a little bit about yourexperience from 15 years ago and
the hope that you hold on to itwas my pleasure to share with
(12:38):
you and it makes me really happy.
My next guest is Derson LewisDerson.
We have known Derson since 2007, when we first went to Haiti.
He graduated high school, wentto seminary, graduated with top
honors there and is a pastor inHaiti.
He has a wife and a youngdaughter, and I was just excited
to talk to him about hisexperience during the earthquake
(13:01):
in 2010.
So, darrison, where were youwhen the earthquake struck in
2010?
Do you remember?
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Yeah, I remember I was like on the top of my room.
The house was like it's abuilding, like it was one on the
bottom and one of and the topright, I was in the top of of my
room.
Yeah, so I was.
I was remember, I was listening, like music, and when I see the
(13:33):
, like the earth and the houselike stop, start to quake, shake
and I can't understand what washappening.
Yeah, and I just like confusedhim.
I said Jesus, jesus, andShadrach was with me.
Back then.
Shadrach was with me back thenand he said there's not one.
(13:55):
If you want, you will fall, andI just stand next to the door
in the house in my room.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Did the house shake then back and forth?
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Yeah, backing for flak.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
Yeah, like I was, like seemed like I was going to
like, I want like, like doinglike a circle.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, had you ever experienced an earthquake like
that?
Speaker 3 (14:21):
No, that was my first one.
That was my first, my first one.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Right and did you then?
Did you run out of the houseafter that, or what did you do?
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Yeah, after that I went out in the yard and I see
like water like pumping, I meanspreading the yard Like.
I see like the country was likereally really look white like
dogs, yeah, and I can hear likepeople like crying.
(14:52):
Yeah, right, I wanna well did.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Did things just seem to stop?
You know, because there's a lotof traffic and a lot of noise
in Haiti did everything justseem to stop, except for people
crying yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:06):
like everything.
Like was tough, even if youcould call people.
Like no connection internet, no, you can't even call anyone.
Like everything was just toughand people are crying trying to
help other people.
Like it was on the houses.
Yeah, everything was just tough.
(15:29):
Yeah, everything was juststopped.
School stopped, church stopped,I mean maybe hospital.
Only that institution was likeworking at that day, like
everything was stopped.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Yeah, you mentioned school stopped.
Do you remember how long youwere out of school?
Speaker 3 (15:43):
um, I think it was like for three months three
months?
Speaker 1 (15:48):
I think yeah, Did your school building?
Was it damaged?
It wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn'tdamaged Right, it wasn't
damaged and so after theearthquake because it was, you
know, it was around 5 pm wheredid you sleep that night?
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Everyone like slept in the yard.
Like everyone.
We just put our shit there, bedthere.
Now we, I think we slept andand in the yard like for four
months I think.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Yeah, like everyone was scared yeah, afraid to go
back in the house.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Praise to God, it never went at that time.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Yeah, which can be a little unusual in Haiti, right?
Yes, yes.
And so you, eventually thingsgot a little bit back to normal
and you went back to school.
And then just a little bitabout you.
You finished up high school andthen you went off to seminary
for four years, right?
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Yeah, I finished school in 2015 and I went to
Shock Mill for four years andfor seminary and I got graduated
in 2019.
I happened to be there for thatgraduation.
Yes, yeah, I think it was yourlast time, right?
(17:16):
No, we were back once sincethen.
But oh, yes, yes, I rememberthat yeah, Best.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
I remember you graduated at the top of the
class, right.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Yeah, I was at the top of yeah in my class.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Life's been a little bit strange since you finished
seminary.
The plan was you were going tocome back and lead the church,
and then COVID hit right.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Yeah, that's.
I finished graduating in 2019,and I got ordained in 2020, in
February 2020, and COVID hit InMarch.
The church closed and schoolclosed.
When everything got back, covidfinished and the gang took over
(18:06):
, it was a chaos.
Everything was going reallyslow down.
Will you really going slow down?
And we cannot even go see, wecannot even have church at night
?
Yeah, and then, after the aftergang, many become like worse
every day and so, yeah, like achaos, yeah, a chaos, it was
(18:31):
like a chaos.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Yeah, still chaos, right.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Yeah, it's still chaos Since I was leading my
victory Bible church.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
That was like a yeah, so you've never got to really
land on leading the church.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
It's been kind of one thing after another.
Yeah, not even one yearcompletely.
Not even one year completely,Not even one year.
Everything went worse and worseand worse and worse.
Then we closed our church andwe are moving to one of them.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Yeah, you recently had a close call with the gangs
and that's when you decided topick up your little family and
move a little bit further northto do ministry.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Yeah, that was a little scary for you all.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Yes, it was really scary.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Yeah, but now you're up north and you were telling me
early on that you're startingto do some ministry up there.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Yeah, we are in north and we are trying to do
ministry up there.
I think it is God's calling.
It is God's calling Because wewere visiting Terrier Rouge,
village Des Miers, and I asked aguy, a guy, how many people I
(19:51):
mean there are like 400 peopleare living there, like 40 homes
and I asked a guy, I said howmany people that are surprised
in that village?
And maybe with Tufa?
And his answer he said maybe99% find, and his answer he said
(20:12):
maybe 90, 99 percent.
People don't even know aboutchrist, like don't even accept
christ.
And I said really, and I saidwhat is the biggest, biggest?
Uh, keep them like from likeaccepting christ.
And he said there's no churchin that village and when people
(20:33):
are trying to go to church theydon't have clothes etc.
It's a miserable village and Ithink it's a good opportunity
for us to do ministry there andwe are really welcome there too.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
You were telling me that the people are very
friendly.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Yeah, they are really friendly there.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Maybe God's been crafting this plan for you for a
long time, even since theearthquake right.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Yes, I believe so.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Swinging back to the earthquake Derson, is there one
anything that just sticks out inyour mind that you saw God at
work?
