HAITI :: Methodist on a mission

I met Eric on Saturday morning.
It was our last day of the trip [Haiti, November 2013]. I know now, after talking to him for more than 30 min, why he introduced himself to myself, a stranger sitting in the shade, sifting through countless photos on the computer. 

It’s because Eric knows everyone and he didn’t know me (yet!). He is one of those people that may be in the background, but knows every nuance of the property, every employee, and every guest that has been here over the past 48 years. This 55-year-old man, sporting a handsome smile and creased face, has been working here all his life. 

After a short minute, he quickly got to the point of our conversation: Eric wanted to know if this was my first time in Haiti and what I was doing in his country. I shared that it was my 9th visit over the past 3 years and I was excited to be a part of my church’s first mission trip to Haiti. We worked at a Methodist school in the mountains, Ecole Methodiste d’Duplan, and a school / orphanage for special needs children in Port-au-Prince, St. Vincent’s Center for Handicapped Children. 

At this news, his eyes twinkled and he began sharing his own deep thoughts about people with handicaps and how God uses them to work in our lives. I regret not having a video camera pointed at this man’s friendly face to fully and accurately relay his thoughts, but alas, I will need to paraphrase from memory. 

Eric told me that everyone is the same. We are all born into this world as God’s creatures. Some are normal (his word) and some are not. Some can hear; some are deaf. Some can walk, while others have an accident that takes away their ability to move. As normal (his word) people, at any time, we could lose our hearing or our sight or our ability to walk from many circumstances. In essence, we are all the same. God doesn’t see our differences – God loves everyone and uses our differences to give opportunities for service. 

As he looked over my shoulder at the photos of St. Vincent’s kids, he told me that God calls each of us to do something different. I nodded fervently and began to walk him through the pictures, telling him about each child: Oxilus, Judith, Marie Line, Mackenson... 

Sonya and Oxilus

When we finished looking at the photos, he pointed to my chest, looked me squarely in the eye, and said that God wrote it on my heart to work with handicapped children. He said he could see the love in my eyes for those kids. It was the children that kept me coming back to Haiti. At these words, I teared up and replied “these children are my family. That’s why I come back again and again. There are so many opportunities to help, to love and to be loved.” Now it was his turn to nod and smile back at me. 

He pointed to himself and said God didn’t call him to work with handicapped children. God called him to fix things. His love is keeping up the property and buildings that make up the guesthouse; keeping the guesthouse cars running reliably (a never-ending task in this country); driving mission teams to and from their worksites; fixing the showers and the toilets; maintaining the swimming pool. 

THAT is his calling. It is what God wrote on his heart. And he has followed that calling for 48 years. Through his service at the guesthouse, people like me can come and serve in our different ways. We can follow our individual callings, wherever they may lead. 

It is through our varied strengths that we are able to make a difference in this world and be made whole by serving others. I guess that’s what’s makes me a Methodist: belonging to a church that opens hearts, opens doors and opens minds through active engagement with our world. Putting faith and love into action. Sounds quite like The Red Thread Promise to me.

(Editorial by Sonya Yencer, TRTP Vice President)

HAITI :: Making connections

In the Duplan church

How is it possible to be so moved by a nearly 3 hour church service in a language you don't understand? This is the question that we've been mulling over the past day since our visit to the Duplan Methodist Church, Haiti. 

Picture this: the church sits near the top of a steep mountain, surrounded by a clinic and pharmacy, an elementary and secondary school, parsonage and neighborhood of houses tucked away among the brush and trees. Beautiful tile and gates lead into the sanctuary. Humble wooden pews are lined up to the left and right. Brightly colored balloons greet the community both at the doors and the front of the sanctuary. A balcony spans the front of the church and holds a piano, keyboard, drum set, and enough space for a 60 person choir!

The Duplan church

The clinic and pharmacy

The school

Sixty beautiful, energetic voices make up the Duplan Children's Choir. And our team was there to enjoy their 1-year anniversary. Their voices pieced the warm air, blending with the swaying bodies, electric guitar riffs and keyboard melodies. What a blessing to be a part of the community's celebration! 

So, how do we connect with people we've never met (and don't even share a language)? 

• We smile or wink at a child.
• We shake hands with an adult while looking them straight in the eye.
• We hug and plant kisses on complete stranger's cheeks.

Hana and her new buddies

For Hana, it meant playing hand games with children across the backs of pews. Almost silently, she connected with child after child, eliciting tiny giggles and happy smiles by being present with them and playing silly games.

Making friends in Duplan

For Sonya, it meant inviting a small girl from a crowded children's pew to sit next to her in a much emptier pew. The child shyly slid into the seat between two "blancs" and held her tiny purse tightly. Every few minutes she would shuffle through the contents until finally she found what she wanted: a purple lollipop. When she couldn't open it, Sonya gently took it, peeled off the paper (which had melted to the candy) and handed it back to the child. An almost instant bond was formed! The child snuggled up to Sonya and enjoyed the candy through the service. Periodically, she got up and found her mother a few pews behind, but always came back. Following communion, she even grabbed Sonya's hand and led her back to her seat where they could sit together.

No grand gestures. 

No hand-outs. 

No material gifts. 

No "things". 

These are the ways we connect. These are the ways we begin to build relationships. This is what The Red Thread Promise is all about. 

Child reading the tiniest Bible we've ever seen!

HAITI :: Trash or Treasure

The piece of paper that started it all 

Where one sees trash, 

another sees treasure.

Today, a small piece of discarded paper laid the foundation for a budding relationship between our team and the Haitian people.

Our day began with seven of us gathered in bone-chilling Ohio and ended in the tropics, quite a contrast from morning until evening! As it was a holiday in Haiti, the often chaotic roar of Port-au-Prince streets was a mere growl. Our commute from the airport to Petionville was short and in no time we were knocking on the Methodist guesthouse gates.

After dropping our bags in the dormitory, the Fabulous Five (all of our girls) went off to explore the grounds – all 11 acres! During our unguided tour past the guesthouse, new living quarters and dormitories, multi-purpose sports field, pastor’s residences and offices, we discovered a single teenage boy jumping across a large hopscotch board painted on the concrete in one of the school’s many courtyards.

There, in the nearly deserted area between two school buildings, the magic happened. Our girls began hopping across the board with him. A friendly competition ensued, bringing laughter and camaraderie that crossed our language barrier. 

Hana, MK and Kenzie giving it a shot

Our first competitor!

MK, Kenzie and Hana inviting others to play!

As we took turns playing, more and more kids showed up. Players ranged from 4ish to 20-somethings. In the midst of a game, one of the younger boys walked away and began searching for an unknown object. Interestingly enough, he passed by hundreds of small pieces of concrete and opted for this particular bit of trash to be our hopscotch rock! 

Back and forth, the kids played, American beside Haitian. Few words were exchanged other than exclamations of BRAVO! and many laughs. It was the ice-breaker we all needed for this team of mostly newbies to begin feeling comfortable in this foreign land.

Hana demonstrating her hops with Maggie and Kenzie looking on