Bònn Ane! Jou Endepandans!

January 1st is not only New Years day in Haiti it is also Independence day.

We stand to face the future;

God behind us in the past

Christ before us; the way ahead;

Christ beside us in this moment;

Christ beneath us in our weakness;

Christ above to shield us –

beneath the shadow of his wings we are safe;

Christ between us to bind us in the unity of his love;

Christ in us, equipping us with his all sufficient grace.

Thus armed and guided, and protected we face the new year.

Now we arise and go forth on the journey before us,

knowing that, where Christ leads, life is a journey home.

Therefore we travel in faith, in hope, and in love,

in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

May the blessing of God be upon us all this year and into eternity.

Amen

A New Year Blessing from the Iona Community, Iona, Scotland

Happy New Year! Happy Independence Day!

Jwaye Nowèl !

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, and

brings good news. (Isaiah 52:7)

 Jwaye Nowèl !

Merry Christmas!

Holiday travel

In the days leading up to Christmas I am reminded of the story of Joseph and Mary leaving Nazareth and heading to Bethlehem in response to the census being taken by decree of the Emperor.  Recently as I was wandering the donkey trails and dirt roads of the mountains of Haiti I was contemplating Joseph trying to find transportation for Mary. Of course this story is often illustrated with Mary riding on  a donkey, being led by Joseph. Joseph would have no problem finding a donkey for the journey in Haiti today.

However, there are a few more options in 21^st century Haiti. Joseph might go down to the market and hire a “taxi” for the journey. Most of these taxis are small motorcycles (125 cc). Surprisingly, I have seen entire families of four on one of these motorcycles. Joseph and Mary would probably both be able to ride with the driver. A ride to the next town would cost about $4.

If a “taxis” wasn’t possible Joseph might have chosen a “tap tap”. “Tap taps” are often little pickup trucks that have been fitted with benches in the back. They are brightly painted and often have religious or biblical sayings on the side. The “tap taps” have a set route of about a mile or so, the fare is about 25-cents, steeper routes are a bit more.

Finally, Joseph might have friends at one of the NGOs and be able to arrange a ride in an SUV. The ride in the SUV is far from smooth and flat tires are common, but this would probably be the safest way for Mary to get to Bethlehem.

Safe travels to all this holiday season!

O prosper the work of our hands!

Recently I’ve spent a lot of time working on the chicken coop. One of the tasks at hand was to set two metal brackets in about two cubic feet of concrete each. The metal brackets were designed to help stabilize the building in the event of a hurricane. In Haiti concrete is mixed on site. The unit of measure used in the concrete recipe was a five gallon bucket. To the best of my recollection we needed three buckets of gravel, two buckets of sand, and two buckets of water for every two buckets of concrete. We started by sifting the sand. Then all the ingredients were combined and mixed with shovels. At which point we used the five gallon buckets to carry the concrete to the designated spot. Four of us worked as a team and were able to complete the job in one day.

As I helped sift sand and carry buckets of concrete I ponder all the things that are done by hand here in Haiti. At the construction site hand saws were used to cut PVC pipe, wood, and iron re-bar. Nails were driven with a hammer not a nail gun. Ladders were fabricated from scrap lumber as needed. In Haiti the hands on approach goes beyond the construction site and seems to be applied to all aspects of life. Water is pumped by hand. Car repairs are all done by hand; including engine work, body work, and patching flat tires. The baskets, trivets, and coasters in our dining room were all hand woven. Our juice is fresh squeezed by hand. Furniture is handmade, including the tables and chairs in the preschool. The children’s school uniforms are all individually tailored and hand sewn. I am amazed at what the Haitian people are able to accomplish by hand. O prosper the work of our hands! (Ps. 90:17)

preschool students in uniform, complete with aprons

water, rocks, & trees

The River Marcelle is about a fifteen minute walk from where I live in Gros Morne. The local people tell me that 50 years ago River Marcelle was a small stream. Today however the river bed has spread out considerably.  During the rainy season houses have even been lost to this river. The erosion and flooding is the direct result of deforestation. I learned of a two prong approach that has been implemented in an effort to stop the erosion. A number of groups have come together in support of a ravine project which slows down the water cascading down the mountain and lessens the severity of the erosion. People are also planting trees.

Recently a group of took a field trip down the river to see the progress that has been made in trying to stop the erosion.  The ravine project is very impressive. Basically, the people follow the path the water has cut in the side of the mountain and build a series of walls across it. The walls stem the flow of the water by allowing it to collect in pools between the walls. Not only is the force of the water lessened, the ground also has more time to absorb the water so less water actually reaches the river bed. They say the sediment in the little pools is very good for the garden.

