Our Troups in Haïti

Larger image Padre Yves Joseph of Montreal, who was born in Haiti, addresses the congregation of the Église de Dieu in Creole. (Photos: Cpl Pierre Thériault)

Music unites CF with community in Port-au-Prince

Lieutenant (Navy) Kelly Rozenberg-Payne - Joint Task Force Haiti Headquarters

The makeshift church is so close to Joint Task Force Haiti (JTFH) Headquarters at Toussaint Louverture Airport that the deployed soldiers, sailors and air force personnel can hear the congregation singing. On Sunday, 14 February, nearly 100 members of the headquarters staff finally got a chance to join the community to share, celebrate and show their support.

The original church was damaged in the 12 January earthquake. Since then, the congregation has gathered in the courtyard at the home of one of the pastors.

“When we first walked into the church there were some strange looks but then, once we started to say hello and interact with our hosts, and then once the music started, it didn’t matter where you were from or what you were wearing, they understood we were all there for the same reason,” said Warrant Office Guylaine Lamoureux of the JTFH medical liaison staff.

“The experience was exhilarating,” she went on. “The energy was amazing; you think you know what you’re going to expect but we were welcomed so warmly that it really was a wonderful experience, we almost forget about the pain and suffering the country has experienced over the past month.”

Two members of the headquarters contingent took a more active part in the service. Captain Yves Joseph, a Canadian Forces chaplain from Montréal, was born in Haiti. At the pastor’s invitation, he addressed the congregation in Creole. Then he invited signals officer Second Lieutenant Jephte Toussaint of 712 Communications Squadron in Montreal to thank the congregation with a song from his childhood.

“The song I shared was very important to me; it’s a song I sing to my children,” said 2Lt Toussant. “I’m normally a very shy person, so to get up in front of that many people felt like a big rush; but in life, sometimes you only get one chance to take a risk and make a difference in the lives of others, no matter how big or small that difference maybe.”

2Lt Toussaint immigrated to Canada with his family from Haiti at the age of 5. “Being here brought back a flood of memories from my childhood,” says Toussaint. “I don’t normally go to church anymore but sometimes it’s important to do things you normally wouldn’t do to make connections with others.”

The CF members of JTFH are deployed on Operation HESTIA, a humanitarian assistance mission working to save lives and set the proper conditions for reconstruction in Haiti by providing medical care and distributing food, water and other forms of humanitarian assistance.

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