Haiti: Week Two.

Alright, time to take you through week two in Haiti. 

Just a recap, 

we had just arrived and began work in Point Sable,

work that consisted of carrying really heavy things up mountains.

Day 8 - May 27 

Our first Sunday in Haiti. 

We were told church would start at about 7,

but what that means is,

church might start around 9:30,

so come when you hear music. 

I will say this, 

Haitians know how to praise the Lord.
Every person from the itty bitty babies,
to the oldest of grandmas,
was breaking it down for the Lord.
That church was in full on dance party for at least an hour.
It was awesome.

Later that afternoon,
whilst more hair braiding was occurring,
a young woman from the church came by with her new born baby.
The ladies told us that the baby was sick,
they kept telling us that he had a fever in his stomach,
and asked if there was anything we could do.
So we played doctor to this,
4 pound,
2 week old baby.
And yes,
it was very frightening.

The villagers told us that he was doing better after we gave him some medicine, 

but we don't really know,

they never brought him back out again. 

So we're just going to trust that the Lord is taking care of this sweet little baby. 

Day 9 - May 28

Our day of rest was short lived, 

it was back to work today. 

We broke back into team rock and team sand,

and we started carrying heavy stuff up the mountain. 

For the first 15 minutes, the Haitians switched us from team rock to team water, 

that is, until they saw how inefficient we were at carrying water up the mountain. 

We were promptly returned to team rock. 

After our morning of work, 

we took to swimming to cool off. 

Pastor Junior wanted to show us the rest of the village,

so he took us to a different beach than our usual spot.

It was farther away, 

and not quite as beautiful,

but it was fully stocked with sand dollars!

Everyone, (except me), found some. 

After the swim I got my hair braided again, 

this time in rasta braids.

I was not a fan.

My bangs formed a V,

right around my Y-vein,

and that was just one too many letters on my forehead. 

Day 10 - May 29

It was our first night with rain. 

It wasn't enough rain to really mess anything up,

but just enough rain to be really annoying. 

So no one slept well,

which made our morning of work a bit more difficult. 

And the fact that we now had to fetch sand from a beach

much farther away also made it more trying. 

But we always had our afternoons of swim and shade to turn the day around. 

Also, I found a starfish!

So that helped.

My rasta braids weren't cutting it, 

so Sarah and Jon helped me take them out.

And then Pastor Junior saw us and gave us COKES!

It was like he had given us a Coke made out of pure gold or something. 

It was awesome. 

That night at church, our translator wasn't feeling well, 

so I was called upon to translate. 

Oh snap.

Pastor Junior preached mostly in French,

but he would switch to Creole to clarify things,

so that tripped me up.

I think I got most of what he was saying, 

but translating is really HARD.

Day 11 - May 30

Work was extra hard today, 

and it was extra hot outside. 

Wahoo.

We did find that playing Twenty Questions helped to pass the time.

That afternoon, Pastor Junior sat down and wanted to talk with us. 

He told us how much he and the villagers appreciated us coming.

They know that things aren't easy in Point Sable, 

that's why there haven't been missionaries there in over 17 years. 

They understood that it was a sacrifice for us to be there,

they knew it wasn't easy for us.

They appreciated the fact that we were even there,

they didn't care how much work we got done,

 they were just glad we had come. 

It was a humbling thing to hear.

We went for the usual swim,

only a few of us went today,

the rest decided to stay and sleep, etc. 

Later that night, after devos,

Pastor Pierre (he had returned to Point Sable that morning) was telling us about how he and his wife met,

and all these other cute stories. 

As I looked up into the sky, 

I saw this falling green light,

it looked almost like a falling star, but it was way too big and close.

So we deduced that it was either:

1.  A crashing Columbian drug plane. 

(apparently that's a real thing here, according to Pastor Pierre)

2. A UFO. 

Day 12 - May 31 

It was our last full day in Point Sable.

Erie. 

Work was hard, hot and dirty,

as per usual. 

Our afternoon swim held more excitement than usual.

I finally found a sand dollar. 

I finally joined the realm of accomplished men and women. 

Also, this happened on multiple days, 

and I wanted to share. 

The kids would cover themselves in sand,

in an effort to be "white" like us. 