The ravine we visited was half a mile long. Near the river the stone walls were about nine feet apart.  In places where the incline is steeper the walls were placed closer together. The rocks used to construct the walls were taken from the river bed. I understand that when the walls were being constructed there was a human chain, passing rocks up the hill. Once the rocks were on the hill side twenty people were assigned to construct each wall. At the height of construction 1000 people were involved in the project. The people involved were primarily people from the neighboring villages and they were paid with food. The very same people continue to look after and maintain the walls. The ravine project is an engineering wonder, constructed from readily available material, with a lot of sweat equity.

Slowing down the water is only half of the equation. Trees are needed to help hold the soil in place. There are a couple tree nurseries in the area that have been set up to supply trees to be planted along the ravines and throughout the area.  At the tree nursery we saw seedlings for a variety of trees including: mango, avocado, and lime. As they mature the fruit form the trees is also good source of food for the people. Last year about 25,000 trees were planted in this area. The goal is to plant 80,000 a year. When I spoke with the local agronomist at the tree nursery I was reminded of Johnny Appleseed, the legendary apple seed sower I sang of as a child growing up in Ohio. May Guy Marie’s efforts be as long lasting and far reaching as those of John Chapman.

Down the river and up the donkey trail …to the chicken coop we go!

Saturday morning I went out to the site of the future chicken coop with a couple of the Religious of Jesus and Mary volunteers. The three of us rode the four wheeler. It took us less than half an hour to drive out of town, down the river bed and up the donkey trail to the chicken coop which is situated about 15 miles outside of Gros Morne. Saturday morning is “laundry day” and the river was bustling with activity. We were cautious to avoid not only the people washing their clothes, but also all the clothes drying on the rocks. Quite a colorful sight!

The chicken coop is a 1500 square foot “egg laying facility” that is currently under construction. This project grew out of a business proposal formulated by one of the RJM volunteers a few years ago. Most of the eggs in Haiti are imported from the Dominican Republic. It is estimated that once this chicken coop is up and running it could supply 15% of the local demand for eggs, not to mention a number of jobs for the local people. From this business proposal “Hens for Haiti” was hatched (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun), a non-profit organization that has been set up to acquire funding for the project and to work with the local people to see that the project comes to fruition (www.hensforhaiti.org ).

On Saturday we constructed a model feeding station for the chickens from a two-by-four and an eight foot section of four inch diameter PVC pipe using a hand saw. Other components of the facility that had already been constructed including: nesting boxes, a water stand, & water troughs. Before the hens can come to roost solar panels will need to be installed. Apparently hens require a lot of light in order to lay eggs, available natural light is insufficient for most of the year. So this chicken coop will run on solar power. The hope is that the chicken coop will be self sustaining within a year of completion.

I continue to be amazed by the dearth of what I consider basic foods here in Haiti. Certainly, I never gave much thought to where the carton of eggs in the refrigerator came from or how much care and feeding is required in order for the chickens to produce the eggs. All these factors are further complicated in Haiti by the lack of a stable infrastructure. It is edifying to see the dedication of the young adults who continue to work on this project in an effort to empower the people of Gros Morne and provide them with a local source of eggs.

Bonswa Gwo Mòn!

Saturday evening I arrived in Gwo Mòn (Gros Morne). It took us about five hours to drive up from Port au Prince. We had a couple stops to make along the way, most notably ...one stop for fried pork and plantains …another for the driver to buy six live ducks which will eventually find their way to his plate! For most of the trip we were on the National highway; a ribbon of macadam about two lanes wide that follows the coast line for a while and then weaves its way through various towns and market places.  After two months in the congested city of Port au Prince the sea and the mountains were a sight for sore eyes… as was the house in a grove of trees at the end of the road.

The house of the Religious of Jesus and Mary in Gros Morne is at the end of a road about a five minute walk off “main street”. The road up to the house seems to pass through a forest. They tell me that when the Sisters first arrived about 14 years ago there were no trees here, and now some of the trees tower over the house. The house itself is very large, I think there are nine bedrooms. In addition to two professed Sisters many volunteers with the RJM call this house home. Alumni of the volunteer program are also known to visit… as are family and benefactors. Based on all the people currently here and those expected in the next couple weeks I get the distinct impression that Gros Morne is the place to be!

The Haitians having a saying, “Dye mon, gen mon” … which translats to ”The mountains beyond the mountains.” Here in Gros Morne as I wander down the road it truly seems as though there are mountains beyond the mountains. 

