Faces in the Crowd

I find myself on another plane this afternoon. I am on my way to Ottawa Canada for work, but find my mind wandering to Hiaiti. This isn't entirely unexpected as I was given a video from a friend over thanksgiving holiday called "Eyes to See". The video is a short story about a cameraman who is part of a news team covering Haiti soon after the earthquake in January 2010 and how he is transformed when he comes out from behind his protective lens and gets involved.

While the movie was entertaining along with the movie was a documentary segment about some doctors who went to help shortly after the quake. I recognized some of the areas the doctors visited and could relate to some of the emotions they described. What I found strange is that along with not being able to distance myself from the situation is that I found myself searching the background of the documentary for faces I recognized; children I have met in the orphanages and villages I have visited, translators and others with which I have worked, and friends I have made. 

I was not able to find anyone I recognized, but I will run through the video again tonight from the hotel  just to look for faces in the background. It is clear to me that Haiti is no longer just a place in which I attempt to be useful. It is a place where people I truly care about live. This is not a real revelation for me I suppose, but it does surprise me as it is not something I would have expected of myself even 5 years ago. 

I will be heading down to Haiti in March of 2014 to participate in construction and medical work. I humbly ask again, that if you are able I would appreciate your financial support in this effort. Any contributions ca be sent to:

Union Church
c/o Jonathan Wright-Gray
PO Box 7028
Ocean Park, Maine 04063

And if you are at all interested in hearing more about Haiti or just talking about anything I general please don't hesitate to contact me.

(note, this was written about month ago on 12/2/2013, but I finally just got around to posting it on 1/3/2014)

Haiti 2014 - March 22 to April 5 - Fund Raising

Edna (right) and Friends

I recently received notice about the dates and costs for the trip to Haiti for this coming year. Like last year, there are two weeks planned - the first is a week of construction, the second is a week of medical clinics. Unlike last year, the trips are back to back so that people that wish to participate in both trips, of which I count myself, only have to pay for a single airfare. This is a great blessing as it will significantly reduce the cost of participating both weeks.

The cost of the trip (for both weeks) is $2100 + airfare, which brings the total to about $3000. This covers room, board, local hires (translators, helpers, etc), materials, and medicines, and a portion is used to continue to help fund work even after we have departed the island.

Evan

As many of you know, I have been traveling to Haiti every year since shortly after the earthquake on January 12, 2010. While there I have met some amazing people that have taught me much as I strived to provide what little help and support I could. I constantly remember the names, particularly, of the children. Evan, who put the other children first while making kites. Helping them (and me) make them correctly and even giving his kite to a smaller child when the child's kite broke. Edna, who I have seen almost every time I have been to Haiti. Watching her grow from a shy girl, new to the orphanage to someone that is learning to be herself. The adults who help run the orphanages and schools. I can't imagine the difficult times with which they must contend. The Pastor of one orphanage who had to turn children out at night because if he didn't the government would shutdown the orphanage for housing too many children. (That orphanage has new buildings now and was flourishing the last I saw it). And there is Pastor Renol who works to manage multiple churches, a school, an orphanage, and probably many other things as well. He has dreams of improving Haiti and making the flock God has blessed him with faithful, strong, vibrant, and bless; and has had threats against himself and his family as a result.

Chickens & Eggs

Over the past years in Haiti the group I travel with has provided medical care to thousands of Haitian who might otherwise not have been seen by a physician, helped with re-construction of a school that had to be torn down because of the damage it received during the quake, built a chicken coop used to provide eggs and extra funds for the orphanage, and came along side others, including the children of the orphanage, just to pray and share God's love.

This year we are planning an exciting new addition to the work. That is the introduction of a micro-finance capability. Through this effort it is hoped that God will work to allow Haitians to help Haitians as they save money, loan money, and work together to create a healthy, self-sustaining economy.

It has always been critical to the work that we have supported in Haiti that it starts and ends with a situation where Haitians take the lead and where we play as small as role as possible and only provide help when the Haitians need that help and we serve them.

And now the hard part ...

I need your help. While $3000 may not seem like a lot of money in the abstract it is a sum in which I

Singing with Children

need help to achieve.  I was in complete awe last year as God, through friends and family, helped fund both my trips. Without this intervention it just would not have been possible.

