AMARILLO, TEXAS -- The clogged streets of the Haitian capital turned quiet Wednesday, with solemn processions marking the anniversary of the worst natural disaster in its history. Haitians marched down empty, rubble-lined streets singing hymns to mark one year since the earthquake that left much of Port-Au-Prince in ruins.
It hits home for one Panhandle family. Jim Allen was on a mission trip to Haiti to help its children when he was taken into custody. "From the time you got there, from an hour drive into the city, it was just people, literally shoulder to shoulder is how crowded it was. And then the deeper you got into the city, the more damage you see, the more concrete you see down and broken and in piece, just people out in the streets," said Allen.
Allen said it was a calling to go to Haiti and help with the relief work. But while there he was one of 10 Baptist mission workers arrested and thrown in jail for allegedly trying to take 33 children across the border and into the Dominican Republic. He was accused of kidnapping.
"They didn't provide anything. Any food, any water, any clothing, no bedding, no phone, no attorney, you literally are put in there and you're on your own. Most of the time we didn't have anything and we would pray, "God, we need something to eat ," and then here it comes, somebody would drop off just a little bit and we would share it," said Allen.
He was eventually found not guilty after spending 19 days in prison. He said it was his faith that kept him going. "In my entire life, I've never been 100% dependent on God, but in this particular case, I was stripped of everything so I was completely dependent. So to sit back and watch God take care of you was awesome," said Allen.
He said it's an experience that he would do again. "I'd love to go back, but it's just so corrupt and I'm afraid It would be really dangerous for me to go there, but I'd love to go somewhere else," he continued.
The earthquake killed more than 230,000 people and roughly a million still remain homeless in Port-Au-Prince.
