Family and Friends,
Day 111 of our Haiti Adventure!
Every Sunday around 9:45 we head down to the main street of the village (okay, it's the only street) and spend an hour or so at our little yellow and pink church called, “Ebenezer Church of God.” It is always an adventure to see what new things will happen. One person who always makes worship interesting is a cute little old lady whom I call “Grandma Hallelujah.” When the Pastor says something that gets her fired us, she stands up and starts shouting “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” Once in awhile she gets going so fast and loud that she can't stop. It can go on for several minutes. We love Grandma Hallelujah.
There there are the farm animals. I'm not talking about how back home people occasionally bring in farm animals for a Christmas pageant or something like that. I'm talking about farm animals wandering in to church of their own accord during the service...chickens, sheep, goats, dogs, and any number of birds or insects. The fact that they come in is one thing...the fact that none of the Haitians seem to notice is another. Of course we have to mention the traffic. The front door of the church is a few feet from the road where large trucks go speeding by. They often feel the need to honk, knowing that church is going on, and then a nice wave of heat and dust comes shooting through the door after they pass.
We usually stay from about 10-11AM and then head home. Church actually starts anywhere between 8 o'clock and 9 o'clock, and it finishes somewhere between 11 o'clock and 12 o'clock, but we put in our hour of worship and then call it good. At first glance you might be tempted to call us typical, consumeristic, American Christians who can only sit in church for one hour before going home to spend the bulk of the day lounging around, but we are doing the best we can to be a part of a local congregation without going nuts.
We really do love the people down at church, especially our Pastor, Jocelyn Delva, a very intelligent and gentle 30ish man from Les Cayes. The locals at church are very warm and welcoming people, and they worship God passionately, but there is a limit to how much Creole-yelling-through-nasty-sound-system we can take on any given Sunday. It can be brutal at times. One nice thing is that they sing a lot of the same hymns as back home, or at least the same melodies. That is interesting for us to listen to and gradually be able to sing along with. Also, as I mentioned the people are very expressive in worship, and that has a way of drawing you in, especially during the times of prayer.
The main reason we go to the church that we do is the fact that it is reachable with the wheelchair. There are a couple of healthier churches in either direction, but they are a little out of range distance-wise and the buildings are perched up on big hills. Our church is right along the road and only up one step. I say that the other churches are healthier, because right now our church is in the middle of a full-blown internal meltdown. We are witnessing a church split in the works, and it is quite the learning experience.
The way church normally works in Haiti is that the founder of the church is also the owner of the church. In other words he owns the building, the church name, and the rights to a certain percentage of the offerings and other income. Church really is a business here. The owner of our church is causing some major problems for the Pastor and the congregation, and it turns out he has been doing this for many years. He is actually the grandson of the original founder who was also the pastor back in the early years. Whatever goodwill for the people the founder might have had long ago has dried up over time as the ownership of the church has been passed down through the generations. The current owner has managed to keep an iron grip on the local people and drive away pastors who try to change the situation. But now a Pastor has finally come who wants to stand up to the situation and change things.
In the US people do and say nasty things when a church is dividing, but the difference here is that the people aren't as sophisticated at hiding the ugliness and pretending like things are normal. The last several weeks at church the owner and the pastor have alternated Sundays trying to sway the people to their side. So Sunday mornings kick off with a Sunday school hour marked by a lot of finger pointing and arguing, followed by a worship service featuring cold stares and half-hearted singing, and rounded out with a business meeting filled with more of the same as the grand finale. We never stick around for that last part. Oh yeah, then there is the whispering and alliance-building out in the community during Sunday afternoons.
Some unstoppable forces will carry on no matter what happens in the next few months at Ebenezer. The gospel message will go forth and Christ's kingdom will continue to expand, God will receive His glory and remain on his throne, and Grandma Hallelujah will jump up and yell whenever the Holy Spirit moves. We are here, and it is our church, and we are sticking around to see what happens.
Have a great Adventure this week!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
A few pictures of the kids
Family and Friends,
Day 109 of our Haiti Adventure!
Please enjoy a few pictures of what the kids have been up to. As we have mentioned before, it is very difficult to load pictures on the internet from Haiti, so we apologize for not having more of them. But we will continue to try because as they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Or, as a Haitian friend told me recently, "If you show a picture you don't have to talk so much." People have a way of getting right to the point here.
The kids have adjusted well to life in Haiti as you can see. Sometimes they help with the laundry...
Alexandra has a little crush on one of the youth guys, Bernard. She likes to give him notes that she writes. Unfortunately, she hasn't yet drummed up the courage to actually look him in the face or talk to him.
Sometimes the kids accompany us on home visits. The people here are very hospitable. They always offer coconut water or other treats. They love to have us sit for awhile and talk.
Well, that is all we have time to show for now. Thanks as always to everyone who reads this blog and remembers us in your prayers. We truly appreciate it!
Live out your Adventure to the fullest today!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers
Day 109 of our Haiti Adventure!
Please enjoy a few pictures of what the kids have been up to. As we have mentioned before, it is very difficult to load pictures on the internet from Haiti, so we apologize for not having more of them. But we will continue to try because as they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Or, as a Haitian friend told me recently, "If you show a picture you don't have to talk so much." People have a way of getting right to the point here.
The kids have adjusted well to life in Haiti as you can see. Sometimes they help with the laundry...
Alexandra has a little crush on one of the youth guys, Bernard. She likes to give him notes that she writes. Unfortunately, she hasn't yet drummed up the courage to actually look him in the face or talk to him.
Sometimes the kids accompany us on home visits. The people here are very hospitable. They always offer coconut water or other treats. They love to have us sit for awhile and talk.
Well, that is all we have time to show for now. Thanks as always to everyone who reads this blog and remembers us in your prayers. We truly appreciate it!
Live out your Adventure to the fullest today!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Adventures in the Open Air Market
Family and Friends,
Day 108 of our Haiti Adventure!
We have written briefly from time to time about visiting the market (see post from Dec. 23 for example) but thought it might be fun to describe what it is like in more detail. Our supporters who read this blog seem to enjoy hearing about our everyday life, and the market has found its place as a regular part of our weekly schedule in Haiti. Markets in Haiti are organized chaos at best, and shopping there is always an adventure.
The two markets I visit the most are in Valer and Les Cayes. Valer is a small village, but it is closer to home. The prices are higher and the variety is limited, but it is more convenient. Les Cayes has a great market, but you have to drive about 40 minutes each way (and pay for gas at about $5/gallon) or ride tap-taps for 60-90 minutes each way to get there and back. At both places you are limited by how much stuff you can carry home. As I have mentioned previously, Valer has market days on Monday and Thursday, and Les Cayes is open for business at all times.
Another nice thing about the market in Les Cayes is that you can find several dozen permanent little shops that get locked up overnight and therefore can offer bulk items such as big cases of spaghetti, oil, canned fish, flour, sugar, etc... The smaller markets like Valer are basically filled with vendors who buy bulk items in Les Cayes, set up a little stand or blanket, and then sell the items for a little bit more money. People talk about Haiti having an incredibly high unemployment rate, but many people can scratch out a living doing something small like this. They just have to find their niche and build up a regular clientele.
When I visit the market, vendors always hope that I become their client, so they call out to me to come and stop by their stand. They say "Blanc" (white guy) or "Mezami" (friend) or "Cheri" (Darling). I arrive at the edge of the market by tap-tap or with Chelo on motorcycle, and I begin walking through and seeing what is available. The markets are made up of both big areas of stands and also many vendors lining the streets leading up to the bigger market area. You have to kind of scope out the scene, because each day it is different. If you stop at one stand and buy your vegetables, you might walk a little further and see some nicer ones down the road for less money. Sometimes I feel a little bit ornery and will negotiate for awhile with the vendors, more for fun than anything because it is usually over twenty-five or fifty cents US or so, but other times I just pay the normal rates for things and finish up quickly. When I am buying food for our family I rarely spend more than $10 or $15 US at the market. It is pretty affordable.
You have to be prepared to get hassled from time to time by vendors and beggars, especially if you are white. Just the other day a beggar came and grabbed my foot and untied the shoelace. He has done this before. He wanted to tie my shoe for me and get a tip. I told him “No thanks”, but he wasn't listening. I tried to pull away from him and say “Excuse me”, but he kept grabbing me and wouldn't let go. Finally I pulled away and he started hitting me a little bit. The vendor where I was buying something almost went ballistic on him, and Chelo started telling him to go away too. He was pretty mad. Usually it isn't like this, though. I get asked for money a lot, but rarely do they get that pushy.
Some people have a stand with a whole variety of items, but others will sell just one thing. For example, you see boys walking around with just a handful of little baggies with dry Clorox. They call out, “Clorox! One dollar!” Their whole job is to sell Clorox in small amounts. People do this with coffee, freeze-pops, water, bananas, thread, and any number of other items. So the aisles are clogged with shoppers but also with vendors on foot.
Something else I like to do from time to time at the market is to look for something new to try. I will see some vegetable that I have no idea what it is called or what you do with it, and I'll ask the vendor how to prepare it. They get a real kick out of those conversations and my bad Creole, and it probably breaks up the monotony of the day for them. Sometimes I even buy some of what we are talking about and take it home and try it. Most of the time it isn't that great when we try something like that, so we usually stick to regular potatoes and tomatoes and onions and various fruits, but stretching ourselves a little bit with new foods is part of the fun of living here. Maybe I should just take the vendor home with me, too, and have her really show us how it is done!
It doesn't take you long to learn how to ignore the open sewer and mud and garbage right next to the produce you are buying in the market. I remember visiting Haiti for the first time and driving through Port-au-Prince thinking, “How could you eat food off of a table whose legs are literally submerged in sewage?” It all comes down to being hungry enough, I guess. Some of the food we eat here seemed kind of gross a few months ago, but now we gladly snarf it down. Its all about your perspective. As Dr. Doolittle once said, “Enough is as good as a feast.”
The same is true for the market. Yes, it would be nice to go to a Hy-Vee and not have motorcycles and trucks rushing by you and honking, but you can get what you need from the market here, and you can go home and enjoy it with your family, just like back in the States. If anything it makes you appreciate food more and waste it less.
There is definitely a social aspect to the market as well. You would think everyone would be in a hurry to get rid of their inventory and head home, but that doesn't seem to be the case. People enjoy sitting around and talking with the other vendors nearby. A lot of times they buy from each other as well and go home with what they need for their own families. Chelo's mom works there selling coconuts, and she is surrounded by her friends and good conversation all day. How many of us would enjoy saying that about our jobs?
If your Adventure ever takes you to Haiti or some other developing country, be sure to visit the open air market!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers
Day 108 of our Haiti Adventure!
We have written briefly from time to time about visiting the market (see post from Dec. 23 for example) but thought it might be fun to describe what it is like in more detail. Our supporters who read this blog seem to enjoy hearing about our everyday life, and the market has found its place as a regular part of our weekly schedule in Haiti. Markets in Haiti are organized chaos at best, and shopping there is always an adventure.
The two markets I visit the most are in Valer and Les Cayes. Valer is a small village, but it is closer to home. The prices are higher and the variety is limited, but it is more convenient. Les Cayes has a great market, but you have to drive about 40 minutes each way (and pay for gas at about $5/gallon) or ride tap-taps for 60-90 minutes each way to get there and back. At both places you are limited by how much stuff you can carry home. As I have mentioned previously, Valer has market days on Monday and Thursday, and Les Cayes is open for business at all times.
Another nice thing about the market in Les Cayes is that you can find several dozen permanent little shops that get locked up overnight and therefore can offer bulk items such as big cases of spaghetti, oil, canned fish, flour, sugar, etc... The smaller markets like Valer are basically filled with vendors who buy bulk items in Les Cayes, set up a little stand or blanket, and then sell the items for a little bit more money. People talk about Haiti having an incredibly high unemployment rate, but many people can scratch out a living doing something small like this. They just have to find their niche and build up a regular clientele.
When I visit the market, vendors always hope that I become their client, so they call out to me to come and stop by their stand. They say "Blanc" (white guy) or "Mezami" (friend) or "Cheri" (Darling). I arrive at the edge of the market by tap-tap or with Chelo on motorcycle, and I begin walking through and seeing what is available. The markets are made up of both big areas of stands and also many vendors lining the streets leading up to the bigger market area. You have to kind of scope out the scene, because each day it is different. If you stop at one stand and buy your vegetables, you might walk a little further and see some nicer ones down the road for less money. Sometimes I feel a little bit ornery and will negotiate for awhile with the vendors, more for fun than anything because it is usually over twenty-five or fifty cents US or so, but other times I just pay the normal rates for things and finish up quickly. When I am buying food for our family I rarely spend more than $10 or $15 US at the market. It is pretty affordable.
You have to be prepared to get hassled from time to time by vendors and beggars, especially if you are white. Just the other day a beggar came and grabbed my foot and untied the shoelace. He has done this before. He wanted to tie my shoe for me and get a tip. I told him “No thanks”, but he wasn't listening. I tried to pull away from him and say “Excuse me”, but he kept grabbing me and wouldn't let go. Finally I pulled away and he started hitting me a little bit. The vendor where I was buying something almost went ballistic on him, and Chelo started telling him to go away too. He was pretty mad. Usually it isn't like this, though. I get asked for money a lot, but rarely do they get that pushy.
Some people have a stand with a whole variety of items, but others will sell just one thing. For example, you see boys walking around with just a handful of little baggies with dry Clorox. They call out, “Clorox! One dollar!” Their whole job is to sell Clorox in small amounts. People do this with coffee, freeze-pops, water, bananas, thread, and any number of other items. So the aisles are clogged with shoppers but also with vendors on foot.
Something else I like to do from time to time at the market is to look for something new to try. I will see some vegetable that I have no idea what it is called or what you do with it, and I'll ask the vendor how to prepare it. They get a real kick out of those conversations and my bad Creole, and it probably breaks up the monotony of the day for them. Sometimes I even buy some of what we are talking about and take it home and try it. Most of the time it isn't that great when we try something like that, so we usually stick to regular potatoes and tomatoes and onions and various fruits, but stretching ourselves a little bit with new foods is part of the fun of living here. Maybe I should just take the vendor home with me, too, and have her really show us how it is done!
It doesn't take you long to learn how to ignore the open sewer and mud and garbage right next to the produce you are buying in the market. I remember visiting Haiti for the first time and driving through Port-au-Prince thinking, “How could you eat food off of a table whose legs are literally submerged in sewage?” It all comes down to being hungry enough, I guess. Some of the food we eat here seemed kind of gross a few months ago, but now we gladly snarf it down. Its all about your perspective. As Dr. Doolittle once said, “Enough is as good as a feast.”
