February 9, 2018: In Search of Holes

The Bethesda United Methodist Haiti Expedition - In Search of Holes

Focus:  Infrastructure

Example 1:  Tree Planting at Sadhana

In the nursery, place a seed in a hole in the soil; cover and water.  After the seed germinates and grows several inches, soak the surrounding soil and gently remove the sapling.  Prepare its new home by digging a deeper hole and enriching the soil around it.  Place the sapling in its new home.  Add mulch and give the nascent being Phil’s blessing.

The tree planting process assumes the following which I collectively call Infrastructure:  Planner, plans, builders, building supplies, skilled gardeners, able-to-hole soil, nutrients, sun, sun shade, water, nurturing caregivers, and, of course, a seed.  The infrastructure that I take for granted in my garden, is not a given in Haiti.

Example 2:  What types of soil are we providing for our human saplings?

The old Sunday School chorus goes:  “Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world.”  (I am sure that all the worlds cultures express a similar sentiment.)  The world’s children are our saplings.  The children of Haiti and all Hispaniola are our saplings.  Children are children everywhere.  The garden infrastructure they happen to land in determines their fate.  Some fall on stony ground; some fall among the thorns; some are fortunate to fall on fertile soil.  It is our hope that the holes that the Bethesda UMC team and their Haitian friends built with fertile soil among the children of the immigrant village, will attract others to continue their efforts to build a sustainable infrastructure and nurture the young of Hispaniola into fruitful maturity and in the process set an example for the world to follow.

-Sterling

Day 7: Preparing to Leave

Today was our last day of work in Haiti.  As I began this adventure, I had no specific expectations and determined to appreciate each activity as its own remarkable event.  As I look back on it, I will take away the memory of some truly remarkable people.

The work that Eddie and Nixon are doing in the community has been detailed by others in this blog.  I have come  to think of them, and the team at Sadhana Forest, Santhonax and Reverend Eduane as community heroes.  Each has channeled their dreams and their passsions toward improving the quality of life in Anse a Pitre and Parc Cadot.  They are the type of people who could be builders anywhere;  they chose to do it here.

Eddie’s internet café will be a game changer for learners of all ages in Anse a Ptire.  Nixon has brought his agricultural expertise to the community in Parc Cadot and for me, a highlight of our work experience was the day that the Sadhana Forest and BUMC teams together planted 30 trees in the refugee settlement and shared some time with the children at the school. Nixon was a true friend to our team; in addition to sharing his knowledge he helped us coordinate transportation and border crossings.  Santhonax is one of those wonderful people whose energy radiates and energizes others.  We learned that he helps out with anyone who asks, and it was inspiring for me to see the way he connected with the children at Parc Cadot. Under Reverend Eduane’s love and care I have hope that conditions will continue to improve at the settlement.

When I think of these leaders, I think I understand what Rev. Kara was referring to when she talked about ‘catalysts’.   

I was privileged to share this adventure with a wonderful team from BUMC.  We shared some good work, a lot of song and laughter, and a few tears as we said goodbye to our new friends. I am grateful to have been part of this.

I’m feeling energized by the example set by our new friends.  I hope that I can figure out how to channel that energy into supporting their efforts in the future.
-Mike

Day 6: Amazing!

There really are no words to describe this place where we are and what we are experiencing.

The closest word is AMAZING”.

On the down side:

Amazing poverty

Amazing heat, dirt, dust and trash.

Amazingly noisy motor bikes.

Amazing critters; tarantulas, iguanas, wild burros; and stray dogs everywhere.

Amazing hopelessness in some respects.  A terribly low standard of living with little sign of change. Destructive politics. Undergirding corruption.

But then, as a counter we have: 

Amazingly friendly people who live in this place, almost all of them openly welcome and glad to see us and who take genuine joy in their daily life..

Amazing spirit of the worshipers in church, and those who work in the forest restoration project. Both project good will and gladness with lives so different from our own.

