An Eternal Pilgrimage . . .

May 5/11 -Vancouver Trip

2011-05-05T19:31:00.007-07:00

I’ve decided to come to Vancouver for a couple weeks now that I am well enough to travel (though still dealing with Giardia symptoms) in order to rest for a week and also spend a week organizing more supplies to ship by container to Haiti. I had originally planned to spend last week in Tampa with some of my family resting and then was planning a surprise weeklong trip to Vancouver to organize more supplies to ship by container to Haiti. Since I missed out on the trip to Tampa I'll be spending two weeks in Vancouver instead of one. I look forward to seeing at least a few of you during this time.

I spent a night in Miami en route home, and it's a good thing I did. I was walking through the Miami airport with my carryon duffle bag in one hand and my laptop case in the other. I was starting to feel weak and feeble so I slowed down in the concourse and fell in behind a nice old woman with a cane. Her pace was perfect for me as everyone streamed by us. It opened my eyes to travelling through life at a different pace as I'm usually in the fast lane. I'm always thankful for experiences that help me understand on a deeper level the world that I live in and those beings that inhabit it.

I've found out since coming home that I've lost about 15 pounds. I expect this trip will also help me return to full health quicker as I'll be able to ingest a more adequate and nutritious diet.

Please continue to pray for my physical recovery.

Most of you know I've battled some serious illness over the past few years of being involved in Haiti. I haven't met anyone engaged in serving long-term in Haiti that hasn't been able to identify with me in this area. It comes with the territory of serving in a place where there is a greater risk of contracting serious illness. I was talking with another man devoting his life to helping the people of Haiti on the day I left from Haiti and was reminded that he has had malaria 14 times in 20 years of serving others there. It simply is a reality that comes with the territory.

Many people have asked me in the past if I'm going back to Haiti while I've been sick; to which I've continued to answer 'Yes.'

I don't go because it's comfortable. I don't go because I like the warm weather versus the colder weather of my home town. (I actually prefer colder weather.) I don't go because I prefer the Haitian food; though I do miss it at times when I'm in Canada. I go because I know I am meant to serve in this area with my life. I don't know if it will be for the rest of my life. But I know that it will continue until it is meant to change.

So I continue on in this eternal pilgrimage...

~Paul

Apr 29/11 -Illness diagnosed

2011-04-29T19:14:00.002-07:00

After talking with doctors this week and having lab tests done we have figured out that I have picked up Giardia parasites somewhere. This explains the symptoms I've been experiencing. I've started a treatment plan of antibiotics and hopefully healing and recovery will begin soon. Thank you to Doctor Antoine and Doctor Mbassi who have worked with me over the past couple weeks.

I'll have to take a few pictures of the lab I was tested at for my nurse and doctor friends. It was a converted house with one room open to the street where reception and sample drawing occurred. Urine collection occurs in the back alley with a test tube. This time I got away with being able to collect samples in private; and my eyes never left the nurse who was drawing blood to make sure everything was done correctly.

I've been very fatigued the past few days. I'm sleeping a lot and have been nauseous most of the time. Over the past two days I've been able to spend up to an hour vertical, but that has been the limit of my energy before I become dizzy and need to get horizontal again. Read up on Giardia here if you want to find out more about it.

Summary: not fun.

Please continue to pray for my recovery.

~Paul

Apr 22/11 -Sick: Vacation Cancelled...

2011-04-22T19:09:00.004-07:00

I had planned to meet some of my family in Tampa, Florida, for a week of rest during the last week of April, however I picked up a virus and also something else which (since April 18) has caused me to spend the majority of the last week in bed or in the bathroom dealing with the symptoms. I also had to cancel the Florida travel plans; and missed out on this vacation and needed rest.

I will be seeing doctors over the next few days. Please pray for my physical health during this time.

I don't have any pictures to share as all I've been looking at for the last week is my bedroom ceiling and my bathroom floor.

~Paul

Apr 11/11 -Home Base Found!

2011-04-11T16:20:00.166-07:00

After five weeks of living out of my truck I was able to unload it into my new home base; a room in a guest house in Jacmel, Haiti. See pictures of it here. Moving five bins of supplies in and out of my truck was just beginning to lose its novelty status. Many thanks to all those who have housed me during the past five weeks. Here is a picture of my first dinner at my new home base; I came in late from Port-au-Prince and this was waiting for me:

We realized during a phone meeting with a colleague at HFL as we mapped out my schedule that it is booked through till September. We have been waiting for my support team building to be complete so I could travel to start dealing with our backlog of partnership and project assessment work in Haiti. Some of our partners are also needing help in implementing project funding, so I will be working alongside some of them to help manage and serve them in this area. It is affirming to be working in an area where the need is so great... but this means more diligence is required to make sure appropriate times of rest are incorporated into my schedule.

Over the past five weeks I have managed to spend 14 days assessing partnerships and projects in 6 communities with leaders and donors from Haiti, Canada, USA, and Germany, while also leading two teams. The opportunities to be a

part of seeing lives changed continue. I've just returned from a week of travelling in Northern Haiti assessing possible partners in Terrier Rouge (about one hour drive east of Cap Haitien and 30 minutes west of the border with the Dominican Republic.)

Worshiping in a Terrier Rouge Baptist Church. The pastor has been here 50 years
and the congregation is 1000 strong with ~600 registered as members. I recognized
the tune of every hymn that was sung. Such an encouragement to be here.

Communion cups were glass... I can't even begin to speculate on their age.

An orphan home that is part of the ministry of the church.

In the middle of the week my colleague, Mike, and I walked accross the border to the Dominican Republic for a couple days to wait out the Haiti election results. We took a Caribe Tour bus from the border town of Dajibon to Montecristi where we stayed in a hotel for a couple nights. Neither Mike nor I speak any Spanish or have been to this town, so it was a bit of an adventure. Going to the D.R. put us in a secure location and gave us the most options for Mike to get back to the US in a timely fashion if things went bad with the elections and riots broke out. Fortunately besides some local mayoral election disputes most of the country has been calm since the election results were released, and Mike and I were able to return to Haiti. Here are a few shots and thoughts on the rest of our trip.

The view from our third story hotel room towards Haiti. It can be seen in the
distance only a few kilometers away.

The view towards the D.R. from our hotel room. A beautiful beach,
a pier, and a fleet of touring and fishing boats.

This picture summarized the differences I've witnessed between Haiti and the D.R.
which are the only two countries on this island. Workers cleaning up garbage on the
beach early in the morning... indicating a huge difference in infrastructure and work
ethic, just to name two differences that came quickest to mind.

Visiting a community of fisherman in Haiti upon our return located on the northern
coast just a few kilometers from the D.R. location in the pictures above. Yes, I'm pretty
much always the tallest white guy in Haiti.

Some of the houses in this fishing community.

Another home in this community.

Notice all the garbage everywhere?

The men of the village.

Their wooden fishing boats.

Their dinner of fish.

Paul looking towards the D.R. pondering the differences between just a few kilometers.

A beautiful sunset from the beach in Haiti; except the manmade trash takes away
from it a bit.

I'm pretty tired and it's time for a break, so over the next couple weeks I will be focussed on setting up my home base and then heading to Tampa, Florida, to meet up with some of my family for a week of rest. In discussion with some of my family about my plans to rest for week near the end of April they decided to also take some vacation and come down to meet up with me in the Caribbean somewhere. I'm really looking forward to meeting up with them and spending some time vacationing together.

Mar 25/11 -South Mountain Community Team

2011-03-25T15:38:00.002-07:00

Nearly identical circumstances as that which led to my involvement with the Lifeline Community Team occurred again a week after they left as the HFL Team Leader for this trip also became sick on the first day of travel and I was privileged to be able to stand in the gap for a second time and lead this team of 17 for a few days, starting on March 24.

See the South Mountain Community Church Team Blog for stories and pictures of this team’s trip. Also visit the South Mountain Community Church Team Trip Page on HFL's website for information on projects/partners involved with this team.

I've received some doubt filled emails from people wondering if I actually travel with the team since most of the time I'm on the wrong end of the camera and not identifiable in pictures. So beyond the pictures on the blog here are 12 proving I was there ;).

The most unflattering of the 12 pictures... but it proves I got my hands dirty at least once.

Returning to my truck for a first aid kit for a scraped team member's shin
that occurred on a hike along an aqueduct in the community.

Discussing farming techniques with another team member.

I'm walking somewhere... team members and house project caught in this frame as well.

At the beach taking an afternoon to chill. I went swimming in the surf.

At Bassin Bleu with team; climbing waterfalls.

