Why no, I am not Haitian

Tomorrow is Flag Day in Haiti. This is a day to celebrate Haiti and Haitian culture. Music, dancing, parades, everyone dressed in red and blue, the whole works. By the looks of it the kids didn't really have class today. Instead they seemed to be preparing for tomorrow, practicing music and dances.

After watching the kids a while I figured it was time to walk around and purchase a small flag to join in the celebration. I headed down the street to an area where I knew there were many shopping stalls and figured someone would be selling the little flags that kids wave during parades. They were actually harder to find than I anticipated, but I found one, paid my 25 gourde and attached it to my back pack for the walk home. 

I have been many places where I would not be all that surprised if someone asked if I was a local, i.e., England, Canada, Scotland, etc., but I was shocked how many people asked if I was Haitian when they saw me walking with the flag. I am white (blan). Too be honest, it was likely about 5 and some of those were likely having fun at my expense (pa gen pwoblem), but there were a few that meant the question honestly. One even pulled out his national ID card asking if I had one. I was just shocked anyone would confuse me for a local. Besides the questions, I did get a lot of smiles, waves, and thumbs up. 

Haitians are proud of their country and proud to be Haitian. This is the same in most countries. Unfortunately, it can be said that some people in western countries look at countries, like Haiti, as if they shouldn't be proud. I think Haitians feels this deeply and I think that is partially why when they see a blan waving a Haitian flag or attempting to speak their language it makes them smile. I will have to let my Haitian friends verify if that thought has any truth in it. 

Haitians know that there are problems in their country and they strive everyday to work towards a better country, just as we in the United States know we have problems and strive every day to work toward a better United States of America. Please join me tomorrow in wishing any Haitian you know a happy Flag Day and if you have it, ware something red and blue so that you can tell people about Haiti, it's history, it's people, and it's culture when they ask. 

This afternoon I offer a prayer of thanks for the successful minor surgery my son underwent yesterday on his finger. I pray for a safe and joyous flag day tomorrow here in Haiti and for Haitians abroad. I pray that the children are able to travel outside the center tomorrow to be part of the celebration. Amen. 

Gunshots, Waiting, Dominos, and a Walk

There was a little bit of reminder last night that Port-au-Prince is not always safe. Sometime in the early morning hours five or six gun shots rang out. It sounded like a hand gun to me and closer than I would prefer, but I was never in real danger. It could have been someone protecting their property for all I know. I have never felt in any real danger here and I suspect the area in which I am is no less safe, and perhaps safer, than many places in the U.S. 

Yesterday, I did ask someone about the changes since the UN left. They said that areas actually have become less safe as now no one comes when there is trouble. I suspect if the UN would have worked harder to respect all Haitians that their mission might have been more accepted. It was and is a complicated relationship, no more so by the cases of abuse by the UN and the introduction of cholera without taking responsibility. 

The kids are in school for most of this week, which means I get to see them for a few minutes here and there as they are in class. After school they have their homework, study, and meal; none of which I want to interrupt. So the early evening is when I get to see them a bit more. But then the trick is to make sure that you keep things quiet. What all this means is that there is a lot of waiting on my part.

The kids get Friday off for Haitian Flag Day, which is a celebration of all things Haitian. Last year some of the kids were able to visit the celebration in the city center. It is unclear if they can go anywhere this year. I am hoping we can talk the correct people into it, so that the kids can have a fun day out. I wouldn't mind seeing the city center during the celebration. 

On my walk between the guest house and the school there seems to always be a game or two of dominos going. Generally, there are 4 guys per game and for a table they rest a square board across their knees. They are playing with a set that goes up to double 6s, so 28 tiles. They are not gambling so it is all in fun, but they play very quickly and there are penalties which will earn you a clothespin on your face, such as when you can't play. It also appears the loser of a round gets any clothespins from the others. It can be quite funny. The guys are nice and let me watch when I asked. We did buy some dominos for the older kids in the center, so maybe if I can get enough practice in I will be brave enough to join the game on the street. 

