Brute Wheelbarrow (Thur Aug. 25, 2011)

While the other projects had adequate support, I stumbled on another need.  They only had one wheelbarrow and it seemed to me that a second one would be helpful.  So I started looking around for some scrap wood to build one.  Since most of the wood was cut to build the remaining pieces of the bunk beds, I pieced together enough scraps to build a second wheel barrow.

The finished product however looks like something you might find in the middle ages.  It looks like a device Robin Hood might have used to cart around dead goats or fire wood.  It’s a little harder to push around than I had hoped, but it will definitely last. 

Earlier Thursday morning, several more helpers arrived to assist in the meal we would provide later that evening.  By dinner time, when we started bringing out the tables and pots of food, there were lots of people waiting outside the gate.  By the time we were ready to eat, there must have been 250 men women and children that came through the food line.  That meal together was one of the most memorable times for me – I think we all had a sense of reward and accomplishment that night… it was kind of a culmination of what we had been doing all week together, but in the middle of the meal it struck me that as great as we felt about providing food to those in need… there were many who may have only had that single meal all day… and maybe that single meal was going to last them for the next day or two.  


It was  a privilege to be a part of, but what hit me hardest was that in a matter of days we were going to be able to go home to clean water in our sinks and fresh food in our refrigerators.  It’s not fair.  That experience and  memory is branded on my mind and my heart forever, and I'll continue to consider ways to help and serve in a sustainable way … that doesn’t just enable people… or to propel me or other Americans toward “Superman-Complex”.  There has to be a better way for long term sustainable help… more on that later…

A Hospital with No Doctors or Nurses… and more farming. (Wed Aug. 24, 2011)

Several people including the Nurses and a few others went with Dr Franco to the Port Au Prince Hospital in the morning.  Sarah French and Dustin Schultz also went to capture video and as many pictures as possible. 

When they returned later that day they all were having a very difficult time putting words to what they’d seen- the conditions were unconscionable - but it was therapeutic to talk.  I don’t think they knew exactly how many patients were there, but they talked about maybe 10 or 12 individuals they’d met.  When they first arrived at the hospital, they learned that all the Doctors and Nurses were on strike and all the medical staff had left the hospital two months earlier after not being paid by the Haitian Government for months.

There were several patients who had been there since before the hospital staff went on strike – still lying in the hospital bed hoping for some attention.  At least some patients had family members bringing them food and water, but little help beyond that.  It was a very difficult experience for our entire team – so when they were able to provide some medical attention with some of the supplies they brought they did, but the needs were so great and a few patients required care beyond what they could provide at the time so they just made them as comfortable as possible.  I know that Dr. Franco has been back to that hospital since, but I don’t know if the conditions there have changed much or not. 

While Dr Franco and the others were visiting the hospital that day, the rest of us continued the farming projects and finishing the bunk beds. Amy’s sister, Michelle was a huge help on this trip.  Under her guidance, we were able to begin some fruit and vegetable plots next to the house.  Michelle shared her expertise she learned while farming similar soil types in Honduras. 

That garden had some tough soil, but Michelle’s help really paid off.  From my conversation with Dr Franco on 1/24/12, there are now many maturing fruits and vegetable plants that will help to independently sustain the children and staff at the orphanage! 

While the Clinic and VBS continued, Jerry, David, Jim and I finished 7 Bunk Bed sets and now almost all the kids have their own beds!

Preparations, Clinics, VBS, and Ultimate Frisbee! (Tues Aug 23, 2011)

The two or three days prior, some of the locals began hearing about the free clinics that would be offered … so by the time we finished breakfast, there were already 50-75 people gathered outside the gate – most of whom were mothers, children and the elderly.  The medical team was led by Dr Barnett (Nursing School Professor at Southern CT State Univ.) and Dr Franco supported by Graduate Nurses including Amy, Jon Kim, Ted and others. 

The Clinic and Vacation Bible School were able to begin simultaneously because many of the children who had come with their families to receive medical attention, also wanted to participate in VBS.  Kimberly Dominy and Terri Felgate did a phenomenal job with the VBS.  What a blessing to so many kids and their families! I have no idea how many kids participated, but it grew from 25 or so the first day to maybe close to 50 by the end of the week. 

What a beautiful thing to bring physical and spiritual healing to hundreds of lives that week!  While the VBS and Clinic work continued, the rest of us began to clear the farming plots with hand tools and cut down the weeds in another large area to create a playing field. 

We all worked hard the rest of the week but by the following day we had a full sized soccer field that later included soccer goals made of tree branches and volleyball netting.  We wrapped up the day playing the most competitive game of Ultimate Frisbee ever played in a thunderstorm!

In a Sauna attached to an Elephant with a Limp (Monday Aug 22, 2011)

Those of us that arrived the prior week spent a lot of it setting up the home to provide adequate space for beds and personal items for the team of 22 people that would arrive that day (8/22).  We had been stocking up on drinking water, cases of coke and fanta, and rigging up up mosquito nets.  We also rearranged 25 or 30 barrels of donated items that were stacked in the store room, and put them under a rigged up tent outside. 

