Day 4 (Sun) from Dickie's Perspective

Sunday morning we were greeted by a beautiful sunrise around 5:15am. Today was a day of rest for the team and today we were traveled to Jacmel by van to visit the boys at the Trinity House Orphange. Our journey carried us through the heart of Port-au-Prince and some of the most devistated areas of the city. Port-au-Prince is teeming with people and the streets are lined with vendors of all kinds selling their goods in an attempt to seek out a means to support themselves and their families. Building debris and trash were everywhere as well as goats and pigs roaming about at will. However, in the mist of all the filth were saw many many people dressed in their finest and heading to their churches. Most were walking and carrying their bibles. Tents in the thousands were being used as temporary housing in “tent cities” which were parks or public spaces, Some were even set up in the streets when space was limited.

We crossed over the mountains through numerous villages along steep and winding roads. The farmers had somehow plowed many of the hillsides that were so steep it would even be hard to walk on them. Other areas had been totally denuded of all trees and vegetation creating a desert look. The temperature in the mountains was at least 20 degrees cooler than in Port-au-Prince. None of us got car sick but we were all ready to get out of the van by the time we arrived.

We were greeted by songs in Creole and English from the boys who were in the courtyard waiting for us. They appeared to be in ages from 5 to 18 years. Melshe, the director who was a raised at St. Joseph’s himself, took us all on a tour of their facility. Although the building received only minor damage they only used the building during the daytime and slept in tents in the backyard for fear of another earthquake. We attended Sunday worship with them which was spoken and sung primarily in Creole and lead by Melshe and took communion with them. Afterwards we were served a hearty lunch of rice and beans and a vegetable dish which was very tasty but which we could not identify. The boys changed into their play clothes and we joined them in their free time. They enjoyed playing dominos, playing basketball, and watching Doug play his guitar and some of our group singing.

We took a group of the boys swimming down at the local beach which was a 15 minute walk away through the countryside. We passed many families sitting outside on blankets or on their porches enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Not being a tourist destination, the beach was actually a protected cove which seemed to be a favorite spot for the local residence. Some of the smallest children swam naked and an older boy even made a makeshift swimsuit out of a black plastic garbage bag. The boys loved the water but surprisingly very few knew how to swim. It was a great bonding time for all of us and the children took to us as if they had known us for a long time. We then took the van back the long and winding road back to Port-au-Prince stopping to buy locally made metal art work as gifts and to resale back at HBUMC for a future fundraiser.

Day 4 (Sunday) Respite at Trinity House

"Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law… ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.”
~Romans 13:8,9b-10

Journey to Jacmel
Sunday morning we left early for Jacmel, located about 25 miles south of Port-au-Prince and an important port on the Carribean Sea. We went to visit Trinity House, the most recent and 3rd home established by the graduates of St. Joseph’s. It houses 15 boys and operates a day school for those who are too poor to otherwise get an education. Currently the St. Joseph’s boys are residing there, [except for the 8 who recently returned to St. Joe’s]. While there is no structural damage to the home, the boys are too frightened to sleep inside. The soccer field is filled with tents to house the Trinity and St. Joseph boys as well as neighbors in the area whose homes were damaged during the earthquake.


It was a most challenging drive over the beautiful Haitian mountains. We passed several rural communities and many people walking along the road dressed in their Sunday best. We arrived 2 hours later for Sunday worship with the boys. Melshi, who manages the home, welcomed us and took us for a tour of the home and the school.

Worship with the boys at Trinity House
We then gathered for Sunday worship with the boys. We listened as the boys prayed and sang in Kreyol, while Emilson drummed. Using the above scripture, Melshi spoke about love… the love of one for another. He said it was love that brought our team to Haiti and to Trinity House. It is because of our love for our neighbor that we traveled from home to be present in Haiti at this time. It is because of this love for one another that Trinity House is providing safe shelter to the neighbors in their community and to the St. Joseph boys who have been displaced. It is because of our love for one another that we can worship and share communion together on this day.

