Sunday, December 30, 2012
Hospital Entrance
Poor and Powerless
The Poor and Powerless
This written by Josh and Paige Konoza, of Pittsburg, PA. They were married in August and decided to go serve with MH4H in Haiti for their belated Honeymoon. This is both of there first time traveling to Haiti.
We started the day a little bit earlier than usual so that we could meet Jean Robert and make sure we had enough time to visit all of the families he planned to see before lunch time, as he spends his afternoon working in the Five Loaves office here in Pignon to make sure he makes himself available to local visitors and those seeking assistance. Just to give you an idea of what Five Loaves does, they work with families in the neighboring areas of Pignon by partnering with American sponsors to provide health insurance for those who cannot afford to fully cover themselves. For $200 a year, an American sponsor ensures that a Haitian individual will have adequate coverage, while the Haitian that benefits also puts in a percentage of their income to make sure they have a vested interest in the program as well as their own health. Their is a cap of $1000 a year per family, regardless of the number of family members after exceeding 5 people. From my understanding, the hospital in Pignon does NOT deny medical care or turn anyone away, but picks up the cost of treatment which cannot be covered by the patient. As such, the Five Loaves Health Development Accounts help provide coverage and offset the financial burden generally paid for by the hospital. I would encourage you to visithttp://www.promiseforhaiti.
Jean Robert in his office in Pignon.
We picked up Jean Robert at his home in one of the neighboring areas and headed off to see the first family. I knew we were going to see families in the countryside that depended upon Jean Robert and Five Loaves, and that we would be taking them a small bag of rice maybe weighing 1-2 lbs. While all of the families we visited are in need, their were two in particular that truly broke my heart. The first home we went to visit was deep into the countryside on a path best traveled by ATV. Jean Robert had actually spotted the man who we meant to visit as we passed him on the road. He jumped into the bed of the truck and we drove in as far as we could before getting out and making the rest of the way on foot. We passed other houses and many children, but the further we went the fewer people we saw. We arrived at the man’s house and Jean Robert began speaking to the wife inside to let her know he had arrived and that he had brought a few friends along to visit them. While it is hard for me to guess at ages, and even more difficult given the fact that life in Haiti is hard work and seems to age its people, I know that they are quite elderly and could be grandparents multiple times over. We shook the husband’s hand and introduced ourselves, and immediately upon seeing his wife, I greeted her with a hug. She seems so small and fragile in her long dress and a handkerchief to cover her head. Her feet are bare and dusty. She has a voice so small and quiet, I could only compare it to a mouse. Her eyes are small and moist, and they are surrounded by innumerable wrinkles. She has no teeth that I can see, which breaks my heart further as I know it severely limits what she is able to eat. When Jean-Robert hands them the rice, they both have tears in their eyes, but suddenly the man wants to show us something. Jean Robert explained that on a previous visit, he had brought along a new pair of sneakers for the man as his current pair were worn and could fall apart any day. He is so proud to show that he has kept the shoes, as he could have easily sold them for a small but much needed amount, and that he has kept them clean in the bag that he received them in. Jean Robert encouraged him to go ahead and wear them in place of the old ones he continues to use.
A poor Haitian home in the country side.