That night we presented the church with The Proclaimer,

it's an audio New Testament in Creole. 

Also, before church Kaiti and Hailey, 

in their stunning show of leadership, 

decided to play a prank on us. 

They told us that things had changed and that we were staying in Point Sable another week.

That was a rough 2 minutes. 

But praise the Lord because it was only a joke. 

Day 13 - June 1

We started the morning by packing up camp and all of our gear.

We headed up to the school to pass out some Crocs. 

Once we got there, 

we figured out that we grabbed the wrong bag when we left Boucan la Marre. 

So instead of having lots of little Crocs, 

we had a few little ones, and lots of big Crocs.

It turned out okay.

We gave out what we could and gave the rest to Pastor Pierre to pass out later. 

This was part of the wall of the church that we helped to build.

After the Crocs,

we went back down the mountain,

and had a long and tear-filled goodbye. 

Then we boarded the boat and began the journey back to Boucan la Marre. 

The water was a little rougher this time,

there were a few close calls as far as seasickness goes, 

but thankfully no one actually got sick.

Once we got to the port city of L'Anse a Galets, 

we were given a chance to call home, 

and then we loaded up in the truck and headed back to Boucan la Marre.

Madame Pierre greeted us with the most delicious meal we could have dreamed of.

As far as we were concerned we were in paradise,

shade,

showers,

toilets,

and chocolate.

What more could you want?

Day 14 - June 2 

We were ordered to REST. 

None of us were arguing.

So I sat in a chair and read,

I laid in the hammock and read.

Ate lunch. 

Sat in the chair and read,

laid in the hammock and read. 

And that's pretty much it. 

Haiti: Week One.

Week one is kind of a blur,

it consisted mostly of travel days, 

which all seem to run together. 

But I'll give you a timeline of how things went down: 

Day 1 - May 20 

We flew from Monroe to Dallas.

I received a nice surprise on that short flight,

I was seated next to my friend and former doubles partner,

Dacia Idom.

It was a rather sweet surprise!

From Dallas we flew to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. 

We converted the baggage claim terminal into our temporary home,

and attempted to sleep for the night.

Day 2 - May 21

Up bright and early, we flew from Ft. Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 

That flight came with beautiful views, 

it was early enough that we got to watch the sunrise over the ocean,

positively gorgeous.

Once in Haiti, we went through customs relatively easily, 

and then we got to wait,

Pastor Pierre (our Haitian father/contact/etc) 

was running late to pick us up, 

because that's just Haiti. 

So we got to chill in the "air conditioning" for a while.

Once he got there, we had a hectic time getting all of us, 

plus all of our luggage to the bus.

But we all made it in one piece. 

Next we had the hour or so long drive to the port city of Carriest.

Once we got to port we had to wait a bit,

 to make sure the boat was still there. 

Then we all loaded up onto the boat that would take us from the mainland to the island of La Gonave. 

And when I say boat...

...I really mean, mini-pirate ship. 

So we, along with about 75 Haitians set out to cross the 23 miles of bright blue ocean. 

Thankfully the Dramamine was in generous supply so the boat ride was actually quite enjoyable. 

Once we arrived on La Gonave, 

we loaded all of our luggage, and a few people, into the Tap Tap (a truck taxi),

and we loaded the rest of the people into Pastor Pierre's truck, 

and proceeded with the long drive,

up the mountain, 

on the non-road, 

to Pastor Pierre's home in Boucan-La-Marre. 

Once we got to his house we were greeted with a delicious meal and direct orders to REST. 

No argument here. 

Day 3 - May 22

Our major tasks of the day were to rest, and a Croc drop.

We passed out Crocs to the pre-k and kindergarden classes at the school in Boucan-La-Marre. 

That was an interesting experience. 

These kids were all under 6,

I don't know that any of them had seen a white person before.

So in walks a group of NINE white people.

Just seeing our faces was scary enough for them,

much less us saying we wanted to give them something, 

and trying to touch their feet and take off their shoes. 

But eventually they stopped crying and kinda sorta, enjoyed themselves.

Day 4 - May 23

We were scheduled to journey to our next location, Pointe Sable.