Amazing effort put forth by forest workers who grow and plant trees, our BUMC team members, and a handful of community leaders named Nixon, Raphael and Eddie whose devotion and courage are inspiring and moving.

And amazing are the children, who smile, hug, laugh and sing in the face of grinding poverty and uncertain future; as though the world is good and love abounds.

Finally, amazing is the work that we are called and able to do here, a life changing and faith building experience.

All of which most simply reflects, the amazing grace of God. 

- By John

Day 5: Hope through Education in Haiti

Education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world.

​​​​​​​Nelson Mandela

Education comes in many forms – the classroom, field trips, research, experiential and experimental.  Ultimately, I believe one function of education is to provide hope that the future will be better, brighter, happier.  Over the past several days in Anse-a-Pitre, Haiti and the neighboring refugee camp, I have seen hope manifest itself through a variety of forms of education.

Hope is manifesting itself at the Sadhana Forest in several ways. First, the forest has a young enthusiastic director, Luke, who brought in building materials today for the construction of a mill.  The mill will be used to grind nuts from the Maya Nut tree, a plant species native to Haiti.  Maya Nut trees, when mature (it takes about seven years to reach maturity), produce a large quantity of high-protein nuts which when ground into flour can be used for breads, cakes, desserts, and other food items.  The education process will be both in the building of the mill as well as in the teaching on how to use the flour in the baking process. The hope for Luke is that perhaps someday, not only will the Haitians have food security from a locally sourced  product that may be exported, but perhaps even to the United States.

Hope is manifesting itself through the work of Nixon who works at Sadhana Forest as its local agricultural specialist.  Nixon studied agriculture for three years at the University, but had to leave school when his mother passed away. Nixon uses not only his formal education, but also his life experience education (he has been working in agriculture since he was 11 years old and his father was also in agriculture) to help plant and grow the forest at Sadhana Forest.  But this knowledge is not limited to the Forest, but is being exported to the surrounding area, particularly the neighboring refugee camp.  Maya Nut trees will be planted there and some point in the relatively near future, hungry mouths will be fed and food security will be established.  This will help provide a sense of security beyond just food security to that community.

Hope is manifesting itself through the work of Eddie who has long dreamed of establishing an internet café in Anse-in-Pitre.  He has worked for years to fund the project, including Indiegogo funding project.  However, that effort only brought in 19% of the funds needed for the project. Eddie remains undeterred and construction has started.  The building will have a small café and room for multiple computer users. It is a room that will not only connect Haitians students and others to the world, but will connect the world to Haiti. It will eliminate the need for Haitians to travel across the border to the neighboring city of Pedernales in the Dominican Republic for internet service.  Again, it will provide a source and a sense of security and an enhanced sense of community for the Haitians of Anse-a-Pitre.

Finally, hope is manifesting itself in the refugee community through the eagerness to learn, particularly English.  Through no fault of their own, the refugees have been displaced by government policies and forced to settle in this camp.  Despite these hardships, there is a thirst for knowledge, a desire to learn, a hope for a better, brighter, happier, and perhaps, most importantly, a kinder tomorrow.  My hope and prayer is for that thirst to be quenched.

-Phil

Day 4: Transcending language

Hello my friend, hola mi amigo, bon jour zanmi m!   As we cross the border and cross lines of conversation with ourselves in English, the Dominican people in Spanish, and the Haitians in Creole, I have begun to notice that words aren't really important.  Being verbose often gets in the way of listening, and of being present with others. 

In the quiet, I have realized that love transcends language.  I do not need to understand or even be understood to show and know that bonds are being formed.  I was sitting on a bench sharpening pencils for a later activity when a Haitian man at Sadhana Forest sat beside me, didn't say a word, gently took the pencils and began to sharpen with me. It was a moment of beautiful simplicity.

Yesterday, while visiting the beach, a young girl came up to me whom I realized was deaf. She could not speak, could not hear, and even if lip reading, it would have been difficult with my less than stellar Spanish skill.  Despite all of these obstacles, we bonded.  We spent quite awhile playing in the water and just being joyous with each other.