I'm the shirtless 'blanc' helping team members navigate the rock and waterfalls.

Haitian buddy decided to come up too after I climbed this rock above the main waterfall.

Time to dive in again.

Swimming in the waterfall; a prime way to get away and get some rest.

Underwater... Come on Justin; open your eyes! It is very clear water.

If you look close you can see me driving my truck.

That's all for now. Thanks to the SMCC team members that caught me on camera!

~Paul

Mar 16/11 -A Family Comes to Visit

2011-03-16T15:36:00.001-07:00

From March 14 to 15 I was privileged to guide four members of a Canadian family through Haiti for a couple days. Dick and Mary Anne have 10 kids, 5 are adopted from outside Canada, and they are making a point of travelling back to the countries where their children were born to visit and get involved with community development projects if possible. Two of their kids are from Haiti, so this was their first trip back since they were adopted 13 years ago.

I passed off leadership of the Lifeline Community team to the HFL Assistant Team Leader on the trip and picked up the family and their pilot, Jason, at the Jacmel airport. We spent the day in Jacmel visiting Joy In Hope Ministries and then travelled up to Bassin Bleu to visit the beautiful waterfall and pools near that village. The name of the village translates as Blue Basin and you can see why below in the pictures. It is located up in the mountains about 30 minutes from downtown Jacmel. The drive also provides stunning views of the city of Jacmel, the mountains, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Stopping on the road to Bassin Bleu to take pictures

Beautiful clear warm water and waterfall. Cliff Diving!

A bit of bouldering en route to the waterfall

Reminder of glacier pools in BC's backcountry.

Overlooking Jacmel and the Atlantic Ocean.

After the day in Jacmel half of us travelled to Port-au-Prince by plane and half by truck to spend the night at a friend's house in PAP. The next day we travelled for two hours to Mirebalais where the family is involved with supporting a school project which is being facilitated by HFL.

Discussing the school project. Temporary classrooms for 125 students in the background.

Discussions continued in the new school kitchen building.

Serving food for the kids in the school. Cornmeal and bean sauce.

Sharing and encouraging the school children in their studies.

Site of the new school being prepared for construction.

If you would like to check out a neat story of this family's search for their kids' birth family, follow this link.

Great friendships were built during this 2 day trip and following this I returned to Jacmel to finish leading the Lifeline Community Team through their time in Haiti. Check out their blog here if you haven't yet.

~Paul

Mar 11/11 -Lifeline Community Team

2011-03-11T20:35:00.003-08:00

Lifeline Community is a church in West Jordan, Utah, that has partnered with Joy In Hope Ministries in Jacmel, Haiti. They have sent a team of 18 to Haiti through HFL which arrived here yesterday. Things rarely go entirely as planned with a trip to Haiti; but the first major twist came early on this trip. On the day they departed Utah the HFL Team Leader, Aaron, who I had the privilege of training in October (see Oct 14/10 post), became sick with a contagious version of the flu and was unable to travel with the team. I had planned to meet up with the team for the first couple days of their trip to make sure they were set up well at Joy In Hope, and so was asked to be the primary HFL Team Leader in Aaron's place. I will be serving this team over the next few days as they engage in building relationships with people in Jacmel, Haiti. This is Lifeline Community's first team trip to Haiti; please pray with us as they interact with this community, and pray for Aaron as he recovers his health.

We set up a trip page on the HFL website and a blog for each HFL team that travels, so please visit the Lifeline Community Trip Blog for stories and pictures of this team’s trip, and Lifeline Community Trip Page on HFL's website for information on projects/partners involved with this team.

Lifeline Community attending a Sunday church service in Jacmel, Haiti

Mar 9/11 -Year One Financial Target Hit!

2011-03-09T20:24:00.018-08:00

Amidst the busyness of final preparations for the big move to Haiti on the afternoon of the day before my departure from Vancouver I decided to quickly check my email inbox for new messages. A colleague at HFL had just sent me an email with details for a monthly supporter who had initiated partnership which pushed me just past the $60,000 target for year one in Haiti!

I was so affirmed by this. After six months of sharing the vision for HFL and opportunities for partnership in ministry the target had been hit. I am so thankful that He has provided for these needs through you. And I had a good chuckle about the fact that I passed the target for year one the day before departing Haiti. This provision was one more affirmation of what I am meant to do with my life right now.

Thanks be to God.

To give you some more background, when my financial support was at ~$55,000 towards the $60,000 target for year one, my colleagues at HFL and I made the decision to book my tickets for Haiti. Sufficient funds had already accrued in my Staff Account and there was enough momentum in my support team building to warrant setting dates. This also signaled the time for final preparations to be made for the ‘big move’. Supplies needed to be bought, scheduling

needed to be nailed down, and arrangements finallized for the supplies being sent by container which includes shipping a cargo trailer so I have a portable shop and storage space for tools and supplies. I also needed to wrap up my construction project commitments and transition to full time work with HFL. Meetings also continued with potential partners in ministry and funding continued to come in. It was a busy last three weeks in Canada but all that needed to be accomplished was completed.

Support team building in both prayer and finances will continue. I will work towards creating a 3 month reserve of operating expenses which will give me time to react should sudden changes occur to my financial income, and then any further funds that accrue will go towards my staff support for year two (2012). Please email me to discuss opportunities for you to partner with me in ministry.

I am now in Haiti and after three days of project and partnership assessment work in Leogane and Mirebalais (see Haiti map) I will be transitioning into working alongside a team for a couple days to make sure they are setup well with their partner. More details coming soon.

~Paul

Mar 6/11 -In Haiti and Truck Acquired

2011-03-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

I made it to Haiti with all my supplies!

I arrived in Haiti on March 6 and was immediately picked up by my friend, Smarth, who along with his wife, Cara, has been such a blessing to me over the past few months in giving me a place to stay when I’ve been in transit through Port-au-Prince. When I was here in October of last year I had met Smarth for the first time through an old family/friend connection in Vancouver. Arriving at their home for the first time I was more than a little envious of his truck; a 1994 Toyota Landcruiser 80 Series. This is originally what I had been looking for when considering shipping a vehicle to Haiti, but I could not find one in good condition or with the options I needed. In talking with Smarth about his truck he expressed desire to sell it as he wished to upgrade to a newer vehicle but since the new vehicle he was looking for takes 3-4 months to ship into the country he wasn’t ready to sell yet. I told him I was very interested and wished to buy it from him if it would work out. Everything did! In January he called me asking if I was still interested in the vehicle; and I ‘shook hands’ with him over the phone on a price and a timeline for the purchase. So on the day I arrived he picked me up at the airport and I spent the night at his house and finalized purchasing the vehicle from him. Some of you know that I had purchased a Toyota 4Runner in the summer of last year as I had come across a great deal, and had been planning to either send it to Haiti or keep it as my vehicle in BC. It will remain in BC.

So here’s the technical details on the truck for my 4x4 buddies J:

1994 Toyota Landcruiser 80 Series

4.2 Liter Turbo Diesel –Inline 6 cyclinder

Automatic with the ‘Bus tranny’

Full Time Four Wheel Drive with a Center Locking Differential

Full Axles front and rear

Seats 2-8 depending on seat configuration needed

Accessories:

4” Suspension Lift (still determining make)

Tires upgraded to 285/75R16

Front Aluminum Bush Bumper

Rear Kaymar Steel Bumper with Spare Tire Carrier

Aluminum Safari style roof rack

9.5Xp Warn Winch

IPF Driving Lights

History:

Vehicle imported to Haiti from Japan in 2007

Right Hand to Left Hand Drive Conversion completed (Haiti laws do not allow Right Hand Drive vehicles)

My schedule for the next few weeks is packed. I will not be posting any travel dates or locations or specific plans on this site prior to travelling as it makes it easier to be targeted for ambushes by 'vagabonds'.

Shalom,

~Paul

Feb 18/11 -Flights Booked

2011-02-18T11:53:00.006-08:00

My flights are booked for the BIG MOVE to Haiti! I will be departing Vancouver in about three weeks.

I have sent out email invites to an Open House I will be holding before I leave. If you have not received an invite it is because you are not on my support team email update list. If you'd like to be added to this list to receive email updates, please email me with your contact info. I will not provide all the details here as this is a publicly viewed site.

I am still engaged in raising financial support to meet the $60,000 target for year one; currently I'm at $55,000. If you would like to partner with me through finances or prayer please email me so we can discuss how you can be a part of changing lives.