But due to the fact that Kevin decided to eat a Haitian hotdog,

and then proceeded to throw up for 8 hours,

our trip was delayed. 

So we were blessed with another day to rest and enjoy.

Day 5 - May 24

Another day of travel. 

We got up early, 

broke down camp,

loaded up the trucks, 

had some breakfast, 

and started the hourish long drive down the mountain, on the non-roads. 

We made it to the port city, L'Anse-a-Galets,

and met the boat drivers. 

Pointe Sable is still on La Gonave island, 

but you can't just drive on over for a visit,

you either go by boat (like Americans do)

or you walk (like Haitians do).

(We asked for them to let us walk and no one would let us, they all said it was too hard, 

only Haitians could do it)

So we started another mini-pirate ship boat ride. 

The water was gorgeous, 

in most places you could see straight to the bottom.

The ride was fun and enjoyable, for most. 

Although we all underestimated the intensity of the sun,

so we were all burnt to a crisp.

I do believe that was the most painful sunburn I have ever experienced,

it felt like my flesh was melting. 

But we made it to Point Sable, finally. 

We step up camp, in Madame Sigga's backyard,

she's a well-known and trusted member of the church in Point Sable. 

After that boat ride we all just tried to chill out for the rest of the day.

Day 6 - May 25

Point Sable is a very small, very remote, very primitive beach community.

There is no electricity, 

no running water, 

no cars, 

no shade,

and not much breeze. 

Our task in Point Sable was to help build the church there. 

The people in the village were already working hard on it,

but we were there just to help things along.

We never actually did any real construction,

we were mostly just the grunt work.

We had two jobs,

to either carry mini-boulders up the mountain, 

or carry buckets of sand up the mountain. 

This is the mountain. 

Thankfully, the Haitians knew we were weaklings, and would only let us work in the mornings. 

So our afternoons were spent swimming on beautiful beaches instead of carrying really heavy things up mountains. 

This was our afternoon spot. 

When Pastor Pierre first took us there, we were all shocked by the beauty of the beach.

Unfortunately that was not the only thing that shocked us.

As I swam out into the beautiful clear water, I was so positively happy,

until I turned around.

My poor little innocent eyes were more than startled at what was coming towards me.

Apparently, children in Haiti don't need swimsuits, 

it's au naturale for these kids. 

Needless to say, it took a moment for all those little uncircumcised Haitian wee-wees to come into focus. 

My plan of defense was to swim out to where the naked kids couldn't touch, 

so they wouldn't come and hang all over me,

and if a few would sneak out to the deep, I would just shove them off.

My plan worked,

the naked children did not cling to me. 

Day 7 - May 26

Pastor Pierre (Haitian), Pastor Alfonso (American), and Bill (American),

left us today.

We were on our own in Haiti. 

Oh good gracious. 

Aside from the goodbyes, it was a typical day in Point Sable. 

Carry heavy things up a mountain.

Eat strange foods.

Be really really hot.

Go swim.

Eat more strange foods.

Get my hair braided. 

Madame Enette gave me some cornrows,

and I'll tell you what, 

I liked those things!

Light, cool and easy!

We went to church for the first time,

it was cool,

Haitian church is very different from American church.

Haitian church is basically a huge dance party, 

with songs that last 30 minutes. 

They have a lot of stamina. 

That's about it for week one, 

week two shall be coming soon! 

Coming Soon!

I have finally made it home!

I arrived back Stateside, Monday morning.

I made it back to Ruston, Monday night.

And I finally arrived in Lake Charles, Thursday evening.

It's been a busy few days.

But I am finally HOME.
And it feels dang good!

I have filled my time by gorging myself on all the wonderful indulgences that come with life in America...
...basically I've been eating a lot of sushi and ice cream...
...and watching TV.

It's been nice to finally be able to fully rest.

Sleeping in a bed really helps the whole resting thing.

I think I've worked out a way to fill you guys in on all that happened in Haiti,
I'm leaning towards doing a week-by-week synopsis of what went down.
So that would be 4 posts specifically about what we did in Haiti.
What do you think?
Too much at once?
Not enough?
Just right?

Let me know what you think.
I'm going to start hopefully Monday,
I'll take the weekend to review my journal and organize everything in my head.


