Garrett’s Trip to Bainet, January 14, 1999
Elder Boyd K. Packer taught:
“Shortly after I was called as a General Authority, I went to Elder Harold B. Lee for counsel. He listened very carefully to my problem and suggested that I see President David O. McKay. President McKay counseled me as to the direction I should go. I was very willing to be obedient but saw no way possible for me to do as he counseled me to do.
“I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the direction I was counseled to go. He said, ‘The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.’ I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: ‘You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you’” (“The Edge of the Light,” BYU Today, Mar. 1991, 22-23)
On January 13, 1999 we received word from the Leogane Branch President that one of their branch members, Ony George, had been seriously injured in an accident on a tap-tap. Tap-taps can be a very dangerous way to travel since these “small business owners” would pack as many passengers as possible in the back of a “cattle truck” or any other vehicle they could get their hands on. I don’t believe I was ever more afraid for my life, while serving in Haiti, then when I found myself on one of these tap-taps. People would pile into these trucks and buses to travel all day long.
The Leogane Branch President explained that Ony was traveling on the tap-tap to visit his family in Bainet – this is a small village Southeast of Leogane. While the tap-tap was passing through one of the many rivers and out of the steep embankment, Ony had fallen off and the tap-tap drove over his legs – crushing one of them and breaking the other into multiple pieces. The accident had occurred almost two weeks earlier. Since the accident, Ony was being “treated” in a backwoods shack by a doctor feuille (leaf doctor) and a “medicine man,” otherwise known as a voodoo priest. We knew what the intentions were of the voodoo priest and sensed the urgency to rescuing him. The “leaf doctor” was interested in helping Ony but really just planned on using what was left of him after the priest got what he was interested in. To put it bluntly, these doctors had a vested interest in Ony’s death, which underscored how difficult it was going to be to rescue him. Elder Paul Jean-Baptiste and I knew that we represented Ony’s only hope; but, we did not see how we were going to be able to be effective in an area so far from civilization. We were “very willing to be obedient” but had no idea what we were heading in to. That evening we placed a twin size mattress and a few other supplies in the back of the mission Mitsubishi truck. We left very early the next morning, January 14, 1999.
The drive from the mission office to Leogane is about thirty miles; but, it takes about 1 ½ hours with average traffic. The drive from Leogane to Jacmel is another 30-40 miles over a steep mountain pass and takes 2-3 hours or more depending on weather. The turn-off for Bainet is about half way between Leogane and Jacmel – at the peak of the mountain pass. To this point, the road is paved in asphalt – albeit plastered with potholes. It is a steep, dirt road from the turn-off to Bainet. If I remember correctly, this portion of the trip – which was about twenty miles – took us about 1 ½ hours. By the time we reached Bainet, we had been traveling a total of about four hours.
We left at 5:00 AM that morning; so, I was feeling that we were in pretty good shape and may even be back to the mission office by early afternoon. Our guide was riding in the back of the mission truck; so, we weren’t able to get many details about the destination until we got to Bainet. After driving through Bainet, anxiously anticipating the declaration of arrival, he pointed to a lightly traveled dirt road leaving Bainet to the Northwest. This lightly traveled dirt road lead to a river – this much was clear; however, I didn’t see much of a road leading out of the river. In fact, the opposite bank was rather steep. Although I didn’t know where I was going to go once I reached the other side of the river, we dove in. And sure enough, when we got to the other side, the opposing bank was too steep. We tried for some time to get the truck out of the river, back on dry ground. By now we had attracted the attention of several young men from the area. One of them approached me, pointing to the river. I knew what he meant; but, I had to convince myself … he just pointed at the river again … upon which our guide confirmed the directions.
I was later told that diesel trucks do quite well in water; but, I didn’t know that at the time. I was terrified that the truck would get flooded – literally – and we would be stuck hours away from anything that I knew about Haiti. Fortunately, we only had water coming over the hood in a couple of spots and were able to exit the river without any problems. After repeating this several more times, I actually began to have some confidence in driving through water and was having some fun … then I remembered where we were going and that we were almost there.
