Category: Haiti2016

Today we’ve been asked to paint two bedrooms in one of the buildings in the orphanage. One of the two larger buildings in this compound house infants to five year olds, and the second one, which we will paint, houses six year old children up to early teens. A third building within the confines of the orphanage is residence to 13 teenage girls. Most of the kids who occupy these buildings have very interesting stories. Some were orphaned when their mother died during or not long after child birth. This is not an uncommon occurrence because of the lack of prenatal treatment most mothers receive. Some children were dropped off by parents or relatives who could no longer afford to feed and house their children. There are stories of children being abandoned at the doorway to the orphanage or brought there by friends or distant relatives who witnessed them being neglected. There is even a child living at the orphanage who was found by workers at a garbage dump. They heard the whimpers of the child and thought it was an animal which was trapped under the rubbish until they discover the hours-old infant with his umbilical cord still attached and, according to the mission director, still moist. The compassion which is evident in the voice of Lynn Joseph, the founder of Mission of Grace, is astounding. She rarely turns kids away and people come from far distances to place their children in her care because of her stellar reputation.

As we begin our task, it is evident to me that some of our team members ARE NOT painters…at all. There are splatters and drips all over the floor however, it is apparent that we all are going about our task with considerable zeal. Those of us who are a little more experienced are asked to use paint brushes to “cut it” areas near molding and windows. Others are given rollers and told to stay within their boundaries.

We manage to get two coats of paint on the walls of one of the bedrooms and the first coat in the second bedroom before we break for lunch. When we return an hour later, we knock out the rest of the job in no time. When the residents (kids) come back we hear some squeal with excitement at what they witness. I heard a couple of them say “tres belle”, which translates to “very pretty”. It’s been a minute since the walls have been painted so they are very happy. Since we’ve completed our task, we have play time with the kids until we have to return to our hotel. I’m not sure whether Rev. Robin or the child she is holding is enjoying this moment more.

A couple of people from our team go to the Grandma’s House while we were painting and pampered the people there. They received manicures and pedicures, massages, hugs, kisses and much more. This building houses several seniors, one of which is 105 years old. There is also a couple of younger men there…one has polio and the other has severe developmental issues. Ms. Lynn thought it better to house them there.

Our meeting with the pastors from Grace Church goes better than expected. They open up by thanking us for taking the time to meet with them. The senior pastor said he listened intently to our exchange yesterday and committed to implementing a few of our recommendations. Praise The Lord!

 

On our agenda is working in the clinic, constructing a covering over the village soup kitchen, building a set of wooden steps to be used at the new school building, and making adjustments to the bathroom doors at the church. The men on our team will host a meeting with the pastors of Grace Community Church later in the day. The women will also conduct bible study with the women later in the day

The three ministers in our group have chosen to spend time this morning at the clinic. There is a recent shipment of drugs and supplies which must be inventoried and they will pray for and with people who come in for treatment. The praise report for the day is that several people in the clinic waiting area have accepted Christ through the intervention of these mighty prayer warriors.

The clinic here in the village is one of the few in the surrounding area and the only one which is completely free. They do not charge for any of their services or medications, and it doesn’t matter whether or not the patients are members of the immediate community. People who come to the clinic are also eligible to receive a meal at the soup kitchen. This is vital in a country with extremely high unemployment and poverty. Most people can’t afford to eat more than one meal a day so you can imagine they don’t have funds to pay a doctor or purchase medicine

Simira, Tony and I spend the morning constructing a set of steps wooden steps to be used at the school. We found out the hard way yesterday that it is a little difficult for some of the more “seasoned” people to navigate the high landing to get into the newer school buildings. Tony and I did most of the measuring, all three of us shared in cutting the boards to length and Simira proved to be a beast with the drill during the final construction. Later Rev. Michael joined us as we had to trim the lower portion of the bathroom doors to make sure they closed properly. I must say we made a great and very efficient team.

While Simira, Tony and I were working on the steps, Erving, Ralph and Matt are working to put a cover over the soup kitchen. Here is a picture of the “kitchen” before the guys started working on it.  As you can see it looks nothing like what we’re used to here in the states.