~Paul

Jan 12/11 -Haiti Earthquake Reflections

2011-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple weeks as we have approached the anniversary of the Jan 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, many people have approached me to discuss what is being said in the news about the relief efforts. Here is a sampling of the headlines from the last 24 hours:

‘One Year Later, Rubble Still Chokes Haiti’

‘The Rubble Remains, the Wounds Still Fester’

‘Haiti earthquake charities blamed as scars fail to heal’

‘Cholera plagues Haiti a year after devastating earthquake’

‘First an Earthquake, then a Fraudulent Election’

‘Haitians Seek Way Out of Hell’

‘Haiti’s Woes; Who is to Blame?’

‘Where did all that Haiti aid money go?’

‘Haiti; Uncertainty and Pessimism on Quake Anniversary’

What do I think?

We have witnessed a country faced with many challenges and hardships over the past year. Approximately 250,000 or ~1 in 38 people lost their lives in the earthquake and aftershocks. ~300,000 or ~1 in 32 people suffered injuries due to the earthquake, many of them life-altering losses of limbs. ~1.5 million or ~1 in 6 people were been displaced from their homes. ~200,000 or ~1 in 48 people experienced symptoms from cholera following the October outbreak, while ~3300 people have died; and these numbers continue to rise. Haiti is a country that has experienced all this in addition to its typical yearly events like tropical storms and hurricanes, and riots due to causes such as political unrest or lack of food. This is even before we begin to tally the typical daily events of malaria, typhoid, dengue fever, bacterial infections, lack of...

...food, inadequate supply of clean water, etc.…

…and this is just a brief summary; I could go on and on…

And what we have also witnessed in a country faced with all these challenges is a herculean effort that has gone into preserving life this year; providing food, water, temporary shelters, medical care, clothing, etc.

How many more people would have died if they hadn’t been sustained through disaster relief aid over the past year?

Thank you on behalf of my friends in Haiti for your part in preserving and sustaining life, for I know many of you have contributed to the disaster relief aid efforts this year.

In responding to the immediate needs around them, HFL’s (Hungry For Life) field partners in Haiti had to switch their focus from community development pre-earthquake to disaster relief aid post-earthquake. Over the past three months they have in varying degrees been able to begin the shift from keeping people alive towards rebuilding. And in so doing, begin to shift from disaster relief aid back towards community development and enabling people to provide for their basic human rights.

Progress is being made.

Lives are changing.

By partnering together in ministry, you and I are contributing to the progress that continues to be made in Haiti. For as I am able to move to Haiti to begin working alongside HFL’s field partners, we will together be able to bring added capacity and resources to bear upon the challenges which the people of Haiti face.

I am so affirmed and energized by your partnership with me. Through you, $55,000 has been provided in cash and pledges towards the $60,000 funding target for year one of my position with HFL in Haiti. I have already begun to transition into this position and am expecting that I will be able to begin full-time work near the end of this month, and move to Haiti by the middle of February. In the meantime I continue to fill my time with cultivating support, making preparations to move to Haiti, and contracting construction projects.

You are a part of not only disaster relief aid or community development efforts in Haiti, but also of God’s redemptive plan for mankind. The same God has been described as a Rock that will never be shaken.

Humbled in partnership,

~Paul

Nov 1/10 -My new friend Angelo...

2010-11-01T08:40:00.001-07:00

The past few weeks have been filled with travel. Networking with old friends and new ministries, and making new friends in the process. Many of you know the focus of this trip to Haiti has been to provide leadership for two teams, spend some time networking with new ministries, visit with existing friends who I haven't seen since before the earthquake, and to scout out all that is required to live here.

The first team was a great success as you have witnessed on the team's blog. You can also check out more information about the partnership that this team represented at the team's HFL trip page. We needed to cancel the second team because their field partner is located in the middle of the area affected by the recent cholera outbreak and has gone into isolation in an effort to protect the 36 orphans under their care. We determined that it would be wisest to delay the team until the situation has been contained and the risk of cholera infection has been reduced.

It has been great to connect with old friends and to come to understand the changes that have occurred in their lives and in the communities and ministries that they are involved in. Most of the changes occurred as a result of the earth shaking on Jan 12. Many ministries and communities have lost buildings. Shifts in focus have been needed to prioritize aid to new areas of need. Change has also occurred because leaders have overspent themselves during and after the earthquake and the effects of overwork have caused them to resign from the Haiti mission field. These are just a few things that have been affected.

In the process of networking and visiting a few new ministries and communities, new friendships have begun. One such new found friend is Angelo. The leaders and pastors in the community which Angelo is a part of have determined that Angelo is most likely suffering from a psychiatric problem. Angelo speaks freely of his relationship with Christ, and is adamant that he has nothing to do with voodoo. However, he has been prone to irrational violence towards others at infrequent intervals. The leaders in his community have needed to take precautions against this violence which has caused young children to be hurt physically during outbursts. So Angelo is in restraints. When I met Angelo he had been in restraints already for 15 consecutive days.

Unfortunately, the leaders in the community have yet to find adequate medical help to enable...

...Angelo to resume normal life. He has been given medicine by a doctor in the past, but because of his physical poverty he is unable to continue to buy the medicine and when the medicine ran out he relapsed into his previous behavioural patterns. As well, he needs supervisory care in order to ensure that he abides by any treatment which is prescribed. And so, until adequate aid can be found Angelo will continue to live in restraints.

This is merely one example of need here in Haiti. Whether it is medical care, clean water, shelter, food, or education that is needed, there are many such stories such as Angelo's of lives not being lived as God intended simply because of the distribution of global resources. Over half the population of ~9.6 million people live in extreme poverty, living on less than $1 a day; 80% live on less than $2 a day. Haiti continues to be the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. And events such as earthquakes, cholera outbreaks, and hurricanes aren't helping.

With the extreme need comes extreme opportunity for others to be involved in helping the people of Haiti to move towards a brighter future. As I am able to facilitate churches/groups in North America to be involved in sustainable community development with field partners here in Haiti we see positive effects of lives being changed. Thank you to those of you who have partnered with me through prayer or finances towards seeing 'a world transformed; a world that has been renovated by a global movement of compassion and justice evidenced by the eradication of needless suffering.'

I am returning earlier than expected from my current trip to Haiti because of the cancellation of the second team I was scheduled to lead. I will be arriving in Vancouver on Wed, Nov 3, and will be focused on financial and prayer support raising until my funding targets are met and I am able to move to Haiti and pick up full –time field project management tasks with Hungry For Life. Last week I reached the halfway mark! Over $30,000 CAD of the targeted $60,000 CAD needed for salary, vehicle, and business expenses has been raised!

Thank you to those of you who have already committed to partnering with me through prayer and/or finances!

From Haiti today,

~Paul

Oct 14/10 -Jacmel Home Reconstruction

2010-10-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

His name is Jozwe.

Her name is Madanm Jozwe.

I'm sitting on what is left of the foundation of their home.

Surrounded by rubble. By chunks of fractured concrete blocks. By contorted creations of rebar. All created by the earthquake that occurred exactly 9 months ago.

But ringing in the air are the sounds of picks and sledgehammers digging into the rubble and removing what is left of the compromised foundation. The sounds of hacksaws rasping their way through bent rebar. The sound of shoveled rubble crashing into wheelbarrows to be carted off.

The location is a community in Jacmel, Haiti. The field partner is Joy In Hope and their staff on the ground here. The current team I'm leading are representatives from Calvary Chapel Whidbey Island, Washington, USA, which has begun a long term partnership with Joy In Hope engaged in sustainable community development. And the glimpse you're receiving today is of that development and life change occurring.

The current project is home reconstruction. It began before the team got here, and will continue after they......leave. The team's role in it is to get a glimpse of Haiti, teach building skills and technique if necessary, and through words and actions begin building relationships in the community. In the words of Nick (JIH Haiti Director), 'you're here to be missionaries, not necessarilly humanitarians.'

You can follow the current trip (including pictures) by visiting this blog.

This is just a taste of the value there is in partnering with me as I work with my colleagues at Hungry For Life towards seeing a world transformed. Your support through finances and prayer contributes to allowing me to facilitate these partnerships.

Bondye beni ou.

God bless you.