Is there anything from theearthquake?
Where you saw God's hand.
God's hand maybe it wasprotection, maybe it was
provisions.
(21:24):
Is there one thing that juststicks out in your mind from
that time?
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Yeah, yeah, yes, especially for me.
I can see God's hand.
He sends the earthquake.
And first of all, I was in myroom and the house was like crap
, like crap, and I mean Godsaved my life from there.
(22:01):
And after that, even my, my momand my dad was like I mean
Passover, when I was like six,seven and God keeping me, like,
pushing me and helping me, likeI remember when I was kids I can
.
I couldn't even afford to go toschool Back then.
This school was paid like 25goods a month, not even, yeah,
(22:24):
25 goods a month, and I couldn'teven afford it.
It was really bad for me backthen.
And after then I can remember Iwas finished school, even the
school was I.
I went and chicken I was withmuch, much, much more expensive
and, bless god, I was like godsent people in my life and
(22:46):
helping me like to finish theschool and then went to a
seminary and I finished.
I can see God's protectionproviding like even my new
family.
yeah, yeah and I got, I gotmarried like everything went
really well.
After the gang attack Kaabawe,I moved to Wanamit.
(23:12):
Even I don't really really Even, I don't really even we don't
really have money to rent ahouse.
God still provides for us.
We are living in a house in avillage and everything is
working out well for us.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
I was always a little disappointed.
I was supposed to be there foryour wedding and, due to the
gang violence.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
I could not uh come yeah, you were choosing like for
witness.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I witness, yes yeah, and I was, I was honored, but uh
yeah, I remember you called methat day, so that was that was
fun well, darison, I know youknow the scripture inside and
out.
Is there a verse that you turnto uh regularly just to keep you
going and keep you uh grounded?
(23:58):
Is there one?
Speaker 3 (24:00):
favorite scripture yes, woman 828.
That was like keeping.
Like everything that happened,I said, yes, god working for
good, everything that he loves,even in the middle of chaos,
god's still working.
Yeah, sometimes we can even seeGod's hand or even feel it, and
(24:22):
we still believe he's workingfor good, for everyone that he
loves.
Yeah, that's my scripture,romans 8, verse 28.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Yeah, yeah, you want to share that.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Yeah, Romans 8, verse 28.
I will search it in English.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Okay, that might be better.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Romans 8, verse 28.
And we know that in all things,god works for the good of those
who love Him, who have beencalled according to His purpose.
Yeah, that's my voice thatkeeps me like, keeping and
trusting God, even in the midstof chaos, because I still
(25:09):
believe God works for the goodof those who love him, even if
they think are going good or bad.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
God's still working Well.
Thank you for sharing that.
Well, darrison, I've enjoyedthis little conversation, kind
of down memory lane, and we haveknown you for over 17 years now
, which is kind of amazing whenI think about it.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
He's more than half my age.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
I wish it was more than half of mine, but it's not.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
And.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
I am so looking forward to seeing you in person
sometime in the near future.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
Yeah, we pray for that.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
My final guest on this episode is my wife, linda,
and, for those who don't know,linda arrived in Haiti around
noon on the day of theearthquake, on January 12th.
So welcome to this episode,linda.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Thank you Dan.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Yeah, I've been at this for almost three years and
this is her first time to comeon the show, so we'll correct
that in 2025.
She has lots of stories to tellus.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Oh, you think so.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
I think so.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
So 4.53 pm on January 12th, when did you realize what
was happening?
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Well, I had taken the early flight in that morning
and I arrived probably aroundnoon, but I took that 6 am
flight so I was pretty exhausted.
But you know, I took that 6 amflight so I was pretty exhausted
.
So I kind of got settled in myroom and I just remember there
was a globe from a ceiling fansitting on a desk.
(27:07):
So obviously someone hadchanged the bulb and dipped the
globe back up.
And I just remember thinking,should I move that?
And so I just missed thatthought.
It's just one of those randomthoughts I laid down.
(27:31):
I feel like I barely had myeyes closed and I hear that
globe crash on the tile floorand so that startled me and I
thought how did that happen?
So I got up and the room wasjust violently shaking and I
thought I saw a window and Ithought I'm going to go flying
out that window.
Thankfully I did not.
You know, it seemed to last forlike a minute or two.
(27:57):
I have no idea how long it was,I don't recall it.
So anyway, it was just thestrangest feeling to have the
earth shaking and shaking abuilding.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
So you made your way outside then.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Yes, and there were boxes of rice stacked up above
the steps.
They were just scattered allalong the steps so I was having
to climb over boxes to getoutside.
So, yeah, we all went and metoutside At that point.
It was just eerily silent.
It was the strangest thing tonot hear anything because, you
(28:38):
know, in Haiti there's alwayspeople talking.
You know tap taps driving bymotos, and where we were there
was the flight pattern, you knowthe airplanes going over and it
was just dead silent.
And then you started hearingyour screams, like blood
curdling screams.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
And we heard from Roger and Derson earlier in this
episode and of course,everybody slept outside.
Did you also sleep outside?
Speaker 2 (29:10):
I didn't fare too well outside.
I don't know how they did it.
The first night I decided Iwould try to sleep in the cab of
the truck.
I went out there, got in thecab, took a sheet with me.
The mosquitoes just arehorrible and they were in the
truck with me, kept buzzingaround my ears and I didn't get
(29:32):
any sleep at all, for I don'tknow how many hours I was out
there.
Then a couple of us decidedthat we would take our chances
and go in the house and turn thegenerator on so that we would
have fans, and that's how Islept the few hours I did sleep.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Well, I remember you ended up.
