Serving Day 1

Bonswa, today was an amazing and blessed day. This morning we went to the New Hope Community Center (Smith's neighborhood) and played with the children in the community. We did different activities with the children such as water colored painting and different games. There was dancing, smiles, laughing, just so much joy all around. We as the team made PB sandwiches for a snack to give to the children. Some of the kids shared with their siblings or took it home to share with their family. Their unselfishness was so impressive to us. In the afternoon we visited a home for sick and dying children. We each fed a baby or toddler and played with them for a couple hours. Here is a personal note from one of the goers who went to the home for sick and dying: 

"I met a little girl today. Her face was round and chubby. She had curly black hair and skin the color of chocolate. A perfect baby. But something was missing. I noticed it right away when I walked into the room. I saw her standing there in that orphanage in her little rusty metal crib, her chubby brown legs sinking into the old, worn mattress and knew right away that something was wrong. Something important was missing. Anyone could have noticed. Any normal person walking into that room could have seen that her smile was missing. No emotion showed on her face. Nothing. My heart hurt as I spooned Haitian pudding into her sweet little mouth. She mechanically ate until the tin bowl was empty and I scooped her into my arms to clean her up and change her. Still no emotion crossed her face. No smile, no happiness, no  crying. Just... nothing.... I had never seen a child like this. So empty of love and so full of nothing. I tried in vain to get her to smile. Or her eyes to connect with mine. Or even for her to reach out or point to something. Still nothing. I tried everything. Tickling her, talking to her, playing pat a cake, cuddling... but none of my efforts were successful. So I simply sat and held her. She was starved for human touch. Nobody had held her all day. Maybe not the day before either. After a while, she seemed to relax a little and I took her chubby hand and we walked over to the playground. I set her on the slide and helped her sweaty little legs scoot down. She got to the bottom and I looked at her adorable face to see her reaction. To my surprise, I saw a smile and sparkling eyes. I threw her up in the air and caught her. I squeezed tight, so happy, and giggle escaped from her. Her face lit up. I loved a little girl today..."

Hello all:).   We heard last night that we weren't able to go to Cite Soleil today as "planned".   When I heard this news I was disappointed but I knew that "plan B's" are often where God can do his magic.  

We started out the day the whole team making it to a 6:00 am service at Church of the Rock.  One of our team members, Will called it "self-guided".  I thought this was a pretty good explanation.  As we all know the Holy Spirit can work through language barriers and that is exactly what happened.  Travis called it "Holy Spirit Lead".  Any words that we choose it was powerful, to say the least. 

We went to the La Phare School and Orphanage. There we had another dance party, did activities with the kids and played more soccer.  After the school we all came back and took a nap!  

After our nap we took off to the Home and Sick and Dying Babies again.  There we were reminded of loving the one that God puts in our path.  

Looking forward to what happens tomorrow.  

In service,
Scott

May 13th, 2021

     Today was a very fulfilling day. We started our day organized just for us. It was full of local artists and merchants who sold their work that came in a variety of items and designs. It was interesting to bargain and come to an agreement to get the most bang for our buck, but in the end, we did bring a portion of our money to stimulate the local economy. I was able to find some cool gifts for family and friends to bring back home as well. 

    Next, we ran back to the guesthouse to change clothes and head up the mountain. On our way to the next stop, we saw some cool things: An Olympic training center, a type of mine excavated from to make concrete, a mass grave from the earthquake in 2010, and a beautiful view of the Caribbean. When we finally made the steep climb up to Grace Village, we were able to capture a beautiful view from the beautiful village. We spent our time here playing with kids on a large, donated playground and running around playing different games. 

    After this, we visited a few elders and brought them meals. We spent time with them praying and washing their hands and feet. Washing the elders' feet was a very spiritually impactful moment, where we were reminded about the story of the woman washing Jesus' feet and also the verse about unknowingly entertaining angels. When she looked into your eyes, you could really feel it in your soul. This was such a powerful moment that will be with us for the rest of our lives. We also got to spend some time at the well filling and carrying water jugs for the elders and locals. 

    The next stop was a business and restaurant called Fleri, where we really got to see the spirit and resilience of the Titanyen community. Fleri is a bakery and pizzeria that produces affordable, small batches of bread for the community. They have an incredible mission with the objective of building up the community and creating local jobs. 