Finally, our guide tapped on the roof of the truck and pointed up a steep hill. I caught myself thinking that he wanted me to drive up the steep hill without any resemblance of a road; but, then I realized that he was pointing at the shack at the top of the hill. My heart rate raced at the thought that we were finally there and would soon be negotiating a trade with the voodoo priest and leaf doctor. The trouble with the trade was that we had nothing to offer that would be of any value to them.
I don’t remember everything that occurred that day at the shack; but, I do remember feeling like I had to pretend that I was in control and nothing was going to deter me from accomplishing what we had come to do. We asked where Ony was and were quickly directed to the front porch. The stench should have been enough to turn us away; but, for some strange reason, I think we were able to draw some strength from the smell – we knew we did not have any time to waste. Without telling anyone what we were doing, I looked around for some way to transport Ony – we hadn’t thought of that the night before. The only option we had was to use the door hanging from the shack; so, I told someone to get it. While they took the door off the shack, Elder Jean-Baptiste and I spoke with Ony briefly and tried to reinforce the braces on his legs. The Leogane Branch President nor anyone else knew how bad his condition was … We now knew that it would not have been possible for anyone to describe how bad it was.
The leaf doctor was there when we arrived; and, based upon his lack of defiance, I truly believe that he wanted to help Ony, only he didn’t have the means to do so or he didn’t have the political power to overrule the voodoo priest. The voodoo priest arrived about the time that we had reinforced Ony’s braces and gently transferred him to the door. I looked at my companion, Elder Jean-Baptiste, for some guidance. The only thing I could read from his face was that we needed to leave as soon as possible. Elder Jean-Baptiste understood better what we were dealing with. We never talked about the experience afterwards; but, it was at this moment that I gained a greater sense of how naive I was in this country. I am sure the voodoo priest assumed that the white guy was in charge; so, he approached me. I don’t remember who spoke first; but, I do remember simply telling him that we were taking Ony to get proper medical help and walking away carrying Ony on the stretcher-door.
I am sure that the difficult task of carrying Ony on the door without causing any unnecessary pain was what gave me the appearance of knowing what I was doing and acting with confidence. I was watching the voodoo priest out of the corner of my eye in order to get a better read of what he may try next. For some reason – which I am sure was the hand of God – the priest didn’t do anything. We had to carry Ony about 2-300 feet, down the hill to the truck. Once we got to the truck, we realized that we didn’t bring any of Ony’s personal belongings. I didn’t want to be at that shack for another minute; so, I told one of his family members to bring his stuff to the hospital when they come. And we left.
I would have felt better leaving if we would have been able to drive faster (Ony would fight back a cry of pain at every little bump), if we did not have to pass through the river several times, and if it wouldn’t have been the afternoon already – remember, I thought we were going to be home by early afternoon. Fortunately, we did not have to deal with the voodoo priest again.
I only remember two distinct things from that drive home: (1) listening to the tape of patriotic hymns sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and (2) that I listened to that complete tape many times – it took us about eight hours to make the four hour, seventy-five mile (approximate) trip back to Port-au-Prince. Our destination for Ony was the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince. It is strange now to think back on what I expected at the hospital because I don’t remember expecting anything. At this point, I was so drained physically and emotionally that it was like a dream. We delivered Ony to the “ER”. The area was filled with people. The only vacant spot was in a hallway near the ER.
Mission rules were that we had to be in our apartments by dusk, which was usually around 6:00 PM. It was now getting close to midnight. We knew it was not safe to be out; so, we had to leave Ony there and hope that he received help. We reached our apartment, the mission office, in about thirty minutes and quickly reported in to President Miller. We gave a brief account of what had occurred; but, all he wanted to know was that we were home safe. I later learned that he too expected us back in the early afternoon. He had just finished a prayer that we would return safely.
Elder Jean-Baptiste and I were able to visit Ony several weeks later, just before I returned home. It is amazing to think what this man had been through in contrast to the bright spirit he had the day we visited him. It was also a testimony to me that the Lord answers prayers and that he guides us through our lives. We may not always recognize this at the time; but, if we are obedient and faithful, we have nothing to worry about. I believe this is what Elder Packer was teaching from his experience – we must act in faith.