Most Haitians cook their meals outside and the stove of the “kitchen” abuts a concrete fresh water tank and a storage bin. As you can plainly see it is outside and exposed the elements. The existing cover consisted of pieces of plastic taped together. The team has to put a tarp over the outdoor stove and construct the supporting structure onto which the tarp is fastened. After extensive discussion and measuring, they go about their task with precision. All-the-while, the cooks are preparing to serve 50 to 120 people who come by seeking a meal daily.

We spend our afternoon at the orphanage loving on every child we can find. Below is a picture of Simira with Timothy. This young man didn’t care who you were, if you approached him he would raise his arms seeking to climb up in yours and all of us willingly obliged him.

As the women head up to the church to conduct bible study, the four clergy from Grace Community Church join us for a brief discussion. I must admit communication was difficult and it wasn’t just tell language barrier…we had an interpreter. We share with the leaders how important it is for there to be unity in leadership in the church and that there is a great responsibility in properly “feeding the sheep”. We end our time together over sandwiches and soft drinks. We also invite them back for another session of dialogue and sharing tomorrow night. They graciously accept.

We start our days with group devotional time. Today’s message was taken from Psalm 100. After a hearty breakfast we toured the different facilities associated with Mission of Grace. There is a school for grades kindergarten through six, a church, a clinic, a “granny’s home”, and an orphanage compound which includes an area for babies through preteens, as well as a separate teenage girl’s home. The girl’s home houses about 18 young ladies.

It’s encouraging to see the progress from last year. When I was here in 2015, they were leveling the area where the school would be built and now there are 3 buildings on the site. The first picture below is the cleared and leveled land from last year. The second picture is one of the new school buildings. It’s still a work in progress…there are no windows or doors and no electricity.

 

While we were at the school we had the opportunity to talk with the principal, Mr. Billy. He is an energetic person who used to commute 2.5 hours to Carries. Recently he relocated his family to the village. A few of the children in each class appear to be a bit older. Many of these kids probably had to drop out of school previously, most likely because they couldn’t afford the $200 annual tutition. This may not sound like a lot of money but the medium annual income in Haiti is around $2,000. ALL STUDENTS must pay tuition.

The Granny’s home which was only partially completed last year now houses 10 elderly people and two younger adults, one with cerebral palsy and the other who is physically disabled. Our host shared that a couple of the residents there were actually left at their doorstep.

Last year our team built toilets in the orphanage. These were the first “flushable” toilets most people in the village had ever encountered (something WE in the US take for granted). Andre Lipford who is a general contractor, who happens to attend Alfred Street was instrumental in properly installing the commodes and sinks. Our team also poured the concrete steps and hung the doors. Today the toilets are in use. Someone actually stained the doors and painted the front so it looks wonderful!

In the evening we joined the men of Grace Church for bible study led by Rev. Michael Oakley. Service started at 5pm so it could end by 6pm because it gets dark. There are no street lights so it’s a bit of an arduous task getting back down the mountain.

What a great day!

Saturday was our travel day and it was pretty much uneventful. I connected with most of the team in Florida and we traveled the last leg of the trip together. It was great reconnecting with Rev. Robin Woodberry from Ohio, Rev Michael Oakley from North Carolina, along my friends Ralph Taylor and Erving McDaniels from Baltimore. Joining us for the first time is Rev. Brenda Rice. Three of our team members are ministers. Wow!

We have about a 90 minute ride from the airport in Port Au Prince to Carries, pronounced Care-ree-ess, where we will work. It’s a joy to be here once again. We eat dinner and spend the remainder of the evening getting settled in. The temperature is in the low 80s and we can feel the humidity. I stayed up all night Friday, spending some of my time with mom, so I am exhausted and can’t wait to get in bed.

We awaken to a glorious day on Sunday. We have most of our meals outside in a gazebo overlooking the bay. After breakfast we get into vehicles and drive up the mountain to the Grace Community Church. It appears they are transitioning from Sunday School to regular service as we arrive. Church is packed and very spirited. Lots of singing and praising. Rev. Brenda from our group brought a powerful message entitled “The Glory In The Cross” based on Galatians 6:14. If she didn’t have to slow down to allow for interpretation into Kreyol, I think she would have run up and down the church.

