Cap Haitien

Haitian Flag Day is observed on May 18th, and this year, that happened to fall on a Monday. And of course, that means ... a 3 day weekend! Illioney was hoping to do something special with all of the teachers before the close of the school year, and several of us had been talking about how much we'd like to travel to the north coast of Haiti to see the Citadelle... so put all these things together, and you have an amazing three-day road trip with a bunch of teachers ;) What could be better?!


The drive to Cap Haitien was amazing ... I saw a side of Haiti I never knew existed before. Lush green forests, little mountain villages nestled away amongst large Neem and mango trees... the air was fresh and cool, and there was NO DUST! It was a welcome break for my eyes (even though I still can't wear my contacts ... I've resigned myself to wearing glasses until I get home and have a good eye check-up).

Our white Toyota truck, which we borrowed from a fellow mission in Montrouis, held up very well on the winding, pot-holed roads. But the bumps and bangs must've worn a few bolts loose, because we nearly lost our back bumper at the top of one of the mountains. Thankfully, with the help of a young boy who was sitting on the side of the road, we got some wire that held us together for the remainder of our drive. And Illioney got the vehicle repaired in Cap before our return trip.


We left at daybreak (about 5 am) on Saturday morning so that we could make it here by early afternoon: the historic site of the Palace Sans Souci and the Henri Cristoph's renowned fortrees, the Citadelle. There was a big event commemorating 27 years of AIDS work in Haiti, which drew quite a crowd, but by American standards, it was nothing. We had no lines to wait in and plenty of horses and guides at our disposal. =)


We decided to save some money and just get one horse for the ride up and down the mountain. So we took turns riding him. His name was "Zazookoo " (spelling?), and he was such a gentle creature... It's been so long since I've ridden on horseback, and I loved every minute of it! Although, coming down the mountain, when the young boys kept whipping the poor beast to get him moving, I told them, "Oh, it's quite alright. I think he's going fast enough, isn't he?" ;) I thought he was ... I prayed my way down the mountain, hoping that he wouldn't lose his footing.



Esther, enjoying her turn - and taking pictures too!


This is why I was nervous about the ride down the mountain ... We came across this accident on our way up to the Citadelle, and it was just getting cleaned up when we hiked down. By the time we made it to our truck, the smashed truck arrived at the trail's entrance, in tow behind another vehicle. Thankfully no one was injured. And seeing how precariously this truck was perched on the edge of the trail, we could tell that God's hand of protection had definitely been on them...


Rachel, enjoying the company of our young horse-lads. They were so much fun to talk to - the older of the two spoke four different languages! So he and I enjoyed conversing in both English and Spanish (with a little Kreyol thrown in). I think they enjoyed us as well. They usually make just one-trip up the mountain, on a good day. And it only cost us about $1o US.


A breath-taking view, mid-way up the mountain.



And we made it! Thankfully, we had quite a bit of cloud-cover all day (which later turned to heavy fog, and then rain), so none of us got very dehydrated or sunburnt on the long hike.


But we still needed a breather once we reached the top. Here's the whole gang: Esther, Rachel, me, Lindsay, Mr. Claudy, Samson (friend of Illioney's), and Illioney St. Fleur - our school director



When we entered the Citadelle, we were greeted by swarms of school students who were visiting on some kind of field trip. It looked like fun (for the students), although I'm not too sure how the teachers were handling it ... I was glad to be there on a teachers-only trip ;)



Our tour guide, giving us an overview of the history of the Citadelle. It was a bit hard to understand him, but he did his job well.


Playing on the old cannons ;) I can only imagine the man-power it took to haul all of these cannons and cannonballs up the steep mountain paths ... not to mention all the rocks and cement for constructing the actual fortress! It truly is a marvel. And it was never used. Built shortly after Haiti's fight for independence against the French, in 1804, it was to be a defense and protection against further attack. Which never came. I won't bore you with further details, but if you're interested in reading more of the Haitian history, you can find it easily on the interet somewhere ;)


Resting at the top. This is supposedly the walkway where Henri Cristophe ordered his soldiers to march, march, march, until they wore out and some fell to their deaths, many feet below. Don't know if that's true or just a long-standing tale, but we heard it from several sources ...


But we couldn't resist getting close to the edge ;)



It was an awesome place for a photo shoot too ...


