by Mary Wilson, mwilson@jcadvocate.com
Timing is everything. In life, we make time to do the things
we love, when we can. For Jeff Morgan, taking the trip of his dreams just took
a little patience, and time. Earlier this year, Morgan stepped away from his
successful plumbing business and entered into retirement. But, he’s not the
kind of guy to just sit around waste away the minutes, days or weeks he’s been
afforded.
Morgan believes that if you have a dream, and you say it out
loud, you can make it happen. That’s exactly what he did. A few years ago,
Morgan voiced his desire to travel to a third-world country to make what little
bit of difference he could in a different part of the world. Being a
social-media guru (he has been to “Facebookland,” as he calls it, and worked
with their small business professionals), he saw a post from the Plumbers
Without Borders organization.
“They shared a Build Health International (BHI) post about
what they were doing in Haiti,” said Morgan. “I thought, ‘well, that would be
really neat.’ So, I got on BHI’s website, filled out some paperwork, but I
didn’t turn it in. It was all filled out; I just had to push one more button.”
While Morgan felt compelled to do it, he said he also felt a
little scared. In February of this year, as he was leaving the office for the last
time, a coworker told him he should go ahead and volunteer.
“He said, ‘why don’t you just go ahead and go to Haiti and
do that work like you talked about,’” said Morgan. “So, after he left the
office and I was boxing away the rest of my stuff, I pushed the button.”
Morgan put the thought in the back of his mind. It wasn’t
until 6-8 weeks after he sent in his paperwork that he received an email. He
then went through an interview-type process, where he spoke with folks from
every spectrum of the BHI organization. The executive director of the
organization owned a mechanical company, sold it, and took the proceeds to
start BHI.
“Our stories were so similar,” said Morgan. “We had
something in common.”
Having not worked with his hands in over a decade, and not
worked any new construction for quite some time, Morgan was a little surprised
to discover BHI thought he was a good match for their organization.
“I couldn’t even tell you how long it’s been since I’ve done
that stuff,” said Morgan. “But, I can direct, and lead, and teach. So, that’s
what I thought they would have me do.”
He scheduled an appointment to get current on all of his
shots, and once those were complete, BHI started throwing some dates out to
him.
“The very week that I was supposed to go, the hurricane
came,” said Morgan. “I didn’t know how soon they would reschedule me, or how
that even worked. But just before Halloween, they wrote me back and said they
were ready.”
The timing worked for Morgan, and he flew to Miami where he
met a representative from BHI whom he would travel with to Haiti.
“I was, literally, the last person on the plane to Haiti,”
said Morgan. “I was charging my phone until the last possible minute. I wanted
to make sure I was at 100%; I didn’t know what it was going to be like when I
got there, you know?”
Once they landed in Haiti, Morgan was instructed to “do what
I do” from his guide.
“It was absolutely berserk,” said Morgan. “There were
animals everywhere. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.”
Hearing people speaking in Creole, Morgan said he definitely
felt as though he was in a foreign land. With barbed-wire surrounding the first
jobsite (a security measure), Morgan was escorted through and saw a security
guard with a sawed-off shotgun.
“I respected him right away,” said Morgan. “That’s when it
got a little bit scary. Not of getting shot or anything like that, I was scared
because I knew that I couldn’t turn the channel.”
He then felt this new strength and armored himself with a
shell to somewhat compartmentalize what he had stepped into.
“Something just came over me,” said Morgan. “You’re here;
you have to get through this. That’s what I kept telling myself. Enjoy it. Do
what you’re supposed to do; be what you’re supposed to be.”
Some equipment came to take back with them. Throwing the
tailgate down on a truck, Morgan immediately started hauling the tools onto the
bed. It was then that he said the others could tell he was there to work.
“And, man, they tested that,” said Morgan. “I dug a ditch. I
did gas piping. I had to get all the equipment myself, having to go find it and
work with whatever I found.”
While in Haiti, he felt a sense of overwhelming pride and
humility. Many towns don’t have electricity, and some only have it during
certain times. With no running water, the Haitians get their water from wells.
Orphans earn their keep as indentured servants.
Morgan got back to his plumbing roots while he was in Haiti.
The first week, he did a job that took up most of a day (which, he said he
would expect his guys back home to finish before lunchtime). The second week, armed
with a pick and a shovel, two apprentices and Morgan dug a ditch for a water
line.
“This kid dug this ditch, 85 feet long, 2 feet deep, all day
long, with flip flops on,” said Morgan. “I was just in admiration of the kid.”
He bonded with the boys. Later that week, the one in flip
flops had gotten a pair of tennis shoes. At the end of the week, right before
his return home, Morgan knew the bigger of the two would fit into his boots.
“I gave him my boots. I gave him my pants and a couple
shirts,” said Morgan. “The other one wouldn’t have fit into any of my stuff; he
was kind of little. The company, Morgan Miller Plumbing, had given me a care
package. It was all wrapped a bandana. That thing was my savior while I was
there, it was the best tool I had. So, on the last day, I gave the smaller of
the two boys my bandana.”
On his way out of Haiti, Morgan’s transportation returned to
the jobsite for gas and oil. He noticed that all the young men were lined up
waiting for their job assignments for the day. Rolling down his window, Morgan
looked to see if he could spot the two boys, thinking they’d be in line and
he’d see his bandana.
“There he was. He’s got my freaking bandana on his head,”
said Morgan. He raised his fist out the window. The boy spotted him, and raised
his fist in the air as the car drove out of sight. “It was awesome. I didn’t
know if I’d ever see him again.”
Coming home after his two-week adventure, Morgan knew he was
forever changed.
“All I could think about the whole way home was, ‘who am I
going to be?’ I can’t complain about anything ever again,” said Morgan. “I
don’t know what to do with this knowledge. I’m still, a month later, walking
around in a daze. I’m not the same, I’m just not. And it’s a magical feeling.”
The impact the trip made on Morgan’s life is profound. He’s
unsure of what the future holds, though it seems as though the inherent need he
has to lend a hand may lead him to other parts of the world and other people
who are struggling.
“Facebook does this; it takes you all around the world and
leads you to all kinds of paths that you would have never gone down otherwise,”
said Morgan. “I’ve got the time. I’ve got the energy. Why not help where I can
and when I can? That’s what it’s all about.”