But fret not,
all the juicy Haitian details will be coming soon!

Haiti Update!

Bonjou from Haiti!!

I got a chance to update!
Wahoo!!!
So let me try and fill you in on all the important stuff that’s happened over the last 2 weeks.

We got to Haiti safely,
the travel was kinda complicated…
but hey that’s Haiti!
We took 3 planes,
a bus,
a boat,
and 2 trucks to get to our first destination,
Boucan-la-Marre,
basically what we consider to be our home in Haiti!


We stayed in Boucan-la-Marre for a few days,
we did a Croc drop at the school for the preschool kids,
poor things were scared to death,
they had never seen white people,
much less nine of them who wanted to touch their feet and take off their shoes.

But mostly we just rested and prepared to go to our first village.

We had planned to go on Wednesday, May 23rd,
But Kevin got sick so we had to postpone our trip until the next day.
Silly Kevin,
he can’t eat American hotdogs but for some reason thought he could handle a Haitian hotdog,
he couldn’t.


So we left Thursday for Pointe Sable,
to get there we took,
2 trucks and a boat.
And when I say a boat, I mean pirate ship style,
but not as big.

We stayed in Pointe Sable for just over a week,
I think it ended up being about 10 days total.
Pointe Sable, was difficult.

When people talk about the “uttermost ends of the earth,”
they are talking about Pointe Sable,

they just don't know it.

The total population can’t be more than a few hundred,
There is no electricity,
No running water,
No toilets,
No cars,
And no shade.
Pointe Sable was a challenge for all of us,

The work was HARD.
We were helping to build the church for the community,
and the way we contributed was by carrying,
either,
mini-boulders or buckets of sand up the mountain,
and dropping them in a pile.
Needless to say, we are all tan and ripped!

Though the work,
heat,
food,
and facilities were all very challenging,
Pointe Sable had its blessings too.
The love and care the people had for us was incredibly humbling.

They gave so much to us,
they woudn’t let us work for longer than an hour without taking a 20 minute break,
they cooked for us,
washed our clothes,
we lived in one lady’s backyard.

They truly loved and appreciated us.
They understood what it took for us to get there,
(they haven’t had missionaries, a.k.a. white people, there in over 15 years).
We enjoyed getting to spend time with them,
even if we didn’t speak the same language.

One of their favorite things to do with us was to braid our hair,
I had fat cornrows (cool),
I had skinny cornrows (could be cooler),
I had rasta braids (not so cool).

Something that kept us all sane in Pointe Sable was the beach,
they had some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen,
just ignore the trash and all the naked kids.
Everyday after lunch we went to the beach,
we got to cool off and relax,
hang out with each other and the kids,
and catch all kinds of starfish...we probably have close to 70 total.

It was sad to leave, but we were excited to see what else the Lord had for us in Haiti.
Also, I was ready to not have sand in all my crevices.
We left on Friday and took the boat and 2 trucks to get back to Boucan-la-Marre.

This weekend has been one of much needed rest,
Our bodies were fully exhausted.
So we spent the last 2 days, reading and napping and talking.
It’s been wonderful!

It’s also incredibly refreshing to be in Boucan-la-Marre,
We have showers,
Toilets,
Shade,
A breeze,
DELICIOUS food,
Etc.

We pretty much feel like we’re in paradise here.


We start work today on the school in Boucan-la-Marre,
So far there’s been too many Americans and not enough work.
But that will just give us a chance to get creative!

Please continue to pray for our team,
your prayers have been felt and appreciated!

So far everyone is well,
we’ve had a few bouts of stomach sickness and general travelers “issues,”
but it’s been nothing a little Cipro won’t fix!

Everyone is getting along well and is enjoying our time here and with each other.
Our team has been very blessed!

I probably won’t be able to post again until I’m back in the States.
Here’s a quick rundown of what we’ve got left,
we’ll be in Boucan-la-Marre until the 16th, basically doing whatever they tell us to.
On the 16th we go to Port-au-Prince for debriefing and a bit of fun before we fly out on the 18th.

I promise I’m keeping notes so I’ll be able to fill you in on all the juicy details when I get home!

Thank you again for your love and support,
not just for me but for the whole team!