This was my first mission trip. So many of my close friends have shared stories of their wonderful experiences from Africa, China, Mexico and other places where Christ love is so needed.  One friend in particular was concerned about me making this trip.  The past twelve months have been without question, the most difficult in my life.  With having to deal with so much, they wanted to make sure I was going to be able to handle seeing the devastation I was about to encounter after dealing with so many devastating issues in my own life.  I appreciated their concern; I knew it was genuine.  However, I knew God had prepared me for this trip and I was anxious to go and help in whatever little way I could.

I’ve come to appreciate the phrase, “Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it”.  Just 18 days ago I was sitting in my home in Tennessee watching CNN broadcast the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti.  I wanted to go here but didn’t know what in the world I would do.  I’m not a doctor, nurse or trained medical professional.  What value could a former politician and financial advisor bring to a country ravished by an earthquake that had taken everything from a country that had little of nothing in the first place.  God certainly granted my request, answered my prayer and blessed my life tremendously.  By now you’ve seen the pictures and footage on the newscast, hopefully seen the wonderful pictures taken by Dustin in our group and read our blogs.

What all of us a amateur writers have difficulty capturing is the many looks on the thousands of faces we encountered.  Yes, some were of hopelessness and despair.  I can’t help but think I would have a similar expression if I had lost everything the same way the Haitian people had.  But in the middle of this devastation and destruction their were faces of joy, appreciation and love.  The most telling expressions were those from children.  Their wasn’t a single shack, tent compound or orphanage we visited that the kids we’re smiling and glad to see us.  They especially liked us taking pictures of them and then seeing the picture on our digital cameras.  On a couple of visits I had my I Pod on and was listening to music.  I walked up to a little girl and placed one of the earpieces in her ear.  I think I was listening to “Sweet Home Alabama”, by Leonard Skynyrd.  You should have seen the look on her face!  I bet she’s a fan forever.  But the imagine I will remember most is the kids just wanting someone to touch them.  I hit me that there is little difference between those of us in the developed world and those little kids.  We all wanted to be touched in a manner that is significant to us.  It might be through physical touch, an emotional touch or the feeling in our heart when God gently touches our inner soul.

Looking back over the last year I felt as if I had lost everything.  I lost my wife, two careers, the home I shared with my family, people who I thought were friends and some material items I had coveted.  While my year was challenging, it wasn’t nearly as bad as millions in Haiti who would still love to have two loving children and a family and friends who love me more than I can understand. So what was my role in Haiti?  I may not have the answer to that question for some time. I have much to return home to later this week and no amount of money in the world can buy that.  I hope my touch made a difference in the life of at least one child.  I know their touch made a difference in mine.
 
Paul Stanley
 
For other blog post from our Haiti trip, please visit www.globaleffectministry.org

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It’s been a while since I communicated with you since I left the Senate.  If you’re interested, below are updates from my mission trip to Haiti that I am on as we speak.  I’ve spent two days in the Dominican Republic with a group of friends with Global Effects Ministry.  http://globaleffectministry.com/ We arrived in Haiti about an hour ago to distribute water filtration systems.

Blessings,

Paul

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One thing I’ve never experienced before is a meal served on a bus.  We were not five minutes into our trip before our “bus attendant” passed out a full meal consisting of cooked beef, rice, beans and salad.  I’ve been very careful about what I’ve eaten and was a little suspect of the meal.  I asked Scott Steelman, “Is our food safe to eat?”  His response was. “I’ll tell you in a couple of hours.”  That’s now quite the response I wanted to hear.  I ate some of the meat and the rice but stayed away from the salad and beans.  Eight hours later I’m no worse for the wear.  I did bring a ton of power bars and trail mix and ate some of those the remainder of the trip.  Upon our arrived at our “motel” in Haiti we were served a large serving or cooked chicken with vegetables and rice.  I mostly ate the rice but did each some of the chicken. 

Most of those on our bus slept the majority of the nearly 8 hour trip.  I don’t think I slept over 20 or 30 minutes total.  I wrote some in my journal but spent the majority of my time looking out the window.  The Dominican Republic has many mountain ranges and they dotted the landscape throughout our trip.  There were even a number of very beautiful lakes, especially toward the end of our journey.  One thing was very apparent.  The further we drove from the Capitol city, the poorer the people were.  I’m not talking about driving from Germantown into rural Tennessee.  It started out poor and just got worse.  Similar to what I described yesterday, it’s hard to imagine people living in such conditions.  I just couldn’t help but wonder how the landscape could be so beautiful and the inhabitants so poor.  Nothing prepares you for the experience but it got worse as we drove into Haiti. 

After crossing the Haitian border about 6 hours into the trip, we pulled into a bus station.  The ground is a white, limestone and covered the feet and legs of those walking around.  We waited for about twenty minutes but no one except the driver left the bus.  We drove about 100 yards to an immigration office.  I thought we would exit with our bags but a few minutes later a young Haitian woman returned with our passports.  So much for border security, but then again most of us were there to help. 

