Haiti

Visiting Haiti was a life changing experience.  I've heard of the poverty and seen pictures of the need but until I went and beheld it with my own eyes, the stories and descriptions were a tale of a far away land, the numbers were not much more than statistics.  Being there brought reality to what I had heard about and never could have understood from across the sea.

Quick note, the pics with three stars (***) under them are from our shared pics on Google Drive so they aren't pictures I took.  Not a big deal but I don't like stealing other people's pictures without saying anything ;)

For Dad, Kim, David, and I the trip began at 5 on Friday morning when we headed to the airport in Indy.  We flew to Atlanta where we met up with the Silverton team and got over the initial (awkward) introductions before flying into Port-Au-Prince.  The airport in Port is so small that we didn't wait for a gate to open and just walked down the stairs of the plane into the beautiful Haitian sun.  A band met us as we headed in the airport to go through customs and it was hard to not boogy a little to the rhythm :)  Customs went pretty smoothly and then it was off to find our bags.

Once we all had our bags we loaded onto a bus that had just enough seats for everybody and started the five hour drive to Cayes.

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Driving through the town of Port was just the beginning of the culture shock.  Half finished houses, piles of rubble left from the earthquake, people everywhere, and tap taps (a brightly painted truck used as a taxi) loaded with passengers made the ride anything but dull.  Our driver did a good job dodging and weaving in the traffic with the help of his horn which is very common and not rude.

After arriving at the compound we settled into rooms.  I ended up in a room with Jenna Wiegand and Annie Kuenzi, both from Silverton, and had no idea at the time how fun it would be to get to know the girls better.  Soon after our arrival we ate a tradition Haitian celebration food, pumpkin soup, for supper and got the low down on what we'd be doing the next few days from Brent Wagenbach and Scott Yordy.  When I heard we'd be leaving the next morning and driving over four hours to a job sight and staying there over night until Tuesday my first thought was that they had to be joking.  I had pictured us working around the compound and around Cayes.  It was a little disappointing at first to be leaving again so soon and not be able to settle in but it turns out that going to the job was a great opportunity.

The beginning of our ride on Saturday morning began in the trucks and we passed the time taking in the sights around and learning each others names.  Then after we had driven through town and gotten off the main roads we were able to get on top of the vehicles to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery while we slowly bumped and rattled along dirt roads.

Several of us in my truck asked Alisha Wagenbach and Bri Yordy (the Americans serving in Haiti) lots and lots and lots of questions along the drive.  They were so patient and having them along to explain some of the things we were seeing made the ride even more interesting.  Also, it did rain for a bit so we had to get inside until it lightened up but it was worth it for the beautiful rainbows we saw.

This bank is actually a location to buy lottery and unfortunately we passed a lot of these 'banks'.

Lots and lots of half finished buildings.  When a Haitian gets a good amount of money, saving it would mean that his family would want him to share it so it's smart for him to spend the money to add a little more onto his house or purchase a few more materials for whatever he needs.

Making charcoal at this house...

 Homes are made from anything like concrete and mud, stones, sticks and boards.

Mountains.  Felt good to be back in mountains.

We arrived at the village of Dorlette late morning or early afternoon Saturday and were warmly welcomed by the pastor there with a sign that read 'Welcome to you dear visitors.  We are happy to receive you.'  After an introduction and prayer we started unloading the cots, suitcases, lumber, and tools.  Us girls started setting up cots while the men got to work building a roof for the school behind the church.  To give a little background, the church is part of MEBSH, an organization World Relief works with in Haiti, and to get this roof the church at Dorlette had to go through an application process.  From the time a building is ready for a roof until the time they have completed the application process, it can be two years as I believe was the case with Dorlette. 

