Charles Henri Pierre died suddenly in St. Marc Haiti December 17th, 2010.

He was pre-deceased by his wife in December 2008 and leaves behind six children and legions of friends.

He died of a “fever” of two days duration. He was 48 years old.

For all of us who knew Charles, this is devastating news.  We loved him, we respected him, we bragged about him to our friends.  It was a privilege to know him and an even greater privilege having him as our driver for our time in Haiti.

Charles was Dieudonne’s driver, her chauffeur; he has been since 1996.  In a world full of uncertainties, in a country like Haiti always on the brink of upheaval or unsuspected disaster, Charles was the constant.  He was so much more than just a driver – he was a friend, a confidante, totally dependable and always there.  Now there’s no more “always there”. Dieudonne is stunned and bereft and is receiving condolences as if she were family.

He was the first person we saw when we went to Haiti and the last – If we were lucky and his services weren’t needed elsewhere.  Oh, the stories we have of Charles.  He could do anything, he was always there when we needed him, he made us safe, he took care of us.

How do we honour someone like Charles who has touched us deeply?

We tell his family how much we loved him and respected him.

We say “m’regret sa” – I’m so sorry.

We say to Dieudonne, how can this be?  Is there anything we can do?

How will you carry on?

We say to each other, remember when?  We tell our stories and in the telling.  Charles lives again.

There is no way to “sum up” a life, a person, especially someone like Charles.  There’s just too much to say, all language is inadequate.

But – when we were in Haiti last month, Charles was with us nearly every day.  We were so lucky – I hope we told him how lucky we felt.

One day, after driving for four hours on the WORST ROADS EVER, we laughed and asked him “Would you do this again tomorrow?” His answer?

“Si vous voulez.” – If you wish.

If you wish.  A life of service, of quiet strength, of dignity.

We should be so honoured to live like that, to be remembered this way.

The Christmas season is upon us again; a time when most of us think about our faith, family and friends.   It is also a time of great reflection, a time when we reach out to help others, and a time when we participate in celebrations with people of all ages.

I have been a volunteer with Rayjon for many years working on humanitarian projects both here and abroad.   I have witnessed the many spectrums of human nature – pure joy when someone is given glasses that provides sight for the first time; to utter despair when a child or a family does not have food to eat or clean water to drink.  Such disparities are real and it hurts; however, I take what I learn and frequently compare the way that I see life to the way others in developing countries see life.

I would like to share with you how a typical Haitian or Guatemalan might be thinking about the Christmas season in their homeland.  Generally, Haitians and Guatemalans have a very strong faith.  Most of them attend the Catholic Church or other Christian Churches, but many of them also practice some Voodoo in Haiti or the old Mayan faith in Guatemala; most family celebrations will include memories and mementoes of their deceased family members.     Not too far off from our Canadian culture.

Our partners in these countries are Haitians helping Haitians and Guatemalans helping Guatemalans.   With Rayjon’s support, (thanks to our many donors and supporters), this helping has been very active during the past few months.

Some examples:

• 776 people in Guatemala and 330 people in Haiti have much improved vision because our partners hosted a Rayjon eyeglass clinic over the past year.

• There is now a dependable road to Gilbert in Haiti because refugees from the earthquake built it with Rayjon’s encouragement.

• Over 900 Haitian youth were able to attend school this year because they received support from Rayjon.

• Our Haitian partners were able to repair and improve the facilities at many of their schools with Rayjon’s support.

• In addition to their regular work, our Haitian partners have provided food to over 1,000 families who were displaced by the earthquake.  They provided needed medical assistance to more than 4,000 people.

• Our partners in the St. Marc area of Haiti have been making the many changes that are necessary to make the 4 schools and 2 medical clinics self-sufficient.

• Our Haitian partners have provided training and micro-credit to many adults that enable them to find employment and become self-sufficient.

So in spite of the earthquake, tropical storms, and the current Cholera epidemic, we at Rayjon see substantial progress in our project areas that receive our support.

2011 will be Rayjon’s 25^th Anniversary year.   We plan to celebrate in many ways throughout the year.   The first of our celebrations will take place on January 15^th at Grace United Church.   This event will be held in remembrance of the 2010 Haitian earthquake.  We certainly hope that you will take the time to join us for a day filled with activities for all ages.

In closing, I would like to leave you with this quote by James Oliver. “The world is blessed most by those who do things, and not by those who merely talk about them. “

Thanks to each and every one of you for doing things that make the world a more caring and compassionate place to call home!!!!

Merry Christmas – Peace and Blessings

Den Shannon,
Rayjon Chair