Reflecting on Häiti

February 27, 2011

Reflecting on Häiti

Mike asked us all an interesting question tonight at supper. Did you have a “moment” when things changed for you here in Häiti? It was a question I hadn’t really thought about yet, I’d thought about the moments I’d really loved, some that stood out to me, but not the question from that particular angle. I’d noticed a change in me, but I hadn’t pinpointed the moment yet. For me, I realized that the moment things changed for me was meeting with the women in the Women’s Club.

I felt such immense solidarity with these women from the moment I walked into the church. We were part of a sisterhood of understanding. They were instantly welcoming, there was a high energy in the room as everyone met together with one common goal, the best for their children.

As they shared their experiences, their challenges, their hopes and dreams I felt the energy in the room around me and I too was charged with hope and joy in a way I haven’t felt in over a year since the earthquake. I felt God’s presence all around me and I could hardly breathe. I felt him show me that this was his promise to me actualized, this moment of realization, HERE was faith, hope and joy so real, so full, so true. I felt the burden and sorrow from January 12^th lift and be replaced by hope and joy deep beyond our circumstances. I was inspired and lifted high in one spirit with these women. I hadn’t realized that I had worn the earthquake like a cloak of heavy mourning. Here, we were one, we were unified.

As I shared with thesewomen the bond I felt, that we were all women with one heart, they clapped and cheered, they had felt it too. I encouraged them that they were extremely valuable and honoured them for the difficult but important work they do raising the next generation of children. I expressed the deep honour I feel to have the opportunity to partner with them in their great work. These were the mothers that represented the children we sponsor. I am so close,I Can imagine the connection I would feel with those who help me give my best to my children so that they can be their best, reaching their full potential. I can see their sincere gratitude as the possibilities for their children become even greater through our partnership. United women are a mighty force.

I can’t help but cry from the relief, the weight of grief being left behind and now I can really look forward to hope restored and a bright future as we partner together!

~H

Day 6

February 27, 2011
Day 6

9:30am Church in Hinche
3:00pm Visit local Waterfall attraction

This morning began with no water. Ah, how important is a shower in a hot, dusty environment where we have been travelling, kicking up dust all day long. Finally, enough water squeezes out that I have enough to work with. As I head up to breakfast I recognize that today is going to be hot, a nice hot, but unfortunately the majority of my “lighter” clothes are dirty and I’m stuck in jeans and a tshirt.

Breakfast this morning is some sort of pumpkin soup with what I think is goat in it. Kinda hard to wrap my brain around soup for breakfast, and I definilty can’t stomach goat. I tried it one day, but after spending much of my time surrounded by them I’m afraid it’s just not possible for me. Of course I knew that food would be limited in Haiti, but the amount of carbohydrates and pop are just about doing in me in. We laugh when Bernie steps on the truck to step into the back and the footstep breaks off. “Too much rice!” When I get home it’s going to be a pure veggie diet with loads of water for awhile. LOL!

Segnol, Marouse, Marcellus and Robert arrived fully decked out in suits to pick us up. We all looked at each other as if to say “oops”. It seems everyone dresses in their finest to church, and in the case of these guys they have specific dress based on their status in the church. I am constantly amazed at the significance of hierarchy and respect in Haitian culture.

This morning we are attending one of the many churches in Hinche. I amazed at how many churches are in one small village. Segnol tells us that they are all busting at the seams with no room for more. Since the earthquake attendance has more than doubled in size and Haitians are regularly giving their lives to follow Jesus. This morning there were at least 8—this is so exciting to witness!

Following Church we stopped off at Marouse’s house to meet his wife and one of his children. She immediately welcomes us in and serves us up the best fried banana and fried something else we’ve had since coming here. It was so good and she was so welcoming, anxious to have her picture with us, and handing her beautiful daughter over to me to carry around. We headed back to the hotel for lunch and as Sagnol says “rest”. Saying goodbye to Marouse was so hard to do. I have such great respect for him. As I have watched him meet with the various associations, the local governments and ADP staff and partners I have been amazed at his leadership skills. He always applauds something, and challenges something, giving the people something to think on, and he does it with great respect. I have learned so much from watching him this week. As we stand to say goodbye to him he surprises each of us with a gift. To Laura he gives his mirror, to me, his pocket comb, to Amy his pocket suite cleaner and to Mike, his watch. These gifts mean so much, especially from him because they are what he has, and they connect us to one another.

After lunch and a rest we are off to visit a local waterfall. It IS beautiful. We climb the mountain it is on to check out the cave, so cool, there are engravings in the cave walls left there by the people from before colonization. It was a great way to end this leg of our journey, in the central plateau. As we pull up to the hotel gate it is hard to say goodbye because we have experienced so much together.

As I’m talking to Bernie on the drive back to the hotel, I say something that resonates true with me after I say it. It’s that because of my experience in Haiti this past week, Haitians are no longer defined by their hardship, but by the relationship, the unity and friendship I have with them. Their need is still great, but it fades into the background of the picture, their faces and stories, their hope and inspiration take the foreground and I realize that I have more to receive from this partnership than I can possibly give.

~H

Day 5 - Sponsor Party

February 26^th 2011 - Day 5—Sponsor Party!

