By Betty Backstrom*
Jan. 25, 2010 | SHREVEPORT, La. (UMNS)

A tent city on the campus of Centenary College dramatizes the plight of Haitians and encourages Shreveport residents to provide money for food, medical aid and reconstruction efforts.

Titled “Cite Lespwa” (City of Hope), the tents are the brainchild of Britney Winn, 22, one of three members of First United Methodist Church who were working in an orphanage in Les Cayes when the earthquake occurred. The orphanage, located 140 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, was undamaged and none of the workers or the 75 orphans was injured.

The idea for the initiative came during the event-filled trip the trio took from Les Cayes to Port-au-Prince, epicenter of the 7.0 earthquake. “Seeing the tent cities and how many people were sleeping on the ground, the idea for the City of Hope just seemed like the right way to help,” said Winn.

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“We got home on Saturday [Jan. 16] and on Sunday morning, I made the first call about the tent city idea to the Rev. Betsey Eaves, Centenary’s chaplain,” said Winn. “The next call I made was to my parents. And then I called my church.” Everyone supported the idea.

“How many people in Port-au-Prince are sleeping outside tonight?” Winn asked. “Here in the tent city, we can sleep outside in solidarity with them. We can raise awareness and funds for the recovery.”

Winn admits to a mixture of emotions. “I’m probably feeling a combination of gratitude and guilt––grateful to be home, guilty to have left Haiti. The tent city helps me deal with those feelings, helps me feel closer to [the orphans].”

As Haitian ministry liaison for First United Methodist Church, Winn has made four trips to Haiti. The Rev. Hu Debo, global missions pastor for the church, and Nycki Sorenson, a church member, were with Winn on the January trip to the island.

Sorenson, 37, spent 16 days at the orphanage in Les Cayes during July 2009. “While we were there this past summer, our team was able to establish nutrition and medical care programs for the children in the orphanage,” said Sorenson. “The January mission was supposed to be a quick trip to check on the progress of those projects, and my decision to go this time was a last-minute thing.”

The elementary school teacher is passionate about mission in Haiti, emphasizing that volunteers should work to provide the impoverished country’s children with “health, safety, love and education.”

First United Methodist Church is a “village” partner with Global Orphan Project (GOP), whose representatives are currently building their 19th orphanage in Haiti to help meet the needs of children whose parents have died in the past weeks. The facility in Les Cayes is a GOP project.

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Carrie Mercer, a recent graduate of Centenary and college roommate of Winn, is one of dozens of volunteers who helped organize the tent city. “We met Monday night, and in two hours, we brainstormed and divided responsibilities,” said Mercer. “Volunteers worked constantly on Tuesday, contacting businesses and churches for assistance. Bands volunteered to play for mini-concerts that will draw attention to what we’re doing. On Wednesday, tents went up in the midst of tornado warnings,” she said. “It’s been really cool to watch all this.”

Local television stations reporting on the construction of the tents kept volunteers appraised of Jan. 20 weather predictions. “It’s been really cool to watch all this,” said Mercer.

City of Hope organizers reported dozens of volunteers over the weekend, ranging from high school and college students to individuals who are off work. Around 35 tents are on site. “We’re planning a Monday evening candlelight worship service, and we’re praying for a big crowd,” she said.

“The campus police have offered security by staying with us overnight. Others have helped us set up tents. Local restaurants are providing food for the volunteers. People all over Louisiana are praying for the Haitians and for the tent city,” said Mercer.

“We’ve received every kind of donation, from one man who emptied his car ashtray filled with coins to a woman who dropped off a check for $1,000,” she said. “One person even stepped off the city bus that runs down King’s Highway to make a donation. Watching the Body of Christ at work in Shreveport has made us a witness to the larger body, reaching across the world to our brothers and sisters in Haiti.”

For more information about the City of Hope and opportunities to give, visit www.fumcshreveport.org or call (318) 505-3455.

*Betty Backstrom is director of communications for the Louisiana Annual Conference and editor of Louisiana Now.

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