Respite with the boys at Trinity House
We enjoyed a Sunday meal of rice, beans and some mashed vegetables mixed with meat. Then some played dominos with the boys while others played music and sang.
Emilson joined us with his drum and even taught some of us techniques for changing the drum tone while drumming. We passed out candy and enjoyed simply being together on this day.

Fun and joy at the beach! We walked the 15 minute path from Trinity home to the small beach with several of the boys and went swimming in the water, so inviting to us after 3 days of dust and rubble coupled with the limited water ‘pail shower’. It was a local beach, and we were the only ‘blancs’ swimming there. I’m not sure who had more fun… the boys or each of us who took turns holding some of the youngest as they clung to us on our backs and fronts. Though somewhat unsure at first, Stephen & Lou Lou turned from hesitation and uncertainty to smiles and laughter with the waves and our encouragement.

After our fun at the beach the boys showed us their art. We each purchased one or more paintings to support their work and to remind us of our time with them. We hugged our goodbyes and loaded back into the van for another wild and crazy ride back to Port-au-Prince. Patrick, one of the St. Joe’s boys, returned with us and found great comfort in Dickie’s shoulder during his nap.

We found our way back into the congestion of cars, tap-taps, trucks and people in Port-au-Prince.

Driving in Port-au-Prince
The vehicles’ exhaust is offensive and dangerous to those with respiratory ailments. Black smoke billows out of exhaust pipes, tap-taps and trucks loaded beyond capacity each carrying people and their goods. Forget any seatbelt regulations, as we see people hanging off the back of the vehicles. We actually saw a boy squatting on the bumper of a pickup truck, catching a ride without the driver’s knowledge.

The streets are difficult to maneuver because the earthquake has created such an upheaval of pavement in various places.
I am reminded that the traffic here before the earthquake was seemingly chaotic compared to U.S. standards for road rules. Here it seems there are no ‘rules of the road’. Yet, as one negotiates the ‘new terrain’ left by the earthquake, it’s as though the drivers are playing ‘chicken’ or simply trying to find the least bumpy/bouncy path through the potholed road. Occasionally one waves to another in kindness, but it seems most are just trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible.

Many streets are lined with so many people going from one place to another as in most any city, though on these streets people must walk around piles of concrete rubble, or trash, or broken down vehicles, or clusters of tents housing displaced people. Their faces reflect the stress of their current situation. Women and men carry large baskets on their heads filled with the items they will sell on the street.

Back at St. Joe’s
We arrived back at St. Joe’s just before dark. Linda Bick, our ‘housemother’, who with her husband, John, is a long time supporter of the St. Joe’s family and currently visiting the home. She welcomed us back with appetizer of fresh made hummus and ‘holy bread’ left over from morning worship.

[Sidebar] Linda is the ‘angel’ who appeared when Dickie yelled ‘call 911’ Friday morning for help with Dene and Michael Guilenfeld said “I’ll call for the Dr.” Minutes later, Linda appeared. It turns out she is an ER doctor who claims anonymity while in Haiti to have her respite. She accompanied Mike and Dene to the hospital for treatment. It is with her knowledge and presence that Dene received the professional care he did.

We planned to go out for fast food dinner, but a heavy rain put the lid on that idea. Linda joyfully offered us dinner of lunch leftovers - spaghetti with cut up hotdogs. New people arrived from Denver today. They made great strides removing more of the structure that looms overhead hanging precariously. They used a harness to lower themselves off the roof and cut away the rebar that held the huge chunks of concrete floor/ceiling.

We had our final on-site team meeting: assessing the work accomplished and yet to be done. We packed our gear with flashlights due to the intermittent power, and turned in for the night. Morning prayer with the boys at 5 a.m. is not far off.

