Haiti ~ 05/07/2013

Posted on by Chrissy Petersen

05/07/2013

500am…roof top balcony…Scott…roosters crowing…. dogs barking…gorgeous sunrise.

Right after breakfast Scott, Mike, Pete and myself jumped into the Montero with Jamel and left for Williamson; we wanted a head start on the swing set-rebuilding project. The Williamson School is not too far from the Luly School. As we were driving towards Williamson, the skies ahead of us were dark; the rain had stopped shortly before our arrival into the village.

When we arrived at the school, we were greeted with smiles from the children and the Pastor. Scott brought along pictures that he took at this school during the July 2012 trip and he taped them up onto the wall of the school. The children ran over and the smiles and giggles emerged from their faces. Even with the language barrier, you could tell that they recognized their classmates and themselves in the pictures.

As the rest of the team arrived, so did more children. Pat informed us that due to the rain, the children had a ‘rain day’ and had no school for the day…yet they came to school anyhow.

A group of us walked up the hill to the Pastor’s house (WWV built this house for him and his family). On the way we saw the chicken coop that last year’s team built. We also passed a woman sitting on her front step washing laundry. Almost all laundry is hand washed in Haiti…the whites are the whites of white. The clothes are scrubbed by hand using rocks and other tools then hung out to dry (I wonder what was going through her mind with several Blancs standing at her porch taking pictures of her washing her laundry).

The Pastor’s home was a great home (by Haiti standards). It was simple…it was effective…it was secure…it was home

We then walked further up the hill to a site in which WWV is hoping to purchase and to build a new permanent guest home as well as hopes to build several homes that the citizens of Williamson could rent. On this piece of land you could see the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. The wide-open fields and wildlife and scenery were breathtaking. Anne and I hinted to Pat that we would be willing and wanting to rent one of the apartments on a regular basis for our visits back ‘home’.

Back at the Williamson School, some of the team was hard at work on the swing set. This swing set went together better and faster than the swing set in Luly.

Peter and Ammot gathered the children that were present into the outside classroom…it was Paper Tambourine making time!! The children ranged from three years old to around fourteen years old. After the bells were in place and the tambourines were secured shut with shoelaces and they were decorated with stickers, then the real fun began. Ammot lead the children in songs and the whole village could hear the jingles of the bells and the singing of the children. The energy in the room was amazing…it was a ‘you had to be here’ moment.

Next came the time to hand out gifts to the children. Our group had a generous donation from TLC toys…we had dozens and dozens of wooden cars, wooden kaleidoscopes and chocolate-brown dolls. Jake donated dozens of disc golf Frisbees and Harold had put together and donated 63 jump ropes. The toys were lined up in the kitchen (the 2012 team had laid the foundation for this kitchen and funded the building project). Peter dismissed six children at a time to come into the room to pick out a toy…. each child had a mark placed on their wrist so that we knew who had received a toy. Peter (big rough & tough guy) became emotional as he shared his joy in seeing each of the children receiving a gift. He explained that children in Haiti do not receive gifts of their own…it was like Christmas in May.

After a successful workday in Williamson, we left for an afternoon of rest and relaxation at Wahoo Bay. The sandy beach and pristine blue water was a breathtaking site. Tom happened to be wearing his CRABBY shirt today (there were SEVERAL jokes at his expense today). As he was standing in the ocean, a local merchant approached Tom in the water and pulled a bag out of the water…out from this bag came a crab…it was quite the site…Crabby Tom and Crabby enjoying the ocean together.

God’s creation and beauty was definitely on display today…we are blessed.

God. Is. Good.

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Haiti ~ 05/06/2013

Posted on by Chrissy Petersen

05/06/2013

500am…roof top balcony…Scott…roosters crowing…. dogs barking…gorgeous sunrise. I pray that the visions of this beautiful sunrise stay with me as the days, weeks & months go by. Now, the visions of Scott lathering himself in sunscreen…that’s a different story.

