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.