~Paul

Aug 23/10 -New Position with Hungry For Life

2010-08-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I have recently returned to full health after taking an 8 month leave of absence to deal with serious illness and reassess my involvement in international humanitarian aid and development work. I have re-engaged with Hungry For Life International (HFL) in a full-time capacity as Field Project Manager for Haiti. At HFL 'we envision a world transformed; a world that has been renovated by a global movement of compassion and justice evidenced by the eradication of needless suffering’. We work towards seeing this occur by facilitating partnerships between groups in North America and existing leaders and organizations working in communities in lesser developed countries. These partnerships are integral to realizing ‘a world transformed and characterized by:

a passionate, unified church speaking with a voice of credibility, realized by its reputation for love and compassion
churches and organizations strategically connected and engaged with communities around the world involved in sustainable community development
generous living that has resulted in redistribution of global resources’

In this new role as Field Project Manager for Haiti I will be working alongside our field partner ministries in Haiti in the areas of project assessment, development, implementation, and management. I will also be facilitating teams of people representing North American groups as they travel to build relationships and engage in sustainable community development with the people of their partner communities. This fall will be a time of transition as I raise financial and prayer support, ship a container of supplies including a truck, and move to Haiti where I expect to spend 8-10 months of each year.

Opportunities exist for you to partner with me through prayer and/or financial support as I raise funds to cover my salary and business expenses, or to be involved in helping a community in Haiti or another...

...lesser developed country. If this interests you please contact me by email or phone for more details on how you can be involved in transforming our world.

I will once again be sending out regular support team and ministry updates by email. If you have been a part of my prayer and financial support team or received related ministry updates in the past then you will be receiving a more detailed update and upcoming event information by email soon. If you would like to receive these updates by email, simply notify me by email.

Shalom,

~Paul

Aug 19/10 -Recovered and Re-Engaging

2010-08-19T21:31:00.001-07:00

Dear family and friends,

As you likely know, the past year and a half has been wrought with serious health challenges as I've dealt with malaria, typhoid, parasites, and viral infections and their effects on my body. Most of the fall and winter I have dealt with serious physical fatigue as my body has struggled to reach full health. A full year has passed since I last travelled to

Haiti

. Seemingly sidelined from full and productive life, there have been many moments of surrendering my will as opportunities have passed me by and as I have watched the recent events in

Haiti

unfold and been unable to be of significant help to our friends there. But there are many lessons to be learned and gleaned from every experience we walk through in life, so I have done my best to capture each moment regardless of the circumstances in which I am placed. One of my most used prayers pleads, 'give to me, or take away from me, only conform my will to Yours.’ This echoes what I hope will be the foremost desire of my heart in any circumstance.

In March I received a clean bill of health from my infectious disease specialist, and in June I received the same from my alternative natural health provider following eight months of assessment and treatment. I am thankful to be back in full health which is due in no small part to the support and prayers of many of you. Thank you for your part in this.

The past year has allowed plenty of time for reflection on the last four years of being involved in international humanitarian aid ministry. In October of last year I took an indefinite leave of absence from Hungry For Life International (HFL) as my health was continuing to fail. This occurred at a time when I was also reassessing my daily tasks of the previous three years; exploring and wrestling with possible changes and opportunities that exist in international humanitarian aid and development work in an effort to find a...

...better set of roles and responsibilities for my skills, gifts, desires and passions. I walked through a process of re-engagement with Hungry For Life as I was returning to full health in June and subsequently have rejoined HFL, moving into the role of Field Project Manager for

Haiti

. This fall will be a time of transition as I move into this new position and will include raising financial and prayer support, shipping a container of supplies including a truck, and moving to

Haiti

where I expect to spend 8-10 months of each year.

Would you consider partnering with me in one or more of the following ways as I make this transition?

· Prayer partnership

o A vital aspect to involvement in front-line ministry, you don’t need to commit to financial partnership to partner with me through prayer. Please indicate if you would like to receive specific prayer updates and/or are willing to gather periodically for a time of communal prayer. If you partner with me in the area of finances you will automatically receive prayer updates.

· Financial partnership in the areas of:

o Salary, living, and business expenses ($40,000)

§ The cost of living in

Haiti

is similar to North America. Each staff member at HFL is committed to raising their own financial support. Please consider partnering with me in the areas of salary, living, and personal business expenses.

o Vehicle, supplies, and field office expenses($20,000)

§ This new position with HFL as the first staff member based in Haiti has some unique opportunities for partnership in the areas of vehicle expenses, supplies, and starting up a field office. Please consider partnering with me in theses areas.

o *Information for donating funds can be acquired by contacting me directly or visiting www.hungryforlife.org/Donate.html

HFL’s website (www.hungryforlife.org) is a great resource for further information. Please email me @ pauldenhaan@gmail.com if you would like to engage in any of the opportunities listed above or to find out more about them.

Shalom,

~Paul

Alternate Forms of Updates

2008-04-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

I am not currently updating this blog, but am still providing alternate forms of updates on my life and travels and the ministry I am involved with. To request to be kept up to date, please email me @
pauldenhaan@gmail.com.

Feb 23/08

2008-02-24T22:43:00.011-08:00

Greetings from Germany.

The last two weeks has been packed with travel and activity. I have been in India traveling with fellow HFL staff, Dave and Chad, on a project assessment trip. We visited with two ministries in India. One pastor and a social society network in Delhi, and a ministry in Coimbatore (a town in southern India) which is providing a home and education for girl orphans who have been cast out of society, or whose parents were martyred Christians.

This trip has opened my eyes to a part of working internationally in humanitarian aid and the mission field that I hadn’t experienced yet; working in places where Christians are persecuted.

Paul and Amy

I have two stories to share with you which I hope will give you a glimpse of my experiences.

One night a watchman at a factory heard some noises from behind a warehouse. As he approached the sounds, he recognized them as cries. A crying baby. He rounded the rear of the warehouse and found a baby buried alive with only her head showing above the soil. The dirt was pushed right into her mouth, and had turned to mud. The watchman rescued the child, and the baby girl found her way into the Michael Job Center in Coimbatore, India. Her name is Amy. I met Amy this week. She is a lively young girl whose smile runs from ear to ear

A child was found sitting in between her parents on their bed, crying. Her parents were unconsoling, unable to care for their child… they were dead. They had been martyred because of their unwavering faith as Christians. The child’s name is Lois, she is from Manipur. Lois is 7 years old and all that she remembers of this event which unalterably shaped her life is that she saw a person coming to comfort her. The man was never identified. Another man named Dr. Job took Lois into...

...the Michael Job Center in Coimbatore, India, when she was three and gave her a new home among 300 new adopted sisters with similar backgrounds. But Lois was not happy, she did not smile. She didn’t want to do anything. One week, a lady from Norway was visiting and began reading Lois a story from a picture Bible. Lois pointed to a picture of Jesus and said, ‘I know that man, I have seen Him.’ The lady was astonished and
asked for clarification. Lois was adamant… she had seen Jesus when her life had been changed irrevocably that day her parents died for what they believed in. Jesus had cared for her when there had been no one else. The lady spent time with Lois sharing with her about the Jesus she knew. Since that time, Lois has been smiling and willing to lend a hand.

These kids have similar stories. All 306 of them. They attend the Michael Job Center where they are being granted every opportunity to become all that they can be in this world. Here are some of their pictures.

We are greeted by a full school parade... complete with marching band...

Assembly in the morning...

Meal time...

In the coconut orchard which is used to fund the school... 1000+ trees...

A new friend... Deepika...

My heart breaks. It breaks for these kids whose lives have been forever changed because of perceptions of having kids with specific gender or because of people who have decided that their parents are unworthy to live because of their faith. My heart breaks for their hearts.

My heart cries out. It cries out for those people who live in areas of the world where other people have decided that they are so wrong for what they believe in that they shouldn’t live any longer. That they should die. That their difference in faith and beliefs condemns them to death. Shouldn’t that be decided by the gods… even supposing that there are more than One?

My heart aches. It aches for those people who are persecuting others. Who have decided on the value of a human life based on beliefs or religion, and have taken further matters into their own hands. My heart aches for these people… for if they could only catch a glimpse of Jesus, I am convinced that their eyes would begin to open. That the blinders would come off.

Here is a glimpse of the rest of my trip in India.

Overloaded?

Our bedroom and office away from home... 3 guys... Chad, Dave, and I... one bed...

A family travelling through the city... one of many... there are 1.3 billion people in India... of which 85% are classified as Dalits... the untouchables... there are only 6 billion people in the world... do that math.

Hanouk, a pastor in the slums of Delhi, with his family in their one room house...

The Dalit people...

A child receiving food from a social society...

The hospitality of our hosts was unparalleled... we even celebrated my birthday... flowers and cake...

A visit to the Taj Mahal... we couldn't pass it up...

Jan 10/08

2008-02-23T08:21:00.009-08:00

Another new year has begun. Another milestone in the passing of life. Another milestone towards eternal life. I have found that the descriptions of the milestones of life can be categorized into two main views. A view looking back… and a view looking forward. There are some people, and perhaps you are one of these people, who haven’t yet found a way to view the future in a positive light. Perhaps this is because you have not found the hope beyond the grave… or perhaps you have found this hope, but it’s true meaning escapes you. The limitations of a view that looks backwards is that it can easily lead to a fatalistic view of the time you have left. What hopes do you have for the remaining days of your life, except to try to live them as comfortably as you can? How do you define life when there is nothing to hope for beyond the grave? How do you view each passing day?

