Holy Thursday experience in Haiti

I have to tell you about my "Holy Thursday" experience in Haiti. 

It was last Friday, Day 7 in Haiti and our last day at the bench building site. We were getting into our truck, saying tearful goodbyes to the children and new friends we had spent the week with, when I stepped right into the sewage that runs along the roads. (And I was wearing sandals!) I don't know if you have ever seen sewage like this, but it is their only means of waste disposal, if you know what I mean. 

Not wanting to put my foot into the truck like that, I was asking anyone if they had a plastic bag to put my sandal in and I thought I could scrape my foot off on some rocks, when one of the Haitian carpenters we were working with came out of his home with a bucket of water and parted the crowd that was forming around me. He held the bucket low and just as I thought how wonderful it was that I could wash my foot off in the bucket, he looked into my eyes and shook his head no. He instead, picked up my foot and scooped water out of the bucket and with his own hand, very gently washed the sewage off my foot. I was speechless. A very humble feeling came over me that this man who I thought poor was so rich in his heart!  He didn't think twice, came to me in an instant, willing to serve his sister - me. 

Haiti is a place where God is present all around us. It is a place that teaches me over and over again what it means to love unconditionally.  As I attend Mass on Holy Thursday in a couple weeks and watch the 12 men have their foot washed on the altar, I most assuredly will be reliving my own personal, humbling experience - one act I will never forget. 

Have a Blessed Lenten Season in preparation for a Glorious Easter!!

With the school kids from the mountains.

Joyfully,

 

Debbi

 

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."  Mother Teresa

Sent from my iPhone

Day 7 - Friday

Well we are winding down to our last days, hours, minutes, seconds and moments in Haiti and let me just tell you how truly amazing our time here has been.  I cannot stress enough how blessed I am to have gotten the opportunity to know each and every person on this trip.  First of all my team.  Team March 2013 is awesome.  I have gotten the chance to return to Haiti for the second time now.  I went to Haiti last year with my family and three Minnesota boys,  one of whom returned with me this year, and it opened my eyes to a whole new world.  This year I was engaged with a brand new group.  I have had the chance to get to know them and share in Haiti’s wonderful life changing experience.  Second of all our Haitian guys.  Joe, Jacob and Fresnel have become our best friends and it will be hard to say goodbye.

Today filled our hearts with many emotions.  We spent our last day in Verettes filled with activities.  We headed off to our job site we had been at all week to finish up our project of building the benches.  We got almost all of them done and our super amazing carpenters will finish the rest after we leave.  I think the kids were the hardest part of leaving the site.  So many friendships were created and relationships were tied.  One particular friendship that stood out to me was between a boy named Zita and Jessy.  Her love and passion for this one boy was outstanding and it touched my heart to see how much she cared about him.  I know we are all going to miss those kids and they are going to miss us as well.  They made our week.   Then we rode over to Tom and Fecilta’s for lunch.  Fecilta made us the BEST PIZZA EVER!  They were so proud to have us as company and even little Ryan (their son) opened up and played with Nathan.  We were all overwhelmed with joy to see Echo who sang for us and put huge smiles on all of our faces. 

After we visited for a while at Tom’s we packed up and made our way to a spot to buy some sugar cane!  We packed the truck with sugar cane and drove to the river to eat the sugar cane and dip our feet in the water.  The bonding time today with each other was probably the best part.  Joe and Fresnel then decided to take us to a Haitian bar! We sat with one another had a soda and enjoyed each other’s company.  While we were at the bar sipping on our drinks, smiling and talking it hit me.  I am really going to miss this great group of people and this was by far the best way to spend my spring break.

We then had the privilege to go and visit the Albert Schweitzer Hospital.  We all had different expectations and were amazed to see how everything worked and how the place was run.  I don’t like hospitals so I won’t elaborate a whole lot on this one.  All I can say is it was worth seeing and touched a few people in our group to go more into the medical field.  After the hospital Alaina was intrigued by the small vendors on the sides of the street and really wanted to try some Haitian candy!  We stopped, grabbed a bag and then proceeded to go on our way back to Borel.  Our day finished on a relaxing note and we spent some time with our friends on the compound playing just dance and socializing about how much Haiti has touch our lives. 

I honestly and truthfully can’t explain how happy and blessed I am.  This trip wouldn’t have been possible without my mother.  She has touched my life in ways that are hard to explain and I owe her so much.  She makes this all possible and without her none of us would have been able to go.  I don’t think we understand how much she puts into these trips and it is so worth it.  My mom has such a big heart for Haiti and the Haitian people and I admire her and her missionary work.  She truly is amazing.

