Haiti - Day 6 (Friday)

Our last day of work on the island was amazing.  There was a sense that we would be gone soon, but many of us had the feeling that we would be back.  As the day got going, our last few shelters went up quickly.  When we first arrived in Haiti, our host family, Scott and Janet, explained that it didn't matter if we built one shelter or 100, our purpose was to show the love of Christ to the people in that community and that's exactly what we did.  But, in addition to the relationships we were all building, Don set a personal goal early on for our team to complete 25 shelters; thanks to his ridiculous skills with a hammer (which somehow I never acquired) and the help of some incredible Haitian volunteers, we hit it that goal, 25 shelters completely finished with a 26th framed and ready to have the tarp installed.

Rick took some time for story telling and singing with a group of kids that had been following us around.  I passed out some gum, or "Chiclet" as they called it, which got the kids smiling.  Then Rick told them about how there is one God, and His son Jesus loves them.  As he handed each child a bottle a water, he taught them how Jesus is even better than water.

Reggie, one of our friends who had been helping us with our Creole, led the kids as they sang about Jesus and danced right there on the top of the hill where we had been working.

When the crew left for lunch, Rick, Don, and I chose to walk all the way down through the village to visit with people in their homes and the market before we left.  We were very glad we did.  Our friend Romil took us to his church and introduced us to Pastor Kelly.

Pastor Kelly showed us the structures they were repairing and rebuilding which had been damaged by the earthquake.  They're currently working on a cooking and sewing school to teach people a trade, and a school to train deacons to minister to others in the area.  We asked how we could help them directly in their efforts.  His first request was simply for prayer.  Then he described that his most urgent desire is to get the people he's caring for into more permanent structures.  He showed us the houses they're building and providing for families.  Each house is about the size of a two-car garage, but they're solid, and they only cost $6,000 from start to finish.  We'd like to explore supporting this work directly.  If you want to be a part of that, please email me.

Before we left, I pulled my boots off and gave them to Reggie, who had been voluntarily helping with construction all week in his sandals, like most of the people who live in that area.  And then, as if God wanted to remind me of just how lucky I am to have luxury items like boots, with the first step I took toward the van, I sliced my toe open on a rock, not deep enough to need stitches, but deep enough to spout forth a fair amount of blood.  Fortunately, with the medical team staying in the same house we were in, there was no shortage of doctors on hand to bandage me up.

Friday afternoon was blocked out to prepare for the trip home; most of us would be up very early the next day.  A few folks took advantage of the opportunity to drive into Port Au Prince to see what the city looked like, mainly from the car though because there aren't many great places to get out and walk around.  The guys from Explore Church however, had different plans.  You may remember seeing pictures of a helicopter on Day 3.  You didn't think I would pass up the chance to make friends with the pilot did you?  I surprised the guys (and Janet, our hostess) with the chance to see Titanyen, the village where we'd been working all week, from the air!  It was a quick flight, as the pilot had a mission planned that afternoon, but I'm pretty sure they all enjoyed it.  When they hopped out, I got to ride along as the helo delivered volunteer's to another site across the water.

Most of the blue shelters with tin roofs you see here are ones that our team put up this week.  The furthest one to the left is number 26, just waiting for the blue tarp.

As exciting as the view from the air was, the last event of the evening was very special.  Our friends who had been driving and translating for us took us to their church and pulled out all the instruments they use each week during their church service.  We sang and worshipped with them in their home church while rain pounded the roof, so grateful to be a part of that family, hoping one day some or all of them would be able to visit our family at Explore Church.

You can see all the pictures from Friday by clicking HERE.

Haiti - Day 5 (Thursday)

We got a late start on Thursday, because the team had worked so quickly the day before that we ran out of shelter kits to assemble.  We had to load the entire truck bed full of pre-assembled walls and bunks and lumber and tin.  A few us (the smart ones) chose not join the others (the crazy ones, shown above) on the back of the truck o‘ doom.  But by 10 a.m. all the teams members were on site and it was back to building.

