Mission Haiti 2012--Day 6--Traveling Day

We were invited to get up at 5am to go to the last mass for God knows how long in the village. A few of us were able to get up. It was a very special thing to be able to experience all these moments with the community.

The rest of the group got up around 5:30 to have something to eat and pile into the truck to head out.  A few of the kids had gotten up by the time we left. Most of us were not ready to leave and a few were fighting back tears.  I'm torn about whether it would have been easier to have been able to say good bye to the kids or to just leave knowing our hearts are forever with them.

As we pulled out of the orphanage it was still dark. There was a silence in the truck as we all felt our hearts breaking.

As we drove away from the orphanage, the sun was rising from behind the mountain on which we stayed. I couldn't help but think how symbolic this was.  We were all heading back into a new life and the sun was rising on a new outlook on life.  As I sit here finishing this blog, I am holding back tears. I can't help but remember the joy I felt being there and the love that I felt overflowing in my heart. I'm not sure when I will be able to return, but I know, I know, I have to.

Coming back to the states was a whirlwind. All I can remember was feeling out of place.  People kept asking me  how mission was and all I can say is, "Amazing!" I couldn't seem to expand on mission just yet. Words just aren't adequate to tell how much I felt yet simultaneously felt almost nothing.  I'm not sure Haiti is where I wanted to be, but something just didn't feel right coming back to Steubenville. My mission leader warned us that we would be feeling this; she said we were all called to be in Haiti together at that time, but we are also called to be back here and be present to the people in our lives here. I'm working hard to try to adjust back to normal life, but somehow normal isn't normal anymore. The main thing I really want to learn how to do is to let go of all the excess in my life. The way simplicity works in Haiti is truly something that made a strong impact on my life.

I want to thank all of you who contributed to the mission.  Words cannot express my gratitude for all your prayers and support. Your generosity has been such a blessing to my life as well as the lives of the 14 orphans who stole a rather large piece of my heart.

When I returned to the states I felt a strong connection to the quote: "The sweetest moments in life are veiled in the mystery of being indescribable. Words do not even approach effectiveness." I do hope this blog, whoever was able to complete reading this, even though it is just a summary of my few days in Haiti gave you some insight to what you were able to team up with the Lord to help me do his will.

Mesi anpil!!
(Thanks a lot!!)

Mission Haiti 2012—Day 5:

The plan on Friday was to go to a private beach that they normally go to.  Like most of the week, we had to be flexible. Since the day before it had rained so much we didn’t think we would be able to go.  The roads were a mess and the truck, even if it could get to the beach, because of the rain everyday of the week thus far, probably wouldn’t be able to make it back.  We planned at breakfast to go to Dandann and try to work on the school or just spend time around the orphanage.

Johnna, one of the missionaries was talking to the driver and he left. She was shocked that she might have had a good idea (it doesn’t happen much in the eyes of the Haitians).  We decided to go the opposite direction we were going to go to the direction of where their friend, Father Louis, was ordained. We went toward Miragoane.  Johnna said it was maybe an hour away at the end of the dirt road.  About 2 and a half hours later we just stopped at a random beach so we could stop driving. The beach was called Plaj Lakay (“The Beach House”).  Pulling in, we could all hardly contain ourselves! We got out of the truck and put our stuff on the beach and all headed in.

The beach was like the northwest United States. It was rocky and pebbly. There wasn’t any sand in sight. Once we reached the water we waded in and the warmth of the water was so soothing.  Being from California where the water is cold, but once you’re numb it doesn’t matter, I was pleasantly delighted to be able to enjoy every moment of that water.  It was clear and blue and like nothing I had ever seen before.  I spent as much time as I could just soaking that experience up. I remember floating in the water and telling my friend, Catherine, how I don’t remember I time when I was more at peace and simultaneously filled with joy. 

We could only spend a short time there before we had to head back to the orphanage. We didn’t plan to drive as far as we did. We piled back into the truck and headed out.  As we drove away I tried to take a mental image of the view of the water from atop the hill.  What a sight! The drive back to the orphanage was pretty quiet. I’m pretty sure we were all aware of the reality that we were heading back to the states the next day.

When we got back to Kay Mari, the kids came out to play.  We ate dinner and then we all had to bathe and get ready for mass with the villagers.  Father Thomas told us that he would have a Haitian read the first reading in Creole, then he would read the Gospel reading in English and then Brother would read the same Gospel reading in Creole.  He said he would do a very simple homily and one of the missionaries could translate it for the Haitians. The mass responses were sung in Creole by the Haitians and Father read the Eucharistic prayer in Latin.  That was one of the most real experiences of the universal, Catholic Church. I recorded some of the songs, as much as my memory card would hold, and they are now on my ipod and I listen to them constantly.