    After we finished our amazing meal, we headed back down the mountain to Delmas where our guesthouse is. In conclusion, it was an amazing and fulfilling day with many lessons and rewarding moments.

    To start our day's blog, I had to ask our team to remind me how our day even started. From shopping to face painting to holding sick babies to hanging out at a beautiful pool and playing street soccer with locals, the day did not fail to bring every emotion each of us could really imagine. It took us a minute to remember everything as we finally had a minute to process it all. 

• Shopping at Haiti Design Co. 

          We spent our morning putting some money into the Haitian economy by supporting an established business that employs local artists, Haiti Design Co. We were able to see a lot of very unique,  handmade jewelry, bags, kids stuffed animals, and even got the opportunity to learn how to make layered leather wristbands, which some of the team went for. They also had a beautiful rooftop view where we could overlook some of the city and mountains.

• New Hope "Community Center"

          Big brother big sister/community center/daycare all wrapped in one, New Hope brings love, childcare, mentorship and food to the surrounding community they are in. We were able to meet some of the directors and employees who manage the chaos of 60 energetic kids in a small building and courtyard. They were such a blessing to these kids and the majority of the kids had a lot of respect towards them. You can tell that they had really invested in the kids to build those relationships, despite there being an unfair ratio of 1 adult:15+ kids. 

        We were able to do some face painting, rock painting, nail painting, jump roping, ball kicking/tossing, and lunchtime with the kids and brought along 50 sandwiches that we made that fed kids and their siblings at home-I even helped babies drink the pop they were given, something I never thought I would have given in to! They chugged it all down and got a few good burps and were happy and ready to go home after that!

• Home for Sick & Dying Babies

        The last two hours of our "work day" was spent with kids who had to live at a hospital/orphanage building without anyone besides a few nannies to take care of them all, so they soaked up all the extra love. It was hard to know how old each kid was because what I would guess is a 6-month-old baby in America, could have been a 4-year-old in Haiti growing very slowly from malnutrition and whatever other sickness they were struggling with as an infant. Some didn't look to get out of the cribs much and some were anxious and needing to move ASAP. Either way, we would scoop them all up knowing they would probably not get held again until tomorrow, and they all seemed pretty happy with the "forced love." 

        The hardest part about this facility was hearing the room next door with babies so sick we weren't able to even go in the room or look at them and hearing them screaming and crying. Knowing that they were not comfortable or something hurt or they just needed something and the staff was outnumbered so some would wait a while to get what they needed was HARD. It was a good opportunity and blessing though to be a part of it and to see something like that. There is no shortage of children in need in America, but this was really something different that you would see in very few other places around the world. They had filled up with babies and children after the earthquake in 2011, but thankfully were not as full anymore and some babies got healthier and were able to go home with people who could be with them 24/7. 

• Pool/Soccer with locals

    We ended our day at a beautiful rooftop pool across the street from our stay. We got an earful of DJ Khalid's top 10 or so songs in English with more swearing in a minute than I've heard in 21 years on this planet. They turned it on as we walked up, so we think they were doing it to please us. 

    As we walked back from the pool, we turned onto our street to find a group of guys still playing soccer. They invited one guy to play soccer with them, which turned into all 4 guys on our team playing the Haitians and using tires as goals. Guess who won? As long as you said absolutely not the Americans, you were right. The ladies sat on the side and chatted with some of the guys as they talked about their dreams to come to the States someday or just travel and see what else is out there. Some of them had great English that they learned in high school. 

    It was quite a day! The way that kids are raised and families operate is so different, yet so similar to what we are used to seeing in the United States. It is quite amazing how much more they rely and work with each other as a community while in survival mode for their own families at the same time. Tomorrow will bring a whole new set of lessons, love, and emotions as we are off to see a new part of what Healing Haiti has been doing here! Thanks for following our journey and keeping up with our long posts as we try to paint a picture of our busy days! 

