Huge problems still ahead in Haiti
Posted Jan 12, 2011 05:50:21 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Today’s anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti holds special significance for a Kitchener man.
Mike Kropf’s wife and son were in Haiti when the earthquake struck and he endured agonizing hours unsure if they were dead or alive.
“Not knowing if your wife and son are alive or dead? Yes, incredibly tense,” Kropf told 570 News today as he reflected on his life one year ago.
Kropf’s wife Lisa Weber and her son Jamie Dowsett returned safely and the ordeal has not dissuaded the family from helping out where help is needed. Kropf’s wife and son had been part of a missionary group through Waterloo’s Glen Acres Baptist Church. While they have not returned to Haiti, they have also not turned their backs on those in need.
“When the earthquake struck, my world changed briefly,” Kropf admits. “It was an awakening as to what goes on, not just in Haiti but around the world. It was an eye opener.”
Over the next couple of months, a team from Glen Acres will depart on a missionary junket to the Dominican Republic. As for Haiti, Kropf says the church and its missions have had to re-evaluate their approach to the island nation.
“There’s a lot stuff that’s going on in Haiti (thanks to the attention brought on by the earthquake) and do you want to get in the way?” Kropf asks. “So we’re stepping back and seeing what happens in Haiti, then possibly going back.”
Kropf calls Haiti a nation that “was broken before” and one that is now more broken, suggesting that the task of rebuilding is overwhelming. But he stops short of calling it hopeless, saying that a solution in Haiti starts by addressing what he believes is a corrupt government and moving forward from there.’