We gathered on the roof for the final time as a group and had a little end of the week exercise as we took in the beauty of the stars for the last time. Some of us stayed on the roof and some of us went down to the kids play room to watch Toy Story 2 with them.  They were watching in English. That is one more way they practice their English.  As soon as we walked in and sat down, the kids gravitated toward us and snuggled up to us.  I was moved to tears that I wouldn’t be able to play with these kids anymore. I reflected back on the week with Shama on my lap.

We put the kids to bed and went up to the room to start packing our bags. Man did our clothes smell!

The girls talked and laughed and discussed how we couldn't wait to be back to wash our clothes.  Through all the laughter there was a quiet underlying sadness that we were all realizing that we did not know when the next time we would be in this place feeling this joy again.

Lights out.

Mission Haiti 2012—Day 4

First things first, we had breakfast as always. We then took off to buy the kids some school supplies at the market. The walk was fairly short.  We climbed up a hill and at the top, Emily said, “You’re about to see the most beautiful view.” That it was. We all just stood there taking it all in. The views all over Haiti were breathtaking.  I kept catching myself saying, “Wow…” as I took everything in.

Once we got a grip of ourselves, we proceeded on to the market. When we got there, we bought the kids a whole lot of notebooks for school.  We had to have been the only white people within 20 miles. Needless to say, people were staring.  We trekked back to Kay Mari for lunch before heading out to work on the school.  Johnna had to convince the driver that it wasn’t raining in Dandann, where the school is being built. After lunch we immediately piled into the truck and headed off.

We were getting close when it began to rain, but we pressed on thinking it would soon pass.  About 2 hills away from where we were going it began to pour like I’ve never experienced before, but we kept going.  Joe, our driver, then made everyone in the back of the truck so he could turn around.  He knew we would not make it to Dandann and that he couldn’t make it back up the hills with people weighing the truck down.  We watched as Joe, with Fr Thomas in the cab with him, climb up the hill. There were a few times when I thought the truck was going to come sliding down.  Once Joe was at the top of the worst parts of the hill, we walked to catch up.  I could have wrung out my clothes because they were drenched! Luckily I had put a plastic bag in my backpack so my electronics were safe.  We all piled back into the truck and headed back to Kay Mari.  Joe parked the truck at the bottom of our hill and we then had to walk the rest of the way back up to the orphanage.

When we got back, all the Haitians laughed at us because they all knew that it would be raining in Dandann, but Johnna was persistent.  Walking into the orphanage, drenched, was the most hilarious walk of shame ever.  Catherine stayed behind because she hurt her ankle the day before.  She said we were laughing but simultaneously looked like we were going to cry.  That experience is something that will always be with me.  We all went to the roof to dry off then we changed into dry clothes and headed downstairs to play with the kids outside.

We had dinner then prepared for mass.  I got to hold Sonson for most of mass. What a blessing that child has been to my life! He saw me taking pictures and then wanted to push the button. I have about 15 pictures that he took of the altar because he didn’t move the camera, just pushed the button. After communion, I let Nick hold him.  Nick has a special place in his heart for Sonson.  At one point, Sonson wasn’t feeling well and Nick took him aside and sang to him. It was probably the most precious thing I’ve ever seen.

We started getting the kids ready for bed and the missionaries made us go upstairs so the kids would calm down.  We were a little bit let down because we thought they were going to have night prayer again.  Brother said they wouldn’t because we had just had mass and mass is everything.  He then changed his mind and all the children gathered and began singing.  I recorded most of their night prayer. I then converted the video to audio and it is now on my ipod.  Probably the most played song on my itunes right now.  Once they were done, we put them to bed and went back up to the roof for bonding and star gazing.   Every night you would find us up there.  This was the best way to close another day of beauty.

Mission Haiti 2012--Day 3:

We woke up, had coffee and breakfast, then moved upstairs for praise and worship.  The heat of the sun and the beautiful voices praising God could move anyone to tears.

After praise and worship we went to the play room to sort the girls’ clothes and that took up the rest of the morning.  The kids arrived home from school and we got to play with them. They were so hyper! After lunch we took off to do some house visits around the village to some older members of the community.  We walked for a few miles and we turned around and realized we had lost Father Thomas. We kind of needed him so he could administer the Anointing of the Sick for those whom we were going to visit. 

