In Retrospect

For several years Area Director Dan Irvine had been watching a property just southeast of the Wesleyan Wharf in Croix Luly near the town of Montrois and directly across the channel from La Gonave. Through a sequence of God-ordained events this property has been leased with the intent to purchase. Named the Ortlip Ministry Center in memory and honor of Henry and Elizabeth Ortlip who devoted more than 30 years of ministry in Haiti, this Center is envisioned to provide facilities for pastoral training, missionary respite, and logistics coordination.

This waterfront property with a main house, a second house and a smaller auxiliary building has been uninhabited for many years. The buildings are structurally sound, but termites have left their marks, screens have deteriorated or disappeared, plumbing repairs are needed, electrical wiring would never pass code, and cisterns hold water without pumps to fill the rooftop tanks. A list of all the projects addressed during our visit fills more than a page. The list includes: Installed the plumbing and electrical service for the pump that fills the rooftop tank so we actually have running water in the house. Fashioned shower heads for low pressure use by drilling small holes in a PVC end cap. Repaired plumbing that catches rain water and feeds the underground cistern. Positioned and connected the washing machine. Connected plumbing for outside shower. Located and repaired a leaking joint in an upstairs bathroom. Since much of the plumbing is inside concrete walls, the troubleshooting was a bit more challenging. Fashioned four new stairway posts and railing to replace the ones enjoyed by termites. Sanded and painted many surfaces. Re-screened several windows. Converted a room in the auxiliary building into a bedroom for the cook --- painted walls, repaired screens, repaired wiring, installed new lock. Built a small bookshelf for the watchman. He took great joy in painting it. Replaced 2x6 frames in doorways; hung doors; replaced hinges. Replaced the base support in a love seat. Repaired a dining room chair.

For now the need for electricity is primarily met by the on-site generator. Power lines run to the house, but Haiti power is only occasionally available. During our stay the generator was typically run from mid-morning until about 10 pm. That provided electricity for the power tools and lights & fans for the evening.

One day we had the opportunity to visit the island of La Gonave. We crossed the channel on the “Breezy Sea” (a retro-fitted lobster boat) to spend a few hours visiting our mission station and hospital there in Anse-a-Galets. However, time management in Haiti being the way it is, the few-hour visit was recast into an overnight stay. The following day we heard about a severe storm on the mainland that could have possibly caused significant damage to the boat had our plans not been changed – just another reminder that our plans are often incomplete, and our inconveniences are often a consequence of some greater good that was beyond our conception.

Work on the new guest house on La Gonave is progressing. One third of the floors have been poured. The exterior block wall is finished. Two “joiners” (carpenters) from the UK are framing and pouring the tie beam around the top of the wall. It will soon be time for construction of the roof trusses. A project manager for the hospital rebuild has been recruited; he and his family will relocate from England to La Gonave in January.

One Sunday we had the opportunity to worship with another team and the folks at the Cite Soleil Wesleyan Church (Cite Soleil is an area of Port-au-Prince that is know for its civil unrest). Dan introduced us to Pastor Michel, and recounted how the Pastor had regularly met with the congregation even during years when Cite Soleil was plagued with violence and crime. Some of us also had the opportunity to visit Babaco, a rural village east of Port-au-Prince toward the Dominican border. Last year the team from Pine Grove erected a “pole barn” structure for their church. This year a team from Moncton, New Brunswick, is coming to build four classrooms for schooling the children.

On trips like these it is not unusual for unexpected opportunities to arise. On our second day in country we learned that the rudder control on the “Breezy Sea” was not reliable. One of the team members volunteered to look at it while it was at the wharf, and he discovered that the hydraulic pump mounting was loose and the belt was worn. He was able to reposition the pump and tighten the belt so the “Breezy Sea” could make the return trip to La Gonave. There was also a need to generate a scale drawing of the floor plan of the Carrefour Feuilles church that shows the location of all 40 columns that had supported the roof prior to the earthquake. Carrefour Feuilles is the largest Wesleyan church in Haiti with attendance of more than 1000. This floor plan is a prerequisite to designing a permanent roof. So a couple of us spend a day travelling from Croix Luly to the south side of Port-au-Prince to gather measurement data of column placements. It just so happened that we also joined the last hour of a mid-week morning worship service.

Progress is being made in Haiti, largely due to the commitment of charitable organizations who refuse to walk away. Although much remains to be done and the pace is slow, there are clear signs that recovery is happening.

Initial plans are being made for trips in March and September 2012. Thanks for your continuing interest and prayers.