Friends of Hyvenson

It has been four months since a magnitude 7.5 earthquake rocked Haiti, causing devastating destruction in an already struggling country. It is easy to forget. The world spins on, our lives carry on. It is easy - it is natural - for the country and the people of Haiti to slide toward the back of our minds.

But the people of Haiti are still there. Still struggling. Still hurting. Still suffering.

I received a letter yesterday from one of my seminary roommates from the School of Theology of the University of the South. Hyvenson is an Episcopal priest, born and raised in Haiti. With his mother and some of his siblings, Hyvenson came to America to pursue his education and his vocation. But the rest of his extended family - siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins - are still in Haiti.

Hyvenson's family lost four people in the earthquake. His letter went on to describe 6 family units of his extended family still in Haiti. All 6 lost their homes in the earthquake. 2 are living in tents; 2 are living in temporary communal housing; to are living in the boarded up remnants of their homes. The rainy season is coming to Haiti, bringing with it the threat of disease and epidemic caused by the poor living conditions of all those displaced by the earthquake. These families represent the whole spectrum of life - from seventy year old retirees to an 18 month old infant.

But Hyvenson has not just stood by and watched. Teaming up with a few parishes in the area,
Hyvenson drew up a plan. Using family land, Hyvenson planned a home - a place for 6 households, 39 people to live while they rebuild their lives. The intent is that the family will live there up to two years, and then move into their own homes.

And yet, even amid their hardship, this family is thinking about their obligation to their neighbors. Following the will of the family's patriarch, the long-term plan is for a portion of the family land to be used to build a eye-care facility for the community. At that point, the house built in response to the family's need will be used to house medical personel and others who
come to help staff the center.

The catch - as always - is funding. The need is pressing - can you imagine putting your family to bed each night, every night, in a tent next to hundreds of other tents? Or in a boarded up, ready for the wrecking ball building? Especially as the tropical storms of the rainy season pound around you? The cost of the building - which, remember, will house 39 people - is approximately $36,000. The first ten percent has been pledged by the members of Hyvenson's family who live here in the US. The rest? Well, that's where we come in.

I have information available at the church office for members of St. John or in the Brenham area who would like to help in this effort through our church. You can contact me directly, or you can also check out "Friends of Hyvenson" on facebook.