David Hames Found in Haiti

For almost a month we have been waiting for word of our friend David Hames.  David went missing after the earthquake at the Hotel Montana in Haiti.  We now have news the State Department identified the body of our friend this morning.  David is coming home, but it is not the ending we had hoped for his family.  

Thousands have prayed for a miracle for David.  He was in Haiti on freelance assignment as a videographer.   David along with friend and co-worker Dan Woolley were producing segments on children living in poverty for Compassion International.  The two were walking only feet from one another in the hotel lobby when the earthquake hit.

We watched as his colleague Dan was pulled out alive and we all hoped to see David pulled to safety.

Over a thousand family, friends, and people who never met David shared hopes, prayers, and support on the Friends of David Facebook page.  Everyone wanted a different ending.  It's still hard to understand.

David and I became friends in high school.  I am thankful for his friendship.  He always showed great joy and enthusiasm in everything.  I feel very blessed to have known him and to have reconnected with him.

David died doing something he loved.  He cared deeply about helping children in poverty and telling the stories of orphans worldwide.  Through his lens people could see the faces of need, the littlest, the most vulnerable.  His death is inspiring many to step out of comfort zones and follow David's passion for compassion.


My thoughts are with David's wife Renee and their two young sons, as well as his parents and siblings.  I know how it feels to lose someone suddenly. Sometimes there are no words to help or comfort.  There is comfort in knowing David's legacy of kindness and grace lives on in those he touched throughout his life.

You can see this legacy and talent in his creation of a children's show called Cranium's Ark.   When you watch David's antics as Captain Cranium you can not help but see his joy for life and tremendous heart.

He will be missed.