On our trip, I had the privilege of interviewing each of the other ten members of the Haiti team. I got the general impression from this experience that these were people with a genuine devotion to their creator and an equally genuine desire to be a part of God's story. In them, you will find emotions ranging from enthusiasm to sorrow, but you will also see a variety of character and experience that helped govern both each person's role on the trip and each person's relationship to the others. There was the strategic and logical; the sociable and good-natured; and the pensive and introspective, among others. This wide landscape of personality and background, far from inviting conflict, led to spirited interactions that made the trip all the more enjoyable. Perhaps most important to me, no one person dominated the experience. There was in it a sense of unity brought forth by our common purpose, which only amplified the lesson I began to learn before the trip began: that life is lived best when it is others-centered. Each of these interviews, I hope, will express not just each person's histories in regard to Haiti, but also their hearts. I hope you enjoy what you read.
Interview Number One: Bob D.
I had the chance to interview our eldest member of the trip first, sitting next to him on the flight to Miami. Tall in both stature and character, Bob is known for stories peppered with humor and meaning. He is also known for his time in the NFL, with the Minnesota Vikings, his experience as a U.S. Marine, and for his love of motorcycle-riding.
Bob had learned of the Haiti trip from an announcement at church. It was, perhaps, his experience on a previous trip that encouraged him to attend this one. Two years ago, he traveled to Cuba with a team to go on mission. He remembers the people as friendly, and the beaches as superior to those of Hawaii. That his friend Lee was also attending the trip interested him as well, and once he spoke to Lee, he decided to commit to it. Among his most memorable experiences as a long-time mathematics teacher at Stagg High School was his impact on one particular student. He recalls telling this student, the familiar young man who showed promise but lacked motive, that if he didn't change his ways, he would amount to nothing and would end up shining shoes. Years later, Bob recalls, this same young man approached him in a Stockton mall. "Hello, Mr. D. Do you know who I am?" Upon hearing that Bob didn't, he continued, "I'm the kid you told wouldn't amount to anything." He then went on to explain his immense success at starting a successful computer parts business with two other friends. Bob's memory of this event, it seemed, gave meaning to his career. The comment wasn't expressed in a derogatory way, but instead was meant to spur the young man to action. Apparently, the young man understood Bob's tone and intention, because it did spur him, enough to help him launch himself to economic success.
A second statement of Bob's character came from another school-related story, years later. At a school parent information night, the principal began speaking to the parents in their gymnasium when Bob noticed that the parents were talking to one another instead of listening. On the verge of retirement, Bob left for a moment and returned to raise a track pistol in the air. Once fired, the room fell dead silent. Bob rebuked their misbehavior. "We spend a lot of our time as teachers trying to get the students to settle down and listen. We need you to be an example to them."
On the trip, Bob was the handyman. He helped one of the staff members fix a sink, and later the screen on one of the children's room doors. Hammering away, he contributed expertise, but also helped keep the trip light-hearted with his sprightly sense of humor, peppered most memorably with friendly jibes at team members. It was Bob, above all, who turned our attention at times from the emotionally heavy side of impoverished Haiti to the lighter side of life.
Interview Number One: Bob D.
Bob had learned of the Haiti trip from an announcement at church. It was, perhaps, his experience on a previous trip that encouraged him to attend this one. Two years ago, he traveled to Cuba with a team to go on mission. He remembers the people as friendly, and the beaches as superior to those of Hawaii. That his friend Lee was also attending the trip interested him as well, and once he spoke to Lee, he decided to commit to it. Among his most memorable experiences as a long-time mathematics teacher at Stagg High School was his impact on one particular student. He recalls telling this student, the familiar young man who showed promise but lacked motive, that if he didn't change his ways, he would amount to nothing and would end up shining shoes. Years later, Bob recalls, this same young man approached him in a Stockton mall. "Hello, Mr. D. Do you know who I am?" Upon hearing that Bob didn't, he continued, "I'm the kid you told wouldn't amount to anything." He then went on to explain his immense success at starting a successful computer parts business with two other friends. Bob's memory of this event, it seemed, gave meaning to his career. The comment wasn't expressed in a derogatory way, but instead was meant to spur the young man to action. Apparently, the young man understood Bob's tone and intention, because it did spur him, enough to help him launch himself to economic success.
A second statement of Bob's character came from another school-related story, years later. At a school parent information night, the principal began speaking to the parents in their gymnasium when Bob noticed that the parents were talking to one another instead of listening. On the verge of retirement, Bob left for a moment and returned to raise a track pistol in the air. Once fired, the room fell dead silent. Bob rebuked their misbehavior. "We spend a lot of our time as teachers trying to get the students to settle down and listen. We need you to be an example to them."
On the trip, Bob was the handyman. He helped one of the staff members fix a sink, and later the screen on one of the children's room doors. Hammering away, he contributed expertise, but also helped keep the trip light-hearted with his sprightly sense of humor, peppered most memorably with friendly jibes at team members. It was Bob, above all, who turned our attention at times from the emotionally heavy side of impoverished Haiti to the lighter side of life.
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