The boys beginning to relax...

How do you?

I’m not going to preach. I just thought I’d raise this thought.

Your view of life will define how you live it.

My year began in Hawaii, hanging with my family. We were privileged to be able to spend this time together in yet another beautiful part of this earth. The pictures will tell the story.

The rental beach house... and the view...

Fellowship...

...and food...

Beach near our house...

A late night poker game... and poker faces...

A hike before sunrise one morning...

Another beautiful hike to the northwest tip of Oahu...

Washing off the mud at the end...

Mom, Nicole, and Marie... How do I ask for forgiveness if I've blatantly caused the situation:

Dec 11/07 - A Week of Rejuvenation

2007-12-11T09:53:00.003-08:00

Self portrait on spillway at Trudeau Lake

Life has been busy since my last trip to Haiti in October. I finally had a chance to rest last week, though I couldn't seem to shut my brain off from work. So I ended up working part time from home for most of the week. On Friday I travelled up to the Kamloops area to spend some time with friends (Calvin, Anne-Marie, Curtis, and Graham). This included getting up into the mountains (50 kilometers on logging/back roads) to Tranquille Lake. Time was spent continuing to visit with friends (Norm and Flo) and a little bit of ice fishing. Here are some pics from the drive home. It hit -26 degrees Celsius on Friday night but warmed up to -9 degrees on Saturday night.

Yes that is the lake that is covered with ice and snow (Ice on Tranquille was 10" solid clear ice).

I feel rejuvenated, though it is mostly from being continually re-inspired in my tasks with Hungry For Life from visiting with friends and sharing about what I'm involved in. I feel as though I'm at a point in my life where the lines between work and play have blurred to just be life. I enjoy what I do both in my tasks of life and in recreation... I find my life to be a pretty healthy balance, and though it is good to have periods of time where the daily tasks of life are put on the backburner for a little while, I do not need to create a fully defined line between these tasks and recreational parts of life in order to rest.

I'm a blessed man!

~Paul

Nov 26/07 - And so it begins again...

2007-11-29T00:07:00.001-08:00

I have come to realize that using a blog to communicate with friends and family -my supporters and partners in ministry- is very efficient. This begins a new commitment on my part to use this blog to keep you updated on where I am and what I am doing. I’ll begin by giving you an update of the last four months since my last post.

After arriving back in Canada in mid-June, I spent a couple days at home, washing clothes, before heading to Northern California. I have had a passion throughout my life for spending time outdoors, playing in the beautiful creation that surrounds us. This has culminated in a passion to use the opportunities in activities and teaching that creation gives us to point to God. I have been involved at times in my past in ‘outdoor ministry’, and continue to identify in myself a desire to explore this area. At present there are a few like-minded individuals in my life who share the same desire. In exploration of where this might lead, I traveled to Northern California to observe a group of youth who participated in a leadership program which has been developed by JH Ranch, an outdoor-based ministry organization. JH Ranch has been running programs for over 25 years, with a focus on relationship building in families and youth leadership training. I would highly recommend that you check out what JH Ranch is about on their website listed in the links area of this blog and consider participating in one of their programs. I’ll continue to keep you posted on what develops in this area.

Following this, I jumped right into my new position at Hungry For Life International (HFL), which I wrote about earlier in the spring. I spent most of July and half of August getting up to speed on how HFL operates as facilitators of ‘opportunities for groups and individuals to experience the power and presence of Jesus Christ through worship and worldwide compassion.‘ This included a ton of time spent...

...reading and working through paperwork. (I should add that I spent some of this time getting rid of a bacteria colony which was resident on my body somewhere that was causing me serious skin infections –read: ‘staph infections’.)

From mid August to the beginning of September I was privileged to lead an HFL team from Surrey Alliance Church (SAC) down to Haiti. SAC is partnering with Mountain Top Ministries (MTM) in the village of Dumay. This was the first team trip to Haiti for SAC, and the time was spent playing soccer, aided in the continued construction of a school and feeding center, participating in a food distribution and a school supply distribution, and, most importantly, building relationships with the Haitians. Check out the blog of our trip in the Hungry For Life Links titled ‘Short Term Team –Haiti 0708 SAC’.

September was spent continuing to jive into my position at HFL. There are so many tasks and so many opportunities to get involved in projects in developing countries that the ‘to do’ list just never seems to end. I continue to struggle with when to say, ‘no, I can’t take that on’, because of the unhealthiness of unbalancing my life. It continues to be a work in progress for me to create a new pattern of living around my new tasks at HFL and deal with the limitations of my physical body. I took the opportunity in September to attend two conferences, both of which have continued to equip me with tools and resources to learn about how to walk through my work and play in health of mind, body, and spirit. The first was an executive leadership conference put on by Arrow Leadership, which focused on aiding leaders in ‘cutting through the fog’ of their lives. The second was a conference put on by a man named Gordon T. Smith, who spoke on how to discern and hear the ‘Voice of Jesus’. I should qualify a sentence which I wrote earlier in this paragraph that began with ‘it continues to be a work in progress’… all of life continues to be a work in progress, and I hope and pray that I never become anything less than moldable clay.

In October I traveled to Haiti once more to lead a team from Cranbrook, BC, through a series of medical clinics with MTM and HAM. Check out the blog of our trip in the Hungry For Life Links titled ‘Short Term Team –Haiti 0710 CCT’. I stayed on in Haiti for a couple weeks to assess and work on some projects with MTM and HaitiARISE Ministries.

Shortly after returning to BC in mid November, I sent off another team to work in Haiti alongside MTM. Check out the blog of their trip in the Hungry For Life Links titled ‘Short Term Team –Haiti 0711 EST’.

Well… that finishes my update on the last four months. I will be striving to update this blog at a minimum of once every couple weeks. Check back for more and please email me at anytime!

May you be blessed!

Paul DenHaan

Oct 28/07 - Under Construction

2007-10-28T17:44:00.001-07:00

There is a problem with blogging... and that is that the blogger will never have an accurate read on the amount of people who have passed by and read some or all of it. In my case this includes finding it difficult to figure out how many lives have been touched by this blog… and if the effort that goes into blogging is warranted. I have realized over the last month that there are a great many people and supporters who have been affected by this blog and my writings on it, and have continued to check back to see what is happening in my life even after I returned from Haiti in June. It is for these people that this blog is currently under construction. I’ll be changing it into a tool that you can use to keep abreast of what I am involved in and where I am.

Blessings from a blessed man!

Paul DenHaan

June 11/07 - A last post from the Haitian mission field... for now...

2007-06-12T17:43:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, June 13, at 9:34pm I am scheduled to arrive on Canadian soil. I am pretty sure it is time to come home, as in the last week my cell phone has broken, my digital camera has broken, my sandals are within an eighth of an inch of wearing through, and my shoes are on the verge of going through the last bit of rubber on the soles. If I needed reassurance that it is the right time to come home, I now have it! I am heaps looking forward to being home especially since I know that my work in the third world mission field will continue even though I am physically not in that mission field. What do I miss the most in Canada? In this order, starting with the most important; family, solitude, being free to just go wherever I wish to at any time, food I can eat without second guessing (especially salads and vegetables and meats), and gelato… the best ice cream ever. I have a date with my sister already scheduled the day after I get home to deal with the latter! I know that there will be things I miss in the mission field when I get home, though I don’t know what will impact me the hardest yet. I know one thing will be not being able to greet my four little Haitian friends at my bedroom door every morning.

The last few days have been somewhat restful, as I have been mostly able to set my own schedule, however it has not been completely restful, as I am in need of some serious time of ‘hibernation’ or ‘hobbit-ing.’ Time to just hole up somewhere so that I can reflect on my travels and re-energize my spirit. I think this will be especially important coming back from such a long time in the mission field. I am leaving for Northern California about two days after I get home to spend some time at an outdoor ministry called JH Ranch. I am unsure yet if this will be for two weeks or three, but I’ll keep you all posted on what happens there. I am very interested in getting involved in outdoor based ministry once again, as I have been involved with it in BC in past years, before having to deal with my back injury. I am excited about adding this into my life as a part time activity, and where it may lead in the future.

