Our Day in Numbers

• 2 flights
• 4 plane taxis to the runway
• 2 return trips to the Port au Prince airport
• 1 sick woman
• 1 missed flight
• 10 margaritas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo
• 3 airports
• 4 security checkpoints
• 2 baggage claims
• 10 weary travelers
• and much, much more!

Our day started as usual with breakfast provided by Margaret and hugs and kisses from the neighborhood kids as they came for their breakfast. After loading the truck with 85% fewer bags than when we arrived, we were off to visit the Food for the Poor facility. There we were given a tour of the building as well as a "verbal tour" of the remarkable work this organization is doing. We were able to see the offices, the warehouse, the kitchen and the clinic. In the kitchen, workers were preparing the day's meal for the 3,000 families they serve daily. That's right - they serve 3,000 families each day! One representative from each family comes to the Food for the Poor kitchen and receives the food for their family. Michelle and Jim spent a few minutes serving the rice and pork sauce that were the day's offerings.

We then enjoyed one last hair-raising truck ride through the streets of Port au Prince on our way to the airport. We navigated the airport with ease and got through the 3 security checkpoints with no problems. Members of the group enjoyed having some time to do last minute shopping, especially in the duty-free shops! We boarded the plane on time and got settled. Then the adventure began...

After we taxied to the runway, the captain announced that animals and hazardous material had been loaded into the same cargo bay. Apparently this is against regulations. So we made the trip back to the airport, the items were separated and we should have been off. But, we had burned about 2,000 pounds of fuel during our little excursion to and from the runway so we had to refuel. We twiddled our thumbs as the temperature in the plane rose higher and higher and the air became stuffier and stuffier. And then we were off... or so we thought. We made yet another trip to the runway, only to be told that "when it rains, it pours." A woman on the plane was sick and needed to be seen by the medics. This did not sit well with many passengers who were sternly shushed by flight attendants! We returned to the airport where the medics escorted the woman off the plane. A riot almost occurred when we were told that the woman did have checked bags and it would take about 20 minutes to find and remove them from the plane. By this point, the flight attendants were scurrying up and down the aisles bringing water to passengers who were getting overheated. The woman next to Paul was very confused as to her temperature. She was sitting covered in a blanket, fanning herself, and asking for water because she was hot. Hmmmm...

Anyway, after the sick woman and the bags were removed, we were finally off to Miami! By this time, we were leaving almost 2 hours behind schedule and really had no hope of making our connecting flight. And we didn't. We made it through customs with no problem, Greer regained possession of all his items, and we were re-booked on a later flight to DCA. So what is a group of weary travelers to do with their 1 hour wait? Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in style of course! Mmmm... good margaritas!

Luckily, our flight from Miami to DC had no problems and we arrived in DC safely at around 10 p.m. After retrieving our bags and saying good-bye, we were off to be reunited with our family and friends.

Thank you to all for your prayers while we were away. I'm sure my teammates would agree that this was an amazing trip. We look forward to sharing our experiences with you on May 31!

More pictures will be uploaded soon!

Home Sweet Home

We are finally home after a long day of traveling. More updates tomorrow!

If the Shoe Fits

Today was our last full day in Haiti. The day began earlier than usual as we had to make the trip out to the Village of Hope school. We loaded up the truck with about 15 boxes of shoes and socks and headed on out.

Once at the school, we were mobbed by children who wanted to shake our hands, give us kisses and hugs, and spend time with us. Once we started taking pictures, we often heard the phrase, "take my photo." First we watched the morning assembly for the primary grades before watching the morning assembly for the Kindergarten students. The kindergarten students raised the Haitian flag, sang the National anthem and then greeted us with the song, "Rejoice in the Lord Always." A video will be uploaded when we return to the states. It was interesting to see that Haitian boys have as much trouble walking in a line as American boys!

We then swiftly dispatched to the chapel for our shoe fitting operation. The kids were ready before we were even done emptying the truck. Our shoe fitting operation consisted of one person measuring the children's feet and writing down their shoe size, then passing them onto another person to fit their new shoes to their feet. Some students were an "easy fit" and others took several attempts to find shoes that fit. We also gave each child a pair of socks. Some received an extra pair because the ones they came to school in were in such bad shape that they needed to be thrown away. Midway through the fittings, we were treated to lunch in the cafeteria. We dined on rice and beans with fish sauce. It was enough fuel to get us through the rest of the shoe fittings. We were able to fit about 250 students with a "new" pair of shoes and socks! Many of us feel that if the economy continues to decline, we would be able to get jobs as shoe fitters at Payless (can you say BOGO?). Paul Swicord, particularly, has a bright future ahead of him in the children's shoe market. We also taught many deserving children the exploding fist bump.

