If you don’t ask you may never know

As a hard driver of myself and others, I learned a valuable lesson last week that I think is worth sharing. Timely and accurate reporting from Haiti is how I hold our organization accountable. At all times our children, donors, and supporters are held as a high priority in my mind. I had not received reporting, on a timely basis from an employee and I became frustrated. I was unaware of the circumstances on the ground in Haiti that inhibited this employee’s usual professionalism.

My Personality Traits

I tend to be high strung and am a list maker. It’s an epic moment for me each time I can put a check mark beside an item on my list once completed. I even keep old daily planner books to remind myself how much I used to be able to get done in a day. I love getting things done. I love getting them off my list even more. I learned that with all of these traits that make up who I am, it’s important to take a broad look at the different perspectives and people who are around me before making assumptions. Communication is extremely important in order to maintain sustainable relationships and a positive work environment.

Making Assumptions

Erline, our Director in Haiti, and is one of our most hard-working employees. This young woman is honest, strong and humble. People really like her. The children and staff respect her and follow her lead. Erline walks with a gate slower than mine without urgency.

It had been a while since receiving the reports from her. I was frustrated and asked Erline, “What’s going on down there? We have been waiting for the school reports since Wednesday!” It was now the following Monday. The ripple effect of not having the information for our Colorado office of 3 people meant we were not in a position to provide updates to our supporters and sponsors for almost 800 students.

Erline responded to me and said, “I have had a very bad headache, Mrs. Krabacher.” I thought to myself, how bad could the headache be. My husband Joe has migraines and he still goes to work. I responded to Erline and said, “Would it help if I helped you make a list? Somehow, you have to learn to make lists, Erline”. I continued. “We have at least 5,000 people depending on us to keep everything going every day!”

Erline said, “Mrs. Krabacher, I will write to you a report today.”  Most of the time I get the reports a few days late, but today I needed it instantly. Everybody gets a headache, and I was beginning to get one.

I later received this “report” from Erline.

This is a roughly translated version, leaving her words as they were sent to me.

“Report” From Erline

Dear Mrs. Krabacher,

Please read Psalm 34:7

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and He delivers them”.

Last week was difficult, demoralizing and terrifying. I was an eyewitness to a terrible accident Wednesday night, I was on the phone with Mdm Selmon (Director of the HaitiChildren’s home to 131 children in permanent residence). I asked to talk about the plan for the children as she was soon to go on her vacation leave. She told she had seen something horrible in a dream, telling me to pray hard.

She told me that she had seen that I was going to the town of Williamson with my son’s father. In the dream when we arrived at the village to see all the children, he comes down there. In the dream he fell off a ladder and that his head hit a big stone and split it into two parts and died on the stone. I told Mdm. Selmon, with faith, that if God showed you this, I was only to be able to pray more against Satan’s evil plans and pray for Maxime, my son’s father. So I did.

Friday July 27, I had to go to Williamson, on the road with Maxime, was driving me in our little car, I felt bad and I began to pray in my heart against this uneasiness, this feeling uncertain.

There was a trailer in front of us, rolling very slowly. Maxime did not feel the obligation to overtake it and so stayed behind it. Suddenly a minivan was coming at high speed and asked us to go past the trailer and he could do the same. We remained calmly, not answering the driver’s request. He tried to pass us, he and the passengers looked at us with a despicable look, as we were imbeciles. Just then the van sped the trailer doubling even more speed, unfortunately, less than 5 seconds, it did hit another bus like a van coming straight ahead. Neither had no time to brake and both overturned. It was here that my nightmare began. The passengers of this oncoming van were on their way to the funeral of a young son whom a mother just lost and was also present in the van. There were three young men in the top the van because it was filled inside.

These young people lost their lives instantly, one of them vomited blood for a few seconds before giving up the ghost. The others inside were mutilated, lost their heads, their limbs, all they had was gone. I was terrified, I cried to the bowels of my being. We tried to help. I felt so bad, I spent three days without eating and drinking only juice and water. All this blood, these decapitated human bodies made me terribly ill.

The day after this Mrs. Krabacher, was again the case of another accident that took place early during the market time. The overturned vans and evidence of the accident on Friday were still fresh. On Saturday morning the second terrible crash occurred again near Williamson, which stole the lives of several villagers from Williamson in a tap-tap that was coming out of the Arcahaie Public Market when a big bus was coming out of the public beach lost control and hit the tap tap.

They reported that the bus driver was drunk and caused so much suffering in the families of Williamson and also the wife of Pastor Jason who left behind her five daughters including a nine-month-old baby.

Satan made plans, Satan took away the demonic plans on our lives by sacrificing people every day. We need so much of your spiritual support to fight. For Jesus alone, can give us Victory and deliver demonic plans that voodoo priests, wizards ask for souls, blood to their customers in sacrifices who want to have wealth, powers in their lives.

I saw a container overturned a few steps from the accident and one of the people said: again this year the devil still wants to drink more blood.

Thank you for praying for me.

Erline

Be Kind To Others

I have since read this “report” over and over.  I have my “notes” from the day of our conversation in which I asked for a report of the schools, data, grades, and what-not. Nowhere on my notes did I ask, “So, Erline, how’s your day going’?” She didn’t tell me because I didn’t’ ask. I wish I had asked that first. And had a big “check mark” beside it. Humble hero’s probably don’t need daily planners with as many check marks as I require. They do what they have to do.

I fell to my knees in prayer for Erline and the accident victims.

God remembers it all very well.

From the heart,

Susie