I want to share a few highlights of the past week and a half since Michelle’s funeral, as well as wrap up this specific trip. As I mentioned, the last week has been somewhat restful. This has included spending time with Pastor Luc and his family at H2H. Pastor Luc and I even had the chance to steal away to Taino Beach for a full day. On the way there we stopped at a small hotel that neither of us had ever eaten at, though we were told they had good food, and ordered...

...some food to be made ready for lunch. After swimming for a couple hours we headed back to the hotel and had a great lunch of salad with shrimp and boiled eggs, beef shish kebabs and fries, and cold pop. It was excellent! I didn’t think that anyone grilled medium rare meat in Haiti… I was proven wrong. We finished off the day by a walk down the beach, sat under the shade of some trees and talked for an hour, and then swam before returning back home by bicycle. It was very restful and rejuvenating… I think my favorite part was signing hymns all day.

Today I treated Luc’s family and myself to an afternoon at Tiano Beach, complete with a large crab and seafood dinner. It was soooo goooodddd. It was pretty much the same as the dinner I had on the beach with the Cranbrook/HFL medical team which I wrote about a couple updates ago. It was a great day; sunny and hot. Jephtalie, one of Luc’s daughters, had never had crab before, and though she only tried a little at first, she came back for more. Later Luc said she asked if she could come and live at the beach for a couple weeks so that she could eat crab all the time! LOL… We tried to explain to her that we would go broke if she did that, even though a seafood dinner for 12 in Haiti, which could feed closer to 24, only costs about $60 CAD.

My greatest highlight occurred yesterday. I had the opportunity to visit a church way up in the mountains above Grand Goave, in an village called Tete Boeuf. We left from GG at 5:00am, Pastor Luc on horseback while a couple others and I walked. We arrived in Tete Boeuf after about three hours of hiking covered in sweat. That is, all of us except for Pastor Luc. I took my shirt off and wrung about a cup of sweat out of it!

On our way up the river bed to the mountains:

The church in Tete-Boeuf (I think Tete-Boeuf means ‘Beef-head’):

The view of the coast towards Port-au-Prince:

Pastor Luc on horseback:

There are no roads, so donkeys and horses and walking is the only form of transportation:

The city of Grand Goave on the coast:

Mountain flowers:

During the service I was asked to preach, and though I didn’t have any subject which I felt called to preach on, I did feel called to share my testimony. I think that it was just as good for me to share it as it was for those in the church to hear it. As I listened to myself testify to the last few years of pain, struggle, and change in my life, and the journey that I have walked here in the third world mission field in searching God’s call on my life, I found it hard to hold back tears. They were tears of joy for where God has led me and how bright the future looks. I am still in physical pain, but life has new meaning, and passion is stirring once again. After I was finished sharing my story, Pastor Luc took over and preached a sermon on following God’s call on your life. I didn’t really know what he was preaching on for the hour and a half that I sat listening, since my Creole is not yet fluent, but Pastor Luc gave me a summary in English after the service. I spent the rest of the day reflecting on what he preached on, and one of the conclusions I came to is I want to encourage you, my readers.

Strangers, friends, and family,

You have witnessed the last four months of my life by reading this blog. I pray you have at least glimpsed the strength I rely on in my life; the source behind my joy. If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, I want to encourage you to seek out what this Christianity thing is all about. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. For those of you who are fellow believers, I want to encourage you to step out. Give Him room to speak into your life. Take hold of what God has for you. Rely on Him more than just a little. And walk the paths that He has prepared for you!

Carpe diem in One peace,

Paul DenHaan

June 5/07 - A Haitian Funeral for a Friend

2007-06-09T11:39:00.001-07:00

I have some sad news for this blog. On the morning of May 27th, a dear friend, Michelle, wife of Pastor Luc Honorat of H2H, passed away in their residence in Grand Goave. Michelle has been struggling with colon cancer for two years now, and her body has finally given out. She was blessed to be able to pass on to a better place while in the arms of her family. Some of you know her story. Her last treatment for her cancer was in Florida this past winter. She was placed on life support in January, and after a couple days the doctors called in Pastor Luc and told them that they needed to pull the plug in two hours. Pastor Luc asked them to keep her on life support for the rest of the night, as no one needed the hospital bed at the time. He passed the entire night at her bedside praying and pleading with God. The doctors came in the morning and took Michelle off of life support, but she continued to breathe throughout the rest of the day. Three weeks later she was able to fly home to Haiti to be with her family. Though the last four months has not been easy, as she has continued to struggle with pain, she has had moments of peace. Most importantly she was able to spend time with her family and friends here in Haiti. Here is a letter which I wrote to friends in Canada who were unable to attend her funeral.

Dear friends,

This past Saturday, June 2, we grieved and celebrated the life of Michelle Honorat, a lady dear to our hearts. She was not just a lady, but a lifemate to one man, a mother to her children, an adopted mother to the children under her care at H2H, and a friend to all. I feel called to share at least a little of what occurred here in Grand Goave on Saturday, as you were unable to witness it yourselves.

People came from all over Haiti and the States to attend Michelle’s funeral. Her life has touched many, and this was evident in the amount of people who gathered at the H2H church. Approximately 2000 people attended the funeral... including a chartered school bus load from Bouva/Grand Savane/Gonaive… the largest I have ever witnessed. In Haiti a funeral is a big deal, and the family of the deceased is expected to look after all who come to spend time with them. This crowd was the largest I have ever seen at a funeral either in Haiti or Canada, and this meant a huge crowd at Pastor Luc’s house in Grand Goave for three days, affording him or his family little rest and no time alone.

The funeral was on Saturday morning starting at 7:00am. It was an open casket funeral, and the first half hour was reserved for people to look upon Michelle’s body as the band played softly in the background. I was unable to follow the exact words of the program that followed because of my inability to speak fluent Creole, but words are not needed for impressions to be made. There was a turnout of pastors from all over Haiti. I estimate close to fifty pastors attended the funeral. Michelle’s coffin was adorned with many flowers. There were many silent tears and a few who wailed uncontrollably. I was touched to see such an outward display of emotion through wailing unlike anything I have experienced in Canada. It was heart wrenching and poignant.

The funeral service was cut short at four hours, at the direction of Pastor Luc. The program was numbered as having 41 different events within the service. After four hours, 25 of them had been accomplished. The 25 events included 10 pastors speaking from the pulpit and singing from about 15 different choirs and groups. After the service there was a funeral procession through the streets of Grand Goave that was the largest that I have ever witnessed in Haiti. A funeral procession from the church to the grave/tombside is common in Haiti, and will block up traffic for miles. This funeral was no different.

Michelle’s casket was placed in a tomb under a palm tree in a schoolyard near the ocean, about a fifteen minute walk from H2H. I observed and pondered as the close family watched two masons seal up the tomb with bricks and mortar. I could not help but be reminded of Christ’s burial in a tomb, and the thought passed through my mind that Jesus had already paved the way for her to enter the kingdom of heaven. I looked down at the ground where I was sitting and noticed a threaded needle lying among the pebbles and dirt. I picked it up and thought of Jesus’ words where he says, ‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ (Mark 10:25 NIV) Though it seemed unnecessary because of my knowledge of Michelle’s faith, I sensed a reassurance that she has been given a place in heaven already. Many attested to Michelle’s faith, which remained unwavering throughout her sickness. She did not live a life full of riches, but preferred instead to serve others through her time and the things that she was blessed with.

Of all the emotions of the funeral, I was most touched by the children of H2H. These are the children that Michelle dedicated much of her life to. My heart could not help but break a little to see them walking behind the hearse on the way to the tombside. As I and others have seen with teams coming and going, on departure the children will become very guarded with their emotions, not willing themselves to be emotionally hurt. I sensed the same guardedness in them during the time I have spent with them over the last week. I have not seen a tear, but I sense there are tears falling silently inside. The children stood during the service in front of the church and sang ‘Santim Byen’. I do not know the direct translation of the title of this song, but the words in English start: ‘When peace like a river attendeth my ways and sorrow like sea billows roll. Whatever the cost, thou has taught me to say; it is well, it is well, with my soul.’ This attitude was what I believe captures the heart of the funeral. The cost of the loss of such a dear friend caused much sorrow, but all was well within the souls present, for we all know where she has passed on to.

Please pray for Luc and his family as they walk through the days ahead. Pray for physical rest and for spiritual and emotional comfort. The funeral was very taxing on all aspects of their lives. Please also lift the children and leaders of H2H up in prayer. Pray that they may continue to be sensitive to each others’ needs and emotions.

