We're Back...

Our team arrived back in the U.S. on Saturday...but the U.S. was one thing, all the way home was another. After a very long travel delay on Saturday that resulted in sitting for three hours on the tarmac in Dallas and us missing our flight from LA to Sacramento that night, we got a few precious hours of sleep at a hotel near LAX (and the first "real" showers in a week) before waking up early Sunday for our flight back to Sacramento.

Our team at LAX around midnight, waiting to get re-booked for the next day and to get to a hotel for what was left of the night - Emily was D.O.N.E.

Most of us went directly to church after we landed...we were a little out of it and some of us were wearing less-than-clean clothes, but it was great to see people and to share a little bit about the trip.  Over the past couple of days we have all been recuperating and working on processing through all that we saw, learned and experienced.

This Sunday at church we'll be sharing even more about the trip, complete with photos, video and stories from all of our team members. We would love to have you come join us - 10:30am at Discovery High School located 3401 Fong Ranch Road. Sacramento, CA 95834.

Updated: A House for Ismel

Editor's Note/Update: After we returned to the U.S. the Child Hope team in Haiti sent us a few more photos of Ismel's house, which is now basically done! Here are a couple of photos...thank you again to those of you who made this home for Ismel a reality by supporting our trip!

The house from the front - it is significant that the house is made of wood, which will withstand a future earthquake much better than the cement and cinder block homes so prevalent in Haiti.

The house from the side.

Original Post Below: 

Ismel is getting a house thanks to so many of you who invested your resources in this team and into Haiti.

Chuck on his way to the lumber yard to pick up the house (the walls, etc. are pre- cut and partly assembled).

In addition to building a home for Ismel, this building project also is putting a group of Haitian men to work for several days - a blessing in a country where a job is difficult to come by.

Haitian workers loading the house onto the truck for transport to the building site. 

Ismel has been living in a USAID tent along with three other family members since the earthquake struck more than 17 months ago. In the video below, Pastor Dave talks with Ismel while she sits under the roof of her current home about the house being built for her and about the many people who came together to make building it a reality.

After visiting with Ismel some members of our team helped the laborers out with the construction and leveling of the area.

Erick and Dave shoveling as part of the effort to level the area for the house. Eventually concrete will be poured to make the floor of the house.

 

Rob, Chuck, Andrea, Erick and Dave helping to hold up the walls while they are nailed together.

Before we left the site three of the four walls of the house had been joined, while much work remains to be done over the next few days, the project is well underway.

Our entire team poses for a photo with Ismel.

Before we left, we prayed with Ismel and asked God to bless her, her family and her new home. She was so grateful to us - and everyone who donated to make this possible - she thanked us over and over again. It was clear just from meeting Ismel for a few minutes that she is a loving and humble woman and that the simple act of giving her a new home meant much to her and her family.

Ismel thanks our team.

We also want to thank all of you who have supported this trip with prayer and financial resources. From the building of Ismel's home, to supplies for Maison de Lumiere, to getting our entire team to Haiti safely, none of this would have been possible with out you. When you hear and see Ismel thanking us, she is is thanking you too. 

More blog posts coming later today, now it's off to the Feeding Program.

The Ravine

Over the past couple of days our team has had the opportunity to venture beyond the walls of the orphanage and out into parts of the surrounding community where we have seen extreme poverty. It has been very eye opening and heartbreaking to witness this firsthand.

Yesterday a couple of members of our team had the opportunity to go visit the area near Maison de Lumiere called "The Ravine." Many of the kids in the Feeding Program live in this neighborhood.

On the way over to the Ravine we stopped by a little store to buy some candy and crackers to hand out to the kids and their parents.

The store we stopped at on the way - Ivans is picking out the candy.

When we arrived at the Ravine a bunch of the kids were playing in the dirt, using mud and sticks to build houses. At first you think this is inventive of the kids, but then when you think about it further and consider the fact that this is all these kids have to play with it is a very sobering moment. There are no toys. We have noticed that the kids all around get creative with trash, making all kinds of toys out of old bottles, string, caps, whatever they can find.

The kids building very intricate houses out of sticks and mud that they mixed up on the plate in the photo.

When we first entered the area we started to hand out candy to the kids who were so appreciative and excited. In general, we don't hand anything out to folks on the street (this is for a lot of reasons), so it was very special to be able to do this for the kids in the Ravine.

Erick handing out candy to the kids (he made a good move by asking them to line up right after this picture was taken).

