Miss-Delectable
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| BlueRidgeNow.com | Times-News Online | Hendersonville, NC
Judy Revis fought tears as she talked about Haiti and the earthquake that killed thousands of people and wrecked the capital's infrastructure Tuesday.
She and her husband, Steve, both Western North Carolina natives, operate a ministry for the deaf in the country and have lived there for 26 years. Judy is now in the United States caring for her mother. Steve, who grew up on a farm in Sylva, had just returned to Haiti after traveling to the states for the holidays when the quake struck.
Judy had no idea whether Steve was dead or alive for a couple of hours when news of the quake first broke. Finally, family members reached him briefly Tuesday night.
"He had seen a five-story building collapse in front of him and people dying all around -- just a horrific situation," said Mark Williams, a county commissioner who serves on the mission's board. "He's literally out pulling bodies out of the rubble."
For Judy, the daughter of local apple farmers Eston and Thelma Lively, Haiti has become home. She has been glued to the news coverage of the destruction in Port-au-Prince, although it has been hard to stomach.
"I saw one of my deaf teachers sitting there with her mother," she said. "I could tell she was hurt. I couldn't tell if her mother was alive."
She took a breath and paused.
"I told my husband to check on her today if he could," she added.
She talked with Steve last night by satellite phone. He was in Petionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, at the time of the quake, which happened around 4 p.m. He was able to make it back to their home by 10 p.m.
Steve said he was fine and their home's foundation was fine, though things inside the house had been rattled.
When Judy heard the news of the earthquake, "I just thought, oh dear God, those poor people. They didn't need this," she said.
On Wednesday, Judy was unsure what Steve was doing and was waiting to hear from him. She could not reach him on his cell phone, but she thought he was going to try to find some of the teachers.
Judy and their son, Jim, are trying to get a flight back to the country so they too can help.
In 1989, Steve and Judy founded their ministry, Christian Agricultural Mission Service, to drill wells in Haiti. They also help with the needs of the deaf by having teachers go into children's homes to teach.
The couple moved to Haiti in 1983 with their three children.
Haiti "is where you feel like the Lord wants you to be," Judy said. "When you see hungry kids, when you see the need of the people, it just draws you back."
The people in Haiti have always been welcoming, she said.
The country has been hit hard by flooding and other natural disasters in years past. There is little infrastructure in the country to help the number of people needing it after the quake.
"That's why it's so important to get people in to help," she added. "There's no equipment, there's no medical supplies, there's no ambulances."
"I'm sure there will be quite a lot to recover from for a while," Judy said. "Please ask the people to pray for them."
Ways to help
The Henderson County Red Cross has posted information on its Web site, Henderson County Red Cross - Together We Can Make a Difference, regarding the disaster and the American Red Cross response. There is a Haitian Red Cross, and the ARC is supporting them, as is the International Red Cross, said Henderson County Red Cross Executive Director Mike Williams.
The local chapter is receiving donations for either the Haiti response directly, the ARC International Response Fund (which is supporting this disaster and will continue to support other international disasters that happen), or the Henderson County Chapter operating funds which help it in times like these, Williams said.
"We've had about six people already drop off or call in donations in response to the earthquake," he said Wednesday afternoon.
Judy Revis fought tears as she talked about Haiti and the earthquake that killed thousands of people and wrecked the capital's infrastructure Tuesday.
She and her husband, Steve, both Western North Carolina natives, operate a ministry for the deaf in the country and have lived there for 26 years. Judy is now in the United States caring for her mother. Steve, who grew up on a farm in Sylva, had just returned to Haiti after traveling to the states for the holidays when the quake struck.
Judy had no idea whether Steve was dead or alive for a couple of hours when news of the quake first broke. Finally, family members reached him briefly Tuesday night.
"He had seen a five-story building collapse in front of him and people dying all around -- just a horrific situation," said Mark Williams, a county commissioner who serves on the mission's board. "He's literally out pulling bodies out of the rubble."
For Judy, the daughter of local apple farmers Eston and Thelma Lively, Haiti has become home. She has been glued to the news coverage of the destruction in Port-au-Prince, although it has been hard to stomach.
"I saw one of my deaf teachers sitting there with her mother," she said. "I could tell she was hurt. I couldn't tell if her mother was alive."
She took a breath and paused.
"I told my husband to check on her today if he could," she added.
She talked with Steve last night by satellite phone. He was in Petionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, at the time of the quake, which happened around 4 p.m. He was able to make it back to their home by 10 p.m.
Steve said he was fine and their home's foundation was fine, though things inside the house had been rattled.
When Judy heard the news of the earthquake, "I just thought, oh dear God, those poor people. They didn't need this," she said.
On Wednesday, Judy was unsure what Steve was doing and was waiting to hear from him. She could not reach him on his cell phone, but she thought he was going to try to find some of the teachers.
Judy and their son, Jim, are trying to get a flight back to the country so they too can help.
In 1989, Steve and Judy founded their ministry, Christian Agricultural Mission Service, to drill wells in Haiti. They also help with the needs of the deaf by having teachers go into children's homes to teach.
The couple moved to Haiti in 1983 with their three children.
Haiti "is where you feel like the Lord wants you to be," Judy said. "When you see hungry kids, when you see the need of the people, it just draws you back."
The people in Haiti have always been welcoming, she said.
The country has been hit hard by flooding and other natural disasters in years past. There is little infrastructure in the country to help the number of people needing it after the quake.
"That's why it's so important to get people in to help," she added. "There's no equipment, there's no medical supplies, there's no ambulances."
"I'm sure there will be quite a lot to recover from for a while," Judy said. "Please ask the people to pray for them."
Ways to help
The Henderson County Red Cross has posted information on its Web site, Henderson County Red Cross - Together We Can Make a Difference, regarding the disaster and the American Red Cross response. There is a Haitian Red Cross, and the ARC is supporting them, as is the International Red Cross, said Henderson County Red Cross Executive Director Mike Williams.
The local chapter is receiving donations for either the Haiti response directly, the ARC International Response Fund (which is supporting this disaster and will continue to support other international disasters that happen), or the Henderson County Chapter operating funds which help it in times like these, Williams said.
"We've had about six people already drop off or call in donations in response to the earthquake," he said Wednesday afternoon.