LDS relief: Haiti binds a broken heart

Stript, wounded, beaten nigh to death,

I found him by the highway side,

I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,

Revived his spirit, and supplied

Wine, oil, refreshment, he was healed.

I had myself a wound concealed,

But from that hour forgot the smart,

And peace bound up my broken heart.

A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Liz Howell bustles about the injured and ailing Haitians, cleaning wounds, applying bandages and flashing her trademark grin as she provides care to patients of all ages suffering in the aftermath of the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake.

She provides the same, perky spark among her peers as the only female among the 18-member, LDS Church-sponsored team of doctors and nurses volunteering in Haiti.

Few of the men in her medical team, and certainly none of the Haitians she has seen, know how aptly Howell fits the fifth stanza of James Montgomery's 1826 poem, "The Stranger and His Friend." The poem later became the lyrics to the Christian hymn "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief," a favorite of early leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

You see, Howell herself has a wound concealed.

Eight-plus years ago in Arlington, Va., Brady and Liz Howell were enjoying their four-year marriage and the prospects of their respective careers — Brady working at the Pentagon as a presidential management intern in Naval intelligence and Liz beginning to position herself in the medical field with prestigious national and international connections.

That all ended on Sept. 11, 2001.

Brady Howell was one of the 188 killed in the 9/11 attack at the Pentagon.

Liz called him "my hero."

Brady and Liz Howell became household names during local and national coverage of the terrorist attacks and the impacts on the victims' surviving families.

Three and a half months later, Liz Howell found herself unexpectedly back in the national spotlight when she was invited to represent the families of 9/11 victims by carrying the Olympic torch in the run leading up to the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games.