We split into crews to work on specific parts of the houses.  Don, the construction MVP for the week (he was banging these things out like he does it for a living), took his folks and got to work framing new houses.  Rick and I installed the sets of beds as the houses got framed.  Dave worked with some great local volunteers to wrap the shelters with the enormous blue tarps.  And our good friend, Edder, was managing the roofing crew and doing a great job.

During lunch, Ramil, one of our translators, studied the book of Romans, Chapter 9, with our very own Pastor Rick Guttierez, or “Pastor Ricardo” as the Haitians prefer to call him.  They got into a deep theology discussion; you could just tell how hungry the Christians are in that part of the country to learn about God, and Rick can bring the heat wherever he goes.  It’s great to see God using him, and our entire team, not only to serve the community for their felt needs, but also for the Christians who live here, who desperately need mentors to be beside them, showing them how to help others, and how to study God’s word.

The locals aren’t the only ones being helped.  Rick and I have spent time each day learning just a little bit of Creole.  The last time I felt at such a loss for the language was my 8th grad field trip to Quebec, but the small amount of French I do remember helped tremendously; Creole seems to be just a more efficient form of French.  The people are very patient; they appreciate our effort, and our translators, the ones teaching us, are incredible.

To see all the photos I took on Thursday, CLICK ME.

Questions and comments are always welcome.

Haiti - Day 4 (Wednesday)

Our entire team agreed that Wednesday was the best day so far.  I think a big part of it was the cloud cover that kept the sun off of us for most of the day, but it was also the interaction we had with the children and the families in the community we're helping.  We went back to a shelter we put up Tuesday to finish installing the bunks and found some kids playing soccer in the adjacent field.  Don was the first to drop his tool belt and join in.  Rick and I followed right behind him and we had the most fun you could possibly have in Haiti.  We were all amazed to see kids playing soccer barefoot on this small field with rocks scattered everywhere, but they still showed us up.

When the game died down, the kids all gathered around Don for a break and Rick got to tell them all how God made them and how God's son Jesus loves them.  We were encouraged because it wasn't the first time most of them had heard that message.  Overall, Haiti has been well evangelized through the years.  Everything from big trucks to buildings along the road are plastered with creative designs that incorporate God in some way.  My favorite was the ATM labeled "P. Eternale Banc," P for "Pere" or Father, "Eternale" for...well, you get the idea.

After the Bible story, our local friend Reggie led the kids in a song; I even heard Don singing.  He shared later that evening that he was particularly moved by a seven year old boy we met named Baba.  We learned that Baba's father had left a long time ago, and that his mother had been killed when the poorly assembled shack they lived in collapsed during a storm.  Baba lifted his shirt to show us the scar where it seemed something had punctured his side in that accident.  Now he just follows the other kids around the village and the community takes care of him.  His story was especially relevant because we are building shelters for families whose homes have been destroyed.  I imagine that the structures we're building now might have withstood the storm that killed Baba's mother.

Baba is in the white shirt under Don's left arm.

You can see all of the pictures from Thursday by going HERE.

Haiti - Day 3 (Tuesday)

Tuesday was Flag Day in Haiti, a national holiday celebrating the creation of the Haitian flag.  Some of our translators brought us kites they had crafted and decorated with streamers and brightly colored paper, with the phrase "Hope For Haiti" across the front.  We spent the entire morning in the village of Titanyen finishing shelters and visiting with families.  As we worked, someone from the market brought us mangos to enjoy.  Everyone was in a great mood and it made the morning go by quickly in spite of the heat.  Rick and I climbed to the top of the hill overlooking the village and met an older lady who lives in a tin shack with nine family members.   The youngest of which happened to be a 1 month old baby we had the honor to meet.  So the living was cramped, but the view was amazing.  You can see what it looked liked, along with all the photos from Tuesday, RIGHT HERE.