             

The first few people arrived earlier in the day, but then an entire wave of people came in.  If you read my earlier post about coming in to the Port Au Prince Airport you’ll have a better mental picture of what kind of surprises we all encountered, but everyone arrived safely.  Once everyone was outside in the parking area, it was another entire expedition just getting the crew and the luggage to the bus parked ¼ mile away. 

The bus trip was like riding in an enclosed sauna loosely attached to the back of a slow moving elephant with a limp.  I can’t believe no one got sick… but really, it’s just another treasured memory of the whole experience.  I’m just glad we didn’t have to try to load 25 or so people with all 50 suitcases and additional 40+ personal bags into the tap taps.  We would have needed a convoy of those little trucks and we might still be waiting for people to arrive at the compound! 

Nonetheless..after everyone got unpacked and settled we went gathered together to discuss the desired plans for the week ahead.  As I vaguely recall, we titled the orientation classes something like:

Toilet Flushing 101

Drinking Water Rationing 101

Tips for Mealtimes 200, Finding Your Laundry 201 and

Hopeful Projects of the week 301

None of the rest of us were seasoned veterans by any means… however, I think we had several initially “shell-shocked noobs”… but they all adjusted quickly – they didn’t have any other choice. 

We also gave a class on how to near-miss the 4:50am crowing Rooster.  But no one passed that class – it wasn’t such a big deal though because it was already bright and sunny and in the Sticky mid-80’s by 5am anyhow, so everyone got up.  We started work as early as we could too, because by the time early afternoon rolled around, it was too hot to work much outside… we had to wait till the sun started to go down again.

Church:What a ride! (Sunday Aug 21, 2011)

Haitian roads have been in rough shape for a long time, but are in even worse condition after the Jan 2010 earthquake.  From my best guess, the church we attended is about 5-10 miles away, but the ride can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour (sometimes more depending on traffic jams or car trouble.)  Since everyone has to deal with the same spontaneous road hazards like overturned buses or trucks, broken down “Tap-Taps” (Haitian Taxis made of compact Isuzu pickup trucks) in the middle of the road, freight trucks parked to unload fruits and vegetables or just dodging the potholes… So, church just starts about the time everyone arrives.

Honestly, the worship environment there is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced here in the U.S.  It is an incredible experience to worship God especially with those in the developing world.  The passion and atmosphere is set by the powerful Brooklyn Tabernacle Church leadership team that planted the church, but is further attributed to the Haitian Pastoral team that has taken the church to the next level.

There is something that happens deep in your soul when you truly recognize that you are desperate for God.  Here in the States, we have so many things that cloud our vision and prevent us from such a submissive and humble posture – although Haiti has their own selfishness – many of the distractions we have here in the US are not as prevalent there and permit your heart to experience God’s greatness and express it back to Him!    

Ps. 103:1-5 says,

Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 

Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Regardless of my location or circumstance, I pray that I will always retain the sense of desperation and dependence on God that I experienced while worshipping with such a precious community of people there.  By the time we all made it back from Church in an assortment of TapTaps and a borrowed SUV, we ate lunch, and rested the rest of the day.  It was hot… but peaceful.

The Colt, in the Mosaic

Over the last year, I have been reading chronologically through The Word and I have been enjoying the new lessons and applications I’ve been gleaning. I read Mark 11 today and I was really struck by this passage as it pertains to my place in life and studies right now. I hope you will be encouraged by this passage as much as I have been.

1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples,2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.3 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'"4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it,5 some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?"6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.” (Mark 11:1-6) NIV

I don’t know about you, but while I have great expectations for how The Lord will use my Seminary Studies in the future, I’m not exactly sure what that will look like.  I am open to a few different types of opportunities due to where my strengths and passions lie, but I don’t exactly know what kind of role that will be.  So, as I have been thinking and praying and seeking the wisdom of seasoned veterans, I was encouraged by the following observations in this somewhat strange passage:

1. Jesus sees gifts in us that may not recognize yet (v.2-3)

2. Jesus does not give us all the reasons why he makes a specific request, but he always reveals that in his time. (v2-3

3. Jesus knows that we might not feel prepared to use those gifts when we’re called upon to do so. (v 3)

4. Jesus still wants to use what we have for his purpose anyway, so be obedient. (v4)

5. Outsiders may question and even contest the mission that Jesus has given us, but don’t quit. (v5-6)

I wonder if the disciples had to explain the reason for the seemingly strange request.  Or, I wonder how the owner of the colt felt when he learned that his colt was gone and  I wonder if he realized how important his “offering” was and what such a significant role it would play in the kingdom?  

God doesn’t reveal it all at once to us.  He gives us a few pieces at a time for us to steward, but in time we begin to see the beautiful mosaic he’s creating.

Coming soon...

I still have some remaining posts to publish about our final week of Haiti last summer.  I just have been unable to allocate time to writing here.  However, I plan to do more this summer and look forward to your feedback, thoughts, critique and reflections.  more soon...