Antioch church team to lend a hand in Haiti

Nearly two years has passed since a devastating earthquake hit Haiti and sparked a massive worldwide relief effort to help the residents of one of the poorest nations on earth.

However, while it is a place where the need is still very real, the memory of the destruction in Haiti may have faded for many people at a time when more recent natural disasters have taken center stage.

Ten members of the United Methodist Church of Antioch leave Saturday on a mission to show the people of Haiti they have not been forgotten.

“Haiti is a place of great need right now, and by the little bit we are able to do during the week will speak volumes for the fact that the rest of the world hasn’t forgotten about Haiti, and we really hope to encourage the hospital and the people we come into contact with that we care about them,” said Nikki Georgia, the church’s coordinator of youth ministry.

The team of seven youths and three adults will travel to Port-au-Prince to help out at the Grace Children’s Hospital, where they will brighten spirits and provide care to patients suffering from tuberculosis.

During the eight-day trip, they’ll also start construction on a house for a women who works at the hospital. Her house was damaged by the earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010.

And, they will distribute hygiene kits to people living in the tent communities erected because so many homes were destroyed. The kits include toothbrushes, tooth paste and shampoo, among other items.

This is the first trip to Haiti for the Antioch church, but not its first mission trip. Church members went to Kentucky three times in the past to participate in similar work.

The church also has participated annually in the 30 Hour Famine where they raised enough money for six children to be able to eat for a year.

The trip to Haiti has been a year in the making and required the team to put on several fundraisers, bake sales and cook outs to cover the $20,000 cost. They received some grants from local organizations and money from their church. Each member also contributed $450 of their own money.

“For our young people this is going to be a tremendous experience for them in terms of growing spiritually and serving other people,” Georgia said.

The participants have also been learning Haitian Creole, and know some select greetings in the language so they can better communicate when in Haiti.

For 17-year-old Gwen Moser, the trip to Haiti will be an eye opening experience she hopes will stay with her for a lifetime.

“There are obviously people in need and they are in a place that doesn’t have that much money and it’s ruined by a natural disaster,” Moser said. “It’s important for us to actually see other things and experience things as young people that we can remember when we are older, so we can continue to help others.”