There is a lot to learn about Haitian culture! Obviously we are enjoying the warm weather, but we are also learning to enjoy the area and new culture we find ourselves planted in. We enjoyed a trip to the foothills for some hiking/climbing to reach a series of natural pools where we swam. We also enjoyed a Sunday afternoon trip to Port Salut to eat on the beach and swim.

The Haitians and local missionaries are very friendly and helpful with all our questions! We constantly have to convert money and figure out the proper price of things in their barter system. We have vendors coming to our door to sell anything from bananas to rocking chairs. We have to communicate with our “house help” while our Creole is very limited at this point! The internet is very frustrating, but we will eventually get used to how things work and make adjustments. Patience!

Discovering the beach at Port Salut, 45 minutes west of Les Cayes

Arriving at the Akron/Canton airport for a long day of travel.

Tuesday, Dec. 17. This was the day that our nine months of planning finally became reality! It was a whirlwind to get out of our house by 3:30 a.m., but the Lord was faithful in giving us the strength to get it all done by early morning! When Bill and Monica (my sister) came to take us to the airport, we quickly loaded 22 pieces of luggage. There was no time to spare! It was a cold, snowy early morning as we drove to Akron/Canton airport. The roads were slippery. It was hard to say our goodbyes but we knew the time had come, and this was God’s doing. We felt His strength.

When we finally got on the plane, which was headed to Charlotte, NC, we all collapsed into sleep zone. All of us slept on that flight except Grace. She was amazed by the view of the moonlight over the clouds! In Charlotte, we had only 45 minutes to the next flight into Ft. Lauderdale, FL. So at 9:00 in the morning we were eating pizza. It was going to be awhile until we ate pizza again in the States like that!

No pizza for awhile?

We arrived at Ft. Lauderdale around noon. We didn’t have much time until the next flight to Port-au-Prince. And then in our haste we read the board wrong and ended up walking through an exit to the gate of a later Haiti flight! When we realized the error and returned, we discovered we had to go back through security of course. Mike was really sweating now, realizing what little time we had before the flight! After Mike got through he went on ahead (with Grant and Grace) to ask them to wait. The rest of us were still at inspections. Wouldn’t you know it, two bags got held for further inspection. We all made it to the gate just as the last people were boarding. That was close!

On this flight I sat between two Haitians. This was a good introduction to Haiti. One was a lady who was a doctor from Northern Haiti, and the other one was a single man, living on the west side of Port-au-Prince, who was a construction worker. Both of them could speak a little English and they both helped me with Creole.  It was a very interesting flight!

Once we reached the Port-au-Prince airport, the kids liked the band that was welcoming travelers. Our boys just got big smiles! We had made it to Haiti! Trinity was extra excited too along with Grace who didn’t know what to expect, but felt the excitement from the rest of us. It took awhile to get all our many pieces of luggage. A Haitian had been assigned to meet us and get us through baggage claim. Our luggage was finally piled up on three carts and it was a sight to see!

When Trinity saw the Haitians standing about ten deep all along the sidewalk outside the airport door she gasped. “You are making us go out there? You didn’t tell me we were going to walk through a parade.” When we got out there, Evan said, “This is like a zoo and we are the animals in the cage being stared at.” It was very uncomfortable feeling for all of us, especially with so much luggage! When I saw ALL those faces this verse of the Bible came to mind: “Look on the fields, for they are white for harvest.” Haitians had been assigned to meet us at the fence and then at the van that took us out to the bus station, so it did proceed smoothly after all, except for the two times all the bags went tumbling! We were all quite ready to get on the bus and we also had paid quite a bit to get that far!

Our luggage filled almost half of the bus storage space. It was embarrassing to stand next to that pile in full view of the entire city!

The bus ride from Port-au-Prince to Les Cayes was uneventful overall because it got dark after one hour, but it was fun for us to watch our kids look with unbelief at the street scenes and people walking everywhere. Trinity said, “This is so sad. It is so eye opening and unreal. I never knew this existed.” She could hardly comprehend so many living in tents. Grant said the same and added what stood out to him was the trash everywhere in the streets, in the river beds, etc. It was unreal! Evan said it was hard to describe and the sight was overwhelming. He couldn’t believe all the people everywhere, the trucks/vehicles filled with overflowing people, and down every street the Haitians are selling something. The kids found out quickly the biggest truck goes first! It is a pecking order.

