Another trip to Haiti is history; it was certainly a worthwhile trip from several perspectives --- work accomplished, friendships strengthened, encouragement provided. In Haiti there is always much more to be done, but the people are extremely grateful for every little bit that is accomplished.
On Thursday the ceiling repairs in the apartment were completed; roof sealant was applied to the rest of the main storage shed; and scores of books were sorted in preparation for the opening of a library that is currently under construction.
Two major construction projects are underway on the La Gonave mission station: a new hospital to replace the overcrowded, 50-year old original, and a new guest house to accommodate larger groups and provide meeting space for training seminars. These projects are being spearheaded by a group from Scotland (http://www.lemonaid.org.uk/) and will rely heavily on volunteer labor. The land for the new guesthouse had been cleared before our arrival, and the last tree to be felled came down while we were there. It was fascinating to watch the Haitian workers trim the limbs and section the tree using only axes and machetes. Corner stakes for the new guest house were set, and a volunteer from New Brunswick, Canada, was operating a backhoe to level the ground.
Thursday afternoon our group was taken on a tour through the town of Anse-a-Galets and up the mountain. The views were impressive, the contrasts stark -- the bay in the distance, the mountain range beyond that on the northern arm of the mainland, the arid land where people eke out a living with small gardens and an animal or two. The road was narrow, rocky, and at times, barely passable. Yet some commute daily to the town below either on foot or by motor bike.
We also toured the saline - a flat area along the shore where folks who have no other place to live scrounge wood, blocks, tin and cloth to frame a shelter they call home.
Thursday evening we were able to enjoy a visit with the missionary families and also to identify additional projects that we were able to fund including the hiring of local labors to do some of the needed repairs.
The trip home began Friday morning at 3:30 am. Due to other schedule requirements we were provided a pre-dawn journey across the Saint Marc channel with the added benefit of watching the sun rise. The two-hour truck ride to Port-au-Prince was interrupted with a stop at a large, flat area sprinkled with crosses; We were told that more than 200,000 earthquake victims are buried here.
Following lunch we were taken on a tour of Port-au-Prince. Much of the destruction remains untouched; the palace, the cathedral and several government buildings look little different from the days immediately following the earthquake. Tent cities are still prevalent, and people walk distances and stand in lines for water. Yet, life goes on; street vendors and open air markets are open, and folks are selling their charcoal and sugar cane along the roadways.
Saturday was a typical travel day --- standing in lines, sitting in boarding lounges, sitting on airplanes. A seven hour layover in Fort Lauderdale allowed us plenty of time to feast on American food (and gave our bags a chance to get to Philadelphia before we did).
On this trip I was reminded of additional reasons for North Americans to visit our missionaries on the field. I've often observed that words and pictures are inadequate descriptions of life in Haiti; there's no substitute for being "on the ground". There is clearly much more to be done that can be accomplished by the missionaries themselves; added human and financial resources meet needs that would otherwise be delayed or overlooked. On this trip several of the missionaries commented to me how much they were encouraged just by our coming; I also realized that our presence is a statement to the Haitians that they have not been forgotten, and there is reason for hope.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Home Again
We landed in Philadelphia about 10:15, but since our checked bags took a different route, it took a while to locate them. We got home just before midnight. It was a very productive and rewarding trip. Thursday was a long day, and I didn't take time to report; Friday I had no access to internet. In the next day or so, I'll fill in the rest of the story. Thanks for all your interest and prayers.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
More Work; Some Visits
It was another good day of work even though we only worked for the morning. Roof sealant was applied to the main storage shed (the depot); the remaining propane tanks were cleaned and painted. Significant progress was made on the ceiling repairs in the apartment.
After lunch we visited an orphanage in town where 61 children (24 boys and 37 girls) are being cared for. We passed out gifts of candy, toy cars, beany babies, and silly bands, and were entertained with energetic songs from both boys and girls. We also passed out crayons and pages from coloring books and visited with them as they colored.
Before supper we sat in on two English classes and had the opportunity to interact with the students. They are very eager to learn, and a discussion about a paragraph they have read often extends beyond the language to the content of the paragraph. For example, as they read about the Great Depression, they asked what caused it and wanted to explore the economic climate of the time (Why did the stock market crash? Why did the banks fail?).
Following supper we attended the advance English class, and after a lesson on past tense and negative past tense, we joined them in playing "You've Been Sentenced". It is a great tool for teaching sentence structure, syntax and vocabulary, and it provided many reasons for laughter. After each round the teacher would review parts of speech and talk about the definitions of newly encountered words.