In One peace,

Paul DenHaan

May 30/07 - Cranbrook/HFL Medical Team

2007-06-09T11:12:00.002-07:00

This post is about the week+ that I spent co-leading a medical team from Cranbrook. This was the first team that I had the privilege of co-leading with Angela as part of my new work with Hungry For Life. I flew into Haiti from New York on the same day as the team, and after meeting at the airport we drove to Mountain Top Ministries (MTM) where the team worked for the first week of their two week stay in Haiti. I left after a couple days at MTM to join up with the PCC/H2H team which I wrote about in my last post and to finalize arrangements for the Cranbrook/HFL team to conduct a medical clinic in Grand Goave at a ministry called HaitiARISE. HaitiARISE is currently a trade/theological school which was founded and is directed by Marc and Lisa Honorat. Marc is a brother of Pastor Luc from H2H. They have vision for the future for a medical clinic, an elementary and high school, and orphan’s homes. Here are some pictures and more stories:

Meeting at the airport, and the ride up into the mountains to Thomassin:

A few shots of the medical clinic at MTM:
Bob, Graham and Angela in the Pharmacy:

A shot of our rendezvous at CSI Guest House in Port-au-Prince on our way from MTM in Thomassin to HaitiARISE in Grand Goave. A LOADED bus:

I was able to spend a full week with the medical team in Grand Goave, and have a couple stories of patients which I would like to share.

The first is of a two year old boy who has club feet. In Haiti, people with physical disabilities are typically shunned and rejected from society. This boy is too old now to have his club feet problem corrected using corrective boots, which is the typical cure for club feet when caught early enough. The boy will now need surgery, which is expensive, and usually hard to have done in Haiti. We are in the process of exploring possibilities for this surgery.

The second story is of a 19 year old young woman, Nadia Louis. Nadia has a heart murmur, and after much discussing and consultation, the doctors determined that she will need heart surgery in order for her to survive more than a couple more years. This surgery is definitely unavailable at this time in Haiti, and the doctors went home to explore further options for surgery in Canada. At present we have sent Nadia in to have tests, such as a chest x-ray and echocardiogram done in order for the doctors to further determine what type of surgery is needed.

I know that my reader base has become quite large, and includes people from all walks of life. If there is anyone reading this who would be able to advise us of options for either surgery to take place, would you please email me at gohardcore@hotmail.com? I would love to get into contact with you.

Here are some shots of the medical clinic at HaitiARISE:

Weighing in a baby:

Trying to feed medicine into a little one:

We didn't see only babies at the medical clinic, but the older people had big people problems which means discretion must be used for taking pictures.

Our most important cook, Stacey:

On the last day at HaitiARISE, we took a day off, since it was Sunday anyways, and went to the beach! We had a great time of relaxation and even had a huge seafood lunch on the beach. The local Haitians brought in their catch for us to look at and choose from, and then cooked up a huge spread for us.

Lewis and Clark in Haiti:

We headed back to MTM for a day of debrief before the team headed back to Canada. It was a great two weeks, and team felt that we accomplished what we set out to do. Here is a shot of crossing a river on our way back to MTM:

I stayed in Haiti, I plan to spend the next two weeks visiting ministries and doing some project management in Grand Goave. Then….

I’M HEADED HOME!!!!!!!!!!

Yes that is correct… my time in the mission field for this trip is coming to an end, and I’ll be flying home to Canada on June 13, scheduled to arrive at 9:34pm at YVR. I am looking forward to being in the land of drinkable tap water and cooler climate! I’m especially looking forward to seeing friends and family after being gone for the last four and a half months!

May 30/07 - PCC/H2H Team

2007-06-08T11:35:00.001-07:00

The last two weeks have been busy. I spent my time split between working with two teams; Pacific Community Church/Heart to Heart, and a medical team from Cranbrook/Hungry for Life. This post will cover the time with the PCC/H2H team, and the next with the Cranbrook/HFL team.

As many of you know, Pacific Community Church is my home church, and I was excited to be among old friends, as well as some new ones. I was feeling heaps fatigued even after my brief break in NY/NJ, and looked forward to just being part of a team, and not having much responsibilities, work, or agenda. I mostly floated in the background, helping out where I could, and resting somewhat. I say somewhat because a team coming to Haiti usually has a lot of agenda to cover while they have the chance to be in the country, whereas I was seeking the opposite; rest. It was difficult to rest much, but a change in pace was definitely healthy.

I was only with the team for four days, and this trip almost didn’t even happen, as the truck that was coming to pick me up broke down halfway up the hill to Thomassin, where I was staying at MTM for the first couple days that I returned to Haiti. Fortunately my friends at H2H were able to fix the vehicle, aided by 70 Haitian spectators who formed the peanut gallery. But they made it up the hill, and we loaded the truck full with my stuff (goofing around as families typically do), and a drum kit and a generator that I sent down to Haiti in the fall of last year on an HFL trailer destined for MTM. Here are some snapshots into those four days with the team:

Lots of excitement as drumkit is unloaded:

Games day with the kids… the water balloon toss turned into a full-on waterfight… no one got away dry…

…not even Tycam… though he tried!!!

Painting the kids’ rooms in the children’s home; everyone wanted to be a part of the work, no laziness here…

… and some of the kids too!!

BEACH DAY!!! Everyone get onboard the taptap…

…held up due to taptap problems…

…cloudy day… but fun had by all!!!

The girls decided it was time to do their SPA night…

… so the boys played HOCKEY!!! WHOOAAHH!!!

A game of 'casino' in the evening:

I leave you with a shot of the youngest class at the H2H school. These are some of the kids who benefit from an education provided by sponsors in Canada... and they are eager to learn.

The four days were fun. I left the PCC/H2H team as they left to travel to Grand Savane and Bouva to work among the Haitians there. My next task was leading a medical team from Cranbrook, BC, to work in Grand Goave, the same city as H2H is located in. My next post will describe our work there!

May 15/07 - New York/New Jersey Layover

2007-05-25T16:07:00.002-07:00

I write this update on the airplane on my way to Haiti. I’ve spent the last four days in New York and New Jersey, sightseeing and resting. It has been awesome. I arrived Friday afternoon, stayed the night in the Days Inn JFK… great service by the way!... and then headed off Saturday morning to JFK to drop off my bins at the baggage storage, and then found my way onto the NY subway system (looks the same as the movies). I met Laura, a teacher from New Jersey who I met in Haiti, and after putting my backpack and laptop in storage, we spent the day sightseeing NY. Highlights were:

Harbour Cruise around lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty

The golf driving range on a barge?

Sushi for dinner, and New York cheesecake at Times Square:

That evening we took another train to New Jersey, where I spent the night at Laura’s house with her family. Sunday we spent at church and then had brunch which Laura’s kids, Sarah and Joe, prepared. It was really good… bagels with cream cheese (possible the best I’ve ever had) and fruit salad and juice and eggs. Then we spent the afternoon getting new glasses for me and Joe, buying a new hat, getting a haircut, stocking up on a few snacks, and restocking my bouncing ball, beach ball, sidewalk chalk, and Frisbee supply. For dinner we ate at ‘Surf Taco’ where I had battered cod and shrimp on a taco. Sounds a little weird, but tastes great! Afterwards we walked down the New Jersey Atlantic shore.

Oh yeah, I also got the chance to do ALL my laundry... and hang it outside! It smelled SOOOO GOOOOOODDDDD!!!!!!! Thanks Laura!

Monday I took the train system back into New York. From the train station I walked to the World Trade Center site, then around the lower tip of Manhattan, up the entire length of Wall Street, around the NY stock exchange, through Little Italy, over the Brooklyn Bridge, through Union Square, and back to the Penn Station, where I caught the New York subway system again back to JFK… got my bins out of storage, and headed for the Days Inn once again. I figured I walked about 9 miles or 15 kilometers… The highlight was eating food from the street vendors along the way!... Did you know that there are breakfast street vendors who work till 11:00am, and then the lunch and afternoon street vendors take over and finish the day! Croissants, Bacon-and-eggers, bagels, shish-kepab, gyros, pizza, hotdogs, ice cream… fully NY fare.

World Trade Center Site:

A walk over the Brooklynn Bridge and back:

New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street:

I had a great time of rest, relaxation, and getting my mind off of ‘work’. Thanks Laura and co. for the hospitality and the good times!

Well, next update will be from Haiti. I’ll be spending then next two weeks with two teams, one from Pacific Community Church, and one from Hungry For Life. After that I’ll be doing some project management until June 13, when I’ll be flying home. Stay tuned for team updates!!!

May 11/07 - THE CONGO!!!

