Joshua Robich

In a country ravaged by poverty, one active brother helps to make a difference.

by: Joshua Robich (Beta Gamma – Charleston ’11)

I stepped off the plane in Cap-Haitien, Haiti into what felt like a sauna.  Little did I know, there would be little relief from this for the next two and a half weeks.  As the drive to our compound started, I noticed an aroma sort of like smoke in the air.  It wasn’t the kind of smoke you smell from an ordinary fire however, but the kind only produced from burning trash.  It was a thick and almost palpable stink.  The looks from the locals were mixed with both smiles and glares.

The trip to Haiti was with a team of 16 leaders from my church back home who run our huge summer camp we call ”KidsFest” held on the grounds of the church.  This camp allows over 1,200 kids from kindergarten to 6th grade to have one of the greatest weeks of their lives and more importantly, to hear the message given to us by our Lord, Jesus Christ.  The goal of the trip to Haiti was to create this camp in a local upstart orphanage that our church had partnered with, and also to help distribute some relief supplies due to the recent earthquake.

The immediate community surrounding the orphanage consisted of an extremely poor rural population; most of whom had never heard of Jesus, let alone what he’s done for them.  As a matter of fact, half of the country practices Voodoo.  Unemployment is around 88%, and the average employed Haitian makes less than a dollar a day.

Watching KidsFest Haiti develop was powerful beyond words.  I was able to watch Haitian children who were dressed up in their very best clothes see things like a jump-rope for the first times in their lives.  I saw them use their God-given creativity to put together crafts of all sorts like they had never been able to before.  Even the simple rice and beans we provided for them every day was more than most of them probably ate in a week.  Just as in our fraternity’s ritual, I was truly able to see Haitian children come from darkness into light.  It is one thing to see a child from the privileged area of Wexford, Pennsylvania learn about Jesus, and quite another to see a Haitian orphan hear the message of God.  God gave us the power to share his gospel with over 400 Haitian children.

One specific experience that I will remember forever was to see a local witch doctor attend our church service at the end of the camp.  I am extremely blessed to be able to have helped spread the message of our Lord in a place very much opposite of what we are used to as members of the Kappa Alpha Order.  Words will never describe how thankful I am to have truly helped bring a community from darkness into light.