And I loved the mountains of rusting cannonballs!


Showing off our brute strength =) I guess that's what you get after 1o months of floods, heat, mosquitoes, and teaching ...


Some of them wouldn't budge.


We slept SO well in our hotel that night. And on Sunday morning, we enjoyed a simple breakfast of mangoes and leftover banana bread before heading off to church. We attended a small church just outside Cap Haitien, where Illioney's friend, Matthew, was pastor. The worship was wonderful (many familiar hymns and choruses, sung in French and Kreyol) and Claudy shared a very powerful message based on the story of David and Goliath. As frustrated as I've been with my lack of Kreyol-knowledge, I think I understood the majority of the sermon that morning! But I think a lot of that was God - the message spoke directly to a lot of things I'm facing right now, and I needed to hear it.



Matthew invited us over for lunch afterwards, but before we knew it, all the kids from the church were coming along too! AND all the chairs! So we piled in, Haitian style, and once again, prayed our way to our destination. When we arrived at his house, the kids all went their separate ways. And we headed on to his house...


Posing for a photo shoot in Matthew's banana tree 'garden' - which he was very proud of =)


And relaxing under the mango tree while dinner was prepared. Here you see Matthew on the far right, and then a blind gentleman from his congregation, who is an AMAZING accordian player! Illioney and Claudy enjoyed showing off some of their skills on it as well, but then we were treated to a mini concert from our new friend - mostly old hymns that he had learned from his years of attending church and meeting missionaries. He played "Majesty" (one of the first worship songs to came out in the 80's) at one point, and got such a kick out of it when we all started humming along. When he finished playing it, he told us that ALL the missionaries he meets know that song. So he calls it his missionary song ;)



Rachel and Lindz, with one of Matthew's friends, killing time before lunch ;)


And this is our distinguished group of teachers (minus Rhodes, who was in the D.R. at the time, with the DTS students).


Lindsay was happy to meet and hold yet another Haitian baby, before we left Matthew's neighborhood. What a cutie ... (take your pick ;)


A monument commemorating the war of independence, in downtown Cap.


A view of the wild and windy north coast of Haiti.



After church, we drove up to Labadie - a well-known beach resort on the outskirts of the city. We were sad to find out that the actual beach-front was closed for a year, due to renovations. But we did manage to hire out this small boat to take us on a little tour of the area.


Part of the Labadie beach resort - NOT what you'd expect to see in Haiti!


Nor this!

We had so much fun spending this weekend with Illioney. He's been under so much stress and spiritual attack this year, on many fronts. And it just did our hearts good to see him having so much fun - laughing, posing for pictures, being goofy, hanging out with his buddies ... It was a good way to bring closure to our year together.


And the beautiful blue-green water made for some fun pictures too ;)


Haitian sisters - Lindz and Laura (both LJH's ... but not for long!)



And we made it back to shore.


A view of our hotel, early Monday morning. If you look closely, you can see me off in the distance, having my quiet time (with a view). ;)



And I also got to see this - children making their way downtown for a Haitian Flag Day parade.



Rachel and I rode in the back of the pick-up for most of our drive back to St. Marc. We saw some amazing views and enjoyed the fresh mountain air. And got a little sun-burnt ...


And we even bore the Haitian flag (bandana style) for the world to see ;)

God, thank you for all these amazing opportunities to travel during my short year in Haiti. To see so many parts of this rich, yet imoverished nation. We pray that you would continue to fulfill the destiny of this people...

As we read in Zechariah 8:13 (the verse God gave to YWAM Haiti over 15 years ago) - "As you have been an object of cursing among the nations, so I will save you and make you a blessing."

Life in Haiti

Here are a few random snapshots of life over the past few months. I haven't done too well at keeping you up to date with my life on a day to day basis, so most of my blog entries have been related to travel or other 'big' happenings here in Haiti. Now it's time for the little stuff...



One weekend, I joined Helena (previous teacher at the Liberty Academy) for a short day trip into Port-au-Prince to pick up Miss Susie. She was a teacher at the Liberty Academy last year, and was the reason for my meeting with Illioney last March, which led to me coming to teach this year! It was fun to connect base with her again and to share some stories about her old students (Scheydline and Christelle were both in her class). Here we are enjoying some more than melted raspberry popsicles at the Eagle Market in town. Yum, yum, yum!