9:30am Meeting with the Mothers Club

10:30am Visit a Goat Project

1:00pm Sponsor Party

What an awesome day! As I sit here hauling pictures and video off of my camera, I can’t wrap my brain around the transformation I feel in myself after such a short period here in Häiti. Ah but I’d love for a piece of chocolate….anyway…

The morning began bright and early but a little cloudier than most. Of course my alarm went off and as I was lazing in bed for a minute pondering if I really had to get up just yet or not, the power went out everywhere. Luckily the water still ran as I grabbed my shower. Power goes out regularly in Häiti, for hours, randomly. During supper, our first night, in Port au Prince, we had just checked in to this beautiful hotel and gone down to the restaurant for supper on a beautiful terrace when all of a sudden there was a bang and the lights all went out. That was a moment! My first thought as my heart jumps in my chest is-earthquake! Luckily we were just out of power and ate the rest of the meal in the dark. So we began our morning without power a breakfast of boiled eggs and bread and MANGO—yummy on the Mango! (personally, if I ever eat another egg after this trip I will be surprised! Eggs every morning…)

We hauled 5 bags of luggage down to the trucks, and off we went for the day. I found myself thinking, “this road isn’t all that bad” lol. How quickly a persons reality changes!

First we visited a Women’s Club. This was an awesome experience. They were so thrilled to have us there and the energy in the room was high. I immediately felt a connection to them, we were sisters with the same cause and hope and desire, the best for our children. The Women’s Club has done great things for them, 30-35 women meet for 2 hrs every Tuesday to learn about family planning, birthday control, environment and hygiene and nutrition, they learn how to care for their reproductive health and have orthopedic training for their children.

When we chatted with them we discovered that there are many orphaned children in the area. Many women have upwards of 5-10 children of their own, and then have taken on the care and responsibility of 3 or 4 orphaned children in their area. Our hearts are knit together as they express their love, hopes and dreams for their children along with the difficulties they have because of their economic condition. They are hopeful, and thankful and I feel immensely blessed to have sat and shared life with them for awhile. These are courageous women uniting to join forces in creating a better tomorrow for their children. Moreouse ends the meeting well by quoting and Africain proverb: “When you educated a boy, you educate and individual. When you educate a girl, you educate a community.”

From there we went to visit a Goat Project. This a brilliant project increasing the health and wellbeing of one family at a time. WV brings in a different breed of goat, healthy and high producing in milk, unlike the goats in the local community. The families in the community can then bring their goats to breed with the better goats and have healthy, strong, high milk producing goats of their own. WV also distributes goats to families in need. In this case, WV gives them a healthy goat, and when it produces it’s first offspring, the family gives it to WV in payment. A goat can produce a kid once every 6 months or so, so the family is then set up to have goats for milk and selling if need be. This was a very interesting visit, brilliant in processes, increasing the economics of the community as well as ensuring it’s continuation.

From here we are excited to go to the Sponsor party, the highlight of our trip! Today we would meet our sponsor children. When we first arrive we are overwhelmed with amount of children, youth, staff and parents on the grounds. Quickly they take us to a room in the headquarters where we can organize the gifts for the children. This takes us awhile as we have gifts for approximately 90 children together. I laugh with the team and say that it will all look so organized and happy in the pictures, thankfully noone will see all the chaos as we run around trying to organize ourselves before they arrive! Finally the children come. They are shy, and adorable. They don’t know quite what to think of us as we give them the envelope from their sponsor family but we pray that they will feel the love represented in each gift and that it continues to give them hope for tomorrow.

We have saved each of our sponsor children until the end of the presentations and I am anxious to see my sponsor child Micheala, and I hope that she is there. She is first to walk through the door and I see a spark in her eye, she is spirited and I know that she must be connected to the Billington girls-we’re all a spirited bunch! Immediately I go over to her and introduce myself. I can’t believe the connection I feel with her. I have prayed for her, hoped for her, talked about her, wrote to her over the past year and the connection is greater than I think. Having been so close to meeting her last year and then having to go home without, makes the connection seem stronger to me too.

She is shy with me, but I can see that she too has made the connection. She clutches her gift and I ask her if she wants to open it. I want to see her face as she opens her things, I want her to understand the love it represents. She peaks in her envelope and takes out the first miniature doll in the doll family. I can tell that she likes it and she reaches her hand into the envelope to feel the others. She doesn’t want to take her things out of the envelope because she wants to keep it safe. We look outside and see that most of the children have not opened their envelopes. Another difference in our culture, our own children would have ripped open the gift as soon as they were allowed to.

I also take time out with the KONNECT sponsor children. Laurie is a beautiful young woman, delightful and smiling. Mr. Walky Jewles is a tiny little guy full of character, his name says it all! And Bubnaud, I laugh because the kids at home can’t pronounce his names so we’ve been calling him Buba, he is such a little adorable Buba! I hope the little videos I took help convey a bit of who they are to the kids back at home.

The ADP has prepared a presentation for us so they usher us out to the front veranda. There is music and dancing and gifts for us. Youth girls come and present us with an envelope of our own and the MC tells us that they have nothing to give us but prayers and appreciation. How little the understand about the gift that they offer us. A gift of joy and hope and believing, a gift of relationship and brotherhood. We ask Segnol if it is alright to open them, and he looks shocked “no, no, you must wait!” We laugh, this is very hard to do.

As the day wraps up I am surprised at how in just a matter of days I can see so much changed in myself. I am surprised at how after you meet the people, spend time with them and get to know them, you don’t see the living conditions as much, but feel the unity in spirit.