Part of the work when doing mission work is to show complete reliance on God. To do that we must reach out to others and humble ourselves by asking for help, else we will feel it is all our doing when the reality is that without God it is a pointless endeavor.  And so I now humbly ask for your help.

I would greatly appreciate anything you might be able to donate towards this mission trip. If you are not able to donate a dollar amount I would appreciate any prayers for this trip; both for myself and my family as they will have to be sustained while I am away. Any and all monetary donations are helpful as even pennies can add up to do amazing things.

If you are able to donate to help fund this trip, the tax deductible donations can be sent to:

Union Church
C/O Jonathan Wright-Gray,
PO Box 7028
Ocean Park Maine, 04063

To make sure the funds are credited toward my trip please put "Haiti Mission - David Bainbridge" in the memo of the check.

If you would rather send a donation directly to me, please let me know and I can send you my contact information.

Lastly, if you have any questions please contact me. I would be happy to discuss the work that has been done in the past, this trip, or really anything else you would like to talk about.

Blessings

It is night again in Port-au-Prince. There is a cool breeze that refreshes me each time it blows as I sit on the porch writing this entry. We just returned from a wonderful dinner at Pastor Renol's house after a clinic day.

The clinic had a few heart breaking cases, like the woman with an infant with what looked to be advanced AIDS based on her symptoms. She is going to get tested this week to be sure, but it does sound Ike the doctors are pretty confident it is AIDS and with available treatment here it could be death sentence for her and another orphaned child. I can't imagine the pain, anger, and frustration a parent must feel in that situation. Unfortunately the doctors also believe the infant is showing signs of the disease.

We served about 147 people today, though we were only scheduled to serve 120. And we are getting low on certain medicines and completely out of others. The pharmacy is making due with what they have, but simply put, more is needed. As if to emphasize that point the Pastor mentioned tonight at dinner that the is as much if not more need for medical support now than there was right after the earthquake.

Within all of today there were blessings. The smiling children. The young girl that was making sure all the other, younger, children were getting their art supplies in the children's group. The singing of the children and laughing as they played games.

But, you do have to be careful when asking for or hoping for blessings from children in Haiti. In the places we. Have been visiting, and likely this is true in the general case, the non-potty trained children do not wear diapers. They are simply too expensive. As such it seems to have become custom that when a child wets while you are holding them and you feel that warn, wet liquid starting to drip down your arm, midriff, leg ... it is said that you are being blessed.

Several team members have been blessed at least once this week, and today was my turn. She was a beautiful little girl, but I think she might have had a sly grin and given me the eye right as she decided I needed to be blessed.

It happens. You continue to hug and hold the child and when you get the opportunity, you clean up as best you can and move on ... perhaps this has broader application.

May you enjoy your evening and may you be blessed, but in a dry way.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

Bedtime Stories

After the medical clinic tonight we had dinner and then headed to the orphanage that is just down the street from where we are staying. We brought glow in the dark bracelets, a guitar, drawing material, and books. The children were very much drawn to the books and luckily we had a few people that could read French as the books we brought down were in French so that they could easily be used after we leave.


You could see the children focus and concentrate as they sat on laps and were read to. The would follow along with the reading by tracing along the words with their fingers. The were so gear to just sit and hear the stories. I very much get the feeling they don't get read to much. We do plan to leave the books with the orphanage and we hope that the caretakers continue to ad to the children, but we also understand it is different for us to come for a short time and spend that much time with the children as opposed to living with the children 365 days a year with far fewer staff.


One of our translators is spending the night at our guest house as the trip back to his house is quite long. He came along with us as well to the orphanage as well. He is a teacher besides a translator and is wonderful with both patients and the children. He spent the entire time reading to a large group of children.


As it turns out one of our team members, A, has some artistic talent. It was fascinating to watch as the children sat very still while he drew their portrait and then ran around proudly showing the portrait to anybody that he could. While many people have taken digital pictures of these children, the children do not really have pictures of themselves. We were not able to bring a Polaroid camera on this trip, so getting their portraits done was a special treat.

