Haiti Day 7: On down to Jacmel town

We pack up and say goodbye to the CODEP guesthouse before hopping in the back of another truck with all our stuff.  Once again, we've got great seats to view the countryside as we take off on the mountain roads.  We're heading south to Jacmel (see a map on an earlier post).  Along the way, we stop to see a final CODEP project, this one much further along than the others.  The process of reforestation in this particular area was extremely lush.  Under the tree cover, we also noticed several fish ponds, another CODEP project developed to help provide sustainability and income.  We also saw the homes of many of the Haitian CODEP employees.

Our crew then packed in the seats and back of a pickup truck to travel the final hour or so down to Jacmel (on the southern coast).  As we approach from the mountains, we witness a beautiful view of a town on the water.  It's a much smaller city than Port-Au-Prince and feels a lot more laid back.  I begin to notice that there is much more quake damage in this area than Port-Au-Prince, if not just more concentrated.

We pulled in at Trinity house, a partner of St. Josephs Home for Children, who we visited earlier.  As we pull up, kids are already playing soccer in the road outside.  They all come and greet us one by one, though it's a little obvious they were made to do so :).  Regardless, we feel very welcomed as we put all our stuff in the room we'll be crashing in, take a look around Trinity House, and then head back to our driver for a tour around Jacmel.

Clark is somewhat familiar with the city.  As we drive, he is looking outside for shops and streets worth visiting.  We settle on what looks like an artist alley.  It's pretty quiet and not a whole lot is open.  We visit with a French lady's studio before heading across the street to a hotel for a drink.  We then walk around the town.  I feel very strange.  The city is very quiet and we are continually followed by a few vendors trying to draw us into their stores.  We see quake damage and tent cities, much like the ones in Port-Au-Prince, all over the town.  It becomes obvious to me that the quake has DESTROYED the commerce of this town.  Once a bustling hub for artists and trade, now a city with a lot of tension as it tries to get along as the shell of what it once was.  We make our way to the beach front for another drink and some sugarcane.  It's nice to be able to gaze out over the water, a scene that rarely changes.

Upon returning to Trinity House, we immediately head back out for a nearby swimming hole.  The location is a cove nearby where a bunch of the kids are already swimming.  They love having us in there to throw them around, much like I used to.

We have dinner on our own back at the house, followed by some time to explore and learn a little bit.  The kids that live there are pretty much all ages, up to 21, which is when they graduate (although some that age are still around).  Some of the younger kids from St. Joseph's have also been relocated here as they work to rebuild the Port-Au-Prince site.  Trinity House also functions as a school for the neighborhood kids among many other things as detailed on their site.

That night, we would be graced with a performance by the infamous Resurrection Dance Theater, a group out of St. Joseph's that has toured ALL over the place throughout the years, including places near you in the US this Fall!  Drums carried the dancing as the dancers would come out of the side room to perform their numbers.  We were blown away by the performances: boys with incredible gifts bearing their all.  Each dance told a story of Haiti, from the slave revolt to the modern issues with poverty.  By far the most powerful moment for us was when one of the dancers came running out in a frantic, yet beautiful dance.  He was moving so fast you could hardly realize that he was missing an arm.  His dance carried the weight of his story with a joy of simply being who he is and expressing himself through dance.  The end of the performance featured time for each dancer to show off some moves before they finally got the entire crowd in on the action for a final dance number.

Immediately following the performance, we were led into a side room where all the boys were proudly displaying their artwork.  Through the help of big-time artists who come by to teach, the boys had some amazing pieces and were very adamant salesmen!  I walked around admiring and telling them I wasn't buying until I came across the youngest boy in the room, named Lulu, who stood silently in the corner.  Knowing he probably wasn't getting much business for his pen drawings, I bend over and ask him how much.  "13" he says.  Thinking he meant "goudes (Haitian currency about 40 to the dollar)" and knowing I only had US $1 bills with me, I feel confident in giving up a dollar to pay much more than was expected.  I smile, give him the money and take his drawing, what I see as the countryside post-quake.

As I tell Clark about my purchase he says, "you gave him $1?  I'm pretty sure when he said $13 he meant American dollars!" I was shocked.  Did I seriously just rip off a Haitian orphan?  With the help of interpretation via Clark, I go back to pay a more respectable price to the young kid.

That night, we all bring our beds up to the roof of Trinity House, which provides a gorgeous view of the ocean, mountains, and city down below.  We can hear commotion in tent cities near us.  There is a gentle breeze throughout the night.  A breeze that we can only hope brings some new hope and new life into this town so rocked by disaster.

Day 3: Wings

Our third day in Haiti took us to the site of St. Joseph's Home for Boys in Port-Au-Prince.  Many of you out there are familiar with their organization, or their dance troupe, the Resurrection Dance Theater, touring to a city near you this Fall!

For those of you who don't know about them, the home started in 1985 as a response to young boys stranded on the streets of Port-Au-Prince, or boys forced into brutal house servitude.  They have 20 something boys at the Port-Au-Prince location, and even more in Jacmel.  However, after the quake, this is what remains of the Port-Au-Prince house:

The several story building collapsed, killing a couple friends, but none of the kids.  One of the directors of the program, Bill Nathan, was on the roof of the building when it collapsed.  Here's what happened to him.  Now, he tours with the Resurrection Dance Theater, promoting St. Joseph's and telling his story.  We had a chance to hang out with him and hear his drumming skills.

Younger boys from St. Joseph's have been moved to the Jacmel "Trinity House," while the older boys and some graduates of the home are living at a rented house next door, carrying on the home and assisting in clearing the lot/rebuilding:

That day, we also got to visit "Wings of Hope," another house of St. Joseph's which cares primarily for disabled children.  They had around 39 kids (may be off a bit) at their site, all receiving fantastic medical care and attention.  They even had a fat ol' chocolate lab running around the house, giving the kids some extra love!  Given how Haiti often responds to people with disabilities, as second class citizens, it was so beautiful to see a place where they are cared and love for as the children of God that they are.  The wings have truly set them free.

On the way back from HOM that day, we stopped by a tent city location on what used to be a golf course.  We walked around on the higher elevated part and looked down on the vast expanse of tents down below.  This was one of the more shocking parts of post-quake Haiti, seeing every possible public space in the cities taken up by tents.  Even statues and historical landmarks are often covered up (like the statue to the left) because people need space to live.  At the rate rebuilding is going in the cities (VERY slowly), people could be in these tents for YEARS.  Just imagine how difficult this must be, especially over time as more and more people move into the city and all must readjust.

That evening, our crew reflected on the ministries we've witnessed thus far, comparing their approaches. HOM has a larger scale view: building churches and houses for as many people as possible, to raise the quality of living for a part of the city.  St. Joseph's view is smaller, aimed at transforming individuals who can grow up to be agents of change in the city.  Both have elements that could be challenging to deal with, issues of sustainability, funding, stewardship, etc.  However, among some critiques we drummed up that night, we kept coming back to the admiration of enactment.  Some amazing people are committed to working in Haiti to shape areas of great poverty and despair.  One of our group members reminded us of a phrase he heard before in regards to mission organizations that may be difficult to deal with: "this is what it means to be in relationship."

The work these groups are doing in Haiti should call us to action.  They should invite us into relationship with them and with organizations in our own communities.  They are a reminder that the gospel of Christ is an ACTIVE gospel, that is boldly serving the world beyond its own means.  This work is never perfect, in fact its often messy.  However, it's rooted in love.

May these wings set us free.