Elder Boyd K. Packer taught:
“Shortly after I was called as a General Authority, I went to Elder Harold B. Lee for counsel. He listened very carefully to my problem and suggested that I see President David O. McKay. President McKay counseled me as to the direction I should go. I was very willing to be obedient but saw no way possible for me to do as he counseled me to do.
“I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the direction I was counseled to go. He said, ‘The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.’ I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: ‘You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you’” (“The Edge of the Light,” BYU Today, Mar. 1991, 22-23)
On January 13, 1999 we received word from the Leogane Branch President that one of their branch members, Ony George, had been seriously injured in an accident on a tap-tap. Tap-taps can be a very dangerous way to travel since these “small business owners” would pack as many passengers as possible in the back of a “cattle truck” or any other vehicle they could get their hands on. I don’t believe I was ever more afraid for my life, while serving in Haiti, then when I found myself on one of these tap-taps. People would pile into these trucks and buses to travel all day long.
The Leogane Branch President explained that Ony was traveling on the tap-tap to visit his family in Bainet – this is a small village Southeast of Leogane. While the tap-tap was passing through one of the many rivers and out of the steep embankment, Ony had fallen off and the tap-tap drove over his legs – crushing one of them and breaking the other into multiple pieces. The accident had occurred almost two weeks earlier. Since the accident, Ony was being “treated” in a backwoods shack by a doctor feuille (leaf doctor) and a “medicine man,” otherwise known as a voodoo priest. We knew what the intentions were of the voodoo priest and sensed the urgency to rescuing him. The “leaf doctor” was interested in helping Ony but really just planned on using what was left of him after the priest got what he was interested in. To put it bluntly, these doctors had a vested interest in Ony’s death, which underscored how difficult it was going to be to rescue him. Elder Paul Jean-Baptiste and I knew that we represented Ony’s only hope; but, we did not see how we were going to be able to be effective in an area so far from civilization. We were “very willing to be obedient” but had no idea what we were heading in to. That evening we placed a twin size mattress and a few other supplies in the back of the mission Mitsubishi truck. We left very early the next morning, January 14, 1999.
The drive from the mission office to Leogane is about thirty miles; but, it takes about 1 ½ hours with average traffic. The drive from Leogane to Jacmel is another 30-40 miles over a steep mountain pass and takes 2-3 hours or more depending on weather. The turn-off for Bainet is about half way between Leogane and Jacmel – at the peak of the mountain pass. To this point, the road is paved in asphalt – albeit plastered with potholes. It is a steep, dirt road from the turn-off to Bainet. If I remember correctly, this portion of the trip – which was about twenty miles – took us about 1 ½ hours. By the time we reached Bainet, we had been traveling a total of about four hours.
We left at 5:00 AM that morning; so, I was feeling that we were in pretty good shape and may even be back to the mission office by early afternoon. Our guide was riding in the back of the mission truck; so, we weren’t able to get many details about the destination until we got to Bainet. After driving through Bainet, anxiously anticipating the declaration of arrival, he pointed to a lightly traveled dirt road leaving Bainet to the Northwest. This lightly traveled dirt road lead to a river – this much was clear; however, I didn’t see much of a road leading out of the river. In fact, the opposite bank was rather steep. Although I didn’t know where I was going to go once I reached the other side of the river, we dove in. And sure enough, when we got to the other side, the opposing bank was too steep. We tried for some time to get the truck out of the river, back on dry ground. By now we had attracted the attention of several young men from the area. One of them approached me, pointing to the river. I knew what he meant; but, I had to convince myself … he just pointed at the river again … upon which our guide confirmed the directions.
I was later told that diesel trucks do quite well in water; but, I didn’t know that at the time. I was terrified that the truck would get flooded – literally – and we would be stuck hours away from anything that I knew about Haiti. Fortunately, we only had water coming over the hood in a couple of spots and were able to exit the river without any problems. After repeating this several more times, I actually began to have some confidence in driving through water and was having some fun … then I remembered where we were going and that we were almost there.