We are down to our final day on the island. The plan is to work in the morning then tour the area around and outside the town.
After lunch we visited an orphanage in town where 61 children (24 boys and 37 girls) are being cared for. We passed out gifts of candy, toy cars, beany babies, and silly bands, and were entertained with energetic songs from both boys and girls. We also passed out crayons and pages from coloring books and visited with them as they colored.
Before supper we sat in on two English classes and had the opportunity to interact with the students. They are very eager to learn, and a discussion about a paragraph they have read often extends beyond the language to the content of the paragraph. For example, as they read about the Great Depression, they asked what caused it and wanted to explore the economic climate of the time (Why did the stock market crash? Why did the banks fail?).
Following supper we attended the advance English class, and after a lesson on past tense and negative past tense, we joined them in playing "You've Been Sentenced". It is a great tool for teaching sentence structure, syntax and vocabulary, and it provided many reasons for laughter. After each round the teacher would review parts of speech and talk about the definitions of newly encountered words.
We are down to our final day on the island. The plan is to work in the morning then tour the area around and outside the town.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A Good Days Work
A second coat of sealant was applied to the station manager's house roof. Two windows in a storage area were boarded up, caulked, and painted in preparation for storing bags of concrete. More propane tanks were cleaned and painted. A ceiling in one of the apartments showed signs of significant deterioration and termite damage. The attic floor was vacuumed and a few reinforcement boards were set in place in preparation for a new ceiling panel. Throughout the day there were opportunities to share with the missionary families and to renew friendships with nationals we have met on previous trips. Several trips to other ministries in the area are being planned.
Monday, February 28, 2011
The Last Few Days
It seems that each trip south incorporates special "perks". I knew our check-in last Saturday at US Airways would be "different" because there were 6 of us checking 16 bags - many of them at or (slightly) over 50 pounds. Although some details of that exercise require follow up, all 16 got on the plane with us. An early arrival at Fort Lauderdale started me thinking that this trip was going to set new records for smoothness. However, the oversight of US Airways in not providing boarding passes for the American Airlines flight to Port-au-Prince and a security check line that extended through three waiting queues and continued outside the terminal building made me thankful that we had over two hours to make the connection. In the boarding lounge we were joined by the two other members of the team (and their four checked bags), and the eight of us were finally on board only 45 minutes behind schedule. For the next half hour we sat while the pilot waited for the report of aircraft weight, and the baggage handlers were "moving bags around" in the baggage compartment. Providentially, all 20 pieces of checked luggage were waiting for us in the Port-au-Prince baggage claim area when we finally exited immigration a mere hour and 30 minutes after touching down. A typical Haitian meal of rice and beans and a tasty meat sauce accompanied by fried plantians welcomed us to the guest house for the night.
Sunday we began the two hour ride up the coast of the northern arm of the country in a covered flat bed truck and an SUV. About midway in the trip we stopped at Source Matelas to join their worship service and greet the people. At the wharf we loaded our luggage along with a scale for the hospital and a refrigerator for the guest house onto the diesel powered refurbished lobster boat for the hour and a half, 12-mile ride across the Saint Marc channel to the town of Anse-a-Galets on the island of La Gonave. Lunch was waiting for us at the mission station guest house following which we visited with the missionaries stationed here and previewed the projects waiting for us.
It is no surprise that the project list is sufficient to keep many teams busy for many weeks. For today the main focus was seal coating the tin roof of the station manager's house and wire brush cleaning of several propane tanks in preparation for painting them. Finally after dinner there was time to relax and learn more about the ministries that are taking place in the town and on the island.
Sunday we began the two hour ride up the coast of the northern arm of the country in a covered flat bed truck and an SUV. About midway in the trip we stopped at Source Matelas to join their worship service and greet the people. At the wharf we loaded our luggage along with a scale for the hospital and a refrigerator for the guest house onto the diesel powered refurbished lobster boat for the hour and a half, 12-mile ride across the Saint Marc channel to the town of Anse-a-Galets on the island of La Gonave. Lunch was waiting for us at the mission station guest house following which we visited with the missionaries stationed here and previewed the projects waiting for us.
It is no surprise that the project list is sufficient to keep many teams busy for many weeks. For today the main focus was seal coating the tin roof of the station manager's house and wire brush cleaning of several propane tanks in preparation for painting them. Finally after dinner there was time to relax and learn more about the ministries that are taking place in the town and on the island.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
On the Island
We've arrived on the island of La Gonave. The trip so far has been mostly as expected although we do have a few anecdotes to tell. Both Saturday and today have been full, busy days. Yesterday I never took the computer out of the bag, and I've just connected to the Internet a few minutes ago. We sort of have a plan for tomorrow, and it's shaping up to be a busy week. Hopefully I'll write more tomorrow.