I don't know if you asked me ortold me, but you pretty much
said, hey, I'm gonna stickaround here for a while and so
you ended up staying aroundthree weeks, some of that by
choice, but then it became achallenge to get out, and we'll
talk about that in a moment.
Was there anything about thosefew weeks?
(30:13):
That just that one event thatjust impacted you?
Speaker 2 (30:17):
I have a lot of memories.
You know, just thinking aboutit makes me very emotional.
I didn't expect that.
As soon as the sun rose we gotin the truck to go survey the
damage and we went to Susmattla.
So we just want to go check onthe people that went to.
You know the church and theschool.
(30:38):
We got there and you knowhouses were just broken.
I mean, people could still goin them, but they were
definitely in disrepair.
You know I didn't see any thathad completely fallen.
Well, I take that back.
I did see some of those thatcould completely come down, but
(30:58):
most of them were just damaged.
Everyone was outside sleepingand I saw or they weren't
sleeping when we got there, butyou could see where they had
made their beds on the groundand just the look of shock on
their faces.
They were all just so scaredand they hadn't recovered, you
(31:20):
know, from the day before theevents and assume there were
aftershocks, right yeah, therewere several aftershocks.
So, yeah, everybody was afraidthere was going to be, every
time they felt the earth shake,that there was going to be.
Every time they felt the earthshake that there was going to be
another, you know, largeearthquake.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Roger and Derson just talked about.
You know they didn't know whatto do with all the people who
had died, so they're justloading them in dump trucks,
which sounds inhumane, but whenyou have hundreds of thousands
of people, I assume you sawthose trucks.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
We did, yes, because those were again, of course not
that first day, but those wereon the way to Sous-Mat-Le from
Bon Repos, so we did see thosetrucks.
Yes, I remember we went upclose to the airport because you
know everybody that came in asa relief organization set up a
tent there.
We went up there and just saw,you know, just people just dead
(32:17):
lying on the street.
Or seeing one woman justmangled just lying there at the
gas station, you know, close tothe road, but she was just
laying there.
It's like, well, yeah, what dopeople do with all those bodies?
They were just everywhere.
It's like, yeah, what do peopledo with?
Speaker 1 (32:33):
all those bodies?
They were just everywhere.
Well, you did finally decide tocome home after those three
weeks and then we were kind oflike, oh, how's this going to
work?
So tell us how you actually gotout of Haiti, because it seemed
like a God thing.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
It definitely.
Oh gosh, it definitely was.
We were there.
I remember Steve and AshleyNoost flew into Haiti with I
forget what organization.
Anyway, we went to pick them upat the airport.
Steve just happened to see aguy sitting there on his
computer with some relieforganization that he knew.
(33:12):
They just chatted.
They didn't talk about how toget back home.
As time went on, as you know,we tried every connection we had
.
We knew an airline pilot withDelta.
Your company had a privateplane.
They were willing to send.
But people couldn't get inunless they were authorized
(33:33):
Exactly, there was just too manyflights coming in, so I think
there just wasn't the space toget people in or other planes in
.
At the time Steve happened toreach out to this friend of his
and he said that there was aplane that he could get out on
(33:54):
and I think it carried.
I feel like it was six peopleor maybe two.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
We have a picture of it.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
I'm pretty sure I think it was the pilot and the
co-pilot, and then there werefour of us.
It was me, steve, his wifeConnie, because she was a nurse,
that's how she had gotten in tohelp, and then their daughter,
ashley.
So it was just the four of us.
That's how I got out.
If I hadn't ran in, if theyhadn't came into Haiti, I
wouldn't have gotten out.
(34:20):
I don't know how I would havegotten out, but anyway.
So we had to stop at Turks andCaicos to fuel the plane, and
then we went to West Palm and Iremember the guy that was the
pilot.
He asked me how long I had beenin Haiti and I told him and I
said I couldn't get out.
So I said, thank goodness, youknow, you came and I was able to
(34:43):
get on this flight.
And he said, gosh, I'm sorry,I'm getting so emotional.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
It's okay.
It was an emotional event.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
If we're going to be honest, it was an emotional
event if we're going to behonest.
He said when I was contacted tocome here, he said I thought
what business do I have goingdown there to see if I can bring
people back?
And he said I'm so glad youtold me your story.
He said you're the reason Icame.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Yeah, so you got home .
Speaker 2 (35:14):
I did yeah, totally, you know, everything was, I felt
like was God's protection andhe got me home.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
Well, the last thing I'll ask you you introduced our
children to serving others.
If you look back, you just kindof have this missionary heart.
Is there one person in yourlife when you were growing up
that instilled that into you, orwhere did that come from?
Speaker 2 (35:39):
Well, I would say my church, but definitely my dad.
You know, my dad grew up in theDepression.
Of course my mom did too, buthe grew up on a farm and his
family just always helped peoplebecause, you know, they always
had food, of course, and theywere just all about, I feel like
(36:00):
, always helping others.
And my dad instilled in mealways that we were no better
than anyone and, as you know,there was a little.
There was a church that webelonged to, stern's First
Baptist Church.
Most of the people that wentthere they had good jobs, either
in the mines or whatever.
(36:22):
My dad started his littlemission out by our farm on
Tunnel Ridge, so all the peoplethat didn't feel like they had
good enough clothes or whatever,that's where they went for
Sunday school, and so my dadwould lead the singing there.
My mom taught Sunday school andmy brother would always have to
(36:45):
go early if it was in thewinter to get a fire started to
warm it up.
So it was like our whole familykind of kept this little
mission going.
So he taught me that servingothers.
And then, when we were membersof the church, missionaries
would come through.