The same is true for the market. Yes, it would be nice to go to a Hy-Vee and not have motorcycles and trucks rushing by you and honking, but you can get what you need from the market here, and you can go home and enjoy it with your family, just like back in the States. If anything it makes you appreciate food more and waste it less.
There is definitely a social aspect to the market as well. You would think everyone would be in a hurry to get rid of their inventory and head home, but that doesn't seem to be the case. People enjoy sitting around and talking with the other vendors nearby. A lot of times they buy from each other as well and go home with what they need for their own families. Chelo's mom works there selling coconuts, and she is surrounded by her friends and good conversation all day. How many of us would enjoy saying that about our jobs?
If your Adventure ever takes you to Haiti or some other developing country, be sure to visit the open air market!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Teaching English Classes
Family and Friends,
Day 107 of our Haiti Adventure!
For the past month I have been teaching English classes at the following times:
Tuesdays 8-10AM- 7th and 8th graders at the local High School
Fridays 10-11AM- 9th graders at the local High School
Saturdays 9-11AM- Beginner's class in Ti-Rivier
2-5PM- Advanced class in Carfajout, a nearby village
Sundays 1-2, 3-5- Conversation clubs in Carfajout and Ti-Rivier
English class has been a lot of fun, especially working with the more advanced students. Some of them have really put in the time on their own to build a nice bank of vocabulary and knowledge of grammar. If they get their hands on a dictionary, they spend hours and hours memorizing it. I try to help them put all the pieces they know together in a practical way. We work hard on conversation skills, pronunciation, and understanding of English-speaking culture. We do all kinds of activities such as Bible trivia in English, singing praise songs and hymns, having conversations about politics and economic issues, and even reading stories for children.
The students sometimes don't know what to think of me, because my methods are so different than what they are used to. First of all I never beat them or yell at them or shame them in any way. Also, in Haiti all of the teachers spend hours and hours chanting lists of words and equations and whatever else, and the students chant them back. They use rote memorization for everything because of their lack of resources and because that is just how it has always been done. Usually the teacher is the only one who has the textbook, for example. Sometimes he/she has nothing but chalk and a chalkboard.
So when I start doing things in class like asking the students to draw pictures, or sing songs, or write a creative story, or get into groups to do a project, they are pretty taken aback. One day I told the advanced class, “Let's go for a walk and learn some new vocabulary words as we walk together down the street.” That got a lot of blank stares. One student asked, “Teacher, is the class over?” I said, “No, we are just taking the class outside for awhile.” They still sat there like statues, not sure if this was some kind of test or something. Finally I found a compromise for the situation. I coaxed them just outside the classroom and taught them in English the various parts of the motorcycle parked there. They came back the next week and remembered all 25-30 parts I named. It was impressive.
Yesterday was a Tuesday, so I got to teach the younger students at the High School. Some of them are in the picture above. In the US we would actually refer to this level as Middle School. We worked on learning the Lord's Prayer in English. They all know it in Creole already, so that helps. We broke down some of the words to learn their meaning and pronunciation. People here really struggle to say “Earth”, for example. It ends up sounding something like “hairf.”
Next I gave them a piece of paper and asked them to draw themselves in one box, and a picture from the life of Christ in the other box. Later they had to try to describe in English the pictures they had drawn. As they finished that project we sang several praise songs in English, which is their favorite thing to do. People aren't shy about singing here. Sometimes they even ask if they can sing it individually for the whole class. Can you imagine teenagers asking to do that in the US?
After class the students had a break at school, and about 16 of them followed me home to visit for a few minutes. We made them some lemonade-type stuff and gave them tootsie rolls. After that I had them sing “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” in English and Creole, and we made a little video of the whole thing. Then we watched it together on computer. They all said “Thank You” and headed back to school. Good kids.
I'm hoping that working with these students will not only help them with their English, but it will lead to more open doors for sharing the gospel with them and their families. I also see it as a recruiting tool for our youth group and one day for the Bible School. It is great to have a chance to be involved in the community on a regular basis and help the young people in a some way to develop a Christ-centered worldview on which to base their lives. It is also beneficial to me to have regular practice teaching Haitians. I try to use as much Creole as I can, and each day I learn a little more. I teach them something. They teach me something. This is what being a missionary is all about!
Enjoy Your Adventure Today!
-The Grimms
 |
| Students at Millenium High School in Ti-Rivier, Haiti |
Day 107 of our Haiti Adventure!
For the past month I have been teaching English classes at the following times:
Tuesdays 8-10AM- 7th and 8th graders at the local High School
Fridays 10-11AM- 9th graders at the local High School
Saturdays 9-11AM- Beginner's class in Ti-Rivier
2-5PM- Advanced class in Carfajout, a nearby village
Sundays 1-2, 3-5- Conversation clubs in Carfajout and Ti-Rivier
English class has been a lot of fun, especially working with the more advanced students. Some of them have really put in the time on their own to build a nice bank of vocabulary and knowledge of grammar. If they get their hands on a dictionary, they spend hours and hours memorizing it. I try to help them put all the pieces they know together in a practical way. We work hard on conversation skills, pronunciation, and understanding of English-speaking culture. We do all kinds of activities such as Bible trivia in English, singing praise songs and hymns, having conversations about politics and economic issues, and even reading stories for children.
The students sometimes don't know what to think of me, because my methods are so different than what they are used to. First of all I never beat them or yell at them or shame them in any way. Also, in Haiti all of the teachers spend hours and hours chanting lists of words and equations and whatever else, and the students chant them back. They use rote memorization for everything because of their lack of resources and because that is just how it has always been done. Usually the teacher is the only one who has the textbook, for example. Sometimes he/she has nothing but chalk and a chalkboard.
So when I start doing things in class like asking the students to draw pictures, or sing songs, or write a creative story, or get into groups to do a project, they are pretty taken aback. One day I told the advanced class, “Let's go for a walk and learn some new vocabulary words as we walk together down the street.” That got a lot of blank stares. One student asked, “Teacher, is the class over?” I said, “No, we are just taking the class outside for awhile.” They still sat there like statues, not sure if this was some kind of test or something. Finally I found a compromise for the situation. I coaxed them just outside the classroom and taught them in English the various parts of the motorcycle parked there. They came back the next week and remembered all 25-30 parts I named. It was impressive.
Yesterday was a Tuesday, so I got to teach the younger students at the High School. Some of them are in the picture above. In the US we would actually refer to this level as Middle School. We worked on learning the Lord's Prayer in English. They all know it in Creole already, so that helps. We broke down some of the words to learn their meaning and pronunciation. People here really struggle to say “Earth”, for example. It ends up sounding something like “hairf.”
Next I gave them a piece of paper and asked them to draw themselves in one box, and a picture from the life of Christ in the other box. Later they had to try to describe in English the pictures they had drawn. As they finished that project we sang several praise songs in English, which is their favorite thing to do. People aren't shy about singing here. Sometimes they even ask if they can sing it individually for the whole class. Can you imagine teenagers asking to do that in the US?
After class the students had a break at school, and about 16 of them followed me home to visit for a few minutes. We made them some lemonade-type stuff and gave them tootsie rolls. After that I had them sing “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” in English and Creole, and we made a little video of the whole thing. Then we watched it together on computer. They all said “Thank You” and headed back to school. Good kids.
I'm hoping that working with these students will not only help them with their English, but it will lead to more open doors for sharing the gospel with them and their families. I also see it as a recruiting tool for our youth group and one day for the Bible School. It is great to have a chance to be involved in the community on a regular basis and help the young people in a some way to develop a Christ-centered worldview on which to base their lives. It is also beneficial to me to have regular practice teaching Haitians. I try to use as much Creole as I can, and each day I learn a little more. I teach them something. They teach me something. This is what being a missionary is all about!
Enjoy Your Adventure Today!
-The Grimms
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Mission Haiti's Medical Ministry
Family and Friends,
Day 106 of our Haiti Adventure!
We thought it would be nice to post something about the medical ministries offered here in Ti-Rivier, Haiti. Most of the care is through the local clinic, which operates under the leadership of FAMA, an organization based in Connecticut. Personally our family only helps in small ways from time to time with medical programs, so we thought the best way to gather this information would be to interview people who are more involved with the day-to-day work and the oversight of the clinic. Below you will find some brief biographical information of the people I had a chance to interview as well as the interview itself. As a side note, all three of these individuals are between 55 and 60 years old, so they are also good examples of having a vision from God to serve people “later” in life, just like Richard (see post “Richard” to read more on this topic).
Sue Houck- Sue is Mission Haiti's full-time nurse. She comes from Sioux Falls where she worked for North Central Heart Institute for the last 19 years. Previously she worked at Sioux Valley for 14 years. Sue has been working in Haiti on short-term teams since 2004, and has been coming for extended periods since 2007. Her current plan is to work here indefinitely, returning to the States for short visits a few times each year.
Adrien Alexandre- Adrien is the administrator of the local clinic. Born in Haiti, as a child he immigrated with his family to the US, where he lived for 28 years and became a US citizen. He served in the Marine Corp in Vietnam from 1970-72. He later worked as a emergency room technician in St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. Adrien returned to Haiti in 1988 and has lived and worked in Ti-Rivier since 2003. I hope to share his story in more depth in the future. He is a great guy and very helpful to our family and with everything Mission Haiti does.
Crizauld Francois- Crizauld was born in Ti-Rivier, Haiti, and lived here his entire childhood. He has lived in the US for the past 30 years and also became a US citizen. His background is in computer science and information systems. Previously he worked for the Bristol-Myers-Squibb pharmaceutical company, but now he does consulting and project management. Crizauld began the clinic in Ti-Rivier in 2001 and opened the doors in 2002. He is the president of the board for FAMA (Famille Amour en Action, or “Family Love in Action”), the non-profit organization that sponsors the local clinic.
CORY: What medical services are currently offered by the local clinic with the support of FAMA and Mission Haiti?
SUE: We offer a nurse on site at all times (me), and we give out medications to the people who need it. We also do consultations with patients to help them know what other care they might need. To some extent we offer emergency treatment such as stitching, etc... We also do blood-pressure clinics and classes for mothers to cover the period between pregnancy and the child reaching two years old. Occasionally teams come from the US to do outreach clinics in the mountains and the community. Adrien and I also do home visits as time permits. Lately we have spent a lot of time taking people to the city to get surgery, and Mission Haiti pays for most of those procedures.
CRIZAULD- We offer free medical services to all school-aged children. We have some lab equipment and a space to use it at the clinic, and we are sponsoring a student in University who plans to work for us when she is finished. We bring in a doctor and a dentist once a week on Friday mornings. Future projects include a sewing room which will provide jobs and an artesian well to offer better water to the community.
ADRIEN: Right now we are somewhat limited by the building we are using, which is actually a rented house. We hope to one day have our own specialized building for the clinic where we could continue to improve and expand the services we are offering.
CORY: How has the medical work changed throughout the years the three of you have been caring for patients in Ti-Rivier?
ADRIEN: When we began we were seeing 50 to 80 people per month. Now we are seeing 250-300 people per month. In the past people who were sick would rarely come to the clinic because of the expense. Now that we have managed to lower the cost we are seeing more people, and they are coming in earlier and getting help before they are too sick.
SUE: We are seeing more people now and more serious cases. Most people know about the services we offer at the clinic now, and they only pay $5 Haitian (63 cents US) to be seen, and their medications are free after that. Now we have a better facility, scheduled hours, and more medications, so we can do so much more than when we first started. There are also more medical people coming on teams than there used to be.
CRIZAULD: When the clinic was first opened, the basic services we offered were blood-pressure checks and simple medications. We did not have well-trained or specialized staff of any kind. Over the years we have been able to offer more services. With the help of medical missions, we sometimes get missionaries to come with various specialties. One example is a cardiologist who occasionally visits. With Sue and Adrien's help we are able to make everything more affordable. Both of them do everything on a volunteer basis.
CORY: What are some of the greatest joys of doing medical work in Haiti? What are some of the biggest challenges and frustrations you face?
SUE: It is always a joy to help the kids and see them better after they have been sick. The people often say “Thank you” by giving me fruits and vegetables, and the medical help we offer meets a real need in the community. It is frustrating that we don't have the facilities to do more here such as lab work, x-rays, and other things we have to go to the city so often to accomplish. Sometimes it is difficult to discern who comes to the clinic to really get help and who just wants a handout.
CRIZAULD: The biggest joy is to help someone, from infant to child to adult, to be able to go back to their everyday life healthy. The biggest challenge is the level of poverty, which sometimes leads to procrastination in seeking medical treatment. Also, the walking distance is so far for some people. Just today a 70-year old woman walked 2 ½ hours to the clinic, and of course afterward she had to walk home. Also, we would like to be able to pay the staff at a more competitive level and to be able to help with their continuing education so they can keep up with the ever-changing medical field. Another frustration in doing medical work in Haiti is with the lack of availability and also the lack of regulation of pharmaceutical drugs in the country.
ADRIEN: The biggest joy of doing this work is knowing that you can truly help someone. I also feel very good when people come from surrounding communities, even ones with clinics, to see us because they trust our services and we give them the medications they need. The greatest frustration is when you know what a patient needs, but they refuse to follow through with the instructions you give them. We are always telling people with high blood-pressure, which is rampant in Haiti, to stop drinking so much coffee and/or alcohol, but they go and do it anyway. Then they have a stroke. This story repeats itself over and over, and it is frustrating.
CORY: Are you and the other clinic staff prepared to handle a cholera outbreak or some other tragedy that could happen in this village?
SUE: Yes. We received information from a nearby physician's assistant from the city of Les Cayes that helps us with diagnosis of Cholera. We also gathered rehydration medication, antibiotics, and other supplies to help people out. Our strategy is to triage people here and then send them on to the big Cholera centers in Les Cayes for further treatment. During rainy and buggy seasons we also have to deal with many cases of Malaria. Sometimes other typical problems occur here just as in the US, such as pink eye and common colds, but the difference here is that people tend to not come to the clinic until they are really, really sick. This is improving.
CRIZAULD: Yes and no. We have been discussing this a lot recently. We aren't at the level where we could realistically handle a big disaster or outbreak. We don't consider ourselves a treatment center, so our strategy is to do first-aid, stabilize the patients, and then send them on to Les Cayes for further treatment. So in a sense yes, we are ready for something like that, because we have our strategy in place to help as much as possible.
CORY: How has doing this work in Haiti impacted your faith in God?
SUE: It has strengthened my faith tenfold and my belief that God has me here for a purpose, and He will help me fulfill that purpose. I really feel that the medical work that I do here is appreciated much more than in America. People in Haiti will wait all day without complaint to be seen for a few minutes. This helps me feel that I belong here and God has me here to help these people.
