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 2nd or 3rd 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 30th, 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 6th. 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 7th. 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
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