It started with Titus. A little boy of about 5 in Haiti around 2008. He was looking for a home, living in an orphanage.
In enter a family from Arkansas looking to adopt but needed assistance. They were given assistance by a family whose father was adopted.
The family in Arkansas chose Titus.
Various visits over a couple of years. Red tape. Tons of red tape. Haiti was one of the hardest places there were to adopt from.
After a long while, Titus got sick. They offered to help, bring medicine, take him home early and get him care. The Haitian government refused…and he passed away.
So the orphanage offered another boy. Silas.
As they started the red tape again, Silas did very well. Every time they visited Silas there was an older boy of about 12 taking care of him. His name was Louis. The orphanage wondered if they would like to take Louis in addition to Silas. The answer was yes!
And yet more red tape. Tons more red tape.
Silas comes home. A hero’s welcome. A new life.
Next is Louis. He’s 12. Waiting. At least another year. In Haiti.
Then…2010.
The earthquake. 7.0. Two follow up quakes of 5.9 and 5.5. Devastation to an already devastated country. $8B price tag for a country whose GDP is $9.6B. 230,000 deaths. 230,000! It’s like an earthquake hitting the U.S. with a price tag of $20T and everyone in New York dying.
No word or contact from Louis or the orphanage. All communications were down and no news was available. We didn’t know if he was dead or alive. No way to find out. The U.S. government took over the airport. Only aid was allowed in. No passenger planes. Complete chaos. 5,000 people outside the U.S. embassy trying to get out of the country.
A war room was created and a plan was hatched. Louis’s new parents reached Haiti through a rogue pilot out of the Dominican Republic. They were greeted at the airport by a guy from Ohio who lived in Haiti full time. His name was Zeke and I had randomly found him through various internet contacts and he had email that worked. Zeke was tattooed neck to toe and when he greeted the mother and father at the airport on the tarmac, with him were 5 Haitians, all armed, in the back of a truck.
Zeke took Louis’ parents straight to the orphanage. Driving through carnage and no rules or authorities, complete chaos. They found Louis, alive and well! They grabbed him, put him in the back of the truck and headed to the US Embassy.
It was a mob. 5,000 people trying to get out of Haiti through the US Embassy. But for Zeke…not a problem. Zeke drives to the back of the embassy and meets the guards at the gate who take one look at Zeke and let him in. They knew him!
They go right into the embassy and in 30 minutes they have Louis paperwork and are out and headed to the airport where a transport is waiting for them to take them to Florida.
They are met there with a private plane to take them back to Arkansas. A family united.
Why do I tell this story?
Titus, Silas, Louis…they were all chosen. They were also fought for. A lot of people went through a lot to get them home safe and take care of them. They were really fought for. And what did they do to deserve this? Nothing! They didn’t ask for it and they didn’t beg for it, they did nothing to deserve this. They were worth it just because of who they were.
How must that feel?
Whatever that feels like….THAT is what I’m fighting for…
Brint's Blog 