~H

Day 4

February 25, 2011 - Day 4

10:00am Arrive & Welcome at UDICC

11:30am Visit Public School & young Craftsmen, Fruit Processors & Tree Nursery

3:00pm Meeting with the administrative board, local government and community leaders

4:00pm Meet families beneficiaries of the gift catalogue program (ie: Fill a Stable)

It was another beautiful day this morning. There is nothing like waking up to the sounds of a wild Jurassic park bird of some sort (oh the images I have in my mind every time is squawks) and a chorus of goats J outside your window! The spiders decided that I’m quite friendly and they should invade my room. I’d yet to see any until this morning when 4 large ones decided to crawl down my wall and make their presence known. We had a chat and have come to an understanding, I am friendly in that I will not track them down, but I am not so friendly that I won’t demolish them in the event that they decide to overtake my territory. As of tonight, they seem to have understood me quite well. Geckos, Chameleons and lizards are everywhere and I’ve tried a number of time to get a really great picture to bring home to Lex and Cole, but these little buggers are fast too, and they aren’t overly keen in getting their pictures taken, although the Gecko commercial would have you believe otherwise.

I’m frustrated with just how horrible the internet connection is around these parts, mostly because I long to communicate with Chad and the girls and see them on skype, and I’m hoping some of my friends and family that are interested will follow my daily trek and fall in love with the Haitians along with me. But alas….

We started the morning hopping into the trucks again and taking off to UDICC ADP. This drive will be longer, but we haven’t been warned that it will be harder, like we were for the trip to La Belle Mer. I am hopeful and unsure just how long my buttocks is going to put up with this kind of treatment. The scenery on this drive is truly beautiful. We stop at a look off and take some pictures of the beautiful valley. There are many more trees, although the mountains still loom brown and bare above them this area looks much more rich in resources. It seems that this must be the case as we drive through the community. The people are going to market so it seems everyone has a dead chicken under their arm, horses, mules and oxen are a plenty. Everyone is stopping to bathe in the streams we are driving through.

It never occurred to me to hurry as we stopped at the lookout to take pictures, that people would be on the other end waiting for us. Even after the last two days of welcomes, I am again amazed as we drive into their village and are greeted in the streets with a huge, and excellent, fully uniformed youth band. As we crawl out of the trucks and the band plays the community leaders and mayor join us shaking hands. Mayor 1 is quite the character with a top hat and massive glasses. This seems to me like something right out of a movie. Children line the school yards to watch, roosters crow, dogs yelp, horses and donkeys neigh and sigh, this is a busy village!

We are ushered in to the yard beside the ADP Headquarters where we are given special seats with programs near the sound equipment. The band sits in front of us and I am amazed at the sense of celebration. Balloons and streamers hang from carefully hung tarps to give us shade. Two young girls lead the morning with a welcome, informing us that we hold the key to their hearts, the love us, and we are make UDICC our home. The mayor proudly welcomes us and gives us the symbolic key to the city. They call us the Canadian Delegate. I have never been more proud to be Canadian, or a representative of Canada than I have been these last 3 days. As I stand to the band’s playing of my national anthem, I am moved at the contribution it has made in the life of others like the children and families of this ADP.

On the drive up to UDICC, Morose was in the truck with us and began talking about the differences between the countries in WV that he has worked with. He thought it was important to inform us that what he noticed most about Canadians was the desire to make the experience of partnership with WV relational, coming to see the Haitians, to meet with them, know them, have relationship with them. I am proud that this is something that makes us stand out from the pack. I do believe that relationship is the key to making a partnership like this really work.

Following the presentation we were taken to the school. I am so excited about this. The road there is very narrow, almost a walking path, and very steep in places. I look back in the truck behind me to see Laura covering her eyes with her hands as we travel along a very narrow patch cut into a mountainside.

The children are so excited to see us when we arrive. They come running out of their classrooms to greet us. The Education facilitator takes us in to a room to talk about their accomplishments and their needs with us. I watch as one mother’s face lights up when Laura explains to the group that she is there representing her church who sponsor 27 children. So many children, who were not able to school are now benefiting from a good education in a new facility that enables them to divide the children by grade level, instead of all of them in one room. Having said that, there are still upwards of 68 children in a class.

We then tour each classroom. As I walk by the doors I sneak in a peak and give a little wave, the kids are quick to respond with giggles and excitement. We begin in the primary classroom, age 5. These little babies are absolutely adorable and pretend to be shy. Then we move on to Grade 1 and as we walk in I say “Bonjour, comment ça va?”: and they all immediately respond in unison “Bon merci et toi?” They are ready to engage with us. As we move through each classroom the engagement level grows with some posing for pictures, some singing for us. The teacher heart it me wells up to come and teach and share life with these kids, help them get themselves set up for success. They are absolutly delightful. They are dismissed from school as we are about to leave and they hang back watching us. Mike starts shaking their hands and Bernie starts giving them 5, the laugh and giggle hysterically at the interaction with a man so “blanc!”.

We hate to leave but carry on to the Craftsmen and Fruit Processors Centre. The children follow us. I am so glad we visited here. We sat and listened to a man talk about how much he appreciated the centre teaching him to make his own shirts, and shirts to sell and the women show off their embroidery work on tablecloths, dollies etc., which is beyond beautiful. Another young man presents their fruit processing and shares his excitement that now with the hope of work and trade he and his friends and children will not be forced to leave the country in order to prosper, but see the hope in the future if they stay to build their community together. One lady walks us through, step by step, the process of making tomato paste. She speaks with pride in her hard work and success. Another woman comes up behind her and assures us that is it very good tomato paste.

