During the first months of 1983, I was in Haiti with the Christian Veterinary Mission (click here to learn more) . I worked as a vet tech on various animal husbandry endeavors about half my time in the countryside and the other half in Port-au-Prince. Haiti was desperately poor, and life there was difficult no matter how you looked at it."Overwhelmed" is the best word to use when you talk about Haiti - Overwhelming poverty, spiritual activity of the bad kind, hunger, desperate catch-22 problems. No where to start to fix things apart from the grace of God.Yet I was so impressed with the Haitian people, their great sense of humor and ability to not take themselves too seriously despite the dire circumstances of their lives.

I recall walking up a long mountain with several Haitians (Haiti is mountains and more mountains). The interpreter had gone ahead into the village. Someone asked me a question like, What's your last name?" or "Who's your best friend?" Whatever the question, I answered mistakenly with the word for "donkey." They laughed good-heartedly and brayed for hours.When we got to the village, they asked the interpreter where I came from. They didn't believe I was American, because Americans don't smile as much as I did. What they didn't know was that my non-stop smile was me gasping for breath.

I learned a lot from the Haitian people. I was offered a job in Haiti, and if I had been more heat-tolerant, I would have seriously considered it. Despite all Haiti's problems, you "couldn't not" love the people. Now this series of earthquakes leaves those same people in overwhelming distress.

Please keep Haiti in your prayers, and give to an appropriate agency that can get relief supplies where they are needed. Don't forget a special hug for your family and your horses.