The bus stopped often in Port and then picked up speed later and we all slept a lot during that five hour trip to Les Cayes. We arrived at our new home and sure had a warm welcome. Even our home was decorated! Everything was unloaded in the living room before we knew it with the help of the missionaries. It was hard to believe we were finally here! We were very thankful how everything went and how God provided each step of the way.

We really appreciate all your prayers!

Seeing our new home for the first time was exciting!

We really appreciated the great decorations and the wonderful meal that was all ready for us!

In the endless routine of packing our things we were reminded many times of what really matters…relationships. Loved ones near and far who mean so much! Jesus always took time to stop what He was doing to listen to and care for others. Thanks for all the special moments you have shared with us and the love you send us off with! We won’t see you as often as we did, but you have left your footprints in our heart!  Even dog ones… 

Jasper has found an extra-special new home!

Grace’s class made her a farewell book!

Special moments with special friends!

Getting together one last time!

Birthday parties and family time!

Putting the last of our stuff into storage!

Some of our things heading for Haiti tomorrow!

Three days to go! If you could say an extra prayer for our kids…they have never been to Haiti! There will be a cultural shock as well as a temperature shock. We know that change affects each person differently, but God carefully designs changes into our life so we don’t get too comfortable here on this earth. He wants us to look forward to that final change that He has really made us for…”We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”  1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Enjoying snow for the last time! It is currently 88 degrees in Les Cayes!

 Les Cayes is on the south coast four hours west of Port-au-Prince. Hospital Lumière is northeast of Les Cayes and in a higher elevation.

We are now two weeks away from departure! There are many questions we get, but by far the main question is where we will be living. We are fortunate to be able to live in close proximity to other missionaries on a hill above Les Cayes called Cité Lumière. There is a view to the coast from the rooftop of our new home, but we will be temporarily living in the lower level of this lovely fourplex which houses two other families…already totaling 8 children! We will ride to church, to the store, and almost everywhere else together. Our new home is very close to (just a little past) the Child Sponsorship office that we showed earlier.

A view of the lower level living/dining area

A view of the kitchen and bedrooms

Rooftop play area or “back yard!”

Driveway and front entrance

 Here are the Reinhard and Yordy kids that we will soon be joining! (Sarah is missing)

A usual street scene in downtown Les Cayes

 Meeting Mantha for the first time was the highlight of trip!

We found our sponsored child up in the mountains! We traveled a long way up treacherous, rocky, bumpy roads to get to her school, Boucan Moran. Even though the journey was dangerous it was breathtaking. We wanted to explore further from what we could see from the truck. It was like going back to Bible times in this remote and primitive land. It was a beautiful land where these Haitians lived and somewhere in these mountains our sponsored child lived. All we remember of her was an older picture that we had when she was about 10 years old. Now she was about high school age. Will we recognize her? Will she know who we are if we mention our names? Will she even like us? Lots of questions entered our mind, but we were excited to finally meet her face to face!

The girls were waiting for school to start. The younger classes used the rooms in the morning.

We pulled up the steep hill into a school where a group of girls were sitting under a tree. Could one of those girls be Mantha? As I looked, two of them sort of looked like the picture. But Mike said he knew which one was her. He jumped out of the car and approached her. He said her name, “Mantha.” She responded back, “Wi” (yes). Mike mentioned the word “sponsor” and our daughter’s name, “Trinity”, and showed her a picture of our family. She got it right away! (And they knew we were coming.) I came behind him to meet her. She was so happy to meet us! It was an exciting time. She was a beautiful girl and had changed from that little girl to a young lady of 17. We gave her a bag of goodies. Extra gifts are like love gifts to them that go a long way. She looked inside and she seemed to like what she saw. She said, “thank you” in English. Thankfully we had a translator so we could communicate with her. She said her mother was still very sick and she lived with her grandma, just like she had written in her letters.

Rocket balloons are a hit at any age!

Since we couldn’t speak the language with these group of young people we decided to pull out some fun with rocket balloons. Mantha wasn’t sure of this balloon thing until the rest of the group got more excited about them. A dozen kids lined up with their balloons, including Mantha, and let them go at the same time. What a sight of color and sound! It was a hit! Mantha was so excited about the whole thing that she came over and gave me a big hug and said, “Thank you so much” in English. She was pleased! Later, she put her hand around my waist (and I put mine around hers) and she took me to see her classroom. All the kids were already waiting for the class to begin. She sat down with her peers and there was a sea of faces looking at me. I smiled and pulled out of my bag a cartoon gospel tract for each one, and then quietly left while they were reading them.

