Family and Friends,
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| Jefte...a cute kid in the mountains whose right leg stopped growing years ago. He serves as a metaphor for all of Haiti...getting by for now but what does the future hold? |
As we made our way to Haiti one of the team members lost his passport. We realized it was gone about an hour into our layover in Chicago. Soon we would be leaving on a flight to Miami, and we needed to find the passport quickly or someone was not going to be able to go. A couple of people went back to the gate where we exited the last plane, and the plane was already gone, but the passport was there at the desk! That was a tense few minutes, but the relief was sweet.
Our trip plans all hinged on school starting on October 4th. The plan was to do clinics and Bible programs in the schools for all of the school children. Of course nothing happens as you would expect in Haiti, so they moved school back to the 11th (today). We went ahead as planned and hiked 2 1/2 hours up to our most remote school on the first day, hoping we could still see people. We were thrilled to find around 200 individuals there waiting for us. However, with the parents and kids all mixed together in a small room, both the children's program and the clinic were extremely unruly. We survived the day, however, and the people seemed pleased. I had a chance to meet our newest sponsor child, Delanchia. She is Elizabeth's sponsor child. Another day, another adventure.
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| Way up in the mountains with our new sponsor child, Delanchia |
Rebecca De Wit worked with some deaf children in the village to give them tools for communication. She gave them a folder with pictures of everyday items. Now the children can point to the picture of what they are trying to say. She spent time teaching the parents and other siblings in the house how to do these things.
We also visited the only school in the south of Haiti for children with Downs Syndrome. A little girl just down the street from where we will live attends the school in Les Cayes, and Pam asked us to visit and assess whether we felt it was a good operation or not. I thought the director and her husband seemed like really kind, devoted people. The school is actually a boarding school for ages 5-13, and the kids are taught sign language as well as all of their other subjects and skills for daily life. It was inspiring.
Next I had a chance to visit a Haitian prison while we were in the city. People warned me and told me horror stories, but that only made me want to go more of course. Kiki (our main contact person in Haiti), who is always reserved and stoic, told me the night before, "You better prepare yourself before going...it is a heart-breaking place." We went there with a purpose...to see Aldoni, a young man who has been a part of our youth group. He is serving a 3-month sentence. I had previously asked the youth group members to write letters of encouragement to their fallen brother, and many of them did. Kiki, Patchouko (the youth pastor), and I went to the prison and requested permission to pay Aldoni a visit.
As we were walking up to the facility it was obvious this was a place where they don't mess around. Our trio must have been a strange sight, because the entire outer courtyard stopped what they were doing and watched as we approached the office. From there we were directed to walk around to the back of the compound. We passed four or five UN troops from Senegal who were providing extra support to the guards and police. Kiki spoke to them in French and they told us where to go next. The officer or director in charge of the facility for the day was not there at the moment, so we wandered around another courtyard just outside the building where the cells were located.
I began to feel a heaviness in the air similar to the day when we prayed with Rosemonde to be freed from demon possession (see earlier posts). I looked over at a nasty garbage pile, and right on cue an enormous rat sauntered by as if he owned the place. Some women were preparing some unrecognizable food over an open fire, mostly likely to be served to the inmates. The smell was not very appetizing. Every glance in my direction told me I didn't belong in this place with my light complexion, and yet there was that glint in their eyes you always see when Haitians express a sense of pride in being noticed and appreciated by an American.
Finally the man in charge drove up and presented us with a guarded, if not antagonistic front. Clearly someone had called or radioed him to let him know there were some interesting strangers on the premises making everyone nervous. His first impulse was to get rid of us as quickly as possible and he said as much. I was glad at that moment I had left my camera on the bus. However, I stood there with as much confidence and calm as I could project, and Kiki began to explain why we were there. The director's face was 2 feet from my own and I began to pray intensely that the Holy Spirit would change his mind as Kiki talked. I could literally see God changing the man's attitude as he relaxed and listened, and yet he still tried to find reasons not to let us in. But to make a long story short, we were graciously given "1 minute."
Next we were led through another sliding door which the guard locked ominously behind us. We approached a large door that led to the inner courtyard. From that vantage point we could see the 15-20 cells where the inmates were housed. Each cell was similar in size to the American prison cells I have seen designed for 1 or 2 inmates, but the difference in Haiti was that around 10-12 men were jammed into the same amount of space. We explained to the next guard what we were doing, and he sent someone to find Aldoni. Meanwhile, I walked up to that large inner door to get a better view of the cells. The men nearest to the cell doors around the courtyard pressed their faces to the bars to see the "blanc" (white person) and some of them called out in my direction. I wish I spoke enough creole to understand what they were saying...then again, sometimes it is better not knowing.
Aldoni was brought out from his cell into the inner courtyard, and we were given our 1 minute with him at the gate. We shook his hands several times through the bars and told him some quick words of encouragement. It was clear he was happy to see us. We handed the guard his notes from the other youth group members, and the guard began to read the notes to himself. Then we were asked to leave and our presumption is that Aldoni was given those notes to keep and read for himself. He looked alright...not too beat up or starved. Our hope is that God will change him in there and give him a better vision for his future when he gets out.
One last adventure from the trip...
The bus broke down on the way back to the airport yesterday! This is probably the biggest fear of everyone who goes on the Mission Haiti team trips...to be broken down in the middle of the night in a 3rd world country with very little water or food or options for rescue. Our flight was at 9:20, and we had left the village around 2AM. Normally the trip takes 5-6 hours, so we don't leave too much wiggle room.
The bus was giving us problems all week, but I thought it had been fixed the day before. However, as we attempted to ascend the mountains on the way to Port it quickly became obvious we were in trouble. We nursed it along for awhile but finally Kiki and I agreed we had to go to "plan B." The problem was, I wasn't really sure what Plan B was going to be. Fortunately, at that point we found ourselves in a decent-sized city, and now it was around 6AM.
We sent Ronal, our bus driver, to try to find something else to rent. He came back in just a few minutes with a large new van and driver and the driver's boss. Kiki and I and the boss made a circle and assumed our stances for negotiating. Kiki started talking to him about prices, and meanwhile I was calculating in my head how much it would cost if we missed our flight. I was figuring somewhere around $1,000 US, not to mention the inconvenience of getting people home later and probably causing them to miss work, and then the boss came back with his price: 900 Haitian dollars (about $115 US) for the vehicle and the driver. I literally laughed out loud and said, "Okay, let's do it." So much for negotiations.
Sometimes being in Haiti is actually more convenient than the US. No papers were signed. No downpayment was required. We threw our bags in the back and were off in less than 5 minutes. Kiki and Ronal stayed with the bus to try to get it fixed, back to Port-au-Prince, and ready for the next team. The driver drove like a madman, honking at other vehicles the whole way, but we just laughed the laugh of relief at not being stranded along the road. We made our flight with 10 minutes to spare, and the rest of the day was a breeze.
As we drove the final stretch between Omaha and Sioux Falls (a notoriously boring drive), we thanked God for boring, straight, predictable interstate highways through corn fields.
I hope your week was an adventure in the Lord as well! We will post more in the days to come, so check back. Thanks as always to everyone who prayed for us this past week.
God Bless,
The Grimms
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