Usually I felt like they werefrom Africa somewhere and I
(37:07):
thought, wow, that is so coolthat they get to serve the Lord
in these other countries and Ijust never thought I would be
able to do that.
But it was something that Godput in my heart when I was a
young girl.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
Yeah, and a hundred trips later to Haiti, you're
still doing it, so hopefully weget back there at some point.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
I hope so.
I've really missed that part ofour lives serving there.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
Well, our next episode with you might not be so
emotional, but emotions are agood thing it needs to bring out
.
But Linda has lots of goodstories and a lot of them
involve close calls with yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
I didn't really want to say death, but that's what it
was.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
She has some great travel stories too, so we'll
look forward to those.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
Okay, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
All right, thank you, dear.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
All right, okay, I love you.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Love you Bye.
Thank you for tuning in to Danthe road trip guy.
I hope you enjoyed our journeytoday and the stories that were
shared.
If you have any thoughts orquestions or stories of your own
, I'd love to hear from you.
Feel free to reach out to meanytime.
Don't forget to share thispodcast with your friends and
family and help us to spread thejoy of road trips and great
conversations.
(38:32):
Until next time, keep driving,keep exploring and keep having
those amazing conversations.
Safe travels.
No-transcript.
Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy.
I'm your host, Dan, and eachweek we'll embark on a new
adventure, discovering memoriesand life lessons of our
incredible guests, From everydaytravelers to thrill seekers and
everyone in between.
This podcast is your front rowseat to inspiring stories of
passion, resilience and thepursuit of happiness.
So buckle up and enjoy the ride.
(00:39):
I had great intentions ofposting this podcast back last
month, on January 12th.
It had been 15 years since the7.0 earthquake struck Haiti.
According to Wikipedia ofcourse must be true there were
around 52 aftershocks of 4.5 orgreater after January 12th.
(00:59):
The death estimates rangeanywhere from 100,000 to 300,000
, depending on who you talk to.
We'll never forget that day,because of our involvement in
Haiti and for the mere fact thatmy own wife, Linda, arrived in
Haiti that very day.
I hope you enjoy thisconversation with three people
who are very special to me.
(01:20):
Well, I am talking to my reallygood friend, Carol Roger, today
.
I'm going to call him Rogerbecause that's what I always
call him, and Roger is fromHaiti, and I wanted to talk to
him about January 12th 2010, 15years ago, which is a little bit
crazy.
At 4.53 pm on that day, anearthquake 7.0 earthquake struck
(01:45):
Haiti.
According to the news, 1.5million people lost their homes
and 300,000 or so peopleperished in that earthquake, and
Roger was in Port-au-Prince andI just want to know, Roger,
where were you exactly?
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Hello, Hello, hello everyone.
And, like I then said, my nameis Roger Kewal.
Roger is my last name, buteverybody call me by my last
name, which is fine, because itmakes me feel like a man instead
of like a woman, you know.
So that's good.
Then you asked that question.
It looks like I was.
It was just yesterday when thathappened.
(02:25):
I was in a building, a schoolbuilding, and there I'm at 33.
And I was in that schoolbecause I was studying theology.
I was in the first buildingbecause it's a two-story
building and I was therestudying and the teacher, with a
bunch of students, knowstudents, they were there also
(02:47):
receiving the teaching from theteachers and Dermas.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Then the building began to shake.
Or were you out of the buildingwhen the earthquake hit?
Speaker 3 (02:57):
All of us.
We were inside of the building.
Okay, there was a churchservice going on in the church
area.
There was a church servicegoing on in the church area and
then the teacher was in front ofus really teaching us, and all
of a sudden, first of all wewere singing before we get to
anything and suddenly we feelthe building start to shaking
(03:22):
and first of all we said, well,it's just like a minor
earthquake, it will pass.
But it was not.
It continued to shake and itwas like strongly shaking and
all of a sudden, the teacher runaway.
There was some students leaninginto the wall and the wall just
(03:43):
collapsed on them and I figuredout that it was pretty serious.
Where I was, I was in the backwith another lady, a good friend
of mine, and then all of us westart shouting Jesus, jesus,
save us, save us.
It only took us about 25seconds to get where we were
sitting and then the wolf fellexactly to get away where we
(04:05):
were sitting.
And then the wolf fell exactlyin the spot where we were
sitting.
Wow, so, and the second storyof the building collapsed with
all the students that wereinside of that building.
It was about like 50 studentsin total.
So all of them they died.
(04:27):
It was a monster earthquakethat we've never experienced in
Haiti, and after that, when westand in the church, we felt
that the church was not the bestspot to stay and we went
outside.
And as we go to outside, we sawa lot of buildings collapse, a
(04:50):
lot of dead people in thestreets.
As we're going home all the way, there was no traffic vehicles.
There was nothing but peoplescreaming, people crying.
A bunch of dead people in thestreet.
Wow, that was very, veryterrifying.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
You walked back home, which was several miles away,
right?
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yes, it was.
It was because, you know, whenI start walking from the school,
which is Denmark 33, all theway to Bonn-Rippel, it was
really a long, long walk,because when I get there it was
already dark right, yeah, andthe streets were empty of cars
and vehicles and, as you and Iknow, the streets are usually
(05:36):
packed with yes vehicles streetsare packed with vehicles, but
that night, that day, it wascompletely empty, no traffic.
it was completely empty, notraffic, and it was people all
over the streets screaming.
Everyone just lost a loved oneor somebody or a family member.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
You got home.
Of course, the houses where youall were at were OK, but
everyone was a little fearful togo back inside, right?
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Yeah, that night, all of us, we slept outside the
building and the yard because wewere so afraid to go back to
the building.