After seeing the kids at break this morning, I decided to take a walk around the area a bit. I generally stay on the roads with more foot traffic and shops and again, I always feel safe. I do get looks, but I suspect that is mostly because people see it as uncommon for a blan to be walking around looking at the shopping stalls and saying hello to people. The moto taxis always ask if I need a ride, I wonder if they think I am lost. People are nice and mostly just going about their day. Now and again someone will stop me to practice their English, which I find ironic as I would rather practice my Creole with them. So it ends up being a bit of an odd conversation with the Haitian speaking English and the American answering in broken Creole. These walks are one of my favorite things here in Haiti and my range is slowly expanding. Maybe sometime I will grab a moto taxi back to the school just for fun. 

One less happy thing I would like to add today. Corporal punishment is still widely used in Haitian schools. While I would prefer that it didn't exist here, I also understand this is a bit of a cultural issue. What I would like to see is a couple of changes in how it is carried out, such as two adults always present, one being a female, especially when punishment is being given to a girl. Also, a shift from the intent of the punishment to cause pain to an intent where pain is not the main objective. I realize this is not only an issue at schools, but in the home. Again, I am not against corporal punishment, but I do think it is practiced a bit too frequently and harshly in Haiti. Nothing like what I saw many years ago where the person giving the punishment was clearly out of control, but still I think there are methods between dong nothing and corporal punishment that should be leveraged. 

This afternoon I pray for those in Haiti suffering from violence. Those that need a safe place to sleep. I pray for safe travels for additional people that are arriving from the US today. I pray that the children may get the opportunity to leave the center and celebrate their heritage and culture with the rest of the country and that the celebration will be safe and fun for all. Amen. 

Back in Haiti with Questions

I have been struggling to start my first posting from this year's trip to Haiti. There are a couple of reasons, I suppose, but I think the main reason revolves around the value to the children with my continued trips. I am not looking for sympathy or "you are doing good work" support messages, so please don't. I am not saying that I will stop my support of the work in Haiti nor am I saying I will stop supporting the mentor program. I am attempting to make a realistic evaluation if the monies spent on my trips could be better utilized in other ways. Are my annual trips the best use of God's provision for God's work in Haiti. 

I enjoy being in Haiti. I enjoy spending time with the kids, but I am acutely aware that it is local Haitians, like Pastor Ronel and Wilkens, who work with the children daily that affect the lives of the children most deeply. This is as it should be. The people that work daily with the children need our support, but it is less clear if they need our, my, presence on the ground. 

This has me wondering if it will be a while until I return to this island after this year. This island that was once the crown of the Caribbean and with God's grace can be again. 

One of the reasons I have returned to Haiti every year is because I have told the children I will be back before I leave. This may sound small, but these kids have a lot of one trip people in their lives and I have felt it is important to bring some constancy, particularly after the group with which I originally came decided to focus elsewhere. 

In the past couple of years I have seen this situation start to change as I have become more aware the General Baptist Association of Virginia (GBAV) have taken a more predominant role in the Source of Light Center and as the Now We Play group has started to come more frequently. So, I ask again, with these groups providing some constancy, what is the best use of the provisions God has given to aid these children?

As a concrete example, if I do not travel to Haiti the amount of money I would spend could be used to support additional hours for the mentors to work with the kids or even provide a bit of a raise for the mentors. Either of these options provide tangible benefits to both the children and the mentors. It is expensive to live in Port-au-Prince. 

This is all hard to think about and saddens my heart some, but in the end I must remember it is not about me, but about what is best for the kids and ultimately what is it that God wants. 

And so I wonder if part of the reason for this trip is to say goodbye to the kids.  Not forever, but perhaps for a little longer than usual. 