We had planned on an early start to the day, however, breakfast was prepared at 730am versus 700am…degaje (sp?). Today we went to Luly School; Jamel, Pat, Beth and I rode in the Montero and the rest of the group in the van; it took just over an hour to get to Luly. We were able to see more of the country today. We passed the mountains where they mined the rock the we were mixing with the cement, tent villages (hundreds of Haitians are still living in tents and temporary housing due to the earthquake that took place on January 12, 2010), street markets, goats, horses, donkeys, groves of plantain trees and so much more.

Today in Luly was a frustrating day…there were a few things that did not go as planned.

When we first arrived on site, there were two boys walking around wearing only long t-shirts. One of the boys appeared to be 4-5 years old and he was carrying a soccer ball that had been stuffed with clothing (there was a tear in the side of the ball). Pat asked him why he wasn’t in school (via Jamel), the boy responded with, “Because there is a bump on my butt”. We all laughed a little at this response…until he turned to walk away and was walking with the limp…then we saw the large lump protruding from his left cheek, it was bloody and oozing (he was only wearing a tank top that went to his waist).

The guys were hard at work figuring out the best plan for putting the swing set back together and anchoring it into the ground. Issue 1: The main support bracket for the top beam was broken and missing. Issue 2: The square bit driver that we needed was left at the guesthouse and it would take approximately 3 hours to drive there and back to retrieve it.  Pete came up with a way to create a new support bracket…the only hitch was that we needed someone who could weld the parts together. Peter (Haitian Interpreter) was asked if there was a store near by where we could purchase the square bit needed, he said no, they do not sell individual bits…we would have to buy the entire bit set. Pete and Peter set off with $50.00, a bag full of metal brackets and high hopes of salvaging the project.

As we were sitting the administration building (a 15 x 30 block building), Harold came in and sat down. Diane and Lily immediately had him put his feet up on a back and started putting ice packs on his ankles and his face. Harold had began to retain water and his legs were swelled…he couldn’t cool off…the heat had gotten to him. This was a scary moment for us at first, but our amazing nurses and crew were sure to take care of Harold.

At 1100am the children were allowed outside for recess. WOW! The children were adorable! So many of them wanted to simply hold hands, have their pictures taken and show them what the picture looked like (many Haitians do not have mirrors, for several of the children this could have been the first time that they have seen what they look like),they wanted to be held or attempt to speak to us. The two long jump ropes (Harold made these prior to leaving MN) were taken out and many of the kids began jumping in as members of our group took turns swinging the ropes. We did have children who would ask for things that we were wearing (jewelry, bandanas, hats), there was some pushing and shoving when it came to who would have a picture taken next, or who would be able to sit on one of our laps next…it was a bit overwhelming at times. The children at Luly are, well as Anne would say, a bit spirited.

At 1130am the children were called back into their classrooms for lunch. We were asked if we would like to help serve lunch…we of course said YES! We walked into one of the classrooms to serve the children lunch…lunch consisted of a LARGE bowl of FMSC food mixed with beans. The children sat in their desks and one person was assigned to bringing their bowls, plates, plastic bags, school books or whatever they had to eat off of over to the bowl of rice. Each child received two spoonful’s of rice…this was their lunch. Several of the children did not have a bowl or plate; if they had nothing to eat off of, they received no food. If a child’s table partner did not have a plate, they were willing to share their bowl (when this happened, the bowl was brought back up to the food bowl and two additional scoops of rice were added). The group went room to room, building to building serving lunch.

Pete and Peter returned victorious from their adventure into the village of Luly! The bracket was welded and we were now owners of the finest drill & screw bit set in all of Luly. It was at this point that I joined Pete, Mike, Scott and Tom on the swing set construction crew (I was mainly there for entertainment purposes…I have this way of being VERY serious…well, not so much). The support bracket was installed, the top beam was put into place and the ‘A’ frame legs were positioned perfectly. We then needed to dig the holes under the frame legs…hmmmm…how do we support the top beam without the ‘A’ frame legs?? We simply asked Jamel to back the Montero up, placed a 5-gallon bucket and some wood on top and use it for a brace…Degaje!

The day was growing long and we were at the point of waiting for the cement footings to dry. Scott, Pete, Mike, Jamel and myself stayed at the school and the rest of the team headed home. We sat and we sat and we sat and then sat some more. After an hour or so, we finalized the construction of the swing set frame.

