Submitted by Marcena Schwab

It’s Tuesday evening, at the end of another day of work, fellowship, and blessings...flowing from us and to us.  Flexibility is key to any venture in Haiti, and the last couple days have required a fair amount of that.  On Monday, the plan was that part of the group would go to Pella Christian school to distribute gifts of school supplies and fellowship with the kids.  That part went fine.  The other group would go to Salt & Light school at La Belle Mere to take photos of sponsored children in the morning and paint in the afternoon.  That was Plan A.  But we learned that the river was too high for us to cross so we couldn’t go to Salt & Light.  We would go to Sonshine school instead, to do the same things.  That was Plan B.  We finally got to Sonshine (in a rented pickup with no suspension system and every light on the dashboard lit up) and realized that the computer program we needed to take photos of sponsored children was missing.  So...let’s go back to Meredith school (where we had painted a couple days before) and take photos of sponsored children there, and then come back to Sonshine in the afternoon to paint.  Ok, that was Plan C.  So we backtracked over the rough road to Meredith and finished our morning taking photos and handing out the Book of John booklets to each child, along with a bookmark.  That was fun!  It’s always fun being around the children.  When we were done there, we loaded everything back into the pickup and drove back to Sonshine.  The gate was open, but the doors to the classrooms were all locked.  We had told the principal we would be back, but now we were locked out.  Were we doomed to going to Plan D?  We spread out our lunch of granola bars, trail mix, cheesy crackers and sour gummy worms for dessert, and each of us silently prayed for God to send the key for the locks.  Bev told God that He had five more minutes or we were leaving, and lo and behold!!! the gatekeeper showed up four minutes later!  Woo-hoo!!!  We were able to get into all the classrooms and paint number lines, alphabet lines, multi-colored shapes and other stencils on the walls.  The chalkboards all got a new coat of paint, as well, so the teachers and students would be thrilled when they got to school the next day!  It  all comes together in God’s timing!  It ended up being a day that we got a lot done.

God is definitely here in Haiti, but that doesn’t mean that He has made things comfortable for His believers.  It is very difficult to live in Haiti, with many homes having dirt floors and walls made of sticks and mud.  People walk to get water, and carry it back in buckets on their heads.  Everyone on our team comments on the joy that they see in the Haitians that we come in contact with.  Has our society, with all of our advances, destroyed our joy and replaced it with hurried schedules, too much stuff to get done, and too much pressure to succeed?  I have not heard anyone on our team say, “I really miss my cell phone.”  We even commented that no one had the “end of the weekend blues”, when you know you have to go to work on Monday. 

We’re all working hard, whether it’s working at the schools or making school desks at the compound to be delivered to the schools.  But we are having so much fun, getting to know each other, letting our vulnerabilities show, supporting each other as we wrestle with all those emotions that go along with serving on a mission trip.  We have time in the mornings and evenings to gather together and really commune with each other.  What a blessing it is to be a blessing to each other!

.submitted by Will VanWyngarden

.submitted by Will VanWyngarden on a current mission trip with PFH/HELP mission to Pignon

Today was a day of many highlights.  The hustle and bustle of the work we had done thus far was over, and we had our day of Sabbath rest.  However, today was more jam-packed with moments of emotional impact than any day thus far.  It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was one of the most important of my life.

Before I get into the day’s activities, I must describe a moment of levity from the previous night.  It just happened to be Daylight Savings Time, so we knew we had to turn our clocks back.   However, the concept is new in Haiti.  It hasn’t been around for very long and it often takes a few days for it to take effect.  We knew we had to be at church at 7:30 a.m., but we were unsure as to whether the church would start at the old 7:30 or the new!  There was lively discussion as to when we should wake up, when we should go to church, or whether we would be late or early.  We still hadn’t decided by Sunday morning, but we found out that Daylight Savings Time would be observed and we got to church on time.

We went to church with Zeke and Baby, two locals who are involved with the organization.  We knew going in that we would be at a loss as to what was going on, as the service would be in Creole.   Zeke would provide some translating, but he wouldn’t be able to do a complete play-by-play.  But the pastor announced they would have a guest minister.  A tall black man stood up and said “Good Morning” in perfect English!  He then told the congregation that he was from Tennessee!  So we got to hear a sermon in English.  That was certainly a blessing.

But the biggest blessing was the message he gave.  He spoke of how our actions and our lives reflect Jesus in us.  We represent Christ to the world.  And that is what we are trying to do in our time here in Haiti.  We had been discussing that topic in our evening times.  At the end of the sermon, the American pastor told us that he had not intended on preaching that sermon this morning.  God was certainly at work!

