Highlights from Haiti

I had many great experiences while in Haiti.  Here are a few of the highlights.

1.  Working in a medical clinic.  All my experience has been in the field of education.  It was a pleasure to step into an area that was entirely new to me.  I thought the medical staff was very good at what they were doing, and it was a pleasure to watch them do their thing.  The conversations you have around medical people are very different too.  Often they are pretty gross, but always interesting.

2.  Meeting Willem and Beth.  I think they are doing excellent work that is making a huge difference in the lives of the people in the area.  Willem has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Haiti.  He could have made a much easier life for himself, but he and Beth have committed their life to Haiti.  Their faith and faithfulness is very inspiring.

This book chronicles the work Willem
and Beth do in Haiti.

3.  Bearing each other's burdens.  Even though we were only together for one week, I felt a strong connection to these new brothers and sisters in Christ.  We had a lot of time to talk and to share.  Each of us had our own issues, and we grew to feel very comfortable letting people see us in our most vulnerable moments.  We shared lots of laughs and lots of tears.  It was a privilege.

Me and Lori

Me and Paul

Me and Julia

4.  Going to church.  The Haitian church had a very vibrant congregation of at least 300.  The music was very good but very loud.  The first song they sang was an old one I knew, "Count Your Many Blessings," and so I was able to sing in English as the Haitians sang in Creole.  (How awesome that people with so little worldly goods could still sing about their many blessings from God.) There were some testimonies, and some awards were given for Bible memory (I think).  Our little group got up and sang a couple of verses of Amazing Grace.  I enjoyed being there.

5.  Visiting an orphanage.  I had never been to an orphanage before.  This one was very nice, much nicer than most you would find in Haiti.  There were about 20 children, from little babies to toddlers to the oldest child there, a nine-year-old boy (it can't be easy being the oldest one there).  One of our team members brought several bottles of bubbles, and that was what broke the ice between us and the children.  They were beautiful children, full of life.  One little boy in particular was a heart stealer.  He was about 3 years old.  He would just go down the line of us ladies who were seated in a row.  He would climb in our laps, snuggle with us for a while and then move to the next lady.  Later he came back to go down the row and kiss us all on the cheek.  It was very sweet! I am not allowed to post pictures from the orphanage.

6.  Emily.  The pharmacist on our team brought his wife and 8-year-old daughter on this trip.  Emily was a delightful little girl, and we all had a soft spot for her.  The first night she came up with us to our bedroom to play some games with Cheri on her iPad and to have a story read to her by Carolyn.  But Carolyn was trying to download a story to read, and she was having trouble with the internet.  So I said, "Why don't I just tell you a story?"  Emily agreed, and I told her the story of Lazy Jack.  She was such a good listener that she repeated the story from memory after I was finished.  From then on we had "story time" every evening.  It was great fun for me to be able to tell some of my old stories,  and I got the impression that the ladies liked it just as much as Emily did.

Emily, Carolyn, Cheri and me

7.  Beautiful people.  I was surrounded by beautiful people all week long.  I loved all the people who served with me.  I also found the Haitian people very warm and friendly also.  As we walked to and from the clinic, most people greeted us with "Bonjour" or "Bonsoir."  Children would smile and wave.  I felt very safe as we walked and traveled among the people.

The view from my post

School children in their uniforms

One sassy girl

Next time I'll tell you about my take aways from this trip to Haiti.

My Trip to Haiti

Most of our team in from of the clinic

I got connected with the trip to Haiti through some friends from Terre Haute, Indiana, who have come to Camp of the Woods in Canada for the past several years.  Their group takes regular trips to several places each year and one of them is Haiti.  When I asked if it would be ok if I tagged along too, they graciously said yes.

I flew out of Miami and met the group from Terre Haute there.  We traveled together to Port-au-Prince and landed there midday.  We were met there by Willem Charles, who was to be our host for this trip.  He is a Haitian who is known by almost everyone there.  He got us through customs easily, and then we made our way with our luggage past a gauntlet of people trying to sell us things and help us with our bags.  It was a little intimidating.  We got out to the vehicles, and I hopped in the van that we would be traveling in.  All of our luggage was thrown quickly into the back of a large truck, and some of our group jumped in the back with the bags.  Then we made our way through the streets of Port-au-Prince.  It was like a scene from the real Amazing Race.  Crazy traffic, lots of horns honking, people everywhere, no traffic lights, squeezing through tight places, passing on crazy blind curves.  OH, MY!!!