Give Thanks

This year I give special thanks for

…a roof over my head

…two healthy feet to stand on

…drinkable water

…indoor plumbing

…a safe & reliable car
...mountain vistas

…the love & support of family, friends, & community

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Neighborhood

This is my last week in Port au Prince. Next weekend I'll be moving north into the mountains. Before I leave Port au Prince I want to share some of the sights of our neighborhood of Barbiole.

One of the many murals that are on the wall around the church property

Police station

David, our neighbor

Car wash: two industrious guys have a 55 gallon drum of water and a power washer

where I buy my "classic coke" ...this freezer is actually plugged in!!!!

Carrying things on your head is common here ...strong women of Haiti

the goat who lives across the street

The man who came to the house to sharpen anything with a blade.

a glimps of the sea from a couple blocks up the hill

My Local Community in Port au Prince

My local community here in Port au Prince is an interesting group of six women. There are three professed Sisters and three Haitian college students. We range in age from 22 to 74 and represent three countries. Some days I feel as though I live in the tower of Babel as English, Spanish, French, & Creole are all spoken here! Sister Vivian, RJM (USA) has been in Haiti for 14 years. Sister Isabel, RJM (Spain) has been in Haiti about 4 years having been missioned for over a decade in Africa before coming here. Middia and Claunette are studying school administration. Darleen is studying nursing. As you can imagine, our schedules are quite varied. Still, each day we manage to have morning and evening prayer together and share at least one meal. Many evenings you can find us all playing Uno in the community room. The sounds that emanate from our house are the singing of French and Creole and the laughter.

Sr. Connie, Darleen, Sr. Vivian, Sr. Isabel, Claunette, Middia

Reuse!

I’ve often heard the slogan of “Reduce…Reuse…Recycle”, the various ways we are called upon to be good stewards of our precious Earth. After living here for over a month I’ve come to the realization that Haiti is a land of “reuse”. Recently I tried to name all the various things that I pass every day that are being “used” in a manner for which they were not originally intended. The list was quite long, so I’ll just share a few.

In our parish there in a shipping container that serves as the sacristy. Mass is celebrated under canopies, but everything we need for mass is stored in a “double size” shipping container. From where I sit before mass I can see into the container and witness the priest and altar servers offering their prayers before they leave the container and process to the altar. In Baltimore I use to watch these shipping containers being loaded on and off ships with large cranes; moving goods around the world. At Sacré Coeur our shipping container has a higher calling.

As we drive around Port au Prince I see many US school buses that now serve as public transportation in Haiti. It has become a bit of a game for me to try to determine the city of origin of these busses; some if not all of the original markings are often visible. I was pleasantly surprised the other day to come upon a “Lower Cape May Regional School District” bus, Cape May being one of the places I feel quite at home. Although I’m rarely in Cape May when school is in session, I can easily imagine the faces of the children that rode this bus to school …and the flat, winding roads that they traveled passing green fields and seascapes. This bus’ current riders and its route stands in high contrast to those it first served. Now the bus carries Haitians of all ages and their belongings to various destinations around Port au Prince…along congested, steep, city streets.

Finally, most surprising item to me being “reused” are old refrigerators and chest freezers. I am amazed by the number of old refrigerators and freezers that now serve as “ice chests” and “air-tight” “lock boxes” for the various sidewalk vendors. As we drive down the street it is strange to see refrigerators, laying on the ground, hasps having been welded on the doors, padlocked …from which just about anything may be dispensed. Again, it is the stark contrast of what I imagine to be the refrigerators first tour of duty versus its current use. The image of a bright white refrigerator standing in a kitchen compared to the battered and broken hulks pressed into service laying by the side of the road in Port au Prince. Surprisingly, regardless of their horizontal status the sustenance of life continues to be dispensed from these refrigerators.

So …”reuse” seems to be the operative work in Haiti. Another sign of the ingenuity and resilience of the Haitian people.

mes ami "Carlos"

There is a medical clinic housed in the same facility as the amputee clinic that offers general medical care, dental care, and physical therapy. One day while I was wandering around the clinic I was told Sister Genevieve, one of the Hispanic Sisters who works in the medical clinic, wanted me to meet someone. I didn’t know what to expect. She introduced me to “Carlos”.  Carlos is a little boy who had been abandoned at the clinic the previous week. We don’t know his name, but the Sisters call him Carlos. They tell me he is 7 or 8, but I could easily carry him. When they found him he was dehydrated and malnourished. He doesn’t speak, they think Carlos is autistic.

