Where do I start? I experienced so much that mere words can not fully express. It is truly a country that you need to experience for yourself. As I recount some of my experiences, I hope you get a small glimpse of my time in St. Louis Du Nord!
Once we landed in Port-au-Prince it was still a long journey to the mission base. I and my 6 other team members hopped in a tap-tap and began our 11 hour journey to St. Louis Du Nord. It was a tiring and bumpy ride, but getting to take in all the different areas that we drove through made it all worth it. When we drove through Port-au-Prince, even though the earthquake had hit the capital over a year ago it was clear that there was still much work to do. The streets were filled with debris, people were living in homes that looked as if a small breeze could easily blow it away, and people of all ages where on the streets selling anything they could get their hands on. It was truly a sad sight to see; however, as we drove past these Haitian men and women I couldn't help but notice the joy I saw! It was amazing to see how these people who have virtually nothing were still able to dance, laugh, and cherish the moments they had together. The countryside is absolutely beautiful! Even through the unsanitary, undeveloped towns there is a stark beauty that just shines through. Words won't do it justice so I will let the pictures speak for itself.
The main campus is huge! There's so much to do within the campus that you could really stay on campus throughout your time there and still be used. (However, you would of course miss out on the Haiti experience!). I will briefly describe the areas of the campus:
Candyland- Candyland is the orphanage and the place I spent most of my time when we stayed on campus. The children were just too adorable. I fell in love with this precious little girl named Ginie and she became my child! I wish I could have taken her home with me!
Miriam Center- The Miriam Center is a residential center for special-needs children. In Haiti, children with special needs are seen as curses and are often left to die or fend for themselves. The Miriam Center takes these kids, nurtures them back to health and shows them the love they deserve.
Gran Moun- The Gran Moun is basically the nursing home. These Haitian men and women love to sing!
Nutritional Center- The children from the village can sign up for this program to receive daily meals. They were also allowed to bring one other member from their family to eat as well. These women and children loved to burst out into spontaneous dance and worship! It was so much fun being in their presence!
Birthing Center- Haitian woman can come and give birth or get medical help after they already had the baby. There was also a resting room for the new mothers.
Aquaponics- They are in the beginning stages of a food production system that they will use to grow fresh produce!
The first 3 days we stayed on the mission grounds, which I appreciated very much because we were able to get fully acquainted with the campus. One of the things we did during our first few days on campus was get the surgery rooms ready for the eye team that was coming the following week (I believe they saw some 800 patients in 4 days. It was truly amazing!). We cleaned all the surgery rooms and organized different medical instruments. It also gave me time to really get to know my team and our two translators; and they were all wonderful!
Each day we had devotions at 6:45am and 7:00pm. Throughout the day there was much work to be done--on and off campus. Every time we walked outside the mission gates we were greeted by the street kids. The mission had so nicely dubbed these children "Bracelet Bandits". They would try to sell bracelets to you for $1. It was funny to see my team members being forced to buy bracelet after bracelet. However, they didn't run to me because they all thought I was Haitian! It wasn't until they opened their mouths to begin a conversation with me that they realized I knew very little Creole...then the selling began! Some of those children were cunning! However, I had one little boy who protected me and told the other children not to ask me to buy anything from them. He even gave me a bracelet for free before I left because we were family. Family because I was African. To many of the Haitians I met, it was more pleasing to their ear for me to tell them I was African; saying I was American wasn't good enough for them because I looked too much like them. It was interesting that going to Haiti gave me a new-found love and appreciation for Nigeria.
Honestly, the first few days were a little hard for me. Seeing all these medical areas, I started to wonder if I really had anything to offer these Haitian people. How could I really use my interests in music and media? In my mind, they were worthless on the mission field so immediately began planning a career change! I started thinking how I would have to leave my current degree and get into a nursing program. By the second day of my mission trip it was all set: I was going to be a nurse. Well, God knows how adamant I can be when it comes to decisions so he decided to stop me before I did something I was going to regret ;). The mission had a worship intern on staff; however, I was able to lead worship on that second night since my team was doing devotions. From there God began to use me within my team to lead worship at some of the areas we went. It was then that I realized I didn't have to be in the medical field to be used in Haiti (thank God!). Music brought its own kind of healing. Haiti helped me really gain a clearer understanding of 1 Corinthians 12. It was great to see diverse areas of the body (medical, art, agriculture, etc) coming together for a unified goal: sharing the light of Christ to the Haitian people.
We went to a brothel and shared the love of Christ to the women (and men!) that were there. It was very sad to see all these beautiful women that had to resort to using their bodies as a means to support their families. One of the women even had her child with her; I couldn't believe it! We shared with them from Jeremiah 29:11 and our prayer was (and still is) that God will reveal to them the plans and promises He has for their lives and the lives of their children.
We also visited the local jail. The local jail is basically the holding cell until they get released or transferred to the city. When we got there, there was only one man in the prison. After talking to him through our translators, we found out that he had been wrongfully thrown in jail by his siblings. They had accused him of hurting his mother and they beat him badly to the point that he could barely walk; yet, he was the one that was in jail. We encouraged him and prayed for him; we also brought him some food. The justice system in Haiti is very different than what we know here. In Haiti you're guilty until proven innocent and you can be thrown in jail for the smallest offense.
One of most defining moments for me was when we went to Anse-a-Foleur. This is known as the Voodoo capital of the area we stayed. When we got there, we did a VBS with the children and then we climbed up the mountain to visit the voodoo monument. The monument actually used to be a cross; however when the two sides broke off the cross the locals began to worship it as a voodoo god, believing that is was Saint Ann claiming her territory. We gathered around what was left of the cross (you will see it in the slideshow below) and prayed for the people of Haiti. It was a sobering moment. Unfortunately, Saint Ann's birthday had just passed so, out of respect, we couldn't go inside their place of worship. Next time I visit, I will definitely want to experience that as well. I had learned so much about the voodoo culture through our two translators. It was so interesting to see the two opposing views and it really opened up my eyes to an aspect of Haiti that has been misunderstood.
We also visited an orphanage off campus, visited Tortuga and ministered to the children there, and did hut to hut ministry (buying groceries for the families in need). Overall it was definitely a touching and humbling experience. One thing that I will forever keep with me is the joy that the Haitian people have. Even through all the adversities that they have been through, it doesn't take much for them to worship; they are truly thankful for the little things. I desire that in my own life. Though they may be poor in material things they are certainly not poor in spirit. They live life really believing that Jesus is all they need. Church was packed on sunday. On top of that there were people sitting outside of the church too! It made me wonder where is that same longing to hear the gospel in America? There were days when I actually felt angry to live in America and started to question if the life we live is really what God intended. We are too comfortable to the point that, though we say Jesus is all we need, we have too many other needs fighting for our attention. Haiti showed me what total dependency on God really is.
This is only a glimpse of what I experienced. There is so much more to say so feel free to contact me! Haiti is really a place that you need to experience for yourself. Haiti felt like home to me; and I can't wait to return. Hopefully, you will join me on my next visit!
Enjoy the video!
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