If anyone reading, assuming someone reads these things, has experience in short term mission work over multiple years, I would be grateful for any thoughts or words of wisdom. 

This afternoon I pray for the children as they get older that they mature into young men and women that will shape the future of Haiti. I pray for my wife and kids at home as they take on a burden and support me in my efforts in Haiti. I pray for the minor finger surgery my son will have this week while I am away. I pray for guidance and wisdom for my continued support of Haiti. Amen. 

Journals for the 13s

Today we finally made it to the stationary store, or rather we finally made it into the stationary store. Wilkens and I have been trying to get into this store for about three days. It has been closed for various reasons. Our purpose was to purchase journals for the older children, where older is defined as 13 years old or older. 

The idea is to have something special happen when a child turns 13 and this is just a small gift. They can use the journal for whatever they want, but we emphasized that it is theirs and that they don't have to share it or show others what they write in the journal. It is for their private thoughts. 

We handed them out this afternoon along with a pen. Also we gave the letters to and took pictures of those youth that were at camp when we previously distributed letters. I hope the youth understood the purpose.  I do know that right after we gave the children the journals a couple other children claimed they were 13 too. We showed them the records we have which includes their birth date. 

I don't think the children at the center are used to a situation where some children get something and some don't, but the reality is that in a family there are times when children get special gifts and attention, so I think this is a fair concept and one that the children can learn. It also gives the younger children something to look forward to when they turn 13, as the plan is to give the journals to them on their birthday. 

Around 3 o'clock today a group from the General Baptist Association of Virginia (GBAV) landed in PaP and I went with the Pastor and Wilkens to pick them up at the airport. This group is one of, if not the, biggest sponsor of the Centre Source de Lumiere. Among other things the group is visiting for board and planning meetings. I intend to participate as much as I am invited and am changing guest houses tomorrow so that it will be easier to have evening conversations after the day's work. I am not completely sure what they intend to do besides board meetings, but I am pretty sure I heard the words "ice cream party".

I am over halfway through my trip and so tonight I pray for my family. That all continues to go well in my absence and I pray a prayer of thanks giving for without their support my trip would not be possible. I also pray for the group from Virginia. I pray their work here is productive and that they accomplish all they wish and more.  Amen.

Shopping, Shampoo, Cellebration, and Club

The day started with a quick trip to the shops. We needed to get some medicated shampoo for the children as it looks like there is an outbreak of ringworm at the center. We didn't really find what we needed, but it was something with which to start. The quest continues for stronger medicated shampoo as well as oral meds to help eradicate this little problem.

We also stopped by the market to pick up some cake for the children. The older children returned today and it was time to celebrate the birthday of Jhon Jonas and Fedson.  More on that later. 

After we arrived back at the center and put the cakes in cold storage, I sat down with Wilkens, Stephanie, and Angela who are all working as mentors for the children. I wanted to get their thoughts on what worked and what needed to change as well as set expectations for the coming year. I thought it was a good and open conversation. I appreciated their suggestions and honesty. I think we have a good platform on which to launch the next year. 

More crayon and kid time as we waited until the afternoon to have cake with the kids. The older kids having just returned from camp were very tired and needed a bit of rest.  I made the mistake of accidentally leaving the books I brought as well as the book of coloring pages at the center last night. The reading books seemed to survive alright, the book of coloring pages less so. There were a few left that quickly were used, but now they are all gone.

I think my Creole is getting better. I am able to have longer and more detailed conversations with the children. Don't get me wrong, my Creole is still terrible and my pronunciation is atrocious, but we can communicate; although it is frequently interrupted as I look words up in my English to Creole dictionary. The children are very patient and speak slowly and will repeat things until I understand. Being able to interact this way with the children is such a blessing. And a special thanks to my sister in law who purchased the dictionary for me 3 years ago, most valuable thing I bring with me on my trips. 