It’s going to be extremely hard to leave our friends of Haiti and tears will fill my eyes when tomorrow comes upon us.  It’s been so much fun working side by side with our brothers and sisters and doing God’s work at the same time.  God has shown his light to us through Haiti in everything we saw, did, and experienced.  I can’t wait to come back but till then it is never goodbye it is see you later…


ONE BLESSED CHILD OF GOD -Bekah

Drinking coconut milk!! Mmmm.

Joyfully,

 

Debbi

 

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."  Mother Teresa

Sent from my iPhone

Thursday Day 6

He pursues them and passes on safely, by paths his feet have not trod.     Isaiah 41:3

This was our day today. We had a path we were going to take today, but God clearly had a different path for us. We were supposed to drive then hike to the school in the mountains that we built the benches for. It was to be a long trip, but we had all our supplies - both for the school and ourselves - and were prepared for the challenge... but were we? 

Early on in our venture, things began to change - the terrain, the truck, the path. We realized we were not going to make it. We had a decision to make. Do we turn back after we had come so far?  We came up with a compromise. Lets see if the children could meet us part way. We could still deliver our supplies and they were expecting to see us anyway. 

The next few turns of events clearly showed us that the path that was laid in front of us was not our own. We were completely NOT in control. God was. We were able to be blessed by a whole different group of children that needed some attention. And we also witnessed a harsh reality. 

We came across a "restavek" (a sort of slave child inHaiti) working in the fields whose feet were so badly infected it had a profound affect on us, moving many of us to tears. How could this be? Where is the justice? Why were we here, at this precise location to see this? Oh the many whys that were going through our minds. As a few of us prayed over this little boy of about 6 years old, lifting him up to our heavenly Father, we felt some of the pain and sorrow of this child and realized God had brought us to this little tiny part of Haiti this day. We spoke with the family he lives with and they promised to get him to the hospital and we promised the bill would be taken care of.   Unfortunately as we were leaving, our Haitian team leader informed us that there are many like this little boy in these mountains.

 We were privileged to be able to make a difference in one of God's children that day. In fact, I believe a difference was made in the lives of many, including our own.  To complete our day, we finally met up with the school children from the mountain. About 20 representatives walked 4 hours to thank us for our gift of the benches. The only regret I had was that we could not see the school ourselves. But that's ok. One day we will get there. When that day comes, we will follow another "path our feet have not trod" with another amazing experience I'm sure. 

Wow! What an amazing thing it is to put our complete trust in God's plan!! Thank you Haiti for showing us how to do this.  

Hiking

Joyfully,

 

Debbi

 

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."  Mother Teresa

Sent from my iPhone

Climbing the mountain.

Good morning! Please pray for our team today. We are venturing up the mountain to the school we have been building the benches for. Our 11 Americans and 3 Haitians are loaded up with school supplies, lunch, and plenty of water for our adventurous hike. We know that even though it will be difficult, Jesus will be walking along side us. We give Him the glory of this amazing experience!

 

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."  Mother Teresa

Wednesday - Day 5

All ten of us have different stories to tell and they are constantly changing to reflect the unique experiences that define who we are. What’s clear though is that Haiti has become ingrained in each of our stories and that no matter where we go or who we become in this life, we will look back on our time together here and remember the hopefulness for a better future and the joy we witnessed during the week we’ve spent together.

            At first reference, joy seems to be a funny term to describe anything about Haiti. The mere reference of Haiti conjures up images of poverty, nutritional deprivation, natural disasters and subhuman living conditions to those in the developed world that have never been here. But if you dive deeper than the international crisis headlines and National Geographic photos, you will find that joy manifests itself in every aspect of Haitian life.

            We had the opportunity to witness some of that today as we spent relaxing at the beach at a typical Caribbean Resort called Club Indigo. It was a typical beach day for the Americans in our group filled with beach games, pina coladas (non-alcoholic), and relaxing in beach chairs. However, it was anything but typical for the six Haitians who joined us. It was a day of firsts for Joanes, Bo, Jakob, Oudi, Wood, and Fresnel. It gave them a chance to refresh their spirits in a way that had never been afforded to them. Our Haitian friends played volleyball for the first time, ate at a buffet style lunch and kayaked for the first time - seemingly minor life events, but it meant a lot to them. Their smiles and laughter during the day reminded us to be grateful for what we have and to appreciate the simple joy you feel when you make somebody’s life a little better.  

            As we discussed “joy” this evening, the group commented on the joy and optimism we’ve seen and heard of throughout our discussions and in our dialogues with the Haitian people. The youth recognize that it is essential for them to expand their knowledge of the natural world and become multilingual in order to create a Haiti that supports a higher quality of life and creates an economic environment that gives the country a competitive edge in an increasingly globalized era. They’re willing to rise to this task because they are not content with their world as it is today and are eager to remake their world as it should be.