The man’s wife invited us in to see the inside of their home. I knew already to brace myself, as their house is made of sticks and a bit of scrap metal and could easily be blown over (as we are told, this actually happened to one of the other families). Inside were two rooms, which combined are smaller than the size of most American bedrooms. In the front room, she burns an open fire and uses the flames and embers to prepare what little food they have with one of the small pans they use for cooking. A couple of pans and a few glowing embers, thats all there is. In the back room is where they sleep, sharing a small twin sized bed and a few garments of clothing are folded in a pile. The sight of their bed gives me a small sense of hope as it means they are not forced to sleep on the ground. However, their house is full of rocks and stones, as well as surrounded by them. As we exited to have a look around the house, my heart experienced another leap of hope as Fransly pointed out a few sweet potato shoots and congo beans. I know this means that when the time is right, they will have a few potatoes and beans to add to their dinner, but it is far from enough to sustain them for more than a single meal. As we are getting ready to leave, all I want to do is hold the old woman in my arms. Rarely do I meet a person I can envelop in my arms given my own small frame, but here is the chance. As I give her this hug, I wish all the love and compassion I feel for them can be understood in this gesture, as I am far from incapable of whispering encouragement without the help of Jean Robert to translate. I had packed a few small toys and gifts in our backpack in the likely event that we came across children, as Jean Robert and Zeke felt that it would be good to share them with the children we encountered in the countryside. In this moment as we are preparing to leave, I wish I had something, anything to leave with them to better express all the stirring in my heart. The night before, Josh had helped me use scrap paper to create small booklets for the children to color in to present to them as gifts. On the front of these booklet, I wrote out the kreyòl of Jeremiah 29:11. ”For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I have only small toys and crayons, but I know that God knew we would visit them this day, and that He’d put it in my heart to have this verse available in kreyòl to the people we would meet. I hand her the small booklet and ask Jean Robert to translate for me. I apologize for not being able to give them anything more, but that I hope this will bring them some measure of comfort. I tell her that this verse from the Bible is one of God’s promises to His people, and that it has always helped our hearts when Josh and I have faced difficult times. As we are getting ready to leave, Jean Robert encourages them to attend church on the coming Sunday, only to be told by the woman that she has no shoes to go to church. I know he will do his best to remedy the situation as quickly as possible.
An older Haitian Woman.
I can’t pinpoint what it is that makes this woman and her husband move my heart so deeply, more than any of the children we have seen. Typically I think of all the children in the world who are motherless, fatherless, malnourished, without hope, living in squalor and that desperately need help. But it’s this couple that brings tears to my eyes. This old man and his wife, living far from any family they might have once had. A wife without shoes, whom I can’t imagine sees many people aside from the husband she shares a home with. How far she must have to walk, barefoot no less, to see anyone that would spend time with her, sharing in community with her, and taking the time to express a measure of caring or friendship. When was the last time someone gave her a hug and told her that her life matters? That being old does not make her obsolete and being poor does not make her less. I’m so thankful to know that Jean Robert and Five Loaves cares for them. That he comes to see them as often as he can manage in his busy schedule. That now there is another person that cares deeply for them as I carry them home in my heart. As I laid in my bed that night, I couldn’t stop the tears from running. All I could think about is the dark that they sleep in as they share a small bed and muster the courage to face the next day. Luckily, I have a husband that knows me well enough to know when I cry. Even when I turn the other way. And even when I think I’m doing so quietly. He held my hand and began to pray that the Lord would watch over the people we had met, to send support for Five Loaves and their endeavor to make a real and lasting impact, and strength for Jean Robert to continue visiting these families each week to bring them food, listen to their needs, and provide companionship. I’m so thankful that God made a husband for me that would immediately turn to prayer while my heart breaks for our most vulnerable. It made me thankful that the Lord gave the elderly man and wife each other, that they would have companionship in their trials, and have someone to encourage them as they face uncertainty each day. I know Jean Robert hopes to find a way to fund a house for them. Nothing fancy, but something solid and strong. A place they can sleep at night without fear of a storm or strong winds. I know that as believers, God is our “refuge and strong tower”, and I pray that he would move in their hearts and be a source of comfort as well as joy in all their trials. How terrible to feel that we suffer needlessly, rather than to know there is a God that loves us immensely as His children, that trials are just that, an opportunity to grow and show that we are becoming more and more like Christ. A father who sees every misdeed our enemies enact against us and who can provide for our every need.
In closing, I will try to write quickly about the other old man that moved my heart. He also lives with his wife in a small hut, but their home shows even more dire signs of a need for assistance. Inside the sticks they call a house, there is only one room. And in this room is a broken bed frame. No mattress, no blanket, no pillow, just 4 useless pieces of lumber that lie in disarray. At this point, the children knew we were there and had come hoping we would have gifts for them. For better or for worse, I could not find it in my heart to do so. As I listened to Jean Robert speak with this man, and translate the conversation for us, I hear the children start to laugh and snicker. This old man wears a tattered shirt and pair of pants as well as a pair of serious rain boots, almost work boots of some kind, and I know this laughter comes at his expense. Zeke had asked him where he and his wife had been going when they need a bathroom. In reply, he pointed to the field just a few feet away. The children found this amusing. It’s at this point I’m glad I don’t speak kreyòl as I know I would have gone off on them and certainly not reacted in a way worthy of Christ. Luckily Jean Robert is well-tempered and simply tells them they should not laugh at the man, and that such behavior is not acceptable.
