Local men helping Haitians build orphanage, spirit

When Dr. Dan O'Reilly saw the images that followed the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, he knew his previously planned trip to the impoverished country would change in scope.

He and his 14-man group from Men's International Missions had planned to build an orphanage in Berard, Haiti. The orphanage would house 12 children who had been living with a local pastor since September 2008, when Hurricane Ike blasted the island nation.

Instead, the Elmhurst-based neurologist said the missionaries will help local residents as they try to recover from the massive tremor. Having seen the conditions of the country before the earthquake, O'Reilly said he can only imagine the situation now that many people have left larger cities for countryside villages.

"These were people who were just barely hanging on with day-to-day sustenance," the Glen Ellyn resident said. "They were just barely having enough food for themselves and now the populations are swelling."

A member of the Community Fellowship Church in West Chicago, O'Reilly says that, while local Haitians will benefit from the building, the goal is actually much more spiritual. He said he hopes to spread the word of God and has built many strong relationships in foreign countries because of the trips. They give a daily devotion and village residents usually join them.

"It takes them away from their world for just a moment," said Denis Johnson of Winfield, who has been involved with the organization for nine years and will travel to Haiti with O'Reilly's group. "The missionary we're going to go work with, just seeing him smile is going to be half the trip for me."

In 1990, a men's Bible study group helped build a school in Guatemala. Out of that came Men's International Missions. The effort has grown. This year, 65 men will split into four teams and travel to different locations, including O'Reilly's Haiti group. Others will travel at some point this year to Costa Rica, Belize and Mexico.

When they get there, they generally are met by a team of 10-12 skilled local workers who spend the 10-hour work days right alongside the missionaries.

"There is initially a culture shock for us no matter how routinely we visit those locations," Johnson said. "But after the second or third day, we like to think we become one with them, working side-by-side."

After meeting at O'Hare airport at 2:30 a.m. Friday, they boarded a 5:40 flight and landed in Santiago, Dominican Republic in the early afternoon. They were then bused to Berard. The group raised roughly $30,000 for the trip, which will go toward building materials as well as medical supplies for the earthquake-affected residents. Any extra money is given to the community and each group member pays his own way, O'Reilly said.

But one thing that cannot be measured in dollars is the personal relationships built among the missionaries, Johnson said.

"There's a tremendous amount of bonding," he said. "We have a lot of love for each other."