The Day After the Earthquake : Tara's Words

On the day after the earthquake, the Livesay family--the American family pictured here who are missionaries with Heartline Ministries in Haiti-- fired up their computer. They were one of the few families in the Port-au-Prince area who could do so. The Livesays were equipped with gasoline-powered generators that could provide power. Most of the island was shut down in an electrical blackout caused by the earthquake. This is what Tara (the mom) wrote:

"The sun is about to come up. The aftershocks continue. Some more noticeable than others. There is no way to even begin to share the things we’ve heard and seen since 5pm yesterday. To do so would take hours that we don’t have to give right now. Some of them feel wrong to share - Like only God should know these personal horrible tragedies... There are buildings that suffered almost no damage. Right next door will be a pile of rubble."

"Thousands of people are currently trapped. To guess at a number would be like guessing at raindrops in the ocean. Precious lives hang in the balance. When pulled from the rubble there is no place to take them for care Haiti has an almost non existent medical care system for her people."

"I cannot imagine what the next few weeks and months will be like. I am afraid for everyone. Never in my life have I seen people stronger than Haitian people. But I am afraid for them. For us."

"When the quake hit it took many seconds to even process what was happening. The house was rocking back and forth in a way that I cannot even begin to describe. It felt fake. It felt like a movie. Things were crashing down all over the house. It felt like the world was ending. I do not know why my house stands and my children all lie sleeping in their beds right now. It defies logic that my babies were spared while thousands of others were not. "

"The horror has only just begun and I beg you to get on your knees – I truly mean ON YOUR KNEES and pray for the people of this country. The news might forget in a few days - but people will still be trapped alive and people will still be suffering. Pray. Pray. Pray. After that - PLEASE PRAY."

(From the Livesay Haiti Weblog)

Tara's words went out over the internet. Her husband Troy sent out messaages on his Twitter account. Their words were some of the very little communication coming out of Haiti--their messages were transmitted to an information-hungry world. Their words were literally passsed around the world in a few minutes and rebroadcast on radio and television in many countries. And when Troy and Tara logged onto their computer, they got thousands of messages back. Desperate people all over the U.S. and everywhere in the world were asking the Livesays in Haiti to help their loved ones, or to look for someone who was lost in the earthquake aftermath.

Troy and Tara Livesay had two impulses: 1)to do everything in their power to help the people of Haiti in their hours of worst need and 2)to protect their children. No one knew what would happen in Haiti. Would their be more serious earthquakes?

Troy and Tara decided to get the children to someplace safe, while they stayed in Haiti and do whatever they could to help. After much agonizing, they decided to put their children on an airplane to the United States. They secured places on a cargo plane that the U.S. government provided for American citizens to evacuate Haiti. (All but one of their children had legal status as citizens of the United States.)

The day the earthquake hit Haiti, the Livesay family had some American friends staying with them in their house. The Livesays arranged passage for their children and their American friends by making their friends the children's official travel escorts. The children and their temporary guardians boarded a big noisy C-130 military cargo plane to the United States. Tara stood at the airport in Haiti watching and crying--her heart so divided between going with her children and staying to help. Loving friends and family met the children in the United States and took care of them.

With the children and former houseguests safe, Troy and Tara could concentrate on helping whoever they could help in Haiti.

And so many of the Haitians needed their help.

Coming soon: What Heartline Did to Help