CHESTERMERE – In many people’s minds, images of a trip to the tropics usually accompanies the vision of lying on a beach or bobbing up and down in the warm waters of the ocean, sipping on a cold beverage and “just chillin”. There are several people from the Lake Ridge Community Church are also going to the tropics but their experience will be a totally different scene all together. It may even be a divine revelation from the everyday life they live right now.
It all began several years ago when a lady from Strathmore visited Haiti and for whatever reason saw something very special in a young Haitian boy. The lady’s name is Kathy Brawley and from that point on, she decided to invest in this boys’ future. As the young boy grew up he decided he wanted to become a doctor and although his aspirations were high, Brawley stuck with him and continued to invest in him. Haiti is not the place where it would be easy to get an education let alone to become a medical doctor but he was aware that he could go to the neighbouring country of the Dominican Republic (DR) and get the education he needed from that country.
His unusual story begins when he had to sneak across the border of the DR as he knew he needed to learn the native language. Haiti’s native language is Haitian Creole (French), whereas the DR is Spanish speaking. While in the DR he lived on the back porch of a church, listened to the radio and soon realized the radio announcer was reading word for word what the newspaper had in the articles. After a time he picked up the language and began his next venture which was to get into medical school. Every school semester he would have to sneak into the DR and attend the University there and go back home when school was out. His strength of character paid off and eventually he became Doctor Emmanuel Mammo.
The young doctor was determined and had a vision to help the people in his home country of Haiti. His grand dream was to establish universal medical care for the people of Haiti so that everyone, regardless of income, could get treated for their injuries and diseases. And so, Dr. Mammo opened a clinic/hospital in the Northern town of Hauti Limbe. Although it is not universal medical care, Dr. Mammo charges a nominal fee of $1 to treat a patient. This may not seem like a huge amount to those of us in Canada but the average person in Haiti only makes approximately $2 per day.
Other medical doctors from around the world come to assist Dr Mammo in the clinic for between 3 and 4 weeks at a time and have to be housed with the people in the town. The people are extremely generous and hospitable, however Dr. Mammo felt that the doctors would be better served by accommodation right on the compound at the clinic and he began constructing a house for the visiting doctors to reside in during their stay.
Pastor Dewald has been making a trip to Haiti since 2001 and this time he and his colleagues are going to help out installing a roof on the doctors dwelling. Pastor Dewald has a background in construction and is confident there will be substantial progress made on the concrete roof during their visit. The Pastor and other church members will not be the only ones working on the project as there will be professional construction people working and many of the towns’ people and will volunteer their time and energy in this very worthwhile endeavor.
Besides Pastor Evan Dewald going on the 8 day journey, he is taking 4 teens (2 from Chestermere High and 1 from St. Gabriel and another from Strathmore) and 2 other adults. Along for the adventure is Chalice Crossman, Josiah Dewald, Matthew Peterson, Lisa Eastwood, Quinn Eastwood and Kathryn Higdon. We’ll have an update when the group returns from Haiti.
So that’s what can happen when 1 person invests in another person; and who knows what can happen when 7 people invest their time, energy and welfare in a project.
The Lake Ridge Community Church website is www.lakeridgecommunity.com
