Epilogue

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Welcome to those of you viewing our blog for the first time, you might want to go back to July 2nd and work your way forward.  There's a great video summary of the trip on YouTube.  Click HERE to check it out.

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This morning we were up at Oh-(my gosh)-500 with the roosters.  After a warm send-off from John and Debbie, we headed to the airport without too much traffic to dodge.  We got through the three levels of security in good time to have "kafe" at the coffee shop.  While we reflected on our trip a bit and played a few games of Crazy-8s, we noticed the flight time change by a couple of hours.  By the time we took-off we knew we weren't going to make our connecting flight to L.A.X.

As it stands, we get to spend the night in Miami, where it was raining when we landed :( but we did get to have a nice dinner at the airport hotel.  Our waiter?  A haitian.  I impressed him with the little bit of Creole I know, like "mwen renmen paye ak kat kredi" ( I would like to pay with a credit card.)  Jana also found a book that was recommended to her at the Borders here at the airport, so we're making the best of it.

We also got to have REAL SHOWERS with lots of hot water.  Woo-hoo!

This was the last photo that I took in Haiti.  It's an odd photo considering the many beautiful scenes and amazing people that we encountered.  Here's the story...

A few days ago I noticed that my glasses were scratching me when I put them on.  It looked like I had scuffed one of the rubber end-pieces on one of the arms.  That night at about 3:45 in the morning I heard my glasses fall.  They had been placed (as they had every night) on the adjacent empty bunk bed.  I turned on the light and couldn't find them anywhere.  I prayed that they would turn-up in the morning and went back to sleep, hearing every miniscule sound that might be the intruder who was dragging away my glasses.

In the morning I found my glasses on my own bunk, behind my head - on the other side of the mosquito netting.  Both rubber end-pieces on the arms of my glasses were further "scuffed" or what I now knew were gnaw-marks.

The trap was set, and the glasses more carefully stowed.  The next morning the trap was still set but missing the spicy Haitian peanut butter.  We then changed tactics and tied an almond coated in spicy Haitian peanut butter to the trigger with dental floss, so that he would have to tug on it and spring the trap.  The next morning the trap sprung but somehow the rat had escaped.  Last night the trap was set and everything was ready for a perfect execution, but the rat didn't show.

This made me think about the spiritual situation in Haiti.  Slaves brought to Haiti by the French brought with them Voodoo traditions from Africa.  Those traditions run so strong in their culture that even those claiming to be Christian have deep seated fears of snakes, rats, curses and Voodoo practitioners.

Whether you believe in the devil or not, since the garden of Eden, he's been gnawing at people's souls.  He is a thief, liar and trickster who evades capture and drives fear into the heart of man.  This is one of the most the most severe dangers affecting Haiti.  It's not a quaint part of their culture, it's a powerful force keeping Haitians oppressed and in darkness.  As Foursquare Haiti continues to shed light on the dark forces at work here, a new generation of Haitians will have hope for a future.

I now know how to pray for the people of Haiti.  That they will escape the fear and dark-forces that keep them from claiming the freedom that their forefathers earned them.  And that they will embrace the light of Jesus Christ.

I look forward to returning to Haiti.  I enjoyed my time there, and I have an idea of how much more needs to be done to encourage Haiti to rise up in the power of the one true God.

Bandye beni ou (God bless you.)

Final Day in Haiti!

...Actually, this is our final full day.  We leave here for the airport at 6:00AM tomorrow and return to Nanaimo on Friday morning.

Last night Pastor John and I went to the grocery store for a few supplies.  It's very near by, and they're extremely thankful for it.  It went up quite quickly several months ago, and features aisles of shelves like we're used to; not ladies on sidewalks with baskets.  The building is made of foam.  The walls, and the roof.  It might not stand-up to a hurricane, but I think it'll flex a bit in case of another earthquake (heaven forbid.)  While inside a thunderstorm kicked-up.  It came on fast and there was thunder and lightening and rain most of the night.

The morning was a little cooler as we left the big-house for the day.  Even though he's here to serve and protect, he's about the friendliest guy you'll ever meet. We headed into tent city to drop off some plastic glasses that we bought for the school.  We passed a scene that reminded me of Jasper; although this mountain was a bit smaller.

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After that we picked-up Debbie (Pastor John's wife and resident missionary) and the Jackie and Becky who are from Wales and Scotland respectively and headed to a school up in Pationville (Pay-Shawn-Ville).  On the way we had to skirt President Martelly's motorcade which consisted of several official looking SUVs plus a few vehicles who took advantage of their procession and joined in their wake.  Pationville is a town just up the hill from P-Au-P, and is where Yvette lived for 6 months as a child while her father worked for the Bank of Nova Scotia here.  She doesn't remember much, but it was still very interesting for her.



