Haiti, the Forgotten Country

Haiti

Often we get caught up in our own busy lives and spheres of influence and forget that there is a whole other world out there, consisting of others that may not be as fortunate as us.

The economic situation in Haiti would make most of us long for home in appreciation for the opportunities we have in this country.

Haiti, with its 75% unemployment rate, $15-$20.00 average income per week, 70% illiteracy, 10,000+ homeless in the capital and thousands of children living on the streets; is visibly a country less blessed than our own.

Taking matters into their own hands, three of Clearwater’s Scientology Volunteer Ministers, Cary Goulston, Mike Campbell and Brad Kugler—all who have businesses and families to care for—decided to reach outside their comfort zone and give relief to Haiti. After months of fundraising and preparation, they traveled to Haiti last month to deliver enough Kenaf seeds (a fast growing plant that is an ideal food and building source) to feed thousands of Haitians.  Equally important are the educational tools the three provided to the people of Haiti. These tools were developed by L. Ron Hubbard (the founder of Scientology) to further assist them in reversing their unprecedented rate of economic decline.

Cary Goulston was so inspired by the technology developed by Mr. Hubbard that he has been studying them intently over the last year. In his own words, he said, “I had to DO something.  I had to get it out there.  I had to disseminate.  I have to help people.  After discovering this technology, I got so super-charged, it was more difficult to go back to my ‘real life’ and what I had been doing before.  Once you know what you learn from the L. Ron Hubbard books and tapes, there is no other choice than to bring it to the people and bring it large and loud.”

Cary continued to describe the conditions in Haiti, “When we arrived in Haiti, it was as if we had walked into a different dimension, a time warp, another universe.  Here is a country that time and life and the world not only seemed to forget, but maybe was ignoring. With what we saw, I think those words are too kind. 

It might be more appropriate to say that it is an oppressed country to the max.  The utter contempt for human life and the complete lack of basic survival needs were omnipresent.  Traveling but an hour south of Florida to the country of Haiti was a wake-up call and a culture shock.”

Yet, with their ever-present daily challenges, the people of Haiti were surprisingly bright and willing to learn, work and improve their state of living, Cary reported.

The Volunteer Minister’s first stop was a local Catholic School, where they delivered a Dianetics seminar to students.  While at the school, Cary noticed high school students playing basketball in the courtyard.

“I jumped in and got their okay to play and I played for 5-10 minutes, making several excellent moves on a teenager, beating him to the basket for a couple scores.  Mike saw this, got jealous and took a long distance shot from the sidelines where all the teachers were and made the shot—swish! I think we impressed a few people. ‘White man can still jump’.  Everyone laughed and it brought some levity and reality to the scene. ‘We were one of them!’ became my new war cry.  Unfortunately, now I was sweating profusely while everyone around me didn’t even show a bead of sweat.”

"I decided to get involved because it is healthier for the soul to take more responsibility for people that just oneself or immediate friends and family.  The idea that “someone else will take care of it” just doesn’t work and the responsibility falls on those who are aware of the situation.  The opportunity was there and I felt I could do something to help the Haitians help themselves with Hubbard Study Technology and Dianetics Self-Improvement Technology.  It was an adventure that has since quickly taken on a grass roots life of its own in Haiti.” 

 - Mike Campbell

Brad Kugler, who was no stranger to Haiti said, “When I was asked to go back to Haiti to document the latest efforts to help with my photography, I remembered the need of these people and how open they were to being helped.  The country is so beautiful, and the people so precious, that I was ready to go and help out again.  It is not the easiest place to get along, but I knew I was needed and the experience was one I will never forget.”

Clearwater can be proud of these three Volunteer Ministers who rose to the occasion when asked to take responsibility and help Mankind in our neighboring country of Haiti.

For more information on how you can help continue the Haiti relief project, visit www.haitidianeticscenter.org.

Tampa Bay Informer
The Good News Newspaper

Supporting Good News... The Tampa Bay Informer - The Good News Newspaper serving Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco Florida cities: Clearwater, Dunedin, Largo, Safety Harbor, St. Petersburg, Clearwater Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Sand Key, Pinellas Park, Palm Harbor, Tampa, Port Richey, New Port Richey, Oldsmar and other Tampa Bay area cities, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites: