By Val Smith
April, 2008
How can something so lovely be so ugly at the same time? Haiti is full of beautiful, grand mountains. “Mountains Beyond Mountains” is how Dr. Paul Farmer describes it. The people of these mountains are as grand and lovely as the mountains on which they live. They are also as impoverished as the mountains. There are few trees on the dry, denuded mountains. Most of them have been harvested for use.
The locals don’t know the importance of re-planting. They do not know the importance of sanitation, they find themselves drinking and eating whatever they can get their hands on. Sanitation is a low priority when their children are starving to death. Healthcare is virtually unheard of. In the villages where Mission Manna sends physicians, nurses, teachers and other volunteers, the locals virtually form a protective hedge around us, ensuring that our travels are safe, and our mission is carried out. They greet us with smiles, hugs and warm spirits as they anticipate the medicines, treatments, means for hospitalization and nutritional support to be delivered to their people. They come from miles and miles away.
Traveling barefoot with no water through the hot desert mountains, they come with their children in hopes of getting medication, medical care, toothbrushes and vitamins. Those who are extremely malnourished, which can be an entire village at times, receive the life saving Akamil, the World Health Organizations’ recipe for meal that can nourish a starving child back to life. Mothers receive teaching to help them realize the importance of feeding their children Akamil, instead of dirt tea and mud cakes.
And then we leave. The people know that in six months, they will have the chance to see Mission Manna again. The most fortunate families, (who are the most malnourished) will be assigned a Mission Manna local Health Care Worker, who will monitor the nutritional and medical status of the children and report back to the Mission Manna Board in the States. All are hoping and praying that Mission Manna’s presence can make a difference in the lives of the children in Haiti.
Mission Manna is making a difference in the lives of the people of Montrouis and the surrounding villages. Perhaps more personal, however, is the difference the people of Montrouis have made in our lives. They have demonstrated to us an amazing grace by welcoming us into their lives and showering us with their love.
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