Our afternoon was free time. We had lessons on speaking Kreyol and some “do’so and dont’s”. We also had a disaster briefing… what to do if there is an earthquake or hurricane. Hmmm!?!?!?

The television is working so we watched the Miami/49ers game, played some pool and lounged by the beach. We are looking forward to a productive  day tomorrow.

November 26, 2016. In a couple of hours I leave the US and head to Haiti for my fifth missional journey. I am so honored and humbled that God has placed on my heart to be HIS emissary. You may recall that in January 2010 Haiti was devastated by an earthquake. In the days and months after the quake there was a great outpouring of help from around the world. Six years have passed and the need is just as intense however those who are willing to GO and serve have diminished greatly. I praise God for organizations like the Lott Carey Global Missional Community (Lott Carey) which mobilized teams in 2012 and have consistently sent missionaries since. I am proud to partner with them to serve the people of Haiti.

This year I will be serving in Haiti for two weeks. The first week I will be teaming with friends from my past as a part of Team Trinity which is lead by Tony Taylor from Covenant Baptist Church in New York. The second week I will be serving with people from my church, but more on that in the next couple of paragraphs.

This year is a little different for me in a couple of ways. First and foremost, my mom is not doing well. On October 10, 2016 the doctors recommended we bring her home and make her as comfortable as possible because they believed she had reached the end of her earthly journey. At that time they thought she had days or weeks to live and now, almost 7 weeks later, she is still here. Several people have questioned my sanity…that I would continue to plan on going to Haiti given her condition. I have consulted God in all of my decisions and His answer has been, from the very start, GO AND SERVE! So that’s what I plan to do. GO AND SERVE!

Secondly, I am serving as mission team leader for an enthusiastic group from my church, the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA. I am excited to serve but more importantly, I am overjoyed to share this wonderful journey with them. I know how serving in Haiti has affected me…even changed my life. It is my prayer that they also find their God-given purpose through missions work. I look forward to seeing the effect of this important work on them. I know beyond a shadow of doubt these individuals will be “transformed”. You cannot serve God in this capacity and NOT be forever changed.

I ask that you pray for me and the other missionaries. Please pray that everything we do and say will reflect our love for God’s people and His commitment to show that unconditional love. Pray for a hedge of protection against the enemy and we go forth and declare, apologetically, the goodness of the Lord. Please pray for the loved ones we leave here in the US as we travel abroad.

Blessings…Vernon

PS – I’ve decided to try and publish my experiences through a blog this year. Please let me know what you think.

This year God gave me a vision to help my friends in Haiti in a tangible way. My mom and I attended bible study with The Busy Bees at Grace United Methodist Church in Fort Washington, Maryland and I had the opportunity to talk about my last mission trip to Haiti. At the end of my presentation I was asked how the Busy Bees could get involved.  I shared a list of supplies the village needed and they began collecting those items. Somewhere along the way it turned into a church wide event and God blessed in a mighty way. I collected enough donated items from the wonderful people at Grace UMC to fill my truck three times over and still there was more. Other organizations I am affiliated with as well as some dear friends made similar donations. at one point I couldn’t even park my car in my garage!

I went  to my church, the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia and told the Minister for Missions what I happened and she offered to help me get the items to Haiti. That meant sorting and organizing the donations…no need for winter clothes and boots in Haiti. I sent out a call for help and people came by on Saturday mornings to pitch in. We filled eight, yes I said EIGHT drums with donated items…everything from clothes to shoes, disposable diapers, medical supplies, toiletries and so much more. We loaded more than 1,200 pounds into the eight 55-gallon drums and shipped them to Haiti. And guess what? We still have items we have yet to send!!! It is going to be quite a site when they view the way people here in the US have blessed them.

I can’t say thank you enough to Grace UMC, Alfred Street Baptist, my Harmony Hall buddies, and the countless friends who donated times, items and made financial contributions towards this mission.

Love you all. Vernon