We stopped at the one turn we had to make on the road and maybe ten minutes later Fr. Thomas appears holding the hands of kids with a few others walking along side of him and behind him.  One of the coolest things. We all stopped talking and couldn’t help but compare him to Christ as He would walk hand-in-hand with the children.  The only way to explain everyone’s smiles would be to say that love has no language.  These children probably hadn’t been able to interact with a priest for months.

Once Fr Thomas and the children caught up to us, we continued up a hill to meet a sick, old woman. We entered her house that was about the average size of a Haitian home.  The house was all of 7ft by 7ft. That was really all she needed in reality.  Father entered her room and after a minute let his eyes adjust so he could administer Anointing of the Sick.  Later I learned that she had been confined to her bed for two years when she was taken to the hospital.  They gave her Tylenol and she felt better. After we left, she was able to attend a day for the elderly that was held at the orphanage.  The beauty of this woman would humble the most proud.  The simplicity of her love and faith was moving.

When we returned to the orphanage, we thought we were going to get ready for mass and head to Dandann to have mass to the people of that village. We thought we were all going to pile into the truck and head out. Plans had changed. It rained in Dandann earlier and the truck would not be able to make it through the mud.  The people of Dandann had already started to gather for praise and worship before mass so we knew Father Thomas would need to get there somehow. Father, Paul, and Sarah (some of our missionaries) went on two motorcycles with two drivers to Dandann.  That was quite a site, but I can only imagine what mass was like with these villagers who had not been able to attend mass in months!

The missionaries back at the orphanage asked if we wanted to join the kids for night prayer. Of course we said yes! We gathered into the children’s multi-use room.  They gathered around the table and Brother started leading the kids in song and prayer.  Slowly but surely, at least 8 of the 14 kids fell asleep throughout night prayer.  One of the girls, Cherlande, was trying her hardest to stay awake and sing and pray along with Brother, but she was fading slowly.  She was off and speaking slower than everyone else. She was determined to stay awake.  Youri was out cold! He snored through most of it! Too funny! We then put those who had fallen asleep to bed. I called Cherlande over and let her fall asleep in my arms—which took no longer than 2 minutes.  I put her to bed and whispered one of the few phrases I had learned in Creole, “Bon wi, sheri” (translated means, “Good night, my dear”).

We gathered as a group after the kids had gone to bed to discuss how we were all doing adjusting to the life in Haiti. We all shared and it was nice to be able to talk with others who were going through the same emotions you were. One thing we all seemed to have in common was that we were struck by the simplicity of the Haitian life and their faith.  How simple it was to love the Lord. We often make it more difficult that it needs to be. The beauty of the community and how they make everything work was moving. We all agreed we were not ready to be back in the busy hustle and bustle of the States.

Mission Haiti 2012--Day 2

We got up bright and early on Tuesday morning, but we all slept so well that we were set for the day. We headed downstairs and once again, food was waiting for us on the table: coffee and cocoa, bread, bananas and peanut butter. Everything just tasted  better when the Haitians cooked for us! After breakfast we went up to the roof and had praise in worship in the glorious sun. We did this almost everyday. Then we went down to the kids play room to separate and organize clothing for the kids.  Recently child services told the orphanage that each child must have their own sets of clothing. We brought many donations for the children.  We got very familiar with the boys names that morning.

When we were done, lunch was ready. We took our time and enjoyed each other's company before taking off on another task. After lunch we all piled into the truck and went to a neighboring village called Dandann. That is where the children go to school. Currently they are going to school inside a church in Dandann, but after the earthquake there was money donated to build them a new school.  We went to the location of the new school. It is getting close to being done, but a lot of work still needs to be done.  The permanent missionaries told us it should have been completed a year and a half ago. They told us the plans for the rest of the land: the middle of the buildings there will be a soccer field and down closer to the road there will be a basketball court for the kids.  The buildings were so nice and the classrooms were nice and cool (temperature) inside. They told us that we would be coming back another day to clear the building debris to make it more convenient when the builders come to level the land for the soccer field.

When we left, we walked the rest of the way through Dandann up to a house on a hillside where two people were suffering from undiagnosed illnesses.  First we prayed with the old man, then with a young girl.  The hike to their house was fairly brutal, but entirely worth it.  The family was so welcoming and hospitable. The father actually apologized that he had nothing to give us for visiting. Father Thomas anointed the two sick people we were there to visit, then he blessed the house and we were on our way again.