And what about the man? How did he reply? He did nothing. No word. No look. He continued to speak as if the children were not present, and in that moment whether he is a believer or not, he showed me what it really meant to turn your cheek. These children, whom I admit knew no better, children that I deeply hope come to know Christ and what it means to be a good neighbor, these children laughed in this man’s face as he simply and honestly answered a question. He has no toilet. He has no outhouse. When it’s time to go, there’s the field. Honestly, how many of us haven’t done the same at some point in our lives? But again, despite all this, he did not lash out or speak a harsh word at them. I’m so thankful that we met him, and that God used him to show me what it really means to die to ourselves each day rather than to stand up and try to fight for our own pride when He can fight our battles for us so much more effectively and with a full picture of His plan in mind.
In closing, I pray that each of us might consider “our neighbor”. To consider those we might otherwise pass by, not out of malice, but perhaps busyness or ignorance. Is their an elderly neighbor living alone who might enjoy a cup of coffee or tea? Perhaps a single parent who is working hard to raise children and could use a lunch break together? Maybe a person who’s recently lost his/her job and is feeling particularly low. We have SO MANY neighbors, that surely there is one that we can make the effort and plan intention in our day to spend a moment with them. In America, our time is found to be valuable, surely we all know the expression “time is money”. What better way to show Christ’s love, than to give up what the world tells us is valuable, so that we might put another before ourselves.
Christmas in Haiti
This written by Josh and Paige Konoza, of Pittsburg, PA. They were married in August and decided to go serve with MH4H in Haiti for their belated Honeymoon. This is both of there first time traveling to Haiti.
CHRISTMAS IN HAITI! That’s about as exciting as this post gets. Christmas is not a big production in Haiti. People go to work, and generally go about their business as if it were any other day. There are some Christmas Eve and Christmas services, but otherwise there is not nearly the level of secularization of the holiday here in Pignon as we experience in the states. No last minute pandemonium in the market for procrastinating shoppers. To be honest, I kind of like it that way. We got to skype and wish our families a Merry Christmas, we played a lot of gin rummy and uno, and just genuinely enjoyed our time together.
A picture of 3 Bears and Me school, located outside of Pignon.
In the afternoon, we went with Zeke to meet with one of the school Principals to assess the needs for the upcoming semester. The school (3 Bears and Me) is in the countryside with a beautiful view of the rolling mountains that surround it. (In contrast, my high school is in the middle of a suburb and was designed by a prison architect.) The three main needs of the school are basic: 3 chalkboards, a latrine, and a fresh coat of paint. They aren’t worried about a computer lab for the kids…they need a toilet! As of now the kids simply go out into the field to relieve themselves. The tiny toilets in our elementary schools seem like quite the luxury in comparison. As for the chalkboards, as a visual learner, I cannot imagine the difficulty of learning new concepts and ideas without being able to actually see them, and I hope they will find a way to provide them as the new year approaches (side note from the Editor – we had Paige and Josh do this assessment of the school, as next week, we have a group (Pella Christian Winterim) that will be painting the school and putting up new chalk boards. We needed to know how much supplies we needed to get all the needed work done). Lastly, in regards to the fresh coat of paint, who wouldn’t want a nice bright school that you could be proud is YOUR school?
We rounded off our errands with a trip to pick up a new supply of bottled water. Generally we are more than happy to drink from the tap, but obviously that’s not an option here for us (at least not a viable one), and I look forward to returning home to the flow of free water from the faucet.
A child with hair of this color has typically been dedicated to Vodou.
On our way back Josh asked Zeke about the children he’d noticed with white dreadlocks, and he explained to us that these children are thought to have a bad spirit in them and have been dedicated to Satan. It is widely believed that these children will die if their hair is cut. It reminds me of a twisted version of the Biblical story of Samson: the hair as a sign of Samson’s dedication to God as a Nazarite and the loss of his strength as a result of the cutting of his hair.