The sun was beginning to set and about two hours later, in total darkness, we entered Port-du-Prince.  The only lights were headlights and at some points you would see electricity.  At first I couldn’t see any destruction, just very poor living conditions.  As we entered the heart of the city it was if someone took a sledge hammer and began chipping away at the building, finally just leveling them.  Believe it or not we secured three hotel; okay, motel rooms for our group.  I’m sure it was a great place in 1939 but we’re still lucky to have a roof over our heads.  The other part of our team had sent a driver to meet us at the bus station but after waiting 30 minutes we decided to take a “cab”.  This was interesting.  When we stepped off the bus we were mobbed with taxi offers.  None of us had ever been to Haiti so we were trying to absorb the situation.  I know you’ve heard the expression “shooting fish in a barrel”.  I felt like a fish and the taxi drivers were our predators.  About a dozen of them stayed around us looking to make a deal.  After several failed attempts at trying to reach someone, we decided on a driver and started to negotiate the fare.   Anyone want to take a guess at what a twenty minute cab ride cost for 6 guys in downtown Port-du-Prince?  The deal started at $100 U.S. dollars.  Compare that to the $20 fare we paid for an 8 hour bus ride.  We settled on $50 for the entire group.  Our cab was an old Lexus SUV.  After loading our luggage in the back, me another guy rode on top the bags and the rest in the front and back seats.  The view was hard to describe, let along put down on paper. It was dark and I couldn’t see much but what I did see could only be described as destruction; like a bomb went off.  If our plant ever experienced a nuclear war or major devastation I think I got a glimpse of what it’s going to be like.  Amazingly, our cell phone worked about 80 percent of the time. 

Right now we’re all tired and sitting around with our laptops checking email and writing.  I was promised by Bart that we would be staying at the same hotel, excuse me motel, as Anderson Cooper and the CNN crew.  I’m in the restaurant and haven’t seen him yet.  Bet he’s already turned in for the night. 

Tomorrow we’re going to see the worst of the worst and begin our water filter distribution.  I bet Anderson will sleep better than I will tonight and I’m very tired. 

Blessings, 

Paul Stanley

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Dustin, our photographer and I visited the site where the water filters are manufactured.  Our true goal on this trip is to deliver water filters to families in Haiti.  To be honest, I just thought we were purchasing them from a company.  The cabin we’re staying in here actually has one and it is one of the simplest inventions I have ever seen.  The only water filters I’ve seen attach to our faucets at home.  Fortunately, the Memphis area has some of the best water in the world.  Friends of mine in other cities sometimes install filters at home to remove impurities, but primarily improve the taste.  In the part of the world municipal water systems are non-existent.  Municipalities really don’t provide much of anything in this part of the world.

The filters consist of two parts.  One is a plastic, five gallon bucket.  Many of us have one in our garage or storeroom.  The filter is a specially designed clay pot with a thin layer of charcoal in the middle.  This is what removes most of the impurities.  The beauty of the filter is you can pour any type of water in it and it comes out drinkable.  You wouldn’t think sometime so simple would work as well or better as any manufactured filter made in the U.S.  The process in and of itself was interesting to watch.   The part of my day was not spent speaking or witnessing, but rather running a video camera as the man who lived on the properly described the process.  He is a pottery maker and also makes roof tiles.  Dustin and I photographed and videotaped the entire process.   Michael and Lisa, two of the developers also purchased a used delivery truck that was loaded with two hundred filters and is now on the way to Haiti.  We will arrive tomorrow night and begin the distribution process.

Later in the afternoon we met the rest of our group to speak to men in another church on the outskirts of La Venta.  I grew up in a small town in West Tennessee and have lived around Memphis for the past twenty years.  I’ve seen those who have lived in poverty and have been in a number of homes that I considered to be very poor.  While that is still true, I witnessed the poorest conditions I have encountered in my life tonight.  It’s really hard for to describe on paper.  Shacks, literally structures made of some wood and tin, propped up and used as shelters.  Most homes didn’t have electricity.  The ones that did were hijacking it from utility poles along the streets.  None of the homes had running water and there were children playing in very unsanitary conditions.  There was a large field by the river bank that was full of ruts and barren of any grass.  There were about five or so small games of baseball being played.  Some had what looked to be baseballs and others makeshift balls of varying sizes.

For about forty-five minutes before the meeting we made our way through the neighborhood inviting men to the meeting.  We had one interpreter so using anything but the most basic Spanish was difficult.  We had no idea what to expect but a little after seven I counted about twenty-five men.  Fifteen or so minutes later we had about fifty.  Three of us shared our testimony and like the night before, we stressed the importance of men being the spiritual leaders in their homes and being involved in their children’s lives.  It was evident in that neighborhood that few men took that role seriously.  When the sinner’s prayer was prayed, most confessed that had accepted Christ.  If that was the case, that neighborhood would be transformed by tomorrow afternoon.   Hopefully, a handful of men will step up and be leaders in their household and community.  Hope is what is needed and I wondered to myself if I lived in such conditions would I have any hope at all.  What I have discovered in the past few months is hope doesn’t come from our expectations or how someone treats us.  True hope can only come from our personal relationship with Christ and His promise to us of eternal life.

Tomorrow we are off to Haiti and I am told the conditions are even worse that we say tonight.

Blessings,

Paul

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