I have had to make adjustments with each dinner this week. I do not eat red meat and will only eat pork from time to time. Each dinner was served with protein…mainly hamburger. Tonight was a different story all together. We were served boiled plantains, rice and goat stew. I am not sure if goat is considered a red meat or not, but it didn’t taste too bad at all.

God definitely showed up when we needed Him today.

God. Is. Good.

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Haiti ~ 05/05/2013

Posted on by Chrissy Petersen

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05/05/2013

Heavy rains rolled through around 200am and again around 400am. The sound of the water beating against the cement rooftop balcony was soothing…the smell of the rain was relaxing…the cool air was refreshing. There was so much rain that the road in front of the guesthouse was flooded with water.

Once again, I found myself perched out on the balcony around 530am…this has somewhat become routine for Scott and I. We are kept company by the roosters crowing, the dogs barking (well, this takes place almost every second of everyday) and the stillness of the morning skies. I sit and watch as the darkened sky slowing begins to share its perfect hues of blues and pinks and purples…the palm trees slowly wave good morning as the light of the sun makes its appearance.

Today is day three on the ground in Haiti. We traveled to Port-au-Prince and attended a church service at a missionary church…Port-au-Prince Fellowship. The music reminded me of the 1020am service back home. The pastor’s message, well, although I did not agree with it all, his focus was always going back to The Word when we are looking for answers. We drove to a restaurant / hotel for lunch. At this particular hotel, there were what appeared to be semi trailers stacked two high and several side by side…they had been turned into hotel rooms. The hotel is close to the airport and several of the UN guards stay there. The food was delicious and the fellowship a blessing. The majority of the group took to the pool and played volleyball.

On the drive back to the guesthouse, we were able to see more of the street vendors and markets. There were cars and people and garbage everywhere. For the first time, we did see a garbage truck and workers picking up some of the garbage that was lying in the streets. As we drove, we could see a very large displacement camp that was tucked away behind the cement walls and buildings of the city. The sight of the tents and tarp homes was heart wrenching…. there was row upon row upon row of tents. Never could I imagine a life like this…. it is now an image that will remain in my head and an ache in my heart.

When we arrived back at the guesthouse, it was time to build the school desks for the children in Williamson. This was quite the task. Harold was unanimously nominated to be the foreman. As Scott and Harold and a few others began discussing how this task would be accomplished, Anne and I had a task of our own to accomplish. Anne firmly gripped the two cordless screw guns, one in each hand and I reached for the caulking gun…it was on! An epic Star Wars laser was on! We ran around the trucks and people and columns shooting invisible lasers and bullets at each other…we were pleased that we could provide some afternoon entertainment.

The first desk took about two hours to construct; prior to the top of the desk being attached, we wrote our names on the bottom of it. The second and third desk took about 40 minutes each to construct. I was allowed to operate the screw gun (happy dance) and through the gentle guiding of Harold, Pete, Brad, Mike, Tom, Scott & Anne, I became a successful carpenter.

The evening wrap up was touching and emotional. Pat talked about togetherness and community and working with each other. We were invited to go around the room and to let others know what it was about them that we were thankful for so far into this journey. For me, it was Harold & Mike. I have had had the pleasure and privilege of working with them both at the home in Lizon. They are both older (67 & 68), they have both worked with their hands, and they have an AMAZING sense of humor. They have taken the time to show me so much while on the work site. They have been patient with me as I struggle to figure something out. They have also been quick to get a joke in when able to do so.

I was able to Skype with Carol and the girls; I miss Naomi & Hailey so much. I am comforted in knowing that they are in safe and loving hands while I am away.

I joined Scott, Anne and Pete for an evening conversation…this is where the discovery of Mr. Grumpy Dresser was made…I am sure that as the days and weeks and months go by, he will make several appearances…

What an amazing day this has been.

God. Is. Good.

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Haiti ~ 05/04/2013

Posted on by Chrissy Petersen

5/4/13

Once again, I was wide-awake around 0500am. I joined Scott DeFoe outside on the rooftop balcony and enjoyed the light rain showers that were passing by…perfection!

