The question had gnawed at me throughout my trip.
Even after hearing the stories of the Jeremie farmers—after walking through their drought-killed fields, after seeing their hurricane-torn trees—I only knew that I wanted to help. I didn’t know how to help.
Sure, I knew that IFOSuD staff were planning to bring more seed, now that the drought had finally ended. (Rain clouds rolled in, for the first time in five months, during our meeting with the farmers.) I also knew that IFOSuD staff were selecting beneficiaries from Jeremie to train and equip long-term through IFOSuD’s program. But what could I do?
I could donate to IFOSuD—and I planned to—but somehow it didn’t seem like enough. After all, I could donate from the comfort of my couch—I didn’t need to travel 2,000-plus miles and take a wild mountain road to do it. There was a reason God had put me on this trip, and it wasn’t just to give money.
But soon, my thoughts were drawn to other subjects. On our way to a local restaurant for supper, Didro took the motorcycle and Jackson rode in one of the SUVs with my family and I. We got to ask him questions about his role in IFOSuD, the situation in Jeremie, the name of the breadfruit tree in Creole (which I tried to memorize but have sadly forgotten), and other things. After a delicious meal of beans, rice, and goat (yes, goat is actually good), we headed for the hotel.
When Maxene had parked, he turned around in the driver’s seat to face me. “Ty, since you are a writer, I was thinking you should write a book about Haiti.” He proceeded to outline a couple of ideas.
At first, I reacted like any typical author who’s already heard two dozen different book requests in his or her life. “Maybe,” I said (with an inward “Probably not.”) I listened politely to some more of his ideas—neat stuff, but hey, I already had nine or ten novels I wanted to write (or finish writing) someday, and they were my ideas.
And then, on the short walk to my family’s room, I realized what an idiot I was.
I’d been wondering why I was here on this trip—and Maxene had just tossed the answer my way. A book was perfect! I could novelize the story of Hurricane Matthew! We were going to interview several farmers tomorrow—they could become my protagonists! I could ask them what it was like to experience the hurricane, the drought—everything! I could…!
It was like a brainstorming dam had burst inside my brain. The ecstasy that every author feels when that perfect book idea pounces on them was mine! Not only was the hurricane an incredible engine for conflict, but the novel would be an awesome way to spread the story of these farmers and raise support for IFOSuD!
In the hour or so before bedtime, I got to work. Like any good author, I mentioned my book idea to others—in this case, my dad and sister—to see if they would find it compelling. And—success! So I wrote a pageful of questions in my journal for the interviews the next day—questions that would help me understand what it was like to survive during Matthew and its aftermath. Then I planned to tell Maxene how good his idea actually was in the morning, and to ask him for permission to be one of the primary interviewers.
I had finally found my purpose.
Later, I realized another great way to fulfill my purpose—this blog. That’s one of the biggest reasons I’m taking you on this journey—I want to spread the word about Haiti, especially Jeremie. If you want to join me on this mission, please spread the story! Like, share, comment, and tell your family and friends!
And to make sure you don’t miss my next posts, you can join the Facebook group for this blog, The Haiti Journey!
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