A man steps forward, he is a wee bit excentric looking with a big cowboy hat and in his best English, expresses to Mike that he wants to give him one of the shirts he has made. Mike is so overwhelmed by his gift, but I was not prepared for the women coming to me because they wanted to give me a gift. They folded up a beautifully embroidered tablecloth for me. Again, I couldn’t begin to comprehend the influence WV support makes in their lives.

As the day windes down we travel to another tree nursery to see the benefits of compositing and gifting fruit, avocado and wood trees to the communities families. Here they are learning compositng and proper care for their trees to combat deforestation and increase their resources.

From there we travel back to the UDICC ADP Headquarters for a meeting with local government, officials and leaders in the community to discuss their needs and accomplishments. 70’s American love songs crone over the PA during lunch, and I can’t believe they would have thought of this too. Everything is a deliberate attempt to make us feel comfortable, appreciated and at home and it is intentional! I choke down the chicken, while watching it’s brother or sister peak around under my feet. I may have to be off meat after an experience like this. A young baby dances to the 70’s music and her mother looks at me and laughs. We have a connection, a mothers heart. . WE are all very tired at this point and struggling to stay awake, as much as we long to be engaged. It is interesting to see that the Mayors are so involved in the activities and futures of the ADP.

Another highlight in the day, a good way to wrap it up, was in our final stop before home. We walked through the community to visit a few families who have benefited from the gift catalogue (ie: our KONNECT kidz participated in a Fill a Stable program this Christmas). Here I met a father who had just recently lost his leg in an accident, beam with pride and appreciation for the pig and training for proper care of the pig that his family had recently been gifted. Now his pig can reproduce with other pigs in the area, giving him added resources to care for his two young girl.

Finally we stopped at the house of a mother of 3 children. Her oldest was a sponsor child, her middle boy had just recently joined the program, and she had a baby. She explained to us her story of having been hurt in the earthquake, just 2 months pregnant and decided to travel to UDICC to build her life. Here she has received a goat to help the family. Her appreciation is so apparent, and the significance of gifts like these goats and pigs is made even more real.

Well I can hardly keep my eyes open, so I’m going to hit the sac. It was a full day today, but tomorrow we’ll be flying so high we’re not likely going to need a flight home. Tomorrow, we meet and play, party hard with our sponsor children in the COBOCOL ADP.

~H

Day 3

February 24^th, 2011 - Day 3

8:30am Depart for La Belle Mer

10:00am Arrive & Welcome at La Belle Mer

10:30am Visit Lajeune Clinic

2:30pm Visit with a group of parents and leaders from the community

4:00pm Meet with the coordination and administrative Board on the communities needs

5:00pm travel back to hotel

Today is another beautiful day, with a lovely refreshing breeze blowing through. We started out on our journey to La Belle Mer, the youngest ADP in the Central Plateau. I had many expectations of a young ADP, mostly expecting to see less organization, less affluence, less sense of community. La Belle Mer is only 3 years in cooperation with WV.

If we thought that the road to COBOCOL was bad we were warned that further to La Belle Mer was much worse. Mike joked “How can it possibly be worse than this!” we would soon find out. It is really impossible to explain the road conditions and just how treacherous they are, but the route from COBOCOL to La Belle Mer was much much worse than the road to COBOCOL.

Having said that it is also very very beautiful and much more lush and green than what we’ve previously experienced in Haiti. Hedges of cactus line most properties, trees and some grass can be found too. There is still loads and loads of dust everywhere, and I wonder about respiratory issues here, but although the road is horrible, the view is quite nice. We stop for a stretch break on the way, so so needed. None of us were complaining, but we very much appreciated it. I’ve learned in this kind of travel it is better not to brace yourself, or hold on to anything for support if you can help yourself, the key is staying lose and going with it as much as possible but I can’t help but wonder if it is good for my brain to be shaken around in my head so much for such long periods of time!

When we drove into the old Missionary compound we were again surprised at our welcome. After yesterday’s we didn’t expect anything else, but easily 150+ children stood outside of the WV headquarters to welcome us. The gave us special seating and then sang songs and danced for us, recited monologues and gave us great honour and showed so much appreciation. The president of the ADP and all of the volunteer staff were there to welcome us. Everyone was so happy to see us, it was overwhelming, again. We struggle to understand the impact we are having, and the love that these people have for us because of our support. Seeing so many children, so many little people, not just faces, all so anxious to see us, treating us with such honour, brings it all home in such a new way. Our hearts are changed.

Morouse tells us that all the children wanted very much to dance for us, so he gets them to make one massive circle, all holding hands and dances them around the lawn. They are in hysterics with it all. I then haul out my camera and start asking them if they want their photo taken and showing them their picture afterwards. They love this and I’m immediately swarmed with kids, and loving every moment of it, of this connection with them. I could have stayed for hours, but the team takes us into their headquarters to show us where they work from, they are beaming with pride. The children are all peering in the windows, sneaking in the doors to be close to the “Blanc! Blanc!” people J as the staff takes us on a tour.