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Adventure Continues
It is once again time to pack our bags and head south. In about 9 hours six of us should be boarding a plane in Philadelphia bound for Port-au-Prince, Haiti, by way of Fort Lauderdale (where we'll be joined by two more). Our destination is the town of Anse-a-Galets on the island of La Gonave. The current plan is to spend most of our time at the Wesleyan Mission Station and Hospital; we expect our efforts to focus on the current, pressing needs for maintenance and improvement. As on prior trips, it is my intention to publish updates daily; achievement of this goal is dependent on both the availability of Internet access and an adequate level coherence and energy on the part of the author. Neither condition is guaranteed. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Rest of the Story
Finally --- some time to reflect!
The trip home was relatively uneventful; we landed in Philly about 10:15 Sunday night, but by the time we claimed most of our baggage it was after 11:00. Ten of our 12 checked bags arrived with us; the other 2 were delayed an additional 13 hours but have been reunited with their owners.
By all accounts the trip was extremely worthwhile and rewarding. I'm not sure that "successful" is an appropriate description of our journey given that there is always more to be done and true progress on so many fronts comes so slowly in Haiti. Nevertheless, despite its diversity this team had a focus, unity of purpose, will to work and camaraderie that I have seldom experienced. We returned very tired and sore, mostly intact, and extremely thankful that we were able to have a significant positive impact on the congregation in Place L'or.
Six different churches were represented by the team members. For the most part we had never met prior to the one pre-trip meeting in September. Ages spanned 6 decades; construction skills and experience ranged from novice to professional; culture and lifestyle ranged from rural Pennsylvania Dutch to urban Haitian immigrant.
Place L'or is a small community just to the east of Leogane. (You may recall that Leogane is the large city near the epicenter of the earthquake; it sustained severe damage to 90% of its buildings and lost about 25,000 of its 150,000 population.) Another team had erected a 40' x 64' pole-barn structure on the site of the Place L'or church. Our project was to extend each side by about 9' and extend the front by about 11'.
Our home away from home for the week was the Wesleyan Campground in Petit Goave. (You may recall that this campground was one of the first medical treatment sites in the days and weeks immediately following the earthquake.) The bunkhouse had 4 rooms filled with 20 or so bunks; since there were 13 of us, space was not an issue. The team consisted of us 9 from the Penn-Jersey District, the project manager from Easly, SC, and 3 Haitian men who were being trained to lead construction projects such as this one. Next door was the kitchen / dining hall where breakfast and dinner were served. Next to that was the bath house with toilets and showers having water supplied from a tank on the roof. The campground borders the bay with a wonderful view of the water and the island of La Gonave. But stop short of jumping in for a swim; the way the nationals use the water is one of the major health concerns and a primary contributor to the diseases that plague the country.
For the most part sufficient water for personal hygiene was not a problem. But one night we returned all dirty, sweaty and stinky to find that the tank had run dry and no one had bothered to turn on the pump to refill it --- showers that night were delayed for a while.
Surprisingly, electricity was supplied by the city from about 6 pm to 6 am. The generator on site was usually run for a couple hours in the early evening before the city power came on --- unless the generator ran out of fuel. Having electricity throughout the night was a blessing since that meant fans would run all night.
Common breakfast items were scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, spaghetti, bananas, peanut butter, juice and coffee (strong enough to walk, and served with hot water for diluting). Dinner always included generous helpings of rice (mostly with beans), sauce, fried plantains, chicken or other meat, salad, soda (Coke, Sprite) and coffee. Lunch was often peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; the ladies of the Place L'or church provided lunch one day and soup another.
The one-way commute from Petit Goave to Place L'or took about 1 hour 45 minutes on roads that are typically Haitian --- stretches of paved road (average travel speed 60), areas of irregularly spaced large pot holes in the dirt (average travel speed 2), frequent "speed bumps", vehicles 3 across on 2-lane road, busses and 18-wheelers barreling along with horns blaring, an irregularly shaped "crater" in the asphalt road surface 12" wide in places and 10' or 20' long, and a ford through a river because the bridge across it had been rendered unusable by the earthquake.
Monday
Dug 26 post holes 3' deep 12" diameter. Removed steel roofing from area used for school room to make room for church extension.
Tuesday
Set all poles. Local hired labor mixed and poured concrete around poles. 2x4 pieces for side trusses all cut; some assembly begun.