And THIS was what I found at the missionary guest house in Port where we picked Susie up! I was in heaven ... I played for a few minutes, as everyone else toured the dining area, and it didn't take long before a small crowd had gathered to listen ;) It has only been by God's grace that I have survived this entire year without having a piano to play. I hardly even think about it most days, but I am VERY excited to play again when I get home!



Lindsay has been putting her hairdressing skills to use here in Haiti. Nothing like free trims =)



Soft pretzels! Not quite Auntie Anne's, but they came close. =)



Mango season is here again! But sadly, Mike is allergic to the oils in the mango skin. So even though he LOVES eating them, and always does, it is never a very pleasant experience =)



Lindsay, swinging away the cares of the day. It was on this swing that God confirmed my call to come and teach here in Haiti. I still prefer the wooden swings (because they don't squeeze your hips so much), but any swing is better than none!


The climbing tree! This is a hot spot for the missionary kids on the base, as well as the location for my Friday afternoon reading with Lilly and April. It sheds its leaves about twice a year, and the last time that happened, I was sitting nearby at the pool ... there was a strong breeze blowing as well, and with the sound of the dry leaves rustling in the background, it almost felt like fall! Minus the 80 degree temperatures ;) And then, within days, the seasons change and it looks like spring as the branches push forth small leaves and then, less than a week later, full-sized ones take their place.



Esther's friend, Tamar, cooked an amazing Haitian dinner for us one Saturday evening. Dodo, her boyfriend, joined us for the meal of fried plantains, boulette (herb-filled meat balls), cooked carrots, red beets, peas, and mac and cheese (our addition) ;) What a treat!



Clayton (our friend from Pella, Illinois) - covered with dust and cement after a long day of work out in the 5th section. This was supposed to be his birthday dinner, and it still was ... but they vehicles had trouble getting them home on time (a usual occurence here in Haiti), so he ate his meal like this =) I guess the food tasted just as good. WE certainly enjoyed it!



Esther and Mark, our resident chefs, preparing Clayton's dinner of egg noodles and beef stroganoff. Mmm mmm ... good =)



Another night of Mark's cooking - this time for HIS birthday! Nothing beats good ol' Italian cooking...



And a fun-filled trip to our favorite beach - Amani. I have yet to experience a more beautiful beach here in Haiti, and it costs less than $3 US for the day. This is one part of life in a 3rd world country that I will definitely miss when I go home!



Mike kept us entertained with his sea shore antics ... playing with hermit crabs, catching and 'eating' lizards, building sandcastles, and the like. It's fun having him around. He's like a little brother to all of us, and we're definitely gonna miss him when he goes back home to Ontario at the end of May =(



Another haircut - this time, for Wes. He was in sore need of one before the DTS left for their outreach in the 5th section.


4 cockroaches and a spider. Our nightly kill. (This is a record, I believe...)



This was what my Valentine's Day package looked like by the time it arrived in St. Marc. The rats enjoyed some of the goodies that my church sent down for me, but at least 2/3 of them were still edible. And they were delicious!


And this is what happens to our bread and rolls when they sit for a few days without refrigeration. When our power goes out for hours on end, it is hard to keep ANYthing from going moldy. At one point, even our margarine was growing mold!


Enjoying a last guitar lesson with Samuel Snow. Now we've moved on to keyboard, and he is doing an amazing job! I'll expect to see him up front leading worship when I visit the base again.



Ah... backrubs =) This was pre-birthday night entertainment. A good ending to a long week.

The masseuses, from left to right: Levi, April, Merlin - DTS student - me, Rachel, and Lilly



And with spring came some new life on the base - rabbits! Ethan, Lilly and April proudly showing off their pets.



And more new life. Stu sent some sunflower seeds down to Haiti with my parents so that I could plant them with my students, as part of our science curriculum. They sprouted within days, which was quite exciting for my students to see (especially as we didn't know how good the soil was...). After a week, they were ready to transplant outside! Sadly, the chickens got to them and we had to plant new seeds. Several times ... but these are now growing happily, and with the help of some tomato wiring that Freeman lent to us, they are on their way to bearing some beautiful, golden sunflowers =)



April and Lilly have birthdays a week apart, in the month of April. And they both turned 9 this year! So they invited the teachers and several other staff over for a little party. And we were supposed to dress up ... so we did!