Following the tour the staff celebrates with us by serving us up monstrous Coke bottles (I’ve never drank so much pop in my life!) while the children, over 20 at least, have snuck into a corner of a room to stare at us. LOL. I start asking them questions with my limited French, I so desperately want to connect with them, want them to feel the connection. So Segnol decides a little Q&A time would be nice. So he encourages any of the children who would like to stand up and ask us a question. I get the first one, “how many children do you have?” Laura gets the next, “how many children do you have?” they are in awe that she not only has 4 children but 6 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. Mike is then asked if he has any brothers and how many” the questions continue until one little girl gets up and walks over to Segnol to translate. She asks “why is it that you only sponsor the little ones? I want a sponsor parent. I want to write you a letter.”

This is a hard question, a good question, a question made by a courageous leader. It stops us all up short. The truth is that she benefits from the ADP sponsorship program, she goes to school, has clean drinking water and healthcare, she has many indirect benefits of sponsorship, but she does not have a sponsor parent and she longs desperately for one. She is 10, she is beautiful, courageous and smart. I wanted to tell her I would find her a sponsor parent. I wanted to tell her that we often don’t understand how important it is, that we write and the letter stays on our kitchen counters because we forget to mail it. I wanted to tell her that I’m sorry that people choose the babies first. I wanted to applaud her courage, her bravery, her articulation. I wanted to show her hope. So we did what we could at that moment and told her she had asked the question of a true leader and we got her information to find her a sponsor. We will find her a sponsor parent.

As we wrapped up our visit and walked over to the clinic I was brought to tears at her story. The importance of sponsorship, and the relationship was something I knew in my head, but had not experienced in this way before. This beautiful girl, full of hope and promise, and opened her heart to us and asked us a hard question, a question I couldn’t walk away from. I knew in an instant, with one phone call, I could likely have her a sponsor family and I wanted to promise it to her immediately. One girl recited a monologue during our welcome, one line stood out to me, “If you are my friend you will stand beside me and hold my hand.”

The clinic was an interesting experience. We had the opportunity to meet with a couple from Minnesota and a doctor couple running Haiti Mercy Mission. They have invested much time and money, the couple from Minnesota has spent the last 7 years in Haiti, into La Belle Mer and the community. Their scope of influence reaches far, but they too feel the strains and pressures of working in an impoverished area with little outside communication readily available and WV is sitting down with them to begin the process of partnership with them. It is an interesting an valuable meeting to be a part of. I am learning so many leadership skills in this trip. Moreouse, Senior ADP Coordinator is an amazingly talented, intelligent and gifted communicator. His skills in working respectfully in partnership with the people, the ADP’s and local government is outstanding.

We are gifted another buffet of lunch but I question the wisdom in eating so many carbohydrates and drinking so much pop before heading in the truck, back out onto the roads for a meeting with the parents and community leaders.

I am amazed at the many parents and community leaders at this meeting. We sit under the shade of a tree together in one big circle. These parents and leaders are passionate about the needs of their community and their desire to see change. One mother stands to share her experience with WV helping her child get the medical care he needed. A father stands to express his desire to create a play space in the community for his children to play with others. Another mother is thankful for the schooling her children are now getting, when just 3 short years ago they may or may not be attending school regularly. There is an intense sense of motivation and hope to continue with the project.

Segnol is translating, English, French and Creole today and the mental exhaustion catches up and he starts translating English with English and we all have a laugh together. I can’t help snickering as I remember him answering Laura’s question about what bird was crossing the road with the answer “donkey”. “Donkey?” I say. “In English, donkey is a kind of mule or horse…” we have had many fun times laughing together.

As the day comes to a close we return to La Belle Mer’s ADP headquarters for a meeting with the Coordination and Administrative Boards on the communities needs. One woman is close to tears as she shares her heart for better opportunities for the women in her community. She has gathered over 200 together and is longing for someone to show them further skills in food preparation and clothing. The hope and diligence, in this case amongst a group of volunteers who are all pushing with everything they have for a better tomorrow for the families in their communities, unites us together as we share. Sagnol shares with the team our story from the earthquake of Jan 12^th and we watch the immediate transformation in the room. Suddenly we are joined by common experience in a way that can not be explained in words. We watched it happen in Cobocol, there was an instant respect, a camaraderie birthed out of our shared experience, that could never have been created in any other way. I am brought to tears as I begin to see a small picture of God’s plan from Jan 12^th 2010. Over the last year there have been so many questions, so many unanswered why’s and how’s. I don’t claim to have them now either, but this glimpse of the bigger picture is a gift I am overwhelmed to be shown. There is a strong spiritual connection happening and we all walk away overwhelmed that God has put us together, that we are all one, we have differences, but we are brother and sister, hand in hand, arm in arm, following Christ together.

~H

Day 2 - Part 2

February 23, 2011 - Day 2 Part 2

11:30am check in and breakfast at l’hotel LErmitage de Pandiassou

12:00 travel to COBOCOL meet WV Headquarters staff and facilities

6:00pm COBOCOL to l’hotel l’Ermitage de Pandiassou

After giving the pilot a mini applause for his skill at landing the plane on the “landing strip”, we crawl out of the plane and are greeted by Sagnol and our two drivers. Sagnol comes from WV Headquarters in Hinche and he will be our travel guide and translator as we visit the ADP’s over the next few days. It seems everyone is quite interested in our arrival and a few children saunter over to watch us as well. We crawl into the trucks to take us to the hotel to drop off our “luggage” ;).

