Amazing Amazing Amazing

Are just the few words to describe our trip back to Dasmas Haiti November 18-27th. The team of ten had a wonderful time. We connected with old friends, made new friends and continued our partnership in the construction of the church roof. We also ran VBS each afternoon that grew and grew and grew each day! We ended with over 300 on the last day. In the days to come we will add new entries from our experiences from Haiti. If you would like to see pictures check them out on Facebook.

#3 Team Members were:
Sarah Marsalis-Luginbill  - Team Leader
Scott Luginbill
Forest Roberts
Philip Gates
John Sauls
David Bartlett
Katie Fullbright
Anna Putman
Annie Kendig
Ali Soileau

HAITI – AUG. 29 TO SEPT. 8, 2011

There were ten of us on the August/September 2011 mission team to Haiti.   All coming from different backgrounds: 6 youth ministers from Grace, First Methodist in Shreveport and from Ruston; a young La Tech student, a social worker, a Caddo Parish bounty hunter, and a retired teacher.  Fortunately there were several of us returning to Haiti for a 2^nd or 3^rd time.  The combination of great leadership and experience was invaluable to everyone involved.

We packed light in order to bring the supplies and tools necessary to achieve the mission.  Some of us could have packed even lighter.  We now know by experience to bring more underwear that was initially estimated because there are no Laundromats in Haiti.

We first landed in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince.  We followed a choreographed strategy to exit the airport to avoid pesky porters.  Each buggy was pushed by one person holding on the luggage with one arm and surrounded by other team members to ward off unwanted helping hands. 

We spent the first night at a comfortable Methodist guesthouse in Port-au-Prince.  We used all the fans we could find to keep cool without air conditioning.  For some of us, it was a new experience to find a sign above the toilet saying:  “If it’s yellow, let it mellow.  If it’s brown flush it down!”  No city water generates drastic measures...

On August 30^th, we traveled to Les Cayes. The city is located in the southern region of Haiti on the Caribbean Sea.  Pastor Ablami and his wife Donnette were our hosts at the local Methodist guesthouse.  They have an adopted ten-year-old son named Davison.  We finally met our interpreters Serfinia and Frantzou who would help us in our final destination:  Dasmas.

In town open sewage, piles of trash, and abandoned broken down cars abound. They are the signs of rampant poverty and ineffective government.  We visited Davison’s school and the Methodist church and wandered down to the Caribbean Sea.  

It is obvious that the Haitian population is eager to overcome poverty and illiteracy.  The roadsides are crowded with merchants who sell food, clothing, and tools, trying to make some money.  Everywhere, are signs leading to all kinds of private schools: elementary, middle, high schools, technical colleges, etc.  We met a young man who was reading a Carnegie book,  “how to make friends”.  He told us that what they needed the most were jobs.  We witnessed the failure of the government toward the people who fend for themselves to survive.  The only foreign company that provides jobs is Digicel (cellphone).  Digicel cellphone towers enabled us to call home with a better reception than in some areas of Shreveport! 

We also visited an orphanage sponsored by First Methodist Shreveport.  Ablami and Donnette drove us on a rocky trail deep into the bush.  Many children of all ages were waiting for us. The little ones flocked to us asking to be picked up. They held us tightly once in our arms.  The oldest were more reserved and spoke to everyone in English.  Many spoke French too.  They were polite and expressed themselves very well.  These children live in an orphanage for different reasons. Sometimes the parents are deceased and other times the parents are unable to feed them and send them to school. It appeared that there were too many children in the orphanage to receive proper care and attention from the caregivers.  They sleep six to a bed.  Furthermore its location is too far in case of medical emergency.  We learned that it is easier to adopt children whose parents are still alive because they can be asked to give up their parental rights.  Since it is difficult to find death certificates the real orphans are not so easily adoptable.  It was heart wrenching and overwhelming to leave the children behind without being able to help them further.  Forty-five minutes of attention, though, is better than nothing...

On Haitian time, we left Les Cayes for Dasmas.  In the large open bed truck, we piled our entire luggage as well as a stove with oven.  We traveled more than two hours to the southern mountainous region of Haiti where Dasmas is located. There a little girl named Isabella suffered from a swollen abscess under her left eye when the Grace Community team arrived.  There was no doctor in Dasmas or in the closest town, Maniche.  With the help of a doctor in Shreveport, team members cleaned the abscess and provided antibiotics to cure the infection.  After three days, Isabella showed visible signs of improvement.  Hopefully by the time the next team goes to Dasmas in November 2011, she will have completely recovered.

The children of Dasmas go to the local school built by The Methodist Church.  Its brand new blue roof beamed as we drove by.  The villagers build a wall to define the schoolyard. That wall is a testimony of the pride they felt to have their own elementary school.  The children do speak Creole and learn French and English in class.  In Dasmas, there were few children with the orange hair color that appears as a sign of malnutrition in the area.  The abundance of crops and livestock  may be the reason.  

