St Marc Sunday

May 28, 2007

We were invited to St Marc for church on Sunday; let me tell you of a few things on the agenda. Church in Haiti is like no other anywhere and is well into the interactive mode of worship. At any given time there are at least three things going on; constant music, musicians tuning their instruments, announcements and/or preaching, singing, parents disciplining children, someone chasing the goats out of the entry – there are no dull moments in church in Haiti.

The day started with a review of the baptismal candidates; a few questions and then a procession of some 45 minutes through the streets on the way to the beach of St Marc that is truly beautiful. The procession included a brass band; three sets of choral ensembles; the candidates and approximately 4-500 additional congregation members to witness the baptisms. It was a unique service in a wonderful beach setting with all in attendance singing and praising God for each who participated.

Returning to the sanctuary we were guests of the pastor today and as such were requested to sit on the platform – within a foot of the drummer. After a rousing rendition of several songs that were unfamiliar we were recognized by the pastor to the congregation; followed by an additional set of familiar hymns followed by three to five numbers by each of the three choral groups – within a foot of the drummer.

Hardly had we finished when it was time to recognize the new members (20+) and those newly baptized followed by recognition of those visiting from sister churches and those in church for the first time. Following this was an opportunity to sing again – within a foot of the drummer.

A short recognition of the Mothers in the pews (it was Mother’s Day in Haiti) by a poem read by one of the older children – translated it was quite emotional and was a wonderful experience. Now that the prelude was out of the way it was time for church – a message preached out of Malachi (foreshadowing for the launch of the building fund to come later) and from what I could understand quite intense.

Next on the agenda was Communion – a wonderful presentation and we were grateful to partake of the Lord’s Supper with our Haitian friends. Then comes a few more songs – yes, the drummer is still quite nearby. Now it is time for the message (the Malachi text was just to make all aware that a building campaign was coming) out of Matthew to the newly baptized. In anyone’s mind now it is certainly time to call for an offering and wish everyone a joyous Sunday – did I mention the drummer?

It is now time for Celebration of the First Fruits – as only the Haitian community can celebrate! There was dancing and singing; conga trough the aisles; offering of first fruits of the harvest; more singing, more dancing. By the end of this I was certain we were heading home; it was after 1PM and we had arrived at 7:30AM; the drummer was about out of drumsticks…

Next came the finale of the day; the launch of the building campaign. This is done somewhat differently in Haiti as it becomes a challenge between the men and the women as to who can raise the most of launch day. Singing, dancing, more singing, more dancing; the men pass a basket; the women pass a basket. Monies are tallied and the baskets are passed a second time – and the drummer drums onward… By now I am trying to understand what is going on to explain it to a visiting gentlemen from Michigan here training at the hospital; I realize that it is being explained to me but that I can no longer hear anyway.

The counting occurs a second time; the tallies are announced and the women win again – the choral groups are going wild by now; the intensity is something one only sees in the States with the score tied in the Super Bowl with 4 seconds left on the clock and it’s fourth and thirty yards. The pastor calls the offering to a close amid shouts for yet another passing of the baskets from the men and fortunately all make it out of the church, conga style, with the music at an incredible decibel and the drummer trying to be heard above it all. “Film at Eleven” – I can simply do it no justice in writing. Pastor Ross would be amazed. Total time in the service: 7:30AM – 3:00PM.

As we are passing out the pastor sends for us and we find lunch has been prepared by the congregation for us as appreciation for our attendance. Haitian food is among the best I’ve eaten and I cannot tell you how much I’m enjoying it here currently. It is unfortunately extremely high in those things that cause blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. but one only lives once on this Earth…

God's Chosen Ones

May 25, 2007

We have been fortunate over the years to know many around the globe working in service to others; in Haiti are two of God’s finest who have labored here for over 20 years. We have known Gregg and Gail Ennis for some 15 years with my having made my first Haitian mission trip in 1992 to assist in laying the foundations for a small church in Le Beule, a small mountain village above Port au Prince. It’s 15 years later now, Jane has joined me some 10 years ago, and we are hardly into our current trip as we start the planning for the next year.