Lindsay, the Mary Kay lady, is doing make-up for Rhodes, the soccer mom ;)



And here are the birthday girls, Lilly (the cheerleader) and April (the bookworm ;)



It is now rainy season again. I welcome the cloud-cover over our school roof, especially on these hot, sultry afternoons. And even though I don't enjoy sloshing through the mud everywhere I go on the base, I LOVE the rain. The pounding on the tin roofs. The newly-washed leaves and wet soil... and the free sandal-cleaning service on our front stoop ;)


And the fun of carrying umbrellas with us everywhere we go =) This was a Sunday evening just before our community church service.

Gonaives

At the end of April, the four of us girls were invited to spend a weekend with some missionary friends in the city of Gonaives. Due to a busy weekend in the office, Rachel (far left) couldn't join us for our Jacmel trip, so we were very excited that she could come along this time. It was by far one of the best weekends of my entire stay here in Haiti ...

And this is the family we stayed with -Jan's clan ;)

On the far left, you have Jiffy (I forget his real name, but as you can see, he was nicknamed for a brand of tasty peanut butter!). He has been living with the Thompson family ever since his family lost their home during the flood this past September.

Next is Jan. She is originally from Kansas, and has an AMAZING testimony. I have not met many women who have faced the kind of hardship and tragedy that she has lived through and who have come out so strong on the other side. God is using her to do amazing things here in Haiti ... she is a rock, if I ever met one!

Then we have Jacob - the youngest of Jan's three teenagers. They were all adopted, as a sibling set, when they were quite young. But they've give Jan her share of headaches over the years ;) Jacob is the talker of the family now (though they all have the gift), and he made sure we never had a moment's boredom during our short stay with them.

Shelby - the drama queen, animal lover, artist and poet. It was a lot of fun hanging out with her. She showed me how to use Crest toothpaste to make a simple (but effective) face mask, she shared poetry with me, and even helped me pick out flowers for my wedding!


Amanda/Manda is the oldest of the three. She is much more reserved than the other two, but has a real wild streak in her! She is learning the guitar and hopes to start a worship band that can lead worship in the local park. She was also the daredevil who climbed the tower on top of prayer mountain with me ;)

Last but not least is Donald - family friend, translator, chauffeur, and body guard =) He was a trip. While he was born in Haiti, he spend most of his years living in the Bronx (which his accent quickly gives away!). We had a lot of fun with him, and we especially thankful for his good driving skills when he brought us home through a thunderstorm on Sunday afternoon.


This was a sight that we were not prepared for. Over 6 months after the floodwaters of Hurricane Hanna, this city was still full of mud! Disasters like this take so much manpower and time to clean up ... and he were are at the start of yet another rainy season. God, please spare this city from any major hurricanes this year.


On Saturday morning, the Thompsons gave us a short tour of the city and then brought us to the home of Christopher - a young autistic boy (who is also deaf) that they care for every weekend. They have recently started a ministry to help young children like him who need special care and education, beyond what the Haitian schools can provide. He was such a delight to meet! Full of joy, with a constant grin on his face ... he showed us the little bit of sign language that he's been learning at the deaf school he just started attending this year. But we all felt bad when we had to leave without him - he thought he was coming along, and had already started taking a bucket bath so that he'd be clean and ready to go! You can see him in the orange t-shirt on the far left of this picture =)

These are some the neighborhood children around Christopher's home. This area was one of the hardest hit during the floods and hurricanes. Most of the houses were under water and many had to be rebuilt or dug out after the mud dried.


Rachel and I climb up a hand-made ladder to visit some more friends of the Thompsons. This particular family was still living up on their roof, due to the severe flood-damage to their home. They were also housing several of their friends and family members, totalling 16 people in their small metal-shanty. At the time we visited, several of the young women were fighting off the chicken poxs. Thankfully, most of us had them when we were young, so we were able to visit with them without the fear of becoming infected ourselves.


Shelby and Manda are quite fluent in Kreyol, so they visited with the young women while the rest of us explored the flood damage from the vantage point of the roof.



This included some more exciting ladder-walking. Go, Esther - you're almost there!


At the peak of the flooding, the water level rose to the top of the porch railing of this home. It was over 15 feet in some places ...