After playing with the kids for a while, they led us up into the area where their houses are located. Specifically we were going to see Mona, the mom of kids who are in the Feeding Program, with whom Pastor Dave had connected with last time he was in Haiti (right after the earthquake). At that time Dave had helped the family secure a tarp because the houses you see in the picture below had all fallen and slid down the ravine as a result of the earthquake (here's a link to his blog from a few nights ago about this family). He was encouraged to see how much rebuilding had taken place since last time he visited.

The outer edge of the Ravine homes - we walked up the hill and down a narrow path to get to the entrances of the homes inside the area.

As we entered the community with a bunch of kids on our arms and all around we found ourselves on the small ally below where many of the parents were hanging out in front of their homes. The kids led us over to Mona's home which was just off the ally. 

Mona welcomed us with open arms, she was so gracious to show us her home and invite us in so we could pray with her and her kids. 

Mona and Pastor Dave in the middle, surrounded by the kids (the two little girls in white are Mona's daughters).

After we visited Mona we went over to the church in the Ravine to check out the progress on its rebuilding (it collapsed in the earthquake). 

The inside of the church which has been rebuilt and will soon have new pews.

We left the Ravine to head over to the Feeding Program and a bunch of the kids came with us - a very common occurrence in Haiti, especially since the kids who go to school (many do not because their parents do not have the means to send them) were out for Flag Day.

Pastor Dave and Dawnelle walk back to Maison de Lumiere with the kids.

Our trip to the Ravine, to some other areas and in Haiti in general has given us all a lot to think through and process. How do you best help in a situation like this? What to do long-term solutions look like? How do we partner with families and these communities to get these kids into school, fed, and clothed, while also empowering their parents and improving their economic situation? None of these questions are easily answered, and sometimes our gut responses to seeing poverty can actually be more harmful than helpful. Our entire team is working to process our emotions and thoughts about all of this and committed to seeking out a way to do something on a long-term basis to really serve and partner with these kids, their families and their community.

Campaign!

Haiti's new president, Michel Martelly, was sworn in the day we arrived in Port-au-Prince. Haiti's political system has been described as a Kleptocracy - which as you can imagine has left the people feeling pretty negative about their government. Martelly is a political outsider, a musician, and in general Haitians are very hopeful about his election. This is definitely a country that needs solid leadership and faces serious challenges when it comes to the economy, education, infrastructure, you name it. Campaign posters are scattered on the walls of several buildings in the area surrounding Maison de Lumiere so we snapped a photo of one to share.

Healing

As we have mentioned previously, we have a nurse on our team, Ann. She has been working this week to do clinics both for the community around Maison de Lumiere and in a nearby neighborhood along with two doctors and three other nurses who are also in Haiti this week.

Ann taking vitals at the clinic at the Maison de Lumiere School.

A mom and daughter wait for their turn in the clinic - everyone comes dressed in their Sunday best to see the docs.

Over the past few days the medical team has seen well over 200 patients for all kinds of illnesses, some of which they can treat, some of which they cannot because of the constraints imposed by being in a third world country without access to even routine medicines many Americans take. For example, hypertension is a common problem in Haiti, but since treating this disease effectively necessitates the consistent and long-term access to medication and medical attention, the doctors are not able to do much for the patients that suffer from it.

As part of the clinic team, the doctors and nurses have been taking a couple of people from our team to pray for their patients as they come and go from the clinic. Jim and Pam have been the two members of our team to do this over the past couple of days. Prayer really takes on a whole new meaning when these patients cannot be treated for their aliment. Jim took some time to journal about this experience and wanted to share an excerpt of his thoughts and feelings about this experience.

From Jim:

There has been so incredibly much I could write about. It is hard to keep it to a short blurb for the the blog. So, I just thought I would share a short portion from my journal from Wednesday.

"In the afternoon I went to the medical clinic with Ann, our nurse, to pray for sick people. Every one else chose to do other things, but I felt strongly that the Lord wanted me to do this. I was there until they closed at 5:00pm. I would pray generally for the clinic and people as people were going in. When people came out I would approach them and say 'Mue vele prie po ou' which means 'I would like to pray for you'. All but one person said wi (yes). So, I had a wonderful time holding hands or laying them on people and praying. We saw over 90 people. Near the end of the day Anderson, one of the older boys came down after cleaning the school and started talking to me. I invited him to pray with me, and he interpreted what I was saying. It was incredibly powerful. I can't even describe it. To God be the glory!"

Jim, Semy (translator & Maison de Lumiere "kid"), Pastor of the church that hosted the clinic, and Pam.

