The Real Change

It's Monday already. I've lost track of time as we've kept pretty busy. Only a couple more days here in brutiful Haiti and we'll be on the big bird in the sky headed back to the States. 

Yesterday, we did my FAVORITE thing to do in Haiti; we went to church. Wall-to-wall people loudly praising God in kreyol makes my heart smile. We had a wee bit of trouble blending in, though. We are so white. :) Doesn't it blow your mind that God hears our praises and prayers regardless the language? It does mine. That whole omniscient thing is pretty neat. 

So . . . I've been pondering the results of our work here. Over the last few days, we've installed a water purifier system and repaired 4 or 5 hand pumps. More pumps today and tomorrow are on the agenda. Our work has made, and will continue to make, a difference. But, there is much left to do and I am convinced that real, long-lasting change cannot be done by us blancs or any other non-Haitians. 

  

People here are still living on the streets in Port au Prince, 6 YEARS after the earthquake. Many, many buildings remain in ruins. Unemployment is astronomical, healthcare is virtually non-existent to too many, and a simple glass of clean water isn't even doable. Throw in a presidential election (estimated to have cost $100 MILLION) set for next Sunday for a people with little belief in a fair process and you see these are, indeed, unsettled times. 

But, THERE IS HOPE! God has placed difference-makers in this brutiful land. These are the ones who will launch their country forward. Let me introduce you to a few:

Meet my young friend, Jean Desrosiers. He is THE hand pump guy in these parts. He has a big heart and a brilliant mind. He has been offered the chance to live in the States and attend American university. Jean, however, finds his calling here in Haiti, helping others out of poverty. He not only brings clean water but also gives of himself in other ways, such as organizing feeding programs. He undoubtedly makes his mother proud. 

Next meet my young friend, Louissaindy Racine ("Racine" to us). Racine is our translator when we come to Haiti with Strategic Water Teams. He, too, more than anything else, wants to help his people. He gives & gives & gives. Racine really would like to go to medical school (but simply cannot afford it) and care for those who have no monetary resources to utilize healthcare. He would also like to open more facilities for those who do not have access to doctors, hospitals, etc. Racine is currently attending college here in Haiti, focusing on computer sciences (which is more affordable). Plus, he plays a mean guitar with his Christian band, Generation Choisie. Racine, too, must have a very proud momma.

Finally, let me introduce you to the couple here with Racine. This is Pastor and Joseline Brisenault. Where do I even begin with this dynamic couple? They do so much for Haiti and their fellow Haitians. Pastor Brisenault is the in-country contact person for Strategic Water Teams. He travels all over the country speaking with other pastors and pinpointing locales that desperately need clean water. But that's not all . . . he also pastors the New Christian Church of Tabarre and, together with his wife, cares for 26+ girls at House of Joy, an orphange they formed after the 2010 earthquake. 

In addition to mothering the girls in the orphanage, Joseline Brisenault is Principal of the school associated with the New Christian Church. Joseline also helps run a sewing cafe for women wanting to learn a marketable skill. Though not front and center like her husband, she is yet another brilliant, beautiful and committed person here in Haiti. 

Aren't Jean, Racine and the Brisenaults absolutely AMAZING??? And they are some of the true change-makers in Haiti. 

If you would like to help any of these friends, please let me know. There are many opportunities - annual school sponsorships for the students at the school, monthly sponsorships for the girls' living expenses (lots of mouths to feed and bodies to clothe there!) at House of Joy, donations to Strategic Water Teams to help fund water purification systems and hand pump repairs.

I am honored to know and call each of these people "friend".

Until tomorrow . . . orevwa! 

M'KE SE AN AYITI (MY HEART IS IN HAITI)

Princess Madi and Her Court of Lovely Little Ladies from House of Joy

In preparing to write this post, I prayed.  My heart and mind have been trying to process everything I saw (extreme poverty, hope, mere survival, joy) and heard (roosters, trucks honking, music blaring, hymns of gratitude) and smelled (trash, decaying animals, yummy food) and felt (overwhelmed, hopeful, love) while in Haiti. 

