I had already rehearsed the beginning sequence of the trip in my mind. I would fly over Florida and the Everglades and land in Miami. I would then catch the hour and a half flight to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Our plane would bank over the bay giving quite the views of the surrounding mountain ranges and fly over the vicinity of Cite Solie slums. We would exit the craft. Just before customs we would see and hear a live Haitian band welcoming us to Haiti. Customs is not to bad. The inspectors may fumble through your luggage with bored expressions on their faces. The main thing I don't look forward to is all the red caps, begging pushing and shoving and grabbing for your luggage. All for tips.
And so thus it happened and most likely over the next week or so I will share with you some of my discoveries and experiences I gathered on my trip.
Purpose of the Trip
1. Visit and learn about the Confidence Health Care Clinic
Spent a few days with Keith learning the function, history and future projections of the Oriani Clinic. There is a Catholic clinic in the area that used to supply more of the needs of the community and reported by locals mainly the needs of the Catholic community. Dr. Ozias Merizier was a local man that seen that the areas poor had a need. He was a Doctor's assistant in another village and started his own little clinic to help the problem. In time our Church came into the area and Ozias became a Church leader. Anthony and Darla Penner were missionaries in the opening of the Oriani mission outpost. Darla is a sister to Keith Toews who are in turn children of Robert Toews who has been very involved with our Churches development in Haiti. As Keith became more aware of the need for a larger effective clinic things started to fall into place. They received a invitation from the Haitian Church to pursue the clinic project to save lives with medical help. This was July 17, 2010. If you have read my blog, you will learn of how the first ship with supplies went down off the coast of Miami. However the project has went on, lives have been saved and the compassion of Christ has been mirrored by the selfless devotion of the workers. Dr. Ozias and Nurse Kim Ratliff, (from Bonner's Ferry) handle the consultations and first aid and medication distribution. They each have their own little office to see patients. Sister Daphnne sits at the gate to screen Cholera patients. They treat those patients outside to save the risk of infecting the clinic. The patients sit under a canopy on benches and receive numbers. Sister Jakot is the receptionist and takes down names and complaints and refers them to Dr. Ozias and Nurse Kim. Ashely Dirks (from United Center, KS) and sister Willy Eliese help Kim in her room. They handle the ladies needs and the more serious needs, freeing Ozias to see a bulk of the patients with more minor needs. The clinic reaches out to the needs of pregnant women, but they do not do birthing. Alot of the cases that come in are for simple problems like dehydration and acid reflex. Being up in the mountains with limited water supply; means people come in because they have not drank water for six or seven days compounding any other health problems that may occur. Cisterns in various condition are scattered through the area, but are not sufficient to meet this need. I also interviewed Keith Toews on his involvement and his take on concerns that are directed at projects like this. Was also privileged to interview three local brethren and two Haitian pastors and their opinions or thoughts on the clinic and out reach from a Haitian viewpoint.
2.Visit the Oriani Congregation and Witness the Haitian Church Mission Outreach
A very enthusing chapter is the spiritual progress of the Oriani Mission Outreach. By the way 90 out of the 300 that joined our Church world wide last year were from Haiti. Nearly one third! The people are "Thirsty for the Gospel". In all directions villages are asking for more direction in serving Jesus. The congregation has dealt with healing people of demon possessions and troubled lifestyles and has helped them find the Lord. This witness has boomeranged as a people in certain confusion and bondage is set free. They are used to Churches, but mainly ones with pastors that confuse and with hold the full gospel. Thus there has been less power to allow people to deal with sins in there lives. The Church growth and depth has been phenomenal. Take Savon Mouton's 29 members since January. They have a full attendance and more interested and are ready to even start a school for their children. This place is located in the Pine Forest in a remote area of Haiti. The Oriani congregation is building a new Church and the feeling is that it may be too small. Their school has an 106 attendance and this Church is only a year or so old. We need to pray for these people. I have never seen or imagined fields so white to harvest in these last times. The mission work in Haiti has only begun. Clinton Holdemons from Iowa are overseeing the Oriani congregation. Brother Ozias is church leader. CSI has a boys unit of two boys building latrines and running a mobile deworming clinic in the district. Russ Toews (Ontario, Canada) were house parents for Trev Nikkels from Virginia and Jay Koehn from Idaho. Wes Koehns of Buhl Ontario came for a two month stint to replace Russ Toews. One former girl that attended the same school as I (in Rosenort MB Canada), Anne Thiessen of Ft. Vermillion AB Canada has served as house help for Russes. Much more could be said, one of these days I want to type out my interview of this outreach from three brethren from a Haitian perspective.
3. See the progress and results of the Lasstic Project
Due to some unrest because of the lack of water in the river bank, due in part that the big rains were late in coming and the disturbed rock was allowing the water to channel underground, I was not able to visit the site. However the day before I left a flooding rain filled the channel and canal giving hope that soon the project can be completed. More could be said but for now most are just waiting on the reports on maintained water levels in the reservoir. The project is about diverting canyon water into a pipeline that serves a large area with drinking and irrigation water.
4. Studying Who is Who in Haiti
There has been some confusion in what is really happening in our Church in Haiti. Here is a simple version of what is simply happening.
The Church has been in Haiti since the 6o's. In the last ten years or so the North American mission board has slowly been backing out of Haiti allowing the Haitian conference to run their own affairs. North American Humanitarian work still remains the same as
Christian Service International (long standing program of two-yr term boys maintaing wells and clinics and building latrines, etc.) and
Chrisitan Public Service (more short term boys taking over where CDR left off after the earthquake and hurricanes rebuilding houses, etc).
The Liason Committee is a board of brethren that work as a communication board between the Haitian and American conferences, so that all these projects can run smoothly and nobody is left in the dark.
There are a few private projects
1.Raymond Wither's road building and tree nurseries which I believe is called Hope for Haiti.
2.Then there is a orphanage in Ganthier directed by Virgil Wiebes and Enel Henry.
3. Lasstic Project- under the invitation of CSI after years of effort, a group of brethren have made a effort to complete the irrigation project as Good News International
4. Confidence Healthcare Clinic to help with the needs of the Oriani area. At the present time CSI has not been interested in taking over the project so it is currently being administrated by Keith Toews under the guidance of the Haitian Church
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