Today the children were happy to wear new uniforms which had been donated from St. Joseph School in Virginia. Several members of our group worked with three of the classes and their teachers to prepare art projects to bring back to share with children in Atlanta.
Bonjou! (good morning in Haitian Creole)
Four of the teachers
Art at work!
Raymond, the school principal, proudly holds the framed photo of the children of his school taken by our travel group in November 2015 and presented on this trip
Children patiently waiting for all to arrive before praying and eating lunch in the newly built refectory
These children proudly wear their school uniforms sewn by village women on donated sewing machines.
Our hardworking videographer/photographer David at work editing video for the Flavors of Haiti event on May 7. Y'll come!
A glorious sunrise yesterday at the National Training Center for Farmers of the MPP, which is our host for this trip. Unretouched photo from an Android phone taken by Scott.
On Monday morning we split in two groups. Chris and Pat took the boxed up sewing machine to the community center in Village 1 and reassembled it with expert assistance from the instructor of the sewing class. Mike and Scott were there to observe and document. The last photo shows the presentation to the assembled members of the sewing class.
Palm Sunday we attended worship in a palm church across the road from the Eco Villages. Pastor Germail teaches in the school. It was a wonderful experience for all of us.
Well it is officially day 2 of Haiti. We came in through the busy airport at Port-Au-Prince. It has been a adventure to say the least. This whole trip has been like drinking water through a fire hose. I want to soak in every moment but they are coming fast and furious. I went to sleep to the locals playing drums on a Friday night and woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the central Haiti. With the sun grazing the topography with this wonderful warm light. I shared this moment with my new friend as we both looked at God’s work.
While I have been here, I have not felt more blessed. It will not be for the reasons a lot of you may be thinking. I have not felt blessed with worldly possessions but truly blessed with some great people that have come into my life. If it was not for this trip, I would not have meet some of the uniquely talented people I have ever come in to contact with. I don’t even know where to start so let us start with first people who brought the idea of the eco-village to me Chris Calia and his wonderful wife Janine. They have a deep faith in God and passion for service. There is Mike Thurmond and his wife Loida who are great photographers and always on mission trips all over the world helping others. There is Scott Grosse whose wisdom, insight and wry sense of humor is always appreciated in Creole and English! There is Patrick Murphy who every time I am around him, he shares some amazing story in his life and that adventuring man is amazing! This passion for life and people is endless. There is also Kristy Gordon who is my medical buddy and my wise and patient teammate and my partner in our art. Then there is Mark our interpreter who is so patient with the blancs and has one of the most kind souls. Then there is Nixon our driver who been driving his vehicle over the rough roads of this area and even getting his truck stuck on our first night trying to get our bags closer to where we are staying. Then there is last but certainly not least Gordon French and his wife Carolyn. They have such a deep conviction for the country and people of Haiti. They are the ones with the vision for brighter future and making a corner of the world better. Who could ask for more?
So yes I am tired and worn out but I am truly blessed with these people coming in my life. I know at the end of the week I am going to go back to the love of my life my with Daphne and my great kids Dylan and Dan but I will come back a better person for knowing these people and sharing some time together.
I am looking forward to tomorrow and what it brings. I am looking forward to worshiping with the people at the Haitian church. I am looking forward to meeting the people in the eco-village. I am looking forward to the seeing the ingenuity of the Haitian people. Their passion for life and love they share with others. I am looking forward to new experiences tomorrow will bring.
Reflections during trip to Haiti, April 7, 2017
I’ve been spending time this past week listening to videos and reading about the Haitian Creole (or Kreyol) language. I’ve been memorizing word lists and phrases, hoping to be able to engage people in at least brief convesation. Why? What are my motives? How much is it a desire to connect with people and to show them that I care enough to try to learn their language? To what extent is it a function of my idyll curiosity and hobby of learning to speak a little bit of lots of different languages? Or, is it a matter of showing off my language-learning ability? Can we ever have pure motives, or do we always mix care for others with serving our own sense of self?
I am grateful for Chris and Gordon, who have organized this trip, and all ten people in our travel group who have committed to this week-long adventure. Jeannine organized the purchase and packing of gift packages for the women and children of the Eco Villages. We look forward to seeing the excitement on the faces of the moms and kids when they open their gift boxes. I also appreciate the folks who packed and figured out how to check large, heavy boxes containing a disassembled pedal-powered sewing machine. I trust that this machine will be put to good use to make school uniforms for the children and also as a source of livelihood for women in the villages.
Sitting alone in row 1, with a view out the window to my left as we fly over Georgia, looking down on the countryside and highways I feel detached. I read, then nap, then read and I listen to music, a video by a West African singer, Sona Jobarteh, and her ensemble playing traditional instruments. I read from the book, The Soloist, by Steven Lopez, and reflected on compassion. Lopez learned to develop compassion and understanding of mental illness and homelessness by befriending a street musician in LA. How can I, how can we, develop compassion and understanding of people in the countryside of Haiti who live their lives so close and yet so far from our privileged lives as affluent white people in Atlanta? Can we connect meaningfully with individuals in Haiti and help to share their stories with friends and family back home?
Scott Grosse
Returning to Haiti conjures memories, images, concerns, excitement. Will the traffic really be worse than in Atlanta right now? Will it rain every day? Will we be able to communicate well enough to inspire children to create? Will the faces be as full of hope and resiliency as I remember? Will we make friends and build bridges?
Hold us in your hearts as we discover questions and recognize answers and learn new ways of accepting Grace.
Children from North Decatur Presbyterian Church, Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, and Hess Academy made art work to share with the children in Haiti. When in Haiti, our travel team will do the same project with the children of the Eco-Village school, and we will bring their art back to share with the children here.
Jeanine Calia
Suitcases are bulging with art supplies, gifts for the women, books in Kreyol for the library, and so many positive thoughts from so many people. We are packing for our journey.
Jeanine Calia
Collaborating to support the EcoVillage school in Haiti.
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