-Paige
Sunday
Sunday Church
This written by Josh and Paige Konoza, of Pittsburg, PA. They were married in August and decided to go serve with MH4H in Haiti for their belated Honeymoon. This is both of there first time traveling to Haiti.
Sunday was a special treat beginning with the fact that our schedule allowed for an extra hour of sleep. Given the near pitch black nature of the house when the wooden shutters are closed, it was easy to take advantage of the opportunity. An extra hour of rest on the Sabbath… the “irony” was not lost on us! Fransly had invited us to attend service at his church, L’eglise Baptiste de Philadelphie. We assume the name is an allusion to “Brotherly Love” and not the city in PA. The church itself is whitewashed concrete inside and out with windows in square patterns made from negative space in the walls. It was DEFINITELY decorated for Christmas. The sanctuary reminded me of a child’s birthday party and Christmas all at once, which seems more than fitting for the occasion: balloons in every color you can think of, red white and green streams of paper decorations, tinsel, and garland all hung from the exposed beams of the roof throughout the church. There was also a Christmas tree complete with lights and ornaments.
The wooden pews are seemingly packed as tightly as possible while still allowing for a center aisle and juuust enough space to inch along the walls when needed. Think of flying economy, and that’s about as much leg room and personal space as you get, except there’s no armrest between you and your neighbor. Not bad at 5’4”, but much taller and things get a little cramped; just ask Josh. It makes me think that the priority is definitely on seating as many people as possible to hear the Word as opposed to individual comfort. I’d say that’s a pretty good priority for sure. Many of you will probably be just as surprised as I was when I say that the service was actually a lot like home. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I find a bit of comfort in the fact that even with a small sea between us, Christ’s church has a lot of consistency, at least in my experience. Having spent many years attending Baptist services, the innumerable number of times we stood and sat down only to stand again didn’t make for much of a nuisance. In fact, I rather appreciate that we all stood together to read aloud from our Bibles in unison. There was plenty of singing, of which we had no idea what was being sung, but I enjoyed that the keyboard had been set to “organ mode”, another common denominator with my Baptist experience.
We were lucky enough to have the lead pastor translating the message into English for us. There were a couple of other native English speakers, but I know their kreyòl to be lightyears beyond our own. Combined with our knowledge of French numbers, we were able to look up scripture and follow along fairly easily as the congregation was called upon to read prophecy from Isaiah and its fulfillment in Luke. The teacher presented a sermon on Christ as the light of the world as well as a story relating the darkness and foolishness of voodoo. The overall message being that despite the different forms of darkness we face, Christ is the sole light of the world, and as Christmas quickly approaches, we celebrate his birth and the reassuring light only he can shine on all our troubles and darkness.
Later on in the evening as we sat with Fransly for dinner, we couldn’t help but overhear children singing. He explained that it was the children’s Christmas program that we’d heard them practicing for all week. We quickly finished our meal so that we could go to the church and see what it was all about. At LEAST 50 kids were dressed in their best singing what I imagine to be the entire Haitian repertoire of Christmas songs for the next two hours. The church had been only about half-full when we arrived, but was maxed out to standing room only by the end of the night. What a great celebration of Christ, as the voices of children singing his praises and announcing his birth rang out to draw such a large part of the community to His Father’s house! In the words of the kids, “Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, WAAAY!
Market Day
Market Day
This written by Josh and Paige Konoza, of Pittsburg, PA. They were married in August and decided to go serve with MH4H in Haiti for their belated Honeymoon. This is both of there first time traveling to Haiti.
From what we understand out in the more rural areas of Haiti each day has a market day per say. Where there is a large market and people come from all over to sell their goods. Well, Saturdays are the market day apparently for Pignon. This opportunity for multiple sellers to come to town seems like more of a benefit to the buyers than anyone. From what we are told not only is there more to choose from, but also the prices are considerably less than if you were to go to the market not on Saturday. We decided to spend our leisure day going with Beatrice and Fransly to the market. So we were up by 8 o’ clock and waited for the both of them to come and once they were here we were off to the market.
