Prayer Request

Hello All,

We want to request prayer for the incident that Jason was involved in on Monday. While driving in Port au Prince, a pedestrian stepped out in front of him at the last second, and was gravely injured. This resulted in a train of incidences with a mob, and later the police, which without the grace of God, could have ended much more severely! Please pray for our family, as well as for the man that is currently in the hospital.

Thank you!

Ouanaminthe #2

December 30, 6:25 a.m.
I slowly open my eyes and let them focus on my surroundings. Seeing where I am, memories of the day before flood back and I take some time remembering it all. The early morning is gray and no light streams in through the slats. Jason is still sound asleep beside me. When I'm a little more awake and ready to get up I slowly crawl out of bed, careful not to wake him. I'd better go check up on Jayden! As I crack open his door he looks up at me with his big blue eyes. "Mama, baby?" he says. He still uses some of his baby language and being in no hurry for him to grow up, I let him. Since "Mama, baby", means pick me up and hug me, I do just that. He presses his soft cheek against mine and I cuddle him close. What a sweetie! Being an active little boy this lasts all of three seconds before he squirms out of my grasp and escapes out the door. "Come back here Jayden" I whisper sternly, "Everyone is still sleeping, you need to come to Mommy". He stops and looks at me for a moment to make sure I'm chasing him and then continues full tilt down the hall. After a few second I've caught him by the arm and I pull him giggling down the hall. "Be quiet Jayden", I tell him again. It takes a moment for the giggles to subside and I pick him up. Seeing my frown he looks up at me innocently and then straightens out the frown wrinkles on my forehead with his little hands. I can't help but laugh, and he knows this all too well! "Let's go sit outside on the porch you little monkey", I tell him, and this time he listens. The barred in porch is on the second story of the house we are staying in and this gives us a good view of the streets below. From our vantage point we can look down on the town center park. It consits of an oriental style building, actual grass, and even some plants and playground equipment.

Since this is what it looks like right across the street and what most of the rest of the town looks like, the town centre seems out of place.

Before long, Mom, Dad and Jason are awake too and we all sit on the porch together and eat breakfast. Once breakfast is finished Hugh Bastian comes to pick us up and give us a tour of the town. He shows us the hospital next door, and then drives us through the town. As we drive, occasional rain drops splatter the windshield and the ground around us adding to the mud and muck in the streets. We drive past the Ouanaminthe markets and I'm secretly relieved we are not stopping and walking through it today.

There's just way to much muck and mud. In an open lot close to the market, horses are tethered and goats roam free. People are buying and selling between the garbage littering the ground.

After a little while Hugh stops alongside a black gate. As he opens the gate he tells us that this is a care home for the elderly run by a Canadian Nun, and since we are from Canada as well, we need to meet her. As we walk up the dirt path we see many elderly people sitting outside. When they see us they smile and wave their hands in greeting!

We hear later that they don't get many visitors and to have people come is very special for them. The Nun who runs the orphanage is already 70 years old herself and we soon find out that although she is from Canada, she's from the eastern part and speaks French not English. Thankfully she also speaks Creole so we are able to communicate with her. She introduces us to some of the elderly Haitians and we visit with them. The lady sitting on the chair here is over 100 years old and can still walk around by herself. She is mentally sharp and even sings for us.

She is bird thin, and I'm sure in her 103 years of life she's gone through a lot of hardships and pain, but she still smiles and says she knows God loves her and takes care of her. It is very touching to listen to her.

This lady here is also over 100 years old and takes a particular interest in Jayden.

This scares him a little so instead he runs away and finds an empty wheelchair to push around.

We spend some more time talking or simply holding the hands of the elderly people and they seem sad when we finally leave. "Come back," they tell us.

Back on the streets again we see men pulling heavy carts and I can't help but wonder when this all just became normal to me.

Since Ouanaminthe is situated right on the border of the Dominican Republic, Hugh drives us there as well. It's open market day today and the border and the surrounding areas are packed with people. Being one of the few people in a vehicle it doesn't take us very long to get through. As we reach the border crossing this is what we see.

Haiti buys a lot of their goods in the Dominican and seeing how much people carry back from the Dominican on their heads is astounding.


Hugh crosses the border often and because of this no passports are needed. This is my first time visiting the Dominican and the marked difference between the two countries is mind boggling. From mud streets to beautiful paved roads, market vendors to stores, tap taps to buses. Even the Dominican people look a lot different then the Haitian people. There skin is much lighter, hair straighter and they have different colour eyes. We are so amazed and in awe, we take only one picture (something I realize later!). But even from that one picture you can see some of the differences.