Our Awesome Water Team

My prayer went something like this:  "Dear Lord, You have MESSED ME UP with this trip to Haiti.  For.  Real.  What were You thinking??  Never again will I be able to live in my safe little first world cocoon.  Never again will I be able to take a sip of clean water for granted.  Never again will I take for granted my soft cushy car seat (M'emowoyid se a tap-tap - lol).  And NEVER again will I go through a day NOT thinking of Haiti and dreaming of when I can get back there.  And while we are on the subject of going back to Haiti, when will that happen?  You know, I want to learn kreyol for real first and I want to learn it NOW.  My knowledge of French just will not do.  I want to talk with them.  Plus, I've GOT to know what those beautiful people are saying about us blancs!  Yeah, I'm broken here, God.  Broken.

Praying over the newly installed system

Lord, the beautiful people of Haiti blessed me beyond anything I ever could have imagined.  Their language is like music to my ears.  Their love for You and their gratitude for simply waking up each day testifies to their acute awareness of Your Presence.  They have taught me what Trust in You looks like.  Life is not easy for them, Lord; You know that.  The ground is dry and rocky.  Their government has failed them over and over, many times looting the country's coffers.  Their environment has worked against them.  Earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding, and deforestation have devastated their beautiful land. Children have been orphaned by the hundreds. Disease from the water they drink has obliterated families.  Yet they continue to trust You.  They wake up praising Your name!  They HOPE.  They scrape together what little they can to survive.  Yet, Lord, they dare to believe that one day their children or their children's children will thrive in this land You have given them. The streets are dirt and rock.  Most homes are ramshackle dwellings, constructed of whatever scrap one can find.  Those people who are fortunate enough to build a more substantial home erect 10+ foot concrete walls around their property and line those walls with razor wire or broken bottles.  They feel they must guard their families from their desperate brothers and sisters outside their walls.  After all, desperation to survive can seep into one's soul and move brother to fight brother.  You know all these things.     

A typical dusty, rocky road

Dear God, what is YOUR ANSWER HERE??  What is your answer to children so poor that their only toys are the remnants of the plastic pipe we had left over?  Can't You do better than this??  Of course You can.  And You have.  You have drawn them close to Your heart.  Their lack of material goods tunes their ears and hearts to Your heartbeat for them.  They exude JOY at the simplest of things.  And You have brought us together, brothers and sisters in Christ, from two totally different worlds, to teach one another how to share what we each have.  Thank You, Dear Lord, for the opportunity to meet these amazing people.  Please, please take me back there."

Sweet babies playing with plastic pipe "rings"

My bestie and a fellow traveler on this trip, Paula, expressed my feelings so well when she wrote, "Haiti is the most profoundly heartbreaking place I've ever seen...and profoundly beautiful...the people are warm and friendly, the countryside - breathtaking. But life here is hard...so hard for the common Haitian."  Indeed, this encounter with God's people to our south has changed me forever.     

Oh!  One last thing . . . be sure to check out the handsome guitarist below, Racine Louissaindy, (who also served as one of our awesome translators) by watching his Christian group perform here:  http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qoPJsMkN9bs

Water Team member Amanda Stiles with Racine Louissandy

Also, if you're interested in bringing clean water to Haiti, check out www.strategicwaterteams.com.  

TO BE CONTINUED . . . because I am in NO WAY finished with talking about Haiti!  I'm just getting started!

So...A Lawyer, Two Counselors, and a College Student Board a Plane for Haiti....

It's no joke, people.  It's the entourage who will be making a life-changing trip to Haiti in a few days.  The four of us, (all from Grace Community Church) are getting on a jet plane at 6:00 a.m. on January 9th (for those of you who know me well, you know this is NOT an ideal flight time for me - lol).  My girl, Madi (the college student) is going with me (the lawyer), as is my bestie (the counselor) and another friend (the second counselor).  This intrepid group of women, will be sporting our work boots and dungarees in an effort to bring clean water and The Living Water to the dear people of Haiti. 