CRIZAULD: It has strengthened my faith in the sense that I don't need to be afraid of challenges in life. This project has been a big challenge, but God has been faithful. We are approaching ten years of doing this work. Many times in Haiti people don't get paid on time. One of the promises we have made to our staff is to pay them on time, even if it isn't a big salary. We have been able to do that, and we can see God at work as He gives us what we need right when we need it.
ADRIEN: Doing this work increases my faith in God. To know that the people we have helped come back and say “Thank You” means a lot. It affirms that we are doing what God wants us to do. For example, a man named Semirak (which means “It is a miracle”) will not leave the clinic until Sue gives him a kiss on the forehead.
CRIZAULD: Adrien is right. Part of our work is actually a kind of therapy for the people. We comfort them and give them our time and understanding, and that means a lot. We help them heal in many ways, both body and soul, and we can see God at work when this happens.
CORY: What is the best way for people back in the States to partner with and support the important medical work you are doing?
SUE: Pam (Mission Haiti Director) sometimes puts a list of our needs for medications on the Mission Haiti website (http://www.mission-haiti.org/). People can check there and make a donation. We also take monetary donations to pay for surgeries and other procedures people can't afford. That budget is running low right now because so many people have needed help recently, so that is a pressing need. For example, we have a waiting list of ten people just for hernia surgeries.
CRIZAULD: Mission Haiti and FAMA are working together to offer these services, so please contact either organization to get involved or to support us. We are always in need of fundraising and donations of medical supplies and equipment. We also need uniforms and badges for the staff. We use a lot of over-the-counter items such as vitamins, pain medication, and cold medications. Another person who has been very involved in this work is Nancy Hannigan, secretary of the FAMA board, and she would be more than happy to answer any questions you have. People can contact our organization at http://www.fama-haiti.org/.
We hope you have enjoyed this post. Please feel free to respond with any comments or questions.
May you enjoy good health on your Adventure today!
-Grimm Family Adventurers
Day 106 of our Haiti Adventure!
We thought it would be nice to post something about the medical ministries offered here in Ti-Rivier, Haiti. Most of the care is through the local clinic, which operates under the leadership of FAMA, an organization based in Connecticut. Personally our family only helps in small ways from time to time with medical programs, so we thought the best way to gather this information would be to interview people who are more involved with the day-to-day work and the oversight of the clinic. Below you will find some brief biographical information of the people I had a chance to interview as well as the interview itself. As a side note, all three of these individuals are between 55 and 60 years old, so they are also good examples of having a vision from God to serve people “later” in life, just like Richard (see post “Richard” to read more on this topic).
Sue Houck- Sue is Mission Haiti's full-time nurse. She comes from Sioux Falls where she worked for North Central Heart Institute for the last 19 years. Previously she worked at Sioux Valley for 14 years. Sue has been working in Haiti on short-term teams since 2004, and has been coming for extended periods since 2007. Her current plan is to work here indefinitely, returning to the States for short visits a few times each year.
Adrien Alexandre- Adrien is the administrator of the local clinic. Born in Haiti, as a child he immigrated with his family to the US, where he lived for 28 years and became a US citizen. He served in the Marine Corp in Vietnam from 1970-72. He later worked as a emergency room technician in St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. Adrien returned to Haiti in 1988 and has lived and worked in Ti-Rivier since 2003. I hope to share his story in more depth in the future. He is a great guy and very helpful to our family and with everything Mission Haiti does.
Crizauld Francois- Crizauld was born in Ti-Rivier, Haiti, and lived here his entire childhood. He has lived in the US for the past 30 years and also became a US citizen. His background is in computer science and information systems. Previously he worked for the Bristol-Myers-Squibb pharmaceutical company, but now he does consulting and project management. Crizauld began the clinic in Ti-Rivier in 2001 and opened the doors in 2002. He is the president of the board for FAMA (Famille Amour en Action, or “Family Love in Action”), the non-profit organization that sponsors the local clinic.
CORY: What medical services are currently offered by the local clinic with the support of FAMA and Mission Haiti?
SUE: We offer a nurse on site at all times (me), and we give out medications to the people who need it. We also do consultations with patients to help them know what other care they might need. To some extent we offer emergency treatment such as stitching, etc... We also do blood-pressure clinics and classes for mothers to cover the period between pregnancy and the child reaching two years old. Occasionally teams come from the US to do outreach clinics in the mountains and the community. Adrien and I also do home visits as time permits. Lately we have spent a lot of time taking people to the city to get surgery, and Mission Haiti pays for most of those procedures.
CRIZAULD- We offer free medical services to all school-aged children. We have some lab equipment and a space to use it at the clinic, and we are sponsoring a student in University who plans to work for us when she is finished. We bring in a doctor and a dentist once a week on Friday mornings. Future projects include a sewing room which will provide jobs and an artesian well to offer better water to the community.
ADRIEN: Right now we are somewhat limited by the building we are using, which is actually a rented house. We hope to one day have our own specialized building for the clinic where we could continue to improve and expand the services we are offering.
CORY: How has the medical work changed throughout the years the three of you have been caring for patients in Ti-Rivier?
ADRIEN: When we began we were seeing 50 to 80 people per month. Now we are seeing 250-300 people per month. In the past people who were sick would rarely come to the clinic because of the expense. Now that we have managed to lower the cost we are seeing more people, and they are coming in earlier and getting help before they are too sick.
SUE: We are seeing more people now and more serious cases. Most people know about the services we offer at the clinic now, and they only pay $5 Haitian (63 cents US) to be seen, and their medications are free after that. Now we have a better facility, scheduled hours, and more medications, so we can do so much more than when we first started. There are also more medical people coming on teams than there used to be.
CRIZAULD: When the clinic was first opened, the basic services we offered were blood-pressure checks and simple medications. We did not have well-trained or specialized staff of any kind. Over the years we have been able to offer more services. With the help of medical missions, we sometimes get missionaries to come with various specialties. One example is a cardiologist who occasionally visits. With Sue and Adrien's help we are able to make everything more affordable. Both of them do everything on a volunteer basis.
CORY: What are some of the greatest joys of doing medical work in Haiti? What are some of the biggest challenges and frustrations you face?
SUE: It is always a joy to help the kids and see them better after they have been sick. The people often say “Thank you” by giving me fruits and vegetables, and the medical help we offer meets a real need in the community. It is frustrating that we don't have the facilities to do more here such as lab work, x-rays, and other things we have to go to the city so often to accomplish. Sometimes it is difficult to discern who comes to the clinic to really get help and who just wants a handout.
CRIZAULD: The biggest joy is to help someone, from infant to child to adult, to be able to go back to their everyday life healthy. The biggest challenge is the level of poverty, which sometimes leads to procrastination in seeking medical treatment. Also, the walking distance is so far for some people. Just today a 70-year old woman walked 2 ½ hours to the clinic, and of course afterward she had to walk home. Also, we would like to be able to pay the staff at a more competitive level and to be able to help with their continuing education so they can keep up with the ever-changing medical field. Another frustration in doing medical work in Haiti is with the lack of availability and also the lack of regulation of pharmaceutical drugs in the country.
ADRIEN: The biggest joy of doing this work is knowing that you can truly help someone. I also feel very good when people come from surrounding communities, even ones with clinics, to see us because they trust our services and we give them the medications they need. The greatest frustration is when you know what a patient needs, but they refuse to follow through with the instructions you give them. We are always telling people with high blood-pressure, which is rampant in Haiti, to stop drinking so much coffee and/or alcohol, but they go and do it anyway. Then they have a stroke. This story repeats itself over and over, and it is frustrating.
CORY: Are you and the other clinic staff prepared to handle a cholera outbreak or some other tragedy that could happen in this village?
SUE: Yes. We received information from a nearby physician's assistant from the city of Les Cayes that helps us with diagnosis of Cholera. We also gathered rehydration medication, antibiotics, and other supplies to help people out. Our strategy is to triage people here and then send them on to the big Cholera centers in Les Cayes for further treatment. During rainy and buggy seasons we also have to deal with many cases of Malaria. Sometimes other typical problems occur here just as in the US, such as pink eye and common colds, but the difference here is that people tend to not come to the clinic until they are really, really sick. This is improving.
CRIZAULD: Yes and no. We have been discussing this a lot recently. We aren't at the level where we could realistically handle a big disaster or outbreak. We don't consider ourselves a treatment center, so our strategy is to do first-aid, stabilize the patients, and then send them on to Les Cayes for further treatment. So in a sense yes, we are ready for something like that, because we have our strategy in place to help as much as possible.
CORY: How has doing this work in Haiti impacted your faith in God?
SUE: It has strengthened my faith tenfold and my belief that God has me here for a purpose, and He will help me fulfill that purpose. I really feel that the medical work that I do here is appreciated much more than in America. People in Haiti will wait all day without complaint to be seen for a few minutes. This helps me feel that I belong here and God has me here to help these people.
CRIZAULD: It has strengthened my faith in the sense that I don't need to be afraid of challenges in life. This project has been a big challenge, but God has been faithful. We are approaching ten years of doing this work. Many times in Haiti people don't get paid on time. One of the promises we have made to our staff is to pay them on time, even if it isn't a big salary. We have been able to do that, and we can see God at work as He gives us what we need right when we need it.
ADRIEN: Doing this work increases my faith in God. To know that the people we have helped come back and say “Thank You” means a lot. It affirms that we are doing what God wants us to do. For example, a man named Semirak (which means “It is a miracle”) will not leave the clinic until Sue gives him a kiss on the forehead.
CRIZAULD: Adrien is right. Part of our work is actually a kind of therapy for the people. We comfort them and give them our time and understanding, and that means a lot. We help them heal in many ways, both body and soul, and we can see God at work when this happens.
CORY: What is the best way for people back in the States to partner with and support the important medical work you are doing?
SUE: Pam (Mission Haiti Director) sometimes puts a list of our needs for medications on the Mission Haiti website (http://www.mission-haiti.org/). People can check there and make a donation. We also take monetary donations to pay for surgeries and other procedures people can't afford. That budget is running low right now because so many people have needed help recently, so that is a pressing need. For example, we have a waiting list of ten people just for hernia surgeries.
CRIZAULD: Mission Haiti and FAMA are working together to offer these services, so please contact either organization to get involved or to support us. We are always in need of fundraising and donations of medical supplies and equipment. We also need uniforms and badges for the staff. We use a lot of over-the-counter items such as vitamins, pain medication, and cold medications. Another person who has been very involved in this work is Nancy Hannigan, secretary of the FAMA board, and she would be more than happy to answer any questions you have. People can contact our organization at http://www.fama-haiti.org/.
We hope you have enjoyed this post. Please feel free to respond with any comments or questions.
May you enjoy good health on your Adventure today!
-Grimm Family Adventurers
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Just An Average Day in Haiti
Family and Friends,
Day 103 of our Haiti Adventure!
Oftentimes people will ask us, “What exactly do you do in Haiti?” That's a good question. Sometimes it is hard to put your finger on an exact answer, and from time to time we even feel a bit guilty that we aren't completely changing the world on any given day. But we know we are here for a purpose, and we try to do as much as we can to impact the people around us. So maybe the best thing is just to share what we did yesterday, and that is what this post is about. It was just an average day. It had moments of excitement and also moments of down time. Today and tomorrow will be different, no doubt, but this is what we did yesterday...
6:00am- The family staying with us, Dan and Kari Elliot and their two children, get up and begin to ready themselves for the day. Lynn and I are still in bed half awake, but Cookie begins to get restless and starts to make annoying noises.
6:20- Cookie's noisiness becomes too much and I get up to take her out. Kester is supposed to do it, but he is “too tired.” There is always a vague notion at this point that I can crawl back in bed, but once you get up it sets off a chain reaction of chores that need to be done.
6:30- I fill the bucket which filters water into the Culligan jug, feed Cookie, get Lynn water for her bath, put up the children's beds, take DD to the outhouse (because she's arguing with Elizabeth...another story), empty and rinse Lynn's bowl from her indoor toilet, sweep the house, and make milk for the kids' breakfast.
6:45- We sit down with the kids at our little table on the porch to enjoy a bowl of cold cereal compliments of the Elliot family. Powdered milk doesn't bother us anymore. Put some water on to boil, and choose the easier option of instant coffee today. Sometimes we put in a little effort to make Haitian coffee, and it is worth it, but not today.
7:00- The kids head off to play in the yard with the orphanage kids before they leave for school. Lynn does devotions on the porch, and I go up on the roof to review Bible memorization.
7:30- Shave and shower...extremely cold water this morning...refreshing!
7:45- Sue (the nurse who lives here full-time) gets ready to leave for the clinic, and the Elliots get ready to go to the local schools to take pictures. Our family plays some cards and hangs out a little bit before starting homeschool. Ketia, our wash girl, shows up for the first time this week. We missed her on Monday and Wednesday, and today is Friday. She tells us her little boy was sick. However, we heard through the grapevine that she is hiding her work (and extra income) from her boyfriend, so some mornings she can't get away. Not sure what is going on.
8:00- We start homeschool. Everything goes well at first, but we hit a bump in the road when Kester doesn't want to review Bible verses. He is “too tired.” We tell him no soccer today so he can rest up and do better on his chores and school. He has a little fit. We finally get back on track and get things rolling again.
9:30- We wrap up the basic homeschool stuff and call it quits because we need to get ready to go to the High School to teach English. I teach there on Tuesdays and Fridays every week, and the family wants to go along today to help.
9:45- After bathroom breaks and some other little chores we are on the way to school. When we reach the end of our driveway at the main road we see a group of white people walking down the street. They are strangers to us. What a strange feeling! The temptation almost overcomes me to point and yell, “Blancs! Blancs!” They are ahead of us and we never did get a chance to talk to them today and find out where they were from.
9:55- We reach the school early and hang out a little bit. Zachary, the interim school director, pulls me aside and asks for help with getting computers for the school. I'm not sure what to say.
10:00- We start English class. Today we are working on learning and understanding the words to various praise songs. We have been working on “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.” The highschool students are fascinated to have my family there in the classroom.
10:15- Lynn calls me over and whispers, “I have to go to the bathroom. Number 2.” This is not good. I'm picturing trying to go up the path on the mountain to the school's small, dirty outhouse, and that doesn't seem like a good idea. Then Lynn says, “Just have Franzou (he is a student in the class) push me home.” Sounds like a good plan, so they leave. Now I'm hoping Alexandra doesn't have a meltdown during the remainder of the class. That will be hard to translate into Creole or French.
11:00- Class finishes and it went well. The kids did a great job.