Day 1 - water truck day

We went to the Hope school and clinic in cite soleil today, the school was filled with kids who love to run and play and ask questions. As soon as we walked in the kids were ecstatic that they had someone new they could play with. From what I understand, many of them don’t really know at this point in their life that they are in the poorest part of the poorest country in the world so they just have the same excited smiles and games that any other child would have. They have teachers from cite soleil that teach them how to read and write in creole, but many of them understand Spanish very well and they all know “hey you” and “what is your name” in English. When I don’t understand something they say in creole I tell them in Spanish that I don’t understand and they try to explain in Spanish. They are also learning math and history and other subjects that are normally taught in schools but they have a sewing lab and a computer lab as well. The sewing lab is used by women that are making diapers and masks and blankets that they can then sell to orphanages and make their own profit. So the school is also bringing in opportunities for women to become independent. The computer lab is used to give the children the opportunity to use devices, every time a new device is brought in the kids are seeing it for the first time. They use the lab to become technology literate and they learn by using the devices. They eventually can learn to code and the sometimes they are chosen to continue learning computer science at universities in the United States. We also got to hear about the clinic and how much of an impact that has on the city. They charge the patients a small amount so they take pride in their health care and they help them with as much as they can possibly provide. The clinic has also been able to help mothers emotionally attach to their children as most mothers in Cite Soleil have grown accustomed to the possibility of losing children early on. The clinic has shown them the importance of family bonds that will undoubtedly be an advantage for future generations of Haitians. After the school we went to Cite Soleil. Cite Soleil has a population of 400,000 people within 1.2 sq miles, it is the most densely populated area on earth, and it is hard to imagine what it would be like to live there even after going there. We drove to specific areas of cite soleil with a water truck and would get out and fill everyone’s buckets, tubs, pools, barrels, or anything else that someone was using to hold their water. I was holding the hose from the truck at one point, so I was at the front of the line and would get to see everyones faces as they had all waited diligently in line for their turn. I was told that they used to try to budge in line but they have learned that if they try to cut then the Haitian workers with the truck will throw their bucket as far away as possible so they are forced to go to the end of the line. When helping carry buckets for children and the elderly I was led along a street where people were selling various items at kiosks or congregated outside talking in groups. When we turned off the road we would walk to their homes, they all had something inside they really wanted me to see and you could see the pride that they have in everything they own. The children all loved to play and I saw many of them being very careful to clean their entire body with less than a cup of water. Others would grab an entire bucket and pour it over themselves and small children would wade in the water right by the truck as we were filling water. The streets are flooded in many areas of the city, they always jump over small puddles or find ways around the larger flooded areas but they do drive through it still. They care about their clothing a lot, they all have super clean clothes and they are always put together well, it seems that the philosophy they have is that they can’t fix everything in the country so they just try to fix what they have. Haitians are very proud of what they have and they do not let their living situation change that. Many of the children are “slave children” that have been sold by their parents because they can’t be fed. When they work as slaves they can get food but they often start working hard labor before they are 5. When we went to the farm, we saw local farmers that had rented out plots of land, they know when and what to farm and they maximize the land by poly farming. They time their harvests so that they have different crops at different times of year and they use the crops to feed their families. We were told about one farmer who had bought almost 2 acres of land which is far more than other local farmers and he hired five people to work for him and he also dug himself a well to supply even more water. He did all of this to feed his ten kids after he recently lost his eleventh. He was filled with desire, to get his kids in school, and to a better life. He was motivated and the only thing he needed was the land to farm. He had lost his job as a government official but his kids still relied on him, he found a way to feed his family and showed how Haitians always find another way. Whether it be starting the broken water pump with a lanyard or leasing land to start farming, Haitians come up with ingenious solutions to problems in their every day life. After seeing everything today I have become confused, How does a child see a “slave child” and think they do not deserve to be held? How does a father see hope in his future after losing his child? How can we do more to help? I think the most important thing I learned is that we are not here to save them because they already save themselves every day. They are intuitive and motivated, with opportunities to work and, in turn, directly support their local economy they can find the way out of this. With education, stronger family bonds, and opportunities to work I believe the Haitian people possess an ability to find solutions to any problem in front of them, and with such pride in their country they will eventually find a solution to end poverty all throughout Haiti.

Team 1 - Elder Advisory Team - The Rest of the Days:-)

If you are still reading this blog of our week, THANK YOU! I thought I would finish recapping the week for those of you that are curious.