Two fish and a white yam were offered to each of us, and then finished off by the girls!

The directors of this school made us a meal from what little they had. It was very humbling considering that they might not have much to eat themselves. The meal consisted of 2 grilled fish with the heads and tails still on in a red spicy sauce, a large white yam, fresh avocado, and delicious fruit juice. The juice was the best part! We tried to eat the fish but couldn’t get used to all the many tiny bones. At home we had been reminded to leave some of what we were offered for the Haitians to finish, and this was the perfect opportunity! Little did I know what would happen next. Into the room walks our sponsored child with her two friends and it was suggested that I offer the rest of my plate to her. I was a little nervous about that. I went up to her and offered it to her. She willingly took it. Mike and Tim Butikofer then offered their plates to her two friends. Those girls all sat down to eat and were so thankful for our leftovers! I served them all fruit drinks while they were eating. They cleaned everything off of those plates! It was very humbling.

In front of Mantha’s school at Boucan Moran

The last memory I have of this sweet young girl was when she took my hand and we walked together to the car. She showed so much love in our short time together. It was hard to believe this was happening. It was like a rare dream to meet our sponsored child way up in the mountains of Haiti! What a God we serve, who brought us together that day! I tried to tell her that I loved her in Creole. I gave her one more hug before I hopped in the car. Mantha said, “I would like to live with her forever, she is so nice!” I was stunned. The last words I said to her, “I would take you as my own.” It was a very touching moment.

The kids watched us as we drove away, and I threw bouncing balls out the window. It was an awesome sight to see these boys chasing down these balls with excitement. It was a great experience that we will never forget – the day we met our sponsored child! We didn’t realize enough, until that day, the HUGE impact that a sponsor has in a child’s life (and her family and her school). What a difference we can make! It was so easy to write a check every month and forget it actually would reach someone with a real need who was so appreciative! As we finally met our own sponsored child and many faces of other sponsored children, you realize that each one is valuable, uniquely special in God’s eyes, fearfully and wonderfully made by Him.

What did you eat today? What are the chances it was a mud cookie?

Not all, but many Haitian children only get one meal a day...before they go to bed. Why? Haitian parents don’t want to send their children to bed hungry any more than we do. Imagine walking long distances to school (3–5 miles, sometimes 10), sitting through a day of classes in the heat, and then walking back home again in time to help with chores like carrying water or gathering firewood…all without eating!

Many Haitian children will eat mud cookies or are given salt water to drink so it increases their thirst, and by drinking more they will feel “full.”

Local pastors (usually the directors) of the schools where we have sponsored children are asking us to start food programs. World Relief currently has four food programs in operation in Haiti and we hope to assist with the planning and implementation of many others. Directors report the obvious that students that get lunch every day concentrate better in class, fall asleep less, and attend school more regularly (to get lunch).

If you are interested in donating, funds can be sent to World Relief and be earmarked “Haiti food program.” Remember, there are absolutely no leftovers and no waste in this worthy program…only very thankful children!

 When reviewing all the photos from our Massey school visit, one child suddenly stood out from all the rest. There was this girl in several photos that we just couldn’t miss. She is undoubtedly very poor in this world’s goods but she still had something to share – a rich and radiant smile! Certainly God doesn’t see any child as any more special than any other, but he has given gifts for us to use and we were reminded of that when we saw this girl putting hers to use.

Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. – Luke 18:16 

The MEBSH schools that World Relief supports allow only 30 children in any school to be sponsored. The poorest of the poor. The local pastor is usually also the director of the school and he knows the needs of his congregation well enough to select the children for the sponsorship program. One of the closest schools to the Child Sponsorship Office is in Massey, just northeast of Les Cayes which has 140 students. (We also attended the MEBSH Massey church on our orientation visit and will give you the sights and sounds of that soon!)

We arrived at lunchtime so we could view the lunch program underway. Although we only sponsor approximately 30 children in this school, our food program goal is to feed every student and every teacher every day in that school. The kids were adorable as each room prayed together before eating. As we went from room to room they would also all stand in unison to say a welcome. They were very thankful for the rice and beans and it all disappeared!

Prayer before eating was emphasized!

Marie Lucie helping to dish up the food for the older kids

Nothing to drink? No problem! Water can be pumped by the street!