October 2019 – As some of you may have heard by now, Jason, Russell, and I are temporarily postponing our trip to Haiti, based on the advice of JT – while there are no immediate safety concerns (and the US State Dept hasn’t elevated their travel notice), a recent string of anti-government protests has left all schools completely closed, and travel within Haiti nearly impossible due to roadblocks throughout the country.
So…not much point in going to Haiti just to sit in a hotel for 7 days, which is exactly what happened to a group from HFHC last week.
I’ve included below some excerpts from an October 8th blog post by Tonya Hunt, one of our friends from HFHC – in addition to the prayer needs identified, I think Tonya does an amazingly elegant job of capturing what the trip experiences have been like for many of us, and what keeps drawing us back to Haiti time and time again:
“What was supposed to be an 8-day trip filled with visits to schools and orphanages has turned into a 6-night hotel stay with daily reports of protests in the streets and a decision to stay put. Protests, many of them paid protests, have brought this country to a complete standstill. Tap-taps (public transportation in Port-au-Prince) are not allowed on the streets, and motorcycles are the only mode of public transportation tolerated. Still, motorcycle drivers go at their own risk with the possibility that protestors will throw rocks at them. They go, that is, if they were able to purchase gasoline. Most pumps are closed. If they have gas, the lines are long and the atmosphere is tense. In some places, a gallon of gas is $10 USD. Very few can afford it. Schools are closed. Parents dare not send their children to school for fear they will be hurt or unable to get there/return home safely. Businesses are closed. There are very few street vendors. Families are rationing what food and water they have at home. So people have no way to earn an income, and they all just wait. It is a crisis that is affecting them economically, physically, financially, emotionally, and spiritually.
“On Sunday, I had the great honor of teaching the Ladies’ Class at church. I love these ladies, some of whom walk so far to come. Some are widows, some have babies, and most live in tiny homes with dirt floors, stick walls, very few possessions, and little food. Usually, I notice big smiles when they walk in. The smiles were still there, but less bright this time. Their eyes seemed sad and their shoulders a little more stooped than usual. The hardships of 2019 are catching up with them. Nevertheless, for 45 minutes, we talked about Jesus’ love for them and we laughed, kissed cheeks, and prayed together. It was a precious time.
“At church, children jockeyed for positions to sit next to me. From all sides, I felt little hands stroke my hair, my nails, my skin. I just sat and closed my eyes. I savor these moments and love this with my whole being. Two little ones cuddled up next to me and one fell fast asleep on my lap. The other little boy leaned over and soon, both were sound asleep. The temperature must have been 100 degrees inside the church, and before too long, all three of us were sweating bullets. But it was worth every sweat drop.
“Then, there was this little girl. I usually keep a few small toys in my backpack just in case I see someone who just seems to need additional attention and love. And there she was. I slipped a small baby doll into her lap. She looked at it and just stared. Soon, she picked it up and began to touch it gently all over. After church, I saw her dancing with the little baby doll. She saw me and came up to me and sang me a song. It was her way of saying thank you. Girls like her are my ‘Why’ for being here.
“Our team’s plan was to be at Thomazeau for the start of school on Monday morning so that we could see the kids walk to school, line up by classes, sing the national anthem, and raise the flag. Unfortunately, Nasson our security guard got a call on Sunday night alerting us that protests were to start back up again by 7 a.m. We had hoped to stop by the Cazeau Orphanage, but blockades made the roads to the orphanage impassible. There was no way inside. So back to the hotel we went.
“The thing is, I can leave Haiti; Haitians have no such options. They stay, hope, pray, and survive. The Haitian people have suffered so, so much, but their resilience and faith are unmatched. I have had the great pleasure to work alongside them for 14 years now, and I can truly say that they are some of the most intellectual, wise, resilient, gracious, giving, Christian people I have ever met. I learn more about living a Christian life from them than anywhere else. I receive more blessings when I am here than I could ever give.
“Besides the earthquake in 2010, I believe this is the worst I have ever seen the conditions in Haiti. Some Haitians have said that this is WORSE than the earthquake. What’s more, few can foresee a solution. Some say that if the president steps down and leaves office, that will solve things. While the problem is much, much deeper, some believe that is the first step. I don’t know the answer. As I have heard many times over the last few days, ‘Only God can fix this.’
“So they pray; they hope. We pray; we hope. Please join us in praying for Haiti.”