Guitar for Gibson

We have seen this week that Haitian culture is very musical. Haitians love to sing and dance and the kids at Maison de Lumiere are learning to play instruments, including guitar and the jimbay drum. Our team was very blessed with the financial resources that allowed us to buy and bring down a number of items for the kids, including two guitars. Gibson was given one of the guitars as a gift - he was so grateful to receive it!

Gibson and Pastor Dave with the guitar!

Gibson playing the guitar - sorry for the poor lighting!

Life on the Street

The kids living at Maison de Lumiere are sweet, loving and kind (mostly - boys will be boys!) to one another. When you are around them a lot sometimes it's easy to forget the life so many of them left behind when they walked through the door - until you look at some of the physical scars they have on their bodies...permanent reminders of their pasts.

More than 50 percent of Haiti's population is under the age of 18 (nearly 40 percent are under the age of 14). Before the earthquake it was estimated that there were 340,000 orphans in Haiti - a figure that doubled (or more) after the earthquake. There are many kids that live on the street and many kids who may have a home to go to at night but because there is no money to send them to school, they spend their days on the streets with their friends. This situation translates into a pretty tough one for many kids.

The other night some members of our team witnessed in a small way just how brutal the streets can be. As we were walking back to the guest house we had stopped in the street to say "hi" to some kids that were just hanging out. There was a group of boys playing next to us and at first they seemed to be getting along alright. At first. Then at some point one of the boys got a hold of what was left of a belt and started trying to hit the other boys with it. This caused a kerfuffle between him and another boy in particular. As they wrestled with each other, another boy grabbed the belt and hit the boy wrestling with the one who originally had the belt - hard on the backside of his legs. All of a sudden both boys were reaching down for rocks to throw at each other and as we were about to step in an older boy came over to mediate and calm everyone down. Thankfully the rocks were dropped and there was a cease fire, but the truth in many cases the rocks are thrown.

All of this happened in a matter of seconds and it was a sad reminder of what life is like for so many Haitian children. They have to be tough as nails and always ready to protect themselves in an environment that is just as punishing as it is unforgiving. As someone put it, the ones in the orphanage are in many ways the lucky ones - they have food, shelter, school, love and a safe environment to grow up in.

Some members of our team walk down the street - joined by kids. This happens nearly every time we're out and about - and they come right up and hold your hand, ask to be picked up or just walk with you.

Transitions

Instead of posting a rundown of what we did today since a lot of it you have already heard about most of the activities we were involved in (Feeding Program, painting, hanging out at the boys and girls houses, medical clinic), we are going to post a few blogs over the next day that focus on more specific topics. Up first, the transition program at Maison de Lumiere.

Since Maison de Lumiere has only been in existence since 2004 they are just now experiencing the first wave of young adults who are getting ready to live life outside and pursue their long-term goals. The Manassero's and the other staff here have thought carefully about how to provide the right kind of training and education to help these kids succeed in life and achieve their dreams.

Once a kid is reaching the stage where they will be transitioning out of Maison de Lumiere, they are put into what is called the 'Transition Program." They move out of the house with the rest of the other kids and into another house where they have their own room and more independence. Some of the key elements fundamental to this transition include learning English (they are taught English starting the day they go to school for the first time), teaching a trade or skill that the kids can make their own business out of after leaving, training in managing finances, basic life skills like cooking, doing laundry, etc. and a practical education about how the world works and what to expect when they enter it outside of the protection of Maison de Lumiere.

This week we have been able to support this program in two ways. First, due to the amazing generosity of those who have supported this team financially we were able to donate tools for use in training the kids in the transition program skills in woodworking/furniture making. Second, one member of our team, Rob Crandall, has been working very closely with this program all week lending his skills and teaching ability. This means Rob has been spending a lot of time away from the team and the activities we've blogged about over the past couple of days. So, today some of us went to visit him and check out the program. Below are a few photos of Rob and some of the skills that are being taught in the program.

Rob hard at work. He has been COVERED in sawdust basically since we arrived!

Emmanuel (one of the young men in the program) - Rob has been working with him all week.

Rob and Emmanuel.

Silk screening is another trade that is taught in the program. The kids make shirts and canvass bags which are sold in the guest house gift shop - the proceeds go back into materials, to pay the kids and into a savings account for the kids to take with them when they leave Maison de Lumiere. 

Junior organizing the finished product!

In addition to woodworking and silk screening, the kids can also learn sewing and jewelry making (the girls make the coolest necklaces out of cereal boxes, seriously). They also work with the kids who want to pursue college and careers in fields such as nursing, teaching or ministry. It has been impressive to see the thought and resources invested in giving these kids every chance at success and independence in life.

