One Year Later: Haiti Quake Survivor
Intro:
In January 2010, the Rev. Jim Gulley was in Haiti and witnessed firsthand the
devastating effects of the earthquake. One month later he returned to Haiti to
continue the work of the church.
In this interview, Gulley recalls being trapped at Hotel Montana and speaks of
the work being done today in Haiti.
Script:
I went to Haiti in early January 2010. As we
walked across the lobby floor of the Montana Hotel,
we heard this tremendous rumbling behind us. I said,
“It’s an earthquake.” Dust is coming up and we’re
all falling down. And I remember my thoughts were,
“This is the real deal. Is this is how we’re going
to die?”
Five of us were trapped in a space about 5 foot by 8
foot by 3 foot high. I opened my laptop and tried to
see if I could get a Skype connection. There was
nothing. And I just found blood draining out of my
head onto the laptop. So we were there for 55 hours
together. We prayed together. Sometimes together out
loud and sometimes individually to ourselves.
When I go back to the Montana Hotel, I’m also
reminded of my colleagues, Sam Dixon and Clint Rabb.
I could not help but walk over to the spot where we
had been trapped and think about them and their
lives and their families, particularly how they have
lost them, just the same as 300,000 Haitians lost
their lives.
A woman walked up toward me. And I almost knew
immediately who she was. I’d never met her before.
And I said, “Are you the owner of the hotel?” And
she said, “Yes.” And I said, “I understand that you
were trapped for 100 hours. And yet you survived.”
And she said, “Yes, that was true.” So anytime we
think about our own situation, how difficult it was,
there’s someone there whose life has been affected
even more radically than our own.
I’ve really reflected a lot upon our time under the
rubble of the Montana Hotel and there is the time
where you realize that you are only a human being
that can only do a few things.
The United Methodist Church has been very generous.
I think more than 43 million dollars has been
raised. It’s going to cost between 11 and 14 billion
dollars to rebuild Haiti or as they say, “to build
Haiti back better.” So the 43 million we’ve given is
great. But we ought not to grow weary in our
generosity. We should continue that. Pray for the
people of Haiti. Pray for the leadership of the
Methodist Church of Haiti. They have tremendous
burdens to carry for the church. Pray for the
political process there. Pray for UMCOR and UMVIM
and the leadership of those two organizations that
represent you United Methodists in Haiti.
UMCOR is working to build schools for the children
who need to go to school. We also have someone who’s
working on livelihoods—how can people generate some
income out of these camps.
A person is working on health and sanitation…water,
health and sanitation, such a big important issue
now with…with the cholera epidemic that has
occurred.
I was working in Haiti before the earthquake. My
sense of calling was to be there in agriculture and
community development.
I’ve had people ask me, Well, didn’t you find it
hard to go back? And I had to say, “No.” I didn’t
find it hard to go back. In fact I would have found
it hard not to go back because I was doing what I
was called to do when I was there. And I could not
abandon it. I needed to go back and to re-engage.
And even though my contribution might be small,
might be like a drop in the bucket, we need every
drop that can be put in place in order to make the
transformation of Haiti what it has to be and needs
to be for the people of Haiti.
Tag:
To learn more about UMCOR efforts in Haiti, visit
www.umcor.org/haiti.
Posted: January 11, 2011