Wednesday
Ledger boards and trusses all set on right side. Start purlin boards on right; start ledger boards on left. Start work on trusses and corners for front.
Thursday
Finish purlins on right. Finish ledger boards and set all trusses on left. Fasten ledger boards on front and begin setting left front corner truss. All front trusses cut; most assembled. Temperature has been in mid-90s all week. Today the humidity was noticably higher; everyone is exhausted.
Friday
Put steel roof on right side. Set front trusses including 2 corner trusses. Drill and bolt ledger boards to main posts.
Our time in Place L'or concluded with a short service with the local congregation. Many times throughout the week and again in the service people expressed wonder and ask why would we leave our comfortable homes in North America, take time off from work, leave our families, and even pay our own way to come to a small, dusty community that had been devastated by an earthquake to labor and sweat in 90 degree, 90% RH to enlarge a church for people we had never met (and might never see again here on earth)?
Why indeed? Is it altruism; is it lunacy; is it a frail attempt at beneficence; is it a feeble attempt to ease our conscience?
Or is it our desire to intertwine our lives with a cause greater than all of us driven by the conviction that a community of believers in the midst of natural devastation can know love and hope that transcends the current circumstances and can grasp the Truth that has lasting value beyond this life.
What Next?
Rebuilding teams from across North America have filled the schedule through May 2011, and scheduling is continuing into Fall 2011. Chi United is on the schedule for a team on La Gonave the first week in March 2011. We'll see how it all unfolds and hang on tight for the ride.
The trip home was relatively uneventful; we landed in Philly about 10:15 Sunday night, but by the time we claimed most of our baggage it was after 11:00. Ten of our 12 checked bags arrived with us; the other 2 were delayed an additional 13 hours but have been reunited with their owners.
By all accounts the trip was extremely worthwhile and rewarding. I'm not sure that "successful" is an appropriate description of our journey given that there is always more to be done and true progress on so many fronts comes so slowly in Haiti. Nevertheless, despite its diversity this team had a focus, unity of purpose, will to work and camaraderie that I have seldom experienced. We returned very tired and sore, mostly intact, and extremely thankful that we were able to have a significant positive impact on the congregation in Place L'or.
Six different churches were represented by the team members. For the most part we had never met prior to the one pre-trip meeting in September. Ages spanned 6 decades; construction skills and experience ranged from novice to professional; culture and lifestyle ranged from rural Pennsylvania Dutch to urban Haitian immigrant.
Place L'or is a small community just to the east of Leogane. (You may recall that Leogane is the large city near the epicenter of the earthquake; it sustained severe damage to 90% of its buildings and lost about 25,000 of its 150,000 population.) Another team had erected a 40' x 64' pole-barn structure on the site of the Place L'or church. Our project was to extend each side by about 9' and extend the front by about 11'.
Our home away from home for the week was the Wesleyan Campground in Petit Goave. (You may recall that this campground was one of the first medical treatment sites in the days and weeks immediately following the earthquake.) The bunkhouse had 4 rooms filled with 20 or so bunks; since there were 13 of us, space was not an issue. The team consisted of us 9 from the Penn-Jersey District, the project manager from Easly, SC, and 3 Haitian men who were being trained to lead construction projects such as this one. Next door was the kitchen / dining hall where breakfast and dinner were served. Next to that was the bath house with toilets and showers having water supplied from a tank on the roof. The campground borders the bay with a wonderful view of the water and the island of La Gonave. But stop short of jumping in for a swim; the way the nationals use the water is one of the major health concerns and a primary contributor to the diseases that plague the country.
For the most part sufficient water for personal hygiene was not a problem. But one night we returned all dirty, sweaty and stinky to find that the tank had run dry and no one had bothered to turn on the pump to refill it --- showers that night were delayed for a while.
Surprisingly, electricity was supplied by the city from about 6 pm to 6 am. The generator on site was usually run for a couple hours in the early evening before the city power came on --- unless the generator ran out of fuel. Having electricity throughout the night was a blessing since that meant fans would run all night.
Common breakfast items were scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, spaghetti, bananas, peanut butter, juice and coffee (strong enough to walk, and served with hot water for diluting). Dinner always included generous helpings of rice (mostly with beans), sauce, fried plantains, chicken or other meat, salad, soda (Coke, Sprite) and coffee. Lunch was often peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; the ladies of the Place L'or church provided lunch one day and soup another.