The Ennis’ started here in 1982 and remained until 1986 before returning to the United States. In 1992 Gregg returned to start another span of service to the Haitian people via short trips for construction purposes and returned full time with Gail in 1994 with an official title of “evangelism and construction” – allow me to share a bit on those terms of description.

Gregg and Gail together oversee the operations of 121 “stations” (church buildings, palm groves, tin sheds, etc) including 65 physical church buildings; 9 ministry structures including a hospital, a Bible school, 2 transit housing (used for visiting mission construction teams) facilities, 4 mission staff lodging facilities and a guest house in two separate towns separated by some 100+ miles. Add to that a vehicle fleet of 8 counting construction trucks and everyday transportation and you start to get the picture of incredible dedication and perseverance.

Gregg oversees all construction projects including new church buildings and additions to existing structures (the Haitian church continues to grow at 9-12% yearly); maintenance of the hospital and all remaining facilities. In addition, he manages the upkeep of over 50 water wells across the country drilled over the period of 20 years that provide in some instances the only fresh water for an entire village. Actively involved at the community level, Gregg also has also assisted in the ongoing reforestation program set up to restore trees to the mountains overlooking Dessalines.

Gail oversees the ongoing ministry of providing food, clothing and education for some 9800 sponsored children; feeding of some 22,000 daily (you can’t feed only those sponsored by someone in the States) in over 75 different school locations throughout the country. During the last “occupation” of Haiti and the ousting of President Aristide she and Gregg were forced to leave the country and turn the administration of the International Child Care Ministries over to her staff that she has personally trained over the last years. This staff has carried on remarkably well and continues to manage the operation today.

Their newest task involves the work of building an administrative system of processes and procedures for the hospital in Dessalines to assist it in returning to a self supporting status. Since arriving in October the patient load at the Dessalines Rural Health Program has risen from 30 to over 100 daily with the assistance of part time work from a variety of doctors and nurses supplied by the government as well as personal contacts in the United States devoting weeks/months of time.

Pray with us for these whom God has chosen who, with their incredulous determination, have impacted the lives of literally thousands over the years. Please pray for their health and safety; for the funding that is required annually to keep these operations functioning and additional funds required to expand the current health programs. Pray for the lives of so many here dependent on this facility and its outreach. DRHP is the only medical care for over 200,000 people (private medical practices are for the elite of Haiti and do not serve the general population) in this region. Pray for the doctors, nurses and equipment that keep this facility functioning. Together, as we petition God for assistance, we can make a difference.

It's Sunday!

May 20, 2007

It is Sunday and church starts here around 8:30AM and lasts around two hours; 3-400 people gathered in a sanctuary roughly half the square footage of the 121CC foyer; 90F outside – considerably up from that inside – and did I tell you they love to sing? There is no experience quite like a Haitian worship service; I will attempt to record same before we return and once I’ve determined how to turn down the gain considerably on Paul’s equipment. If there is one thing a Haitian Christian does well it is place every ounce of vocal ability into the singing!

I have often shared with you my position concerning “hymns of the faith” and their absence in church today – most have replied (including two separate pastors on two separate continents) with a simple “get over it” to my dismay. Let me assure you, the Lord knew what He was up to when He directed those old hymns be written - they survived so that Americans speaking no Creole could worship in the Haitian church. It was a bit of challenge to try and make the congregation understand I was weeping as the very Spirit of God caught us in singing these old hymns!

Jane and I were introduced to the congregation (happens each time we return) and all were most appreciative of our coming to assist in the hospital renovation. As only the Lord could have it; we seated ourselves directly behind an ancient little lady who appeared to have perhaps founded the town of Dessalines back when John Jacque Dessalines landed. Perhaps half way through the service it became apparent that worshipping the Lord was no “Sunday” thing for this woman as she lifted her hands high in praise and adoration to her Creator.

Toward the end of the service Jane and I were advised that this was the little old woman for whom Jane had carried home a burden to build her a house! The same widow that many of you have donated to help us construct what will certainly be here last Earthly home! Today we were advised that the woman had been served eviction notice that she was to leave her home in 30 days! Believe it, I tell you the truth. We have arrived in Haiti 30 days before she is to be evicted from her home with funds in hand to construct a new home – on land that was donated. Today. My prayer is that you are seeing the reality of your prayers and offerings for this trip – it is a story of hope and significance; a miracle in real life terms. I weep as I write this; I am believing God to place the reality of what you have all done along with us to complete this need in the life of one so dear to Him.

