by Jonathan LaMare
After a week of being back in the United States I cannot stop thinking about Team “Small and Mighty” and the amazing week we had in Haiti at Be Like Brit. Although brainstorming team names during the ride from Grand Goave to Port-au-Prince was challenging, the two adjectives that we chose to describe our team, Small and Mighty, are perfect. Our team was SMALL, made up of only six people: Roxanne and Christine, life-long friends and members of the St. John’s Worcester Parish, Kristin, an emergency room nurse returning on her third trip to Be Like Brit, Betsy, a mother of two girls and an avid cyclist, Frannie, a Lynn University graduate and me, Rosie, a Holy Cross graduate living and working in Boston. But our impact was MIGHTY: during our week we were able to renovate T.Joseph’s house, paint the back security wall of Be Like Brit, laminate and hang portraits of the BLB kids and clean the park that the BLB children visit.
Sadly though our trip was marked by tragedy. On the Wednesday of our trip, the Be Like Brit Family lost an amazing member, Franklin, a caretaker. Team Small and Might had the gift of meeting Franklin and his family while we renovated his father’s house on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, the team spent the whole morning with Franklin during an all staff meeting. We watched Franklin as he enthusiastically played soccer with the children, listened as he joyfully told our team his birthday was the following day and enjoyed seeing beautiful pictures of his daughter Alisha. Our team, along with the whole Be Like Brit community, was devastated after hearing Franklin was killed in a motorcycle accident Wednesday afternoon. During reflection, our team remembered Franklin in many ways but our sentiments are summed up with the quote, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love”
Although hearts were heavy, our team tried to channel our energy in a positive way. We visited Franklin’s wife Maxina and his father T. Jospeh bringing them food from the Market to help feed the visitors they were receiving, mourning the loss of Franklin. We shared their grief and in return were fortified by their strength and resilience. We felt so fortunate for the beautiful friends we made in Haiti, the spirit of Brit that is ever present and the support of the Gengel family. I know all of us will cherish our memories of Franklin and keep his family in our thoughts and prayers.
Thank goodness for the children who bring light and love to even times of great sadness and loss. We ended our week in Haiti with a dance, the Hokey Pokey that the children (and we) loved! I know that the members of Team Small and Mighty cannot wait to return to Haiti to reconnect with all of the BLB kids and the community of Grand Goave.
We'll remember: When you pray, move your feet!