It was an amazing feeling to sing familiar songs like “Beautiful Savior,” and “The Old Rugged Cross.”  Though we weren’t singing in the same language, we were singing the same words, praising God together, a perfect picture of eternity.  The music also brought some much-needed familiarity, even though they were accompanied by a band consisting of three trombones, two trumpets, and a clarinet in addition to the piano!  We also were privileged to take Communion with them.  Again, the Church universal was evident this morning as we enjoyed the Lord’s Supper with the Haitian people.  It also may be the only time I take Communion with oyster crackers as the bread and Coke as the wine!

After lunch a few of us hiked up the mountain to the Pignon sign.  It is visible from our compound and about halfway up the peak.  The view from the sign was incredible.  The town sprawled out before us and we had a breath-taking view of the countryside.

After our walk we got a chance to see the orphanage.  40 kids were housed there, on a beautiful campus with many nice, new buildings.  The children there were full of such joy.  They loved to play with us; however, it is safe to say that we enjoyed playing with them more.  This orphanage visit was the highlight of my week thus far.

We then walked to Zeke and Baby’s house for supper.  You must understand how honored they felt to have us in their home.  But the pleasure was truly ours.  It was humbling to hear them say how much they loved us and were honored by our presence.  It is unusual for white people to venture into a Haitian home.  But we were truly blessed by the experience.  Zeke and Baby went to some expense to provide a meal for us and they were gracious hosts.  Again, it was truly an amazing picture of our heavenly goal.  There will be no need for interpreters, for we will all understand each other.  Today I think we all experienced a little bit of heaven.q

HELP update

Today we went down to the river and witnessed the place where the people go to wash their clothes, trucks, motorcycles, and themselves.  There were also men drawing sand from the river to sell to the contractors working in town.  The river is the lifeblood of the community.  It is a source for drinking as well as cleansing.  However, if you are downstream, the odds are you are drinking and cleaning yourself in someone else’s filth.

From the river we went down to the market.  The best way I can describe it is that it was a mass of humanity.  The streets were teeming with literally thousands of Haitians.  There were vendors selling everything from homemade soap, to articles of clothing, to fruits and vegetables they had produced, to nearly any edible animal, dead or alive.  There were scenes that would make many Americans’ stomachs turn-bowls and bowls of raw meat, often buzzing with flies.

Along the way we were accompanied by many of Haiti’s helpless innocents.  Whenever we venture out we are followed by a gaggle of young boys and girls.  Many of them held our hands as we wandered the streets of Pignon.  Their English consists of being able to ask us for a dollar, but I suspect all they really want from us is a loving hand to hold. 

This is the third day in Haiti for me.  The first evening we were here the group sat down and we discussed our feelings.  I could sum up my feelings with one word: overwhelmed.  To see this extreme poverty simply makes oneself feel helpless.  To look into the eyes of someone sick and suffering in a hospital bed is heartwrenching.  In Haiti, most people only go to the doctor if their situation is dire; they simply can’t afford it.  Thus, many of them don’t make it out alive.

Many of them live in conditions that are worse than those we afford our pets.  Yet they seem to find happiness.  Perhaps we Americans are too dependent on stuff.  That fact struck me as I gazed on the town from the balcony of our dorm.  What do these people do without stuff?  All they have to do is exist.  They have very few possessions.  I can get bored with TV, so I go read a book.  Then that gets boring, so I go surf the Web.  Then I sit on the couch and wonder what to do.  But it is all just stuff.  It certainly isn’t the key to happiness

HELP in Pignon.

Submitted by Bev Brand with the PFH/HELP team currently serving in Haiti 1/312

Its Saturday morning and we were awakened by the beautiful singing coming from the church next door.  As the sun rose slowly and peacefully the music drifted over our compound and gently enveloped our thoughts and turned them to the God of all creation.  We are praising and thanking him this morning for a safe trip, for the new friends we have made, for the sights and sounds we are experiencing, for health and for the many new questions we are wrestling with as this trip unfolds.  

Yesterday was a holiday - Holy Day - in Haiti.  All Saints weekend is a national holiday and is celebrated by going to church.  We heard heightened activity with all the voodoo drums during the night on Friday coming from the mountains and this morning the singing and ringing of church bells proclaiming Jesus is Lord of all! What a contrast.   We are thankful for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are claiming the power of Jesus over darkness and are no longer fearful when witch doctors demand penance for protection from the spirits that they fear roam at night.  (the bearing of drums and chanting are believed to keep the evil spirits away)

Yesterday was a full day.  Part of the group worked on getting the desks for the schools organized and started.  There were assorted pieces of desks in various places, so they assessed what we had and started cutting new pieces and assembling the next set of new schools desks that we will deliver at the end of our stay.  The other half of the group went out to Rocky Christian School to upgrade the classrooms.  They painted the front wall of the rooms, stenciled number and letter lines, added shapes of color to walls and painted all the chalkboard with chalkboard paint.  The principal showed us the condition most of the chalkboards were in (we would not use them at home!) and so decided to make and install 6 new chalkboards.  They look GREAT!  What a surprise when the teachers and principal return on Monday!