The van had the tires repaired and was ready to go… this left us short a few seats so Harold, Mike and I rode in the Montero Sport out to the jobsite in Lizon.

Today’s workday consisted of sifting dirt, moving blocks, mixing mud, hauling concrete, moving rebar, wood, hauling water from the well and many more tasks. There was a group of four neighborhood boys and one of the boys who lived in the home who hung around all day (they appeared to be between 7 and 12 years old). When we went down to the end of the driveway to sift sand, they grabbed the shovels and wooden sifter from our hands and showed us how hard they could work. Before we knew it Pastor No-No and another gentleman came to work and suddenly Harold, Mike and I were out of a job.

The construction crew was hard at work building the bum-beam for the top cap on the walls of the house. There was existing rebar sticking out of the corners of the home, they crawled up to the top of the walls and without fear, they worked diligently to straighten each piece of rebar. There were a few close calls with tools falling from the tops of the walls and ladders falling from beneath their feet. When the new rebar was cut and put into place, the wooden forms needed to be cut and attached to the tops of the walls. Nails were pounded into the boards and removed…2” x 6” boards were held into place on either side of the tops of the walls and metal wire was threaded into the nail holes…this is what secured the wood to the tops of the walls…10’ above our heads. PT gathered a pile of the sifted sand, coarse rocks and a few bags of cement; he then formed a bowl out of the material and poured in gallons of water and proceeded to mix the concrete. We formed a line and began filling the buckets with cement and passing them off to the guy inside on the home…they lifted the buckets to the top of the walls and filled the forms. During this time one of the men’s ladders slipped out from beneath his feet and he grabbed ahold of the wooden forms…this caused a board to come crashing down and Windy quickly jumped away as the board slammed down to where he was standing.

The boys that were hanging around continued to work very hard and fast. It was around 1pm and their mother decided that it was bath time. They filled the washtub up with water from the well, went back behind the home we were working on and took their bath.

After the cement forms were completely filled, we asked if we could climb the ladder to see the end result. Harold handed Mike a nail and ‘suggested’ that we all write our names into the cement…so, we did.

We loaded into the Montero and drove back to the guesthouse. After dinner, a few of us took a walk around the compound where the guesthouse is. There was a cool breeze…it was perfect.

God. Is. Good.

Haiti ~ 05/03/2013

Posted on by Chrissy Petersen

05/03/2013

I woke up early around 500am and went out and sat on the rooftop and watched the sunrise. This is the same sun that I have watched rise more times that I could count…yet for some reason it looked different today. It’s as if the sun knew that today would be different…it’s as if the sun knew that today would be one of those days that would change my world.

We had an amazing french toast breakfast prepared for us. We then listed as Anne shared today’s devotion (lovingly prepared by Jeannie Hellmann). We gathered our gear and waited and waited and waited for the arrival of our bus to take us to our work sites for the day (Lizon), the flowers and fresh fruit trees that filled the neighborhood are a thing of beauty.

We had the luxury of riding on an air-conditioned bus. The ride to Lizon from the guesthouse was…well…a bit of a rocky, bumpy, adventurous ride. There are several holes and ruts in the roads…there don’t appear to be many laws regarding driving…it there is open space, expect there to be a vehicle coming from one way or another. One-way roads became two-way roads and the two lane roads often became five-lane roads; then mix in all of the people, goats, dogs, abandon broken down vehicles and other random objects. As we drove through the streets of Haiti, I was immediately humbled. There were SEVERAL people lining the streets selling products (fruit, coolers, televisions, clothing, shoes, bottled soda, artwork, and so much more). As we crossed the bridge heading out of town, the muddy brown river flowed with very little water…the banks of the riverbed were lined in garbage. As we looked to the top of the rivers edge there were rows upon rows of homes…these homes were made of tarps…one after the next after the next after the next. I was not sure how to feel about seeing this.

