Joy and suffering links Haitian diaspora in Montreal
MONTREAL, QC—The room is packed, the music is loud and heartfelt, the prayers are sighs of sorrow and joy. More than 400 people have come to Smyrne Baptist Church in Montreal this Sunday morning, dressed in their Sunday best, ready to remind each other of God's faithfulness.
God's faithfulness is important to these people, especially now. Although the church claims a congregation from 14 nations, Smyrne Baptist, at least for now, is a Haitian church.
There are people in this congregation who simply never heard from their loved ones in Haiti, and the second wave of mourning—giving up the missing as dead—is as painful as the first. More than one member lost a spouse in the earthquake. One woman lost seven members of her immediate family. Those who have not lost a family member are sharing the grief of those who have.
This is a diaspora, linked by the language and culture of their homeland, and now bound together in the solidarity of suffering.
For pastor Wilner Cayo, the church's first priority right now is to take care of its people. "We have crisis cell groups," he says. "We are offering professional counselling and therapy. We come together to pray, and sometimes we cry, but always we comfort."
Cayo, who was taking a sabbatical to write his doctoral thesis, was brought back by the church elders to shepherd the flock through this difficult time. "What we are going through is very heavy," he says. "That is why I am preaching about consolation and hope."
Although Cayo did not suffer the loss of any family members in the quake, he was in Port-au-Prince that day, with 21 other people, finishing up a week-long humanitarian mission. "We saw things you never want to see," he says.
The church is sending a team back in March, mostly medical professionals and counsellors, to offer comfort, encouragement and healing. "We will assure them that [the support] is not over," he says. "This situation is a crossroads that could be beneficial in many ways."
Cayo believes the Haitian people will learn to stand on their own and take care of themselves in time. For now, grateful for the outpouring of concern and generosity of the Canadian people toward his homeland, he encourages his congregation to give back in the only way they can.
"Canada has been good to us," he says. "Now we will show Canada that our hope is in God."
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