            The group also felt joy in the knowledge that there is an abundance of natural beauty here and this lends itself to the hope that a thriving tourism sector can be established. That became evident as we played volleyball, kayaked and swam surrounded by the palms, sandy beaches and breathtaking views. In fact, Haiti was once called the “Jewel of the Caribbean” due to its luscious foliage and abundance of agricultural plantations. That is no longer the case today because of a mismanaged stewardship of the island’s resources, but there is hope that it can regain its footing as a Caribbean tourist destination.

            In summation, today was a bit more relaxing than the first three days, but no less but revealing. Joy is abundant to those who seek it and there are infinite possibilities to experience it. Most importantly, joy is contagious. When you see others feeling joy, you begin to sense and feel it, and suddenly the stresses of our jobs, family, ambitions and education seem to fade away, however short that feeling may be. My final thought is that time is the most important limited resource we have a human beings, and we ought to live our lives in ways that cause joy in the lives of others so that when people reflect on our stories, they will say that you were a good person who left a fleeting impact on the lives of others. ~ Nathan

Fun at the beach!!

Joyfully,

 

Debbi

 

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."  Mother Teresa

Sent from my iPhone

Tuesday-Day 4 in Haiti

by Jess

We woke up today on the 5^th of March, excited for what the day had in store. Today would be the second day that we would be returning to Verrettes, a very poor, rural city at the descent  of the many mountains that border the horizon. As you have probably read yesterday, we returned to the carpenter’s house we were working at, only to have another change in plans (typical Haiti, I guess lol), so we didn’t get as much done as we planned. However, progress is being done and that is what matters. I think the Haitians definitely realize that, too. Especially after the earthquake on January 12, 2010 that devastated the lives of millions, and took the lives of approx. 100,000 people.

Though we weren’t doing physical work, I can say that the love we were sharing with these Haitian children at the village of Verrettes was absolutely life changing to me, so I guess emotional work was being done. During group tonight, everyone had to share something that meant something to them. I’ll use some their responses to highlight our day J

Stacey shared with us today the pride Haitians feel in their work. They are by far the hardest working people. Here’s Jacob’s story (A close Haitian friend). When Jacob was nine or ten years old, his mother passed away, leaving him in the custody of his father. Growing up, Jacob’s mother and father had opposing religious views; his mother was Catholic where his father practiced Voodoo.  Jacob didn’t see eye to eye with his father in regards to being a Voodooist, so he was kicked out and left, basically, as an orphan at only nine or ten (not sure) years old. Jacob was blessed, and had a beautiful personality. He was able build a life better than most Haitian adults. He not only had a goat, a very prestigious possession in Haitian culture, but he was able to buy a piece of land in Verrettes for about 500 dollars. With that, he continued to work and save his money. Now he is 17 years old, and lives in a house he built by himself.  He is truly inspiring to me. If somebody can go through something like that at nine or ten years old, I can go through so much.

 Elle shared a really meaningful message today. Coming to Haiti, white Americans are generally viewed as very rich. Little do they know that we would do anything to value the things they do, and to seek happiness and the ability to revel when such happiness is achieved. All in all, we aren’t the rich ones. They are rich. Rich in culture, beauty, passion, and so many other things I can’t begin to describe.

Unfortunately, I can’t remember who said this because I must have gotten side-tracked and didn’t write it down, but today we were blessed with the opportunity to go to a children’s camp called Ti Moun Tete Ansam (children’s heads together) which teaches the kids morals, values, structure, and also feeds them well. There, we were able to meet Sister Josepha, a Puerto Rican nun that came to lead the children at the camp. Also, there was another missionary there from Poland. There were Haitians, Americans, a Puerto Rican, and a Polish woman. Knowing that so many different races and different types of people could come together and love each other, regardless of the fact that most of us just met that day, is something I wish more people could realize. There are no boundaries or no color of skin that can change the fact that we are all human beings and that we all want the same thing.

