Pictures are UP! www.smithsinhaiti2009.shutterfly.com

Dear friends,

We have discovered that the re-entry and assimilation process back into the U.S. is more challenging than we anticipated!  Disparities, little and big, keep popping up and making it 

hard to process all that we've experienced.  Both of us walked into the bathrooms in the Miami airport in amazement - Electricity!  Flushing toilets!  Water fountains!  On the drive home, we looked around and wondered why there were no people on the side of the road -- where were all the people?  The vendors squatting on the roadside?  The hundreds of thousands who spend their days in the streets because homes aren't big enough to fit everyone?  Haiti is a country where often people sleep in shifts, because there isn't room for everyone to lie down on the floor at the same time.  To us, I-40 seemed immense, desolate, lonely, and strangely sanitized.

I tried to go grocery shopping yesterday afternoon for a few "basics."  It took me over an hour just to get through the cereal and produce aisles.  How to choose apples when 15 different varieties are available?  Do I want "plain" granola, granola with nuts and no brown sugar, granola without nuts 

but with fruit bits, all-natural granola with nuts and fruit bits AND brown sugar?  The options were overwhelming.  We are so accustomed to having twenty different kids of Ziploc bags that we forget how precious it is to be able to store food at all.  

All that said, these small realities are looming large for us.  As we continue to process, we'll be sharing with you and updating our site.  For the moment, though, we've posted all our photos on a Shutterfly site which you can access at:

www.smithsinhaiti2009.shutterfly.com

We hope to post tags and descriptions of the photos (all 271 of them!) as soon as we can.

For now, we offer you our thanks for your prayers and our great joy at seeing a new side of God's good creation.

Peace, Bart & Katherine

Back in Port-au-Prince!

Dear friends,

It's been longer than we anticipated since our last entry, but we have had a wonderful week. We arrived back in Port-au-Prince (or Petionville, where St. Joseph's is located) this morning after three days in Jacmel, on the southern coast, and in Fondwa. Jacmel is the site of Trinity House, another one of the homes for former street boys, and Lekol Sen Trinite, a day school which the Trinity House started for local children.  

After two days in Jacmel (which has beautiful coastline!), we headed up, up, up again into Fondwa.  Fondwa is a region way up high in the mountains (think Dramamine!) that houses rural communities. Family Health Ministries, located in Chapel Hill, has helped to build an orphanage, school, and guest house run by an order of sisters. 

The school, which is the only school that runs K-12 in the whole region, takes in almost 600 children.  

Some of the children walk up to four hours EACH WAY to get to school in the morning....and we're not talking about smooth roads. This is steep, high altitude on rough roads and slippery slopes. Early on, they discovered that the children were falling asleep - and in some cases actually fainting - when they got to school because they'd left their houses at 4am with no food. They have started feeding the children two meals a day, which is a really big deal in a country that is experiencing a massive food shortage on top of its already impoverished state. The nuns also run a feeding program for mothers whose infants are malnourished, teaching them about nutrition and providing them with formula and food.

We continue to be amazed at all that we see here. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the complexity and diversity of challenges that the country faces, and to wonder how it might be possible for them to rise out of them. But then, often in small and beautiful ways, you see signs of great joy and hope: a newly planted grove of eucalyptus trees on a slope that had been completely deforested and burned (to sell the charcoal); drums and trumpets echoing across the cement homes late at night when the city is completely dark; a community of former street boys who have now taken up the mantle of leadership to help a generation of street boys who have come after them. Haiti has big dreams and is incredibly resourceful; we hope that our pictures (to come soon!) will give you a small glimpse of what we have experienced here.

Tomorrow we'll worship in the St. Joseph's chapel. The home has seven levels, the top two of which are a dance theater and a beautiful open-air chapel. It's an oasis of color and art in the midst of what is often a dusty cement jungle. In the afternoon, we'll brave the potholed roads and cement/diesel fumes that are thick in the air to head to a metalworking community just outside the city. The artwork of Haiti is extraordinary!