On Saturday, our team went to New Hope Community Program, which is near the guesthouse. It is a program run by a couple gentlemen that want to provide a positive and safe environment for neighborhood kids. It is a very small space with a courtyard and two classrooms. There were lots of kids to greet us and spend time with. We worked on the same "name writing" activity that we did with the Elders. It turns out the majority of the kids knew how to write their names, which is awesome! We took small polaroid photos of every child and attached their photos to their name cards after they decorated them. Then, we laminated the name cards so they would last longer. The kids at New Hope were among some of the most respectful kids any of us had encountered. We were pretty impressed! We watched them play soccer in the small courtyard and we listened to and sang music together. It was a fun morning!

A few team members then went to LaPherre's Orphanage in the afternoon. They had a lot of fun hanging with the kiddos there. I was unable to go, so I don't have photos but I know it was a very enjoyable couple of hours. The team was able to tour the new school on-site as well.  Jd went to get his Covid Test as he needed to leave the next day and a few of us went to a nearby hotel to use the pool and visit with one another.

Jd went home on Sunday morning so he could get home for his finals and to GRADUATE nursing school! The rest of us went to church at Rendez-Vous Church. It is a pretty cool place to worship with lively music and great sermons. Us Americans get to wear headphones with someone translating for us! After church we went to get our Covid Tests for travel the next day and when we returned to the guesthouse, we went to the pool to relax and visit. It is hot in Haiti, have I mentioned that before :-) Sunday night Joy lead a paint night.. it was a lot of fun!

Monday we all left for home, anxious to see our families. We all returned safely with lots on our minds in how to improve the lives of the Elders in our program. We were very sad to not be able to visit the Elders in Cite Soleil during our week in Haiti. Unfortunately, there was too much unrest and our staff thought it was best that we don't go. No matter what, we always trust our staff. Our safety is their main concern, and for that we are so thankful.

As I reflect on the week, I am filled with so many thoughts and emotions. The overwhelming feeling for me is that of being thankful. Thankful that Healing Haiti saw a need so many years ago and began an Elder Program. Thankful that the program is doing so many things very well. Thankful that I get to be part of it. Thankful that Dana supports my passion. Thankful that Healing Haiti trusts me. Thankful for so many faithful sponsors and prayer warriors. Thankful that I had such an incredible team. Other feelings included those of sadness, confusion, wonder and joy. Life is so hard in Haiti. It's difficult to see this and even more difficult to know that there are so many that we can't serve. For now, we march forward, continuing to meet the needs where we can, to improve the program when we can, and to keep praying that God will open our eyes to see what He wants us to know and how He wants us to serve.

As I mentioned in previous blogs, this team has lots of history with Healing Haiti. We had four leaders on our team (two who came as goers), two long-term missionaries (one past and one present), one Elder Sponsor, a devoted Elder team member (has been on every Elder Trip) and a goer who has been on several teams and just wanted to give this one a try. I couldn't be more thankful. This could have been a very intimidating group of my peers, but it wasn't! They were all so humble and ready to serve, I was so honored. 

To my wonderful team members - 

Melissa - Thank you for showing me vulnerability and stepping up when I lacked giving direction. Thank you for sharing with me how you and Melanie care for your teams out of Maine and how you care for those serving and working within Healing Haiti. Thank you for being willing to be a "goer" and coming along to learn more about the Elder Program and how you and your future teams can best serve the Elders. You have no idea what that means to me! You have great ideas and you weren't afraid to ask questions. I love how much you love Haiti and I hope to serve with you again!

Joy - Thank you for always saying "YES!" even when it is overwhelming. I admire watching you work and the dedication you have to your profession and the Elders of Haiti. You consistently bring new ideas to individual Elders and to the program as a whole. You keep us all on our toes with your quick wit and great jokes! You certainly bring the comedy to any team you are on. I can't wait to serve with you in June. Forever our monback!

Tracey - Thank you for serving humbly and for finding joy in anything we do. I appreciate how you try new teams and you continue to expand your serving abilities! I know how much you love the babies, but yet, you signed up for an Elder Trip!!! I can't tell you the happiness I have in my heart! I loved listening to you hum at night and placing that in my mind next to knowing you are one of the strongest women I know. You also show me what being a loving mom looks like, even when it's tough! I hope to serve alongside you again soon!