It was a good day and after yesterday we all needed a good, easy day.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

The Other Side of the Door

Today was going well until near the end. We had are normal number of heart breaking cases. The doctors were working incredibly hard as they served 162 people mostly children, as we were at a school. The children's team were busy keeping track of 70 kids some of which were content coloring, some of which need the rough housing and male model figure our team member B provided. The pharmacy people were running around like crazy doing the best that could be done providing medications, even cutting pills, given the limited supply. The eye glass team was swamped all day and got no rest. The person handing out deworming medicine was working a way making sure the kids drank the awful syrup and then drawing a smile on their hand so we know they had it.

And then it happened ...

We could accept no more patients and yet there were more people waiting and even pleading to get in ...

A little bit of history here. On my first trip to Haiti just about 2 months after the earthquake we were providing medical clinics very much like the one we provided today. Part of my role in those clinics was to run the door and weigh people as they entered the clinic. This meant that at the end of the day it was my responsibility to shut the door and ensure no one else entered. This meant that I had to turn away people that were in greater need than I will likely every be. Least you think that is easy, trust me, it haunts my very soul today.

To the present. Fortunately it was not my role to guard the door today. That job fell to our team member I will call JP. But I unfortunately noticed it was happening and it all instantly flooded back to me. It was if no time had past and I was yet again turning people away that should not have to be turned away. It was to the point that I could not even look at JP let alone talk to him, not because I was mad at him for the job that he must perform, but because no one should have to be on the wrong side of that door. That door should simply not only never be closed, but should not exist.

I know in the midst of doing that job you can cope. It is a job and you can distance yourself. I also know that those moments burn there way into your heart and eat at you when they come to the surface. It is something that must be done, the doctors, pharmacists, nurses, eye care workers, child care people, and every one else have worked so very hard and can not continue indefinitely. But through the grace of God I pray that this door vanishes from existence never to be seen of, heard of, or remembered.

I pray that God's grace bathes the people of Haiti and that he holds them gently in his care so that they might heal, and understand how deeply they are loved. That God grants peace and prosperity to the people of this island and that through God's love no one must every be forced to shut the door again. And thank God for JP, for his strength to perform this task, and I pray that he understands, as I am sure he does, that it is an important thing he had to do today however hard and distasteful.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

Different Part Of Haiti

We traveled to a part of Haiti that I had never been to before. It is actually easy to do, as out side specific parts of Port-au-Prince I haven't seen a whole lot. We traveled up towards Cap Haitien to a place called Blanket. We were able to drive by some beautiful beach area and then headed up into the hills along some rough if not questionable roads past where the main mode of transportation seemed to switch over from cars to mules.

We did our medical clinic in a small community that had not seen a doctor in over two years so needless to day the lines were long and the medical providers out did themselves and saw about 185 patients.

A couple of our team members also held a very well attended kids program. The children were very attentive and for many of them it was there first experience with crayons. As I said it was a remote village.


Before the medical clinic today we visited the chicken coop we built in January. There were quite a few chickens and they seemed to be producing very well. But I guess if you are a chicken you know what happens when you stop producing.

Not sure what we are planning for tomorrow...

Location:Ruelle Samba,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

Evening Time

After sorting medicine and preparing for the medical clinic we headed to the orphanage. We spent time reading, singing, just holding the children, and loving one them. One of our team members plays the guitar and the children are drawn to it as soon as the first string is plucked.

I do wish I had remembered to bring some children's books with me. We have a few here, but they are in French, and I can't really read them. I wish I had a copy of "Good night Moon". Even though they were in French, some of them were shape, animal, and number books, so were we're able to use those and the children could shout out numbers and animal names.

Night time in Haiti is a wonderful time. The breeze keeps you cooler, the sounds of night come out, music from churches, street traffic, neighbors having conversations, crickets, birds, and leaves blowing. I could sit on the porch for hours just absorbing it. It brings peace.

Good night Haiti and God Bless.

Location:Ruelle Samba,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

It Was Evening And It Was Morning, The First Day

I didn't blog last, evening though I had the best intention of doing so. Conversations started to bloom and then it was midnight and time for a shower and bed.