11:15- Arrive back at the compound and find Lynn talking with Francisco, the boy mentioned in the post, “Will You Adopt Me?” The kids start playing and I do a few more chores around the house. I notice the kids of the Elliots are back and their son is not feeling well. Happens to everyone here!
12:00- Lunch...spaghetti noodles with some oil and spices. We actually like this lunch a lot.
12:30- Lynn gets the kids ready for their “quiet time” after lunch. Today they are supposed to take a nap so they can stay up for the whole movie tonight. We often watch a movie with the kids in the orphanage on Friday nights. I head over to the clinic to talk to Adrian. We are working together to help Pam get everything set up for the team coming in early March.
1:00- Adrian and I head over to his house so I can check email and we can make other plans. Sue goes along to check her messages. Back home Lynn spends the early afternoon reading to Rose, who just got her tonsils out earlier this week.
1:30- I'm busy filing taxes online, and Adrian gets a phone call that someone has fallen out of a coconut tree on our property, and they want Sue to come back and look at him. At this point we don't know who it is who fell or how serious the situation is.
2:30- Wrap up my online efforts, including finishing with taxes. I figure if I made any mistakes the probably won't come down here to get me. Never know with the IRS, though.
3:00- Return to the compound to find out that it was Emmanuel who fell, and he had a concussion. Poor guy. He has been carrying water for Mission Haiti for many years, and he is a member of our core group and a great guy. It turns out he just missed the razor wire on our walls by a few inches, so a concussion was actually a better option. At the last second Patchouko stuck out his foot for Emmanuel's head to land on, so that helped too. The kids are awake and playing. Lynn and I gather laundry from the solar-powered dryer (clothesline). Some of it is dry and the other wet pieces we hang up under the meeting tent. Looks like it could rain.
3:30- Patchouko and I head out on foot to do some errands for Pam. We walk down to the new property by the ocean where an old folks' home will be built soon. We do some planning down there and then head back. On the way back we check with a woman whose teenage daughter has been dealing with extreme pain in her breast. They went to Les Cayes today to consult with a Doctor. There is some tissue in her chest that doesn't look good, and they want her to go to Port-au-Prince immediately. She is one of my students at school and I feel bad for her. Pretty girl. We tell them we'll talk to Pam and see if we can help. I call Pam and she tells us to go ahead and pay for it.
5:00- We arrive back at the compound and supper is nearly ready...peanut butter sandwiches with ramen noodles. During supper the drum lessons start nearby, and several of the orphanage boys bang away on drums up on the roof. We finish and clean up and prepare for the movie.
6:00- The orphanage kids are finishing up their supper, and the rest of us are in the eating area enjoying an impromptu dance party. The computer is hooked up to a little guitar amp for the movie, and we are rocking out. We also trying to do some research on the phone to find out how much the mammogram and other possible tests might cost for this girl in Port-au-Prince. We decide to send them with $1000 ($125 US) and keep careful records of what they pay for.
6:30- The movie “Spirit” is underway. Our kids, the Elliots, the kids and staff from the Orphanage, Patchouko's family, and a handful of neighborhoods kids are watching with rapt attention. Gertrude makes popcorn and passes it around.
7:00- Patchouko and I get our flashlights and head up the mountain to visit Emmanuel and his family. They are our closest neighbors up the hill, so not too far away. Emmanuel is sore but not doing too bad. He doesn't remember much from the fall. After banging his head the famous ants decided to attack and get a few free bites of flesh from his shoulder, so that is sore and itchy, too. The family members are sitting around a single candle, exhausted from the day.
7:45- We come back home in time for the end of the movie. Elizabeth and Alexandra have gotten bored with the movie, which they have seen many times, and are playing cards on the floor in the house. We have a single light on in there plugged in to our solar-powered battery. The electricity never came on tonight for more than a few minutes.
8:00- Movie ends and the get-ready-for-bed routine begins amidst complaining and whining, as usual. I seek out some stronger anti-fungal medicine to get rid of lingering ringworm. Fun. Finally we finish up, pray, and turn off the lights.
8:30- I start typing in my journal. After a few minutes Alexandra comes outside. “I just can't sleep.” She sits by me for awhile as I write. Pretty soon the cat sneaks over the wall and knocks over the garbage. I chase the cat away, and then Alexandra goes back to bed.
9:00- Now I'm finishing typing, and soon I'll head to bed. God has been good to us today! What a privilege to play some small role in God's ever-advancing kingdom and to try to serve and bless the people in some small ways. Forgot to bathe the kids today! Oh well, they'll still be dirty tomorrow. Soon we'll get up and see what adventure is waiting for us in the morning.
There you have it, just an average day in Haiti. Check back tomrrow or the next day to read about the medical ministries of Mission Haiti. I'm planning to interview Sue and share some of her insights.
Enjoy your adventure today!
-Grimm Family Adventurers
Day 103 of our Haiti Adventure!
Oftentimes people will ask us, “What exactly do you do in Haiti?” That's a good question. Sometimes it is hard to put your finger on an exact answer, and from time to time we even feel a bit guilty that we aren't completely changing the world on any given day. But we know we are here for a purpose, and we try to do as much as we can to impact the people around us. So maybe the best thing is just to share what we did yesterday, and that is what this post is about. It was just an average day. It had moments of excitement and also moments of down time. Today and tomorrow will be different, no doubt, but this is what we did yesterday...
6:00am- The family staying with us, Dan and Kari Elliot and their two children, get up and begin to ready themselves for the day. Lynn and I are still in bed half awake, but Cookie begins to get restless and starts to make annoying noises.
6:20- Cookie's noisiness becomes too much and I get up to take her out. Kester is supposed to do it, but he is “too tired.” There is always a vague notion at this point that I can crawl back in bed, but once you get up it sets off a chain reaction of chores that need to be done.
6:30- I fill the bucket which filters water into the Culligan jug, feed Cookie, get Lynn water for her bath, put up the children's beds, take DD to the outhouse (because she's arguing with Elizabeth...another story), empty and rinse Lynn's bowl from her indoor toilet, sweep the house, and make milk for the kids' breakfast.
6:45- We sit down with the kids at our little table on the porch to enjoy a bowl of cold cereal compliments of the Elliot family. Powdered milk doesn't bother us anymore. Put some water on to boil, and choose the easier option of instant coffee today. Sometimes we put in a little effort to make Haitian coffee, and it is worth it, but not today.
7:00- The kids head off to play in the yard with the orphanage kids before they leave for school. Lynn does devotions on the porch, and I go up on the roof to review Bible memorization.
7:30- Shave and shower...extremely cold water this morning...refreshing!
7:45- Sue (the nurse who lives here full-time) gets ready to leave for the clinic, and the Elliots get ready to go to the local schools to take pictures. Our family plays some cards and hangs out a little bit before starting homeschool. Ketia, our wash girl, shows up for the first time this week. We missed her on Monday and Wednesday, and today is Friday. She tells us her little boy was sick. However, we heard through the grapevine that she is hiding her work (and extra income) from her boyfriend, so some mornings she can't get away. Not sure what is going on.
8:00- We start homeschool. Everything goes well at first, but we hit a bump in the road when Kester doesn't want to review Bible verses. He is “too tired.” We tell him no soccer today so he can rest up and do better on his chores and school. He has a little fit. We finally get back on track and get things rolling again.
9:30- We wrap up the basic homeschool stuff and call it quits because we need to get ready to go to the High School to teach English. I teach there on Tuesdays and Fridays every week, and the family wants to go along today to help.
9:45- After bathroom breaks and some other little chores we are on the way to school. When we reach the end of our driveway at the main road we see a group of white people walking down the street. They are strangers to us. What a strange feeling! The temptation almost overcomes me to point and yell, “Blancs! Blancs!” They are ahead of us and we never did get a chance to talk to them today and find out where they were from.
9:55- We reach the school early and hang out a little bit. Zachary, the interim school director, pulls me aside and asks for help with getting computers for the school. I'm not sure what to say.
10:00- We start English class. Today we are working on learning and understanding the words to various praise songs. We have been working on “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.” The highschool students are fascinated to have my family there in the classroom.
10:15- Lynn calls me over and whispers, “I have to go to the bathroom. Number 2.” This is not good. I'm picturing trying to go up the path on the mountain to the school's small, dirty outhouse, and that doesn't seem like a good idea. Then Lynn says, “Just have Franzou (he is a student in the class) push me home.” Sounds like a good plan, so they leave. Now I'm hoping Alexandra doesn't have a meltdown during the remainder of the class. That will be hard to translate into Creole or French.
11:00- Class finishes and it went well. The kids did a great job.
11:15- Arrive back at the compound and find Lynn talking with Francisco, the boy mentioned in the post, “Will You Adopt Me?” The kids start playing and I do a few more chores around the house. I notice the kids of the Elliots are back and their son is not feeling well. Happens to everyone here!
12:00- Lunch...spaghetti noodles with some oil and spices. We actually like this lunch a lot.
12:30- Lynn gets the kids ready for their “quiet time” after lunch. Today they are supposed to take a nap so they can stay up for the whole movie tonight. We often watch a movie with the kids in the orphanage on Friday nights. I head over to the clinic to talk to Adrian. We are working together to help Pam get everything set up for the team coming in early March.
1:00- Adrian and I head over to his house so I can check email and we can make other plans. Sue goes along to check her messages. Back home Lynn spends the early afternoon reading to Rose, who just got her tonsils out earlier this week.
1:30- I'm busy filing taxes online, and Adrian gets a phone call that someone has fallen out of a coconut tree on our property, and they want Sue to come back and look at him. At this point we don't know who it is who fell or how serious the situation is.
2:30- Wrap up my online efforts, including finishing with taxes. I figure if I made any mistakes the probably won't come down here to get me. Never know with the IRS, though.
3:00- Return to the compound to find out that it was Emmanuel who fell, and he had a concussion. Poor guy. He has been carrying water for Mission Haiti for many years, and he is a member of our core group and a great guy. It turns out he just missed the razor wire on our walls by a few inches, so a concussion was actually a better option. At the last second Patchouko stuck out his foot for Emmanuel's head to land on, so that helped too. The kids are awake and playing. Lynn and I gather laundry from the solar-powered dryer (clothesline). Some of it is dry and the other wet pieces we hang up under the meeting tent. Looks like it could rain.
3:30- Patchouko and I head out on foot to do some errands for Pam. We walk down to the new property by the ocean where an old folks' home will be built soon. We do some planning down there and then head back. On the way back we check with a woman whose teenage daughter has been dealing with extreme pain in her breast. They went to Les Cayes today to consult with a Doctor. There is some tissue in her chest that doesn't look good, and they want her to go to Port-au-Prince immediately. She is one of my students at school and I feel bad for her. Pretty girl. We tell them we'll talk to Pam and see if we can help. I call Pam and she tells us to go ahead and pay for it.
5:00- We arrive back at the compound and supper is nearly ready...peanut butter sandwiches with ramen noodles. During supper the drum lessons start nearby, and several of the orphanage boys bang away on drums up on the roof. We finish and clean up and prepare for the movie.
6:00- The orphanage kids are finishing up their supper, and the rest of us are in the eating area enjoying an impromptu dance party. The computer is hooked up to a little guitar amp for the movie, and we are rocking out. We also trying to do some research on the phone to find out how much the mammogram and other possible tests might cost for this girl in Port-au-Prince. We decide to send them with $1000 ($125 US) and keep careful records of what they pay for.
6:30- The movie “Spirit” is underway. Our kids, the Elliots, the kids and staff from the Orphanage, Patchouko's family, and a handful of neighborhoods kids are watching with rapt attention. Gertrude makes popcorn and passes it around.
7:00- Patchouko and I get our flashlights and head up the mountain to visit Emmanuel and his family. They are our closest neighbors up the hill, so not too far away. Emmanuel is sore but not doing too bad. He doesn't remember much from the fall. After banging his head the famous ants decided to attack and get a few free bites of flesh from his shoulder, so that is sore and itchy, too. The family members are sitting around a single candle, exhausted from the day.
7:45- We come back home in time for the end of the movie. Elizabeth and Alexandra have gotten bored with the movie, which they have seen many times, and are playing cards on the floor in the house. We have a single light on in there plugged in to our solar-powered battery. The electricity never came on tonight for more than a few minutes.
8:00- Movie ends and the get-ready-for-bed routine begins amidst complaining and whining, as usual. I seek out some stronger anti-fungal medicine to get rid of lingering ringworm. Fun. Finally we finish up, pray, and turn off the lights.
8:30- I start typing in my journal. After a few minutes Alexandra comes outside. “I just can't sleep.” She sits by me for awhile as I write. Pretty soon the cat sneaks over the wall and knocks over the garbage. I chase the cat away, and then Alexandra goes back to bed.
9:00- Now I'm finishing typing, and soon I'll head to bed. God has been good to us today! What a privilege to play some small role in God's ever-advancing kingdom and to try to serve and bless the people in some small ways. Forgot to bathe the kids today! Oh well, they'll still be dirty tomorrow. Soon we'll get up and see what adventure is waiting for us in the morning.
There you have it, just an average day in Haiti. Check back tomrrow or the next day to read about the medical ministries of Mission Haiti. I'm planning to interview Sue and share some of her insights.
Enjoy your adventure today!
-Grimm Family Adventurers
Friday, February 18, 2011
The Bible School: PART TWO AND PART THREE
Family and Friends,
Day 102 of our Haiti Adventure!
This truly is the half-way point of our first stint here in Haiti. 102 day from now (May 31) we plan to return to the states to visit family and supporting churches. We are enjoying a relaxing week with a small team visiting to take photos for the school programs. Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support! It means a lot to us. Please keep reading to learn more about the future Bible School project...
This post will share a little bit more of the vision for the Bible School, a future project of Mission Haiti. All of the ideas are intentionally broad and undefined at this point as we continue to study Haitian culture and wait on God to give us wisdom and direction how to best serve the people. If you want to read part one of this series, please check the post from February 8, "The Bible School: PART ONE." Please consider adding Mission Haiti's Bible School to your personal prayer list, and if a project like this is something you would be interested in partnering with in some way, please do not hesitate to contact us with your ideas and suggestions.
Let's back up and review a bit. The first distinctive we shared last time was to describe a program that values both academic learning and also practical application in the same educational setting. Not only will these be values, but they will be requirements of the students. In fact, all efforts will be made to equally balance the time each student spends in study and active ministry. This first distinctive flows naturally into the second and third distinctives, which are interrelated:
#2- The students will be immersed in the community and the culture of Haiti
#3- Our dependence on large facilities and budgets will be kept at a minimum
One of my favorite seminary professors used to point out how churches and ministries often fall into the trap of measuring their success by “buildings, butts, and budgets.” We want to avoid thinking that way. All of these measurements can definitely parallel growth, but they can also quickly become a yolk around your neck forcing you down a path you never intended to go.