Melanie - Thank you for loving Healing Haiti's Elders so much! I am so honored that you chose to sponsor Eliphet and one of my favorite visits was watching you with her. It was so sweet and gentle. I love how happy you are for her. I appreciate your honest feedback and knowing that it was hard to know what to do during our busy days! Thank you for stepping up to do psychosocial assessments and getting to know some of our Elders even more! The youth of your church are so lucky to have you as their August leader! As I said to Melanie above, thank you for being a "goer" on this team when you are used to leading, you made it very easy. Also, how you care for your teams and Healing Haiti staff and volunteers is so beautiful. Thank you for showing me that. I hope to serve with you in Haiti again!

Don - Thank you for being on this team! Our Haiti relationship started a few years ago and I was then, and still am, so very thankful for your knowledge of Titanyen, our Elders, and "knowing a guy"! It was so good for me to see you serving in one of your happiest places. Some of my favorite moments on this trip were watching you reunite with so many who love you so much (Healing Haiti staff, friends, volunteers and Elders). I appreciate how you advocate for our Elders, even knowing the worst they will say is no! Thank you for giving me that encouragement. You are a giver and I have a lot to learn from you. I can't wait to serve the Elders with you again.

Jd - Thank you for saying YES to this trip when our wonderful Jody had to back out at the last minute. You give me hope in knowing who my boys can become. Watching you talk about your mom was an honor. I loved watching you show your love for Christ openly and be confident in that even when you don't always agree with Him. I know there is hope in my boys deepening their relationships with Christ after spending the week with you. AND, you are already an amazing nurse and I am so excited to follow along in your life journey. Your world is just beginning! I'm so happy for you.

Kathy - Thank you for serving with our team for a bit. You are an incredible inspiration to me and one of my spiritual mentors. I know that you will always set me on a good path even when I feel like straying. You pull me in and remind me of the right thing to do even when it is hard. I love your love for Cite Soleil, the precious pastors and our beautiful Elders. I look forward to continued Bible Study and serving in Haiti with you.

Katie - Thank you for saying YES to God when He called you to Haiti to serve the Elders. I know it's not what you necessarily thought you would be doing, but I know you (very quickly) grew to love the Elders and became passionate about the program. The time you gave in Haiti, the love you gave to the Elders and everyone around you, and the sacrifices you made make me so proud. I have learned so much from you. Your quiet leadership and humble attitude show me that it doesn't take being hard and demanding to get your point across and to make changes. You are so patient and so good at doing the right thing each and every time, even when it is very hard. You have integrity, humility, compassion, and love for all you encounter. Thank you for your selfless gift to the Elders of Haiti and to me. I look forward to seeing what life will look like for you next!

Elder Advisory Team - Day 4 - Titanyen

We had a new team member join us today, her name is Kathy. We are so happy she is here! Our time is now complete in Titanyen...

We spent another whole day serving the beautiful Elders of Titanyen. We assessed 13 Elders today at Fleri. The activities were much the same but seemed better organized than yesterday. We saw Mariannie, Charitable, Antionette, Anchola, Altesse, Mariedeloude, Lauremise, Marieterez, Camisane, Pierre, Marie Pierre, Marie Loude, and Aloude.

After our assessments and time of serving, a few of us went to deliver a cane and some reading glasses to a couple of Elders. They were so happy. Altogether I think we were able to bring reading glasses to four Elders and it was so awesome to watch them be able to see close up! It made them very happy!

We stayed and had pizza from Fleri, then made our way home in some brutal traffic! Now, it is time to relax and chat about our day. We all need some good rest. We will be ready for our very last serving day tomorrow.

Each night we have been going over all of the Elders we saw that day, and we talk about their current condition and needs. Tonight, we shifted, and it was much needed. We did Healing Haiti's traditional Word Of The Day. I will leave you with our words...

Stewardship - Don

Overwhelmed - Marni

One Thing - Joy

Being Present - Tracey

Peace - Jordan

Frustration - Melanie

Preparation - Melissa

Tenacious - Katie

Everyone one of our team members cares about each other. It was so good to be able to talk through how we are feeling and take time to support each other. 

Sweet Dreams! Marni