Before we left for lunch, Dave had the chance to speak with a man who received one of the shelters and told him about Jesus; he explained why God sent His son into this world.  The Holy Spirit was at work in the man's heart because he prayed with Dave, through a translator, and asked God to forgive him for the sin in his life, accepting that Jesus paid the price for it when He died on the cross.  The people running the show down here have been amazing in allowing us the freedom to decide when to work, and when to speak, because both are necessary.  Our actions open the doorway to a conversation that is so important that is has eternal consequences.

Since most of the people hired to pre-fabricate the pieces for the shelters were off for the holiday, we assembled everything that was available in the morning, and decided we would take the afternoon to drive into town, see what the festivities looked like, and try to find soccer balls or some other type of fun gifts we could offer the kids in the village where we've been working.  Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone selling that sort of thing so we didn't stay, but it was great to drive through the area and see what a national holiday looks like in Haiti.  From there we went straight back to the village and spent the afternoon visiting and praying with families.  

Below, you'll see some photos of Rick having a backyard (hillside) Bible study for a group of kids.  Proving again that God's word can reach anyone at any time, Lionel, a 19 year old man in the back of the group spoke up and told Rick he wanted to accept Jesus.  Most of the people in the village are Christian; I guess Lionel just never had the will or the opportunity to accept Christ.  Rick prayed with him through a wonderful translator and everyone celebrated when they were done.  Rick is also working with some of the folks here, teaching them how to disciple new believers and how to show them what it means to live according to Jesus' example.  Overall, and amazing day and I'm thankful God provided me with the chance to be a part of rebuilding Haiti.  In Creole, "refonde Ayiti."

Haiti - Day 2

After the events of Day 1 we were eager to get to work building shelters for the people of Haiti.  We left around 7:30 a.m for a village about 10 minutes from where we're staying.  It was heartbreaking to see all the destruction caused by the earthquake, and at the same time encouraging to see all the shelters that had already been built by teams that have come before.  We're here with the North Carolina Baptist Men and they have committed to send a team every week at least through the end of the year.  If you want to get involved just send me an email.

The shelters are pre-fabricated in pieces at the compound.  It's just four walls, a roof, and bunk beds.  People who are in need submit their names to someone who schedules the construction, and then they are required to prepare a flat piece of property that they must own, or have the right to build on, which can fit the 12'x12' structure.  Then our team comes in with the pieces to put it together.  We start by finishing off any excavation they may need help with.  Then the four walls get nailed together, leveled, squared, and plumbed.  The bunk beds get installed, the rafters go on, and the house is a ready to be wrapped and covered.

A team of two unfolds the blue tarp which is about eight feet wide and 48 feet long.  It gets wrapped all the way around the shelter and button-head nails are used to hold it tightly in place.  A hole gets cut for the door, and sometimes a window in the back.  At the same time, the roofing crew is laying tin across the rafters.  The one in this picture is very nearly finished.

The best part of the day, and what we're all looking forward to for the rest of the week, is meeting and speaking with the locals.  Rick pointed out that none of them seemed angry, or depressed, and by no means did they appear hopeless.  They were happy, smiling and mostly eager to help.  Rick and I played with the kids who loved seeing themselves on my camera in pictures and video.  We came close to finishing seven shelters the first day.  As each one was completed, we would pray with the families, in many cases telling them about Jesus if they didn't already know who he was.  We provided Creole translations of the New Testament to several families and spent whatever time was available getting to know the people we're here to serve.

To see all the photos from our first trip to village of Titanyen, check out the entire album HERE.

Catching Up - Part 3: An Unexpected Disaster

We finally get to the end of Day 1 and the last part of the "Catching Up" series.  We've had the tour.  The afternoon was quiet.  We swam in the pool.  We hid from the sun.  As for why it took so long to catch up on the Day 1 posts, around 4p.m. Scott and Janet drive up and announce that there's been a terrible accident with another missionary group.  Dave Holder immediately grabs his med kit and I, with no medical supplies to grab (not that I would really know what to do with them) reach for my camera.  Don Hales follows us out the door and Janet briefs us on the way.