As we walked out of the airport baggage claim it didn't feel like Haiti. Inside the baggage claim area the confusion and chaos was normal, but out side no one really aggressively pursued us to handle our luggage nor was there any traffic on the road to speak of. It just didn't seem "normal".

We arrived at the guest house, had a wonderful dinner, and most went to bed or began to rest early. A few of us stayed up to chat. It was a pleasant evening on the porch where we could hear the rain on the tin roof.

But not to worry, Haiti returned the next day (Sunday) and this time it took its revenge. The breakfast bell rang at 7am, which was a half our early and most of us are off anyway as there is some confusion as to the actual time because this is the first year Haiti change to daylight savings time when the US did.

A quick breakfast and clean up and it was off to church. The traffic to church was worse than normal and we got diverted as one of the Catholic Churches was celebrating their anniversary with a parade that blocked the main road and also snarled traffic on the side streets. Several detours and about 45 minutes later we did arrive at the church and were promptly seat directly in front of the speak at full volume.

The service lasted about two hours and the Easy English Club provided us translators which was great both for the translations and because I was able to see some old friends, which I was not able to do back in January.

After service we took a trip to the grocery store for the weeks lunch supplies and then back to he guest house for lunch and to sort medical supplies for tomorrow's clinic.

The team is coming together well and there are people with whom I have been with on other trips with both in La Romana, DR and in Haiti. It is interesting how quickly teams form bonds here, even when they have just met he day before. And it is interesting to hear the people on their first trip to Haiti speak to how she has already grabbed their heart.

19 Hours To Port-au-Prince

I am at LAX right now and it took a lot of generous people to get me here. I would like to thank those that made this mission trip possible by contributing to the funding. Without your gracious support I would not be on my way to Haiti. I honestly can't thank you enough.

My trip to Haiti today and tomorrow takes me from San Jose, to LAX, to JFK, and finally to PAP. The total travel time is around 19 hours when taking into account layovers and flight times. It means that I get to sleep on a plane, but that is a small discomfort considering I am able to travel back to a people and place that I love.

This trip is a medical trip as opposed to the trip in January, which was a construction trip. This means that the team will likely travel to a different area of PaP each day, set up a temporary medical clinic, see as many patients as possible, and then head home for dinner and bed. I also suspect and hope that we will be able to visit the orphanage down the street in the evenings as well.

As I have no medical training my role will be to help set up the clinics, be a gopher for the doctors, help with directing patients to where they need to be, and do my best to entertain the crowd as they sit in the heat for many hours. This last aspect of the mission trip is something I truly enjoy as I get to meet a lot of Haitians and do my best to communicate and make them smile. It is an opportunity to love on a lot of people.

So I sit as patiently as I can waiting for my next flight, which is in 2+ hours, miss my family, and anticipate the week ahead. And while I will miss my family it will be good to get back to what has come to feel like my second home.

God Bless.

Location:World Way,Los Angeles,United States

I Can't Do It Alone

Chicken Coop

This is a hard blog to write. As you may know I made a trip to Haiti in January where, with the help of some amazing people, we were able to construct a chicken coop that will be able to house about 500 chickens. The chicken eggs will be used to feed and raise funds for the orphanage that we have been walking with the past couple of years.

This April, which is coming up very fast, there is another trip planned. This trip is a "medical" trip where physicians will be traveling down with support people to hold medical clinics around Port-au-Prince. These clinics allow those who normally can't afford to see a physician an opportunity to have a well check for their children, diagnose and treat illness, and receive some basic vitamins. I am a realist. I know that these clinics make only a small impact, but they do make an impact. And even if the doctors are not able to "cure" a person, the person is treated and loved for that time, something they don't always get.

In the past I have gone on these trips in a support role. This means I carry boxes, set up the tarps and tents for the clinic, help people get checked in and move from station to station, as well as make sure the doctors get what they need including water to drink. It is a small role, but one I find very rewarding.

The problem. I simply can't afford this trip in April. Most my trips are largely self funded and with just returning from a trip in January I don't have the funds for the trip in April. I just can't do it alone and that is hard to admit. I need some help in the form of donations. The sum I need is about $2000. This covers room and board, supplies, and travel (airfare and local ground transportation).

I understand that no one has a lot of extra cash around these days. I understand it is tax season. I understand that there are many, many in a worse financial situation that I.

