Roger Desir

Yesterday I heard from a long time Haitian friend who was in Washington, DC when the earthquake happened. Roger Desir is an Episcopal Priest, who resisted the dictatorship of the Duvalier's, and resigned his position as the Dean of the Cathedral due to the way the government tried to limit his prophetic ministry. He then spent the next 20+ years translating the Bible into Haitian Creole. That in itself was an act of defiance against the government, because although everyone in Haiti speaks Creole, the official language of the country was French. He served on the Board of the Ministry of Money during my years with that ministry, and has continued on with the new version of that work called the Faith and Money Network.

He has not been back to Haiti since the earthquake. His 2 story, concrete house was damaged by the quake and will have to be torn down and replaced. But after the quake thieves broke into the house and plundered furniture, electronic equipment, a small delco, mattress, silverware, much of his library and records. Although no one in his family was killed by the quake, he and his family lost everything. And he does not have enough money nor income to rebuild or replace the things that are lost. So, he is living in DC with his son, trying to find a way to go home.

Planning trip to Haiti

I am in the early stages of planning my trip to Haiti. This will be my first trip since February 2005. But previous to that trip, I have been to Haiti at least 40 different times, beginning in 1984. On most of those trips I organized and planned the visit for people all over the United States, to go to experience what life is like in Haiti, to work alongside of the Missionary Sisters of Charity, to talk with people serving in various positions with the US Government, Haitian Government, Social Service Agencies, and to visit in rural villages. I fell in love with the Haitian people, became engrossed in the political issues facing that country, followed the election and overthrow of various governments, and had a chance to talk with various Presidents of the country (including Aristide).

This trip to Haiti is to allow me to experience what is currently happening in the country following the devastating earthquake. I will have access to the internet while in the country, and so plan to post my reflections and some of my pictures on this blog. Welcome to the journey.