Reflection
The mountains are beautiful and they offered a break from the immense devastation, chaos, rubble and filth we saw in Port-au-Prince, and less so in Jacmel. Steep and terraced with agriculture crops dotting the landscape in rowed fields, these mountains serve to remind us of the beauty of this country, the beauty that is depicted so often in the Haitian art.

The current disaster relief effort here in Haiti is truly risky business. This debris removal is challenging work indeed! It is a daunting task that requires methodical, careful and continuous assessment. The expertise and resources called upon by this first mission team has been amazing! Each team member has served with a commitment to safety and teamwork. Michael G. said several times how much he appreciated our presence – for the work being accomplished, for the love we bring individually & as a group, and for the support we offer him and the St. Joe’s boys. We’ve shared daily prayers with them at 5 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Today we experienced so many juxtapositions -- darkness and light, chaos and order, sadness and joy, tears and laughter, grimacing and smiling faces, anger and kindness, ugliness and beauty, destruction and new growth, death and life, despair and hope. Amidst all of the sights, sounds and feelings of the day we were there together in love, supporting one another in all of it, feeling God’s presence with us, and remembering and praying for our teammate, Dene, and his wife, Sharon, as he awaits surgery Monday in Tampa.

Our team has so much gratitude for the many blessings we've experienced these past 4 days and for the prayers offered by so many for our safety during this time.
Blessings and peace....... The Team

Day 3 (Sat) with the St. Joseph's Family

How do you find hope and the courage to move to the next day when it goes on for miles? One damaged building after another. Continual rubble that impacts any traffic, vehicular or pedestrian. Piles of trash and then those endless rows and rows of tents and makeshift shelter, although to even suggest they are anything resembling shelter is more than a reach.

Today we began our second full day of work back up on the roof of St. Joseph’s and we ourselves continued to try and find answers. With three floors pancaked and roof slabs literally poised to slide off the remaining three stories, there is nothing here for the faint at heart. On this morning, however, as we worked alongside our Haitian crew, we persevered and drilled, swept, hammered, tossed, and slowly moved more rubble. The sun gets hot and the dust continues to billow but the successful removal of the collapsed roof slab from yesterday moves everyone forward and we know that each piece of concrete removed is improving the safety of the work site.

By lunch our team had dropped the last section of the former roof terrace. We had clipped several concrete columns that had been dangling three stories overhead of the pathway at St. Josephs between the remaining functioning buildings. Several layers of loose tiles and other materials had been pushed off the slumped roof structure and the next team will be able to start in an improved situation.

Following lunch, we then make the thirty minute drive up into the mountains to visit the site of Wings of Hope. This is the second of the three orphanages and it is home for some of the most outcast group in Haiti. Thirty plus handicapped children whose plight ranges from mental to severe physical impairments have for all practical purposes been abandoned by their families. Again we are reminded of the reoccurring question of finding hope in this situation.

At the present time, they are living in two adjoining rental homes. With their former home damaged and deemed unsafe, Wings of Hope is making do in these homes that were constructed as single family residences and not a group home. The staff has done a remarkable job in trying to provide a facility and program that continues to give care and love to these children. During our visit as we hand out candy, we are greeted by smiles, touches, and gestures and we know our being there matters.

On one level it is all very simple. Then it makes sense. It is simple. The answer for hope is not complicated. It is as simple as moving a pile of rubble. You pick it up and move it to another pile. You then move that pile again. After that you put the pile in a truck. And then you sweep and move forward into a better place.

God calls us to do that. Move the pile. Share the candy. Make the touch. Give the smile. Hope comes from those kinds of acts. A society that has been torn apart will find healing and a child that has been rejected will find love.