Praise God that Bart and I have both stayed very healthy so far. Other than major allergy issues from all the dust and cement powder, our bodies have been "regular" (hint, hint) and very content. It's amazing how good a simple meal of beans and rice tastes after a long day, and how un-picky you suddenly become when there are no options! That said, we have been spoiled by our hosts. For families which often have little to eat, they have given us their best and truly incorporated us into the family....croissants and fruit and coffee for breakfast, and rice and beans (and chicken) at dinner. Yum. Next time we write we'll have to tell you all about our prayer partners, who have been like little brothers while we're here. You can see a picture of them in one of the entries below!

Okay, it's time to head to bed and give back this borrowed computer. We head back to the States on Monday so we'll keep you posted. THANK YOU thank you for your prayers and for journeying with us!

Peace, Katherine

Safe and Sound!

Dear friends and family,

We have arrived safely in Haiti.  Our flights yesterday went very smoothly.  We spent the afternoon traveling up to St. Joseph's Home in Petionville for a welcome from the home's founder, Michael Geilenfeld.  We then rode up the mountains into a small town called

 Fermanthe, which is where Wings of Hope is located.  After a very dusty and bumpy ride up, it was wonderful to be greeted with open arms and cool glasses of water.  

The children here, who all have mental or physical disabilities, are lively and loving and full of laughter.  Here is a picture of me with Steve, my prayer partner (and such a hoot!)  The staff at Wings like to say that Steve doesn't know how to follow directions.  In the States, we'd say that "he marches to the beat of his own drum."  He kept me on my toes and always laughing!

Wings of Hope is located on the side of a beautiful mountain overlooking a long valley which leads into the ocean.   This is the view from the balcony of the dormitory.

This will be short as I am writing on the home director's computer (very graciously!) But, since we're not sure whether we'll have internet access anywhere else, wanted to let you know we're doing great.

Tomorrow morning we leave at 6am to go into Cite Soleil, one of the largest slums in the world, located near the water in Port-au-Prince.  We'll be attending church where Leon and Jacky Dorleans serve as pastors and run a school and clinic.  In the afternoon we'll head back to St. Joseph's for instruction with Michael and evening worship.

Haiti is full of colors, sights, and sounds. With big open windows and few walls, we hear the dogs barking, roosters crowing, and pigs snorting in the valleys outside.  We slept great last night but I'm sure will be grateful to have earplugs with us!

Love to you all, and thanks for your prayers....

Katherine & Bart

All our bags are packed...

...we're ready to go!

Please pray for us, for our fellow travelers, for the family and friends that we leave behind, for those who will be watching over our house and work while we're gone, and for all those whom we'll encounter while we're there.

Peace,

Katherine & Bart

The Final Countdown

The week is here!!!

We spent this afternoon with our traveling partners packing *32* 18-gallon Rubbermaid bins FULL of supplies for our trip -- praise God for the support of friends, family, churches, and even strangers!  We have bins full of formula, bins full of toiletries, bins full of clothing and toys, bins full of towels, sheets, and blankets.  We have bins full of medical supplies - latex gloves, antimicrobial swabs, medicines and first aid care, and bins of crafts to make with all the children we'll meet.  THANK YOU to all of you who sent supplies, who contributed funding to purchase supplies, and who prayed over this whole process!!

We leave Friday morning for the airport at 3:30am in time to meet our group at 4am.  It's going to be an early morning so we're hoping for good, sound sleep this week despite all the anxiety and anticipation!  In addition to reading ~100+ DYA summer program applications, I have to finish midterms this week, and Bart is trying to cover as much work as possible to make up for his 10-day absence, so we have a lot to accomplish before we leave.  We want to be able to be fully present and focused once we board that plane for Port-au-Prince!  