I urge you all to start planning for your next trip to Haiti, it is a life-changing experience for which you will never regret the challenge it takes to get you here. Come join us next time as God directs; there is no joy greater than serving others in His name. Here is where the stories you hear others tell originate; here is where God alone allows you to reach within yourself to find someone you have not yet met; Praise the Lord.

The Hospital

May 19, 2007

We spent today at the hospital, arriving about 6AM and leaving the hospital 12 hours later at exactly 6PM. I spent the day power washing the walls in preparation for the painting to come sometime later next week. It was an exhausting day blowing off paint chips and a lot of unidentified material (details of which I will spare you) from literally thousands of square feet of wall space. The saving grace for the day was that it was pretty much shaded as the hospital grounds contain a good share of the remaining trees in Dessalines – the remaining trees have been harvested years ago for charcoal for cooking.

Jane has spent the day inside (roughly 95F) sorting through hundreds of patient records as she continues the job she started here earlier in the year. Many have stopped by to greet her as she has become somewhat of an enigma to these Haitians who wonder openly why anyone would come to serve in such a place as Dessalines. She has friends from previous visits that are letting out her secret of knowing perhaps enough Creyole to “get by” in a pinch as I have heard some simple conversations taking place that end in both parties walking away quite satisfied.

Our goal here is to make the hospital self sufficient or nearly so as the Lord will provide as there are great needs in the community of Dessalines (25,000 population) and the surrounding areas (an additional 175,000 people) in various mountain villages. A simple birth here jeopardizes the lives of mothers simply due to the distance and quality of medical care. Dessalines Rural Health Project (DRHP) provides the key medical care for disease, malnutrition, broken bones, HIV, AIDs, malaria and the only legitimate dental work in the region to name just a few of the “specialties” offered.

A young man came by today as we were working to share with Jane the miracle of his life being spared by the staff of DRHP. He had been shot in the leg in a neighboring village with the bullet going into the thigh and out the calf; infection had set in by the time he managed to get to the hospital and the lower part of his leg had to be removed. He and his wife were praising God that his life was saved and how fortunate he was to have medical facilities so “close by”! Jane and Gail had listened to his story earlier and when he discovered that the husbands were working outside he hurriedly directed his wheelchair outdoors to share the good news with Gregg and me as well. There is a huge lesson in all of this somewhere for each of us, I am certain.

We spend the evenings in somewhat of a “share the load” mode with the two other couples residing here currently with each actually preparing an evening snack/meal every third day.
Again Jane is in charge as it would make no sense to delegate something so important to my care. Each couple returns to their “home” apartment around 8PM with “lights out” occurring roughly at 9-9:30PM; the resident fowl arise at about 3:30AM and it’s pretty much cat-naps from then until daylight.

May 18, 2007

An intriguing day, very much like the Haiti I remember; take anything simple and make it complicated! A trip to the hardware store to replace a fitting in the USA is an hour’s time out of the day; in Dessalines it is a 4-hour trip back into Port au Prince. “No Problem” is the favorite local retort to these type issues and then proceed to ignore the item that created the concern hoping it will go away!

I’ve had only a day to snap a few pictures but hope they will help you to connect to our efforts here in Dessalines. On our way out of Port au Prince (PAP) I snapped the little boy begging in the streets – perhaps 6 years old – for his day’s food. It is truly a country of amazing contrasts as the wealthy always seem to be building; those living in poverty are on the streets daily simply trying to exist.
We made our way to Dessalines and will be spending the month here basically with bare essentials of water, food and shelter and very little additional. The housing here is provided by a Canadian businessman related to much of the mission work here in Dessalines; food for the most part is obtained at the local market by our capable Elanje – a wonderful lady of extreme talent to tend to our every need; water is obtained from a processed source – one need only look at the water here and wonder how these children survive. I’ve included a picture of the complex; it looks quite nice against the mountain backdrop.
Days here are quite hot, registering around 90+F easily by 10AM; perhaps as high as 100+F or better by noon and cooling down only after sunset around 6:30PM. Morning starts around 5AM with coffee and fresh bread from the street vendors; noon meals are the larger of meals with perhaps a cookie and coffee later in the evening.

