Prayer meeting

I was invited by Nadege to go to the prayer meeting that she goes to each week. Possibly the invitation was a little bit of a joke since it would all be in (fast) Creole and why would I want to sit through something I don’t understand. But I saw it as a way to get out of the compound and a way to see more of the Haitian world. The meeting is at someone’s house (changes each week) and is very important to a Christian Haitian. There are many, many prayer meetings every week in the compound but I don’t know the people who go. She was a little surprised when I showed up ready to go but I think she was also glad I was coming.

We arrived and sat outside. The doors were open and many people went in but there was no airflow inside and there were too many people for us all to fit anyway. Many hymns were sung and in between hymns they would pray. The host asks for specific prayers—what he or she is praying for that we could also pray for them. Praying in Haiti is not usually a quiet affair. Occasionally the leader will be the only one praying out loud but more often the leader will start and everyone else will get started too. All we can hear as humans is a drone or chant (that can get pretty animated), but we know that God hears each of us individually. There is also lots of call and response. ‘glory to God’, ‘Alleluia’, ‘Thank you Jesus’, ‘Praise the Lord’, etc. and clapping and waving of arms. At the end I had to introduce myself (which is when I went inside and noticed how hot it would have been). I loved the experience and hope to be able to attend again.

Medika Mamba

Our last morning in the northern part of the country was spent just outside of Cap Haitian at the Meds and Food for Kids factory. It is a peanut butter factory that makes the super vitamin loaded peanut butter that is being produced around the world to combat malnutrition in children. Here in Haiti they call it Medika Mamba (Peanut Butter Medicine) and around the world they call it Plumpy Nut…which is what I heard about some in Malawi. This is the only factory in Haiti that is making these products (there are some for school snacks, older children, infants) and has gotten the ok to produce for international sale. They can sell to UNICEF or World Food or whoever because their things are all up to code. (I think there may be another factory in Haiti but not at that standard). They dreamed big when they built their new factory—they had been producing out of a house—and have the capacity to produce all the Medika Mamba that is needed in Haiti. They have even talked the big organizations to buy from them even if their product is a little more expensive to support what they are doing in using Haitain products (peanuts) and workers and supporting farmers to produce what they need. It was a cool thing to see. They are doing so much for Haiti. Hiring workers, buying local (and importing for things they can’t get here), experimenting with new types of peanuts for better yield. And there are results you can see—malnutrition causes the stomach to bloat, hair to turn orangey, eyes to turn yellow, and brains to not function well. If it is treated quickly and correctly the children can grow to be helpful members of society. Check them out at www.mfkhaiti.org.

sterile packaging room

sterile preparation room

ready to go...one box per child should get them the kick start they need...one sachet a day until it is gone

new varieties

Norm's Place

We stayed 2 nights at Norm’s Place at Labadee Beach. Beautiful, out of the way spot. We drove for at least 30 minutes out of Cap Haitian to the end of a road—past some other hotels and resorts and then took a 10 minute boat ride that dropped us at Norm’s Place. Great rustic rooms with large beds and private bathrooms. Once we were settled in we gathered on the front lawn for happy hour and then had a wonderful dinner—the first night was a buffet of seafood and other meat—lobster, conch, fish, beef, pork and veggies.

 
 

The next day was a free day to read, sleep, relax, wander the nearby village, swim.  All of which I did. A paradise really.  We were at the end of the path as well so not many passersby or vendors (but there were some). We watched a cruise ship dock at the end of the bay—there were special beaches for the cruise goers and they weren’t allowed on shore other than there…saw them kayaking pretty close to the village and some jet skis farther out. Dinner the second night was at the Cormier Plage Resort which was peopled by the UN from the vehicles we saw. Right on the water with a gorgeous beach (Norm’s Place is right on the water but no sand) and good food. The rum punch was also very nice. 

To go anywhere we had to board the boats that took us out the first time…it took some planning and balance to not get wet if you were worried about that sort of thing but we made it in our boats called “The Blood of Jesus” and “Life Goes On”. They gave us life jackets too! (I heard this was a new development)

Cap Haitian

Sans Souci Palace

Sans Souci Palace--back

I got to go up to Cap Haitian with the ladies. I was supposed to be on an earlier flight that left at 7:15am but as it turned out the airline was 3 hours late because there was only one plane available (and actually I think we were flown up on a plane from another airline so I don’t know what the story was)…but there was room for some of the ladies to come on the first flight with me. We went up and started the sight-seeing with the Sans Souci Palace (without worries palace) that was built in the 1800s. It is only ruins now but still very beautiful. With our guide there we weren’t hounded much by the vendors. We walked up and through the palace and got picked up on the other side.

Catholic Church at Sans Souci Palace

Then we were dropped at another parking lot where we got horses that took us up to the Citadel, a fort built after independence in 1803 by 200,000 freed slaves (20,000 died in the construction). It was built so that Napoleon wouldn’t be able to come back and take over which he never tried to do so it was never used. There are 365 iron and bronze cannons that were brought up by hand and then never used. The Citadel is being restored now and is a pretty intimidating place.

We took our horses back down and were mobbed by the vendors there…it was not a pretty scene and while we know that they are only trying to earn money so they can support their families it is very off-putting to be so forward. We had lunch with the rest of the group from the 2^nd flight and then got to relax in the town of Milot while the others did their tour of the ruins. We went for a walk around the town and it felt so nice to wander on our own. (It’s nice being out of the city!)

pillow case dresses

After church the White Memorial group went over to the House of Hope which is a children’s home very close by that is run by Nadege. We went to see the second floor which is almost ready for more children move in (there are 11 girls living there now downstairs) and to play with the girls for a while. They had brought some balls and some string to make things like cat’s cradle, chicken foot (which I recognized as a broom) as well as some pillow case dresses which are so simple and so cute. Everyone got a new one and there were a few extras so I tried to get into one…it took some doing but I did it! not as a dress of course…

Tap Tap

A group came in from White Memorial Presbyterian church (where I was a Youth Director Intern in Raleigh). They had many things on their plans from visiting many different partners that they have here (HOM, Hearts with Haiti—St. Joseph’s home and Wings of Hope as well as others). They brought down health kits or tooth brush and toothpaste for all of the kids in the 4 schools that HOM has. On Monday they also had an educational program to do in the schools. They used the book Tap-Tap by Karen Lynn Williams. In teams of 2 (they had a lot of classes to get to) they would read the story with the help of an interpreter and show the pictures to the class. They told them about the gifts they’d brought which also included an inspirational picture in a frame for the teachers and left them with a coloring page of a tap tap (Haitian public transport) and crayons. It was a good (busy) day!

examples of real taptaps

Church

We’ve heard rumors about an English service somewhere on Delmas (close enough to get to but far enough to require some planning). Matt and I were on our way to find it when we got a call from the group we had in country called and asked if we would go with them to the services they were going to. We hadn’t actually gotten out of the neighborhood yet so we decided to turn around and come back. We had thought since the group had been here multiple times they would be ok on their own but I also understand that they would want us (Matt) with them. We had missed the Terre Noire service but picked them up and took them to Cite Soleil and then Repatriate. The services are spread out enough (and long enough) that it works for groups to visit 3 churches on a Sunday morning. Terre Noire starts at 6. If you leave just before communion for Cite Soleil (starts at 7) and stay until you have communion and then leave for Repatriate (also starts at 7) for the sermon and end of the service. I think it is good for the groups as we don’t really understand what is going on but they get to experience 3 pretty different churches. Try as I might I still can’t understand most of the services but the dedication and energy found in the services is refreshing and inspiring.

Repatriate

Terre Noire