This is the scene in Pignon on market day.
Even before we got to the vendors it seemed like the town was in it’s own hustle and bustle in the morning, more so than usual. I’ve kind of determined that people rise early enough in the morning to get as much done before the heat gets to them. It seems like things slow down tremendously after high noon. Finally, we turned the corner to where the buyers and sellers had all congregated. Beatrice went right to work trying to find the bonne prix, best price, for every item on her list. I’m sure that was an even more difficult task with two blans, white people, with her. She managed from what it seemed to haggle the best prices possible as she began accumulating food for the upcoming week.
This duck isn’t going to have a good day.
People here are selling everything from perfume and soaps to medicines to chickens. Anything and everything you could need in Haiti could be found on a market day. I think it also made us come to the realization of how blessed we are by God for numerous reasons, I’ll share a couple of those now. Firstly, the most obvious reason, we have the financial means to pay for whatever we wanted. I would venture to say that the majority of the population is not afforded this luxury. We want for not, and it’s trips like this that remind us that it is only by God’s will that we have these opportunities. Another important aspect is that people come from as far as 10-20 miles away. Furthermore, many of them walk the distance so that they can make a living and provide for their families. Back home, if I want to go to my job or to get food for our family all I have to do is hop in the car and go. That’s something that is so easily taken for granted. Have we done anything to deserve that luxury more so than anyone here at the market today? No most assuredly not. Too quickly we get caught up in the life we live back home and forget to count our many blessings that the Lord hath provided us.
The donkey parking lot outside of the market.
So from today we take home not only food to feed us for a week, but also an awareness that will hopefully last us once we come back stateside. The Lord is constantly providing things and means to us that we are too quick to overlook. Tomorrow we are going with Fransly to his church and we are both extremely excited for this. We continue to pray for all of you as we know you are praying for us. Till the next time!
Opportunities
This is written by Josh and Paige Konoza, of Pittsburg, PA. They were married in August and decided to go serve with MH4H in Haiti for their belated Honeymoon. This is both of there first time traveling to Haiti.
Day 4 – Written by Josh
So today I rose to do the Lord’s work and was blessed with the opportunity to tour L’Hôpital Bienfaisance de Pignon at the request of Dr. Guy Theodore (www.PromiseForHaiti.org). 
Paige stayed at the house and dutifully began working on counting crafts, projects, and prizes for the VBS tomorrow in Pignon. I quickly threw on my scrubs and was out the door to the Hospital. To be perfectly honest I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at the hospital, frankly I was naive to what would a hospital in the developing world would consist of, let alone one in the poorest country in this hemisphere. I would come to find out that Dr. Guy has put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into it.
Paige stayed at the house and dutifully began working on counting crafts, projects, and prizes for the VBS tomorrow in Pignon. I quickly threw on my scrubs and was out the door to the Hospital. To be perfectly honest I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at the hospital, frankly I was naive to what would a hospital in the developing world would consist of, let alone one in the poorest country in this hemisphere. I would come to find out that Dr. Guy has put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into it.
When I arrived I was greeted by Dr. Guy who told me to stand close to him so that he could translate when needed. We arrived to find the majority of hospital staff nurses, technicians, physicians, and surgeons all standing around waiting for the doctor to arrive. Well to my surprise just like any hospital you find all over the world we began essentially rounds! Unlike the US though, a nurse presented the first case, and personally I felt it was as succinct as most others who had been doing it for a very long time. The patient that was being presenting was a young Haitian women who seemed to have some respiratory issues. It was difficult to follow along until two letters caught my ear, TB. Well then I am in Haiti less than 4 days and I already see a case of tuberculosis, something that I probably never would have been able to see in the US during my clinical year starting in 2013.