After driving through the Dominican town we cross the border once again. From there we collect our belongings and head back to the airport. It's time to fly to Anse Rouge.

Ouanaminthe #1

As we drive towards the airport, I nervously glance in the side view mirror. How much further can we go with the rear tire so low on air? I wonder. I have already stopped at two gas stations, but no one seems to have any way to pump it up. The road we are on is full of deep ruts and I'm sure it's not helping the situation one bit. Across from the goat pile I suddenly spot some tires on the side of the road. As I slow down I notice some hand pumps, so I roll to a stop. No one is in sight, but within a minute a man comes running. "Kawoutchou mwen bezwen van " ( My tire needs air) I tell him, and he immediately gets to work pumping it up.

It seems like forever before the tire is inflated again. When the man is finished he starts to walk away and I quickly give him 120 Goudes (About $3.00 USD). Seeing the money he grins broadly and waves us off enthusiastically. As I turn onto Delmas 33 the traffic slows to a crawl. An hour later we've only driven about a mile further. As we approach one of the main roundabouts in the city we notice that half of it is closed off due to construction and this is causing a major traffic jam.

When we finally go through the roundabout the opposite way there is no way to get back onto our lane since there's a giant barrier separating the four lane road. Having a line up of cars driving directly into oncoming traffic causes everything to slow down even more. As the afternoon sun beats on our black vehicle I'm thankful the A/C works. What a relief when we finally reach the airport!

Since Jason's flight took a little longer than planned as well, we both walk through opposite doors of the airport at the same time. Our many suitcases of food and clothing to hand out is carted to the awaiting airplane and the next tricky job is loading it all in.

When the airplane is loaded to the maximum allowed weight, checklists are complete and we're all safely strapped inside Jason taxies to the active runway. Before we can take off we have to wait for American Airlines and Spirit Airlines to land. It's really neat to watch them land right in front of us.

Flying north to Ouanaminthe thick gray clouds start rolling in and I wonder if we will be able to get into the small dirt airstrip.

Managing to fly under the clouds we land just before the clouds descend down even further. Hugh Bastian, our contact there, is already waiting to pick us up. As Jason parks the plane a flock of children surround us.

They stare at us inquisitively with their dark eyes. MAF planes are the only ones that fly into this remote airstrip and even then they don't come in that often.

Seeing their poverty my heart breaks.

When the airplane is finally unloaded and the truck is ready to go we all pile inside. This is my first visit to Ouanaminthe and I notice that the tropical storm last week has left the town brown and muddy. With no time for sightseeing now, we head straight to the school for the feeding program we've organized. 50 excited children meet us inside the giant gymnasium, their faces freshly scrubbed, wearing their Sunday's best.


Even their best clothing can't hide their poverty. Their red tinged hair, skinny arms and legs and distended bellies all tell their story.


However, the excitement in the room is contagious. All 50 of these children have been specifically selected, because of their poverty and have been invited to a Christmas feast! Delicious chicken, rice, salad and macaroni are all part of the menu! What's even more exciting is the juice and pop and the small bowl of ice cream for each child as well. Not to mention the bags of food they get to take home for their families, and the toys and clothes they get to choose for themselves! Before long the children are all nicely seated at the tables where they sing for us and Hugh prays with them in Creole. Since lining up is foreign in Haiti, it takes a minute to get organized, but before long each child gets their plate of food. We all spread out through the room and sit at different tables to interact with the children. They seem to enjoy this and ask us various questions. As I sit across from two girls, I wonder why neither of them are drinking their bottled juice or pop. When a call rings out that water is being served in cups, many of the children jump up and run to get a cup. Later on I find out it's because they want to save the special treat of juice or pop for their parents. How touching. Plates get scraped clean and some children even go as far as to eat the chicken bones.


Once the meal is complete it's time for games. In order to decide who gets to choose their toys first we have an airplane flying contest. Everyone gets a paper and we help all the children make airplanes.

Once everyone is finished each table gets to come up on stage to throw their airplane. The one who throws the airplane the furthest gets to stand where the airplane landed. The children think this is great fun and burst into applause and cheering every time a winner is announced for each table. Once the game is over and we've determined whose table gets to go first it's time to start picking out presents. At first total chaos ensues, with more and more children crowding around the tables, but after a few minutes we manage to get everyone organized and things go smoothly. They first get to chose a toy, then each child gets an identical large bag, containing a sack of rice, a sack of beans, a toothbrush, soap, cookies and candy. After that each child chooses or is given a T-shirt, pencil case or hat, and a package of crackers. The children are very excited with their treasures and as soon as they have everything they start trying things on. The funniest thing I see is some boys wearing their pencil cases as hats! They are very serious about it, and apparently believe they are starting a new trend!

