Most people at 72 are looking for a comfortable recliner. Bob Vaughn was looking for a DC-3 airplane and a rugged mountain in the middle of the Caribbean.
When Bob’s friend John Hocker first asked him to go to Haiti in 2005, Bob’s internal response was blunt: “What a dumb question!” He seldom crossed the Iowa border and he certainly wasn’t a world traveler. But 21 years and dozens of trips later, Bob is reflecting at age 93 on a journey that changed his life—and the lives of thousands in Pignon—forever.
Here are some highlights from Bob’s legendary two-decade legacy.
🚁 The DC-3 and the “Wild Blue Yonder”
Bob describes his first arrival in Haiti as a step into the unknown. Looking through the scratched windows of a missionary plane, he saw the jagged peaks of the Central Plateau and Mt. Pignon. He wasn’t there for a vacation; he was there because he realized his “security zone” was keeping him from a higher calling. Bob’s advice to us? Step out. The view from the “Wild Blue Yonder” is better than the view from your porch.
🥣 The Pumpkin Soup Epiphany
Haiti has a way of challenging your taste buds. Bob recalls his first bowl of traditional Haitian Pumpkin Soup. He hesitated—it looked different and sat squarely outside his Midwestern comfort zone. But he took a bite. Then another.
The “WOW” Moment: It was delicious. More importantly, it was hospitality. Bob realized that to truly serve, you have to be willing to join the “Village” and taste the life of your neighbor. At Many Hands, we don’t bring “American solutions”; we bring a willing heart to a seat at the table.
👠 Sunday Best and Dignity
One of Bob’s favorite stories is about a man named Bygone. Bygone worked six days a week in the grit and heat of the Central Plateau. But on Sunday? He showed up in his “Sunday Best” to honor God. Bob saw that Bygone didn’t want a handout; he wanted opportunity. This is why Bob championed the Many Hands “outcome-based” model: we share the “tricks of the trade” so local families can stand on their own two feet.
🏠 The “Hallelujah” Legacy
Bob’s sister, Dorothy Borchardt, never put her boots in the mud of Haiti. She lived a simple, frugal life in the Midwest. But through her estate, she founded the “Homes for Haiti Hallelujah” (HHH) project. Because of her stewardship, families who once slept in the dirt now have concrete floors and safe roofs.
Bob’s most famous reminder to us is this: “You don’t need to have mud on your boots to help.”
🎯 Bob’s Final Word: Find Your “Nitch”
As Bob looks back at 93, he has a challenge for the Many Hands family. He didn’t go to Haiti as an athlete or a surgeon; he went as a “Village member.” He found his “nitch” in prayer, presence, and consistent support.
Haiti still needs us. It needs people who are willing to say “Count me in.” It needs people who will be the “Super Glue” that holds a mission together.
Bob, thank you for 21 years of Love in Action. We’ll take it from here.
Join Bob in supporting Haiti by donating today!
Read Bob’s full reflections on his experiences with Haiti here!
Read more about Bob from this 2017 article by Des Moines Foundation!
About Many Hands:
Many Hands is an Iowa-based nonprofit dedicated to transforming together, to be in action, in a broken world. We desire to walk alongside the community and empower individuals and families by focusing on education, agriculture, leadership, safe structures, youth programs, and early childhood development. Together, we can rebuild lives and restore hope, one person, one family, one community, at a time.