The main operating suite in at Hopital Bienfaisance de Pignon
Then I come to find out that they have an X-Ray suite as Dr. Guy holds up the X-Rays to show me, a before and after shot of some pleural effusion (fluid in the lungs) before placement of a chest tube and after placement with some remaining infiltrates. Then the discussion moved onto how to treat this patient and protocol. Dr. Guy went on to to explain to me that in the states this patient would be treated in 3-6 months, but that course of treatment would be expensive and impractical here. This patient will likely need treatment for 6-12 months. He further explained to me that 50% of all people with tuberculosis will be HIV positive as well. After that, some other cases were presented, but I was taken on a tour of the hospital. Let me just say that Pignon is blessed with having this hospital. There is a lab suite, X-Ray suite, an operating floor with two operating rooms, an endoscopy suite, pre operative rooms, post operative rooms, and a pharmacy. It took me a little bit of time to be able to see the full extent of the hospital because the generators are only turned on at 10:30 AM or if an emergency surgery needs to be performed; this is done so that the hospital can save money.
The Rotary Japir Limb Clinic creates prosthetic arms and legs for the people of Haiti. Pictures in the middle is a P.E.T., manufactured in Pella, IA, and given to those who can not walk.
There are numerous other buildings as well. Also the International Rotary Club has helped to start a prosthetics department that was opened in April. After the earthquake that further threw this country into turmoil, many
Haitians had to have limbs amputated. Dr. Guy saw this as a place were he could do some work for the Lord and decided that his hospital would become a place where those persons who have lost limbs could have some of their life restored here. People come from all over Haiti to receive prosthetic legs. What’s even more amazing is that this service for all extensive purposes is free. These patient’s are put up into lodging as well while they stay in Pignon waiting for their limbs to be finished for them.
Haitians had to have limbs amputated. Dr. Guy saw this as a place were he could do some work for the Lord and decided that his hospital would become a place where those persons who have lost limbs could have some of their life restored here. People come from all over Haiti to receive prosthetic legs. What’s even more amazing is that this service for all extensive purposes is free. These patient’s are put up into lodging as well while they stay in Pignon waiting for their limbs to be finished for them.
After that we came back home and ate lunch and Zeke let us know that we had nothing planned for the evening. We took it upon ourselves to head down to Haiti Home of Hope Orphanage run by Bill and Jennifer Campbell (www.haitihomeofhope.org). When we arrived to our dismay the children were either at choir or soccer practice. We decided to stay and talk with Jennifer. Her and her husband have done so much in their time here in Haiti, which has been around 10 years. They currently house around 50 or so children. They started off with little knowledge the language or how to run an orphanage; however they both felt that God called them to come minister here in Haiti to the orphans and mothers. Blind faith like that is hard to come by and we both applaud them for their work. From what we both saw they are doing a fine job and they both hope to see some of their kids graduate college and start their own families. It’s their opinion, and so far we would have to agree with them, that the future of this nation lies in the hands of the youth. They are helping those children make those decisions based on God’s word.
Sign for Haiti Home of Hope orphanage.
While we were at the orphanage the Gibson family was there. They spent a few months in Ethiopia where they just recently adopted a little girl. They had come to the orphanage in November and are staying until the middle of January, at which point they are heading to Nicaragua to do the Lord’s work there. Also an older Father and Son duo from Mississippi were staying at the orphanage to help to for a short while. They both come to Haiti roughly 4 times a year, more when the Lord provides, to do feedings and minister. It’s amazing meeting people that are like minded and are trying to walk the walk that Jesus laid down for us. It’s encouraging to us both that someday with the Lord’s help we will be able to do more and spend more time in the corners of the world that are so overcome with darkness for a variety of reasons.
Jennifer Campbell, holding one of the little ones.
Finally, there were 4 children that were at the orphanage still that we were able to meet. One was a little girl that was 8 months old and had been born 2.5 lbs. Her mother they believe was either mentally ill or on drugs from a Voodoo rite, and preceded to try to cut the baby out of her own stomach. It’s a sad story yes, but the good thing is this little girl now that she is with the Campbell’s is so happy! Her father named her Lavie, life in Kreyòl, before he left her at the orphanage. She was smiling and cooing up a storm while we there. Mikey, a 6 year old boy, contracted tuberculosis at 2 months and then a case of meningitis at 6 months. This left him with permanent hydrocephalus. Unfortunately Mikey will probably not live for very many years as the fontanels, soft spots, close up and the pressure will be too much. Many orphanages would not take in such a child with a difficult life, but the Campbell family has with open arms. The last two children were brothers, both blind from congenital cataracts and the youngest had what the doctor’s thought was rickets. They both sang for us and prayed for us. The eldest brother would ask his brother if he wanted to sing and they would burst into song and then immediately commence praying at the finish. It was quite beautiful and broke my heart. These two little boys had more faith than most people I know, more so than myself I feel. Their lives have been difficult thus far but they keep the faith and weather a storm that most likely will last their entire lives. These are stories that you only hear of and many times don’t believe, but they exist trust me. It’s truly a blessing that there are people like the Campbells in parts of the world like this and emulating the life of Jesus.