We made our way to the guest house where we would spend the week.  We had a nice meal every morning and evening in a new patio area that they had completed recently.  The weather was very pleasant for dining outside, and the food was very good for each meal. 

Our first supper

Dr. Mark, Julia, Paul and Willem

We slept in a room at the guest house that was very comfortable.  It was the first time I had slept under mosquito netting.  We did not have trouble with bugs during our stay, but we did have a couple of lizards who hung out with us every night.

Bunks in guest house

For five of the seven days we were there we went to the clinic. At the clinic I, being a non-medical member of the team, was limited in what I could do.  My job was to check people in.  I weighed them, took their blood pressure and temperature, and measured the height of the children who came.  I learned to tell them to "Sit here," "Stand here," and "Come with me."  And I touched everyone of them.  I found it such a moving thing to touch them, to feel the warmth of their hands, their leathery skin.  It was a pleasure to weigh the tiny babies, unwrapping them from the many blankets their mothers had them swaddled in.

The first day we were at the clinic we had to shut down early.  Willem told us that too many people who were waiting in line were using the bathroom outside and not going into the designated bathrooms.  We had to trust Willem's experience wisdom and experience in making that decision.  

The final day of the clinic I was able to change jobs, and I scribed for Dr. Mark.  I met the patient and through an interpreter asked about what ailments they had.  I asked questions about their symptoms and how long they had been having trouble.  I wrote the information on the chart, so that when the doctor came in he would just have to look at the information I had collected and ask further questions.  Then he would prescribe some medications, and I would write out the prescription for them to take to the pharmacy to get medicines.

Often the complaints were simply things like, "I have headaches occasionally," or "Sometimes when I eat I have heartburn."  And so the doctor prescribes Tylenol or Tums.  These people don't have access to even these common medicines on a regular basis.  One of the PA's on the trip was a fearless surgeon.  If anyone needed some minor surgery, she was ready to take it on.  We saw many pregnant women, some happy to be pregnant and some not so much.  Often we could hear the steady heartbeat of the unborn child echoing through the clinic as the doctor checked it out with a monitor.

Just one of the many children I worked with this week.

Every day at the clinic we ate lunch together at a pavilion on the school grounds.  Most days my lunch was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  A couple of days I got rice and beans from the school cafeteria.  For students, this might be their only meal of the day.

Eating the school lunch

Our lunch time break

And so this covers most of the work we did during our time in Haiti.  But there is much more to the story, so I will save that for another day.

We All Belong

Last Wednesday night I found myself at Coolidge Park on an unusually mild and beautiful evening, especially for the first day of February.  Phil and I gathered there with Kathryn, Brandon and Madeline and other friends who were participating in a peaceful vigil in response to the controversy over the President's travel ban for refugees from several countries (I know the President and his staff say it is not a ban).  

There were all kinds of people there, many of them immigrants themselves.  Two or three immigrants or children of immigrants addressed the crowd and talked about the welcome they had received from the community here in Chattanooga.  They spoke of how they loved the country they left behind, but that they had learned to love this new country as well.

We held candles and at one point we sang "This Little Light of Mine."  It reminded me of candlelight services I had attended at church.

One of Will's friends that he grew up with was there.  I could tell he was surprised to see us.  But at the end of our conversation he said, "I'm glad you're here."  And I was glad I was there too.

In talking to friends about my experience there I've been trying to think about what I take away from all this.  I looked into the difference between an immigrant and a refugee.  Immigrants make a deliberate choice to leave their homeland and go to a different country.  They make their own plan about how they will arrive there and what their life will look like once they get there.  Refugees, on the other hand, find themselves in a place that it is no longer safe to stay.  They are pushed from their home by forces beyond their control.

