By Andrea McCann
Washington Times-Herald
WASHINGTON —
Mike and Sherri Healy’s hearts are wrapped up in Haiti. They’ve lost their hearts to the country, found their hearts when they adopted their two daughters there, and changed hearts with 10 years of ministering to the Haitian people.
“We’re probably more comfortable in Haiti than we are here,” Mike said, adding that they’d like to live there full time someday.
Sherri said they strive to visit the country — one of the poorest in the world — every year. She said when preparing for a trip, they fill their suitcases with items such as medical supplies and shoes, then put a few clothes for themselves in backpacks. Once they return from a trip, they immediately begin collecting items for the next year’s trip. In addition, they take money to purchase and hand out food staples to families when they get there. The Healys said local people have been generous in helping them.
“The people in the community have really opened up their hearts,” Sherri said of the churches, schools and other organizations in Daviess County. She said some groups have had fund raisers for them and others have donated supplies such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and umbrellas. “People say ‘you need to help people in your own country,’ but the difference is there’s opportunity here. There are social services.”
The Healys said there are no opportunities for Haitians. Education is lacking, there are no natural resources and the government doesn’t help. Mike said it’s important to get the kids educated, but he doesn’t know how that can happen. An acquaintance in Haiti told them that the way things are going in the country, there’s no change in sight.
But, through Heartline Ministries, the Healys hope they’re making a difference. The 20-year-old ministry, operated by John and Beth McHoul and located in Port au Prince, endeavors “to be the hands of Christ in Haiti.” Their mission is to provide a safe place to learn about Jesus and adopt life skills.
“Their main goal is to change hearts,” Sherri said. The Healys have been working with Heartline for five years.
As an example, she and Mike described rival gangs in Cite Soleil, a slum in Port au Prince. The gangs kidnap anyone who appears to have money. Other crimes, such as rape, are rampant in the area, as well. This year, Mike and John began making inroads with gangs on both sides of a waste-filled ditch that cuts through the slum. Then the women began going with them, as well. They delivered shoes donated by Crocs and flip-flops brought from Indiana, along with food supplies. By the end of the trip, the gang members were helping them. They hope it’s the beginning of a food ministry in Cite Soleil.
“They may go a week without eating,” Mike said. “They eat mud pies. It’s not nourishing, but it fills the void in their stomachs.”
Sherri said the mud pies literally are made of mud with a little salt and oil included. The basic meal for Haitians is generally rice and beans, she said, which is very good. She said their girls, Makenzie, 12, and Marissa, 10, enjoy eating the food again when they visit their home country.
“I can’t quite get it right,” Sherri said with a smile.
Mike and Sherri adopted Makenzie and Marissa eight years ago in Haiti. The girls are biological sisters. Sherri said Makenzie remembers a little about the country, but Marissa doesn’t remember much.
“They like to go visit, but they realize what they have,” Sherri said. “At first they were afraid to go back. They were afraid they’d have to stay.”
Now the girls help their parents help other Haitians. One of their jobs is to help Sherri babysit while Mike teaches self-defense to women as part of Heartline Ministries’ Women’s Program. Because there are so many crimes against women, the classes are quite popular. This year, some women had to be turned away, so they decided next year Mike will teach a class daily so more women have a chance to attend.
The Women’s Program also includes a prenatal class, an early childhood development class, a literacy class, and a sewing class. To be involved in the sewing class, the women must first go through the literacy class to learn English. In the sewing class, they learn to make purses, which are sent to the United States for sale. From the purse revenue, the women earn half; one quarter of that is put into an account for them to later use for purchasing a sewing machine, and the other quarter is given to them in cash for living expenses. Once they purchase their sewing machine, that quarter of their earnings can be used for anything they wish.
“Heartlines’ big thing is education,” Sherri said. “You can’t just give handouts.”
Heartline Ministries had an orphanage until the earthquake, when the children were sent to the United States on humanitarian parole. Then it was turned into a hospital. There’s a visiting doctor in charge and nurses that come from the United States and Canada to help for weeks at a time. Since the earthquake, there is a physical therapist.
Sherri said they got to know an 8-year-old boy at the hospital who was buried under his house for three days before being rescued. He lost his entire family except for his grandmother. She said he’s scarred and wears a “funky cast with wires sticking out of it” on one arm.
“He struggled at first, but he’s OK now,” she said.
The Healys said this year is the worst they’ve seen in their 10 years visiting Haiti. They said not only is the devastation bad from the earthquake, but the heat has been horrible.
“There was a heat index of 117 degrees one day,” Mike said.
Since their cinder block homes collapsed in the earthquake, many people are living in tents in the oppressive heat.
“Every flat surface is covered with tents,” he said. “Now it’s the rainy season, so they’re laying in mud. It’s the worst year we’ve seen so far.”
Sherri said she doesn’t know where the millions of dollars in donations that she hears about on TV are going.
“It probably won’t ever get cleaned up,” she said. “There’s too much devastation. And where would they put all that rubble if they could?”
She said she and Mike try to put money back into the Haitian economy by purchasing craft items to bring home when they visit. Their goal is to get more people to help Haiti. They said they’re never afraid or intimidated when they go there and that Haitians are good people reaching for God.
“We get more blessings out of it than they do,” Mike said.