Visited the hospital today to determine a game plan for painting – I think it will boil down to something very similar to the Nike sports equipment slogan – “Just Do It”. Seems to be a series of endless walls with multiple colors of which none have seen a fresh coat of paint applied for many years.

Today was Flag Day; I caught a picture of one of the local celebrations for you. There is no work done (well, scheduled work, anyway) on this day as the people are quite proud of their independence and want to celebrate the occasion.

Spent the afternoon chipping a shower pipe out of a solid concrete wall; seems the last plumber in residence split the fitting attempting to replace a showerhead – as they say here “No Problem!” Started at 10AM – finished around 4PM and have little to show but a rather small hole in the wall. Managed to get the part off that needs replacing; now must schedule a trip into PAP to obtain the fitting.

I’ll share a day with you in Jane’s world here in our next communication.

It's Time To Go...

We are hours away from our next trip to Dessalines, Haiti with few words that can describe our amazement as we have watched God provide for our needs. To see the outpouring of faith in our efforts in the form of prayer, equipment and supplies and financial giving has brought us literally to weeping for joy at what we will be able to present to our Haitian friends on your behalf.

As we look back over the last several months it is impossible to perceive the series of events that placed us without the funding we needed to obtain the materials, equipment and finances for our upcoming project. Our Haitian involvement has taken a lot over the years in terms of time and determination in addition to the vast amounts of funding needed to make the projects viable and this was to be no different.

We will be providing oversight and materials for a fresh coat of paint over both the exterior and interior walls of the structure as well as continuing a process of developing administrative procedures started some months earlier to bring the hospital back to a self-funding position. This will be the first of a multi-year plan developed by the staff in Haiti as a priority in order to make the Dessalines Rural Health Program a viable community asset once again. As we have shared with you previously, this takes a vast amount of time and funding.


If this were not enough in itself we were challenged to come up with a house (yes, you are reading this correctly) for a widow woman in the village where we will be working. The home in which she is currently residing has started to split apart in the upper corners and a section of the roof is leaking beyond correction. Without funding or local support this widow will shortly be forced into the streets as she has only the handouts given by those in the local church.

In April, shortly after an incredibly large, unplanned, tax burden wiped out our “Haiti Savings” we were challenged to pray for the significant needs of this next trip and literally had no means of procuring these ourselves in the time remaining.

As we began to pray and asked those of you who have shared with us in prayer to lift our needs to God we began to feel a sense of comfort and quiet about the matter. Ever concerned about being proper stewards of what God has provided to us, we admittedly have shown our concerns as the dates have grown closer and yet felt the Lord’s presence in all that we have done in preparation. It is uniquely God who has directed the steps over these last few days as the materials, equipment and finances have started to flow in abundance. We have received outpourings of prayer and financial support in excess of what we had ever anticipated.

We had set a goal for ourselves early in the planning and determined to meet that goal up until the day the IRS took away our savings for the trip – but God had other plans. As the time to depart approaches rapidly it has literally escaped our imagination as we have watched God deliver office supplies, recording equipment, luggage and financing in abundance.

Friends we have not seen in months have appeared seemingly out of nowhere and handed us checks for various amounts; several of you have been impressed to share with us for which we have no way of telling you our gratitude. A man from Indiana that we have employed for years to assist us with our finances has made it clear that he will be supplying us with a check before our departure; on Sunday we walked out of the building with a commitment for additional thousands of dollars that we did not have when we entered the morning service!

For those of you keeping pace in the Table for Two one of the recent scriptures;

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6


As we leave you on Wednesday it is with a firm conviction that God has surpassed our understanding and is in fact leading as we once again find our way back to Haiti. Please use this vehicle to stay current with us; we treasure your support as we move through these next few weeks and will attempt to keep you updated regularly as electricity allows.