The streets are very busy and alive with activity. People, goats, cattle, dogs are everywhere, crates, dirt bikes, motorcycles crowd the streets. It is not a long drive to our hotel but it is apparent that Hinche is a growing village. We drive in to the gated area of the hotel and down a long “road” of rock, park in an area where building is going on and then walk down a stone walkway to the hotel. The lobby is nice with some beautiful woodworking in it. Unfortunately my room is not ready for me to drop off my “luggage” so I leave it in Laura’s room for now. It is weird being in a strange place for the first time, unsure what to make of it all and knowing you’ll need to make yourself comfortable enough to sleep there. The place seems ok, I know that WV puts us up in the best places possible, but I can’t help but wonder…

We have yet to eat breakfast because of our early start the staff of the hotel agree to give us a late breakfast snack to hold us over until lunch at the ADP. It is yummy, pastries of a sort and real lemonade! We are refreshed and ready to start out on the next leg of our journey. Little did we understand the words “rough roads”!

The road from Hinche to COBOCOL is a dirt, mud-caked, rutted cavernous strip of land. Never have I felt so at one with the settlers headed west to build America! Seriously I debated if travelling by wagon may have been easier! I know I’ve commented on it before but the driving is very aggressive in Haiti so consequently the driver guns it until he hits another pothole or cavern and then guns it again. Of course this sounds very fast, but is inactually very slow, hardly ever going faster than 30k/hr in between ruts, and the rock makes the road extremely rough. I am also sitting in the back of the truck, sideways, making the bumpy road even more interesting.

The poverty looks different here. The “shelters” are still not secure, most homes are pieced together, some plaster/cement, some wood, some material, but the space between them gives it a different feel, less destitute somehow. Goats, oxen, dogs, roosters, chickens are wandering along the road and land. A group of men are putting up cell towers in the most remote of places. I have never seen so much dirt and dust everywhere, covering everything. As we get closer to the COBOCOL ADP it becomes obvious that there is more of a sense of community here. Houses seem a little closer together, there are wells, and where there is a well there is a crowd of people gathered.

As we turn into the long drive into the COBOCOL ADP Headquarters I can’t help wondering what we will see there. We have waited a year and a half to finally get here and now we are arriving. I anticipate a staff member greeting us and taking us into the headquarters to show us around. As we pull up in front of the building, all of a sudden I get a glimpse of what is before us.

A long banner reads Welcome to COBOCOL ADP and there is an Haitian flag on one side of it and a Canadian flag on the other. Behind it stand a youth band, fully uniformed, waiting to welcome us with music. I can’t even explain the emotions I felt well up inside of me when I realized that they were waiting for us. We were warmly greeted by the ADP President and then the youth played for us a couple of songs, in the middle, the Canadian National Anthem. I can’t tell you what this did for me. It wouldn’t have occurred for me to do the same for them had they been visiting my country. This was an expression of what they valued, a gift of respect for our country. They had learned this piece especially to show us honour. There wasn’t a dry eye among us. This entire welcome was more than we could have anticipated, and honestly put us back a little that they would do so much to welcome us to their ADP.

After official greetings, including a piece presented by a student on the hope and appreciation they have because of our support, we are welcomed into the building for a tour. They are obviously very proud of their building and introduce us to many different department heads for Logistics, Heath Nurse, Education, Sponsorship, the secretary. The secretary just radiates joy, she is absolutely beautiful, her eyes dance, her face smiles, her countenance welcomes whole heartedly. As Bernie and I prepare to leave the sponsorship office I notice the picture of my sponsor child Micheala on the wall. My heart soars with the connection, there beside her is Bernie’s sponsor child, both with the supplies we brought with us last year. WE have an instant connection with the Director of the Sponsorship Program, as it is because of him that we have the connection we do have with our sponsor children.

From there we gather in the conference room and sit in a circle with 20 plus people, all united with one purpose, for the future and development of the people of COBOCOL. It is an amazing honour to sit with these people and listen to them and watch them as they proudly present their area of expertise, the developments and accomplishments they have made together, their biggest hurdles to overcome. I scratch wildly, pen to paper, trying to capture all that they have presented us, to take home to Frederictonians. I want to absorb and understand everything, so I can best represent these people.

At 2pm we break for lunch, a buffet of Haitian food. Rice with beans, fried banana, beet salad, lasagne, chicken legs and spice cake. We are waited on and treated like royalty. First they ensure all our needs are met and then quietly serve themselves as well.

From there we met with the 3 local government officials of the neighbouring community of Hinche. It was interesting to watch the 3 communicate with the World Vision staff. Each person bringing their expertise and concerns, values and objectives to the table and manuvering the dance of partnership together. From the passion of the ground workers to those in charge of processes. However, the lack of sleep coupled with the intense heat and high carb lunch made for sleepy Canadians, and our engagement began to dwindle toward the end of the meeting.

Thankfully from the meeting we went to further explore the facility. We were able to watch some students train in woodworking, sewing and making patterns. We watched grain be processed in their mill, visited the library and computer building and finally ont eh way home, the tree nursery. The nursery especially interested Bernie. I was travelling in the vehicle with the Director to the Mayor of Hinche, and as I was the only one who could speak French we were having a labored on my part, but very interesting discussion on a variety of topics. When he noticed Bernie’s particular interest in the soil I struggled to remember the name of soil in French. It was hilarious as I finally ended up referring to Bernie as a Dr. of dirt. I think I confused him more than anything. What is particularly awesome about this particular project is just how well done it is. Bernie was extremely impressed with how everything is run. Basically the staff grow healthy fruit trees to distribute freely to the ADP participants to combat deforestation, and in turn add the benefit of fruit like oranges, lemons, banana’s their diet at home.

