HAITI REFLECTIONS
June 7, 2015
And Jesus replied, “Who are my mother
and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are
my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and
sister and mother.” Mark 3:33-35
As some of you know, it is very
difficult for me to talk about Haiti from my heart. It is easy for me to tell
you “just the facts”. Our team included folks from Minneapolis, our Iowa dental
team, and me from Christ Church. We treated 800 patients over 3 days. 
We had a
wonderful team including many new people. When our usual translators took jobs
for 5 days with another team because we had only 3 days of work for us, we had
new translators – Richardson, Casimir, and Gerard.
When our usual optometrist
LaGuerre was “stuck in the Dominican Republic (whatever that means), his friend
Giermo traveled from Mirabelais where he works with Partners in Health to work
with our team.
When our dentist Emmanuel traveled with the other team, our
American dentist Terry and his team worked extra hard to see patients, and then
Emmanuel stepped in on Saturday to see those Terry could not see during the
week.
When Doctor Rudy could only be with us 2 days, he enlisted the help of
one of his friends, who traveled high into the mountains with us to see
patients on Wednesday. 
And then there are the strengthened
connections. Doctor Frantz Codio joined us for the second time, and brought his
doctor wife Shareen to work with us.
Nurse Evens Joicin brought his nursing
students to work with us
and his 
wife and two children visited with us. 
wife and two children visited with us. 
Then, there are always surprises in
Haiti. Frantz and Shareen’s daughter Shaneka was born at Gwinnett Medical
Center because Shareen’s brother lives in Lawrenceville. Opthamologist Frantz
Large finally was able to come with us on Monday and saw patients who need eye
surgery, which he will perform at no charge in his clinic in Port au Prince.
When I realized that the reason my usual wad of money was light because I had
forgotten the money to pay the Haitian staff, our translator Marcos and Pere
Kerwin swung into action to help me get the money which Steve transferred to me
out of the clutches of Western Union.
Participating in the celebration of the
feast day at St. Marc’s on Sunday and rocking to the music of many choirs,
including our friends at St. Phillippe and St. Jacques.
Waking to no water in
the morning in my room, and late in the week realizing that it was my room
only, and I could use other’s water first thing in the morning before it was
fixed.
And then there are the gifts, seeing
our translator Peterson’s face when I presented him with his computer repaired
by Ed Fair,
admiring the new book shelves for the library at St. Joseph’s paid
for by the SPCK donation,
seeing the joy on the sick children’s faces when they
got their comfort dolls or bears knitted by friends across the US,
watching our
patients carefully pack their meds into the cloth bags made by our friends in
Iowa and Minnesota, seeing Sofini’s excitement when I gave her a photo of us
together, feeling Sofini’s arms around my neck as she whispered, “Mesi anpil”,
and discovering I can buy solar powered
lights for $15.00 at the Western Union, bringing light to those who live in
darkness high up in the mountains.
One of the funniest moments was seeing
Casimir’s puzzlement when he told me that there was a lady in the yard who said
she had some skirts for me. I, of course, had completely forgotten about the
cute crocheted skirts I had seen in the fall and my request that the mom make
10 for me to buy in the spring. So, here they are! I have sold one and the
proceeds will be used to help pay for our clinics. So, buy one today! It’s our
new micro-enterprise to help support the community and our clinics. (Unfortunately, the photo of the craftswoman did not turn out.)
So, these are our brothers and
sisters in Haiti. They are the people who walk up to 4 hours to see a doctor at
our clinic. They are very young and very old.
They are the teachers and
students at the school.
They are the children who are not in uniforms, a sign
that they do not go to school because they cannot afford to attend.
They are
the families who live in darkness once the sun goes down. They are the young
girls who walk down the mountain to the river to collect water for their
families, and then carry it back up the steep mountain road in large buckets
balanced on their heads. They are the mom with her two little children who
roasts corn in the school yard for those attending our clinics.
They are the
young men on the motos ferrying people up and down the mountain. They are the
moms cooking in the yard over an open charcoal fire. They are the old men
leading their donkeys laden with rice up the mountain to sell at the market. They
are Jeanine and her staff who take such good care of us at the guesthouse.
They
are the kids dressed in their finest, putting the Americans to shame on Sunday
morning.
They are the musicians and choirs that bring the spirit of God into
church. They are the people and the country that I have grown to love. They are
the people whose lives have been changed forever because of your care, concern,
prayer, and, yes, your money.
Of all these things, however, it is
the relationship we have built over time with the people of Jasmin that is the
most important. When I talked with the Bishop of Haiti many years ago about
establishing a partnership with a church in Haiti, Bishop Duracin told me, “If
you have $1000, and your choice is to come or to send the money, then come. It
is the relationship and that the people who know that you care which is most
important. “
So, we go twice per year. Join me in
October for another visit with our Haitian brothers and sisters.