We will be traveling and working with Strategic Water Teams and  Shoeman Water Projects.  Our main job will be the installation of water purification systems, but we will also be working a day or so in an orphanage and another day or two at a school.  We covet your prayers for us all as we prepare for the trip, go and work our tails off, and return home after 10 days.

Those prayers of yours? TRULY PRICELESS.  However, the trip itself has a price tag. Although we have raised the bulk of the needed funds to get us to Tabarre, Haiti, we still require a few hundred dollars for our time in-country.  Will you please consider helping us?  

 (Don't those sweet faces just MELT your heart?!)

Did you know the average Haitian does not have access to clean water?  Isn’t that crazy for an island? Sure, Haiti is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, but there’s almost nothing in the way of clean, drinkable water.  Even so, a trip to the ocean is way beyond the means of the typical Haitian.  The World Bank describes the Haitian crisis as follows:

"Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest countries in the developing world. Its per capita income — $250 — is considerably less than one-tenth the Latin American average. About 80 percent of the rural Haitian population lives in poverty. Moreover, far from improving, the poverty situation in Haiti has been deteriorating over the past decade, concomitant with a rate of decline in per capita GNP of 5.2 percent a year over the 1985-95 period.

The staggering level of poverty in Haiti is associated with a profile of social indicators that is also shocking. Life expectancy is only 57 years compared with the Latin American average of 69. Less than half of the population is literate. Only about one child in five of secondary-school age actually attends secondary school. Health conditions are similarly poor; vaccination coverage for children, for example, is only about 25 percent. Only about one-fourth of the population has access to safe water. (Emphasis added by yours truly).  In short, the overwhelming majority of the Haitian population is living in deplorable conditions of extreme poverty. In the face of this daunting reality, Haiti's population continues to grow at a high rate estimated at almost 200,000 people per year.”  (See  http://web.worldbank.org).

Moreover, the infant mortality rate is 57 infant deaths before age 1 per 1,000 live births in 2012, compared to 6 in 1,000 here in the United States.  (See http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN.)" 

The purification system - so simple!

Another less-obvious-to-the-outside-world result of the extreme poverty in Haiti is the trafficking of Haitian children, a topic near and dear to my heart.  According to an article in The Guardian, on September 22, 2005, the sale of Haitian children into the Dominican Republic is a thriving trade, with the going rate for a Haitian child being 54.22 Pounds (the equivalent of $89.40 in today’s U.S. dollars)(See http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/sep/22/garyyounge.mainsection.)  Most are used for gang income (boys age 12 and under), domestic service (girls age 12 and under), agricultural or construction work (older boys), or in prostitution (girls over age 12). (See http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/sep/22/garyyounge.mainsection.)      

Am I the only one fired up about this exploitation of precious babies?  During a trip-preparation meeting, seasoned missionaries to Haiti with whom we are traveling relayed to us their firsthand experience of such child trafficking.  They told us of having discovered, while installing a water purification system in the “hill country”, a young girl of eight years who was the household servant to non-relatives, doing all the cooking, cleaning, and providing personal care for the elderly.  The girl’s parents are both dead.  Her closest living relative, an aunt who lived in the city, had sent her to live with these people, to earn her keep, so to speak.  The missionaries quickly learned the girl was highly intelligent, despite her not having any schooling.  They enlisted the help of a respected pastor who negotiated the girl’s release which now allows her to reside at an orphanage and attend school.  Her “captors” told the pastor they wouldn’t have any trouble replacing the girl, as there are many children out there in similar circumstances whom they can “buy”.  This account makes me cry!  And, unfortunately, it isn’t uncommon at all. 

 

(Conducting school in a tent . . . can you even imagine??)

So . . . here I am asking you to pray, first and foremost.  Secondly, for those who are so inclined, I'm asking you to write a check for clean water . . . and so much more.  Please?  

Checks should be made out to Grace Community Church with “Haiti Mission Trip” written on the memo line, and mailed to Grace Community Church, 14769 N. Hwy Rt. 37, Mt. Vernon, IL 62893. 

Thank you!