“We need engineers, teachers, people who can give them food and comfort. We need common people to go down there to get those people to turn from voodoo, in a country whose life expectancy is 55-58 years.”

For some people, missions are a concern. For Orangeburg surgeon Dr. Julius ”Brush” Babb, they’re a passion. A passion that started 25 years ago.

“My first time on a mission trip was to Haiti in 1984. Several of us from the Orangeburg medical community went to the hospital at St. Croix, which is the epicenter of the recent earthquake.”

And that experience created memories that are still vivid.

“Prior to our trip we had gathered boxes of medicine and supplies to take with us. We had enough boxes to fill this office.”

“The manufacturer of Cipro gave us hundreds and hundreds of doses of the antibiotic Cipro.

“While we were going through the airport down there, many of these boxes just disappeared — all apparently related to the corruption that exists in that part of the world.

“That was very disheartening, but it stimulated all of us to work harder and continue in other mission fields.”

In Haiti back then, poverty was to the point where people were living in boxes with no water and little electricity.

According to Babb, “About 3 percent of the people had 95 percent of the wealth. And most of the aid got into the hands of those who already had it.”

Babb said, “And there is a tremendous need for infrastructure.

“I recall going down the road that had pot holes so deep that someone had placed parts of a VW in it, along with banana peels.

“You may find a hotel with its own system of purifying water, but disease is rampant — it’s real poverty in action.

“The hospital we were at had a wall for protection which also had spigots on the outside.

“People would bring buckets to fill with water, and these people were generally healthier in this area.

“The other thing that was so sad was that because of the lack of electricity, people will cut down trees on the slopes to make charcoal to burn.

“Then people try to farm a ditch or mud slide with no forest restoration. Although the soil is pretty fertile, they have to have an ox or tractor to work it. And there is a limited amount of chemicals.

“Haiti once had a good fishing industry, but I don’t remember seeing a boat that was of adequate size.”

Perhaps one of his most memorable experiences serving as a physician missionary was when Babb had his first encounter with elephantiasis.

“It’s a disease characterized by marked enlargement of the leg.”

According to Babb, “We found a gentleman that was laying on an operating table that told me he had been praying for 14 years — asking for someone to ‘come take my leg.’

“His leg was twice as large as the other one.

“I amputated it.

“He was one of the nicest persons I’ve ever met. He was a Christian who came to be a Christian through the clinic’s ministry.

“Before I left, he came to me and said, ‘My pain is gone!’

“An example of you receive more than you can ever give.”

He also voiced concerns about voodoo, saying “We would see a gazebo-looking building where people were being ‘treated’ by the voodoo chieftains — causing more harm than good as we could hear people screaming.”

What can Haiti do to dig itself out of this recent earthquake?

“My hope is that the UN will bring in people from all over the world to build clinics. As the country has no building codes, the people will be better off in tents and get their families together. Maybe place a hospital ship there for the long term.”

“I have a great desire to go back. Although presently, I think they have enough people there in the first line of defense. However, these people there are going to burn out. The next wave (of volunteers) will take care of those who have survived.

“We need engineers, teachers, people who can give them food and comfort. We need common people to go down there to get those people to turn from voodoo, in a country whose life expectancy is 55-58 years.”

“We’ve got to get the ox out of the ditch — a big ditch — and get them back on their feet.

“And when people give, they need to know where their monies go, such as the Red Cross or through their church.”

As a member of Orangeburg’s Trinity Presbyterian Church, Babb has been on numerous mission trips to places such as Ecuador and Peru.

However, his heart and thoughts are with the victims in Haiti at this time.

“It will be interesting to see what God has in mind for its restoration,” he adds.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the online edition of the Orangeburg (SC) Time and Democrat on February 5, 2009 and is reprinted with their permission.