That morning Sister Genevieve wasn’t having any luck feeding Carlos and she needed some assistance.  Eventually  we opted to put food in the tube that they had previously threaded into his nose and down to his stomach. After he was fed, we gave Carlos a bath in the courtyard from a 5 gallon bucket. Then we dressed him in clean clothes. From there Carlos and I went and hung out in the physical therapy room for a while. I don’t know if he understood a word I said in English and Creole, but he would periodically take my hand. Once Sister Genevieve figured out that Carlos wasn’t going to take a nap she asked me to try and feed him again. Carlos calmly ate for me, eventually he took about 4 oz of yogurt. Before the morning was over Carlos smiled for me.

One of the other mothers at the clinic asked me if Carlos was the child who had been abandoned. I said yes. She questioned how any mother could leave her child never to see him again, as she held her own daughter with special needs. I didn’t have the language skills to tell her that I don’t know how a mother could leave her child. At the same time I believe Carlos’ mother thought she was doing what was best for her son.

When I returned to the clinic two days later I learned the Sisters had placed Carlos with the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa’s community.

This day please join me as I pray …for consolation for Carlo’s mother, that she will somehow come to know that her son is being cared for… in gratitude for the Missionaries of Charity who care for those who have nowhere else to go … and for Carlos, mes ami.

Painting feet

One day at the clinic Sister Isa asked me to paint feet. You see the feet for the prostheses are “band-aid beige” and the patients are not. There are a number of prostheses stored at the clinic which belong to patients who haven’t taken them home yet because they haven’t quite mastered walking with them. These prostheses were available for painting. In preparation for painting I retrieved the prostheses from storage, removed the shoes, and carefully kept the given shoe with its respective leg. Sister Isa made a point of telling me that if I mixed up the shoes I would have to sort it all out latter. No small feat! (pun intended)  Ultimately, I spray painted six or seven feet a “dark chocolate” brown. As I painted the feet I thought of our Holy Thursday ritual of feet washing; remembering Jesus’ call to service. I was anonymously tending to the feet of the patients. Our hope is that this simple act will help the people to accept their prosthesis as part of themselves, help them to be whole. Latter in the day I walked and talked with Margaret, a tall, young, beautiful Haitian woman who lost her right leg above the knee in an autobus accident. I wondered if she noticed that the foot in her shoe was “dark chocolate” brown.

Laundry Day!

As an American there are many day to day activities which hither too I have taken for granted. No more! Case in point; laundry. While I was in the Novitiate in California I use to do my laundry in my sleep. I would put the clothes in the washing machine and go to bed. At some point in the middle of the night I would get up and transfer the clothes to the dryer. In the morning I would awaken to clean clothes! No such luck here in Haiti.

Laundry for me in Haiti begins with carrying my clothes to the courtyard. We have both metal and plastic basins for clothes washing; they are about two feet in diameter and eight inches deep. Next I transfer water from the cistern to two basins with a bucket; one for washing and one for rinsing. The laundry soap is a white ball about the size of a tennis ball, it conveniently fits in the palm of my hand. Once I have everything set up it’s just a matter of hand washing all the laundry and hanging it on the clothes line to dry. Needless to say this process seems to take an inordinate amount of time not to mention a fair amount of hand strength.

Please don’t miss understand, we have excellent laundry facilities at our house here in Port au Prince. As I travel through Port au Prince and into the neighboring villages I have witnessed people doing their laundry where ever water seems to be available. Laundry in the tent camps is done in five gallon paint buckets. Laundry in the country side is done in a pond by the side of the road. On one occasion I saw a woman doing laundry after a rainy night in what I would have considered a “mud puddle”. Trees, bushes, and fences have been known to serve as clothes lines. Necessity is the Mother of invention …and nothing is simple in Haiti!

The amazing Sebastian!

One day last week at the clinic I met Sebastian, a most amazing eleven year old boy. Sebastian had come to the clinic to have his prosthesis adjusted. His prosthesis is fitted below his left knee as he was born with only one foot…and no hands.  While Alexis worked on Sebastian’s leg Sebastian was careening around the clinic, propelling a wheel chair by kicking with his foot. At some point he visited with Sister Isa and borrowed her camera. Yes, Sebastian is quite dexterous with his arms. He balanced the camera on one arm and used the end of his other arm to depress the button! When I attempted to take Sebastian’s picture he became enamored with my camera. So … Sebastian started taking pictures with my camera even though it is a bit heavier than Sister Isa’s camera. Sebastian had patients and staff alike posing for pictures, including myself. 

Eventually, Alexis returned Sebastian’s leg to him and needed to see how well Sebastian was able to walk after the adjustments had been made. As one would expect from an energetic eleven year old, Sebastian marched and sauntered but needed to be coaxed to “walk normal”! With all the clowning around it was apparent to Alexis and all of us that Sebastian was doing well with his prosthesis. When he went to leave Sebastian wished me, “Bonswa” and kissed me on both cheeks as is the custom here in Haiti.

