Home Sweet Home

Once again, I find myself writing the blog post about our trip home by myself.  While in Haiti, Jim and I work together to update the blog.  I do the typing and he dictates what I type although I add my own thoughts here and there.

Our day began with a group photo before we headed off to the airport.  To make sure everyone had room, a few of us rode with Bert in his truck while the rest rode with Odney in the regular truck.  Traffic wasn't too bad and we arrived at the airport in plenty of time.  As you will soon find out, that wouldn't matter!  After going through security check point 1, checking in, going through customs, security checkpoint 2, doing some last minute shopping, and security checkpoint 3 (there are more security checkpoints to leave Haiti then to enter!), we ended up waiting and waiting and waiting.  Our flight was to leave at 10:55 and we finally left around 1:22.  As a result, we were sure we would miss our connecting flight in Miami.  The Houston crew, would miss theirs for sure.  So, we took our turn standing in line to get our flights from Miami to Houston/Washington DC re-booked to later ones.

The flight to Miami was uneventful although there was one tired flight attendant who didn't really seem to care where anyone sat as long as they did so quickly!  I also had to show the woman next to me how to turn off her cell phone!

Once we landed in Miami, the race was on.  We landed at 3:00 and with our original 4:30 flight (instead of the re-booked 7:10 flight) in mind, many of us took off.  I felt like we were in an episode of the Amazing Race!  Those of us who didn't have checked bags (all but Greer, Liz, Tom, Terri, and Christian) and the Houston Crew, raced through Immigrations and Customs and back through security to the gate of the 4:30 flight. Some good rum was sacrificed for getting on this flight as we didn't have time to get it in the checked luggage.  We all were able to rebook (again) our flights back to the original flight with only minutes to spare before boarding.  The rest of the group had to go through Immigrations and Customs, pick up their checked bags, recheck their bags, and go through security.  Unfortunately, that was too much to do to get on our original flight.  Thank you to the VA crew who did have the checked bags as those bags not only held their items but items for the rest of us as well!

Those of us on the 4:30 flight made it back to NoVA with no more delays although those on the later flight were delayed again for about 30 minutes (if I remember correctly).

While I write this, my pictures are uploading to Shutterfly and thoughts of my "normal life" return.  Most of us returned to work today although, I for one, was not as "there" as I usually am.  Many people want to know about the trip and what we did.  For me, it's not always easy to talk about right away.  I need a few days to adjust and process everything.  I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Thank you again for your continued prayers and support of our mission team as well as the Lazarus Project.

Continuation...Last Full Day

After breakfast we loaded up the truck and headed to Little Children of Jesus.  This facility cares for 90+ mentally and physically handicapped children and/or adults.  It's an amazing facility lead by a truly gifted and caring lady named Gladys Nolouse.  She has a staff of approximately 70 people who provide care twenty-four/seven.  In Haiti, mentally or physically challenged children or adults are often left behind.  So for our team, it's very encouraging and heartfelt to see these people cared for in such a loving manner.  As Pastor Bollinger said, "While their bodies may be broken, there is an alive and joyful spirit in all of them."  We felt we were all blessed by that today.  The biggest hit is Paul, who for the last three years, has made balloons of all sizes and shapes to share with the children. 

We returned to Hope House to finish the remaining jobs.  Joel's room has received one full coat of paint in both the bedroom and bathroom and all ceilings and walls have been repaired or installed.  We also completed two prototype benches to prove out the designs.  All is good.  We then cut wood for ten additional benches to be completed by future teams.  We like to think we set them up for success.  Others of the team found space in the storage depot for the chairs that will be used in the waiting area at the future clinic. 

To conclude the afternoon we ventured off to the metal workers village.  For the group this is interesting because of all the artistic work, as well as a real opportunity to walk and be about Haitians in a typical Haitian neighborhood.  It's safe to say that this mission group put a substantial amount of dollars into the Haitian economy.  The next trick was then to figure out how all those fine pieces of art were going to be packed in either suitcases or boxes within the weight and size restrictions.  After a lot of jiggering, cutting, and pasting, the mission was accomplished.  There should be no additional fees for excessive weight or size restrictions. 

For dinner we had a traditional chicken creole dish and mangoes for dessert.  Our devotional this evening was extremely reflective and emotional as people shared how this mission trip has impacted them and described the new relationships that were established and existing ones that were strengthened.  We all hope to share our experiences with our church community, friends, and others to stir interest in all the good things that are happening in Haiti. 

We as a mission team have appreciated those that have been following us on the blog.  We have enjoyed sharing our adventures and our serious moments, as well as our lighter ones.  Hopefully you all have enjoyed our communications.  We look forward to catching up with everyone upon our return. 

From Mark

Jim entertains us all with singing Christmas carols in Haiti.  Mark enjoys hearing "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow" every morning.  We all appreciate that Jim smokes his Cuban cigars outside the room, however, his clothes add a distinct contribution to our room fragrance. 