Soon it was cake time. The children sang happy birthday to Jhon Jonas and Fedson and then had a piece of cake. Jhon Jonas was at the camp with the older kids and while there he participated in a football (soccer) tournament, his team won 2nd place and he scored a goal in the game. The team received medallions and I have to be sure to get a picture of Jhon Jonas with the medallion. Way to go Jhon. On a non-sport note, Jhon Jonas has grown into a nice young man.  He is polite, kind, and gracias. I am sure that God will work though him to do good things. 

After cake it was time to head to the Easy English Club, that I have spoken about before. Each meeting has three parts: spiritual, grammar or speaking, and cultural. We entered while they were in the spiritual part, having a discussion about if a Christian should listen to any type of music or not. The discussions that they have in the club are quite insightful. These young people have both sharp minds and wits. I truly enjoy the discussions in the club. I fulfilled the other parts in tonight's meeting as it was essentially ask David anything you want about the US. The questions were pointed and the discussion was good. The EEC is a good club and I encourage anyone who visits here to attend. 

The Pastor drove us to the EEC, which is at the site of the church, but we needed to leave before he was ready as I was already late for dinner at the guest house, so to the tap-tap we went. It takes two tap-taps to get from the church to the guest house. The first was uneventful, but the second made Wilkiens a little more nervous. The tap-tap was a fairly normal tap-tap physically, think 15 year old minivan with a side door that doesn't close. But because it was so crowded, I was in the way back and Wilkens was in the front. Wilkens is a good friend and guardian. He seems very nervous and asked me a couple times if I was ok. I responded with of course I am, but I think he still may have been a little nervous. I, on the other hand, struck up a conversation with the lady sitting next to me. It was a chance for me to practice my Creole and it turns out that she is learning English, so it was a chance for her to practice as well. All in all a very good, albeit hot, tap-tap ride. 

This post is already quite long, so I apologize, but I need to say a few more things. First, and I have said this before, it is hard to explain,  but I don't feel nervous when I am in Haiti about security. It is not that I don't know there are risks or that I even take risks, but I feel a since of peace here.  It started when I first came to Haiti, I just felt and continue to feel God's grace here and somehow don't worry about what could happen. Doesn't mean something bad won't happen, I am just not concerned about it. I know God will see me through it, good or bad. 

The second thing I want to write about was a question I was asked at the EEC tonight. Essentially the question was what can we, the US, do to help Haiti. The short answer is we can't do anything. The Haitians have to make Haiti what they want it to be. Clearly, we, in the other countries, can be better partners with Haiti in achieving these goals; such as hiring Haitian workers as opposed to brining in foreign labor and not dumping crops on the Haitian market and destroying local production. But, in the long run Haitians must change Haiti. This got me thinking, "if I believe it takes Haitians to change Haiti then why do I come here?"  The answer that came to me is that I come here to witness God's miracle transformation of Haiti. I can't cause this transformation, but it will be spectacular and who wouldn't want front row seats for that?

Tonight I prayer for Jhon Jonas and Fedson on their birthdays. I thank God for the young man Jhon Jonas continues to become.  I thank God for the men and women of th EEC and the goals for which they strive. I thank God and ask his continued grace on Wilkens, Stephainie, and Angela as they continue to help guide these children to independent adults.  Amen. 

Pictures and Letters

It is just a little after 5pm as I write this and already I can start to hear signs of carnaval. The main carnaval is not in Port-au-Prince this year, but it still sounds like it will be quite a party tonight.

One problem I have discovered with only coming to PaP once a year is that the children change quite a bit in that year. Last year there was a ball of energy. She was full of giggles and wanting her picture taken. As I was preparing for the day and going over the list of children I couldn't recall seeing her this year. I asked Wilkens and he said she was their and showed a picture. I finally ran into her directly today and couldn't believe how much she has changed. Not only in height, but facial structure, and maturity. 

I brought a letter for each child with me on this trip. The letters were from various people that volunteered to write to one or more of the children. I want to thank those who volunteered as it was very much appreciated.