We know that the St. Joseph's home has internet access, but we're not sure how accessible it will be (or how often) while we're there, so it may be that our photos will have to wait until we return to the States.  We appreciate your patience!

Christ's peace,

Katherine

SUPPLIES NEEDED!!

It's hard to believe that we're less than three weeks away from our departure date!  We're in the final stages of preparation, and that means that we're busily organizing supplies and making sure we have all the things we need.  If you are interested in donating supplies for us to take to Haiti, we are especially in need of the following:

For the St. Joseph's Homes for Boys & Wings of Hope:

twin sheet sets (new OR gently used)

towels (bath, hand, and washcloths) - new or gently used

art supplies: pencils, paper, paint, brushes, etc.

small toys (especially beanie babies -- they're a hit!)

For the Missionaries of Charity orphanage:

baby formula WITH iron (e.g. Enfamil with iron)

canned baby food

infant and child medications (especially cough syrup, fever reducers, anti-diarrheals)

baby clothes

Please mail supplies to: 4324A American Drive, Durham, NC 27705; be sure to postmark them in time to arrive by February 28th.  We appreciate your support!

"Eat Dirt" No Longer Just an Insult

In Haiti, it's becoming a way of life. You might have heard or read about the new rash of eating "mud cakes" since the food shortage has become so desperate. It's heartbreaking to watch new moms who are trying to get enough nutrients to nurse their babies. There is a prevailing thought in Haiti that the mud has nutritional value, but it's not been tested. Check out this New York Times article (and related photos and video) to get an image of what life this way is really like:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=4212012

The problem is, the world's "solution" of sending Haiti seeds to plant more food isn't enough (or at least, not the right step right now,) since 90% of the country has no topsoil left in which to plant. As a result of long-term agricultural devastation and recurring hurricanes stripping the land, Haiti first needs the infrastructure to renew the land. So where do we begin??

*Tentative* Schedule for Our Trip

So our tentative schedule has been released!  It's so exciting to see things begin to take shape and to be able to pray specifically for the places we'll visit and the people we'll meet.  It's sure to be a busy and exhausting journey -- but definitely worthwhile!   See the itinerary below: 

Friday, March 6: Travel and Introduction to Haiti/Wings of Hope

Depart RDU at 6am for Miami, then to Port-au-Prince (PAP).  Travel through Port-au-Prince to Wings of Hope in Fermanthe.  Spend the afternoon at Wings playing with the children.  Evening devotions with the group, then evening lecture.

Saturday, March 7: Wings of Hope

Morning session with Michael Geilenfeld, founder of the St. Joseph's Homes and Catholic priest; he will serve a our instructor in the Spirituality of Mother Teresa.  Spend the rest of the day doing art projects and educational activities with the children.  Lunch and afternoon with kids at the Baptist Mission. Evening devotions with the group.

Sunday, March 8: Worship/Wings of Hope

Breakfast at 5:30am.  Depart 6am for Sunday worship in Cite Soleil, led by missionary Leon Dorleans.  Tour downtown PAP and return to St. Joseph's home for dinner.  Evening with the Resurrection Dance Theater of St. Joseph's, followed by evening devotions.

Monday, March 9: I Have Carved You in the Palm of My Hand

Morning instruction with Michael, then go to Cite Soleil and Blanchard to visit ministries of Jacky and Leon Dorleans, visiting their schools, clinic, and churches.  Attend afternoon prayers at St. Joseph, followed by evening lecture by the Director of the St. Joseph's home (a former child slave who was rescued by the home.)

Tuesday, March 10: Hope for the Poor

Morning instruction with Michael, then go to Mother Teresa's facilities in three teams: Home for the Dying, Baby Hospital, Brothers' Clinic.  After lunch, join afternoon prayers at the boys' home.  Jacky and Leon to speak after dinner.

Wednesday, March 11: Be Still and Know that I am God

Morning instruction with Michael, then time to return to Father Tony's orphanage, Three Angels children's clinic, or Home for the Dying.  Afternoon prayers and time for reflection. Pack for Fondwa and Jacmel.

