From July 14 to 21, four of us from The Crossover Church in Mattoon, IL spent a week in the beautiful yet poverty stricken island of Haiti. Our team consisted of Brian Miller, Randy and Jill Myers, and Jeff Gates. Our trip was mainly relationship building and scouting for future projects.
On the relationship building side, we spent a few days helping Vilex Plaisir with a youth camp. We mainly spent the afternoons playing sports with them, and while this may not seem tremendously relational, it was an amazing time to bond with the teens since we don't speak the language very well. I made some relationships that I hope develop over the next 10 years as these youth become the future leaders of these Haitian churches.
Randy and Jill spent a lot of time with a baby, whose mother had recently died. Without intervention, the baby would have died of starvation as no one would have fed her. Randy and Jill had already made efforts to supply this baby with food. As they spent time with baby Erland and her caretaker Dahlene, Randy and Jill considered the future of this young child. Adoptions from Haiti are time consuming and lengthy. So much prayer is needed, though they left knowing that God's will would lead to the right direction.
On the future projects side, we visited two mountain villages -- Plik and Chameau. Each walk was about 1 hour one way. The walks weren't bad going since it was early morning. But the descent at noon in 96 degree heat was brutal. Both village churches need work -- new roofs for the church and parsonage at Chameau and a concrete floor and finish work for Plik. Getting the supplies there will have to be done by simply carrying the materials up the mountains. But the villagers said they would do it with no problem.
What a contrasting country! Beautiful and poverty sticken. Happy but with minimal opportunities. Gracious but in need. A trip to Haiti will reorient your life to what is important. |
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Sunday in Plik Jul 19, 2009 10:29 PM HT Randy Myers Sunday in Plik...another great adventure full of an unbelievable day of meeting some of the most kind and hospitable people I have ever seen. We rose early to try and beat a little of the heat for our drive of about 45 minutes over mountains and trails. Some of the roads were trecherous and the ride was bumpy, but the views were amazing. We arrived at our drop off point and began our hike. It took about 45 minutes of walking to get down the mountain to the church. Jeff had hurt his knee the day before at the youth camp so he was hurting, but really hung in there for the journey. We felt bad for Pastor Brian, he has been so sick. Something has not agreed him for several days and he was too sick to make the trip with us. We brought him lots of pictures back though. So, me, Jill, Jeff, Joline and Bofis, an elder in Pastor Plazir’s church arrived in Plik. We were greeted with huge smiles , warm handshakes, hot hatian coffee and bread from the pastor’s bakery. We changed clothes for church, very sweaty at this point, but everyone is, so you don’t really mind I guess. The church is in need of work, a floor needs poured (it is dirt), the windows need cased and shutters, one gable end is not closed in...but God was there. It makes me wonder about all the flair we feel we have to put into church in the states to “make people come” on Sunday...yet here it was still a packed house. After church we gave them some balls, frisbees, candy and balloons for everyone. We played for a while and when they had wore us out, we went to the Pastor’s home for a meal. Rice, beans, goat, plantains and some juice. Traditional meal...we also drank coconut milk or water right from the source...very good! At last we had to begin the journey home. It was a tough, hot, uphill walk for about an hour, but some great people from the church walked with us and even helped carry some of the bags (you can ask Jeff about this). We made it back and surviverd the day...Jeff made steaks on the grill...mmmmm....now heading to the youth camp for an evening of singing with about 80 kids. They have been doing it since 6 am..WOW! Bed coming soon. I seem to have just spent another day in Haiti where I am supposed to be helping to make life better for them, but keep finding that they make me better each day I spend with them...I know Jill and I are better people for being here and the lessons of what true joy and happiness in life are about. Till next time, Randy