Now, two days after theearthquake, we myself and a
friend of mine his name isWesley Altimi we who decided to
stay, you know, to go liveinside of the house.
(06:25):
And then there was another onecoming and the building was
shaking.
I mean, I didn't know what todo.
I was trying to drop from thesecond store building all the
way to the ground, but it wastoo high, so there was like a
palm tree and I grabbed it andslide all the way down and it
(06:48):
was funny, but that was the onlyway for me to save my life.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
You got out the next day just to kind of survey the
damage and see what was going onaround the neighborhood there.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, we went and walked around to see what's
going on, how people are feelingand the area in Bonrepo.
There was not many damages, butthe most damages they were in
Port-au-Prince area and Leoganeand other places in the West
Department.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Yeah, and a little bit.
You know you mentioned, youknow bodies laying in the street
.
I'm guessing the bit.
You know you mentioned you knowbodies laying in the street.
I'm guessing the officials.
The government was trying tofigure out.
What are we going to do?
Speaker 3 (07:40):
And they ended up creating a mass grave just a
little bit north of where youwere.
Yes, yes, it was at StChristophe, that's how they call
it.
Some people call it like Tietan, but it's St Christophe, that's
(08:08):
how they call it.
Some people call it like Titian, but it's not really Titian.
This area looks like kind oflike a Tit together.
It was.
It was not good to see, it wasnot good, right?
Speaker 1 (08:12):
yeah, because that day it looks like everyone was
kind of like equal doesn'tmatter if you were rich or poor,
they just basculate you justthe same way with anybody yeah,
and I, uh, I have a picture ofyou and I know I've shared it a
few times, but I believe thefollowing Sunday you all made it
back to church, gathered peopletogether, people got there by
(08:36):
walking or however they couldget there, and I remember you're
in the middle of this bigcircle of people and just
praying and worshiping, right?
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Amen, yes, that's what we did.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
So fast forward 15 years, roger, and a lot has
changed.
Of course, in Haiti, and itseemed like there were some good
years there, and, of course,over the course of the last
three years I think three, two,three you probably know better
it's been taken over by gangs,really.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Yes, it's the most devastating situation that we
have going on in Haiti right now, especially for the West
Department.
Most of the things that'shappening in the West Department
, where the capital isPort-au-Prince yes, the gangs
are taking over over there.
It's likely about 80 to 90percent of yes, the gangs are
taking over over there.
It's likely about like 80 to90% of the West Department.
(09:29):
They're taking over, eventhough we have kind of like
support, like UN support andmany other like three countries
have been gathered and to helpour police forces, and this is
still like a huge thing for themto do, because the main problem
(09:50):
is that a lot of the populationhave been kind of like mixed up
with the gangs.
They live in the same areas andthat really makes it really
difficult for the police forcesto go there and then fight
against the gangs.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Yeah, tough situation you.
As long as I've known you,roger, and we've known you for
now 17 years, a little bitbetter.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah, before.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
the earthquake, you have to be one of the most
optimistic people I have evermet, the most optimistic people
I have ever met.
When I called you a couple daysago, I could hear the joy in
your voice and I know you holdout a lot of hope for the future
of Haiti.
What keeps you so optimisticabout Haiti?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Well, first of all, I believe that whenever it's, you
know it's darker, somehowthere's going to be hope.
It cannot stay forever and dark.
I mean, when darkness comes,for example, when it's night, we
know for sure that there'sgoing to be a morning.
The sun will rise.
Somehow.
(11:00):
Life is just like that way.
Somehow is life is just likethat way and I believe that, uh,
even though haiti is going thatin in deep darkness, one day
it's there will be light.
So that's how I I believe itand that's why I'm staying, you
know, optimist and and this areaand, and I know that it's not
(11:22):
going to be that way.
Remember it was like 1804.
Before then, haiti was deeplyin slavery right, and after that
, we have those forefathers, thefourth, in order for us to get
our independence.
We got it.
So, even though we live in thishour, which is really darkest,
(11:46):
but we know for a fact thateverything is going to go back
to normal and God will not leaveus just like that.
We are for God.
You know, god is our father.
God give us hope and we believethat, no matter what's going to
happen, no matter what'shappening, somehow God will make
a way for us to get out of thisdarkest time.
(12:09):
That's just my hope, and no onecan take that away from me.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
No, they can't and you hang on to that because we
want to visit Haiti again.
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely,we want to visit Haiti again,
yeah, absolutely.
Well, Roger, I appreciate youcatching up with me and just
sharing a little bit about yourexperience from 15 years ago and
the hope that you hold on to itwas my pleasure to share with
(12:38):
you and it makes me really happy.
My next guest is Derson LewisDerson.
We have known Derson since 2007, when we first went to Haiti.
He graduated high school, wentto seminary, graduated with top
honors there and is a pastor inHaiti.
He has a wife and a youngdaughter, and I was just excited
to talk to him about hisexperience during the earthquake
(13:01):
in 2010.
So, darrison, where were youwhen the earthquake struck in
2010?
Do you remember?
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Yeah, I remember I was like on the top of my room.
The house was like it's abuilding, like it was one on the
bottom and one of and the topright, I was in the top of of my
room.
Yeah, so I was.
I was remember, I was listening, like music, and when I see the
(13:33):
, like the earth and the houselike stop, start to quake, shake
and I can't understand what washappening.
Yeah, and I just like confusedhim.
I said Jesus, jesus, andShadrach was with me.
Back then.
Shadrach was with me back thenand he said there's not one.
(13:55):
If you want, you will fall, andI just stand next to the door
in the house in my room.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Did the house shake then back and forth?
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Yeah, backing for flak.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
Yeah, like I was, like seemed like I was going to
like, I want like, like doinglike a circle.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, had you ever experienced an earthquake like
that?