Needless to say, we had lots of help from kids in the area!  Some helped us wash down walls, others helped us tape stencils, and some just sang and played and made the time fly by.  Marcena was able to meet the child she sponsors through HELP, a little 5 year old who has no mother or father and lives with her aunt.  They were so excited to meet her sponsor and Marcena was delighted to meet them.  What a joy to see that we can really make a difference in a child's life and that someday, this little girl may make a real difference for her family and even her country.

Last night, we had some great questions, much wrestling with what we Americans do with all our "stuff" and what God is really laying on our hearts.  This morning most of the group is off to the river and then to the market.  This afternoon we will upgrade the Meredith Christian School and others will work on desks.  Sunday we will go to Zeke's wife's church (Babe's church) and then have dinner at her parents house.  This will be a real treat for us and they are excited to be able to invite us.

We will be thinking of our families back home as we worship and pray with our Haitian friends knowing that we all are worshipping the same God.  What an honor and privilege to serve our awesome God.

The Lord is clearly leading - and we are blessed to serve him in Haiti.

Greetings from Denny Brand

Pignon's Progress! (A word from Denny Brand, Promise For Haiti Executive Director)     Greetings: As I sit down to write this article today, I would just like to express that there is a lot to be thankful for and excited about as we look at what has been done in Pignon and with Promise for Haiti. The streets in Pignon have just about all been paved. While this has caused some stress for some folks and especially those people who had some of their houses damaged, I think overall there is a good feeling among the citizens of Pignon about what has been accomplished. There has also been a very beautiful city park erected that is a great sense of pride for the citizens of Pignon. Speaking of roads, there is also great anticipation about the road that is being built from Port au Prince to Cap Haitian. Right now it is done from Port to Hinche. This road could be the answer to economic development of the area as there will be a good road connecting Port to Cap. Another project that is causing excitement is that of electric poles being strung into Pignon and other cities in Haiti. I don't think at this time we can say what this means for the citizens of Haiti, but the possibility of electricity coming to these areas is exciting. Along with electricity, there is still a water project going on - wow if the area could have electricity and water, what a difference that would make for everybody. Thanks to Rotary, the new septic system for the hospital is about to become a reality. This system will be a gravity fed system and should require little if any maintenance. The plan right now is to still keep the old system as a back up, but chances are we will never need it. Thank you Rotary for the grant and thank you to so many who have had a huge part in making this happen. A special thank you to Larry Madole and Herb Sikkink for overseeing the actual work of getting it done. The Jaipur clinic is also now a reality. Patients are being seen and are being fitted for new limbs. When I was there in August there were 5 patients staying in the patient dorm who were there to get these life changing limbs. Words cannot probably express what a difference this will make in the life of those Haitians who have experienced this great gift. Again we have to give thanks to Rotary. If you get the privilege of coming to Haiti with a team this year, please notice that most of the buildings including the hospital have all been painted. Everything looks fantastic. When you look at the schedule, you will also notice that there are many teams scheduled to come to Pignon this year. We are so thankful for all the volunteers who come and serve this great mission. The schools in Haiti opened on October 3. We are excited about all the schools that we support in Haiti, but especially for the 9 Christian schools that have been built by so many great groups who have a special heart for the children of Haiti. We had an unbelievable teacher training that took place this past August. There we around 70 teachers who were blessed for four days with just great teaching. They were also introduced to text books that are going to be used in the schools for the first time since the schools have been started. A big thank you to H.E.L.P. and Joanne Schafer and Bev Brand for making this happen. They have put together a marvelous 3 year plan for school improvement. I also want to thank all of you who so generously contribute to this great mission. Your gifts are greatly appreciated and are not overlooked. I would like to say that we are at a good place financially but that would be misleading. We need your help to keep everything going in Pignon. Anything that you can help us with right now would be greatly appreciated. I would ask that you go to (www.promiseforhaiti.org) and click the button that gives you the information about the Health Development Account. This is a way in which you can make the hospital sustainable and it also really is a way to bless the people around the Pignon area who need health care. The Lord has been so good to us over the last 30 years of this mission. There is so much to be thankful for. The mission is serving the Lord and also serving the people of the greater Pignon area. I know that all of you who have been associated with this mission truly do love it and the people that we serve. May we continue to ask the Lord for his blessing at this time as we walk together in ministry. Denny Brand, Executive Director Promise for Haiti Inc.