The men slept in the church and we had a room and porch at the pastor's house.  It was both amazing and challenging to be in the home with the Haitians.  Amazing because sleeping under the same roof as the Haitians made me feel like I was getting a better idea of what their life was like but challenging because we had to cram four cots into a small bedroom with a bed.  Two thin curtains were on the left and right sides of the room separating us from the other two rooms in the house.  A curtain on the front wall led to the porch where three more cots were set up and closed off from the public by a sheet.  Being a fairly private girl, this was a bit out of my comfort zone, but I'm so glad to have that experience.  It helped Kim and I get pretty comfortable with the Silverton and missionary girls early on in the week.

The cots in the church.

Some of us girls left our suitcases in the church due to the lack of space in the bedroom so that was an added challenge.

Our room.

View from the outhouse.

The back of the house.  That door is the one pictured above in the photo of our room.  I'd love to know how many were sleeping under that roof Saturday and Sunday nights!  Also the little building to the right is the kitchen.  I'm bummed I never peaked inside because there were times food was put before us and we wondered 'how on earth did they make that?' 

Here's the bath house where we could take bucket showers or a sponge bath with wipes the missionaries brought along.  This definitely wasn't their first rodeo and they knew what to expect, thankfully! The three-sided hut didn't offer much privacy so we washed up in the dark.



Back to the project: the roof went together really fast.  While the men worked on that, us girls sanded and pounded together some school benches for the children.  The kids loved to help in whatever way possible, whether pounding a nail in the trusses or running the electric sander over the boards.

David had a noticeably special way with the kids.  It being his second trip he knew what to do right from the start to warm them up to him.  If we ever wondered where David was we just had to look for the swarm of children.  He loved them, they loved him.

Smiling for the camera isn't very popular.  Sometimes it took a little coaxing and sometimes you just took what you got ;)

They loved looking at pictures we took of them.

Lunch break was held across the street from the school at the pastor's house and the first day we were served doughnuts.  They weren't very sweet but I enjoyed a few as they were small yet very filling.

While some people were still finishing up, David asked me if I'd like to go play some games with the kids so we went back across the street and through some demonstration and many arm gestures taught the kids limbo.  After limbo they jumped rope.  Soon more of the team was coming back to the work area so Denver and David had a wood beam lifted off the ground that the brave kids could walk across.

We got back to work but it started raining so us ladies moved our bench project inside the church.  As you can see in these pictures, people loved to just watch us.  I don't remember it ever really bothering me that our every move was under observation although sometimes it was amusing that they took so much interest in watching us build benches or eat lunch.

The men kept plugging away at the roof and finished by Saturday evening.

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Since it had been expected to take two days instead of one to put up the roof, Brent and Scott got their heads together and came up with a new plan.  They wanted to stay in Dorlette for church on Sunday as was initially planned so we stayed til Monday morning and hit a different job on our way back to the compound Monday.  But that's getting ahead of the story...Saturday night was quite the experience as we tried to get some sleep despite the chill of fresh mountain air, our anxious feelings of being in such a different place, and the background noise of the family's radio and a fussy baby.  The noise didn't bother me too much personally but for one reason or another we all felt like a little more sleep could've been nice when it was time to wake up Sunday morning.  Although it was rough at first to a spoiled girl like me, I'm really glad for that experience. 

Sunday we started with breakfast (spaghetti to be specific) and our devotions at the pastor's home while the Haitians met in the church for Sunday school.  Then we joined them for a service full of energy and enthusiasm and just a few cute kids ;)  Dad shared a message that was translated by Brent.  For lunch we were served one of the best Haitian meals I had, probably because the food reminded me of American food and it was early on in the week so the fact that most of the food is heavy and fried with not much variety hadn't mattered much yet.  The cones in the picture below tasted like chicken pot pie.

After our meal we went visiting to some people from the church that didn't make it for one reason or another.  Walking through tall grass trails and dirt roads made it enjoyable although I could've done without the rain.  I guess it just added another layer of the reality of what life is like in the mountains where rain is no stranger and you don't have a car to take you here and there.  Still, the rain made the land so lush and green, absolutely beautiful!

