Jeremy Schurke

On our first night in Haiti I had no idea what to expect. Honestly our living quarters were still under construction so it felt like we were a little out of place. However, Jeremy came up to us and introduced himself. He became our group coordinator for the week. Jeremy has been living full time in Haiti since September and has an amazing story I will share later.
Jeremy helped us feel very welcomed that night. He went through an orientation as it poured rain so hard I thought the pavilion was going to cave in. Some of the things he informed us of included parts of Haitian culture. He said that especially since the earthquake unfortunately Haitians have become accustomed to viewing Americans as people who will freely give them things. One english phrase almost ever Haitian knows is “Give me one dollar.” This is why Mission of Hope has adopted the policy that no one is allowed to give anything to the Haitians unless it is approved by a translator or staff member. This was at first hard for me to comprehend. I had brought tons of stickers and treats to give to the kids and my hopes were crushed about giving them away. Then Jeremy said something else that made me understand. “When you give the children something it puts them in danger.” I had never thought of it that way. In my American mind giving a child a present can only make them happy. I had never thought of the danger that a child could be put in if they had a piece of candy that maybe another Haitian adult might want and would do anything to get. He continued by explaining that some Haitians have gotten tired of having their photo taken. He continued to say that we needed to ask by saying “Photo” and showing a thumbs up or a thumb down to get a response if they would like to get their picture taken. This is something that also hadn’t occurred to me when thinking about Haiti. To these people their lives are constantly being put on display with tourists since the earth quake. They aren’t used to that. They also have so little that it is embarrassing for their lack of wealth to be put on display so openly to people who know nothing about their culture.
Every night we would have a staff member go through and do reflections on their experience in Haiti. So far up until Jeremy’s night everyone’s reflections had been pretty somber and sad. I was excited about Jeremy’s because as I got to know his personality I realized he is a very funny guy. I think his strory can only be introduced the way Jeremy himself started his story: “So I guess it all started when i drop kicked my moms uterus”. We laughed hysterically at this comment and then he fast forwarded to his high school years. He wasn’t a christian and he was living his life solely for himself. Partying, and drinking were parts of his daily routine. However, none of these things fully satisfied Jeremy. His best friend Jay told him that he needed to try the church thing out. So Jeremy looked into almost every religion but christianity is the only one that being saved comes through faith and not by works. So Jeremy asked God to come into his heart and be the leader of his life. After this Jeremy started college at University of Central Florida. One year Jeremy decided that he should throw himself a birthday party. So he threw the party and it was a huge hit. Someone suggested that he do another one. Jeremy didn’t need to be asked twice to throw another party so they started planning it. This time they thought that they would try to raise some money for a good organization. Jay knew of a pastor in Haiti, Charles, that could use some money to help build an orphanage. So they decided they would ask for donations at the part and they hoped to maybe break 4 figures. When the party was over they had raised $20,000! Through out the rest of the year they kept raising money but after they donated it they kind of forgot about the cause. In September they realized that the orphanage was about to open so they decided they needed to be there to get it running. Jeremy said this was one of the hardest parts of his life. The conditions they lived in were pretty bad since this place just opened. Also Jeremy wasn’t used to living with out the everyday amenities we take advantage of in America. Jeremy talked about something really cool though. How he had to rely on God. In America we seem to add God to our lives. In reality God should be our lives, not just a part that we fit in when we can. Jeremy explained how without God he wouldn’t have been able to make it. Over Christmas break Jeremy came home for a few weeks but then he went back. When the earthquake hit on the 12th he was just out walking in the village with a few of the boys from the orphanage. At first he thought it was just a big truck about to come down the road but then he realized that it wasn’t when the ground began violently shaking from side to side. He looked up and saw one of the boys standing by a wall that was collapsing around him on both sides. Jeremy yelled out and the boy moved just in time for the wall to miss him as it fell behind him. After the earthquake was over they all went back to the compound and tried to sleep that night. Jeremy explained that it was near impossible to sleep however because of all the after shocks that happened all through the night. They had to leave the building every time for fear that it would collapse on top of them. When morning came so did the survivors of the earth quake. busses and busses of people with severed limbs and blood gushing came into the compound seeking help. Jeremy said that it was one of the worst days of his life. He prayed that God would get him out of there. By some miracle God did get them out of there through the US embassy. Jeremy talked about the extreme sense of patriotism he felt as he was taken by the US military back into the US. When they got to the US they got meals new clothes and a place to stay, but Jeremy knew they had to go back. After several meetings they came back with supplies and money to help with relief. The people in the compound had been running it very well so Jeremy and his friends decided this was a good time to step back and let them take charge. Thats when they started working at Mission of Hope. To a by stander it might not seem like anything good could have come from the earthquake. Jeremy directly saw the good though. He explained that Charles had set up ministry in an area that practiced 80% Haitian voodoo. He did this on purpose so that he could minister to them. However, Charles had had very little success for the 12 years that he had been there. Only 2 people had come to know christ. Immediately after the earthquake Jeremy heard people praising God and singing while buried in the rubble. To the people of that village God had literally just shaken the world so that they would realize the truth that is Jesus Christ.