 If I had to pick the most influential/important/beautiful moment of my day was seeing the children and spending most of my day with them. One of the sweetest little boys there was named Zita. He was probably six years old. These Haitian children were quite poor, but this little boy was by far more impoverished. He was covered in dirt, had no pants on (the only child there without them), and was picked on and terrorized by the other kids. Knowing this, I automatically wanted to help him. As we were leaving, he scratched his arm on a barbed-wire fence and started to cry. Instinctively, I ran over to him, picked him up, and brought him over to our medical equipment. The scratch was hardly noticeable, but I knew he needed positive attention. He sat on my lap for probably twenty minutes as I put Neosporin and a Band-Aid on his little scrape, and washed his arms, legs, and face off with multiple baby wipes. The entire time I had to try and hold back tears. I knew he had no home life, he had the same clothes on and was even more dirty than yesterday. Debbi plans on talking to Joe (A local Haitian friend, responsible for most our mission work), and we plan on bringing him pants. I know how much this will mean to him because it was obvious to see how embarrassed he was because he had no pants or underwear. The fact that someone at the age of 6, not a baby/toddler, but a child who is embarrassed to be in public naked, absolutely broke my heart. Leaving him Thursday will be a struggle.

Before I head off to sleep, I thought I would share something light and humorous to lift the mood a little lol. Many of the Haitians think Melissa is Chinese or Mexican because she is from the Philippines. One little boy even asked her if she knew Jackie Chan or if she had learned Tai-Kwon-Do! lol.

I’m sure you’ll be hearing from one of us tomorrow, but for now goodnight!

Jess

Day 3 - Monday - by Aaron

After a full day of building school benches with the locals and playing jump rope with the children, day three was a resounding success.  This day, which was full of good deeds and graces, had a morning boosted by a breakfast that consisted of a roll, banana, and Haitian oatmeal which everyone agreed was the best tasting oatmeal!!!  After a short truck ride into town, we got our hands dirty and started our day of services by sanding the school benches.  It was hard work, but  we got fourteen of the twenty-five benches sanded. Lunch was a meal of cold cut sandwiches which was shared with the local people, many who were working hard right along side us. After lunch, the guys worked on cutting wood for building the rest of the benches, while the rest of the group set to work at varnishing the the completed benches or playing jump rope with the super cute children!!! When the day was over we came back to camp to a great meal of meat,rice and super duper hot sauce!! At the end of the day, everyone is dirty and tired, but in great spirits as we all look forward to the week of service ahead. 

Sunday, March 3 - Day 2 in Haiti

Let me just start with saying, Haiti is amazing! The people here are so loving, precious, and grateful. Today we went to Mass with Father Alexis, it was a very emotional ceremony because they are moving Father Alexis to another parish. At the end of Mass, there was a little old lady who just loved us, she gave all of us kisses. It was really rewarding to see her appreciation. The Haitians said their farewells to him through song, it was very touching.

We then went and visited the school that Father Alexis built, which I was surprised at the technology it had. They have computer class throughout the week, I never would have guessed! They also had a new library with a lot of books for the children. After visiting the school he built, we went to a different school to distribute rice, beans, and vegetable oil to families in need. To finish our day, we went back to Father Alexis' for dinner and to say bye to him. Father Alexis provided breakfast, lunch, and dinner for us today. The Freedom soup, onion soup, fresh bananas, and plantain were my favorites.

It's surprising to me how the Haitians react to "blancs" or white people. Most of the little kids get all giddy as we pass, while the adults just stare in wonderment. One little baby started crying as we approached him because he was scared since he'd never seen white people before. It's so interesting trying to communicate with the Haitians since for the most part, we don't know each others' language. Wood, our driver for the day was really excited to learn the English words. Bekah, Munji, and I had quite a lesson with him, he taught us the Creole words for belly button, stomach, metal, and many more things, while we taught him the English words for each. His face lit up with each new word we taught him and when we said the Creole translation back to him. I was very surprised at how good his handwriting is. I bonded really well with Wood.

It was a blessed day and I thank God for bringing us on this journey, I can't wait to see what the next few days bring us.
-Elle

Day 1 in Haiti - Saturday.

After arriving in Port au Prince's renovated airport (wow!) and making the scenic 3 hour drive north to our guest house, most of us are all tucked in, resting for our next day. We were all in awe of the contrasting Haitian culture that we witnessed from the back of the truck we were riding in.

We had a very eye-opening journey that Aaron summarized as a "great day!" Was it meeting the rest of our team at the airport, the fantastic transportation we were blessed with, the beautiful countryside we drove past, the warm welcome we received at the guest house we are staying at, the deep conversations we are staying up having with one another or the much needed rest we are now getting - or was it simply the beautiful smile on the Haitian child that he locked eyes with on the detour through St. Marc?

I'd say everything about our first day in Haiti was a gift! Thank you God for getting us all to this little corner of the world where we will witness your loving glory in a totally different way than we ever have before!

Bon nuit (good night)
Team March 2013

In airport leaving for Haiti

Joyfully,

 

Debbi

 

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."  Mother Teresa

Sent from my iPhone