Once refugees leave their homes, they most often find themselves in camps set up for them by agencies trying to help.  The conditions of these camps are terrible in many ways.  The refugees are vulnerable to dangerous people and lack of control over any part of their lives.  There is very little privacy, and no way to make a living.  Refugees can spend months, even years in this situation.

The international community, through the Geneva Convention and other agreements they have made with each other, have agreed to permit certain numbers of these refugees to immigrate into their countries.  And that is how the United States finds itself in the position we are in today.  

As an American, I realize the responsibility our government has in keeping us safe.  But, as a Christian, I keep trying to put myself in the position of the refugee.  Their life is a shambles.  There is nothing certain or solid for them to build their life upon.  They need our help.  So my first step in helping was showing up for this vigil.  And I will keep my heart and mind open to see what the next step will be.

There have been some really great articles out there about  this issue. 

 What the Bible Says About How to Treat Refugees comes from Relevant Magazine.

David Cook's article in the Times Free Press covered Wednesday's vigil and gave his opinion on this issue.

And finally, this fine article from the New York Times,  "Ann Frank Is a Syrian Girl", I found to be compelling and disturbing, and it gave me lots to think about as we once again face the issue of giving refuge to people who might be enemies.

Kathryn's sign featuring another stanza from Emma Lazarus'
poem that is on the Statue of Liberty

Madeline with her candle

Brandon and Madeline

Another Leg of My Amazing Race

In February, I will be taking of for another leg of my own version of The Amazing Race.  Let me tell you how this all came about.

In Canada, at Camp of the Woods, we have a number of groups who come every year from different churches in the U.S. to help us get ready for camp.  One of the groups comes from Terre Haute, Indiana.  They are a wonderful group of people and very active in many mission projects all around the world.  They regularly take trips to Canada, Germany and Haiti to partner with organizations they support.  I love that they really want to be a part of the things they support instead of being satisfied to just send money.  So when they were in Canada in June I asked them about tagging along with them on one of their trips.  They said I was welcome to come.

On February 15, I will be flying to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to spend a week volunteering at Mountain Top Ministries.  You can find out more about this ministry here.  I will be a part of a team that will be putting on a medical clinic for people in the area.  The group from Terre Haute includes a doctor and the rest of us will be put to work assisting in getting people the help they need when they come to the clinic.  My friends from Indiana have been joining in this ministry for the past 10 years or more, so they know the ropes very well.  It makes me feel more secure to be traveling with ones who have so much experience in this place. 

One reflection on my travels...

Following God changes your identity.

Before I started going on different legs of my Amazing Race I had traveled a lot in the United States but not outside to other parts of the world.  As I have shared my journeys here I have changed in many ways.  I see the world with different eyes and have a new heart for those in other lands.  When I meet people, friends that I haven't seen for a while, one of the questions I get asked is, "Where are you going next?"  That didn't used to happen.  People know me as a traveler now.  

It is very exciting to see how God brings about transformation in our lives.  

Building a Palace

A week ago I joined the Dunlap United Methodist Church.  It has been a big decision but one that I am finally at peace with.  There are many good people at DUMC, and they have embraced me as a sister and friend.  I am thankful for their love and encouragement in my journey.

Joining this church reminded me of one of my favorite word pictures, created by C.S. Lewis in his famous Mere Christianity.  Here is what he says:

Imagine yourself as a living house.   God comes in to rebuild that house.  At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing.  He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised.  But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense.  What on earth is He up to?  The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.  You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace.  He intends to come and live in it Himself.

All my life I have been a part of Baptist churches.  My Baptist cottage was comfortable and cozy, and I had decorated it to suit myself. And no matter what changes come to my life, the Baptist room will probably feel the most like home.  

And then things began to change.  After those many years in that cottage a new wing began to be developed.  That wing was my Canadian wing, my Camp of the Woods wing.  My world got bigger, and my cottage took on a new shape.  This Camp of the Woods wing is simple and rugged, but it has the most amazing view.  It is coming along quite nicely.

Then one day, much to my astonishment, a completely new construction was thrown into development.  This newest addition, this Methodist wing, is also coming along.  It is not as comfortable as I hope it will be someday, but that will come as I get the decor and the furniture right. I am learning to choose the right colors and tones, but it really is whole new color scheme than the ones I have used in the past.  And I have found some great friends who are helping me to get it all arranged in a proper way.