Well we are going to bed early tonight because we have VBS tomorrow in Pignon! Continue to pray for us and we will do the same for you!!!
Learning
his is written by Josh and Paige Konoza, of Pittsburg, PA. They were married in August and decided to go serve with MH4H in Haiti for their belated Honeymoon. This is both of there first time traveling to Haiti.
Day 3 (Dec. 20th) – Written by Paige
We started the morning with a visit to the hospital to meet with some of the office staff that help run the Pella Christian School scholarship program.
A child patient in the hospital.
While we were there, we saw students have dental exams, women having their babies weighed and immunized, and we had a chance to meet with Dr. Guy Theodore, the founder of Hôpital de Bienfaisance de Pignon. Josh was excited to have the chance to meet him as he is well respected in the U.S. and Haiti as both a surgeon and humanitarian, and he was in America when great strides were being made to create university programs and train medical professionals as Physician Assistants.
Dr. Guy at the Cholera Clinic in Pignon.
Following our trip to the hospital, Zeke showed us to his mother-in-laws where there is a group of local Haitians who have undertaken a small business to create jewelry from paper beads as well as tree bark. It seems to be very meticulous work, as paper must be cut, glued, wound, varnished, and eventually stringed into an array of designs. All of which is tedious and time consuming. They are a very small operation as of yet, but they hope that they can come up with new ideas to set their jewelry apart from others with similar ventures. Their aim is to eventually expand to a small business capable of providing work for 30-40 employees, as well as the local artists that are hired to paint very small detailed designs.
Here is Baby hand rolling the beads to go on necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.
In the afternoon we were able to meet with local community leaders to get a more solid plan in place for VBS this friday. Many of the girls were practicing songs and dancing that they would like to share with everyone, and we enjoyed being able to watch their performance and cheer them on. It was a great time to see some of the local children that we will be working with at VBS. We were also able to get an idea of how many children to expect, as I have been given the reigns for the crafts and needed to make sure that there won’t be any children left out. (nothing worse than 200 AND 3 kids showing up, when you’ve only prepared for 200). We expect anywhere from 100-200 children and we look forward to singing, dancing, sharing Bible stories, crafting, and providing a meal for them. It will definitely be an exciting day.
At Haiti Home of Hope Orphanage, MH4H supplements the feeding programs for the widows and mothers program. Here they are weighing the kids to ensure the food is actual going to the child and not being sold for profit.
We ended our day with a tour of Haiti Home of Hope run by Americans Bill and Jennifer Campbell. They house nearly 40 Haitian children as well as providing feedings once a week for infants who have lost their mothers as well as both mothers and children that are malnourished. They hope that by ensuring the health of both parent and child that families will be encouraged to remain together, rather than send their children to live with relatives or in many cases to other families who may promise them an education but often times end up using them as unpaid house slaves. We were very impressed by their facilities, and glad to hear that unlike the American foster care system, they have decided not to set a standard for “aging out” as they feel every child is different and deserves a chance to finish high school, receive some form of technical training, and ensure that they will be able to provide for themselves as well as a family should they choose to some day marry. Bill spoke to us of their overall aim to replace the cultural traditions of voodoo and superstition with the gospel and freedom from fear. We are excited to take up their offer of coming to visit with the children and helping at the feedings whenever we have the free time to do so.
New Friends
Day 2
This is written by Josh and Paige Konoza, of Pittsburg, PA. They were married in August and decided to go serve with MH4H in Haiti for their belated Honeymoon. This is both of there first time traveling to Haiti.
