Last week, our staff had the opportunity to have dinner at the Montana Hotel with Jim Gulley. I'm sure most, if not all readers know Jim's experience of having been trapped with Sam Dixon, Clint Rabb, and several others, under the rubble of the Hotel for more than 50 hours after the January 12 earthquake, and the loss of Sam and Clint due to the injuries they sustained.
Much of the hotel complex has been rebuilt, although in a different manner. In some cases rubble was moved and used as the base for new construction. The pool is still there along with a beautiful dining area offering spectacular views of the greater Port-au-Prince area, the bay, and the mountains that rise up north of the city. There is a memorial garden.
As we entered the parking lot and began making our way to the dining area Jim began to describe the hotel the way it was, where he was at the time, what it looked like, and the events that unfolded so rapidly.
Over dinner and then afterward, he talked on a more personal level about the experience, at times pausing to collect his thoughts, reflect, and remember. At times he looked away, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. As Jim shared his thoughts, each of us was caught up in our own thoughts, remembering where we were and what we were doing that day, and how we received the news.
An event of this sort raises some of the most difficult theological questions. Why certain things happen. In certain places. To certain people. Why some live, and why some don't. Each of us around the table weighed in with our own particular perspective and understanding of the experience but in the end Jim summed up his thoughts: "Those of us who lived have a responsibility to do something with our lives."
Beyond the response to the tragedy in Haiti, is that not the call and mission of the Christian - "to do something with our lives?" A few days later Jim would say to a team, "We can't live in the past. We must use our experiences from the past to propel us into the future. To make a difference. That's why Clint and Sam were here. That's why you're here. "
Today, Thursday, January 12, there will be a gathering at 4 pm at the Montana Hotel for a service of commemoration. The Haiti Response Plan staff will be present along with Jim, and Reverend Marco Depestre will represent the Methodist Church of Haiti in the absence of President Paul. It will obviously be a time of great emotion; for many a time of sadness. My hope and prayer is that it will also be a time for us, each in our own way, to recommit ourselves to "doing something with our lives." To make a difference. In Haiti, in the world. In the name of Jesus Christ.
Rev. Tom Vencuss,
UMVIM Haiti Project Coordinator