We gathered the children in one of the classrooms to let them know that we wanted to take a picture of each child and that each child would receive a letter from someone that lives in the United States or France after we took the picture. Also, that we had stickers for each child. The older kids are still at camp, so they will get their letters later when they come back. 

The children were very excited to receive their letters as well as get their picture taken. The one flaw in my plan was that I was so busy taking pictures that I didn't have the opportunity to take pictures of the children reading their letters. And afterward I was busy translating letters, so again I was not able to take pictures.  Although one child asked me to take a picture with her letter after I translated it and show that to the author of the letter, so I do have that. I want to say a big thank you to Wilkens and Madmwazèl Paulin for their help today. I couldn't have done it with out them. 

Tonight I pray for peace in Port-au-Prince, that no violence or accedents occurs during the carnaval celebrations. I pray for the children tonight as they quickly grow to youth and young adults. That God blesses them, that he watches over them, and gives them his peace and grace. May they grow to be adults that respect and care for their neighbors and each other. Amen. 

Books, Coloring, and Parks

I enjoy walking to and from the guest house to the center. I enjoy the opportunity to say hello, and the few other words of Creole I know, to the people that live in the community around the center. There are people who run the shops along the way, people just starting their day, people walking to work, and the gentleman that has a wood workshop right across from the center who we have hired on past trips to do some work. Part of the mission of the center is to reach out to the surrounding community, and I think this is a great part of the mission. 

The children are on holiday from school this week, so when I arrived at the center this morning they were busy cleaning both the center and themselves (bath day for the boys). I quickly met some of the children and delivered promised hugs on behalf of people who have come before, but did not make it this year. In case you are wondering, they ask about you. 

There is some limited WIFI at the center now, so it is nice to broadcast live via Facebook with the children. I do this In Hope that people that have never visited are able to understand a little more about the center and those that have are sparked with a happy memory. 

I brought some books with me that were donated by some kind people in New England. These are in French which works great for the children as they learn and speak French in school. They were very enthusiastic about the books and they were quickly loaned out youn chak (one each) and shared and read in groups. It was just what they needed. 

As children peeled off the books and were looking for something else to do, I started handing out coloring pages and crayons. When we started doing coloring on trips to the center it was a mad rush and all the crayons were gone within minutes never to be seen again. The children have gotten so much better at taking one crayon at a time and sharing. So much so that after 30 minutes to an hour of coloring I was down only two crayons. Don't get me wrong, some of the boys tried to pull the wool over my eyes, but when caught they are quick to comply with the rules. 

The children continue to love looking at pictures on my phone, of themselves as well as people back in the US. Something did hit me while looking at pictures with them today. I had seen the behavior before, but for some reason it really broke my heart today. There are lots of pictures of people with food on my phone, from dinners out, celebrations, etc. When the children see the pictures of food they always pause, zoom in and sometimes make fake eating noises (yum, yum, munch, munch). These kids really don't get a lot of food. One or two meals a day mostly of corn meal mush, rice and beans. At the park they would eat the small unripe mangos that fell from tree as well as some nuts that fell from a nut tree. Essentially they were scavenging. We, as a country, are so blessed with a bounty and it hurts when you see some with little. Even at camp last night dinner for the kids was bread, butter, and a drink. 

I do want to raise one person up tonight, Maudline Paulin. She is one of the "mommas" at the center, helping to take care of 37 children ages 4 to 16 everyday, 24 hours everyday, all year. Making sure the boys are bathed, braiding the girls hair, taking them to the restroom, correcting when needed, and I imagine it never stops. She does this with kindness and real love to the children. Truly an amazing dedication and ministry of its own. 

So tonight in addition for prayers for the people of Haiti, the children of the center, I pray for Mamma Pauline. I pray that they have the food they need, and that they continue to experience love and grace in the Center Source de Lumiere and its community. Amen.