With all that understanding I am still asking for your help. I can't understand why I have a need to go back to Haiti. I can't understand the pull. All I know is that since my first trip there just after the earthquake I feel a constant pull toward Haiti. The island and the people are both special to me and not because they are in need, but because of the wonderful warmth, love, joy, and resilience. Outside of being with my family, Haiti is where I feel most at home.

So please, if you are able, and if you feel called to do so, can you please help by sending a donation to help me afford this trip. With out serious donations the long and short of it is that I won't be able to go. If I am not able to raise enough money I will make sure your money is returned to you if you so desire, else I will have it donated to those that are able to go for additional supplies.

You can either send donations directly to me (contact me for me address via email at davidk.bainbridge@gmail.com) or you can send donations to:


Union Church
C/O Jonathan Wright-Gray
PO Box 7028
Ocean Park Maine, 04063

God bless.

One Brick Left

I wasn't able to writ last night because, well, last night was just different. The first difference was that a new group came into the guest house so my room went from a single to a full house. The second difference was that for dinner we went to Pastor Renol's house, more on that later. The last difference was that when we got back to the guest house after dinner my roomies had the lights out and had gone to sleep as they had an early start. They also must have figured that I wasn't coming home as they covered my bunk with someone's stuff and took my pillow. I got my bunk back by carefully moving the stuff, with permission, and then finding a pillow on the one empty bunk.


The good news is that we completed the chicken coop on Friday. It has been renamed the "Lay All You Can" chicken coop which when translated to Creole becomes something like "push down more you can" chicken coop. While there is a sign with the name in both English and Creole I don't think it matters much to the illiterate chickens. And after all the work we ended up with only a single unused cinder block, so the estimates were pretty much right on.


As we finished a bit early we were able to head up to the apartment of the missionary with which we have been working. She lives high up in the hills which gave us a beautiful view if the city. It was a nice time to sit and relax a bit.

Dinner at the Pastor's house was great and we had some traditional Haitian food including an eggplant appetizer followed by chicken is very good sauce mixed with peas, all over rice. I suppose the dessert of pudding was not pudding cups was not traditional, but still good.


The dinner was proceeded by a few beautiful songs from the Pastor's daughters and after dinner those of us with musical talent repaid with songs of our own. It was a fun evening, but it was clear the evening was over when one of our guides ad-libbed the last line of one of the songs with the words "it's late, it's late, it's time to go home."

It was another long but worth while day. And while we were not able to see a chicken take up residency in the coop, they soon will. A lot was accomplished and it laid the ground work for other mission teams to extend the work either through financial support (more chickens) or by extending the working area or capabilities of the chicken farm.

Location:Port-au-Prince Airport

Floored

The floor is complete and we had just enough cement to finish it. We also covered the frame with chicken wire to keep the unfriendly critters out. The chickens themselves will go it pre-built cages that will be installed tomorrow and the hope is that the chickens we purchased will be ready to take up residence before we leave the worksite.

It has been a week of fun and a lot of hard work, but seeing the project come together has been quite satisfying.

After dinner tonight we went and visited the orphanage again. It was good to see the kids again and a bit sad because it might be the last time we see them this trip. We drew pictures, played games, and I think I saw some dancing happening. They are really great kids and I wish more could be done for them. While their place in Haiti is much better than others, no child should have to live without the constant love of a parent.


As the week winds down it is also important to remember and thanks those local workers with whom none of this would have happened. We had two primary workers Alex and Victo (short for Victory). Alex managed the framing and roof while Victo managed the block work. Victo, in particular was a non-stop working machine. So much so that his back started to hurt today form mixing and lifting all the cement and concrete. In the pictures Alex is in the blue shirt, Victo is in the red, and the third helper was Tally, who was with us just today.


Thanks guys, couldn't have done it with out you.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

On A Hot Tin Roof

As it turns out tin roofs can get quite hot in the Caribbean sun. When we arrived at the work site today the two local workers that we are helping had a good start on the roof supports so some of us jumped right up in the rafters with them while others worked on the walls and the floor or the chicken coop.