Last Full Day

Once again, it got to be evening yesterday and we were too tired to blog!  So here we are, picking it up again.  Last evening, Jim had an interesting tale of listening to a symphony of snorers.  He had Paul on his left; Mark, the Pavarotti of Snoring in front; and Greer, the team leader, on the right.  The concert lasted a good hour.  How do their wives survive?  Another interesting story - here in Haiti, Spam is a popular product.  Unbeknownst to our team, Sarah's father appears to be a Spam aficionado and provided us all with an in depth history of Spam.  Apparently, the worldwide Spam museum is 40 miles from his home. 

After lunch yesterday, the wall brigade finished their work with important contributions from Sarah.  We should note that the finishing work on the wall was to take the plaster and using your hands, smooth it on the wall.  That was a kindergarten skill we learned long ago.  Who would have guessed it would be of such value today?  The ceilings and walls were repaired in Joel's room and prepped for painting.  This mission trip literally has been about moving mountains of rock lead by our spiritual leader, Liz DeMik - and we mean literally moving rocks.  The task was to move the rocks to allow better access and maneuverability of the trucks up to the storage depot.  Liz used muscles she hasn't used in 20 years.  As our team observed Liz work, the Haitian workers actually gave her a hand.  The most unique experience of the day was to watch Popular climb the coconut tree and retrieve several coconuts which Stephen DeMik "skillfully" cut open.  Our mission team then had a taste of coconut milk while most were impressed, some were not.  One member considered it to taste like the stuff you drink before a colonoscopy.  Christian turned his coconut into a drum and Paul used his as a beer mug.  Following dinner, we continued our devotionals which have been a interesting time for spiritual reflection for all.

This morning many of our team members got a jump on today's projects with some painting the first coat in Joel's room and others building our prototype bench.  We're off to Little Children of Jesus.  More to follow this afternoon.   

Behind Schedule

We are 24 hours behind schedule with our last post being yesterday at noon.  The projects, the heat, and riding in our truck zapped us.  Thus, after devotions, it was to bed!  The evening was back to normal with no Haiti electrical power, therefore no air conditioning but warm, dead air. 

Yesterday afternoon the depot squad, after disposing of the rat, finished their work.  The wall brigade is a full row from completion and the wall/ceiling team are hoping to finish today.  Our team is really gelling with everyone contributing on their projects.  Following our work day yesterday, we travelled the short distance to Grace Orphanage run by Marie Major.  What jumped out at those of us that were here last year is that the structure has been completed.  The earthquake had flattened a two-story building that served as a large church on the first floor and a dormitory for 25+ girls on the second floor.  Today that structure is one floor with 3/4 devoted to the church and the remaining quarter serves as a dormitory for the girls.  Terri had prepared numerous crafts for the girls to which our group spent about an hour making crafts.  The girls enjoyed decorating scratch off crosses and painting sun catchers.  We are confused, however, as to why they went and washed all the paint off the sun catchers when they were done!  We are speculating that will provide them an opportunity to re-use the sun catchers at another time or they did not realize the paint would dry.  They also enjoyed listening to Christian's iPod and singing along to Eminem, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber.  We also spent time talking with Marie about the orphanage, its creation, and growth over the years.  Certainly Marie is making a difference.  We concluded the night with our devotion which has really been a worthwhile and insightful time with folks sharing how this mission experience is impacting them. 

Today we were again reminded just how difficult life in Haiti is.  Riding in the truck we witnessed men, women, and children cleaning the sewers that run along either side of the road which is a smelly, filthy job that we don't believe even Mike Rowe would consider doing.  The garbage coming out of the sewer is then three to five feet high along side the road and just waiting to be disposed of, which might come in the next century.  It's just very difficult to observe.  We did arrive today at Food for the Poor, which if you haven't observed this organization in action, it's really an enlightening and rewarding experience.  Today we toured the warehouse (included wall to ceiling bags of rice, beans, as well as other perishable and nonperishable items), distribution, and the actual feeding of the poor counted in thousands.  Once again, what really moved us was the food preparation and the distribution of food to the thousands of Haitians who depend on this free offering every day. 

After Food for the Poor, the plan was to visit the Little Children of Jesus orphanage, however, that had to be postponed due to a huge traffic jam which in Haiti is a huge constraint since there are no alternate routes.  So we opted to return to Hope House and continue our projects and moving our visit to LCJ tomorrow.  On our return home we all go to experience a Haitian grocery store which was well stocked, similar to our grocery stores, just not as large.  Unfortunately, these grocery stores serve 1% of the Haitian population and us foreigners. 

We just finished lunch and it's back to work!

A Hard Day's Work

Stop the presses.  The air conditioning was on ALL night.  Some of us had to wear long sleeve shirts to stay warm!  And no this is not a tall tale!

We started out the day with the opening school session at the Village of Hope.  It's always an interesting sight to see 600 kids packed into the open chapel and reciting scripture and songs.  We particularly liked the singing.  They sound like a professional group.  The kids were thrilled to see us, especially the younger ones.  One little girl asked for "photo" even before we had our cameras out.  Brian, Greer, and Jim were able to meet and visit with the children they sponsor.  It was a very rewarding experience. 