Between building pews and school desks, teaching VBSsurise to sundown.  Frantzou and Serfinia worked hard alongside our team.  We were lucky to have a wonderful cook, Yves-Rose, who woke us up one morning with the sound of a chicken she was slaughtering.  Because there is no way to keep food cool, the best way to keep meet fresh is to keep it alive until it is time to cook it.  Yves-Rose was a great help also with keeping the children in line at snack time during VBS.

We were getting used to sweating 24 hours a day.  It seems that we each sweated our weight several times over while in Haiti. There was never a sign of relief anywhere, so we each dealt with the heat in our own ways:  looked for shade inside, drank a lot of water, laid down on the pews, and wiped down our face with a bandanna.

We were fortunate to have “pit toilets” built just for the team members.  No flush here, just a deep pit...  As a way of showering, we all went down to the well at night.  Wearing bathing suits, we stuck our head under the cold water and managed to get somewhat cleaned up.  

Everything and everyone wakes up early in Dasmas.  People sing while sheep, chickens, and pigs claim territories.  Only the roosters seemed to have no particular time (day or night) to crow.  

On Sunday Frantzou was preaching in Creole and French.  He spoke of a kind of fortress representing problems, and of another representing the shelter given to mankind by God.  The Christian spiritual weapons can be used to destroy the first fortress (overcome problems). Christians lead a spiritual and bloodless battle against the Devil.  No matter what wrong a person does, Christians must not fight the person but what the person did.  Prayer is the key to open all the doors of the fortress (solve problems).

As our departure neared, we could feel the pressure from the villagers.  They would cry:  “Hey you, you!  You gimme shoes!”  We were constantly asked to give something - what we wore especially - shoes, T-shirts, glasses, caps, etc.  The demand never stopped.  We brought shoes for the children but fell short on the teenagers’ sizes.  We basically did not have anything to give them beside pencils and cookies.  Some team members gave up some of their belongings, but it was impossible to meet the needs.  During distribution, the children were well behaved under Yves-Rose’s watchful eyes.  Unfortunately, some adults caused troubles by getting in line with them and demanding gifts.  It was frustrating and sad.  Minutes before we left we were still asked to give.  We cannot humanely bring everything they need.  The void is so gigantic that our little teams will always come short!

Before returning to Cayes, we took a stroll down the village trails.  On the way a villager told us about the trees and fruits of the area.  We tasted cocoa beans and grapes. Children followed us down to the spring, holding hands with us.

We traveled back to Cayes in the same open bed truck under a pouring tropical rain.  Tarps covered the bed until the rain subsided.  The ice cold Cokes and Sprites upon arrival at the guesthouse brought us some relief.  We were happy to use a real shower – privately – and flushing toilets – when appropriate.  Dinner with napkins was tasty.  We gave our chicken bones to the dogs. They obviously have a stronger stomach than American dogs.

We celebrated our youngest team member’s twentieth birthday on September 6^th.  Pizza, soft drinks, and cake were on the menu.  The day was devoted to rest and relaxation at the beach.  Jelly beach was the cleanest of all, so we heard.  Unfortunately, we witnessed the lack of waste management again.  Piles of trash were strewn everywhere.  It was such a beautiful beach though, with turquoise water, and sailboats on the horizon!  This place could be a real paradise.  It is a shame that Haitians must live among trash, dirty waters, and general unsanitary conditions. 

We ate at a beach restaurant. On the menu, were lobster, conch, chicken, fried plantain, avocados, and more.  As we were leaving, an old Haitian lady came to us asking for our leftover food.  When we gave her a full plate, she sat and ate contentedly.

Later, Frantzou brought his ambulant shop to the guesthouse.  We bought machetes (manchettes), hand carved frames, conch shell lamps, Haitian coffee, among many things.  We enjoyed buying souvenirs to bring to our families back home.

We return to Port-au-Prince on September 7^th.  Maxo, our driver, showed us the area of the capital that was hit by the January 2010 earthquake.  Much of the rubble had been removed, but there still were unsafe buildings standing, though many had been rebuilt already.  The presidential palace had remained untouched since it crumbled on itself during the seism. 

The poorest were living in tent cities on the edge of town piled one against the other in terrible conditions with very little hope to find decent housing in the near future.  These temporary shelters have existed for a year and half already.  The Haitian government does not spend the foreign aid relief funds to provide for the homeless.  We were told that it is missions like ours that benefit the Haitian people the most because the help comes directly to those who need it.  

The Haitian people are gentle, genuine, and resilient.  They have survived deportation from Africa as slaves to work in the sugar plantations.  In 1804, they freed themselves from slavery in the only successful slave rebellion in the history of the New World.  Only to be enslaved by their own for two centuries.  They have been used, abused, beaten, and disrespected by foreign forces.  The first truly free elections were held in 1990.  

Nevertheless Haiti’s political and economic institutions have continued to disintegrate.  Since 2003, no national government has actually functioned in the country.  One Haitian shared his opinion with a team member about his government:  “In Haiti the people’s voice does not count.”  When the earthquake hit, Haiti was already on its knees.  It tripped the poorest country of the western hemisphere to fall flat on its face.