Friday at Marfranc, Haiti - Crossover Mission Trip Jul 17, 2009 10:08 PM HT Jill Myers Today was planned to be Recovery Day, but not so. After hiking yesterday to Chameau we planned on doing chores around the Mission House. Men were to do general maintenance and Joline and myself were organizing and sorting clothes. My recovery was granted however the guys were again sweating it out. Jeff and Steve got busy doing some electrical work, grounding the Mission House’s system. This required a sledgehammer and a 10 foot rod. Jeff stated, “10 foot rod required 10 tons of sweat and 3 breaks.” Randy and Brian worked on caulking around the screens to prevent bugs from getting in. Upon completing their chores, Randy and Brian went out to help Jeff and Steve. This job also required digging a small trench. Randy told me later that the shoveling was harder than the hiking yesterday. All the men were completely drenched in sweat and exhausted. All done before lunch. Good thing we had pancakes for breakfast. Lunch was quick sandwiches of summer sausage, cut cheese, fresh tomatoes and avacados. There is always fresh squeezed juice to drink. Delicious! A quick cold shower and nap for dessert. Perfect! This afternoon and evening we went over to the camp. Once again the guys were sweating it out. They played American football, volleyball and soccer with the kids. These three men were the biggest kids of them all. Randy was dancing around doing the Funky Chicken after his touchdown. Jeff was of course coaching the kids and Brian was teaching one of the girls how to spike the ball. Now, Randy is cooking supper-ribs, sweet corn and baked potatos. Yum! The Mission House is dark and cooler. Jeff and Steve are relaxing on the porch and Brian and Joline are talking computers. Recovery is finally happening. Soon we will share our hearts, thoughts and prayer as we review our journals together. That is when we will find full recovery. Jill Myers
The Crossover Mission Trip -- Thursday in Marfranc, Haiti Jul 16, 2009 10:04 PM HT Jeff Gates Thursday, July 16. Our 2nd day in Marfranc. The Lord has blessed us by us being here. Pastor Brian Miller, Randy and Jill Myers, Jeff Gates. Our day started at 6 am. Madame Asson cooked breakfast, and it was great. We had oatmeal, cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, and fresh squeezed juice. We, at the Crossover, are looking at villages to possibly adopt. Today we are to visit Chameau. Pastor Plasir joined us. We left at 7am, and drove for 45 minutes. Then we hiked for over an hour. It was mostly uphill. We crossed the river once on the way, and 3 times on the way back....very hard on one's feet. The trip was more than worth it. The scenery was unbelievable. The people were very kind. We arrived at Chameau around 9am. We visisted at the parsonage for a little bit. The ladies were excited about making us dinner. Then we visited the church. The parsonage and the church both need new roofs, so we took some measurements. People of all ages showed up. We pulled out a football and showed some of the boys how to play. Then we threw a frisbee. All had a good time. Then we were called to lunch. They made us goat, fresh fruit, eggs, goats milk and Haitian coffee. We all prayed together. We passed out suckers, and Randy and Jill passed out beanie babies. We made the greatest friends. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. There was a young Haitian boy who was albino. You could see he really burns bad. We all felt so sorry for him. We headed back after lunch. We crossed the river 3 times on the way back, taking another path. We were so glad to see Steve, all of us were so hot and exhausted. It took a while to revive. Jeff's favorite Haitian, Widle, was waiting on me when we arrived. Widle, his 2 brothers and Jeff played football, baseball, and frisbee for an hour. Widle gave Jeff his cross to wear for the time he is in Mar Franc. Supper was corn meal, beet salad, gravy, patats, and juice, the greatest juice. We all sat and went over our Haitian devotion books in the evening. A long day. We crashed. God is Good!
First Night in Marfranc Jul 15, 2009 11:00 PM HT Brian Miller This is our first night in Marfranc. We flew into Port au Prince yesterday evening and spent the night at Matthew 25 house ran by Patrick and Vivian, two warm and hospitable people. This morning Randy and Jill Myers, Jeff Gates, and myself flew out of the small airport on a 14 passenger plane for the hour flight to Jereme. The flight was very smooth and the view incredible. Steve Moore, our missionary on the ground in Haiti, picked us up for the bumpiest ride of our lives out to Marfranc. It is only about 10 miles but it takes an hour or more. Terrible roads! We had a snack and then walked into Marfranc. Wednesday is Market Day! People walk in from the mountain villages to buy and sell basic goods. No Wal-Mart here! We saw baby Erland who we've been helping a bit. Her mother died and someone needed to feed her. We've been chipping in for food to help. She's a doll. Walking to a mountain village early in the morning so better get some sleep. Bon Nuit (good night), Pastor Brian Miller
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