Flag Day, Fun Day!

This morning we had the opportunity to join the kids at school as they prepared for Flag Day (which is tomorrow and is equivalent to the 4th of July in the U.S.) and also celebrated their teachers.

The morning began with the pledge and raising of the flag in the main quad of the school - check out the video below of the kids singing while the flag was raised.

After the opening festivities a few of us got to go back to the kids classrooms and help them make Haitian flags to use in the Flag Day parade scheduled for later in the day.

 Second graders learn all about the history of Flag Day before making their flags.

After the flags were made, it was out the door and around the neighborhood for a parade!

Pam lines up with the kindergarteners for the parade. 

As the parade began the teachers paired the kids up two by two and some of the kids grabbed members of our team to be their buddy for the parade. It must be said here that our pastor, David Beck, is loved by these kids. He has been to Haiti on a couple of trips previously and these kids remember and love him (check out this great blog post he wrote about these connections). As you will see in the video below, David was quite the popular parade buddy - and he's got some serious parade moves! 

The parade itself was awesome. These kids ages 5 to 16 or so walked all around their neighborhood, singing the entire time. People came out of the their houses to watch and to cheer them on. It was really fun to be a part of it. After the parade it was all about the cake to thank the teachers for their hard work. It was such a blessing for us to be able to provide just this one small gesture to the school and the teachers. 

Ivans, the school principal, with cake to feed 75!

Following our fun morning at school we headed back to the guest house for lunch and then got to work on the projects we started yesterday. But it couldn't be all work and no play, so we headed back over to the boys house late in the day to hang out some more with the kids - honestly we just can't get enough of them. 

Rose brought some awesome dress-up clothes from home to play with - we could hardly get Davidson and Daphne out of them (her husband is probably thinking these outfits look familiar)!

The older kids played soccer (boys vs. girls) and yes, they love to play without their shoes on!

As we walked back to the guest house after this full and fun day we got to witness the most beautiful sunset over Port-au-Prince!

A fantastic view of the sunset from the roof of the guest house. 

This evening was also filled with a great bible study with the older girls and a crazy rainstorm! Stay tuned for more adventures tomorrow!

Time To Play!

As promised, below is a fun video of the kids in the feeding program playing one of the games yesterday. The way this game worked was the guy on the side of the frame in the green shirt would draw a picture of an object on a white board. The kids were divided into two teams and each team had to work fast to form the shape he drew with their bodies. The first team to do it was the winner. It is totally worth waiting to see the end of this video when the winner of this round is declared! Pure Joy!

Power & Gas, Water & Laundry

We thought some of you might be interested in a short post on everyday resources/conveniences that we take for granted in the U.S. - water, power, gas and laundry. We should start off by saying that the situation we're describing here is a good one for us at the guest house and at the kids' houses. Many, many people in Haiti lack access to electricity or clean water.

Power & Gas
The city only provides power at night, so during the day we keep all of the lights off in the houses and try to keep laptops and phones on battery power if possible. Basically the only items using power are the fridge and the fans (there's no A/C). This power comes from a set of batteries that are lined up on the side of the house...check it out below.

 

All of the gas used here for the stove comes from a tank in the back of the house which has to be re-filled when it runs out. This morning Pastor Dave got up to boil water for tea and the gas was out - no gas, no flame...no tea. 


Water
Water is a scarce and precious resource in Haiti. At the guest house we drink bottled water - which is the only source of clean drinking water here. Many kids in the street will ask us for our water bottles because they do not have access to water to drink - a sobering experience when you think about how we take being able to drink water out of the tap for granted.

The water used for showering, washing, etc. at the guest house comes from a large cistern on the property. This cistern is filled either through rainwater runoff or with a delivery truck when the rainwater isn't sufficient. As a result, it is crucial to be judicious with the water we use - military showers, no running the sink water while washing dishes, etc. It's all about putting each and every drop to good use.

 Water delivery at the girls house.

Bottled water for drinking.

Laundry
While it is possible to get a washer and dryer in Haiti, most people, including the staff at Maison de Lumiere, hand wash all of their clothes (imagine washing clothes for 50 kids by hand). Erick, Jim and Chuck hung up a clothesline at the guest house yesterday to make the laundry process a little easier. Emily, who is an expert at hand washing clothes from her Peace Corps days, washed clothes with the ladies yesterday.

Folded laundry in the tub it was washed in.

This really puts in perspective the luxury of being able to flip a switch, turn on a faucet, do a quick load of wash or fire up the stove.