Sebastian amazed me in so many ways. As I watched this young boy careening around the clinic, interacting with patients, staff and visitors I thought of the Salesian’s maxim “ Be who you are and be that perfectly well” !  Although he doesn’t have the benefit of ten toes and ten fingers Sebastian is certainly a most perfect eleven year old boy.

Typical Day?

Typically …we start the day with morning prayer at 5:50 am. Right after prayer it’s a short walk to Sacred Heart for mass. Mass usually starts around 6:15 and is in French, with some of the hymns sung in Creole. Then back to the house for a quick breakfast. If I’m going with Sister Isabel for the day we generally leave at 7:30 as the traffic seems to increase throughout the morning. That’s about where the predictability of the day ends …

When I’ve accompanied Sister Isabel to the amputee clinic I’ve shadowed the prostheses technicians. During my visits the technicians were watching people walk with their prostheses and making the necessary adjustments. The objective is not to get the leg perfectly straight, the objective is to align the prostheses so that the person can resume their natural way of walking. The number of adjustments that are necessary, especially when the person has an artificial knee, are amazing.

On a recent visit I met Manoosh. Manoosh had to endure two rounds of surgery before she was successfully fitted with a prostheses. When Sister Isabel broke the news to Manoosh that she would need additional surgery, she cried but then consented to the additional surgery. Now, six months later Manoosh was able to walk not only on the level sidewalk in the clinic courtyard but also on the gravel road that runs alongside the clinic. To truly walk in Haiti one must be able to trod the unstable surface of a gravel road. We all celebrated Manoosh, her perseverance, and her great accomplishment.

Welcome to Haiti!

Last Tuesday I arrived in Port au Prince safe and sound. Thanks to the hospitality of the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Mary’s in Newark I was able to take a direct flight from Newark to Port au Prince. Although it was a relatively short four hour flight, Haiti is certainly a world away from Philadelphia.  I was greeted at the airport by the Sisters of Jesus and Mary with whom I will be living. Fortunately Sr. Vivian is well versed in the Port au Prince airport and Sr. Isabel is an expert at navigating the Toyota through the city. The area where we live is known as Barbiole. Below is a picture of our house. My room is on the second floor, front corner. I have two walls of windows which provided a nice breeze at night. I think we are due east of the Presidential palace. Our parish is Sacred Heart. The church was destroyed by the earth quake but the landmark crucifix still stands on the corner. Daily mass is celebrated under canopies on the site of the church. A cargo container serves as the sacristy. Mass at Sacred Heart is a very uplifting experience.

On my first full day in Haiti we went to an “open house” at the new community school in Merceron, a remote village about an hour away from Port au Prince.  The RJM are directly involved in building the school and training the staff. On Wednesday most of the village showed up to celebrate the new school and share some sandwiches and soft drinks. While in Merceron I also had the opportunity to visit a new  rice paddy and mill. Merceron is near lakes and the land is apparently ideal for growing rice. With a new school and a new mill there is much hope for Merceron.

Later in the week we visited “Atelier Saint Joseph”, the clinic for amputees where Sr. Isabel works. The clinic is near the Port au Prince seminary where the archbishop who lost his life in the earth quake is buried. The RJM were quick to point out to me all the statues of St. Joseph that can be found in the work shop where the prostheses are made. The day we were there a woman who lost her leg to diabetes was fitted with her new leg. A full length mirror was set up so that she could see herself as she walked between the bars. The smile on her face was universally understood, she was very happy to be standing and walking.

Although it has been less than a week since I arrived in Haiti the new experiences have been many and varied. Haiti obviously still suffers greatly from all the destruction caused by the earth quake. However the faith, perseverance, and strong spirit of the people is also tangible. Living in Haiti presents many challenges and many graces!

How I came to be missioned in Haiti

Last Spring my Congregation, The Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia, invited volunteers to go to Haiti to minister to and with the people of Haiti. After I learned of the invitation I couldn’t get the idea out of mind. After much prayer and discussion I put my name forward. In June I learned that I would be going to Haiti for six months! Planning began in earnest almost immediately. There were many logistics to be worked out. Ultimately we made arrangements with the Religious of Jesus and Mary who have lived and served in Haiti for about 14 years now. I will live and minister with the Religious of Jesus and Mary in Port-au-Prince, Gros Morne, and Jean Rabel (the latter two places are in the mountains in the North-west of Haiti). As Sisters of St. Joseph we say we are “ready for any good work” and that will certainly be the case in Haiti.