It might surprise you to hear this, but Christians in Haiti share the lust of American Christians for expensive facilities and the hype of the big crowds. For example, Pam has often talked about how churches change dramatically in character when they can finally buy a big (and often nasty sounding) sound system with cheap microphones which painfully distort the voices and instruments. We have also written before about the problems here with the requirements of many churches that people wear nice, expensive clothes to get into worship and how the Pastor is seen as the big man in town with all the money, etc...
We want to do something very different with our ministry training. Probably the best model for these distinctives can be found in Luke 10, where Jesus sends out the disciples-in-training in pairs with no money or food and tells them simply to share the gospel message with the people, look for a “man of peace” to stay with, and trust God that everything will be taken care of.
In keeping with that strategy for raising up leaders, we won't separate the students from the community by hiding them away in big dormitories and secluded classroom facilities. Instead, we plan to send out the students to stay two-by-two in host-homes right here in the local community, and classes will be held in church buildings and other existing facilities. Students will quickly learn the local language and customs as they serve their host families and share meals and everyday life with them day by day. The people of the community and the churches will have a sense of partnership and ownership in everything we are doing and will be able to benefit from the work of the students who will seek to build up existing churches through evangelism, Bible instruction, prayer, and service of every kind.
It is pretty obvious to see how this will keep our dependence on facilities and large budgets at a minimum. Of course there still may be a need for some kind of modest facility at some point. One thing that comes to mind is a high-tech classroom where various teachers can offer classes here from anywhere in the world. But the basic value and principle will remain the same, to do everything we can to keep the students immersed in the lives of the people, and to keep our dependence on finances to a minimum.
Keep praying and dreaming with us on this project, and we'll see God do something special!
God Bless!
-The Grimms
Day 102 of our Haiti Adventure!
This truly is the half-way point of our first stint here in Haiti. 102 day from now (May 31) we plan to return to the states to visit family and supporting churches. We are enjoying a relaxing week with a small team visiting to take photos for the school programs. Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support! It means a lot to us. Please keep reading to learn more about the future Bible School project...
This post will share a little bit more of the vision for the Bible School, a future project of Mission Haiti. All of the ideas are intentionally broad and undefined at this point as we continue to study Haitian culture and wait on God to give us wisdom and direction how to best serve the people. If you want to read part one of this series, please check the post from February 8, "The Bible School: PART ONE." Please consider adding Mission Haiti's Bible School to your personal prayer list, and if a project like this is something you would be interested in partnering with in some way, please do not hesitate to contact us with your ideas and suggestions.
Let's back up and review a bit. The first distinctive we shared last time was to describe a program that values both academic learning and also practical application in the same educational setting. Not only will these be values, but they will be requirements of the students. In fact, all efforts will be made to equally balance the time each student spends in study and active ministry. This first distinctive flows naturally into the second and third distinctives, which are interrelated:
#2- The students will be immersed in the community and the culture of Haiti
#3- Our dependence on large facilities and budgets will be kept at a minimum
One of my favorite seminary professors used to point out how churches and ministries often fall into the trap of measuring their success by “buildings, butts, and budgets.” We want to avoid thinking that way. All of these measurements can definitely parallel growth, but they can also quickly become a yolk around your neck forcing you down a path you never intended to go.
It might surprise you to hear this, but Christians in Haiti share the lust of American Christians for expensive facilities and the hype of the big crowds. For example, Pam has often talked about how churches change dramatically in character when they can finally buy a big (and often nasty sounding) sound system with cheap microphones which painfully distort the voices and instruments. We have also written before about the problems here with the requirements of many churches that people wear nice, expensive clothes to get into worship and how the Pastor is seen as the big man in town with all the money, etc...
We want to do something very different with our ministry training. Probably the best model for these distinctives can be found in Luke 10, where Jesus sends out the disciples-in-training in pairs with no money or food and tells them simply to share the gospel message with the people, look for a “man of peace” to stay with, and trust God that everything will be taken care of.
In keeping with that strategy for raising up leaders, we won't separate the students from the community by hiding them away in big dormitories and secluded classroom facilities. Instead, we plan to send out the students to stay two-by-two in host-homes right here in the local community, and classes will be held in church buildings and other existing facilities. Students will quickly learn the local language and customs as they serve their host families and share meals and everyday life with them day by day. The people of the community and the churches will have a sense of partnership and ownership in everything we are doing and will be able to benefit from the work of the students who will seek to build up existing churches through evangelism, Bible instruction, prayer, and service of every kind.
It is pretty obvious to see how this will keep our dependence on facilities and large budgets at a minimum. Of course there still may be a need for some kind of modest facility at some point. One thing that comes to mind is a high-tech classroom where various teachers can offer classes here from anywhere in the world. But the basic value and principle will remain the same, to do everything we can to keep the students immersed in the lives of the people, and to keep our dependence on finances to a minimum.
Keep praying and dreaming with us on this project, and we'll see God do something special!
God Bless!
-The Grimms
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Healing Service
Family and Friends,
Day 101 of our Haiti Adventure!
We promised to write more about the healing service we had last week where Sterlan and Lynn were both prayed for extensively. We have had some time to reflect on everything that happened and wonder/pray about what it all means. I'm not sure I can give any definitive answers, but I can share with you some of what we experienced on that fascinating night.
If you had a chance to read the post, “When It Rains It Pours”, you know that last week was one of our toughest weeks here. So when the man leading the prayer/healing service asked if he could pray for Lynn, I knew instantly in my mind and heart that all of the trouble and suffering was preparing us for God to do something powerful and good. We have learned that lesson over and over...blessings precede trials, trials precede blessings. I told Lynn, “maybe this is it...the big event we have been waiting and praying for.”
Not only were we having a hard time that day and that week, but I have to confess that the healing service right outside our house was a little bit annoying to me up to that point, in my weakened and crabbby state of sickness and tiredness. As I am sure you aware, worship services in developing countries like Haiti can go on and on and on. Then they go on some more. Plus they probably started late. This service fit all of those stereotypes. We had planned to start at 4PM, but we didn't get started until around 6:30. After about 45 minutes of Creole-only singing, one of the members of the mission team leaned over and asked me, “How long do you think this will go?” I said, “We hosted a similar service to commemorate the anniversary of the earthquake, and it lasted well over three hours, so get comfortable.”
After the whole Sterlan demon-attack happened, it was around 8:30 or so and we decided to put our kids to bed as the service continued. While I was in the house the leader approached Lynn about praying for her. She came in and talked to me, and around 9PM we were ready to start. I quietly repented of my earlier crabbiness and asked God to work powerfully despite my weakness. The next four hours were a combination of Scripture reading, group prayer, singing, and I even got a cup of coffee at one point. There was a period in the middle where the group decided to pray more for Sterlan, but then they returned to Lynn.
Some of the highlights that I still remember...
Pam had her hands on Lynn's back, and she shared a vision from God of Lynn's life as a paraplegic being represented by a book. Pam could see in the vision that Lynn is now in the last chapter of the book of her paralysis. She will be healed soon.
At one point to girls from the orphanage were kneeling in front of Lynn. Lucy (age 9) was praying over Lynn's right foot, and Rose (age 11) was praying over her left. Both of them were looking up at Lynn with big brown eyes.
Elyse, one of our core group members, broke out into a hymn, singing very loudly and passionately. He doesn't like to sing in front of people, so that meant a lot.
For a long time Gertrude, the woman who runs the orphanage and who is the same age as Lynn, was praying beside Lynn and weeping in her prayers, calling out desperately to God.
Heidi and Jenna, two young women on the mission team, both spoke of a feeling of certainness from God that Lynn would walk. Both of them also pray for Lynn when they are in the US, and Jenna began doing so even before she knew Lynn existed. God just prompted her to pray for someone and later she knew it was Lynn.
Alexandra kept getting out of bed during the night (this is normal) and coming over to hang out in the middle of the prayer group like it was just some people hanging around talking. Then she would go back to bed for awhile, get up, go back to bed, etc...
Early on in the night I had this feeling that I should get my camera. I can't say for sure that it was the Holy Spirit telling me to do it, but I got the camera out of the house and had it ready in case Lynn got up and walked. In the end we quit around 1AM or a little later, but everyone felt strongly that all the praying had a purpose. We agreed later that if nothing else, it was touching to see how much everyone cares for us down here and how they are willing to give huge chunks of time and energy in prayer on our behalf.
When you reflect on a night like that, there is always the temptation to over-analyze everything that happened and ask if you did something "wrong", whether or not you really had the faith, whether or not you were ready to handle the miracle if it happened, etc... But we have chosen not to do that. We trust that if God wants to heal Lynn He will do it, and if not He will use her weakness to demonstrate His strength.
We believe in a middle ground on these issues. That is, we believe God allows us suffering and trials for different purposes throughout our lives, yet we also believe God will always listen to our prayers regarding healing and victory over those same struggles. We can both benefit from the difficult parts of life, praising God along the way, and also eventually overcome those difficulties also for the glory of God.
What an adventurous night that was...one that will not be quickly forgotten. All adventures include both sufferings and blessings, do they not! We can say confidently that this part of the adventure is not yet finished....
God Bless,
The Grimm Family Adventurers
Day 101 of our Haiti Adventure!
We promised to write more about the healing service we had last week where Sterlan and Lynn were both prayed for extensively. We have had some time to reflect on everything that happened and wonder/pray about what it all means. I'm not sure I can give any definitive answers, but I can share with you some of what we experienced on that fascinating night.
If you had a chance to read the post, “When It Rains It Pours”, you know that last week was one of our toughest weeks here. So when the man leading the prayer/healing service asked if he could pray for Lynn, I knew instantly in my mind and heart that all of the trouble and suffering was preparing us for God to do something powerful and good. We have learned that lesson over and over...blessings precede trials, trials precede blessings. I told Lynn, “maybe this is it...the big event we have been waiting and praying for.”
Not only were we having a hard time that day and that week, but I have to confess that the healing service right outside our house was a little bit annoying to me up to that point, in my weakened and crabbby state of sickness and tiredness. As I am sure you aware, worship services in developing countries like Haiti can go on and on and on. Then they go on some more. Plus they probably started late. This service fit all of those stereotypes. We had planned to start at 4PM, but we didn't get started until around 6:30. After about 45 minutes of Creole-only singing, one of the members of the mission team leaned over and asked me, “How long do you think this will go?” I said, “We hosted a similar service to commemorate the anniversary of the earthquake, and it lasted well over three hours, so get comfortable.”
After the whole Sterlan demon-attack happened, it was around 8:30 or so and we decided to put our kids to bed as the service continued. While I was in the house the leader approached Lynn about praying for her. She came in and talked to me, and around 9PM we were ready to start. I quietly repented of my earlier crabbiness and asked God to work powerfully despite my weakness. The next four hours were a combination of Scripture reading, group prayer, singing, and I even got a cup of coffee at one point. There was a period in the middle where the group decided to pray more for Sterlan, but then they returned to Lynn.
Some of the highlights that I still remember...
Pam had her hands on Lynn's back, and she shared a vision from God of Lynn's life as a paraplegic being represented by a book. Pam could see in the vision that Lynn is now in the last chapter of the book of her paralysis. She will be healed soon.
At one point to girls from the orphanage were kneeling in front of Lynn. Lucy (age 9) was praying over Lynn's right foot, and Rose (age 11) was praying over her left. Both of them were looking up at Lynn with big brown eyes.
Elyse, one of our core group members, broke out into a hymn, singing very loudly and passionately. He doesn't like to sing in front of people, so that meant a lot.
For a long time Gertrude, the woman who runs the orphanage and who is the same age as Lynn, was praying beside Lynn and weeping in her prayers, calling out desperately to God.
Heidi and Jenna, two young women on the mission team, both spoke of a feeling of certainness from God that Lynn would walk. Both of them also pray for Lynn when they are in the US, and Jenna began doing so even before she knew Lynn existed. God just prompted her to pray for someone and later she knew it was Lynn.
Alexandra kept getting out of bed during the night (this is normal) and coming over to hang out in the middle of the prayer group like it was just some people hanging around talking. Then she would go back to bed for awhile, get up, go back to bed, etc...
Early on in the night I had this feeling that I should get my camera. I can't say for sure that it was the Holy Spirit telling me to do it, but I got the camera out of the house and had it ready in case Lynn got up and walked. In the end we quit around 1AM or a little later, but everyone felt strongly that all the praying had a purpose. We agreed later that if nothing else, it was touching to see how much everyone cares for us down here and how they are willing to give huge chunks of time and energy in prayer on our behalf.
When you reflect on a night like that, there is always the temptation to over-analyze everything that happened and ask if you did something "wrong", whether or not you really had the faith, whether or not you were ready to handle the miracle if it happened, etc... But we have chosen not to do that. We trust that if God wants to heal Lynn He will do it, and if not He will use her weakness to demonstrate His strength.
We believe in a middle ground on these issues. That is, we believe God allows us suffering and trials for different purposes throughout our lives, yet we also believe God will always listen to our prayers regarding healing and victory over those same struggles. We can both benefit from the difficult parts of life, praising God along the way, and also eventually overcome those difficulties also for the glory of God.
What an adventurous night that was...one that will not be quickly forgotten. All adventures include both sufferings and blessings, do they not! We can say confidently that this part of the adventure is not yet finished....
God Bless,
The Grimm Family Adventurers
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Richard
 |
| Richard teaching Franzou |
Family and Friends,
Day 99 of our Haiti Adventure!
Yesterday a good mission team finished up their work here and headed back to the US, and along with them went Richard Hildebrand, of Milford, Iowa. Six weeks ago he was a stranger, but now we think of him as our good friend and fellow missionary. Richard came here to work beside us and left his mark in a very positive way. Many of the Haitians were sad to see him go and gave eloquent speeches at the final youth meeting about how he touched each of their lives. Even though the emphasis of my master's degree was Missions and I have been working in evangelism and missions for many years, Richard taught me a lot, and his example is one from which we can all learn.
Richard “gets” short-term missions. He understands what is going on down here. He did some things very well that should be emulated as much as possible, but before talking about those lessons you will need to know some of his story. Richard is in his late fifties, and he is a retired school teacher who taught Computer-aided Design, Construction, and all the regular “shop” classes offered at high school. He worked for many years in Wisconsin and later moved to Milford to follow his wife, who started a new career for a company based in that area.
