Connections: Tampa and Haiti

Not long ago, I was stopped after the early morning service at Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church (PCPC) by Dr. Sylvia Campbell.  Dr. Sylvia and I have only known each other for a few short years but are part of a larger “web” of people brought together, by God, that includes Tampa, Haiti, and Uganda.  Anyway, she got right to the point, “Would you consider going with the Village Partner’s International (VPI) medical mission team to Haiti…and, we need to know by tomorrow…and, we are going next month”!

I smiled and said that I would indeed think about it, but must first talk with Charlie, my husband.

Now, by way of background information.  Charlie and I had been part of a PCPC-sponsored trip to Uganda in 2012.  Before this time, I knew very little about VPI, Uganda or Haiti other than they were all connected in some way to Palma Ceia Presbyterian.  God found ways to put me in places, in situations, in new friendships that increased my awareness and interest.  By 2013, I knew that I was being called back to Uganda.  With Charlie’s blessing, I returned and stayed for a month.

Now, it is 2014.  Charlie and I both believe these trips and experiences were put in our paths by God.  Because of this belief, it did not take us many minutes to decide that I should go on the February VPI medical mission trip.  One week later, God did another amazing thing…he connected more threads to the web.  He put a little girl from Haiti right in the path (literally) of Charlie.

This little girl had come to Tampa as the result of a near-fatal experience.  In 2010, Haiti was hit by an earthquake that collapsed her Port-au-Prince home and buried the, then 18 month-old, beneath rubble for five days.  Given up for dead, her uncle noticed her tiny, moving foot as he dug around the remains of the building.  This child had extreme injuries to her head, eye and arm.  She was air lifted to Tampa and was treated at Tampa General Hospital.

Fast forward to Saturday, January 25, 2014.  Charlie recounted the following:

I may just have had my best Gasparilla Parade (note:  Gasparilla Parade day is part of the history of Tampa based on the alleged pirate, Jose Gaspar.).  My day as a pirate went flawless from the beginning at 7:30am until walking back to my car after the parade.  I was tired and walking back to my car near Ballast Point Park.  I noticed a five-year-old running toward me from the park…right toward the road.  I rushed across the street to meet her first.

She approached me, very politely, and the exchange went like this:

Small girl:   ‘Mr. Pirate, are those scars real like mine?’  

Charlie:      ‘Would you like some [Gasparilla] beads?’  

Small girl:   ‘Yes, but Mr. Pirate, I want to know if your scars are real like mine.’

I stopped in my tracks and knelt down close to her.  She examined my fake pirate scars…up close…just six inches from my face.

Small girl:  ‘They look real.’

Charlie:     ‘Mine are not real like yours.’

Small girl:  ‘But they look real like mine.’

She showed me her facial scars to which I responded just how beautiful she was…she really is a very beautiful girl.

Small girl:  ‘Could I take a picture?’

Charlie:     ‘Sure, I would love to take a picture of you with my cell phone.’

I took the picture and it is wonderful.

Small girl:  ‘But, I wanted to take a picture.’

Charlie:     ‘What do you want to take a picture of?’

Small girl:  ‘A picture of me.’

I responded “sure” as I handed her my cellphone with instructions to adjust the phone, get yourself in the screen and push the round button.  She did, and I have that fabulous picture of her beautiful smile.

Her guardian/babysitter introduced her as “FP” and told me the story of the Haitian earthquake, being found, and being transported to Tampa General Hospital.  She was severely injured, lost her mom in the quake and her arm.

I thought, ‘Wow, this is more than an accidental meeting.”  As I continued to kneel beside her, I explained that my wife and a doctor were going to Haiti in February.  She asked if my wife was going to Port-au-Prince.  I explained she was going through Port-au-Prince to Mombin Crochu.  With that, she said ‘I like you Mr. Pirate – and your scars” as she ran with her beads back to the park.’ 

And with that, God made one more connection – put one more thread in the tapestry.  Thank you to all those who have become a part of this tapestry that covers us in Tampa and extends to the far places in His world – to Uganda and to Haiti.

Charlie and Malinda Pope