When we got back from Dandann to Duverger, our village, we waited for the children to get home from school.  When they got home, they all came in and greeted each of us with a "Bonswa" and a kiss on the cheek. Once they were out of their school clothes and into their play clothes we got to play with them! After sorting their clothing, we got to know their names really well which was a big help. For the whole week, we became human jungle gyms, but that just made it more fun. The joy in the children's giggles warms my heart and even now makes my heart ache.

Some of the missionaries stayed with the kids while some of us went to he river to bathe.  The people down at the river were fascinated with us and why we were bathing in clothes and why we were soaping up our hair and bodies.  That experience will always make for a funny story, but never in my life have I felt so clean! The bucket shower from the night before was just not cutting it.  When we got back we were told to put on clothes appropriate for mass before dinner.

We sat down together in time for dinner and visited and talked with the missionaries about their experiences throughout their years at Kay Mari.  Johnna has been there for three years and Katie for two. Needless to say they had many stories to tell.  The funniest ones were always when the Haitians laughed at the way "the whites" do anything we do.  We had some time between dinner and mass so we just spent time with the kids.  I picked up Dada and she looked awfully tired so we just sat down, played some hand games then she laid her head down and fell asleep.  Absolutely the most precious thing ever.

We had to gather the children for mass and they even helped us set up the chairs and benches for mass.  They then prayed night prayer, as the do every night with Brother. They Haitians sang the entrance song and it was just beautiful! I recorded it and it is now on my ipod. Shortly after mass all the children started preparing for bed. The missionaries asked us to go upstairs so the kids would start calming down.  We went upstairs to prepare ourselves for bed. My friend Catherine and I went up to the roof to reflect on where we are and to pray. When we got to the roof, we just froze. The stars were breathtaking. Never have I seen such a sight. When we were done we went downstairs and headed to bed. Every night we fell asleep to the sounds of crickets and animals outside our window. Such a calming way to drift off to sleep.

Mission Haiti 2012--Traveling and Day 1

It took me a few days to process my experience and be able to figure out where to start, so here it goes...

The week before we left for Haiti, we all voted and chose to pray a novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, patron of Haiti. Little did we know how much Our Lady would take what we offered to her and run with it. The whole week I would be laying in bed and in prayer the word "ponder" was really on my heart. All I could think was what different things I could be pondering; I thought of pondering the cross, sacrifice, suffering. I placed myself at the foot of the cross and laid it all out.

The night before we left, my mission team gathered together to bond and pray for each other and for our trip. My mission leader sat us down to tell us what we should expect. She told us we would see poverty like we had never seen before, but also that we would see so much joy in the Haitian people. She told us that we would have each other to lean on there and when we come back. We were called to be in Haiti with each other at that moment in our lives for a reason, but we are also called back to the states to be present here. She called us to be like Mary in the way in which we are to ponder things in our hearts before we share everything we experience.  Truly this has come to light in my own life.

Sunday when we left Steubenville for the airport, it felt more like I was taking my friends to the airport to see them off on their mission trip. At the airport we quickly checked bags, boarded the plane, and were off. Sunday night we stayed in the Newark airport.  That night it still did not feel real. Nothing felt like real life until we boarded the plane on Monday morning to go from Newark to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Once on the plane and saying my goodbyes via texting, I finally felt like this was real.

Flying into Haiti was such a beautiful sight. The coast was stunning and the mountains were breathtaking. All I can remember is whispering to myself, "wow..." Then I realized where we were flying into: into devastation, poverty, despair, etc. and I was quickly faced with the reality of where I was. When we landed, we got off the plane and felt the humid air of Haiti.  A few times people tried speaking to me in Creole, of which I knew none. My mission leader, Emily, having gone 6 times, was able to communicate with the people we encountered.  Outside the airport we met up with our ride who had come 5 hours to pick us up.  We all piled into the back of the truck with our luggage and we were off.

Driving through Port-Au-Prince was complete culture shock. I have never seen or smelled anything like that. There was garbage all over the streets and people on top of people. Without a doubt one of the most powerful sensory experiences I've ever had.  Words cannot put into words the way you feel being among people who are experiencing so much suffering. Despite how busy the people were, they took time to watch this group of 11 white people around them. Man, were we fascinating!

