Calvary Church - Haiti Mission Trip - January 2013
|
Welcome to Haiti. Gressier, Haiti is 25 miles west of Port au Prince and is about 3 miles from the epicenter of the massive and devastating 2010 earthquake. Haiti is an impoverished, 3rd world country that really doesn't have a formidable government, judicial system, military, or law enforcement. Although donations continue to flow into the country, corruption and crime continues and overall rebuilding efforts are slow at best. It is hard to believe that Haiti was once the wealthiest island in the Caribbean back in the 1500s. Now, it has been left behind except for mission work and some other minor business developments.
What you don’t see – the lack of electric power, restroom facilities, fresh-water source, shade, and the right tools for the project. You quickly learn to adapt in a country like Haiti, you must have a fluid schedule and be willing to do what can be done. There isn’t any big home improvement stores located right around the corner. Supplies are usually quadruple or more than the U.S. prices – that’s if they even have it in stock. A quick run to get supplies can easily take most of a day! The working and living conditions can be very tough. You are in a strange land, you don’t sleep well, it is hot and dirty, you don’t eat as much, and it is tough to stay hydrated. It is a shock to the system but, the rewards are life-changing!
I found that the greatest part of our trip involved the village walks. One evening we walked three miles up to a higher elevation view in which we could see Port-Au-Prince and all surrounding villages and the Caribbean Sea – it was spectacular! We walked through a couple of local villages and met many people that were very friendly as they could see the work we were doing. We met Zeeko’s family (2nd from the left group pic below – a very good man!) and many of his friends. We were able to attend a couple of schools and interact with the students during English lessons. I was chosen to teach for a short period and I had a blast with that. Whether it’s kicking a soccer ball, coloring, or teaching, it is truly rewarding.
|
 |
| Resort style living with tarantulas, rats, roaches & mangos. |
|
|
 |
| 200 gal. water tank removed, now rebuilding wood base. |
|
|
 |
| Finished with a pile of brick left – very, very tiring work |
|
|
In summary – Haiti is tough. It is a country that represents ‘man- fallen’. The chaos is apparent upon landing and exiting the airport. This was my second trip and it was still overwhelming to the senses as there is no similarity to travel and life in the U.S. What the pictures do not reveal is the mishap that me, Scott, and Len experienced after being in Haiti for only an hour. We were in the center of Port-au-Prince en-route to our mission house. It was gridlock traffic in both directions and hundreds of people moving between cars, selling to each car, going about their ‘normal’ day. Our non-English speaking driver suddenly becomes nervous, begins looking around and pointing, reaches over Pastor Scott to unlock his door, Lens door opens next to me, Scotts door opens up front and then I hear a frightening ‘CRACK’! I turned to my window and I was staring down the barrel of a 22mm pistol held by a Haitian man with no emotion or any care for human life. There was nowhere to run, hide, no one to call, or even ask what was happening. We were being robbed at gunpoint. Yes, my life did flash but, I managed to cooperate and handed over my iPhone as I tried to comprehend what was unfolding and try to understand what else they wanted. As I looked over to hand my iPhone to the other perpetrator, the guy at my door disappears and the next sound was – BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, at least 12 -15 shots fired. They began shooting at some ‘officials’ vehicle behind us that turned on their blue emergency lights in an attempt to stop what was happening to us. Once they were being shot at, then they returned fire on the guys robbing us. I sunk down in my seat, smelling gun powder and hearing the gunfight thinking it was aimed at us. NOW TERRIFIED! We couldn’t move, we had no idea if they were coming back for us, or if the crowd would mob us. I prayed that I wanted to see my family at least one more time but, I understood God’s sovereign plan and that if this was ‘IT’, then I’m ok with that (faith). The traffic jam only allowed us to move another 3 blocks in 30 minutes, still in shock & feeling like something was going to happen. No officials, U.N., or police offered to help. This car ride seemingly took forever! Our driver stopped at several places and we panicked each time because we couldn’t understand what he was doing (he works for one of the local gov’t offices and was trying to report the robbery along with his stolen wallet & drivers license since he is a driver by trade!). We arrived at the Haitian Queen and told our story. Disbelief covered the faces of everyone as they quickly helped us get connected to shut off our phones and anything else we needed to handle. I was happy – I felt as if I had just one day as I had asked. Time to change things up in case there’s no tomorrow! The rest of the week my head was clear, focused on mission work, and thanking God for allowing me another day. Finally, driving home in a snowstorm, I walked in to see my family again – success! Even if only for a day!!!
|
 |
| Our team minus Dave who left Haiti early. Lots of hard work and sweat! |
|
|
 |
| Coloring with the school kids, then on to soccer. |
|
|
 |
| Haitian sports bar. You can see the TV in the tree! It's all about soccer! |
|
|
|