If you look closely you can see a white bird standing on this mule's back.  It kind of blends into the tree behind it but it was too cute to not take a picture of :)

Sunday evening the missionaries showed a film on Jesus and many people came to the church to watch it.  Since it got dark during the movie, one of the Silverton girls and I took the opportunity to wash up in the bath house while most people were at the church.  The movie was in Creole so our whole team ended up leaving to eat and spend the evening over at the pastor's house.  Once it got dark we used a generator to shed some light under the canopy that covered the table where we ate and that enabled us to play some Dutch Blitz.  Then we huddled in our cots and tried to fall asleep once again to the sound of the radio and a crying baby.

Monday morning we left Dorlette in good time.  Saying goodbye to the kids was hard because after being there for a few days I wonder how they pass their time on a normal day to day basis.  When we were around it was exciting as there was building and playing and people to befriend (people with white skin!), new things for them to take in.  Then we just up and left.  Although I was looking forward to Joycie's cooking at the guest house that evening and a warm shower, there was a pang of guilt that I got to move on to something better and the people at Dorlette would go back to their primitive life.  Yes, the roof over their school will be nice as well as the toys, books, and a few other items we left, but they don't erase the uneasiness I feel when I think of how great the gap still is between our lifestyles.  I guess that's just my American way of thinking putting too much emphasis on stuff than the joys in life that are much deeper.

Denver taught this sweet thing how to do a butterfly minutes before the trucks pulled away.

On our way to the next job we visited Hospital Lumiere for a quick tour.

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The driving on Monday was gorgeous and again we got to sit on top of the vehicles.

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People were there to greet us as soon as we pulled up to the next job.  It being a school day we interrupted class but I think they didn't mind too much.

This is the church where younger grades were having class when we arrived.  I snapped this photo when the construction had begun and that's why there are no people in it.  They're all in the back watching ;)

Again the men did roof work and us girls made desks--this time we painted them.

Since the roof was making such great progress, Scott asked if they would want to put a new roof on a little hut that was right behind the church.  He had made a run back to the compound Sunday evening while the rest of us stayed at Dorlette to get supplies for this job and he threw in some extra materials for the additional roof in case there was time.  The men talked about it at lunch time and agreed it would work out.  You should have seen the Haitian ladies when they found out they were getting a new roof on that building.  Their joy bubbled out in song and dance that was so sincere and lighthearted that I took a video.  Pretty soon the men were up there tearing off the old tin and replacing it with new!

After most of the work was done a soccer ball came out and David kicked around with a few older boys.

We made it home Monday evening to a delicious Americanized supper and running water.  While it was great to be back in the comfort of the guest home, there was still that part of me that was remembering the primitive life in Dorlette and how easily I forget that I don't deserve the luxuries that are part of my daily life.  Tuesday was a bit relaxed as we had worked ahead of schedule a little.  In the morning a group of us went to the domestic center where Haitian ladies learn how to sew and crochet.  It's an amazing ministry and I was impressed by the talent of those women!  If you've ever heard of or attended a Haitian linen sale in the States this is likely where the products came from.

Later us girls went to Alisha's house to make cookies to take to a nursing home.  Jenna and I wrote verses in Creole to attach to the cookies which was fun.  After the cookies were made we relaxed for a bit then did some prep for the next team then relaxed a little more on the patio and chatted.  Alisha was an inspiration as she demonstrated hospitality and hard work.

When the group sang at the nursing home, there was one man in particular that I won't easily forget.  The girls gave him a cookie and helped him eat the first part but after that he gobbled it down and ate his second cookie right away.

On the way back Alisha bought us some sugar cane which was something I had wanted to try.  One bite was enough, not because the flavor was terrible but because it was so woody.

Wednesday we had a short drive to the next job.  It was a unique day for both the missionaries and the team because a filming crew joined us at the sight to capture the day for use in an informational video for WR.  We had met the crew at Hospital Lumiere and they did some filming of us singing in hall ways and what not there, but having them around all day made everybody a little curious.  It turned out to be just fine and we didn't do much different since they were there.

