CONASPEH Meeting

This morning the board of CONASPEH gathered together. All but one member is accounted for. We sat together circled under a tree in a vacant lot since the usual CONASPEH conference room is now just a pile of rubble. We stacked concrete blocks for chairs. We prayed together, thanking God for the survival of many, praying for strength in days to come. We met to share news of those known to be dead or alive and to share experiences from the night of the earthquake. The heart of the meeting was to discuss how CONASPEH plans to move forward as an organization. There was no discussion of packing it in and calling it quits. There was only an ambitious and positive vision of how an organization that is committed to serving and empowering Haitians can move forward, can rise up from a devastating blow.

The resolve of the pastors and leaders of CONASPEH was inspiring. Perhaps because of Haiti’s history of oppression, heartache, and devastation the pastors were able to insist with conviction that the people of Haiti will rise up again? Whatever the source, Kim and I left the meeting with the feeling that the ministry of CONASPEH, while currently in a state of turmoil and uncertainty, is courageously facing its future with a faith and a determination that is remarkable considering the reality that lies crumbled and crying around us.

The meeting began with talking stock of all the CONASPEH churches and ministries that had been damaged or destroyed, and those that were left still standing. The damage spreads coast to coast and is heart breaking. Pastors in each region have called in to report status of buildings collapsed, people displaced, projects interrupted. One of the most tragic pieces of news shared was that one orphanage run by a CONASPEH pastor lost 26 children in the earthquake. The pastor gave this report with a raspy voice exhausted by tears. In Leogane, the CONASPEH seminary that I had taught at every Saturday last semester was among the 90% of buildings and houses destroyed in the area. Even the lucky people with homes and businesses still standing struggle with the reality that many of these structures will have to be torn down due to cracked foundations and instable walls.

Certainly, the biggest material loss to CONASPEH was the loss of its central headquarters, seminary, and nursing school in Port-au-Prince, which now lies completely flattened. While no one had exact numbers, it is believed that around 60 people lost their lives when the CONASPEH building collapsed.

However, woven amidst all heavy news of death and destruction was news to celebrate. Three of our favorite nursing students and friends called today to report they were injured, but alive. Kim and I had thought that all three were under the ruins of the CONASPEH school. I can’t tell you how beautiful it feels to hear voices thought to be forever lost, bringing reasons to rejoice in the midst of crippling grief. More good news came when I learned that none of my students in the Leogane seminary were killed in the earthquake. However, this was quickly countered by learning that many parents and family members of the students had died, leaving a community in great suffering. The Artibonite community center still stands and no loss of life was reported. For as many people reported gone, we celebrated those that had survived.

The heart of the meeting brought discussion over a three-step plan of action to be carried out by CONASPEH. The first step is to meet the basic needs of survivors by finding and distributing food, water, medicine and modes of communication. The committee plans to seek these resources both in Haiti, from international aid and from partners abroad. They will gather regional directors to help distribute supplies to all communities in need. The second step involves reestablishing a place for CONASPEH’s central presence, a mobile headquarters on its grounds to serve as a place for pastors and lay members to gather, share news, receive aid and begin the process of rebuilding. Everyone in the meeting agreed that having a physical space for CONASPEH to work from was important for providing hope to member churches. The long-term vision of CONASPEH’s plan involves once again building brick by brick a permanent headquarters and school, as well as rebuilding member churches, schools, and seminaries. The long-range vision depends on the resilience of CONASPEH leadership, reorganization of its projects and partnership from friends abroad.

The meeting ended with a reminder from Francois Villier that CONASPEH was not buried under rubble, it did not die with loss of life. CONASPEH is not a building or a physical space. Instead it is an organization that is constructed and ever stands through those committed to the strengthening liberation of the Haitian people. CONASPEH is a philosophy, a vision made tangible working to empower Haitians and change lives from the ground up through education, health care, skills training and the sharing of a liberating vision for Haiti centering on equality and justice. “When we fall, we must get up again. This is our job; this is what makes us strong. We must never stop working for our vision. We will rebuild. It will take a lot of work, but we will move forward because that is our service to each other and to God.”