Haiti Trip 2013: Thursday

I know it's been awhile since I posted the last entry about the trip I took with a group from Embrace to Mission Haiti in February and it's because 1) I am still journaling about the trip (yes, a month later) and 2) we've sort of been preoccupied with Amy's cancer diagnosis. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about both in the weeks to come, but while we are in a lull waiting for Amy's treatment plan to take shape, I figured I would take some time to resume the recap of the trip.

Thursday, February 21, 2013- Ti Rivier, Haiti

A few things about sleeping at Mission Haiti: earplugs are a must and roosters are plentiful. The sleeping arrangements are such that the men were in one room with five bunk beds and the ladies in one with three or four (I'm not sure how many because I am a gentleman and covered my eyes every time I walked by there. Okay, not really. Turns out I only have a detailed memory for things that directly effect me). Troy & Rachael got the honeymoon suite (a storeroom with a few single beds) and we all shared an entry room that is part foyer, part pantry, and part first aid area.

After falling asleep the first night, I slept fairly soundly with a bit of tossing & turning because of the heat and the roosters. I know there are at least two roosters on sight and the neighbors have several within crowing distance as well. Once everyone is sound asleep though, they multiply and amplify to the point where sleeping without earplugs would be an effort in futility. I'm not sure what time they started crowing that first night, but it was an endless cock-a-doodle-drone all night.

I was pretty much awake by 5:00am (after going to bed at 7:30 the night before), but stayed in bed until 6:15 before venturing out for my first bucket shower. Our showers consisted of two stalls with a bench that holds a bucket of water that is filled from barrels that get filled once a day from the well that is on site. Most of the team preferred showers at the end of the afternoon or before bed because the water is warmer, but I opted for mornings because 1) I am a creature of habit and 2) it was the coolest I would be the entire trip. The only thing I was uncertain about was shaving since it would have to happen in the shower and there was no mirror present. I opted to take my phone in and used the front facing camera as a makeshift mirror (an idea that proved quite effective for the duration of the trip).

Breakfast was at 7:00 and consisted of instant oatmeal and instant coffee, both of which were quite appreciated. Breakfast for the full week was more a form of function than cultural immersion and alternated between the above and variations on the theme along with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on days that required something with a little more substance. Each morning also began with a team devotional. On Thursday I gave a one that I had written from Isaiah 55 about our expectations and submitting them to the plans that God had for us for the trip.

After devos, we marched to the first school of the day which is less than a quarter mile from the mission. We were there to take pictures of the kids that have school sponsors through Mission Haiti that help pay for supplies, uniforms, & lunches for the students for a sum of only $75-150 per year depending on whether they are in elementary or high school.

One by one, each child was marched down to the photo area in the former courtyard of the pink school (the wall to the courtyard was destroyed at some point in time, though portions remain). Each student had a plastic sleeve with a sheet of paper with their name and a copy of their picture from the previous year which they got to keep. They each had one photo with the name card and one without (to make sure we had the right child's name for each packet) before being given a sticker, a piece of candy, smiles from all of our team (because they were absolutely adorable), and were finally sent back to class.

The kids were excited to have us there and they looked sharp/cute in their blue & white uniforms with the girls' hair done with barrettes & ribbons. It was interesting to see kids come late or go early, but apparently the teachers in a lot of these schools may or may not show up and things often wrap up by noon or so. No education is needed to be a teacher. All you have to do is buy a certificate, so the quality and commitment level of the teachers are often low to say the least.

We saw about 300 kids at that school before packing up and heading back up the hill. One of the highlights of our first excursion for me was Scott Johnson. As we started at the school, Scott was grabbing pictures left and right and continued to do so as the kids began to have their pictures taken. At one point, he asked if there was anything he could do because he felt like he wasn't really helping. I told him that taking pictures for us was huge because it allowed everybody else to do what they were doing while still knowing that things were being documented so that we could remember the experience and better communicate the opportunities for future trips. His face lit up and he unofficially took on the role of team photographer. It was a joy to be able to affirm him in his gifts and to give him permission to do what comes so naturally to him. He does an amazing job of making people feel comfortable (kids and adults) and takes a simple, beautiful joy in showing the people of Haiti their beauty through his lens. All of the photos in this post (with the exception of the first and last) are courtesy of Scott.

It wasn't long before we headed back out to the next school which was just a stone's throw around the bend from the first school. Replace the pink building with a blue one, blue for red in the uniform, and the broken wall for a hillside ocean view and the rest played out in a similar fashion to the first school.

At the first school, I found myself shifting roles from helping kids get from check-in to the photographers, to helping with the name cards, to handing out candy. At the second school, the set up was such that I quickly found myself jobless. I opted to spend the time praying, taking pictures of the team, and having conversations with other team members.

We returned from the second school and settled in for beans, rice, chicken, and fried plantains that had been prepared for us. Conversations were good as we unpacked our first morning of work and lunch was followed by a little trip to the home of one of Gretchen's friends. A handful of us visited Robert who was quite hospitable in showing us the boat he was building, his garden, and his home. His home is a simple Haitian home with a few small rooms and an amazing beachfront view. We wandered down to check out the beach and it was unlike anything I'd ever seen. The water and the view of the far side of the bay are breathtaking until you look at your feet and see the massive amounts of trash that you are standing on.