Richard began his involvement in missions with the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and he soon found himself recruited to lead the building teams and serve on the board. He kept busy with that work for many years, but God began to reveal other plans for his future. He met an inspiring older gentleman who mentored him and piqued his interest in the world of overseas missions. The opportunity soon presented itself for Richard to work extensively in Tanzania, and he shared many rich stories with us about his adventures in Africa and how that culture has both similarities and differences from the culture found in Haiti. Richard has also had a chance to travel extensively around the world with his wife, who is constantly traveling for her work, which adds to his understanding of what God is doing around the world among different peoples.
So instead of seeing retirement as an opportunity to gratify selfish desires, Richard has received a vision from God to use his time and resources to bless others with the gospel message shared in the forms of both hard work and personal testimony. That is the first thing I think we can a learn from his example. How amazing would it be to see thousands of people in their fifties and sixties and beyond choosing to use their resources, time, faith, and wisdom for mission trips? What if retirement was seen not as a time to pull back from the world and rest, but as a time to work even harder, engaging the lost with the good news of Jesus Christ? That is what Richard does.
Something else Richard does well is to utilize his strengths to the fullest on the mission field. Richard is a great wood-worker, so that is what he spends the majority of his time doing to impact people. He doesn't try to pour cement or teach Bible classes (though I think he could do that very well) or improve agriculture or serve in a medical clinic. It isn't that he doesn't care about that work. He just knows what he is good at and he uses his gifts to the fullest. He made kabaties (which are trunk, closet, and bookshelf all-in-one) and all the bunk beds for the new orphanage, countless shelving units, and various other pieces we needed including bed platforms, huge wardrobes, a bench, and a wheelchair ramp. I once heard a speaker talk about how he saw a doctor pounding nails on the mission field to build a house for a family who desperately needed medical treatment. That example illustrates the opposite of what Richard does.
Part of being able to use your strengths to the fullest on short-term mission trips is doing the hard work or preparation both in planning and fundraising. The medical team last September was an extreme example of this when they worked hard all year gathering donations of over $4 million in prescription drugs to support their mobile clinics in Haiti. Richard did the same thing on a smaller scale. He raised funds among his local church and community to pay for all of the lumber and other supplies he would need during his six-week stay. He raised well over $5,000.
This is such a blessing to a ministry like Mission Haiti, because we don't make money on mission trips. We only charge people the cost of their plane ticket, travel, and food. We don't charge extra to pay for the supplies of their work. Some churches and individuals understand that and bring a little extra to be able to bless the people here and use their gifts, as I described above. Other churches are new to short term missions and maybe don't understand that yet, but Richard provides a good example of a real pro and does these sort of things.
Richard also gets the concept of blessing the missionaries, not just the nationals on the mission field. He did a lot for our family, for Patchouko's family, and also for Adrian, who is a Haitian missionary who does a lot for Mission Haiti. Richard build a nice new bridge for Adrian, who has one of the nicest homes in this community. An inexperienced missionary might have asked, “Why should I build something for one of the richest people in the community? Shouldn't I work only for the poorest of the poor?” But Richard understands the need to help not only those being reached for Christ but also the fellow workers for God's kingdom. That meant a lot to all of us.
Finally, Richard simply has the love for the people. That is an intangible on the mission field you can't learn from a book. Richard made time to become a friend of young and old, and yet everyone in the community talked about how hard he worked and how they heard the saws and drills going all day long. He also mentored the young men who loved to work with their hands. Many times we watched under the meeting tent, which became the wood shop, and we saw Richard carefully guiding the guys as they measured, made cuts, and put the finishing touches on the various pieces.
We all said “see you later” to Richard, because he promised to return sometime soon. He left his mark and taught us many things. May we all catch a vision to do the same with the precious time and resources God has given us, no matter what we are good at, and no matter how young or old we are.
May your adventure increase each day until the end of your life!
-Grimm Family Adventurers
Sunday, February 13, 2011
When It Rains It Pours
Family & Friends,
Day 97 of our Haiti Adventure!
The following comes from Cory's journal on the night of February 12...
Right now everyone in our family and on the visiting mission team are trying to get some rest after a very difficult week. I am sitting on the porch writing as the rain comes pouring down and washes away on the rocky soil below. In Haiti the well-known saying is literally true...when it rains it pours. I hardly remember any times of misting here. Normally we see torrential rain. This week our lives have been more like pouring rain than gentle drizzle.
When Pam came with the team she told everyone she was getting a sense from God that it was going to be a week filled with trials and spiritual warfare. Boy was she right. It will be difficult in this short post to even begin to describe all that has gone on, so I will just focus on the week from our family's perspective. I'm sure the members of the team and Pam would all have plenty to add of their own.
First of all, I mentioned in an earlier post that Mike and Pam and some of us staff in Haiti had a big discussion about the ministry we are doing and decided to scale back in some areas. That discussion has continued over the last couple of weeks and Mike and Pam have both felt overwhelmed by the work of Mission Haiti and the heavy load of stress it puts on their lives, especially considering the intensity of the past year. That stress filters down to the rest of us and affects everything that is going on here, so we have been thinking and praying a lot for our leaders and these issues.
A source of spiritual warfare, even before the team came down, has involved the Haitian staff who come from Ti-Riviere. I'm not talking about Patchouko, Gertrude, and Renard, who direct the on-site ministries and come from Port-au-Prince. They are all doing a great job. I'm talking about the various people who work for us on the grounds including those who cook, wash clothes, and carry water. Basically it comes down to the overarching issue we deal with at all times in this community. The vast majority of people here haven't developed emotionally beyond a middle-school level and so their lives and relationships are constantly marked by middle-schoolish drama. I won't go into too much detail, but the evil one has used this situation to cause a lot of stress around here lately and we've had to deal with people embezzling, not showing up for work, saying nasty things, etc...
Another similar problem has to do with the kids in the orphanage who have their own extensive issues with over-dramatizing everything. It would be impossibly exhausting to keep track on a daily basis of who-is-mad-at-who and who-is-in-trouble-for-what. Some of that has been spilling over into the lives of our kids and once in awhile they come into the house crying because of the drama. A big issue has to do with John, who is having a hard time adjusting to everything going on in his life (see post, “Dear John”) and unfortunately has been acting out lately in the form of just plain being mean to people.
Then Pam showed up with the team and the spiritual warfare intensified. One of our family rituals when she comes is to receive care packages, mail and other information. Earlier in the day I had checked email and found out that our house still isn't rented out in Sioux Falls, so we are paying a lot of money each month for an empty house. We had someone lined up to rent in March, but that fell through. After not feeling too good about that we got the news from Pam that our financial contributions in January were down pretty severely. Pam also brought some tax software for us, and I figured out that filing taxes will be very difficult as missionaries. So all of these financial issues added up to a big opportunity to give in to discouragement, which is one of Satan's best tools.
Then the sickness started as I was riding to Les Cayes on the back of a motorcycle. Chelo knew something was wrong because I wasn't cracking jokes the whole way like usual. Alexandra also got sick that day and throughout the remainder of the week the two of us wore a trail through the yard to the outhouse. We also made a severe dent in our toilet paper supply. Others in the orphanage and on the team also suffered from diarrhea, vomiting, extreme fatigue, soar throats, and other symptoms. Thankfully it isn't Cholera.
Thursday night was a climax of spiritual warfare, both good and bad. What I am about to share will require a separate post, but I will give you the overview for now. Gertrude had brought two friends from Port-au-Prince to spend time here praying for everyone, and they had asked to lead youth group that night. They started with some worship and a little bit of teaching from Scripture. Then they moved to a time of praying for people, and Starlan came up to be prayed for. I posted earlier about issues with demon possession.
We have been praying for Starlan for a long time but have never seen any dramatic results other than her whole family giving their lives to Christ. Then something else happened Thursday night. Finally the demon or demons reacted to the prayer and Starlan broke out into some pretty intense growling and writhing around on the floor. I still remember our kids watching from the porch nearby and the strange looks on their faces. The kids from the orphanage went running in all directions. The adults circled around her and kept praying and pretty soon she settled down. We still aren't sure if the demons are gone. The man from Port-au-Prince, who is more experienced in these matters, thinks they take over her body and then leave and then return again later.
The meeting continued and soon the leader asked if he could pray for Lynn to be healed and walk. We talked about it and agreed to try. Everyone gathered around her, sang worship songs, read several Scriptures about healing, and then we began to pray. We started the Youth Service at 6:30PM that night, with the prayers for Lynn beginning around 9PM, and when it was all said and done it was after 1AM when we quit. We were all pretty sure God was going to heal Lynn that night, especially after the craziness of the week, but it didn't happen. We'll write more about this later.
The next day felt better despite the lack of sleep and yet many other difficulties continued to pop up. Sometimes it was just strange things that don't seem so bad, but they all added up. For instance, our dog keeps waking up and whines to go outside every hour of the night, but when I take her out she does nothing. Then she keeps doing that hour after hour and it begins to wear on your nerves and your physical body. I'm not one to look for Satan under every rock, but there have been so many little troubles this week that all work together to make you believe that something is up in the spiritual realm.
So our attitude this week has been like the blue fish Dori from the movie “Finding Nemo” always said...just keep swimming, just keep swimming. In other words we are determined not to give up on this Haiti adventure no matter what happens. We don't want to leave here until God tells us to. We don't want to be pushed out by Satan. Of course I always like to make light of every situation, so the thought crossed my mind that Satan needs some work on his strategy. If he is working to keep our financial support down and working to kick us out of Haiti at the same time, the whole plan will backfire if we don't have enough money in our account to buy plane tickets home this summer! That is how my sick mind works...just wanted to let you know so you can sympathize with Lynn and the kids.
So the rain has been pouring, but God is bigger than all problems and He sustains us at all times. We are just more aware of that fact when life gets overwhelming. We asked for the adventure, and this week we got it!
Embrace your ADVENTURE for Jesus today, both the blessings and the trials!
- The Grimms
Day 97 of our Haiti Adventure!
The following comes from Cory's journal on the night of February 12...
Right now everyone in our family and on the visiting mission team are trying to get some rest after a very difficult week. I am sitting on the porch writing as the rain comes pouring down and washes away on the rocky soil below. In Haiti the well-known saying is literally true...when it rains it pours. I hardly remember any times of misting here. Normally we see torrential rain. This week our lives have been more like pouring rain than gentle drizzle.
When Pam came with the team she told everyone she was getting a sense from God that it was going to be a week filled with trials and spiritual warfare. Boy was she right. It will be difficult in this short post to even begin to describe all that has gone on, so I will just focus on the week from our family's perspective. I'm sure the members of the team and Pam would all have plenty to add of their own.
First of all, I mentioned in an earlier post that Mike and Pam and some of us staff in Haiti had a big discussion about the ministry we are doing and decided to scale back in some areas. That discussion has continued over the last couple of weeks and Mike and Pam have both felt overwhelmed by the work of Mission Haiti and the heavy load of stress it puts on their lives, especially considering the intensity of the past year. That stress filters down to the rest of us and affects everything that is going on here, so we have been thinking and praying a lot for our leaders and these issues.
A source of spiritual warfare, even before the team came down, has involved the Haitian staff who come from Ti-Riviere. I'm not talking about Patchouko, Gertrude, and Renard, who direct the on-site ministries and come from Port-au-Prince. They are all doing a great job. I'm talking about the various people who work for us on the grounds including those who cook, wash clothes, and carry water. Basically it comes down to the overarching issue we deal with at all times in this community. The vast majority of people here haven't developed emotionally beyond a middle-school level and so their lives and relationships are constantly marked by middle-schoolish drama. I won't go into too much detail, but the evil one has used this situation to cause a lot of stress around here lately and we've had to deal with people embezzling, not showing up for work, saying nasty things, etc...
Another similar problem has to do with the kids in the orphanage who have their own extensive issues with over-dramatizing everything. It would be impossibly exhausting to keep track on a daily basis of who-is-mad-at-who and who-is-in-trouble-for-what. Some of that has been spilling over into the lives of our kids and once in awhile they come into the house crying because of the drama. A big issue has to do with John, who is having a hard time adjusting to everything going on in his life (see post, “Dear John”) and unfortunately has been acting out lately in the form of just plain being mean to people.
Then Pam showed up with the team and the spiritual warfare intensified. One of our family rituals when she comes is to receive care packages, mail and other information. Earlier in the day I had checked email and found out that our house still isn't rented out in Sioux Falls, so we are paying a lot of money each month for an empty house. We had someone lined up to rent in March, but that fell through. After not feeling too good about that we got the news from Pam that our financial contributions in January were down pretty severely. Pam also brought some tax software for us, and I figured out that filing taxes will be very difficult as missionaries. So all of these financial issues added up to a big opportunity to give in to discouragement, which is one of Satan's best tools.
Then the sickness started as I was riding to Les Cayes on the back of a motorcycle. Chelo knew something was wrong because I wasn't cracking jokes the whole way like usual. Alexandra also got sick that day and throughout the remainder of the week the two of us wore a trail through the yard to the outhouse. We also made a severe dent in our toilet paper supply. Others in the orphanage and on the team also suffered from diarrhea, vomiting, extreme fatigue, soar throats, and other symptoms. Thankfully it isn't Cholera.
Thursday night was a climax of spiritual warfare, both good and bad. What I am about to share will require a separate post, but I will give you the overview for now. Gertrude had brought two friends from Port-au-Prince to spend time here praying for everyone, and they had asked to lead youth group that night. They started with some worship and a little bit of teaching from Scripture. Then they moved to a time of praying for people, and Starlan came up to be prayed for. I posted earlier about issues with demon possession.
We have been praying for Starlan for a long time but have never seen any dramatic results other than her whole family giving their lives to Christ. Then something else happened Thursday night. Finally the demon or demons reacted to the prayer and Starlan broke out into some pretty intense growling and writhing around on the floor. I still remember our kids watching from the porch nearby and the strange looks on their faces. The kids from the orphanage went running in all directions. The adults circled around her and kept praying and pretty soon she settled down. We still aren't sure if the demons are gone. The man from Port-au-Prince, who is more experienced in these matters, thinks they take over her body and then leave and then return again later.
The meeting continued and soon the leader asked if he could pray for Lynn to be healed and walk. We talked about it and agreed to try. Everyone gathered around her, sang worship songs, read several Scriptures about healing, and then we began to pray. We started the Youth Service at 6:30PM that night, with the prayers for Lynn beginning around 9PM, and when it was all said and done it was after 1AM when we quit. We were all pretty sure God was going to heal Lynn that night, especially after the craziness of the week, but it didn't happen. We'll write more about this later.
