There was a common question among the Haiti 2009 mission team that was asked quite often before the flight back to JFK, “When I get home, how do I tell people about this experience?” Meaning, how can you describe to family, friends, co-workers and the members of Immanuel Lutheran Church everything that was seen, felt, and learned in Haiti. The answer we were most fond of was “Go to Haiti and find out for yourself.” There is so much more to be said about this place than what we can't do justice by saying.
Arriving in the country, getting all 24 of our 50 pound bags filled with supplies from the conveyer belt, and driving through the streets of Port-au-Prince in a 13 passenger van was a feat within itself. Walking through the door of the orphanage instantly made all the heat and hassle well worth it. We were kissed, hugged and lovingly welcomed, all of us walking around with a child on each arm. You couldn’t help but feel an immediate connection with some of these kids. This was on the first day. We stocked the shelves with food, much of it donated by the members of ILC, and left for the day, eager to come back the next morning.
The next three days were spent at the orphanage. The orphanage consists of two buildings, one for the boys and one for the girls. The girls’ house contains the school, which is where we did most of our work. It’s a cinderblock structure that overlooks shanties on all sides. It is surrounded by ten-foot cement walls topped with barbed wire and is entered through a steel gate containing a peep hole. At one side of the enclosure there is a 20x40’ (approx.) courtyard where the kids play.
We spent our time building beds, a ping-pong table, a corn hole game, basketball backboards(Emanuel, one of the sixteen year old boys, drew and painted the design on the backboards in a single evening with the NBA logo), a desk , and re-doing a “girls room”. Everyone helped with the projects. Lucas and Peter built the corn hole. Sara, Adrian and Christian built the ping-pong table. Dave was everywhere a technical problem occurred. Stephanie and Shannon were the painting crew in the art room. Twyla and Beth (a team member from Community Congregational Church, Andover, MA) were the sewing mavens with some of the girls. Marilyn helped Bev in the girl’s room where we painted the ceiling and walls. The finishing touch was arranged by Bev. She and Hal had professional pictures taken of the girls. Then Bev blew them up to poster size. Dave Lutz came through with the mechanical solution for hanging the pictures without using a hammer drill on cement block walls. The pictures were a huge hit with the girls.
We cannot forget all that Papa Hal accomplished. He was the underlying force that kept everything running smoothly. We all knew that he rather be painting but he kept to his task of time and logistical organization. Without Hal working everyday to secure clean drinking water, hardware, transportation. Every night, after devotions Hal met with Dr. Bernard to discuss the needs of the orphanage. He worked tirelessly and Bev was there supporting him and keeping him moving forward. God certainly blessed us with their leadership.
Some people in the group brought things like nail polish, beads, bubbles, sandals, and games for the kids to have. One thing we were all amazed by was the children’s eagerness and willingness to share these little gifts. In America it’s “mine, mine, mine”, but at HFC it’s “ours, ours, ours”. The girls made the team member’s bracelets made out of plastic string and sometimes you would get a little letter from one of the boys or girls saying how much they appreciated you being there. These three days of work were long and hot, but not once did someone complain. We all knew what we were there for. During the process of building things the children needed, we were simultaneously building loving and everlasting bonds.
The fourth day was a pool party and day of fun for the boys and girls of HFC. 50 kids from ages 8-19 were all running around at the same time. Some swam, some played corn hole and basketball, and some just sat around enjoying the company and the change of scenery. At the end of the day it was time to say goodbye. We weren’t prepared for the sadness we felt in leaving them. In just four days these special creatures of God, had opened our hearts and made us all feel a love that was just so real and pure. The children of HFC didn’t care about our pasts, where we had been, wrongs we had done. They didn’t care about how our hair looked (awful), or the type of clothing we were wearing. They showed us examples of love at its best, and they showed us how to be more like Jesus.
The children are very close to each other; however you can tell that they need so badly the love of a family. It really is God’s blessing that the majority are being adopted. Please keep these children in your prayers, especially those whom are not being adopted, that they might receive the education they need to enter into university. They truly are the Hope for Haiti.
Sunday was church at Baptist church, where we were invited to sing two songs in front of the congregation. God was certainly with us that morning because we sounded so good!! The remainder of the day was spent as a group along with five of the HFC kids that we took back to where we were staying. This was a treat for the students with the highest grades. We all enjoyed our day of rest.
Every member of our team had a paperbag mailbox. So if we chose to write something to uplift someone else on the team, or if we saw them do something we were proud of, we’d stick it in their mailbox. Every morning we ate breakfast together and every night we ate dinner together. Some food was suspect, some was really good, we ate it all, but we never drank the water! We also closed our day with devotions. These were the times his Holy Spirit was working in us and bonding our team together.
On our last day we took the three our trek to the town of Cazele. This is where the rescue mission is located that Davis Zachery and his two daughters run. This clinic sees between 250-300 people a day. Most of the babies and toddlers that are there are being treated for malnutrition or burns from pots of oils that their families cook with. We provided the clinic with some supplies and a mixture of peanut butter and vitamins that they feed the malnourished with. The nurses said that this simple mixture has saved many lives. Our congregation supports this rescue mission, and should surely continue to. Davis Zachery and his family do wonderful, selfless work. His dedication to the Lord is something we strive to obtain. On the way back from Cazele, we got a flat tire on our van. Ralph, our driver, changed it in record time! Sorry all you men of ILC, have you ever changed a tire on a 13 passenger van in less than five minutes!? Only in Haiti…
Our team went to Haiti on a mission’s trip, to do the work God wanted us to do. We all came back realizing that Haiti did way more for us than we did for it.
A huge thank you to Hal and Bev Cleveland for all their hard work they put into organizing this trip. Our congregation is blessed to have them with us. Thank you to our church family for all your prayers and support.
God’s Blessing,
Marilyn Dempsey and Sara Williams