The Feeding Program

As we mentioned in the previous post, Maison de Lumiere hosts the Feeding Program every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to feed 100 kids that live in the surrounding neighborhood. These kids come from extremely tough backgrounds, for some these are basically the only three meals they eat in a week...and also the only few hours they have in a safe and protected environment where they can just be kids. Today we had the honor of participating in this significant event.

Before lunch the kids played games together - we'll try to post a short video of them playing tomorrow (wifi not cooperating tonight), but above is a photo of one of the games. It was so fun to hear them literally squealing with joy.

In the photo above Emily is hanging out with some of the younger kids who skipped the game and colored instead. The other pre-meal activities included worship and a short bible lesson from Ivans - an amazing guy who serves these kids as their school principal and tremendous example. And then the meal was ready!

Beans, rice, sausage and a vitamin for 100 kids.

The kids all sat at their assigned tables as the food was served to the youngest ones first up through the oldest. Most of the kids ate with relish and smiles on their faces.

One of the more difficult parts of participating in the Feeding Program is seeing the kids who are visibly suffering from malnourishment. Today, one of our team members, Julie had an experience with this. From Julie:

As I was standing there, talking to another kid, a little girl, Dafka (sp?) came up to me and put her arms around my leg and looked up at me asking to be held. Seconds after I picked Dafka up she fell asleep in my arms and slept through all of the games and pre-meal activities (for about an hour). She only woke up a couple of times because she was having a nightmare. When it was time to eat, Ann and I tried to wake Dafka up to feed her, which took a while. She was so weak and so little. She could barely lift her spoon to her mouth, at times I took over the task, and could only eat a portion of what was on her plate and in her cup. Her hair and her eyes bore witness to the fact that she's starving and has been for a significant period of time. It was heartbreaking to hold this little girl, I felt so powerless to do anything other than what I could do in that moment - hold her, love her and feed her. I am still processing through all the emotions seeing a child in that state brings up, but needless to say it's something that has left a lasting impression on my heart.

Julie holding Dafka while watching the other kids play games.

Julie feeding Dafka.

Needless to say, the Feeding Program, along with all of the activities of Maison de Lumiere has a real and tangible impact on the lives of the kids in the community.

Project Time!

We started off the day today (after a delicious breakfast) by dividing the team into teams to help Maison de Lumiere with projects they need done around the guest house, medical clinic, transition program, school, day care at the girls house (for the littlest kids) and soon-to-be staff home.

Assignments!

 

The biggest team within the team today was assigned to both construction and painting projects at the guest house and at the house the Maison de Lumiere staff will soon be living in. The painting is a huge project that will continue over at least another day this week. We're also going to be making some cabinets for the girls to keep their clothes and other belongings in. Rob and Jim are heading up that project.

Dave and Emily - painters extraordinaire! 

 

We are blessed to have a nurse, Ann, on our team. She has been helping out in the clinic this week and has been treating a pregnant woman who is very ill. Tomorrow and Thursday the clinic will be open and she will be seeing patients there throughout the day. 

 

Nurse Ann - she is the best!

A couple of us had the opportunity to hang out with the younger kids who are in day care this morning. They are so adorable.

Rose plays with two of the girls - Bubbles! 

Dave and Julie spent the morning working on trying to organize and format school pictures for the kids and the staff at Maison de Lumiere's school. Let's just say it was Dave & Julie vs. the printer - the printer won! 

 

Dave - commanding the room, but not the printer.

Tomorrow Dave, Emily and Pam have worked with the principal at the school to put together some special activities (and cake) to celebrate Teacher's Day. The rest of us are planning to continue with the projects we started today.

This afternoon we had the opportunity to participate in the Feeding Program, which as the name might suggest is a program to feed kids that live in the area surrounding Maison de Lumiere. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday 100 kids who are living in very difficult conditions come to the boys house for games, singing, a Bible lesson and much-needed food. Stay tuned tonight for post tonight dedicated just to the Feeding Program - a heartbreaking and powerful experience.

Right now we're off to a team meeting!

Transportation, Haitian Style!

While we're spending most of our time in and around the Maison de Lumiere, yesterday we had the opportunity to go to church...but first we had to get there...Haitian style. Let's just say that in Haiti, the safety precautions surrounding transportation are slightly more lax than they are at home. Not only do you not need a seat belt, seats are really completely optional. But why try to describe it when you can see it!

All loaded up and ready to hit the road! We didn't want you to miss out on the actual "hitting the road" experience, so below is a video of about 30 seconds of driving while standing in the back of a pick-up with 13 of your closest friends.

Pretty sure CHP would have a heart attack if they saw this!