The next day felt better despite the lack of sleep and yet many other difficulties continued to pop up. Sometimes it was just strange things that don't seem so bad, but they all added up. For instance, our dog keeps waking up and whines to go outside every hour of the night, but when I take her out she does nothing. Then she keeps doing that hour after hour and it begins to wear on your nerves and your physical body. I'm not one to look for Satan under every rock, but there have been so many little troubles this week that all work together to make you believe that something is up in the spiritual realm.
So our attitude this week has been like the blue fish Dori from the movie “Finding Nemo” always said...just keep swimming, just keep swimming. In other words we are determined not to give up on this Haiti adventure no matter what happens. We don't want to leave here until God tells us to. We don't want to be pushed out by Satan. Of course I always like to make light of every situation, so the thought crossed my mind that Satan needs some work on his strategy. If he is working to keep our financial support down and working to kick us out of Haiti at the same time, the whole plan will backfire if we don't have enough money in our account to buy plane tickets home this summer! That is how my sick mind works...just wanted to let you know so you can sympathize with Lynn and the kids.
So the rain has been pouring, but God is bigger than all problems and He sustains us at all times. We are just more aware of that fact when life gets overwhelming. We asked for the adventure, and this week we got it!
Embrace your ADVENTURE for Jesus today, both the blessings and the trials!
- The Grimms
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Bible School: PART ONE
Family and Friends,
Day 92 of our Haiti Adventure!
I've been thinking and praying a lot about this lately. We are busy enough as a family living life, learning the language, trying to help out with the various ministries of Mission Haiti, and hosting mission teams, but in the back of my mind there is always this fire burning. The fire is a constant reminder that we are also here for some long-term project that could tap in to everything I have learned so far amidst my years of evangelism in schools, work in churches, study in Seminary, and now working and living among the inspiring people of Haiti. The fire has been flaring up recently and reminding me to dream big dreams. The following is just a few introductory thoughts about the Bible School project, and I will hopefully write many more entries on this subject in the months and years to come.
It has been said that one's calling can be defined as the intersection where our deepest passions meet the world's greatest needs. To pose the question more practically for our situation, what can we personally do well (and enjoy doing, so that it will last for awhile) which will actually help the people of Haiti? Normally we have just labeled this future project, no matter what it ends up becoming, as the “Bible School.” We know that Haiti is desperate for more and better higher education, and there is a hungry and growing mission field here waiting for spiritual leaders. Then add to that our passion for God's Word and good education, and the calling computer always seems to spit out the same result: Bible School. That seems to be where the intersection meets between our passions and Haiti's needs.
But God has been calling me to think and dream much bigger, and to open my eyes and truly see the people here in fresh ways. I think God wants to do something special here in one of the least important communities in one of the least important regions of the poorest country in the western hemisphere. What I mean to say is that why wouldn't God do something powerful in a lowly place like this to impact the world? He loves to choose unimpressive servants and obscure places to begin something new, does He not?
So we are still calling it the Bible School Project, but now we are beginning to think about things that could be done that maybe have never been done exactly this way before. If what I am dreaming about has been done before, maybe one historical example that seems the closest would be the Devotio Moderna ('the modern way of serving God'), which was a spiritual revival within the Catholic Church beginning late in the 14th century. It would be accurate to say that this important movement set off a chain reaction leading directly to the Spirit-led explosion called the Reformation.
The Devotio Moderna equally emphasized personal faith and social involvement, all within the context of offering better education to the people in order to change the world for Christ. In other words, the members of this group deeply studied God's Word, gave themselves to service through teaching and evangelism, but also were pioneers in developing new technology (mainly in the form of maximizing the use of the printing press) to improve the culture and the quality of life of the people all over Northern Europe. Members of this group included Thomas a Kempis and Erasmus, who were very influential in the lives of Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin.
Each time I write about this Bible School project I will share one distinctive about what we are trying to do, or one aspect about this project that will make it unique. The first distinctive of our Bible School project is a commitment to requiring an equal balance between time spent on formal education and time spent on community service and outreach. If you look around at various opportunities for higher education, most of them either favor one or the other. For example, most colleges and seminaries mainly focus on educating the students through study and classes, and sometimes they require some sort of small service component or internship. On the other hand, a lot of people choose to get their education part-time, even one class at a time, as they serve or work full-time. I feel that both of these approaches have their advantages, but one thing that will make our Bible School distinct, as mentioned earlier, will be an equal focus on service and learning.
Stayed tuned for more about the Bible School Project in posts to come! Your comments and suggestions are welcome as we dream about what could be done to deeply benefit the people of Haiti in the future. Please join up with us now if you are interested in this project and get in on the ground floor, so to speak, of something new and exciting God is doing.
Seek Adventure in both knowledge and action today!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers
Day 92 of our Haiti Adventure!
I've been thinking and praying a lot about this lately. We are busy enough as a family living life, learning the language, trying to help out with the various ministries of Mission Haiti, and hosting mission teams, but in the back of my mind there is always this fire burning. The fire is a constant reminder that we are also here for some long-term project that could tap in to everything I have learned so far amidst my years of evangelism in schools, work in churches, study in Seminary, and now working and living among the inspiring people of Haiti. The fire has been flaring up recently and reminding me to dream big dreams. The following is just a few introductory thoughts about the Bible School project, and I will hopefully write many more entries on this subject in the months and years to come.
It has been said that one's calling can be defined as the intersection where our deepest passions meet the world's greatest needs. To pose the question more practically for our situation, what can we personally do well (and enjoy doing, so that it will last for awhile) which will actually help the people of Haiti? Normally we have just labeled this future project, no matter what it ends up becoming, as the “Bible School.” We know that Haiti is desperate for more and better higher education, and there is a hungry and growing mission field here waiting for spiritual leaders. Then add to that our passion for God's Word and good education, and the calling computer always seems to spit out the same result: Bible School. That seems to be where the intersection meets between our passions and Haiti's needs.
But God has been calling me to think and dream much bigger, and to open my eyes and truly see the people here in fresh ways. I think God wants to do something special here in one of the least important communities in one of the least important regions of the poorest country in the western hemisphere. What I mean to say is that why wouldn't God do something powerful in a lowly place like this to impact the world? He loves to choose unimpressive servants and obscure places to begin something new, does He not?
So we are still calling it the Bible School Project, but now we are beginning to think about things that could be done that maybe have never been done exactly this way before. If what I am dreaming about has been done before, maybe one historical example that seems the closest would be the Devotio Moderna ('the modern way of serving God'), which was a spiritual revival within the Catholic Church beginning late in the 14th century. It would be accurate to say that this important movement set off a chain reaction leading directly to the Spirit-led explosion called the Reformation.
The Devotio Moderna equally emphasized personal faith and social involvement, all within the context of offering better education to the people in order to change the world for Christ. In other words, the members of this group deeply studied God's Word, gave themselves to service through teaching and evangelism, but also were pioneers in developing new technology (mainly in the form of maximizing the use of the printing press) to improve the culture and the quality of life of the people all over Northern Europe. Members of this group included Thomas a Kempis and Erasmus, who were very influential in the lives of Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin.
Each time I write about this Bible School project I will share one distinctive about what we are trying to do, or one aspect about this project that will make it unique. The first distinctive of our Bible School project is a commitment to requiring an equal balance between time spent on formal education and time spent on community service and outreach. If you look around at various opportunities for higher education, most of them either favor one or the other. For example, most colleges and seminaries mainly focus on educating the students through study and classes, and sometimes they require some sort of small service component or internship. On the other hand, a lot of people choose to get their education part-time, even one class at a time, as they serve or work full-time. I feel that both of these approaches have their advantages, but one thing that will make our Bible School distinct, as mentioned earlier, will be an equal focus on service and learning.
Stayed tuned for more about the Bible School Project in posts to come! Your comments and suggestions are welcome as we dream about what could be done to deeply benefit the people of Haiti in the future. Please join up with us now if you are interested in this project and get in on the ground floor, so to speak, of something new and exciting God is doing.
Seek Adventure in both knowledge and action today!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers
Doing Without
Family and Friends,
Every missionary family has to make difficult decisions about what they need and what they will do without. In some cases the decisions are made for you. Sometimes the country where you are serving doesn't have all the modern conveniences, or maybe your organizational superiors have made policies about what you can and cannot have, and other times you just don't have the money to buy certain things. But a time will come when you have to make decisions for yourself about what is a need and what is a want, and you will have to take into consideration the impact it will make on the community you are trying to reach when they find out you have certain conveniences, if you should choose to have them.
We are asking these questions a lot lately. We have been here in Haiti for about three months now, and we are beginning to imagine what it will take to live here long-term (and not go nuts!). We are weighing our options about certain things and trying to figure out what is truly a need and what is a want. Then there are things that can't be justified as a need exactly, but they sure do add a lot to life, like internet access for example.
We still don't have internet access at the property where we live. We could have it if we were willing to shell out $2,000 for the start up costs and then pay an additional $170 or so per month after that. However, we have been told that the phone company (thanks to the Chinese) is installing access for everyone soon, which will be much cheaper, and we are holding our for that option. It was supposed to be here in January, but this is Haiti.
Another big issue lately has been transportation. I have to travel pretty far to get fruit and vegetables, and this can only be done in about a 2-hour window twice a week, because that is the only time when the market near us has anything good. However, if we take the extra time to go into the bigger city of Les Cayes, we can get good produce any day of the week. The problem with that option is the need to take tap-taps and/or taxis. This can be a very painful process because of the unpredictable schedules, the craziness of the mobs, and being subjected to the elements for hours on end. Patchouko and I were doing this just yesterday and he turns to me and says, “We have to be the only missionaries in Haiti who are riding tap-taps and taxis to get groceries for the orphanage and mission teams.” I just laughed, but it got me thinking. Part of me agrees that we are wasting precious time doing it this way, but another part of me doesn't want to give up that raw connection with everyday folks.
So I've been thinking about getting a car or a motorcycle lately. I started asking myself all the questions mentioned above. Do we really need this? If we buy a car will the people of our community be reinforced in their view that we are typical rich white people? Then I met an interesting fellow American who has been here for about fifteen years. He has been married to a Haitian woman for over forty years. At first they lived in Connecticut for a long time, but later they moved down to Haiti to retire and build a motel. He quipped, “I'm the white sheep of the family.” Nice.
The American guy told me about how he recently got into a wreck. He was driving a car and a motorcycle hit him, and his story sobered me up quite a bit concerning the idea of having a car in Haiti. Nobody got hurt very badly in the crash, but even though the motorcycle was at fault in the accident, which was backed up by all of the witnesses including another man on the motorcycle itself, the judge ordered him to pay for a new motorcycle and for all of the medical bills of everyone involved. The American asked why he had to do this since it wasn't his fault. The judge simply responded, “Because you are white and rich.” Scary. Plus he had to pay the man at fault $3000 for the motorcycle even though the kind he was driving can be bought new for $700. He had to fix his own car for $3000 and pay his own medical bills and the bills of three others, totaling $10,000 or so.
Then add to all that the fact that Mike Plasier (our boss) warned us that if we buy a car in Haiti we will have to get new tires every single year, not to mention the fact that the same car will cost double here what it would cost in the US. So buying a car is not a good fit for now. We will have to do without. Maybe a motorcycle would be better...
Then there are many other needs/wants we have been considering...having a real toilet for Lynn instead of a bowl, building some kind of bathtub instead of a Tupperware container, buying an oven and a fridge or freezer, setting up better and more reliable electricity, etc... For now all of these have been filed in the category of, “Well if we decide to stay here long long-term we will get that, but for now we can do without.”
Even writing this post helps me see that God is truly taking care of what we really need...health, food, shelter, and family. We are doing absolutely fine and have so much to be thankful for!
Enjoy your adventure today!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers
Every missionary family has to make difficult decisions about what they need and what they will do without. In some cases the decisions are made for you. Sometimes the country where you are serving doesn't have all the modern conveniences, or maybe your organizational superiors have made policies about what you can and cannot have, and other times you just don't have the money to buy certain things. But a time will come when you have to make decisions for yourself about what is a need and what is a want, and you will have to take into consideration the impact it will make on the community you are trying to reach when they find out you have certain conveniences, if you should choose to have them.
We are asking these questions a lot lately. We have been here in Haiti for about three months now, and we are beginning to imagine what it will take to live here long-term (and not go nuts!). We are weighing our options about certain things and trying to figure out what is truly a need and what is a want. Then there are things that can't be justified as a need exactly, but they sure do add a lot to life, like internet access for example.
We still don't have internet access at the property where we live. We could have it if we were willing to shell out $2,000 for the start up costs and then pay an additional $170 or so per month after that. However, we have been told that the phone company (thanks to the Chinese) is installing access for everyone soon, which will be much cheaper, and we are holding our for that option. It was supposed to be here in January, but this is Haiti.
Another big issue lately has been transportation. I have to travel pretty far to get fruit and vegetables, and this can only be done in about a 2-hour window twice a week, because that is the only time when the market near us has anything good. However, if we take the extra time to go into the bigger city of Les Cayes, we can get good produce any day of the week. The problem with that option is the need to take tap-taps and/or taxis. This can be a very painful process because of the unpredictable schedules, the craziness of the mobs, and being subjected to the elements for hours on end. Patchouko and I were doing this just yesterday and he turns to me and says, “We have to be the only missionaries in Haiti who are riding tap-taps and taxis to get groceries for the orphanage and mission teams.” I just laughed, but it got me thinking. Part of me agrees that we are wasting precious time doing it this way, but another part of me doesn't want to give up that raw connection with everyday folks.
So I've been thinking about getting a car or a motorcycle lately. I started asking myself all the questions mentioned above. Do we really need this? If we buy a car will the people of our community be reinforced in their view that we are typical rich white people? Then I met an interesting fellow American who has been here for about fifteen years. He has been married to a Haitian woman for over forty years. At first they lived in Connecticut for a long time, but later they moved down to Haiti to retire and build a motel. He quipped, “I'm the white sheep of the family.” Nice.
The American guy told me about how he recently got into a wreck. He was driving a car and a motorcycle hit him, and his story sobered me up quite a bit concerning the idea of having a car in Haiti. Nobody got hurt very badly in the crash, but even though the motorcycle was at fault in the accident, which was backed up by all of the witnesses including another man on the motorcycle itself, the judge ordered him to pay for a new motorcycle and for all of the medical bills of everyone involved. The American asked why he had to do this since it wasn't his fault. The judge simply responded, “Because you are white and rich.” Scary. Plus he had to pay the man at fault $3000 for the motorcycle even though the kind he was driving can be bought new for $700. He had to fix his own car for $3000 and pay his own medical bills and the bills of three others, totaling $10,000 or so.
Then add to all that the fact that Mike Plasier (our boss) warned us that if we buy a car in Haiti we will have to get new tires every single year, not to mention the fact that the same car will cost double here what it would cost in the US. So buying a car is not a good fit for now. We will have to do without. Maybe a motorcycle would be better...