The team got out of the trucks and walked back into an open square surrounded by buildings and the kids errupted.  I would pay money to see that response again!  Maybe it's because we were white or maybe they knew we were building a roof (probably a combination of the two) but they were so excited to see and touch us.

At first it was exciting to be so joyfully welcomed, but as we got to work it turned out to be a challenge.  The first site we had been to didn't have as many children so it was easier to have them help us.  We tried that here and it just didn't work out so we learned the phrase 'stay back' in Creole and used it more than a dozen times.  David was again mobbed by kids and spent most of the day keeping them entertained so we could work.  I think he had the bigger job!

Many hands make light work!  Our materials were unloaded in no time.

First they surrounded...

Then they captured...

Then they pushed him somewhere...who knows why?!?

 

We got a coconut break!  It was obviously super fresh but also at a different stage in the maturing process so instead of being crunchy it was more jelly like.  If I had to choose I'd say I enjoyed the milk more than the meat.  The best part was watching other people eat it :)

Roof in progress...

...And finished

By the time the job was over, many kids had gone home, but there were still many around.

Oh honey, too bad you couldn't fit in my suitcase!

 

We got back from that job in time to go to church Wednesday night.  Thursday morning rolled by (where had the week gone!) and it was our free day.  Most of us went to the market in the morning and then we all met at SEED.  I don't have pictures of the market because it would likely come across as rude more than anything to pull out a camera there.  While the sights were definitely different and at times unbelievable, the stench was what disgusted me the most.  Rotten, rancid meat and fish mixed with some sewage that trickled down the street had my stomach churning.  I know the people don't know any different and it's not like they have any other choice of how to store meat so it makes sense why it's like it is.  And I suppose that if you spend every day but Sunday there the smell isn't so terrible.  For a wimp like me it was nice to get out of there!

At SEED we climbed the lookout tower for a great view and then got a tour by the head man.  It was encouraging to hear how they combine life skills and faith to help the Haitian people.

After our tour at SEED we were beach bound!  I loved the place from the moment we arrived.

The afternoon was carefree and put the cherry right on top.

Thanks to Alisha for snapping a group photo for us!

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 Thursday evening was also special because it was the debriefing where we all went around and shared highs and lows.  After we had done that, we received a confirmation of the rumor that we had to leave at 3 a.m. for the airport due to unrest in Port.  Some of us thought, 'what's the point of sleeping?' so we started a group game of King Elephant.  Then our bus driver and his mechanic arrived and Joycie, our hostess, came in the guest house to tell us that she needed a Bible because she was witnessing to the mechanic who was an unbeliever.  The driver had shared his testimony with her and we asked if he would come in and share it with us.  Joycie translated while he told how he had been ill and incurable even by his father's witch-doctor efforts.  He found and accepted Christ and long story short, he and his family became believers, including his father who burnt his idols.  Hearing a first hand account of a person whose life changed so drastically was an encouraging way to end the week.  After the testimony was shared we all went to bed so the driver and his mechanic could sleep on the couches.

Friday morning, I slept most of the drive into Port.  We arrived at the airport at least five hours before our flight to find out we couldn't check in until 10:30 so we set up camp right there for a few hours.

Finally we all got checked in and spent the remaining hours being eaten by mosquitoes in the waiting room which was ironic since I had gotten few bites throughout the week.

The flight from Port to Atlanta was pretty uneventful and we all made it through customs okay.  Then it came time to say goodbye.  Throughout the week I had had some great talks with my roomies that I hadn't anticipated before the trip and just as a whole it was a great team to work with that blessed me beyond what I had imagined, so parting ways was a little bitter sweet.  The sweet part was that we were getting closer to home.

Saturday morning as I was doing the laundry at home I seriously felt like I was walking around a palace.  Although the extremity of the poverty will wear off with time, I hope I'll think twice about what I buy.  I hope I'll do a better job holding back complaints that come to my lips.  I hope I'll never forget the lessons I learned from the Haitians that week.