I never imagined the transformation my little Baptist cottage would undergo, but I am amazed at all that has been added to my life in the process.  I am thankful for all the friends and acquaintances who have come along to inhabit these new areas.  I can't wait to see what new construction might lie ahead.

Walk Out

One of the main reasons I went to Denver was to participate in a poverty simulation called Walk Out. On Saturday morning we gathered and were given our new identities for the walk.  Here was mine:

Other identities included people with felonies, refugees, and parents with small children.  My brother was a single dad.

We were given a garbage bag which held our "belongings" and then we headed a couple of blocks down the road to the Denver Rescue Mission.  We signed up for a bed and then were given a tour of the mission and how it works.  They serve a tremendous amount of people including providing around 2,000 meals a day.  Some of us were not allowed to stay at the mission because we were women or because we had small children, so our group had to look for other accommodations.  Our next stop was Champas House, which takes in women and children in a rigorous program.

From there we made stops at a simulated food bank and government assistance agency, as well as McDonalds, where we applied for a job.  Each step along the way we were handed a mound of paperwork to read and complete, which was a challenge in and of itself.  As I was filling out the application for McDonalds I was struck by how much of it I wouldn't be able to complete if I were a homeless person.  Address, contact information, and references would have all been very challenging.

Our final stop was at the offices of Cross Purpose.  My brother and sister-in-law work for this organization.  It works with people by walking with them as they work their way out of poverty.  Cross Purpose provides support through financial assistance, training, and mentorship.  One of the ideas that they share regularly is about relationship.  People in poverty are not just poor financially, but are often poor spiritually, emotionally and relationally.  A Cross Purpose mantra is "There is no significant change without significant relationship."

I was really struck by what a struggle it was to deal with all the problems we faced during the Walk Out.  To me, it was like being in a deep pit and trying to climb out, but so many things just keep pulling you back down.  Cross Purpose provides the support for people to keep climbing upward in their efforts to make a better life for themselves and their families.  It was great to get to see up close what this ministry is all about.

It always leaves me wondering, "What am I supposed to do with what I've learned?"

A Dose of Diversity

This weekend I went to a multicultural church with my brother and sister-in-law in Denver.  This is a church made up of immigrants and refugees and illegal aliens, as well as lawyers and teachers and people from all kinds of other backgrounds and educational levels.  Diverse is the perfect word to describe it.

It was a pleasure to worship in such a setting.  I was so blessed by the beauty of this body of believers.  Being connected to this group of believers through my brother and sister-in-law has definitely broadened my perspective and made me long for the richness that I observed in this congregation.

During the service in Denver there was a time for testimonies.  Emotions after the election on Tuesday were running high.  A teacher from a school with a majority Latino population described the fear and uncertainty about the future her students were feeling.  An illegal immigrant spoke about God being in control.  I was most moved by a woman whose job was to work with refugees being resettled in Denver.  She knew the stories of these refugees and their struggles, and her heart broke with the idea that things might get even harder for her friends.  She felt that the greater white evangelical church was letting her down, and she was just about done with that church as a whole.  But then her pastor showed up to see how she was doing and to bring comfort and encouragement.  She said she was blessed to be a part of a church family who understood and cared about her and her most vulnerable clients and friends.

I came home wondering if anyone in Dunlap had expressed concern for any of the foreigners in our midst. Did anyone go to their homes to offer words of comfort and encouragement?

The day after I returned, a funny thing happened.  I randomly came in contact with a family I know in our community.  I hadn't seen them in months.  The father of this family is an illegal immigrant.  Over the course of our conversation I finally said, "So tell me, how are you feeling in relation to the election?  Are you doing  ok?  What are you thinking?"

This man looked at me and said, "I know that God is in charge no matter who the president is.  I came here and have made a life and a family, and God has blessed me.  And if I have to leave at some point, I know that God will be with me.  So I'm ok. I'm ok."

I was so blessed by his reply, and I never would have been bold enough to ask him about this if not for the experience I had just had in Denver.

I'm thankful, so thankful, for this experience.