Thursday, March 12: A Day in Fondwa

Morning instruction with Michael, then travel by van across the mountains to the village of Fondwa.  Stay with the Sisters of Charity in the guest house, deliver medical supplies, visit the clinic, school and orphanage.  Learn about Fonkoze micro-financing initiatives, rural peasant cooperatives.  Craft and play time with the children of the orphanage followed by evening devotions and a local Haitian speaker.

Friday, March 13: A Day in Jacmel

Early morning departure to Jacmel, spend the day with the children at Lekol Sen Trinite.  Assist with school lessons, eat with the children, walk kids home.  Trinity House Dancers will perform for us.  Melshi (Trinity House director) to provide evening lecture.

Saturday, March 14: The Poor Have So Much to Give Us

Return to PAP after breakfast.  As time allows visit Caribbean Market and Sunny Homes.  Tour of St. Joseph's art ministry and collection.  Evening instruction with Michael and devotions.

Sunday, March 15: God is Everywhere and in Everything

Morning worship in St. Joseph's Chapel.  Afternoon excursion by van to Croix des Bouquets to the Metal Village.  Jacqui Labrom will host discussion of Haitian metalworking.  Pack for home.

Monday, March 16: Farewell to Haiti

Depart PAP 4:20pm; arrive Durham 11:25pm.  Pray for traveling mercies!

fewer tanks, more tractors

The Miami Herald published an interesting story yesterday on "Haiti at a Crossroads":

http://www.miamiherald.com/582/story/853954.html

If you have a chance, check it out!

Katherine 

Our prayer partners

We've been assigned our "prayer partners" for the next few months while we're preparing to travel to Haiti. I've posted their names and photos here so that you can join us!

Katherine's prayer partner is Charlie (top photo).
Bart's prayer partner is Josef (bottom photo).


More pictures of the St. Joseph's community to follow!

Peace, Katherine

Haiti's History

Haiti's history is one of the most fascinating - and often overlooked - in the world. The native Arawak Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) when it was discovered by Columbus in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western 1/3 of the island - Haiti.

The French colony, based largely on sugar plantations, actually became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean and funneled tremendous wealth into France (think Versailles). Its wealth was built on the heavy importation of African slaves and massive environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'Ouverture and after a prolonged struggle, became the *FIRST* black republic to declare its independence in 1804.

But the Haitians struggle for independence didn't end there, and in the centuries that have followed, they have had to pay obscene tariffs to international powerhouses (such as France AND the United States) in order for those countries to recognize Haiti as an independent nation and to trade with them. What's more, because of "first world" economic interests, Haiti's commerce and agriculture has continued to be exploited. The country has been plagued by a long serious of political violence, including the 29-year dictatorship of the Duvalier family, under whose auspices wealth in the country was condensed into 5% of the population while hundreds of thousands of Haitians have become dangerously impoverished. Some of you may even have read the recent rash of news articles tracking the current hunger crisis: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/17/news/Haiti.php.

In the past twenty years, Haiti has struggled to achieve a democratic government. In December 1990, Jean-Bertrand Aristide won an unprecedented 67% of the vote in a presidential election that international observers deemed largely free and fair. Aristide took office on February 7, 1991, but was overthrown that September in a violent coup led by army elements and supported by many of the country's economic elite. This is the time when America become so largely aware of the "Haitian boat people" who were trying to flee the country as refugees (and, incidentally, were turned away.) After another 10 years of struggling against military coups and political violence, Haiti again held a democratic election, again inaugurating Aristide as President. Today, Haiti is led by Rene Preval, a former ally to Aristide.

Feel free to visit the State Department's site for more info on Haiti: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1982.htm. But for a more complete history of Haiti, we *definitely* recommend reading Paul Farmer's The Uses of Haiti.