We arrived to Lizon and drove to the home of a local woman. This woman lives in a very small run down home. The cement cinder blocks were crumbling in…the roof was made of a blue tarp covered in sheets of tin with more cinder blocks holding the tin in place. We were told that on the days when it rained, they would stand in a very small corner and hold the infant child due to the rainwater would pour into their home. The woman lives in this home with her three children and her grandson. They had no latrine yet were fortunate to have a 6’ well (hand dug). Harold, Mike and I stayed and worked with a crew of Haitian construction men to work to repair this family’s home. The first project was to remove all of their belongings. Then the blue tarp and other fabric was torn down followed by the tin roof….let’s just say that doing things Haitian style may not be OSHA approved…but it was fast and effective! The construction crew pulled down the cinder blocks that were broken and/or not securely attached. Each block was carefully stacked in a corner so that it could be reused as needed. It was during the block removal that I had the pleasure of meeting a very large very hairy eight-legged TARANTULA!! It crawled out of the block and onto my hand…I held tight to the block as I passed it off, screamed and did some sort of dance. The guys had NO IDEA as to why I was screaming and dancing, they thought it was some sort of entertainment, until they met my little friend.

We proceeded to move cinder blocks, window blocks, sift sand, pull water up from the well, mix mud and interact with the family. The pastor came over and offered his assistance as well…Pastor No-No. The opportunity to work so closely with a family was a humbling experience. The women smiled with joy as they played with the infant boy. I was allowed to hold him and taught him how to give hi-fives. Shortly near the end of the workday, another local pastor came by for a visit…he was a blind man with a huge heart, my heart warmed as I watched him scoop up the infant boy and love him to pieces.

I enjoyed the workday with Harold, Mike, Roberson, Lopez, PT (little man), Windy and all of the others that joined in on the fun.

The workday wrapped up around 430pm and we traveled the long & bumpy road back to the guesthouse. I can say that never before in my life was I as grateful for the cold shower that I was able to take…refreshing!

Today was such an impactful day for me. The connections and friendships that are being created within our mission team are amazing. The connections and friendships that are being created with the work crew and the families in Lizon are life changing. I thought that I had been living a fairly simple life back home…I became more aware and humbled today. The Haitians speak so openly and freely of their love for and belief in God. They are thankful for what they do have and are adamant that God will continue to provide for them. So many times I heard, “If is God’s will, then so be it”.

God. Is. Good.

Spiritual Nakedness

Posted on by Chrissy Petersen

‘The goal of all spirituality is to lead the “naked person” to stand trustfully before the naked God. The important thing is that we’re naked; in other words that we come without title, merit, shame, or even demerit. All we can offer to God is who we really are, which to all of us never seems like enough. I am sure this is the was true lovers feel too.’ Fr. Richard Rohr

We miss you Dad…

Posted on by Chrissy Petersen

Three years ago I received the call…Jason let me know that you had taken your last breath. Dad, on that day, my world stopped for a moment. So much has happened in the last three years Dad; I hope that you’ve been able to keep up with it all. Just in this past year life has changed a lot. Naomi is now in second grade. She is doing very well in school…she is so smart Dad, but you already know that. Hailey graduated from pre-school last June and is now in kindergarten (she loves going to school). Dad, she has a very strong personality…she sometimes reminds me of you. Both girls were in soccer last year and are looking forward to starting tennis in a few weeks. They have both been in swimming lessons and absolutely love being in the water! They are growing up so much Dad, I do wish that you could be here to see them now. The girls ask about you Dad. They try so hard to remember what they can about you.

And me Dad, well, this last year has been busy. I was on the trap team last year and look forward to starting up again in a few weeks. Work has been great…I was promoted to a Division Manager last March…it has been proven to be more of a challenge than I thought it would be. I know have the girls full time…I love them so much and wouldn’t trade the time I have with them for anything. I am becoming more and more involved within church. I love getting to know the high school youth…I never thought that I would be a mentor to anyone, let alone a group of amazing girls. In a few weeks I will be flying to Haiti to serve on a mission team for a week.

Dad, there have been many moments this past year when I have wished you were here. I have questions that I’ve wanted to ask you and projects around the house that I could use your help on. I am out looking for a home to buy and certainly could use your help with this.

Dad, I try very hard to hang onto the memories…yet they slowly slip away. Dad, I hope that your memories of me don’t slip away as easily.

I miss you so much.

I love you Dad.