From the "Ouachitonian": Noah Day
January 01, 2020
As the majority of Ouachita’s student population readied themselves for the drive back to their childhood home for breaks, Noah Day, a sophomore Christian studies major from Oxford, Fla., claimed his home to be 1,666 miles from campus. Coming from a family of missionaries in Haiti, Day spent the majority of his life in the Caribbean country.
“We moved to Canada for a year so that my parents could study French. Then we moved to Haiti for twelve years, and that’s when my younger brother was born. I was a year and a couple months old,” said Day, “In 2010, we moved from Haiti to Texas after the earthquake.”
On January 12, 2010, an earthquake measuring a 7.0 magnitude killed an estimated 220,000 to 316,000 people, injured 300,000, displaced 1.5 million people and damaged or destroyed over 3,500 schools.
“We didn’t have any type of warning that there was going to be an earthquake. And again, because Haiti is a third world country, the buildings weren’t built properly; they weren’t built to withstand an earthquake,” said Day. “And so, when it hit, there was so much destruction and so much death. But God was really, really faithful to my family and I, and He protected us the entire time we were there.”
Day experienced his mother almost losing her life. Because of that horrific day, his family moved back to the United States, leaving his father in Haiti. Day transitioned to his life here, losing the lifestyle and friends he had previously known.
“I think that day I had never faced anything that hard, or that difficult or challenging in that way. Being in an earthquake was challenging spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally,” said Day. “Leaving your friends, leaving your entire life and picking up and going, it strips you of your identity and who you thought you were.”
Day attributed his healing and strength to his faith in Jesus Christ.
“Because of , it really caused me to go on an identity search and really look for who I was. That eventually led me to Christ,” said Day.
Once Day’s family moved from Haiti and settled down in Texas, Day swam throughout junior and senior high school. It was during his senior year when Coach Bostick, head swim coach for the Tigers, recruited Day.
“Swimming was the reason why I was initially drawn to Ouachita, but once I came to pre-registration and once I saw the campus and how tight-knit everybody was, everything else drew me in,” said Day.
For someone who had endured so much, Day did not allow any of it to hinder him. In addition to swimming, which he claimed had taught him discipline and time management, as well as gave him a foundation of friends.
Day was involved on campus as a leader for FCA, a member of the Tiger Serve Day leadership team, a Tri Chi Beau and a member of the Eta Alpha Omega men’s social club. However, he did not see an end to his life in Haiti, or his life as a missionary.
“I haven’t been back in a few years, but hopefully I’ll be able to go,” Day said. “I somewhat can envision myself in Haiti being a teacher, or a counselor or something in Haiti. But if not there, elsewhere.”
By Addy Goodman
Photo by Andy Henderson
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