A large group of students from Hannibal-LaGrange College in Missouri (see their article here), working with the Haiti-based missionary organization, Blessing Hearts International, was attending church and distributing food in some villages in the mountains.  As they were making their way down the rugged terrain, their truck sputtered out, and everything, including the brakes, quit working.  There were 25 to 30 people, mostly students, in the back of this large open-bed truck.  As the vehicle picked up speed, the driver essentially had to decide to crash into the hill on his right, or roll down the cliff to his left.  He did what I think we all would have done and chose to steer into the hill, hoping the vehicle would come to an abrupt halt.  The pitch of the hill and the speed of the truck wouldn't allow that and caused the vehicle to roll as it hit the incline.  Every person seated in the back was literally thrown into the air.

According to one of the victims I interviewed, there were people on the scene immediately and they were overwhelmed by the response and by how quickly they found themselves in a nearby clinic.  The worst cases were taken to Port Au Prince where they were seen by a medical team from the University of Miami.  Those that were left found themselves being treated by volunteers, some medically trained, some not, and other missionaries in a clinic ill-equipped to respond to such a massive casualty event.  This is where Dave, Don, and myself got involved.  This is the scene as we found it:

WARNING - I've posted the rest of the images online, but there are many that may not be suitable for children, or adults if you are uneasy about this sort of thing.  If you would like to view the entire album, it's available HERE.

Dave immediately sprang into action triaging patients; many hadn't been seen at all when we first arrived.  After things settled a bit, Dave focused on a student named Carrie who had a severe laceration on the back of her head.  Dave administered an IV and examined the rest of her body for injuries before giving her a haircut she wasn't expecting to get that day.  A local Haitian doctor joined him, and after doing their best to numb the area, the doctor sutured the wound while Dave assisted.  Carrie was coherent throughout the procedure, very thirsty, though not allowed to drink, and very concerned about a girl name Chris, "She better be OK; she has kids."  Chris had already been evacuated with the worst of the group and we had no information to offer her scared friend.

Don turned his attention to the first person he found who wasn't being treated, Seth, who was bloody over much of his body but seemed to be fine internally.  Don went to dressing and redressing the severe road rash he had on his head, shoulders, back and leg. He worked to get the wounds clean while doing his best to minimize the pain.  While Don was taking care of him, Seth was kind enough to share his story with me, which is how I was able to tell all of you what happened.  I also captured all of this on film, and you will get to hear from Seth and some others when we debrief this entire trip at Explore Church sometime in the next couple of months.

While Dave and Don worked on injuries, I helped where I could, wiping blood from patients' eyes, running gauze and bandages to doctors and volunteers, trying to keep working areas somewhat clean, and offering water to patients who were allowed to drink.  Also, of course, I did my best to document the event so people at home might understand that missionary work isn't all swimming pools and gospel tracts.  There are very dangerous, often life-threatening conditions that people are willing to face in order to fulfill not only the first and greatest commandment God ever dropped on us, which is to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, and mind, but also a second, which is like the first, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Who is God asking you to step out in faith and love?

Post comments and prayers below.

Catching Up - Part 2: Around The Compound

This is the view from the deck of the pool.  Yes, the pool.  There happens to be a pool on the compound where we are staying.  Not wanting to be rude guests, we chose to avail ourselves of the amenities.  This was the first night, and construction wasn't scheduled to begin until the next morning.  That being said, see "Catching Up - Part 3" for what happened next, and if you're still worried that our international relief dollars are not being put to good use, check out what we did on "Haiti - Day 2".