What do Haitians have as a constant in their life?  On one hand, they have Religion.  Their strong religious beliefs keep them from drowning into despair.  God does not fail them, unlike their government. On the other, they have incredible potentials in their natural resources and in themselves.  Because the soil of the island of Hispaniola is highly fertile, any tropical crop can yield great profit.  The people are proud, dignified, eager to succeed, and enthusiastic. 

So what do they need now?  Everything else.  Haiti has been relegated to the least of the world’s priority too often.  The world should not wait for another disaster to bring Haiti’s fate back in the news.  Let’s never forget Haiti again!

Isabelle Pace

Prayer:

Serenity Prayer

Bible verse:

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Song: Another Day in paradise – Phil Collins

Alo from Haiti

Were spending out last night in Haiti. It has been an incredible trip. We have met old friends, made new ones, built pews and desks, taught and played with kids and loved on and been loved by the Hatian people of Dasmas, Les Cayes & Port au Prince. I think as we return all of us will be bringing Haiti home in our hearts. There are numerous stories to be told, thousands of pictures to be seen and the spirit of Haiti to share. God bless you all and we will home soon.

Goodnight from Haiti.

P.S. Sorry for the little communication this week, limited electricity and conditions made it difficult to near impossible to update the blog.

First Night in Haiti - Port au Prince

So we had a full day of travel today. Started very early back in Shrevport. With only a few minor things and a bit of weather in Miami we have arrived safely in Port au Prince; even all our bags of supplies. We even made some quick friends in the airport which made our departing and getting through immigration smooth.

We are stayingnat the Methodist Guest House tonight in Port au Prince. We arrived with open arms from our new Haitian friends and fellow Methodist missionaries. They had prepared a delicious dinner and we settled into our rooms. After a brief packing of the supplies in the truck for to more wen had a orientation followed by swimming in the pool. Yes you read right, a POOL! It was so refreshing. Krysten led us in our first devotion and prayer time tonight along with bead ceremony. More on the bead ceremony later.

Our plan is to have breakfast in the morning then load up for Les Cayes. Tonight we lay our heads down with anticipation of what tomorrow will bring. We have many feelings running through our minds and hearts. We have already seen Haiti; good and bad. We have smelled, heard and experienced so much already.

May God continue to humble us and open us to Haiti. See we came to Haiti not bringing Jesus like what many people think of when you go on mission. Because Jesus was already here, working and moving in the lives of these people, church and country. We are just thankful that we get to be apart of this amazing journey.

Bonwi (goodnight)
-Scott

Not Wasting Our Time Worrying...

"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself." -Luke 12:29-32 MSG

I am a planner. That is an understatement. I like to have plans for in case plans don't go the way I expect them to. I spend hours, weeks, MONTHS planing trips and details and being ready for "what-ifs". And tomorrow I leave for my third trip to Haiti...and the plan is...well....there isn't a really firm plan. It is more ideas of what the 10 days are going to look like. An inkling, really. Because I know every thing I have planned is going to change. And it is that very thing that is bringing me back to the Gospel of Luke.

I am given the gift of joining a team of 9 other believers...lovers of Jesus who are all answering a call to go and serve, or hug, or build, or sweat, or whatever God calls us to do during these 10 days in Port Au Prince, Les Cayes, and Dasmas- and wherever else we end up! :) But the real gift I have discovered so far is the way they are all SO RELAXED about the PLAN (or inkling). I was sharing with them during our pre-trip meeting/training about how our plan is changing and we aren't sure about all the details...and the entire team just shrugged their shoulders and said, "God will provide and we will all take care of each other."

So here I go- the planner- throwing my hands up, jumping into the abysmal loving arms of God, and asking for my every move to be in GOD'S PLAN, and relax in the knowledge that God will provide.

So relax. Don't worry about us. Don't be preoccupied with what we are doing and getting, but pray that we are responding to God's giving. We are steeping in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. He has given us all the Kingdom. Pray we are able to allow God to use us to grow it!!

Thank you to my August 2011 Team. You all ROCK!!

In His Love,

Sarah

4 days till we leave again

We leave on Monday for Dasmas Haiti again! This will Sarah's third trip and Scott's second. We are traveling with 8 others with a team from Grace & Trinity of Ruston LA. We are so thrilled and excited for what God has planned for us this time. We have missed our friends in Dasmas. The last time we were there was last Thanksgiving 2010.

This trip we will stay longer (10 days in country) to travel, be in community and to share God's Love with those of Haiti. We are traveling on behalf of VIM and the United Methodist Church. The team will construct pews and furniture for the church, put on VBS type activities for the children and continue to build relationship with that community.

Please pray for safety, direction, wisdom and God's providence as we are God's ambassadors to those of Haiti. May our eyes be open. May God give us big hearts of compassion and love. And may we simply be vessels for God to do amazing things through us.

Throughout the time we will try to update through this blog as well as Facebook. Follow Sarah and Scott on Facebook with the links on this site.