When everyone is finished they help each other place their bags and gifts on their head, since they have been taught from an early age that this is the best way to carry anything!

When the night is finally over, the children get a special ride back home in a big yellow school bus! We follow them in the truck so we have an idea where and how they live. The parents are already waiting for their children and are extremely happy to see everything they brought home for their families. One of our last stops is at the house of a couple that has 17 children. The family is so poor, we are told by Hugh Bastian, that they don't even own a cooking pot. Hugh has been helping this family by sending five of their children to school. What a sad situation. I hope tonight, with the food and gifts the children take home there will be some happiness in their home. That night, too exhausted to sit outside on the screened in porch with the others I climb into a strange bed once again. Having slept so often in beds other then my own, I don't even stop to wonder whether the sheets are clean or if there are cockroaches under the bed. As I try to massage my aching shoulders, still sore from carrying the bags of rice the day before, the bright moon peeks in through the slats. Seeing the moon comforts me, knowing that it's the same moon wherever you are in the world. How different my life is now. Before I doze off, I pray and thank God that no matter where I am, He is everywhere present.

Another Busy Day!

Monday, December 28

I roll out of bed and lift a corner of the cream, cotton curtain. Dust swirls around in the air and I sneeze. High time I wash these! Outside morning is dawning. Besides an occasional crow from a rooster and a bird chirping, the world for the moment, is silent. I take a moment to absorb the stillness before closing the curtain once again. No time for dawdling today. There is a lot of work to do. After having breakfast I get together everything I need to head to the market once again. License in my pocket, US dollars to exchange, and my pepper spray just in case. Dad takes his camera, and today Denise is coming with us as well to buy the large quantities of rice and beans we need to hand out in Ouanaminthe. The roads are quiet as we drive and after exchanging the US Dollars into Goudes at the grocery store we drive on to the market. Since I now know where Denise's friends table is, we agree to meet up there once Denise has purchased the rice, beans, bags and more bars of soap.

It's better if we're not seen together since Denise can get much better prices without us. While Denise barters, Dad and I tour the market and are relieved to notice that although it is still busy, it is definitely not as busy as it was on Saturday. It doesn't take long for Denise to purchase three, fifty pound sacks of rice, and she sends one of her vendor friends to buy a massive sack of beans. When her friend finally comes back with the beans and everything is purchased and paid for we make the long trek up hill carrying one sack of rice each. A Haitian man has offered to carry the giant sack of beans and he follows us at a distance. Denise carries the sack of rice on her head, while Dad carries his over his shoulder, but I can't seem to get a good hold on mine and keep shifting it in a different position. By the time we reach the top, my shoulders and neck are screaming and I wish I hadn't been so stubborn and just paid one of the other men standing around to carry it for me. But never wanting to be a wimp, I refuse to give up. Am I ever glad when we finally reach the car and I'm able to safely deposit the bag in the back of the pathfinder! Having a hard time carrying a 50lb sack of rice makes me feel ever sorrier for the man carrying the beans! His sack probably weighs close to triple that amount and by the time he reaches the vehicle, sweat is running down his body and he's breathing hard. We pay him well and thank him profusely! When we get back home, and I look through everything we bought I realize that some of the bags Denise had purchased are too small, so Denise and I drive back to the market again, to purchase bigger ones. Once we are home again, we get to work dividing the rice and beans into 50 sacks each.

Once each bag is tied shut we put 1 bag of rice and 1 bag of beans into a bigger black bag and add a toothbrush, soap, cookies, and candies. We don't add the T-shirts and toys at this time, since we decided it is better to let the children chose their own. When all the bags are finally done, we place them all carefully in suitcases and lock them up in our depot room. What a big job! With just enough time to quickly get changed we head out to the orphanage here in Port au Prince where I help out every Friday with the feeding program. Today is a special day there since they hope to hold a Christmas Feeding Program for 400 people and we've been invited to help serve the food. When we reach the orphanage gates there is already a large crowd waiting outside the gate. All the children are dressed in their best clothing and seem very excited about the Christmas program. After showing Mom and Dad the girls home and the guest home we spend some time watching the cooks prepare the large meal at the boys home.

Once the tour is over we head back outside the gate. As Dad tries to communicate with the kids, Mom is handed a sleepy little boy. He is one of the children that attends the feeding program regularly and he is always sleepy.

