WAOW - Newsline 9, Wausau News, Weather, SportsWausau Pastor returns back from mission trip to Haiti and shares his experience

Wausau Pastor returns back from mission trip to Haiti and shares his experience

by Natalie Sparacio

WAUSAU/HAITI (WAOW)--  Following up on a story we first brought you in January.

Members of "Living Well Faith Community Church" in Wausau returned home from Haiti the day before the earthquake hit.

The group went back a month later, to begin re-building an orphanage destroyed by the quake.

We spoke with the pastor about his experience and where the project goes from here.

Pastor Harvey Mattson recently returned home following another mission trip to Haiti.

During the drive through Port-Au-Prince he says it was surreal to witness the devastation, buildings demolished, families uprooted, lives in shambles... simply put.. he was blown away by their resiliency.

Mattson says, "... whatever you need in Haiti is on the street side from photo copies to doctors appointments... to getting your tire fixed... and I was surprised to see it's business as usual 5 weeks after.. and it has to be.. because that's how they live and that's how the survive. They don't have an option of whether they want to get back out there... they want to mourn the death of their family... and rebuild their homes.. but if they don't get back out on the streets...how are they going to eat, how are they going to survive?"

As part of non-governmental organization known as "Orphanage by Faith", teams of relief workers from around the country and world are joining together.

Right now, their focus lies on tearing down the remains of an old orphanage, building a security wall and creating a storage unit.

Canadian troops built dormitories for boy and girls to shelter them from the spring rains.

Each night, Harvey and his brother took trips into the city and one night a little girl took his hand and showed them her house.

Mattson says, "... she took my hand an we go into the backyard and they showed us where the toys were set up...when the rain comes they go to the U.N. camp because everything soaking wet and just miserable. After a  few minutes... she looks up at us and says "big problem"... and were just a couple of farm boys.. but that gets you."

Harvey and his brother returned the next day with a 40 x 40 tarp, a duffle bag filled with toys, nutrition bars and camping meals.

Mattson says, "... we gave them these things and you would think they won the lotto.. they were so grateful... so it was very rewarding to work with the orphanage, but it was also very rewarding to go into town every night... and to meet the people of Jacmel... just amazed at the Haitian people... just at how resilient they are."

Harvey has spent 4 of the first 9 weeks of the year in Haiti.

He plans to return back for another mission trip in September or October.

Online Reporter: Natalie Sparacio