The shutters on the house made it seem as though it could still be midnight when our alarm woke us in the morning. We were greeted by Fransly, whom we knew to expect, as he is a very helpful presence here in Pignon. With Zeke’s arrival, we began our tour of Pignon. From the market,
The Spring of which is a source of drinking water, bathing, and a place to wash clothing.
to the spring where people gather to wash their clothes, the new large school being built to hopefully accommodate the primary and secondary students, and the park which is opened for special occasions. All along the way, we were introduced to various friends and family., and the cries of “blan” from the little children, which announced our presence.
Beatrice was introduced to us, and we are so blessed to have her help us with preparing our meals. I wish I was capable of being able to even make a pot of rice as perfect and delicious as she can. After lunch, Fransly was kind enough to take us up the Pignon Mountain path from which you can see the entire town and neighboring countryside. The path is precarious to say the least, and I can guess that the locals cried out, “be careful!” in unison as they saw me lose my footing.
View of Pignon from on top of the mountain.
I have to guess, as until now I have only perfected such phrases as “Mwen rele Paige”, “M’bien kontan we ou” (nice to see you again), and “Mwen regret sa; mwen pa parle kreyol.” (I’m sorry, I don’t speak kreyol.) Luckily we have Zeke to translate for us, and Fransly, who teaches us new words and phrases as best he can and as best we can remember.
A familiar face to those in Pignon – Fransley.
After our climb, Fransly wanted to show us his house. The personal possessions he has chosen to adorn the walls are what really make it his home. We continued back to the Mission House as Beatrice had prepared our dinner, and we were greeted by Woodson (another friend to MH4H). We took our meal together and spent the rest of the evening playing cards. I’m thankful that today the Lord gave us an opportunity to rest and get to know our new friends, as well as the community a bit better. Things move at a much less frantic pace here, and its nice to be able to put people before plans. With that said, we look forward to seeing how God will use us here in Pignon in the coming days, as we prepare to meet with local leaders to plan the first VBS of our trip.
p.s. Noticed a goat’s head being boiled in the market, and I’m glad the look on my face could provide some amusement to the ladies who spend their day there.
This is written by Josh and Paige Konoza, of Pittsburg, PA. They were married late summer and decided to go serve with MH4H in Haiti for their Honeymoon. This is both of there first time traveling to Haiti.
Day 1 – Arrival
Today we started our journey to Haiti at 3:00 AM, driving to JFK airport. The traffic in NYC is awful; little did I know that it would be comparable to Port-au-Prince – more on that later. We got through security and went straight to our gate. A steady flow of passengers for the flight arrived over the next several hours, that by boarding time, we felt as if we had already arrived in PAP with everyone speaking French and Kreyòl. After an uneventful flight, everyone on the plane clapped, cheered, and praised God as we landed in Haiti. We grabbed our bags and after dismissing several cab drivers who all claimed to be our long lost friend, we found Zeke.
A scene from a Port-au-Prince street.
Traffic in Port-au-Prince should be in the explanation of organized chaos whenever it needs further elaboration. It seems as if there is no rhyme or reason when people stop, go, honk, pass, signal, etc. From PAP, we drove the 4 hours to Pignon on Route Nationale #3. Half the road is paved, while the other half is currently dirt and being worked on. The stark contrast between the city we arrived in and the countryside of Haiti is breathtaking.
View of the mountains, lake and greenery on the road from PAP to Pignon.
Although we both have been to a number of countries, we both are in agreement that Haiti is one go the most blessed countries when it comes to beauty. The Lord surely knew what he was creating when he made this wonderful place. Hills, mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, and plains all glorifying his name as a choir. After our beautiful tour of the country, we arrived in Pignon just as it was getting dark. We got to our house in the hospital complex and barely had enough energy from traveling to bring ourselves inside. It’s a beautiful home and we are looking forward to resting our eyes under this roof that God and MH4H have provided for us. To be far, this place is a lot nicer than some of the places we have stayed during our travels. The generator shut off last night about 4 minutes after Zeke left us. Luckily, we had gotten headlamp and Paige had practiced cooking with it in the dark in Pittsburgh. We filled our belly’s with pasta and fresh bread. And with that we closed our eyes to dream about what the Lord has in store for us tomorrow. Bonne Nuit!
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