We visited a school run by a man named Derek.  He has been coming to the Foursquare church here for a while and has begun to ask if the church can help him build an orphanage.  You see, like Pastor Bellande, Derek loves giving his time and energy to children.  Twice a week he runs a school program for local kids; many of whom are orphans living with family members.  They sure impressed us with their singing and recitation of many memory verses.

This is in a nicer area of Pationville, although the road to it resembles a goat trail.  No wonder there are almost no sedans, mostly trucks and SUVs.  We brought some treats for the kids, and Yvette and Tara made a bunch of friendship bracelets that we tied on each kid and even a couple of the adults.  What a beautiful view from up there!!!

There was one kid there with a soccer jersey from Tim Hortons.  So we greeted them from the land of Tim Horton's Football.

Below is Debbie explaining what Derek would like from Foursquare, and how we try to establish relationships for a while before committing funds.  Funding is in short supply and they have many people trying to seek help.





Below are Jackie and Becky.  Becky was a pastor in Scotland and Jackie has just done three years' mission work in Malawi.  Both have committed themselves to spend three years here in Haiti and have hitched their missionary wagon to Foursquare.

In the afternoon, we went over the church property with Becky whose corn garden failed on the first attempt.  We helped her try and try again!  It'll work this time because the rain has begun to fall.  It's supposed to be a rainy season, but not in Port Au Prince so far.  Last night and this afternoon (as we were finishing) it rained.  You wouldn't believe the swarms of fruit-flies today; maybe because of the rain last night.  We were sweating up a storm and found dozens of these little flies drowning on our arms and necks.  I know ... gross, huh.  We also dug-up a few tarantulae while turning the soil.


I think we've made a mark on Haiti with our efforts.  To cap it all off, we signed our names to the cross at the church property.  It's been a priviledge to be part of the amazing love, work and blessing that is going on here.

Day 11 - Quite a trek!

This is what the sky looked like last night.  I like to think of it as a "Mango Sky."  Nice huh.

This morning it took a little while to get organized.  We're used to being on our way somewhere by 8:00am, but this morning maybe closer to 9:00 we headed for Las Cahobas.  This is where a Foursquare church operates high up a mountain.  It takes about 1 hour to walk up there if you're a Hatian (who climb like mountain goats) or 2 hours if you're a "blanc" (with the exception of Barry Hansen.)

Thankfully we only went up to the new property that Foursquare purchased for the church.  It's only about 45 minutes for us, but that pushed Jana's cramping leg and my pounding heart to the max.  Of course, the equipment and 5 gallon water bottle were brought up by the pastor and one of his buddies.  They hardly broke a sweat when one was carrying a full water bottle and the other was carrying about 80lbs worth of accessories for their tent.  Frantz was carrying a yellow weather-proof case called a "Sunshine Box".  With the solar panel inside, battery and interfaces, they can have LED lighting and charge cel phones.  Otherwise there's no electricity at the new location nor higher up.

What a view from their property though!!!

It really is quite spectacular.  While we were up there, we had a couple of candies for a boy and girl who dared to come close enough.  A few others just enjoyed the blanc-show from a distance.

Oh, yea, GOATS.  On our way up, we saw a mother goat with a freshly born kid.  It had to have been born today based on ... oh, never mind it's kinda gross.  Just take our word for it.  That was really one cute kid.  And then while we were working on diagnosing tent problems one of the fellow's wives came-by with a big aluminum bowl on her head.  In the bowl was a goat leg for dinner.  (DODGER, NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH!!!)  The lower leg still had fur and a hoof on it.  I was told that leaving it thus, ensures the purchaser that it is indeed a goat-shank and not dog.

Anyhoo, on a more pleasant note (not really for some) while we spread-out the canopy for the tent to assess the holes and determine what needed to be done to repair it, this little guy crawled across it...

Returning down the hill we passed a few homes.  This one is a typical Hatian house.  Besides the huge ones that we saw going up the hill to Pastor Bellande's orphanage, I'd say 97% of homes are about 300 square feet or less.  Jana commented that we really could make do with a smaller home.

Oddly enough many of the nicer homes along main routes and in nicer neighborhoods are incomplete, and we never see anyone working on them.  You wonder if they've been abandoned or maybe had been partially built when the earthquake hit and its' owners left the country.  I'm not sure...

This had to have been one of the most beautiful drives we've done.  The mountains are lush and fertile.  When we pried the tent stakes out of the ground, it was nothing but rich black soil.  On the way we went past a place called "Terre Rouge".  They have a few quarries here with white & red banded earth that they're excavating.

Tomorrow is our final full day!  

Hope to see you all very soon and hear from you about your adventures!!!