On the first anniversary of the earthquake, Samaritan’s Purse writer Gary Martyn and photographer Paul Sherar asked 10 Haitians who lived near the epicenter to write one word describing their thoughts and feelings from January 12, 2010. These were their responses.
La Foi ::: Faith “After the earthquake, it took me two hours to reach my home. I simply believed in my heart that I would find my three children alive. I just knew God would not let them die. And when I found them, my daughter said, ‘We knew you would find us. We knew that God would not let our father die.’” -Frantz Cesar
Gran-Mèt ::: Almighty “It is because of God that I am alive. It is God who gives life and God who also takes life away. I am not alive because I am good, but because it is God who decides when it is someone’s turn to die.” -Rosianne Beissan
Poukisa ::: Why “Why did so many good people die? Why did so many bad people survive? Why did so many children die, but criminals live on to party and enjoy another day? These are the kinds of questions that go through my mind every day. I can’t answer them, but they never go away. Why, God? Why?” -Eddyson Ulysse
Chanjmah ::: Changing “Haiti needs to be rebuilt, but we also need to change the way we are living. The motto on the flag of Haiti says, ‘Unity Makes Strength.’ But when you look at the country, we aren’t united at all. People need a change of heart.” -Antoine Makenro
Pitye ::: Pity “God saved me out of the thousands who died. I am no different from them. I could have died. I could have been crippled. But nothing happened to me. God took pity on me.” -Elcar Guirand
Bon Dieu ::: God “My daughter was killed. Was it God’s judgment? I don’t know, I just have to believe in God. He does what He wants, whenever He wants. If it weren’t for God, I would be dead, too.” -Jonas Laguerre
Supriz ::: Surprise “We didn’t know the earthquake was coming. If we had known earlier, we could have been prepared. But now, we can do things differently. We can build better houses. We can be ready. We need to look to the authorities to tell us how to prepare. They will tell us what to do.” -Dadieu Carnice
Sou Frans ::: Suffering “I try to forget. I was with my twin girls when the earthquake came. A wall fell on my daughter, Bebiline, and we had to pull her out. She still has scars on her back. She is two now, but can’t walk. She only crawls. But I don’t have money to take her to the big hospital. I was hurt, too. My arm and back were injured and I still have pain. All I remember is suffering.” -Bebita Toussaint
Pè ::: Fear “I was playing soccer in the alley when all of the houses started moving toward me and crumbling to the ground. People started running and I started running, too. I am not afraid now, but when I think back to the earthquake, I remember the fear.” -Pouchon
Kouraj ::: Courage “We lost so many good people—people who were helping the community, people who were helping the youth—and we will never see them again. But being sad or crying doesn’t help. There isn’t anything we can do about it. We need to have faith and be strong.”