It doesn't take long for him to fall asleep in Mom's arms. At 3:30 Jason is dropped off at the orphanage as well since he's finished flying for the day. Kids always flock towards him and he has a lot of fun with them.

As the sun sinks lower in the horizon the children are checked to see if they have the correct tickets to enter and then make their way inside. Each one of the hundred children that regularly attend the feeding program was allowed to give out three tickets to family members or friends so the total amount of people invited was 400. The orphanage children and the feeding program children have spent the last weeks practicing for the Christmas program and as all the invited guests find a seat on the rows of chairs we watch from our spot on the stairs and listen to them sing.

Time after time another child gets deposited on our laps and we take turns holding them and cuddling them close.

From my spot on the cement stairs, as the waxing moon climbs higher in the sky and the voices of the children sing Glory to God, I can picture now, more than ever what that starry night of Bethlehem was like. What a gift God gave us on that night so many years ago! Between the songs the children take turns reciting scriptures and telling the Christmas story. It is truly beautiful! After the program we make our way up the stairs to an outside area where there are tables and tables of plates laden with delicious food.

Since Jayden is tired, I watch him while he sits on a swing as Mom, Dad and Jason help distribute the food. The children are thrilled when they see the delicious variety of food and they dig right in!

That night as we drive home we share all the highlights of the Christmas program with each other! What a great night!

Cultural Saturday!

I roll over in bed and check my watch, 6:15 a.m.. I hear Jayden calling and reluctantly pull myself out of bed. He hasn't mastered sleeping in yet even though it is Saturday during the Christmas break. I open his door a crack and peek inside. He has already climbed out of his crib and now with Thomas clutched in his hand he peeks at me through the crack. "Turn your fan and light off", I remind him and he quickly puts Thomas down, changes the dial on the fan and pushes the lever of his small night light. While I get a bowl of cereal ready for him he pulls out all of his trucks and cars and plays with them on the floor. As soon as he's done breakfast he starts asking for Grandma and Grandpa. "They're still sleeping", I remind him, and he sighs. An hour later, when they are up he excitedly shows them the toys he's been playing with. Once we've all had breakfast and the house is tidied up we get our purses and camera's and head for the car. The streets are busy as we head towards Pettionville since Saturday is a busy shopping day.

Thankfully the roads get a little quieter as we head up into the mountains. As we drive Jason's' parents can't help but exclaim over the things they see. Here a man is carrying a heavy wooden cabinet on his head, walking up hill!

It's truly amazing what people carry on their heads here.

Our first stop on the mountain is the Baptist Mission, a place we always enjoy visiting. Since it's still too early for lunch we decide to head up to Fort Jacques. In the parking lot of Fort Jacques we take pictures of a colorful tap tap.

Some ladies selling vegetables on the side of the parking lot stare openly, and we go examine their wares.

After bartering with them we purchase tomatoes and militon, one of my favorite vegetables that you can't buy in Canada or the US.

After touring the Fort, and taking photos we head back to the car and drive back to the Baptist Mission. There we buy fresh cinnamon buns and bread. We also eat lunch there, which is delicious! Before we leave, much to Jayden (and my!) delight we pick out two more bunny rabbits.

Jayden loves them and keeps wanting to give the "mimi's" big hugs!

Our next stop is the market known in Haiti as the "mache". Since Jason's parents didn't have enough room in their suitcase to bring enough T-Shirts for the feeding program we hope to do in Ouanaminthe, we decide to buy more there. As all five of us head in I wonder how we are ever going to get through the crowds.

This is the busiest I've ever seen the market. As we walk down the steep road we see a giant dump truck flipped on it's side.

The crowd is so thick, even the police officers supervising the scene are pushed over. With much pushing and shoving we finally make our way inside and I breath a sigh of relief. For a minute there I didn't think we would make it in. As we head over to the second hand clothing section, walking single file, I keep checking over my shoulder to make sure Jason's parents, Jason and Jayden are still keeping up.

The clothing vendors are quite excited to see us, and it doesn't take long for us to find T-shirts we like and start bartering.


The vendors get quite excited as we buy bag after bag of T-shirts! The market is so cramped, as soon as we have all the T-shirts we head out as quick as we can.

When we finally reach the top of the stairs by the entrance of the market I take in a deep breath. "Wow, that was crazy!"
After the market we're still not done, and we head over to the store to buy cookies and treats to give out to the children as well. Then off to Epidor to buy Birthday cake for me. When we're finally home and have everything cleaned up and put away I can't wait to sit down. That really was a busy Saturday!