After an hour at school we headed back to Hope House to continue with making progress on our three projects.  The first one is building a new wall for the red depot.  Believe it or not, those working the wall (Jim, Will, Tom, Stephen, and Paul) are getting much better at masonry work.  Another group (Mark, Richard, and Dave) tackled one of the rooms where the bathroom ceiling was caving in.  They just finished framing out the bathroom ceiling and will install a new ceiling this afternoon.  Two people (Terri and Christian) are painting panels for the new ceiling while the rest (Liz, Sarah, Greer, and Brian) are cleaning up the depot.  Sarah, once again, had the pleasure of coming face to face with a rat, bringing back frightful of last May (Jennifer and Susan - you remember this?).   

We are taking a break for lunch before getting back to work and visiting Marie's orphanage!

Day of Worship

Once again it's Sunday and we had the blessed experience of worshipping at the Village of Hope.  The backdrop for worship service are majestic mountains and a beautiful blue sky.  Once again, the service was filled with joy and singing both in French, Creole, and English.  The music was lead by Jorel on his Italian-made accordian.  For those of you that are not aware of Jorel's accordian abilities, this is a self-taught gift. 

We were all very thankful that Stephen DeMik lead the American contribution to the service with all of us joining in at the end singing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." 

Following worship service, we took a tour of Petion-ville and the Delmas districts of Port-au-Prince.  These districts still suffer from the disastrous effects of the earthquake including collapsed buildings and numerous tent cities.  We all need to continue to pray for Haiti's reconstruction. 

Upon our return to Hope House, we started on our first project which was the reconstruction of a wall to the depot.   For all of us, this was a project that stretched our abilities since none of us were experienced in masonry work.  Not withstanding this constraint, through excellent teamwork we overcame and made significant progress today.  The job still requires two more days to complete.  Although we came here to serve, we are learning new skills and sharing the experience with old and new friends. 

We closed the evening with our evening devotional lead by Liz which means everyone needs to be involved.  One of the more touching moments was when Liz put Sarah's father on the spot by asking what he has learned about his daughter.  After pausing and a bit of a chuckle, he seriously shared that he was thankful that his daughter has surrounded herself with such outstanding and Christian people.  Anyway, the devotionals have provided a nice fellowship for everyone to share their thoughts and experiences. 

Today we spent quite a bit of time in the truck which means we are all beat up and beat red.  It's time for cold showers and a warm bed!  Until tomorrow...

Update

It's Sunday morning, we're well rested and enjoyed a traditional American breakfast of pancakes.  Just want to expand on a couple of comments last night.  The 1400 lbs of supplies will be distributed to the Lazarus Project missions of Village of Hope School (600 kids), Little Children of Jesus (100 kids), and Grace Orphanage (30 kids). 

During devotionals last night, the question was "what were your first impressions of coming to Haiti?"  The boys from Texas interestingly observed that God's hand was at work in just the number of American mission teams coming to Haiti to serve. 

More to come this afternoon.  Peace.

Arrival

The team has arrived in Haiti - 11 from Virginia and 3 from Texas.  For us veterans, not much has changed in Haiti.  It's hot, dusty, and the economic conditions are pretty much unchanged.  We are all excited with the opportunity to serve in Haiti and to make a difference. 

Today we spent time in fellowship and unpacking 28 suitcases filled with 1400 pounds of soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, diapers, school supplies, nails, and yes, more soap.  Tonight we experienced a traditional pumpkin soup, eaten by the Haitians on January 1st.  It is supposed to bring you good luck and a good year.  We hope this is a good omen for our service here in Haiti.

Needless to say, our entire team is tired due to everyone rising early (3 a.m. or earlier) to catch flights, make connections, and arrive in Haiti ready to serve.  All indications are such that we have excellent team chemistry and will have a rewarding experience as a team.

Tomorrow it's off to the Village of Hope School to worship with the students which is always an uplifting event.  More to come tomorrow!

Halfway (or so) There

After a brief flight from DC to JFK we are getting ready for our flight to Port-au-Prince. We are delayed leaving JFK but since we have a direct flight from here it's not too big of a deal. We are on the plane now just waiting for everyone to finish boarding. Once there we will meet up with Debbie and Bert and the Houston crew. Continue praying for safe travels for us!

Here We Go Again!

Next Saturday, February 19, members and friends of St. John's will again be traveling to Haiti.  This year's trip includes returning St. John's travelers Greer Putnam (our leader), Jim Lofgren, Paul Swicord, Tom & Liz DeMik, and Sarah Finger.  Joining us this year are fellow St. John's members Brian Hoins and Mark Guilfoil, as well as Sarah's dad, Richard Finger from Lewiston, MN; Reverand Stephen DeMik (son of Tom and Liz), Wil Schultz, and Dave Steele from Houston, TX; and Terry and Christian Markwart from McLean, VA.  We are excited to have them with us!

Those of us in VA met tonight to pack our suitcases of donated items.  Nails, bar soap, diapers, toothpaste, exam gloves, and other items filled about 20 suitcases that will be also be left in Haiti.  These suitcases become "dressers" for the Haitians to store their belongings. 

Thanks you to everyone for your continued support and prayers.  We will update as soon as possible once we arrive in Haiti!