The one-way commute from Petit Goave to Place L'or took about 1 hour 45 minutes on roads that are typically Haitian --- stretches of paved road (average travel speed 60), areas of irregularly spaced large pot holes in the dirt (average travel speed 2), frequent "speed bumps", vehicles 3 across on 2-lane road, busses and 18-wheelers barreling along with horns blaring, an irregularly shaped "crater" in the asphalt road surface 12" wide in places and 10' or 20' long, and a ford through a river because the bridge across it had been rendered unusable by the earthquake.
Monday
Dug 26 post holes 3' deep 12" diameter. Removed steel roofing from area used for school room to make room for church extension.
Tuesday
Set all poles. Local hired labor mixed and poured concrete around poles. 2x4 pieces for side trusses all cut; some assembly begun.
Wednesday
Ledger boards and trusses all set on right side. Start purlin boards on right; start ledger boards on left. Start work on trusses and corners for front.
Thursday
Finish purlins on right. Finish ledger boards and set all trusses on left. Fasten ledger boards on front and begin setting left front corner truss. All front trusses cut; most assembled. Temperature has been in mid-90s all week. Today the humidity was noticably higher; everyone is exhausted.
Friday
Put steel roof on right side. Set front trusses including 2 corner trusses. Drill and bolt ledger boards to main posts.
Our time in Place L'or concluded with a short service with the local congregation. Many times throughout the week and again in the service people expressed wonder and ask why would we leave our comfortable homes in North America, take time off from work, leave our families, and even pay our own way to come to a small, dusty community that had been devastated by an earthquake to labor and sweat in 90 degree, 90% RH to enlarge a church for people we had never met (and might never see again here on earth)?
Why indeed? Is it altruism; is it lunacy; is it a frail attempt at beneficence; is it a feeble attempt to ease our conscience?
Or is it our desire to intertwine our lives with a cause greater than all of us driven by the conviction that a community of believers in the midst of natural devastation can know love and hope that transcends the current circumstances and can grasp the Truth that has lasting value beyond this life.
What Next?
Rebuilding teams from across North America have filled the schedule through May 2011, and scheduling is continuing into Fall 2011. Chi United is on the schedule for a team on La Gonave the first week in March 2011. We'll see how it all unfolds and hang on tight for the ride.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Back in Port
By now you should have concluded that Internet access in Petit Goave is not as reliable and functional as we first thought.
We arrived back in Port-au-Prince about noon today. Tomorrow morning we head to the airport early for our 8:45 am flight.
We had a busy, tiring and productive week. In the next day or so I hope to post additional observations about our work in Place L'or and our stay at Petit Goave. In the meantime, thanks for your interest, prayers and support. Stay tuned.
We arrived back in Port-au-Prince about noon today. Tomorrow morning we head to the airport early for our 8:45 am flight.
We had a busy, tiring and productive week. In the next day or so I hope to post additional observations about our work in Place L'or and our stay at Petit Goave. In the meantime, thanks for your interest, prayers and support. Stay tuned.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Ready to Work
Maybe there is Internet after all! Shortly after we arrived at the Petit Goave Campground this afternoon, the mission station manager volunteered that Internet could be made available. So I'm composing this post.
We left Port-au-Prince about 10:15 headed to Petit Goave with a stop at Place L'or to "tour" the work site. About noon we arrived at the Place L'or church. Jeff Galloway, a volunteer from Easly, SC, is working with this as project manager; he explained the planned work. Meanwhile, one of our team members went to visit his mother, whom he hadn't seen in over 3 years.
About 1:45 we arrived at the Petit Goave campground, our home for the rest of the week. We spent most of the afternoon getting settled in. As we're waiting for dinner and I'm composing this post, we're listening to the evening worship service of the Petit Goave congregation. The church building is a few blocks away, but has been severely damaged by the earthquake. So they are meeting here.
Well, the time for team building and sight seeing has come to an end. Tomorrow we get serious about doing what we came for. Hopefully I'll be able to tell you about it.
We left Port-au-Prince about 10:15 headed to Petit Goave with a stop at Place L'or to "tour" the work site. About noon we arrived at the Place L'or church. Jeff Galloway, a volunteer from Easly, SC, is working with this as project manager; he explained the planned work. Meanwhile, one of our team members went to visit his mother, whom he hadn't seen in over 3 years.
About 1:45 we arrived at the Petit Goave campground, our home for the rest of the week. We spent most of the afternoon getting settled in. As we're waiting for dinner and I'm composing this post, we're listening to the evening worship service of the Petit Goave congregation. The church building is a few blocks away, but has been severely damaged by the earthquake. So they are meeting here.
Well, the time for team building and sight seeing has come to an end. Tomorrow we get serious about doing what we came for. Hopefully I'll be able to tell you about it.
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