After the support beams were all in place it was time to put on the tin roof and I think our team surprised the locals with their abilities. The team that came down after some dropped out was two men and 6 women (boy I hope I got that count correct). But these are New England women and they can do whatever they put their mind to do. So into the rafters the women climbed and kept up with the local workers to complete their half of the tin roof.


While the roof was being worked on so was some of the wall and the floor. The walls are cinder block was and so the team set to the task of masonry. This included helping to hand mix concrete on the ground with a shovel, hauling it 30 feet or so to the work site, and they laying the blocks, making sure they were level and in line with the others. And just to be perfectly clear that uneven bit of wall in the picture was done by the local worker, not by us.

The floor work meant a lot of leveling and filling the wheel barrow with gravel to give the floor a base on which concrete was poured. Again, the concrete work is all done by hand and carried to the work site using buckets.


While it was a lot of hard work the end result is starting to look quite nice, but by the looks of it there is a lot more concrete work to complete tomorrow as Bly about 1/4 of the floor is poured. And rumor has it along with completing the floor tomorrow we will start putting the chicken wire around the outside as well.

We Were Framed

Today we started framing the chicken coop. Some have nicked named it the "Yellow Flower Chicken Club", but I am not sure it will stick. It was quite an experience helping in the framing process as it was done in the traditional Haitian way, which is not always the same way you might do it in the US. But, as you can see we have support posts, cross beams, and the beginning of a roof line.

Our jobs today consisted of digging a lot of post holes, carrying cement, and some cutting of lumber. We were not expected to climb the 2x4 that they rested against the structure as a incline because there was no ladder.

Cement mixing in Haiti is still a very manual process. It is mixed on the ground by shovel by and individual who uses their experience to created the right mixture and consistency. Then the result is hand carried by buckets down to the work site. It is a very labor intensive process.


After the work day, showers and dinner we headed to the orphanage to spend some time with the kids and play some indoor games. Unfortunately the orphanage, much to our surprise, were not aware that we were coming. But, no worries, the we found our way inside and broke out some bead to make bracelets, a board game, twister, and the Polaroid camera.


It was a wonderful time of hugs and fun and I recognized a few faces from years past, most notably Edna. I believe I have mentioned Edna in my blog from past years and it was really good to see her again, but also a bit sad she is still not able to live with her parents as they, as I recall, do not have the funds to support her. Edna was special to me because her smile and the way she giggled is exactly how my middle daughter Emily smiles and giggles. If I could she would be coming home on the plane with me to join our family (guess I should have discussed that with the wife first, but as it is not possible I guess there is no harm done). The first picture above is Edna today. The second is Edna a few years ago.

A long but rewarding day. It will be interested to see what tomorrow holds.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

Off To Work We Go

Today was the first full work day. It started off with a drive to the work site, which was about 20 minutes away. It was not quite what I expected, it was a compound that was being used by a Pastor who runs a school and who took over her husband's church when he was killed in the earthquake.
We were shown an area in the corner of the compound that was covered in brush and trash and our first task was to clear the area. This would have been a little easier if we had tools for every worker and the proper tools, but neither of those wants were available.




Sometime after we started clearing the area the trucks started to come. These trucks always bring bad news as it always requires heavy lifting. The first truck contained cinder blocks which were first offloaded and then moved 25 feet or so to their temporary destination. Soon after that the lumber truck came and that had to be offloaded as well.




By the end of the day we were all very tired and dirty, but we had made a lot of progress, including clearing the area, and digging a one foot trench around the area. To dig the trench we had to first use a pick to break the ground and break the roots. This was followed by using shovels to dig out the rubble.
The area is about 20x20 feet and is meant to be able to hold enough hens to produce about 500 eggs a day.




There was one hen and chicks in the yard. I guess they will soon have a lot of friends. All in all it was a good work day and we accomplished quite a lot, although there is much more to complete tomorrow.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

Whew, It Was Only A Short Service

Today is Sunday and that means it was off to church in the morning. For those of you in the US that start to get uncomfortable when the service runs over by 10 or 15 minutes, then I recommend you don't attend a Haitian service. Today's was about 3 and 1/2 hours.

