Healing Haiti: St. Michael Church Delivers Colorful Gift, Takes Away Lessons

Sitting in a coffee shot in Albertville, MN is a far cry from an orphanage in Haiti, which is why, on a glorious spring-like day, Tobi Roeseler is a bit sullen as she is speaking.

“It’s a completely different world, anyway,” she said of Haiti. “And now, it’s been changed forever.”

The story of the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation is well known. What might not be understood, however, is the process of recovery, and the hundreds of different agencies attempting to lend a helping hand.

“It’s a massive undertaking. And you just kind of have to find the place where you can help. Healing Haiti has helped us do that, a little bit,” Roesler said.

in St. Michael has sent two mission trips to Haiti in the past year–in August 2011 and January of this year. The church is hoping to make another trip in 2013.

In its own way, Alleluia Lutheran has helped adopt a hospital and orphanage in Haiti, Mother Theresa’s Hospital for the sick and dying.

Roesler and her husband, Brian, have been there, and were last there at the end of January. Her mission, this past trip, was to deliver dozens of dresses sewn by Alleluia’s “Faith Girls,” a group of second through fifth-graders who took time out of their busy schedules to create colorful, “grow-with-me” sundresses for the girls at the hospital, many of whom lost multiple family members, friends and even teachers in the January 2010 earthquake.

It’s estimated more than 300,000 people died in that earthquake, a 7.0 magnitude event that brought buildings crashing down and opened streets.

Roesler, who has children of her own, said she couldn’t prepare for what she would see when she first stepped off the plane.

“You’ve seen on national TV–Anderson Cooper or something like that, but to be there … it’s beyond words,” she said.

Yet the people of Haiti still smile those beautiful smiles, and attend church services every week. And they are so grateful, she said about the majority of people, for what they receive.

“The girls who received dresses put them on immediately. For some it’s the only thing they have like that. And the colors are amazing. The girls here did a great job.”

Roesler said she hopes to bring her kids to meet Haitian children some day, but it will have to wait.

“I don’t think they would be able to understand. And that’s not criticizing them. Most people couldn’t. It’s so emotionally draining. And you work from dawn to dusk with people who need help,” she said.

In a blog the church shared with its congregation back home, members of Alleluia talked about what a spiritual experience being in Haiti was, not only for them, but the people they met.

“I feel I have changed so much in just a week, I did things I never thought I would do. I keep singing God is so good. We must have sung that song 50 times during the week. Now I just can't get it out of my head, which is a good thing,” wrote contributor Kathy Larson.

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