It was a wonderful day. After little sleep, loosing or, at least, giving up our luggage, traveling by plane and truck the drive home on that horrible road in the dark was absolutely exhausting. All of us were extremely tired and longed for bed and sleep. Ready for whatever tomorrow brings!

~H

Day 2 - Part 1

February 23, 2011 - Day 2 Part 1
4:00am still not sleeping
5:50am mad dash for departure
7:00am depart from Karibe Hotel to airport
10:00am Port au Prince to Hinche in a 6 passenger MI

As the day windes down and exhaustion takes over I struggle to keep my eyes open long enough to recount the day. The adventures continue.

Unfortunately I found it very difficult to sleep in my massive king-sized bed, and beautiful room last night. I knew I was desperately tired and I was worried I would sleep through my wake up call and alarm, so I tossed and turned all night long. At 4am I was up to see if anyone from home was on the computer-lol-and then got back in bed and finally fell asleep. Only to wake up full jump and call downstairs to the front desk to ask what time it was. The attendant told me it was 6:30 and I ran bolting from my bed flinging clothes, luggage, shoes, electronics into my suitcases and grunting at myself about how impossible I was holding the team up on the first day.

I arrived downstairs with my 3 massive pieces of luggage, laptop and camera to find not a soul in sight. I went back to the check in and asked again what time it was and the man confirmed that it was 6:40am. I quickly looked at the clock and wondered where everyone was. I took a stroll down to the restaurant area, around the lobby and grounds but couldn’t find a soul. Finally I asked to call up to Laura’s room.

“Laura”, I asked animated, “what’s going on?” I couldn’t imagine that they would alter their plans and forget to tell me.
“What do you mean, what’s going on?” she asked.
“Where is everyone? I’m downstairs in the lobby by myself!”
“Heidi, it is 5:45! We’re not meeting until 6:30.”
And suddenly I know what’s happened with my ipod ineptitude and translation problems, but grinned regardless, at least I’d have time to fit in a shower.

At 7am we travelled down through the city back to the airport after dropping all of our non-immediate luggage at WV headquarters to follow us up later in trucks. Paul Emile had heard we were now a party of 5 instead of 6 and had cancelled the other plane they had originally schedules for us to save us some money. What he didn’t know is that we had a load of luggage to go up with us with small presents for the children in COBOCOL. Nevertheless each of us managed to get our personal luggage down to one suitcase, leaving the others behind as we wouldn’t need them until Saturday’s sponsor party with the children.

Again, the drive through the city was difficult to see, rubble, garbage, goats, people, everywhere. I watched as a father tied the shoe of his young daughter as she prepared to go to school. They sat in the shell of a house. Hundreds of children were heading to school on dirtbikes and by foot. Friends and siblings, linking arms and helping one another up through the streets. One little boy carried the bookbag of another little girl up the hill. The children are impeccably dressed, their uniforms are clean and pressed. Cell phones are everywhere. It is such a juxtaposition in my mind, poverty and cell phones. I am coming from a society where until recently a cell phone was a sign of affluence but here, a cell phone is the only means of communication for many people as land lines are generally not easily accessible.

We arrived at the airport after about an hour stuck in traffic. Men began running towards our vehicle banging on the windows as we pulled up to the airport and for a minute I couldn’t remember why, then it hit me, they were looking to carry our luggage. So aggressive, I think to myself, they must make a good living. We waited for Mike and Bernie to catch up in their vehicle, but the second we stepped outside we were swarmed by at least 10 men not only wanting to help us with our luggage, but grabbing at it and fighting for it. I watched my suitcase leave with one man and chased behind him to at least be able to keep my eye on it.

We entered the airport and tracked down our suitcases and Mike tipped them for the group and then we waited near the MI office for instructions to our flight. The coordinator came out of his office and looked us over, like we couldn’t possibly be seriously expecting a flight with all of THAT luggage. He took a few trips back and forth to the office and had some intense talk with Mike until we were told that due to the weight restrictions on the flight each of us was to get weighed and they were going to write it all out on a chart to establish how much luggage we could bring with us. Yes, we were going to be weighed in front of everyone. In the airport. With the Haitian “weigher” loudly articulating the results for all to hear.

Ah like this wasn’t humiliating enough, as they read our weights out for the world to hear, we are then told that we were allowed just 40lbs of extra weight between all 5 of us and that we must pull out only the absolute necessary personal items for the next day to take with us, quickly. There was an unspoken understanding that this was to be as little as possible to survive. Ah imagine the demoralizing effect this event had on the 3 women in the group as we hauled out underwear and all personal items needed to get us through the next couple of days and held it, in my case in a transparent cosmetics case, and then weighed it and had it recorded. Ah yes, this will make a great story later, but at that moment…not so pleasant. We were then informed that we were still 5lbs too heavy and must all go to the bathroom to lose as much of it as possible and stop drinking water—no I am not kidding!

After our bathroom run we waited until 9:30 to go out to the plane. It was here we realized just how foolish it was to think any of our luggage could have fit on the plane with us. The compartment under the plane was smaller than my carry on case! Cosmetics bag it is, for how long…good question…all we know is that in Haiti, plans are only plans, and rarely the reality.