Now don't get me wrong, that does not mean that it was boring and we were all falling asleep. There were some great choirs including a group of young men that sang two songs about faith. The sermon was given by Pastor Ronel and spoke to how with God's grace we can live the right life even if we have made mistakes in the past. At the end of the service Pastor Ronel asked people to come up that we're ready to ask for forgiveness and strive to live right. About 30 to 40 mostly young people came up on their knees and were prayed over. Very powerful and moving.


Outside the Church, actually before the service, we spent some time meeting the local community. One of our group brought a Polaroid camera which was a great idea. She was able to take photos of the kids and some adults and then give the photos to them. It was great seeing their expressions when they first saw their image appear. There are not a lot of mirrors in Haiti and many of these kids, while they have seen digital images or themselves, have not had a photograph of themselves. Polaroid camera ... again, what a great idea.


After lunch, a delicious mixture of peanut butter and jelly along with chips and cookies, we walked to the near by orphanage for a quick visit. We brought balls, frisbees, and bubbles, but I think what most captivated the children was the singing and guitar playing. Even with the language barriers the kids were able to join in on the chorus.


Not only were the kids that were crowded around the guitar singing and dancing, but so were the kids playing the other games. As they were throwing things they would stop every now and again and sing and dance where they were. It was a good end for the day and I am very grateful for the singing talent in this group, of which I have none.

We will see what tomorrow brings as we start the day with a trip to the supply store to shop for chicken farm supplies. How hard can it be to build a box around a bird ....

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

Getting to Know You

The Port-au-Prince airport is much improved since I was here last (March 2012). They now have their gangways working and you know longer have to take the shuttle bus from the airplane to the terminal. I was pleasantly surprised.

The rest of the airport is pretty much the same. I was able to find the rest of the group quite easily, or rather they found me. And once I realized I was at the wrong baggage carousel and got to the correct one, I was able to find my bag without a problem. (btw, all the tools and odd shapes in my checked bag caught the interest of the TSA and they went through the bag and then put it back together). But the good news is that everything was there and nothing went missing.

We did a quick meet and greet at the airport, purchased a SIM card for the phone, and then were off to run the gauntlet of people trying to "help" you with your bags all with the expectation of a tip at the end. There was a lot of shouting "no mesi" and I think we made it through with only two hanger ons. (I believe "mesi" is the correct spelling in Haitian Creole.

We packed the cars and heads for the guest house. It is quite a nice quest house and there were a few other groups including a "strength" group, which go around breaking and bending things as well as preaching the gospel. I saw a video of them once visiting a school, but I can't find it fit now.

We also had a very nice dinner and some group time to help us get to know each other. The group from the right coast brought a guitar along with talent so we had some good music tonight and were able to practice for our song during the church service tomorrow, during which I will be mouthing "watermelon". We were also lucky to hear some other tunes include one of from Bob Marley's.

Tried to clean up a bit tonight, but there was no water. It was unclear if that is because they ran out or because a lack of power somewhere. There is no central water system in PaP. No worries, it is what it is and if nothing else there are wet wipes to deal with it in the morning.

Well, it is time for bed, so please forgive any mistakes as I am too tired to deal with it.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

Travel Day

Don't let anyone ever tell you it is easy to get from San Jose, California to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Well, I guess it is easy, it just takes a long time, particularly when you are attempting to time your arrival time with people coming from other locations.

I am at the airport now, doing a lot of what I will be doing over the next 18 hours or so, waiting. I fly from San Jose, CA to Los Angeles, CA. Wait. Then to New York. Wait. Then to PaP to arrive tomorrow at about 2 in the afternoon local time. So the leg from LAX to JFK is a red eye.

It doesn't feel like I have had as much time to sit and contemplate this years trip as I have in the past. Perhaps that is the purpose God has put this waiting in my path. It gives me time to sit and get in the right frame of mind.

This year we will be visiting and working at the orphanage that we have come along side of the past two years to help construct a chicken farm. The chickens will bring the children needed food as well as allow the orphanage to sell any extra to help support its needs.

I miss my family already, but am looking forward to seeing friends in PaP as well as meeting the rest of the team. Safe travels to the rest of the team and see you tomorrow in PaP ... save me a seat on the back of the truck.

Location:Airport Blvd,San Jose,United States