Progress Continues at St. Joe's

We started the day with a simple breakfast and arrived on the roof top about 06:00. We made great strides in accomplishing our goals of removing the fallen roof line. Unfortunately, Dene was injured a couple of hours into the work day when a piece of concrete fell on him. In a true unity of purpose and spirit we transported him to the L'Hopital General for X-ray and ultrasound. The X-ray determined that Dene's right pelvis is broken in a couple of places and the amazing team of American relief doctors determined that he should be sent back to the US for further treatment. Mike travelled with Dene on an air evacuation flight to Tampa this evening. Dene is resting comfortably tonight and the doctors say they will perform surgery tomorrow to set everything in place. Sharon (Dene's wife) arrived here this evening and is in with Dene now. They are about to move him to a private room for some much needed rest for both of them. Mike is booked on the first flight back to Port-au-Prince tomorrow morning to rejoin the team. Even through today's difficult situation, blessings have abounded.

The men continued to work on the concrete roof line. It was a glorious time when we were finally able to drop the concrete slab and lay it down on the roof so gently, it looked like a well choreographed dance. Great rejoicing occurred with our team and our Haitian brothers; they really came through during our time of need.

What a long ride to the hospital, many street vendors and many signs of poverty and then there were the hundreds of tents cities! It reminded Trevor of the aftermath of Katrina. Their future is as uncertain as ever. You have to filter the overwhelming and learn to see God’s will in the destruction.

peace, love, hope, and joy!

(some of these are Trevor's words, some Mike's)

Team Haiti Arrives at St. Joseph's

Thursday April 15^th

Early Morning Coffee:

Our team gathered at the church @ 4:45 a.m. Ruth and Jim Bryan along with Tim Price were there with fresh brewed coffee in the parking lot. After we closed up the 16 bins packed to the brim with tools, health kits, desperately needed bedding,

team snacks, and other necessities for the demolition work, Pastor Laura led us in a departing prayer. Our travel to Haiti went smoothly with an on time arrival. After a long wait for our baggage we moved through the chaos and finally out to the van. Anyone who has traveled to Haiti be

fore, understands the incredible disorder of getting through such a throng of men, each who eagerly want to take your bag and receive a tip.

A Cold Cup of Water:

The drive to St. Joseph’s Home for Boys was beyond description - ‘Tent cities’ clustered in various spots with

hundreds of tents and tarps …most of them are in the wide open sun, while a few have the luxury of some shade. Our eyes took in more than we

can begin to process at this time. Some places are total rubble having already been bulldozed – flat land now with the remains of cinder block and concrete. Other areas we passed have buildings in various states of destruction & collapse. The gas stations are rationing gas right now, so lines are very long and backed up into the streets, adding to the traffic on the road.

When we arrived at St. Joe’s we were greeted by Michael Guilenfeld with a glass of cold water and a the open arms of smiling boys. After the boys served us by unloading our luggage, we were served a delicious lunch of rice and beef stew. Lunch is the primary meal of the day. [Dinner later this evening was leftover stew or some of the many choices in the snack bin purchased by Mike and Doug. We are enjoying a wide diversity of snack food from Costco!]

We are staying in a building that was used as a home for the boys 20 years ago. We thought our lodging would be the tent on the roof, but we are fortunate to have the bunk beds in the home. Eight of the boys are back from Jacmel and helping to clean up the home. They will start school next Monday for their ‘end of grade’ exams.- the first school since the earthquake in January. School will continue through the summer to allow students to make up the school

time missed these past months.

Our First Task:

The women unpacked the bins and sorted through the food, tools & equipment, health kits, and games for the children. Some of the boys helped as well. Right after lunch the men headed to the roof of the St. Joseph’s home to strategize how to extract the overturned generator demolish the huge roof slab without damaging the immediately adjacent neighbor's home. It took all afternoon, and

while there was much progress and chipping away of mass, tonight it sleeps still anchored in a precariously dangerous position. The teamwork was especially wonderful to observe as they took time to discuss the vari

ous aspects of the daunting task. A gathering of neighbors assembled to watch attentively, especially those who questioned whether the slab would fall on their home! So far so good. To be continued……….