Speaker 3 (14:21):
No, that was my first one.
That was my first, my first one.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Right and did you then?
Did you run out of the houseafter that, or what did you do?
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Yeah, after that I went out in the yard and I see
like water like pumping, I meanspreading the yard Like.
I see like the country was likereally really look white like
dogs, yeah, and I can hear likepeople like crying.
(14:52):
Yeah, right, I wanna well did.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Did things just seem to stop?
You know, because there's a lotof traffic and a lot of noise
in Haiti did everything justseem to stop, except for people
crying yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:06):
like everything.
Like was tough, even if youcould call people.
Like no connection internet, no, you can't even call anyone.
Like everything was just toughand people are crying trying to
help other people.
Like it was on the houses.
Yeah, everything was just tough.
(15:29):
Yeah, everything was juststopped.
School stopped, church stopped,I mean maybe hospital.
Only that institution was likeworking at that day, like
everything was stopped.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Yeah, you mentioned school stopped.
Do you remember how long youwere out of school?
Speaker 3 (15:43):
um, I think it was like for three months three
months?
Speaker 1 (15:48):
I think yeah, Did your school building?
Was it damaged?
It wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn'tdamaged Right, it wasn't
damaged and so after theearthquake because it was, you
know, it was around 5 pm wheredid you sleep that night?
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Everyone like slept in the yard.
Like everyone.
We just put our shit there, bedthere.
Now we, I think we slept andand in the yard like for four
months I think.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Yeah, like everyone was scared yeah, afraid to go
back in the house.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Praise to God, it never went at that time.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Yeah, which can be a little unusual in Haiti, right?
Yes, yes.
And so you, eventually thingsgot a little bit back to normal
and you went back to school.
And then just a little bitabout you.
You finished up high school andthen you went off to seminary
for four years, right?
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Yeah, I finished school in 2015 and I went to
Shock Mill for four years andfor seminary and I got graduated
in 2019.
I happened to be there for thatgraduation.
Yes, yeah, I think it was yourlast time, right?
(17:16):
No, we were back once sincethen.
But oh, yes, yes, I rememberthat yeah, Best.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
I remember you graduated at the top of the
class, right.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Yeah, I was at the top of yeah in my class.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Life's been a little bit strange since you finished
seminary.
The plan was you were going tocome back and lead the church,
and then COVID hit right.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Yeah, that's.
I finished graduating in 2019,and I got ordained in 2020, in
February 2020, and COVID hit InMarch.
The church closed and schoolclosed.
When everything got back, covidfinished and the gang took over
(18:06):
, it was a chaos.
Everything was going reallyslow down.
Will you really going slow down?
And we cannot even go see, wecannot even have church at night
?
Yeah, and then, after the aftergang, many become like worse
every day and so, yeah, like achaos, yeah, a chaos, it was
(18:31):
like a chaos.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Yeah, still chaos, right.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Yeah, it's still chaos Since I was leading my
victory Bible church.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
That was like a yeah, so you've never got to really
land on leading the church.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
It's been kind of one thing after another.
Yeah, not even one yearcompletely.
Not even one year completely,Not even one year.
Everything went worse and worseand worse and worse.
Then we closed our church andwe are moving to one of them.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Yeah, you recently had a close call with the gangs
and that's when you decided topick up your little family and
move a little bit further northto do ministry.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Yeah, that was a little scary for you all.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Yes, it was really scary.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Yeah, but now you're up north and you were telling me
early on that you're startingto do some ministry up there.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Yeah, we are in north and we are trying to do
ministry up there.
I think it is God's calling.
It is God's calling Because wewere visiting Terrier Rouge,
village Des Miers, and I asked aguy, a guy, how many people I
(19:51):
mean there are like 400 peopleare living there, like 40 homes
and I asked a guy, I said howmany people that are surprised
in that village?
And maybe with Tufa?
And his answer he said maybe99% find, and his answer he said
(20:12):
maybe 90, 99 percent.
People don't even know aboutchrist, like don't even accept
christ.
And I said really, and I saidwhat is the biggest, biggest?
Uh, keep them like from likeaccepting christ.
And he said there's no churchin that village and when people
(20:33):
are trying to go to church theydon't have clothes etc.
It's a miserable village and Ithink it's a good opportunity
for us to do ministry there andwe are really welcome there too.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
You were telling me that the people are very
friendly.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Yeah, they are really friendly there.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Maybe God's been crafting this plan for you for a
long time, even since theearthquake right.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Yes, I believe so.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Swinging back to the earthquake Derson, is there one
anything that just sticks out inyour mind that you saw God at
work?
Is there anything from theearthquake?
Where you saw God's hand.
God's hand maybe it wasprotection, maybe it was
provisions.
(21:24):
Is there one thing that juststicks out in your mind from
that time?
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Yeah, yeah, yes, especially for me.
I can see God's hand.
He sends the earthquake.
And first of all, I was in myroom and the house was like crap
, like crap, and I mean Godsaved my life from there.
(22:01):
And after that, even my, my momand my dad was like I mean
Passover, when I was like six,seven and God keeping me, like,
pushing me and helping me, likeI remember when I was kids I can
.
I couldn't even afford to go toschool Back then.
This school was paid like 25goods a month, not even, yeah,
(22:24):
25 goods a month, and I couldn'teven afford it.
It was really bad for me backthen.
And after then I can remember Iwas finished school, even the
school was I.
I went and chicken I was withmuch, much, much more expensive
and, bless god, I was like godsent people in my life and
(22:46):
helping me like to finish theschool and then went to a
seminary and I finished.
I can see God's protectionproviding like even my new
family.
yeah, yeah and I got, I gotmarried like everything went
really well.