Haiti is, without a doubt, the most littered place I've ever been (in my admittedly limited travels). What garbage is not burned is simply left where it lies. It is not a stretch to say that we didn't walk more than ten feed on any roadway that we traveled without seeing a menagerie of trash including wrappers, plastic bottles, parts of old shoes and any number of other things. The beach at Robert's was almost more garbage than rock and seemed a surreal framework for the view that it surrounds.

Robert's home was both simple and warm with one special, notable piece of decor that was of interest to us as a team. It was a picture of Mike, Pam, and their family that was at least ten years old. It was a beautiful testimony to the time that they have invested in the people of Ti-Rivier and the family that they have made in this community.

When we got back to the mission, we were able to sit in on some teaching by Pastor Jeff Stam. Jeff was accidentally brought on the trip by Pam as she thought she was contacting someone else, but Jeff proved to be a blessing as his ministry (Set Free Ministries) is focused on spiritual bondage and teaching about things pertaining to spiritual warfare. It was a little unclear what Jeff's purpose on the trip was to be and as he started his session, he wasn't even certain whether it should be directed at our team or at the Haitians that had come to hear him. Pam was not around, so I encouraged him to focus the teaching toward the Haitians knowing we would have other opportunities of our own to hear from him.

Jeff began by recounting the spiritual history of Haiti and discussing the prevalence of voodoo and how, even in cases where people tried to follow Christ, their lives were still impacted by voodoo in a variety of ways. It was very interesting to get a bit more perspective on the issue of voodoo which is a daily reality in the daily lives of many that would encounter in the days ahead and helped to inform my prayers for the remainder of the trip.

After Jeff's teaching, we had the chance to go hang out with Pam's kids at the orphanage. Aubrey, Julie, Rachael, Gretchen, Troy, Taylor, Seth and I went and delivered the crosses that the Embrace kids had made for the Haiti kids and gave Pam's kids the chance to make some for us to bring back with us. There are currently ten kids at the orphanage (four boys and six girls) all probably aged 12 or younger. Some of the older kids remembered Aubrey from past trips and wanted to know how the other Scarlet Letter boys were doing (a band Aubrey sang for for a few years) and if Aubrey had married Art (her guitar player, friend and former boyfriend). It was sort of fun seeing Aubrey try to navigate the questions and to realize just how much has changed for her in the last two years.

Before long Lucy & Aubrey had slipped away to play basketball while the rest continued to press on with the craft. Things eventually wound down, cleaned up, and moved on to other things. Some of the kids played hopscotch while others of us moved to the basketball court to join Lucy & Aubrey.

Pam had shared with us the day before that there was a strong possibility that Lucy would be taken from the orphanage while we were there. Lucy's mom and dad had been heavily involved in gangs before her father died and Lucy had been at the orphanage for several years because her mother didn't want her. Pam has all of the legal paperwork to be Lucy's legal guardian, but in Haiti her mother could easily tell a judge that she wants her back and Pam's paperwork wouldn't matter a bit. Her mother had expressed a desire to do exactly that and Pam was scheduled to meet with Lucy's mom Thursday morning. We were all praying that she would have a change of heart and decide to let Lucy stay because the situation with her mom would not be a healthy one.

For the time being, we played ball. The teams naturally took on a boys vs girls vibe as we began our play on a rim at about eight feet in height on a concrete slab that was sloped and uneven. It was clear early that Lucy was a sharp shooter, Julie was fiercely competitive, and Rose, Lucy, and Schneider (all orphans) were fierce defenders who used every ounce of energy to harass, harangue, and foul each other to get the ball back.

Lucy's scoring potential quickly made us abandon our initial soft defensive approach. I started by simply making sure I kept my hands up to make her shoot over me, but it quickly escalated to actively attempting to block her shots (much to my shame, or not so much). I was heckled mercilessly after my first block, but I protested that I had to play her tough since she'd already scored 80 points on me (a bit of hyperbole). Julie finally had to quit giving me grief after blocking one of 4'0'' Schneider's shots.

We finally ended a hard fought contest to head over to the other side to eat. Turns out that we were not only late to dinner, but late to youth as well as several young men in their teens and early 20's were already on hand. Supper was macaroni & cheese that the medical crew had made and was greatly appreciated, if belatedly enjoyed.

After the evening meal, it was finally time for youth group. Patricko led worship on guitar in both Creole and English and it was definitely a blessing to get to hear familiar songs in another language and to hear the voices of so many of the area youth lifted in praise. Aubrey followed that with the first of a two part lesson on Esther for the youth and she taught using an interpreter for about five minutes before we continued on in worship.

After youth had wrapped up and things had quieted a bit, we gathered our team in the dining area and had our team time where we discussed our plans for Friday and also shared our highs and lows for the day. For the most part, the highs flowed easily from just about everybody and the lows were few and far between. It had really been a fun day of seeing the team come together and begin to form an identity.

Pam then gave a brief update about where things stood with Lucy's mom who was still determined to take Lucy. The expectation was that she would arrive with a court order, or the police, on Friday to do so. Obviously, this was a major topic of the prayer time that followed the sharing that capped off the night.

After that, it was finally time to settle in, grab some rest, and let the rooster chorus serenade us 'til dawn.