Our group of ministers and documentary film maker arrived in Port-au-Prince last Wednesday around four. In these six days, at least a month has past. Our primary project has been to network with a variety of mission groups and relief agencies with the dual focus of gaining an understanding of post-earthquake Haiti, and exploring how this group of pastors could begin to form partnerships with their churches.
During this time, we have worked with and interviewed the leadership of Haiti Outreach Ministries, St. Joseph's Home for Boys, Wings of Hope, N a Sanje Foundation, and CODEP. We are on our way to Trinity House in Jacmel and then to tour a factory in Cap Haitian which manufactures a high nutrition peanut product used to treat malnutrition.
Along the way, we have also been trying to experience as much of the culture and landscape of Haiti as possible. In Port-au-Prince we were able to tour the rubble of the National Cathedral, see the collapsed Presidential Palace, uncover the famed Neg Marron statue which is burried in the midst of a sprawling tent city, and buy avocado, mango, and kineps (a small tropical fruit halfway between a muscadine grape and a mango) in the largest outdoor market of Haiti.
We also made it out to the kookie old Olifson Hotel (which inspired the setting for Graham Green's novel The Comedians) where we saw the house band RAM play. There is no question this was one of the most memorable adventures we've had, and one I would recommend to anyone traveling to Haiti who needs a little excursion. The music was haunting, powerful, and great to dance to. The assortment of people present was worthy of any novelist greatest creativity.
Since Port-au-Prince we have journeyed to the mountains above Leogane on the southern peninsula of Haiti where I used to live in 2003-04. We attended church with the little mountain congregation headed by Pastor Durex. It was startling to arrive and not see the old church building where I used to worship and teach classes, but to instead see a large green military tent and a makeshift shelter constructed of sticks and salvaged aluminum roofing. Yet, the singing, the prayers, the longing for a better life, and the support of community were unchanged.
Following worship, we walked up to the house where I used to live, which was also a jolt. It had been a two story structure built by the CODEP project. The bottom floor was an open space designed as a classroom. The top two small rooms (maybe 10x12). I stayed in one of the upper rooms of this concrete block building which required walking up about 10 feet of steps with no hand rail. When I returned on Sunday, I found the entire bottom floor completely gone, and the top floor totally intact, but resting comfortably on the ground!
From there, we began our hike into the interior to see the work of CODEP and their remarkable tree planting project. Unfortunately, about 45 minutes into our trip, right when we reached the demonstration plot (a section of forest strategically planted over a main footpath thoroughfare in the midst of a near dessert of deforestation), I began feeling quite ill. We all sat down for lunch, and like in an old western movie, I leaned up against a tree because I just wanted to go to sleep for a while. Fortunately, it turned out better than in the movies, and though I had to miss the rest of our hike and return to the guest house, I did wake up again! The rest of the group had a beautiful hike through the project area, and had a home stay with a family in the mountains. I was instead holed up in the guest house making frequent runs to the bathroom. Happily, health is returning and I'm about 90 percent.
On the whole, the trip thus far has been exceptional. As Haiti always is, it has been hard but very full. The tragedy and poverty of this land is offset by its hope and laughter. Generosity runs deep, and people care for one another (and us) in compelling ways.
On a personal note, it has been extremely meaningful for me to share this experience with so many of my close friends. Everyone on this trip has served as a conversation partner for me in the past on all sorts of matters. Now, we also are able to reflect deeply on Haiti together, a place whose complexity and mystery has profoundly affected me and my understanding of the world. I'm grateful to be having this experience.
Now, off to Jacmel!
