Love for Haiti

by Alyssa Dandrea

“I still can’t find the words.  Nothing will do that moment justice.  Nothing can describe exactly what a crying city sounds like.  A resounding wail of heartbreak and agony.  It murmured that way for a long time,” wrote Brittany Gilbert on January 13, the day after a 7.0 earthquake had shook Haiti.

Brittany, 21 years old, had been lying on her bed, attempting to download an episode of “The Office” on her laptop.  When the earthquake first hit, Brittany’s bed jolted forward one foot, where it stopped for a split second before slamming into the wall behind her.  Brittany was catapulted off her bed and into the opposite wall 14 feet away.   

“I thought the world was ending, but wondered why Jesus hadn’t taken me up to heaven yet…definitely a gut check time,” she said.  “We were completely surrounded by the sound of a city being brought down to a pile of rubble within a couple minutes.”

Following the initial earthquake, Brittany helped save 20 orphans from the Maranatha Children’s Home, where she had been volunteering since September 2009.  While survivors rushed out onto the streets for safety, Brittany returned to the shaking houses, where she dodged falling debris, broken glass, and bursting pipes in hopes of saving the orphans and nannies.

After moving to a location a mile outside of Port-au-Prince, however, Brittany realized one child had been overlooked:  five month old Amelia. On her trip back to the orphanage, Brittany tried to prepare herself for the worst. 

Enduring aftershocks every five to ten minutes, Brittany worked alone for almost two hours trying to locate the baby.  Fallen stacks of rubber containers, which had once held food and supplies, were her main barrier as she desperately fought to create a path that would lead her to Amelia.  When Brittany finally located her, she was lying facedown in her playpen, motionless.  In picking her up, Brittany was in disbelief; Amelia had started giggling.  For Brittany it was a miracle, an assurance that God’s hand had shielded them from the disaster.

Since the summer of 2006, Brittany has made several trips to Haiti, caring for orphans in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area.  “She has a real burden for Haiti,” said Karen Gilbert, Brittany’s mom.  “She is not settled unless she is there.”

Illness and fatigue are a part of Brittany’s everyday life in Haiti.  During the fall of 2009, Brittany contracted malaria twice as well as dengue fever.  In the week following the earthquake, Brittany fainted from exhaustion.  She recalls that the nannies were so worried they splashed her with water, fearing she might be dead.

Since the earthquake Brittany battles post-traumatic stress.  In her attempts to move forward, Brittany is still confused and overwhelmed by the past.  “It turned my world upside down and made me question all absolutes…It’s tough to grow; it’s tough to be stretched, but ultimately it’s a gift.  We should all cling to the times that bring us closer to God and strengthen our relationship with him, even if those times are the hardest you’ve ever faced.”

In March Brittany returned to Haiti to continue her work with Heartline Ministries, after being home just a short time following the earthquake.  Currently, she is caring for David, a five and a half month old, and Melodie, a two and a half year old, two children the Gilbert family is in the process of adopting. 

“The Haitian government is very unstable and corrupt right now, which has brought in help from organizations like UNICEF that have put up a lot of red tape at the U.S. Embassy,” she said.  “Unfortunately we have no idea when our kids could get out.  It could be next week, it could be next year.  For the children’s and my family’s sake, I’m praying it’s very soon.”