After all of that though, I got to be co-pilot ;) on a 6 passenger plane over the mountains to Hinche—totally cool experience—with a pilot from Vancouver. The mountains are absolutely bare with no greenery and a few “houses”. 20 minutes later we landed in Hinche on a rocky dirt path in the center of town and I was certain we were going to bottom out.

~H

Day 1

February 22, 2011

Day 1

5:30am Fredericton to Montreal

9:30am Montreal to Port-au-Prince

3pm airport to Karibe hotel

6pm supper and orientation with Paul Emile Cesar

I am tired after a very long day of travel but I wanted to stop and take a minute to remember the day. In many ways I can’t believe that we are finally here again, on Haitian soil. It seems like it was a life time ago that WV staff were evacuating us out of the city to safety, leaving the horrors of natural disaster behind us. And yet in some ways it feels like just yesterday. Today and the last few weeks of preparation have brought many images back to my minds eye and my heart. I am more aware again, of my experience last year.

It was a great day of travel really, no complaints or hiccups. Some of the anxiety and fear I’ve been feeling from time to time, especially in cramped quarters, wasn’t anywhere to be found-thank God, more than anything I felt a calm, peaceful assurance that God was with me, directing my steps.

I had the fun of flying on a larger plane than has been my limited air travel experience from Montreal to Port-au-Prince. I laughed right out loud at a man closing the gate on his little sci-fi pod at when walking through what I didn’t realize was first class. Now THAT is a luxury! Movies on board kept me entertained and amused. I felt like an illiterate slob, but decided to embrace it and enjoy!

We arrived in Port- au-Prince pretty close to on time. Not knowing what kind of chaos we might be faced with we were pleasantly surprised by the order and efficiency of the airport staff in getting such a large amount of travelers through in such a limited space with extenuating circumstances. After collecting our luggage (it seems everyone traveling to Haiti is bringing loads and loads of luggage with them!) we headed out for the usual race to the vehicles, so many young men adamant they could help us with their luggage. After loading our vehicles up with all of our luggage we headed through the city to our hotel.

This was a different drive on a different route then the route they took us to evacuate us last year. We bypassed the worst of the damage from the earthquake but it’s effects were still everywhere. We sat, mostly silent, absorbing all of the sights and sounds, but unable to process them. Rubble, and garbage, piled up along the road in neat piles, an effort at cleaning, but no where for it to go. Everyone cleaning something it seemed, pots, pans, bowls, feet, legs. Plastering walks, road work. And then there are the tent cities, rows and rows of tents, I don’t know that you can even call them tents. More like torn and worn tents, and tarps pieced together. I see a baby boy sitting in a pile of dirt outside his tent home, playing with a piece of metal-his dumptruck. I see so many children, playing alongside obviously contaminated water. I feel the helplessness, but also the awe that they have managed to keep going. People are amazingly resilient. These people are amazingly resilient. I see a young girl and her mother, the young girl stares at me through the car window and I smile back at her. She pauses for a minute and then smiles back, her face, beautiful and radiant.

The streets are so busy, and lined with merchants, tents, clothes, people. I comment that I would never drive in Haiti, and then that it would take some major getting use to to even walk the streets in Haiti. There are no street signs, and no rules to the road. Hills, so steep, streets so narrow and broken, people jumping in and out of traffic, bikes jutting in and out between vehicles. The most aggressive driver wins-HOW are there not pile ups of accidents everywhere! I laugh that Paul Emile likely thought our Canadian drivers so cautious and boring when he visited us in September.

The rubble seems to be lessening, the houses more stable as we crawl up the hills to our hotel and suddenly we are upon it. I can’t believe it’s beauty! The lobby is gorgeous and the patios, restaurant all seem to be the same-gorgeous! We are shown to our rooms and they are massive and beautiful. I have my own balcony, King sized bed, sitting area…it truly is wild the accommodating, especially juxtaposed with the devastation just moments away.

From the stairwell I can see houses upon houses built into the mountain. It is incredible to see and Paul Emile tells us that 20 years ago none of them were there. We briefly go to our rooms and I get a skype chat set up with Chad and my beautiful girls. It is great to see their faces and be able to report home this time that we have indeed arrived safely. We then gather together in the lobby to go to supper. The restaurant is beautiful, the food is amazing and the company is great. I catch myself wishing Chad and I were experiencing all of this together—this so fits—Paul Emile fills us in on some of our scheduling for the next day, talks to us about life in Port-au-Prince and the ADP’s, the boys crack bad jokes and we call it a night. Tomorrow morning we fly out of Port-au-Prince at 6:30am for Hinche and then travel from Hinche to Cobocol, to finally, a year and nearly 2 months later, meet the people we are partnering with through Freddylink and see the projects, one in stage 1, one in stage 2 UDICH and one in stage 3 COBOCOLL. Tomorrow will be an amazing day!

Paul Emile tells us that poverty has a different face outside of the city, that we will see, and feel joy and happiness even in poverty, whereas that is so hard to find in the city. It registers with me in my chest as I remember God putting it on my heart Tuesday night that last year I had prayed “God, your heart, your hears, your eyes”, and it had been hard, so impossible to explain, deeply hard, but this year, he was going to show me joy, joy in hardship, real joy. I’m so excited to see just that!

That’s it from me, 5:30am comes way too quickly—now lets hope I can get to sleep with that much bed to myself!~

~H