The roads to the orphanage were not as bad as I had anticipated, until the last hour. We turned off onto the road where the orphanage is. It was a dirt road and since it had not yet rained that day, there was so much dust floating around. By the time we got to Kay Mari, the orphanage, our hair felt like prom night when you have a whole can of hair spray in your hair. Not the most pleasant experience, but we all bathed when we got to Kay Mari. When we arrived, the children knew we were coming and had been waiting for us. As we climbed out of the truck the children were waiting there to be picked up and loved, and how can you say no to those faces?! We started asking names and one of the village boys, Eston, who speaks some English helped us with names and I just remember thinking how I would never remember all those names. Just a minute later we turned around to see that some of the orphans had climbed into the truck to help us unload our luggage. Automatic love.

When went into the orphanage and the caretakers had already prepared dinner for us and it was on the table waiting for us. Most dinners consisted of rice, bean sauce, a meat, a sauce for the meat, and vegetables. Everything was so delicious. After dinner, Emily told us we should go get a look from the roof. I have never seen a view so wonderful as it was on that roof. The sun had just set and the landscape was still lit up. Beautiful.

We went back downstairs to learn more about the children and to just play with them. They were all so precious and all so different. We brought a Dominican priest with us and he was able to administer the Sacraments for the people. They were so gracious.

The first night we were there we had mass out in the front yard because the chapel is not done yet.  The last time the people of that village had been able to attend mass was about two months earlier. It was a blessing that Fr Thomas was able to join us on the trip so the people could attend mass daily.

After mass we sat on the roof and star gazed for hours. Then, bedtime, and man were we ready!

These are the names of our children:
Girls:
-Barbara
-Francesca
-Shama
-Cherlande
-Elourde
-Dada
-Naica
Boys:
-MacKendy
-Kendy
-WisKendy
-Youri
-Sonson
-Jean Marc
-Peterson

Each one was different from another. More to come about day 2.

Some of my favorite photos from the trip

This is Michelle, one of my friends and fellow missionaries from school, with Dada <3

Dada being adorable, and me

 This is Sinofad, a village boy whom I adore

 Cherlande and me

 Had to take a picture with Yourie this day; he dressed himself in overalls then put on basketball shorts. Adorable.

 Kendy and me

 Some of the kids playing and dancing. Too much to handle! This is just a brief clip of who these kids are

 Jean Marc playing on TiRe's moto

 Nick and Sonson

 How we traveled everywhere

 View from the roof of Kay Mari, the orphanage

 Cherlande loves sunglasses, and cameras, and pretty much anything that you tell her isn't hers

 Dada has too much cuteness to handle

 I don't remember what was so funny, but this is Shama

 Cherlande being precious

 We walked to the market one day, this was the view on the way

 I've never seen anything so stunning

 We got caught in the rain and the driver made us get out so he could get up the muddy hill

 I wish you could see how much rain was actually coming down

 Naica and Elourde at snack time

 Michelle, Shama, Kendy, and Dada

 Kendy and me before he ran away to play soccer

 I could do this everyday

 We brought bubbles for the kids. This is WisKendy having so much fun!

 Melissa and Sarah playing with Sonson

 One day it poured rain, then after we saw the symbol of the Lord's promise--a rainbow

 Sonson and me waiting for mass

 Peter's seat for mass

 Too precious not to post

 Yourie typically moved too much to capture him standing still

 Shama and Naica

 Emily and Sonson..I love this smile

 Barbara and Naica

 Michelle and Eston

 A cathedral that will be torn down due to the damage that occurred during the earthquake

 The presence of Christ all around the country was inspiring

 Ryan taking in the view

 The view down the beach where we were

 This is what most trucks and buses looked like. I love the colors everywhere

 God's love shines down on the people of Haiti

 A view from the back of our truck on the way back to Kay Mari. This is how smooth our road were..

 Cherlande and Yourie

 This is the chapel that is being built inside the walls of the orphanage. It is so close to being done

 Kay Mari <3

 This is how we got everywhere

 These shoes went through a lot this week

 This is the inside of the village church where we had mass on the last day with the villagers

 Playing with the kids brings so much joy

 At least 2-3 times a day you would find me up on this roof

 The day we got stuck in the rain... priceless

 Yourie wearing my friend's hat 

 This little girl stole my heart

 Cherlande and me playing around

 Another shot of the missionaries on the way to the market

 When doing house visits, we acquired some village kids who wanted to walk with us

 Joe, our driver, and Father Thomas about to leave to celebrate mass in Dandann, a neighboring village. The roads were too wet for all of us to go in the truck

 Father Thomas anointing a sick, old man

 Playing with Cherlande