We got back to Hope House and after a short rest, we headed to Cite des Artistes de Nailles - the metal workers enclave. This area, for those that have not visited before, features the craft work of artisans who shape used 55 gallon oil drums into a number of objets d'art. Our team did a good job of boosting the local economy. We also procured a priceless piece of metal work to present to St. John's at our fair and presentation on May 31.

On our return home, Jim was worse than a four year old boy asking "where is the bathroom?" It did not help that we passed another funeral procession complete with trombones, school children in uniform, and a white hearse covered in flowers. We are glad to report that Jim made it back to the compound in time!

Once we returned, part of the group spent an hour with some of the neighborhood kids who hang out at Hope House decorating foam crosses that Susan contributed. The men stained a new bench for the Hope House. They applied an initial coat of polyurethane. The finishing coat will be applied bright and early tomorrow m0rning. After a delectable dessert by Chef Margaret of mango crisp and ice cream and reviewing our wrap-up details, the team closed with an order of Compline and Communion.

Tomorrow... homeward bound! Pray for safe travels!

Bon Berger (Good Shepherd) Sunday

musical, satisfying, good exercise, emotional, experiential, artistic, awe-inspiring, stimulating, resonant... These are the words our group is using to describe our amazing day in Haiti.

Our day started with the preparation for the church service's children's message. Today is Good Shepherd Sunday and Pastor Campbell had a brilliant idea that not only taught the story to the children, but made use of the abundance of NBA-sized socks that were donated to the Village of Hope. Using the ancient art of fabric origami, we produced near-authentic replicas of sheep ears. See pictures...

Our first jaunt out to Village of Hope and the countryside, was humid. We saw a number of cattle and goats, and fortunately for the purpose of our illustration at the children's message - sheep. Because it had rained the night before, Pastor Bollinger, despite his valiant efforts and driving skills was unable to overcome the hairpin turn and incline up to the water pump house overlooking the Village of Hope. We made the rest of the trip on foot, including a trip up a metal ladder to the edge of the water pump house. The view was majestic as we overlooked the Village of Hope. We were also able to see the Dominican Republic from our vantage point. See picture...

After our climb back down the hillside, we attended church with about 45 of the Village of Hope students. We presented the students with the butterflies made by the Sunday School students of St. John's. Then it was time for the children's message... Lead by the "Good Shepherd - Greer Putnam," the rest of us acted as the sheep with our sock ears and followed him around the chapel - except for Heidi, the lost sheep. We then gave each child their own set of sheep ears. We were all touched by the gusto at which the children sang the hymns in French and Creole. See pictures...

Then we saw a naked witch doctor.

We had lunch out today at the Visa Lodge - a resort hotel. The food was fabulous! We had salads, lasagna, pizza, ham, rice, lentils, green beans, and more! The desserts were interesting. When Yvette was told that the dessert tart might be a "date tart" she said, "that's not cool."

We were joined at lunch by Jarel (pronounced just like Superman's father), the church service planner and accordian player. He patiently answered many of our questions and provided new insight into life in Haiti. Jarel also joined us for our second trip to the Little Children of Jesus house. The children were ecstatic to have him there and listen to his music. They played musical chairs and danced around. Michelle is a vicious musical chairs player and Greer runs a mean conga line at Jim's direction. See pictures...

After a quick break back at Hope House, we walked to the Grace Mission Orphanage. We enjoyed the chance to walk through the neighborhood and see the people. At the orphanage, we painted sun catchers with the girls. They seemed to really enjoy the activity and painting on their hands! We enjoyed seeing the girls and the work Marie Major is doing. One little girl asked Yvette if she knew Jackie Chan! In the chapel, some other children were practicing for a wedding on Saturday. We were able to watch them practice dancing which was very neat. The afternoon, especially, was very emotional for some of us. One little girl at the orphanage was just dropped off today and several others had only been there a few days. See pictures...

Continue to pray for the Lazarus Project including the Village of Hope, Little Children of Jesus house, and the Grace Mission Orphanage and for our group. And tomorrow...shoes!

(See video highlights of the children at Village of Hope school and the dancing at the Little Children of Jesus house)

Written by Sarah, Christine, Yvette, Michelle, Jim, and Pastor Campbell

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

Today's grand adventure was a trip out to the Baptist Mission in the mountains above Port-au-Prince. Despite it being a Saturday morning, traffic and people abounded. We learned a new meaning of "bumper to bumper." NoVA traffic has nothing on Haitian traffic! We had about 100 close calls and gained a deep appreciation for Pastor Bollinger's driving skills.

At about 2700 feet, we stopped at an area known as the "Overlook" which featured a majestic view of greater Port-au-PRince stretching from the narrow part of the Bay of Gonaives in the west to the nearer of the two Haitian lakes bordering the Dominican Republic in the east. Pastor Bollinger gave us a visual tour of Port-au-Prince from a birds-eye view showing us the presidential palace, the National Cementary, the National Cathedral, and the national soccer stadium. We also saw Port-au-Prince's sole airport with its 10,000 foot long runway cutting a large swath through the heart of the urban sprawl. He also pointed out City de Soleil, the worst of Haiti's slum on the coast.