After the gang attack Kaabawe,I moved to Wanamit.
(23:12):
Even I don't really really Even, I don't really even we don't
really have money to rent ahouse.
God still provides for us.
We are living in a house in avillage and everything is
working out well for us.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
I was always a little disappointed.
I was supposed to be there foryour wedding and, due to the
gang violence.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
I could not uh come yeah, you were choosing like for
witness.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I witness, yes yeah, and I was, I was honored, but uh
yeah, I remember you called methat day, so that was that was
fun well, darison, I know youknow the scripture inside and
out.
Is there a verse that you turnto uh regularly just to keep you
going and keep you uh grounded?
(23:58):
Is there one?
Speaker 3 (24:00):
favorite scripture yes, woman 828.
That was like keeping.
Like everything that happened,I said, yes, god working for
good, everything that he loves,even in the middle of chaos,
god's still working.
Yeah, sometimes we can even seeGod's hand or even feel it, and
(24:22):
we still believe he's workingfor good, for everyone that he
loves.
Yeah, that's my scripture,romans 8, verse 28.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Yeah, yeah, you want to share that.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Yeah, Romans 8, verse 28.
I will search it in English.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Okay, that might be better.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Romans 8, verse 28.
And we know that in all things,god works for the good of those
who love Him, who have beencalled according to His purpose.
Yeah, that's my voice thatkeeps me like, keeping and
trusting God, even in the midstof chaos, because I still
(25:09):
believe God works for the goodof those who love him, even if
they think are going good or bad.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
God's still working Well.
Thank you for sharing that.
Well, darrison, I've enjoyedthis little conversation, kind
of down memory lane, and we haveknown you for over 17 years now
, which is kind of amazing whenI think about it.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
He's more than half my age.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
I wish it was more than half of mine, but it's not.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
And.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
I am so looking forward to seeing you in person
sometime in the near future.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
Yeah, we pray for that.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
My final guest on this episode is my wife, linda,
and, for those who don't know,linda arrived in Haiti around
noon on the day of theearthquake, on January 12th.
So welcome to this episode,linda.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Thank you Dan.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Yeah, I've been at this for almost three years and
this is her first time to comeon the show, so we'll correct
that in 2025.
She has lots of stories to tellus.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Oh, you think so.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
I think so.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
So 4.53 pm on January 12th, when did you realize what
was happening?
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Well, I had taken the early flight in that morning
and I arrived probably aroundnoon, but I took that 6 am
flight so I was pretty exhausted.
But you know, I took that 6 amflight so I was pretty exhausted
.
So I kind of got settled in myroom and I just remember there
was a globe from a ceiling fansitting on a desk.
(27:07):
So obviously someone hadchanged the bulb and dipped the
globe back up.
And I just remember thinking,should I move that?
And so I just missed thatthought.
It's just one of those randomthoughts I laid down.
(27:31):
I feel like I barely had myeyes closed and I hear that
globe crash on the tile floorand so that startled me and I
thought how did that happen?
So I got up and the room wasjust violently shaking and I
thought I saw a window and Ithought I'm going to go flying
out that window.
Thankfully I did not.
You know, it seemed to last forlike a minute or two.
(27:57):
I have no idea how long it was,I don't recall it.
So anyway, it was just thestrangest feeling to have the
earth shaking and shaking abuilding.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
So you made your way outside then.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Yes, and there were boxes of rice stacked up above
the steps.
They were just scattered allalong the steps so I was having
to climb over boxes to getoutside.
So, yeah, we all went and metoutside At that point.
It was just eerily silent.
It was the strangest thing tonot hear anything because, you
(28:38):
know, in Haiti there's alwayspeople talking.
You know tap taps driving bymotos, and where we were there
was the flight pattern, you knowthe airplanes going over and it
was just dead silent.
And then you started hearingyour screams, like blood
curdling screams.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
And we heard from Roger and Derson earlier in this
episode and of course,everybody slept outside.
Did you also sleep outside?
Speaker 2 (29:10):
I didn't fare too well outside.
I don't know how they did it.
The first night I decided Iwould try to sleep in the cab of
the truck.
I went out there, got in thecab, took a sheet with me.
The mosquitoes just arehorrible and they were in the
truck with me, kept buzzingaround my ears and I didn't get
(29:32):
any sleep at all, for I don'tknow how many hours I was out
there.
Then a couple of us decidedthat we would take our chances
and go in the house and turn thegenerator on so that we would
have fans, and that's how Islept the few hours I did sleep.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Well, I remember you ended up.
I don't know if you asked me ortold me, but you pretty much
said, hey, I'm gonna stickaround here for a while and so
you ended up staying aroundthree weeks, some of that by
choice, but then it became achallenge to get out, and we'll
talk about that in a moment.
Was there anything about thosefew weeks?
(30:13):
That just that one event thatjust impacted you?
Speaker 2 (30:17):
I have a lot of memories.
You know, just thinking aboutit makes me very emotional.
I didn't expect that.
As soon as the sun rose we gotin the truck to go survey the
damage and we went to Susmattla.
So we just want to go check onthe people that went to.
You know the church and theschool.
(30:38):
We got there and you knowhouses were just broken.
I mean, people could still goin them, but they were
definitely in disrepair.
You know I didn't see any thathad completely fallen.
Well, I take that back.
I did see some of those thatcould completely come down, but
(30:58):
most of them were just damaged.
Everyone was outside sleepingand I saw or they weren't
sleeping when we got there, butyou could see where they had
made their beds on the groundand just the look of shock on
their faces.
They were all just so scaredand they hadn't recovered, you
(31:20):
know, from the day before theevents and assume there were
aftershocks, right yeah, therewere several aftershocks.