View the entire gallery HERE to see what the rest of compound looks like (including the pool).  The house we're in, pictured here on the left, has electricity, but no air.  Most of us are sleeping on a back porch type area that is screened in and just barely overlooking the ocean.  The supply yard you see here contains everything needed to construct the shelters we're building, which you'll learn more about in "Haiti - Day 2".  The tiny guard-tower along the tree-line, just to the right of the house, is manned around the clock, as are a few others, along with the front gate.  There are approximately 60 acres surrounded by razor wire to keep out looters and vandals.  Samaritan's Purse has a large facility here and they even operate a helicopter for resupply and emergencies, a Bell 407.  I believe the pilot used to fly Billy Graham.  There are a few missionaries that live here full time; we still haven't met all of them.  Overall, it's way more than I expected for my first mission trip.  The organizations that contribute to this compound are really trying to do everything they can to get people out of pews (or chairs if you go to Explore Church) and into an area where they can be the body of Christ, not just pray about it.  Thought about what might God might have for you?  Ever considered asking Him?

Comments are welcomed.  The bro's will receive them here.

Catching Up - Part 1

First day of actual work - Complete!  I'll get to that later.  First, let's catch up on what happened yesterday - Day 1.  As I was saying before I had to sleep for a few hours, we left Miami on a normal American Airlines flight.  The plane looked slightly older than many I've seen, but I wasn't worried until this happened during takeoff...

That's not an oxygen mask falling from the ceiling - that is aircraft circuitry.  Not sure what that was all about, or why everyone seemed so calm about it, but an attendant quickly banged it back into place.  The other thing I noticed, probably for the first time in my life, was that there were many more black people on the plane than there were white people.  Rarely have I thought about how I'm part of the majority in the U.S.;  It wasn't until I found myself in the minority that it really even entered my mind.  The thought faded quickly because we would soon be swinging hammers and sweating shoulder to shoulder with people simply trying to rebuild their lives, all of us image-bearers of God.  Just like at the Red House. 

The drive to the compound took about 45 minutes and it was almost surreal.  After leaving the city we would pass beautiful green fields that sat beside tropical blue water, opposite rolling mountain terrain that was spotted with blue tent cities.  The view would alternate between beauty and devastation; there were homes left in ruins, sometimes nothing but dust left of a row of houses, then lush property that would go for millions of dollars on any stretch of the coastline in the U.S.

See the rest of the photos HERE.  When we finally got to the Global Outreach compound, Scott, who had picked us up at the Airport, introduced us to his wife, Janet.  These two are amazing.  They've been here since February 1st working to support the teams who volunteer each week.  They employ several local nationals as drivers and project leaders and the impact they're having is very obvious as you move into the areas they've been working.  I'll share some of that with you soon.  Before that, you really need to hear about what happened on the rest of day 1; stay tuned.

Where To Begin...

The arrival and our first day in Haiti was basically incredible.  Too much happened today to do a post that covers it all before I fall asleep (remember I haven't slept since Friday night).  I will begin breaking down the news in managable chunks tomorrow (Monday).  Pictures will be included.  Stay tuned!

On The Road

3 a.m. comes very early if you're sleeping. I also found that it comes very quickly if you're packing. We were only a few minutes late when we left the house at 3:06, and we made it to the end of the street before we realized I had forgotten the pre-cooked bacon. Even with that tiny slip we made it to our first stop plus or minus 30 seconds. Dave basically jumped in the van as we came to a slow roll. No delay there. Don was just as ready, even though we had already made up several minutes and showed up at his house ahead of schedule. He was standing in his driveway, having already said goodbye to his family, twice aparently.  Rick on the other hand?

To his credit, we were about 15 minutes ahead by that point. But we got to watch Rick's silhouette apply deodorant in his bedroom window, so we waited patiently in the driveway. Emily didn't think honking would be appropriate before 0400.  We were still on the road about 5 minutes early.

The trip to airport with all aboard was lively considering the time of day. But we were, and are, excited and nervous. A quick breakfast at RDU and a short flight later, we're on the ramp in Miami about to pull back from the gate. Wheels down in Haiti is scheduled for 10:40. We truly have no idea what to expect.  Thanks for the prayers.  Smooth sailing so far.  Messages for the bros can be left in the comments section.

- Jeff

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