The overlook also featured our first encounter with some of Haiti's first merchants and their very assertive sale techniques. Greer made friends very quickly. We were offered many "sweet" deals. They threatened to turn sour if we neglected them. They continued to offer good bargains as they clung to the truck as we began to drive away.

Leaving the overlook, we continued our exciting adventure in Haiti's version of "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride." (Look up Disneyland if you don't know what that is.) The roads were mostly paved. The paved roads were mostly pot-holed. Many of our crew quickly discerned that standing up was much better than sitting down. Jim applied his down-hill ski technique to riding in the back of the truck. Those "lucky souls" who rode in the cab got a smoother ride but were unable to look away from oncoming traffic. Sarah banged her head once or twice which may effect her leg-wrestling skills.

Arriving at the Baptist Mission, we promptly disembarked and headed to the bathroom and then the snack bar. The snack bar offered many fine food choices including one sandwich named "The Tourist" which was American cheese and ham. There was also an "internationally famous" grilled ham and cheese on home-made wheat bread. The wheat bread was excellent. Pastor Campbell ordered a "Santo Domingo" and got a "Havana." See him for more details. We toured the facilities at the Baptist Mission which included a large gift shop, bakery, clinic, and classrooms. The mission also had its own zoo. The zoo could fit inside St. John's upper parking lot. It featured a monkey, a crocodile, an iguana, a boa constrictor, a number of apathetic peacocks, and more rabbits than the rest of the animals in the zoo combined. The local museum was apparently curated in a distinctly Haitian style --- which is to say that organization was not its strong suit. It included displays on political history, world currency, local wildlife, voodoo, artifacts from the colonial era, local arts, and a suitcase wrapped in misprinted Maxwell House coffee cans. More merchants congregated outside the entrance to the Baptist Mission and were more than glad to offer their wares in assertive fashion. Michelle is the person to have with you if you need to drive a bargain!

Pastor Bollinger then took us on a surprise visit to Fort Jacques. As we learned from our impromptu yet well-informed Haitian tour guide, Fort Jacques was built following the liberation of Haiti in 1804 in an effort to keep the French from retaking the country. The fort is at the top of one of the tallest mountains surrounding Port-au-Prince. Our guide gave Paul an "authentic" cannon ball to carry around for most of the tour. The guide told us the cannon ball would be shot out of the cannon and then roll down the street. (The fort, ironically, was designed by French engineers.) The fort is now a popular cultural site. We engaged with many locals while visiting the fort.

The ride down the mountain was no less exciting than the ride up. We ended the day with a trip to the supermarket. On our way there, we encountered a Haitian funeral procession complete with a marching band, hearse covered with flowers, and many people walking along side.

More to come tomorrow....

Good morning from Haiti!

Just a quick update...

So far today we have sorted socks. Many will be great for any NBA players we find! We sorted out the ones that can be given to the children at the school on Monday when we give them their shoes.

We are now getting ready to leave to go to the Baptist Mission. It's about an hour and a half drive. While there we will have a great view of the city, visit a museum, and a zoo. We will also visit some shops - yay!

Have a blessed day!

Loafers, Laptops, et les enfantes

Today is a National Holiday in Haiti - May Day. There was no school which means we did some things around Hope House. The morning started with sorting shoes to take to the school on Monday. There were about 1600 pairs to sort by size, while other team members updated 12 donated laptops to be used by university students and as part of a lab at the school. Pastor Campbell said he didn't know he'd come to Haiti to do tech support! We all have our gifts. We're glad he did - it was a huge help!

After lunch, we visited the lot where 3 houses are being built on land purchased by Pastor Larry and Margaret Bollinger. The houses were paid for Pastor Larry and Margaret, and Greer and Nilah Putnam. The construction is being overseen by Food for the Poor. The houses contained two rooms with exterior kitchens and bathrooms. Construction is all concrete and done inside of three weeks. The lot was about half the size of the St. John's playground - all for three houses. For those of you who like hard work, the concrete was made on site. They started with the rocks, split the rocks, sifted through them, and then used the powder, mixed with water, to make cement. This was used as a plaster-type material on the sides of the house.

We then went to visit Little Children of Jesus orphanage. It's an orphanage for 101 mentally and physically handicapped people. This was an amazing experience, emotionally. It was so neat to see the smiles on these children. We spent time hugging them, holding their hands, blowing bubbles, making balloon fish, and showing them love. A Haitian proverb says, "You'll never know that God is all you need, until God is all you have" which resonated with the our team today.

We returned to Hope House and visited with several neighborhood children. We played "soccer" and baseball with Stevie and Job. Job has a future in the MLB!

And we also learned today that Paul Swicord is "the most handsome, strongest, and nicest man we know," which we learned from him!

Until tomorrow...