Even being at church yesterday stirred my heart.  I could not understand a single word of the sermon but was moved by the palpable spirit in the room.  You could feel the spirit, you could feel the joy.  Each day, each hour brings new opportunities to love on others and it has been the most blessed experience.

Although short, my time here has already shown me the power of allowing God's love to flow through you.  Of opening your heart and loving; loving completely, loving without judgement, and loving without abandon. 

What is a relationship?

What are your relationships with other people?  Is it a working for relationship?  Is it a working with relationship?  Is it a being with relationship?  Is it a being for relationship? How about someone who is in need?  Are you just providing something for someone, are you building a community, or are you participating in an existing thriving community?

On our first day of visiting Haiti, these questions from “Living Without Enemies” became more apparent.  As this is my third trip to Haiti, I ask the question on what influence I actually have on this community. After a full day of going to church, visiting Sadhana Forest, and interacting throughout out the Pedernales and Anse-a-Pitre community, it has become apparent that this is more than just a simple working for relationship.

The people of Anse-a-Pitre are spirited.  In the church service this morning, we came together as a Community of Christ, and we worship the same God that I worship back in Maryland. The styles and traditions might be different, but the fundamental belief hasn’t changed. In some aspects, I actually wonder if their belief in God is stronger than the community I hold in Maryland.   If we as visitors from a foreign land are to have an impact form this trip, we need to advance beyond the working for relationship. 

Today in Anse-a-Pitre, I experienced flashbacks from growing up and visiting my Grandparents during the summer, in a small Midwestern town.  The children within Anse-a-Pitre have such a free spirit of walking the community, and the adults of the community are watching out for them.  This since of community is something that shouldn’t be undervalued. 

When we entered church this morning, the pastor made an announcement about our arrival, but I’m sure our presence had already permeated throughout the town.  We conversed with many people who I had met on prior trips, and it was exciting to see what their new endeavors were.  The excitement and spirit behind each of these discussions brings a new level of dimension to our relationship.

I hope and pray that this will continue through our time in Anse-a-Pitre.  We have meetings, dinners, work times, and much more scheduled with so many different players in this community.  It is my hope and prayer that we can explore relationships were we are working with, being with, and being for the members of Anse-a-Pitre.  Then, and only then, can our presence provide a small, miniscule, but positive impact within a community that is thriving in love.

-Jacob

Saturday, February 3: On the road

February 3, 2018

As I sit here this evening, in a green Adirondack chair under a thatched-roof gazebo in the courtyard of our small hotel, I feel completely comfortable.  We’ve had a lovely evening meal together and taken a walk around town, and are now relaxing at this hostel which will be our home for the coming week. 

Over the course of several hours in the car driving here today, I did not have a moment of boredom.  I enjoyed looking out the window and talking to everyone in the car about all manner of subjects. By the end of the week I think I will know a lot about all the folks in this group – which is great! 

Some observations from the day:

-At the end of our morning devotions, held in the parking lot between the two rental cars, Elissa thankfully noticed that one of our cars was getting a flat tire due to a nail. After a little rigamarole, though, we got a new one and started off down the road.

- Kara and Jacob did an amazing job driving on some challenging roads.

- The ocean looks particularly blue when contrasted with the gray DC winter weather.

- Goats are cute.

We’ve all come a long way to be here – from frozen Washington, DC; from our offices, meetings, daily routines – and spent seven hours in two cars driving through cities and countryside to a place most of us have never been. Some of us know each other well, others are still getting acquainted.  But I think we all share at least one common motivation for being here, which is to expand our notion of the community that we belong to, and to change the lives of the people we meet the way they will change ours – by beginning new friendships, becoming familiar with new places, challenging our bodies and minds in new ways.

Personally, when I am at home I spend a little too much time thinking about all the many things on my many agendas.  Already here I feel myself focusing more on the present. I hope I can practice that focus throughout the week and take it back when I go home.

--by Caryn