So, yeah, everybody was afraidthere was going to be, every
time they felt the earth shake,that there was going to be.
Every time they felt the earthshake that there was going to be
another, you know, largeearthquake.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Roger and Derson just talked about.
You know they didn't know whatto do with all the people who
had died, so they're justloading them in dump trucks,
which sounds inhumane, but whenyou have hundreds of thousands
of people, I assume you sawthose trucks.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
We did, yes, because those were again, of course not
that first day, but those wereon the way to Sous-Mat-Le from
Bon Repos, so we did see thosetrucks.
Yes, I remember we went upclose to the airport because you
know everybody that came in asa relief organization set up a
tent there.
We went up there and just saw,you know, just people just dead
(32:17):
lying on the street.
Or seeing one woman justmangled just lying there at the
gas station, you know, close tothe road, but she was just
laying there.
It's like, well, yeah, what dopeople do with all those bodies?
They were just everywhere.
It's like, yeah, what do peopledo with?
Speaker 1 (32:33):
all those bodies?
They were just everywhere.
Well, you did finally decide tocome home after those three
weeks and then we were kind oflike, oh, how's this going to
work?
So tell us how you actually gotout of Haiti, because it seemed
like a God thing.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
It definitely.
Oh gosh, it definitely was.
We were there.
I remember Steve and AshleyNoost flew into Haiti with I
forget what organization.
Anyway, we went to pick them upat the airport.
Steve just happened to see aguy sitting there on his
computer with some relieforganization that he knew.
(33:12):
They just chatted.
They didn't talk about how toget back home.
As time went on, as you know,we tried every connection we had
.
We knew an airline pilot withDelta.
Your company had a privateplane.
They were willing to send.
But people couldn't get inunless they were authorized
(33:33):
Exactly, there was just too manyflights coming in, so I think
there just wasn't the space toget people in or other planes in
.
At the time Steve happened toreach out to this friend of his
and he said that there was aplane that he could get out on
(33:54):
and I think it carried.
I feel like it was six peopleor maybe two.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
We have a picture of it.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
I'm pretty sure I think it was the pilot and the
co-pilot, and then there werefour of us.
It was me, steve, his wifeConnie, because she was a nurse,
that's how she had gotten in tohelp, and then their daughter,
ashley.
So it was just the four of us.
That's how I got out.
If I hadn't ran in, if theyhadn't came into Haiti, I
wouldn't have gotten out.
(34:20):
I don't know how I would havegotten out, but anyway.
So we had to stop at Turks andCaicos to fuel the plane, and
then we went to West Palm and Iremember the guy that was the
pilot.
He asked me how long I had beenin Haiti and I told him and I
said I couldn't get out.
So I said, thank goodness, youknow, you came and I was able to
(34:43):
get on this flight.
And he said, gosh, I'm sorry,I'm getting so emotional.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
It's okay.
It was an emotional event.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
If we're going to be honest, it was an emotional
event if we're going to behonest.
He said when I was contacted tocome here, he said I thought
what business do I have goingdown there to see if I can bring
people back?
And he said I'm so glad youtold me your story.
He said you're the reason Icame.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Yeah, so you got home .
Speaker 2 (35:14):
I did yeah, totally, you know, everything was, I felt
like was God's protection andhe got me home.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
Well, the last thing I'll ask you you introduced our
children to serving others.
If you look back, you just kindof have this missionary heart.
Is there one person in yourlife when you were growing up
that instilled that into you, orwhere did that come from?
Speaker 2 (35:39):
Well, I would say my church, but definitely my dad.
You know, my dad grew up in theDepression.
Of course my mom did too, buthe grew up on a farm and his
family just always helped peoplebecause, you know, they always
had food, of course, and theywere just all about, I feel like
(36:00):
, always helping others.
And my dad instilled in mealways that we were no better
than anyone and, as you know,there was a little.
There was a church that webelonged to, stern's First
Baptist Church.
Most of the people that wentthere they had good jobs, either
in the mines or whatever.
(36:22):
My dad started his littlemission out by our farm on
Tunnel Ridge, so all the peoplethat didn't feel like they had
good enough clothes or whatever,that's where they went for
Sunday school, and so my dadwould lead the singing there.
My mom taught Sunday school andmy brother would always have to
(36:45):
go early if it was in thewinter to get a fire started to
warm it up.
So it was like our whole familykind of kept this little
mission going.
So he taught me that servingothers.
And then, when we were membersof the church, missionaries
would come through.
Usually I felt like they werefrom Africa somewhere and I
(37:07):
thought, wow, that is so coolthat they get to serve the Lord
in these other countries and Ijust never thought I would be
able to do that.
But it was something that Godput in my heart when I was a
young girl.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
Yeah, and a hundred trips later to Haiti, you're
still doing it, so hopefully weget back there at some point.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
I hope so.
I've really missed that part ofour lives serving there.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
Well, our next episode with you might not be so
emotional, but emotions are agood thing it needs to bring out
.
But Linda has lots of goodstories and a lot of them
involve close calls with yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
I didn't really want to say death, but that's what it
was.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
She has some great travel stories too, so we'll
look forward to those.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
Okay, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
All right, thank you, dear.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
All right, okay, I love you.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Love you Bye.
Thank you for tuning in to Danthe road trip guy.
I hope you enjoyed our journeytoday and the stories that were
shared.
If you have any thoughts orquestions or stories of your own
, I'd love to hear from you.
Feel free to reach out to meanytime.
Don't forget to share thispodcast with your friends and
family and help us to spread thejoy of road trips and great
conversations.
(38:32):
Until next time, keep driving,keep exploring and keep having
those amazing conversations.
Safe travels.
No-transcript.
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