Finally, our guide tapped on the roof of the truck and pointed up a steep hill. I caught myself thinking that he wanted me to drive up the steep hill without any resemblance of a road; but, then I realized that he was pointing at the shack at the top of the hill. My heart rate raced at the thought that we were finally there and would soon be negotiating a trade with the voodoo priest and leaf doctor. The trouble with the trade was that we had nothing to offer that would be of any value to them.
I don’t remember everything that occurred that day at the shack; but, I do remember feeling like I had to pretend that I was in control and nothing was going to deter me from accomplishing what we had come to do. We asked where Ony was and were quickly directed to the front porch. The stench should have been enough to turn us away; but, for some strange reason, I think we were able to draw some strength from the smell – we knew we did not have any time to waste. Without telling anyone what we were doing, I looked around for some way to transport Ony – we hadn’t thought of that the night before. The only option we had was to use the door hanging from the shack; so, I told someone to get it. While they took the door off the shack, Elder Jean-Baptiste and I spoke with Ony briefly and tried to reinforce the braces on his legs. The Leogane Branch President nor anyone else knew how bad his condition was … We now knew that it would not have been possible for anyone to describe how bad it was.
The leaf doctor was there when we arrived; and, based upon his lack of defiance, I truly believe that he wanted to help Ony, only he didn’t have the means to do so or he didn’t have the political power to overrule the voodoo priest. The voodoo priest arrived about the time that we had reinforced Ony’s braces and gently transferred him to the door. I looked at my companion, Elder Jean-Baptiste, for some guidance. The only thing I could read from his face was that we needed to leave as soon as possible. Elder Jean-Baptiste understood better what we were dealing with. We never talked about the experience afterwards; but, it was at this moment that I gained a greater sense of how naive I was in this country. I am sure the voodoo priest assumed that the white guy was in charge; so, he approached me. I don’t remember who spoke first; but, I do remember simply telling him that we were taking Ony to get proper medical help and walking away carrying Ony on the stretcher-door.
I am sure that the difficult task of carrying Ony on the door without causing any unnecessary pain was what gave me the appearance of knowing what I was doing and acting with confidence. I was watching the voodoo priest out of the corner of my eye in order to get a better read of what he may try next. For some reason – which I am sure was the hand of God – the priest didn’t do anything. We had to carry Ony about 2-300 feet, down the hill to the truck. Once we got to the truck, we realized that we didn’t bring any of Ony’s personal belongings. I didn’t want to be at that shack for another minute; so, I told one of his family members to bring his stuff to the hospital when they come. And we left.
I would have felt better leaving if we would have been able to drive faster (Ony would fight back a cry of pain at every little bump), if we did not have to pass through the river several times, and if it wouldn’t have been the afternoon already – remember, I thought we were going to be home by early afternoon. Fortunately, we did not have to deal with the voodoo priest again.
I only remember two distinct things from that drive home: (1) listening to the tape of patriotic hymns sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and (2) that I listened to that complete tape many times – it took us about eight hours to make the four hour, seventy-five mile (approximate) trip back to Port-au-Prince. Our destination for Ony was the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince. It is strange now to think back on what I expected at the hospital because I don’t remember expecting anything. At this point, I was so drained physically and emotionally that it was like a dream. We delivered Ony to the “ER”. The area was filled with people. The only vacant spot was in a hallway near the ER.
Mission rules were that we had to be in our apartments by dusk, which was usually around 6:00 PM. It was now getting close to midnight. We knew it was not safe to be out; so, we had to leave Ony there and hope that he received help. We reached our apartment, the mission office, in about thirty minutes and quickly reported in to President Miller. We gave a brief account of what had occurred; but, all he wanted to know was that we were home safe. I later learned that he too expected us back in the early afternoon. He had just finished a prayer that we would return safely.
Elder Jean-Baptiste and I were able to visit Ony several weeks later, just before I returned home. It is amazing to think what this man had been through in contrast to the bright spirit he had the day we visited him. It was also a testimony to me that the Lord answers prayers and that he guides us through our lives. We may not always recognize this at the time; but, if we are obedient and faithful, we have nothing to worry about. I believe this is what Elder Packer was teaching from his experience – we must act in faith.
