we pulled into this little village on mission 1 delivering supplies.
i met this man that was very appreciative of what we took. he was
stoked to get new underpants and a sleeping bag. i told him i was
from hawaii and i’ll be back.
the following week for mission 2, we went back. he wasn’t around when
we got there but came out of the evacuation center right before we
left. he said “hey, your the guy from hawaii! i remember you!” he
was really happy to see us back there. we talked, took photos, and
laughed. a lot happier man than mission 1 for sure. when it was time
to say goodbye, i tapped him on the shoulder and said “hey, i’ll be
back again.” he looked up, became completely silent for 5 seconds,
and just broke down. a grown man crying was hard to take. our crew
almost lost it. i held my emotions and said again “i’ll be back.”
turned around, and left. as i we were waving bye and driving away,
all kinds of emotions were running through my mind. i could feel the
pain of him and others sitting on the hill waiting for help to
arrive. 5 weeks later and still dead bodies under the debris that
were scattered across the whole village. i’m glad my team held up.
if i were alone, i would have broke down in tears, which i promised
myself i wouldn’t. staying strong for this past month was the hardest
thing i ever had to do in my life. am i a stronger person? no. i
just know how to walk away from an emotional situation. and i don’t
know if that’s good or bad.
mission 3, i’ll be back to that village and i hope i see some change.
if i don’t i’ll personally start cleaning up the mess myself. there’s
no reason for what’s happening up there now….