Shelby, having some fun with what the flood waters left behind! Jacob found the neck of the guitar as well, which he took with him - he plans to clean it up and create a wall-hanging for his sister Manda on her birthday.


Lindsay brought along some of the Old Navy sandals to give to the families we met. This little girl was in love with her bright blue pair ;)


We then made our way to the prison, where Jan makes weekly visits to the prisoners. This particular day we brought along laundry soap, toilet paper, and sandals to give to them. They were very grateful for the gifts, and enjoyed seeing Jan and her clan (plus visitors). The gentleman to Jan's right in this picture is a pastor from Gonaives who has been imprisoned for over a year now, without any prospects of a court in the near future. He and the other young men in his cell sang a hymn for us in Kreyol before we left. It was beautiful ...


Lindsay and Jiffy handing out new sandals to the men through the prison bars.


After visiting the two cells where the men were being held, we stopped by the women's cell. We were greeted with a wave of steamy, putrid air. It must have been over 100 degrees in these cells - no wonder many of them women had stripped down to almost nothing! And I don't see how they could breathe in that stench every day ... some of us had to step back from the cell door just to keep our breakfast from coming up.

They were a strong group of women though. Many of them in prison simply because they were present when their husbands were arrested, and the police assumed that they might have been accomplices in the crime. When we first set foot in the prison, we heard singing coming from this cell. This led into a time of prayer, which we didn't want to interrupt. So we saved our visit with them until last.


After our visit at each cell, one of us prayed with and for the prisoners. I had the privelege of praying here with the pastor and his group of cell mates. But talk about needing the Spirit to intercede with groans that words cannot express ... how do you pray for a group of inmates who may or may not know God? Who may or may not feel conviction for their crime? Who may or may not even be guilty for that crime? I prayed that God would bring them true justice, and that he would give them strength to face each day, and that he would bless them - even in the dark valleys that they are walking in right now.

As I thought about Jan's faithfulness in visiting these prisoners, it made my heart go out to those who are incarcerated in my own hometown. I don't know many Christians who make a habit of visiting those in prison, as Christ commanded us to - to be quite honest, in the midst of my busy weeks, the thought doesn't even cross my mind! This is something that I hope will change when I come back home again...


After grabbing a bite of lunch and taking a short nap, we headed up to prayer mountain (one of the many large mountains surrounding Gonaives) for a hike. It was a beautiful day, with a strong breeze that kept us from overheating on our intense climb. The Thompson children have made this trip many times, so they led the way =)


A view of the city from our half-way point up the mountain.


And at the top! The young boy on the far right joined us for most of our hike, and he enjoyed posing for pictures as well ;)


Having fun with the late-afternoon sunlight and shadows. The message was common theme among this group, who have many loved ones at home that we miss ...


I joined Manda for a fun climb up to the top of this tower, where we wrote our names in permanent marker for the world to see. Stu's is there as well =) While he wasn't with me in person, he was definitely in my thoughts and prayers all weekend ...


The amazing view from the top!

On the hike up, we ran across some large Aloe-like plants that had become another place for people to leave their mark. We found Jan's name from a year before, when she made this crazy hike on her 40th birthday (her kids' idea!). So I decided to put our names here too ;)


Manda and her new friend - the young boy who joined us for our hike. Here he is having a great time sharing Manda's ipod and listening to her music (though I don't know how much of the lyrics he actually understood!).


After our hike, we came home to an amazing dinner of hot stew. Then, after a movie, we enjoyed some Haitian ice cream sundaes. They were delicious! The girls' faces might look a bit stiff here, due to the face masks we pampered ourselves with that evening ;)


Even Jacob joined in on the fun!


Playing Manda's guitar and having a little time of worship on the Thompson's front porch. Looks like Hurricane Hanna (their dog - found as a puppy during the flood) was doing a little dance to join in on the worship!


We attended church with the Thompsons that morning, and got to hear this group of young orphan boys sing a hymn, accompanied by some awesome dance steps. Jan was invited to share the message, and did a phenomenal job. She is a true mouthpiece for the Lord - I think every person in that church building left with a challenge to walk more closely with God and to become more like Him.



On our way home, we got stuck behind a funeral in the streets of St. Marc. What a way to end our trip =) But it was a wonderful get-away. A weekend full of fun, fellowship, refreshment, exericise, and ministry. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to go!