Then there are many other needs/wants we have been considering...having a real toilet for Lynn instead of a bowl, building some kind of bathtub instead of a Tupperware container, buying an oven and a fridge or freezer, setting up better and more reliable electricity, etc... For now all of these have been filed in the category of, “Well if we decide to stay here long long-term we will get that, but for now we can do without.”
Even writing this post helps me see that God is truly taking care of what we really need...health, food, shelter, and family. We are doing absolutely fine and have so much to be thankful for!
Enjoy your adventure today!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Political Situation and Cholera Update
Family and Friends,
Day 87 of our Haiti Adventure!
Today we learned the names of the two final candidates in Haiti's presidential election. The current president had been withholding this information for quite some time, trying to retain power, but now we hear that the two people who actually won the primaries will finally have a chance to run again for election. Fortunately for us the candidate from the South is now one of the final two, despite what was originally announced, so we expect to see very limited demonstrations down here if any. The final election is scheduled for March. We have a team coming down in a few days from Sioux Falls and Alcester, so this works out good. Of course you never know in this country, so keep praying!
As for Cholera new developments have come up just in the last twenty-four hours. Yesterday Chelo and I were hiking up to Toussaint, a village up in the mountians, and the Pastor met us on the way down to our house. It turns out several people up there have come down with Cholera, and he was planning to ask us for Chlorox to treat the water for everyone in the village. I wrote a note for him to give to Lynn when he got there to tell her to give him our gallon of bleach.
When we went up to the school we asked for more details and found out mostly adults have gotten Cholera so far, and only one kid in the school. That was really good news. It has been interesting to see the spread of the disease in our region. It is hitting Les Cayes pretty hard to the North of us, but then it jumped right over us on the main road and hit the next major village to the South. Now it is up in the mountains. This means we are surrounded, but no one in Ti-Rivier has had it yet. Praise God!
Looking at the statistics, though, Cholera should not scare people as much as it does. Over 200,000 people have had it already in Haiti, but there have only been a little over 3,000 deaths. That means only 1.5% of people die from it, and we are talking about Haiti, a 3rd world country. In other words, if you are relatively healthy when you get it and you seek treatment immediately, you should be fine in a couple of weeks. So I try to reassure people that we need to do everything we can to fight it, but we don't need to live in fear.
Thanks to all of our faithful followers of this blog! We truly appreciate your interest in everything God is doing down here in Haiti, and your prayers are extremely valuable and effective. Here are some other ways you can help us if possible:
1. We are in the process of scheduling speaking engagements for our visit this summer at Churches who support us and new groups or Churches who would like to hear about what we do. If you would like us to visit and speak, just let us know now as we are filling up the schedule.
2. God provided for our finances amazingly in year one with Mission Haiti! As we look to the future we are continuing to ask both Churches and individuals to consider becoming regular financial supporters. This will not only help us solidify our own support, but it will allow us to begin to raise money for the Bible School project beginning soon. If you want to be involved in this way the information you need can be found to the right on this blog. Please email us at cory@mission-haiti.org if you want a report of last year's budget.
3. Share this blog with others! We need as many people praying for Haiti as possible. These are some pivotal years in the lives of Haitians as they wrestle with politics, faith, family issues, and become exposed to the worlds of TV and movies and cell phones. This work is so important and we are so humbled to be here.
God Bless,
-The Grimms
Day 87 of our Haiti Adventure!
Today we learned the names of the two final candidates in Haiti's presidential election. The current president had been withholding this information for quite some time, trying to retain power, but now we hear that the two people who actually won the primaries will finally have a chance to run again for election. Fortunately for us the candidate from the South is now one of the final two, despite what was originally announced, so we expect to see very limited demonstrations down here if any. The final election is scheduled for March. We have a team coming down in a few days from Sioux Falls and Alcester, so this works out good. Of course you never know in this country, so keep praying!
As for Cholera new developments have come up just in the last twenty-four hours. Yesterday Chelo and I were hiking up to Toussaint, a village up in the mountians, and the Pastor met us on the way down to our house. It turns out several people up there have come down with Cholera, and he was planning to ask us for Chlorox to treat the water for everyone in the village. I wrote a note for him to give to Lynn when he got there to tell her to give him our gallon of bleach.
When we went up to the school we asked for more details and found out mostly adults have gotten Cholera so far, and only one kid in the school. That was really good news. It has been interesting to see the spread of the disease in our region. It is hitting Les Cayes pretty hard to the North of us, but then it jumped right over us on the main road and hit the next major village to the South. Now it is up in the mountains. This means we are surrounded, but no one in Ti-Rivier has had it yet. Praise God!
Looking at the statistics, though, Cholera should not scare people as much as it does. Over 200,000 people have had it already in Haiti, but there have only been a little over 3,000 deaths. That means only 1.5% of people die from it, and we are talking about Haiti, a 3rd world country. In other words, if you are relatively healthy when you get it and you seek treatment immediately, you should be fine in a couple of weeks. So I try to reassure people that we need to do everything we can to fight it, but we don't need to live in fear.
Thanks to all of our faithful followers of this blog! We truly appreciate your interest in everything God is doing down here in Haiti, and your prayers are extremely valuable and effective. Here are some other ways you can help us if possible:
1. We are in the process of scheduling speaking engagements for our visit this summer at Churches who support us and new groups or Churches who would like to hear about what we do. If you would like us to visit and speak, just let us know now as we are filling up the schedule.
2. God provided for our finances amazingly in year one with Mission Haiti! As we look to the future we are continuing to ask both Churches and individuals to consider becoming regular financial supporters. This will not only help us solidify our own support, but it will allow us to begin to raise money for the Bible School project beginning soon. If you want to be involved in this way the information you need can be found to the right on this blog. Please email us at cory@mission-haiti.org if you want a report of last year's budget.
3. Share this blog with others! We need as many people praying for Haiti as possible. These are some pivotal years in the lives of Haitians as they wrestle with politics, faith, family issues, and become exposed to the worlds of TV and movies and cell phones. This work is so important and we are so humbled to be here.
God Bless,
-The Grimms
Will You Adopt Me?
Family and Friends,
We had an interesting turn of events the last couple of days. Francisco, a tiny little seventeen-year-old boy who looks about thirteen, had begun hanging around our house quite a bit. Lynn was getting to know him pretty well, and he is an interesting kid. He has taught himself Spanish, and he and Lynn would sit and talk using a mixture of English, Creole, and Spanish.
One day he asked Lynn, “Will you adopt me?” It actually took a long time to figure out what he was saying exactly, but finally we figured out that he wanted to join our family. We weren't quite sure how to feel when he said that, so we thought it best to find out about his family situation and why he would even think of asking such a thing.
This was a major coincidence, because we have been talking about what we should be doing now in order to adopt an orphan or two a couple of years from now. This is something we have been talking about since we were married, and it turns out in Haiti you have to be married over ten years and be 35 or older to adopt children. Both of those circumstances will occur about 18 months from now for us, so we figured it would be good to start talking/praying about it now and be ready when the time comes. But we never considered the possibility of adopting a teenager.
After asking a few questions we found out the problem behind the whole situation. Francisco's dad was electrocuted a few weeks ago when he touched a power line in Ti-Rivier. He died instantly. We had heard about that tragic event but didn't really know anyone at that time who was connected to the victim. So after further investigation we discovered that Francisco has a mom and three sisters...two older and two younger.
So I went over to their house to investigate and see if he was living in abject poverty or what was going on exactly. They live across from the Episcopal church and near to our friend Adrian, on a beautiful little yard overlooking the ocean. They invited me into the house and showed me around. Judging by their physical belongings, it was easy to see that they were far from starving to death. They tried to talk to me about adopting Francisco, but my Creole wasn't strong enough to have that discussion at that time. They also wanted to know if I would help one of their daughters get into the US to work and make money to send home to the family. I told them I would return in a couple of days with Patchouko or Chelo to talk more.
Lynn and I talked about the whole situation before I returned and we agreed that it was a clear case of a family who was traumatized and not thinking clearly. Not only was the mother grieving the loss of her husband, but she was scared to death of an unknown future and coping with the situation by imagining all kinds of scenarios that might help, including adopting out her children to rich white people.
This morning I went back to their home with Patchouko. We told them we were sorry for their terrible loss and that we understood they are trying to figure out what their future will be like without Dad around. But we also encouraged them to look to God for strength and trust that He will provide. We assured them that the best option is not adopting out children or sending them off to the USA to work illegally. I made it clear that we would not be adopting Francisco. I'm not sure if they really agreed with us or not, but we ended the conversation by praying together.
This raises a lot of bigger questions that need to be addressed as well. For example, Patchouko told me that every Haitian family dreams of sending a kid or two to the United States or Canada. I told him I wish we could make Haiti a better place so that everyone would want to stay home with their family. He agreed but assured me that as things are now that is not realistic. Do you keep the family together and stay dirt poor, or do you send a couple away forever to have a slightly better life?
How do you help individuals or communities or even a whole country of people catch the vision to remain and work together to make life better for everyone? When everyone's dream is to get as far away as possible, can life here possibly ever improve? If parents are willing to give their children away, you know things are bad. Nevertheless we hold out hope that we can make a difference in this community over the long-term and help families stay together and have a good life in Christ.
Enjoy your adventure with Jesus today!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers
We had an interesting turn of events the last couple of days. Francisco, a tiny little seventeen-year-old boy who looks about thirteen, had begun hanging around our house quite a bit. Lynn was getting to know him pretty well, and he is an interesting kid. He has taught himself Spanish, and he and Lynn would sit and talk using a mixture of English, Creole, and Spanish.
One day he asked Lynn, “Will you adopt me?” It actually took a long time to figure out what he was saying exactly, but finally we figured out that he wanted to join our family. We weren't quite sure how to feel when he said that, so we thought it best to find out about his family situation and why he would even think of asking such a thing.
This was a major coincidence, because we have been talking about what we should be doing now in order to adopt an orphan or two a couple of years from now. This is something we have been talking about since we were married, and it turns out in Haiti you have to be married over ten years and be 35 or older to adopt children. Both of those circumstances will occur about 18 months from now for us, so we figured it would be good to start talking/praying about it now and be ready when the time comes. But we never considered the possibility of adopting a teenager.
After asking a few questions we found out the problem behind the whole situation. Francisco's dad was electrocuted a few weeks ago when he touched a power line in Ti-Rivier. He died instantly. We had heard about that tragic event but didn't really know anyone at that time who was connected to the victim. So after further investigation we discovered that Francisco has a mom and three sisters...two older and two younger.
So I went over to their house to investigate and see if he was living in abject poverty or what was going on exactly. They live across from the Episcopal church and near to our friend Adrian, on a beautiful little yard overlooking the ocean. They invited me into the house and showed me around. Judging by their physical belongings, it was easy to see that they were far from starving to death. They tried to talk to me about adopting Francisco, but my Creole wasn't strong enough to have that discussion at that time. They also wanted to know if I would help one of their daughters get into the US to work and make money to send home to the family. I told them I would return in a couple of days with Patchouko or Chelo to talk more.
Lynn and I talked about the whole situation before I returned and we agreed that it was a clear case of a family who was traumatized and not thinking clearly. Not only was the mother grieving the loss of her husband, but she was scared to death of an unknown future and coping with the situation by imagining all kinds of scenarios that might help, including adopting out her children to rich white people.
This morning I went back to their home with Patchouko. We told them we were sorry for their terrible loss and that we understood they are trying to figure out what their future will be like without Dad around. But we also encouraged them to look to God for strength and trust that He will provide. We assured them that the best option is not adopting out children or sending them off to the USA to work illegally. I made it clear that we would not be adopting Francisco. I'm not sure if they really agreed with us or not, but we ended the conversation by praying together.
This raises a lot of bigger questions that need to be addressed as well. For example, Patchouko told me that every Haitian family dreams of sending a kid or two to the United States or Canada. I told him I wish we could make Haiti a better place so that everyone would want to stay home with their family. He agreed but assured me that as things are now that is not realistic. Do you keep the family together and stay dirt poor, or do you send a couple away forever to have a slightly better life?
How do you help individuals or communities or even a whole country of people catch the vision to remain and work together to make life better for everyone? When everyone's dream is to get as far away as possible, can life here possibly ever improve? If parents are willing to give their children away, you know things are bad. Nevertheless we hold out hope that we can make a difference in this community over the long-term and help families stay together and have a good life in Christ.
Enjoy your adventure with Jesus today!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
We Have a Billion Ants Out in Our Yard
Family and Friends,
Please enjoy this poem I wrote about ants in Haiti. Elizabeth and I (Cory) were observing them in action yesterday, and recently they have been trying to take over the mission house and the orphanage. It gets pretty frustrating, so all you can do is fight back and try to laugh about it. I guess it is better than five feet of snow out in the yard!
"We Have a Billion Ants Out in Our Yard"
They're mentioned in the Testament of Old
They're spoken of with only high regard
They work so hard and always are so bold
We have a billion ants out in our yard
The bugs all suffer from their vicious wrath
They conquer, gather, eat, and then discard
We wonder if we're next; we've done the math
We have a billion ants out in our yard
They come in through the drain under our sink
They sneak in where the screen door has been marred
They enter chasing smells of rot and stink
We have a billion ants out in our yard
Sometimes we almost give up fighting back
Sometimes we think the battle is too hard
Sometimes we fear the final big attack
We have a billion ants out in our yard
Our only hope is never spilling food
To keep the jelly sealed tight in the jar
We will prevail against the hungry brood
We'll keep those billion ants out in the yard
Please enjoy this poem I wrote about ants in Haiti. Elizabeth and I (Cory) were observing them in action yesterday, and recently they have been trying to take over the mission house and the orphanage. It gets pretty frustrating, so all you can do is fight back and try to laugh about it. I guess it is better than five feet of snow out in the yard!
"We Have a Billion Ants Out in Our Yard"
They're mentioned in the Testament of Old
They're spoken of with only high regard
They work so hard and always are so bold
We have a billion ants out in our yard
The bugs all suffer from their vicious wrath
They conquer, gather, eat, and then discard
We wonder if we're next; we've done the math
We have a billion ants out in our yard
They come in through the drain under our sink
They sneak in where the screen door has been marred
They enter chasing smells of rot and stink
We have a billion ants out in our yard
Sometimes we almost give up fighting back
Sometimes we think the battle is too hard
Sometimes we fear the final big attack
We have a billion ants out in our yard
Our only hope is never spilling food
To keep the jelly sealed tight in the jar
We will prevail against the hungry brood
We'll keep those billion ants out in the yard
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