2007-05-17T11:46:00.001-07:00

Well my friends and family, the last three weeks have been crazy-awesome-busy; as I’ve told some of you over Messenger or Skype. (For those of you who use these internet services, my messenger name is ‘gohardcore@hotmail.com’ and my Skype name is ‘gohardcore’. It’s time to get you all up to date on what I’ve been doing in THE CONGO!!! (Pictures are mostly not appreciated at all by the Congolese people, so shots had to be done in stealth or after asking permission… I have included some of what I have been able to, but there were lots of great pictures that went unrecorded.)

The last three weeks have been very busy but productive. I’ve spent them working alongside Tanya M. (new friend from Westpoint Community Church), Jim S. and Cammie C. (friends from Pacific Community Church):

Jim has 34 years of experience in the Congo, and had largely been involved in founding and directing a ministry called Studios Sango Malamu (SSM). This ministry began as a radio station, but has grown to include a state of the art recording studio (rivals for top spot in professional studios in Kinshasa), four Christian radio stations spaced throughout Africa, a music academy, churches, and a couple of new developments. Those developments are what I’ve been involved in for the last three weeks. The first and largest involves the beginning of a village for widows and orphans called Elikia Village. The second involves an orphanage in Kinshasa that currently houses 54 kids of varying ages. Most of you know that this trip to the Congo wasn’t planned when I left for Haiti in early February, but I felt a large desire to get involved in the Elikia Village project while in Haiti, and, in discussion with Jim/Cammie, we decided that it would be great for me to get in on the project while it is still in beginning stages. So...

...I went!

Here is a stealth shot of the countryside and typical view surrounding Kinshasa. Of not in this picture is the antennas on the top of the farthest hill that marks the location of SSM.

My first story is about getting into the Congo. I should note that it is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, though most people I know refer to it as the Congo. A travel visa is required to enter the country, and since I did not have the necessary time nor proximity to a Congolese embassy, I had to get my visa done at the customs office in the Congo. Jim and our protocol man, named Maninga, were able to arrange all the necessary documents, which were sitting in the customs office at the airport, awaiting my arrival. Unfortunately, American Airlines wouldn’t let me on the flight without a confirmation that the proper visa was issued. So, I ended up staying an extra day in layover in New York in order to get a letter sent that would let me into the country. The visas are required as a new policy of the Congolese government in an effort to increase security in the country. When I landed in Brussels on my next layover, I ran into a similar problem, and it took calling a supervisor to get me on the plane. As I walked off the airplane I was met at customs by Maninga, who took my passport and took me to a VIP air conditioned lounge. There I met Cammie, Tim (a fellow from Belgium), and Miyimi (Director of finances and projects at SSM). We sat there talking until Maninga told us it was time to go… my luggage was waiting at the car. Everything worked out eventually, only a day late… nothing new in the mission field! The easiest country to deal with was the Congo… get that!?! Here is the best shot of my stay in New York:

I’ve decided to begin this post with a summary of the orphanage (the second project) first. Cammie, Tanya, and I took a little day trip to see this orphanage about a week into my trip, and I was blessed. We had a great time with the children. I had brought some soccer balls, bouncing balls, and hair elastics for the kids, and these things created some huge smiles. Cammie and Tanya had been involved with the orphanage on previous visits, and have helped with some of the construction of the new building (which is still under some construction) and were able to bring pictures and video of those visits. The kids were ecstatic to see pictures of themselves, and gathered around the laptop we brought with wide eyes and squeals of delight.

You can't see, but we are pumping up a soccer ball in this photo, one of three that I left along with the pump at this orphanage!

The orphanage is directed by a lady named Georgette. She is a Congolese national who has a university degree and speaks fluent English. She works another job in order to be able to provide food for the 54 children, and her sacrifice was evident in her inability to stay awake when I had the chance to sit and talk with her. We sent her off to bed to get some rest. Georgette and her helpers have created community among these children, and it is a blessing to visit. We hope to work closely alongside Georgette in the future, as her wealth of information on orphanage work is extremely helpful. We are exploring the possibility of being able to help Georgette in what she does, and have her help us in what we are doing at Elikia Village through finding sponsorship and help for her children at the orphanage, and for her personally, so that she is able to do what she is passionate about in helping those less fortunate. Georgette and Cammie:

The Elikia Village project took up the largest amount of my time. Through this project we are seeking to build a village for widows and orphans that will include houses, a school, and a medical clinic. Each home will house one widow and eight orphans, creating a family in which all individuals can receive nurturing and love. We seek to help these new family units to become self sustaining through teaching them to work and be responsible for themselves and each other. This project is at ground breaking stage, so most of my work was done in the office of SSM, designing houses, site plans, and discussing with Jim and Cammie ideas and details for the project. Here is a shot of my office work (notice the food dish of white rice and bananas... I wasn't feeling good for a couple days this trip).

The Elikia Village will be built about a 20 minute drive from SSM, on the outskirts of Kinshasa. The nearest village is about 5 kilometers away. A 30 acre property has been purchased and is located on a hill overlooking a beautiful view of rolling hills and vegetation to the east. My tasks for these three weeks involved plotting a topographical map for the property using GPS and Google. This had two purposes, the first was to determine elevations and distances for the major services (water, electrical, etc) and the second was to determine the boundaries of the property. The land is quite hilly and vegetated, and the original surveyors of this site misplaced half of their markers. Based on the site plan given to me, in conjunction with Google and GPS, I was able to determine the exact property boundaries, and doing so added about 7 acres of land to the property, giving us a full 30 acres to work with. Here are some shots of my work in the field with my new Congolese friends:

Shots of the Elikia Village site and view of the surrounding hills:

The water source below the property with an old pump system:

One of our military escorts with Cammie and Miyimi (our head contractor at SSM):

Measuring the water output of the water source:

Hiding from a downpour... my tall head brushed the ceiling and I almost got stung by a massive hornet that was building a nest on the ceiling:

The existing water resevoir on the property, used in a two stage system to get the water from the water source up to the top of the property.

The old pump system:

Walking along the property in the long grass... the same grass that swallowed a pair of my glasses and left me blind until I was able to get to New Jersey/New York to get a new pair.

Terracing on the hillside that will be similar to what we will need to do for the houses:

The type of brick construction that will be utilized in the construction of the buildings in the village:

A sample of the beginning of a garden that is being cleared and terraced for use:

Once the property was determined, the next task was determining how to deal with the slope of the hill so that we can build on it. This included determining how terracing will work and where the houses will be located. A couple of friends of SSM had already created a house layout, but the design didn’t fit onto the terracing we needed to use, so we redesigned the house. I have yet to finish the final layout of the buildings, but my estimate is that we will get about 50+ houses onto this property, which translates to about 500 people living here.

Stay posted for more info and ways you can help on these great projects! If you are interested in anything I am involved in, send me an email @ gohardcore@hotmail.com. I would love to keep you posted on specific needs and ways in which you can help out, or to schedule a time to meet so that we can discuss what has been laid on your heart.

Here are some other things I’ve been doing while in the Congo:

A large monthly rally of approximately 12,000 people in Kinshasa put on by SSM:

Poto and Pasi. Poto works for SSM as a chauffeur. His wife has a tumor in her belly that needs operation, we took this photo after we had spent a morning with them praying, talking, and encouraging.

A Congolese bath... fill the bucket with the trickle coming from the tap... use the cup to wet one's body... lather up... and rinse with the cup:

The house that Jim, Cammie, and Tanya are living in, and the SSM Jeep that we use to get around:

Jim oiling his chair with the dipstick from a car... always a need to improvise!

Many friends and family (and even Congolese) have asked my impressions of the Congo vs. Haiti. After three weeks in the Congo, this is what I have experienced. First off, the temperature -why is the weather always first in conversation?- is about the same in terms of heat, but the humidity in the Congo is much higher than in Haiti, this means it was hotter overall. I found the roads to be heaps smoother than in Haiti, and they reminded me of Mexico; blacktop with occasional foot-deep potholes and rough patches. There is less garbage in the streets, though I still saw some seriously unsanitary rivers/creeks plugged with garbage.

Overall I think that the Congo is about two generations (or 30-40ish years) ahead of Haiti. More people have university education and have a sense of self-respect and the accompanying responsible attitude. This has been heaps encouraging and fun for me, as I have had the opportunity to work alongside Congolese engineers and contractors who have built gas stations, houses, churches, and large shopping malls. The precision of work is a lot higher because of these reasons; one example is the way they do forming with conventional lumber, clean cuts, and precise angles and curves:

Another example is being able to rely more on estimates and quotes made by Congolese engineers and contractors. In Haiti I feel the need to micro-manage an estimate to make sure that everything is remembered… In the Congo it requires less micro-management. My experience in the Congo has been uplifting, as I have been able to envision a place that Haitians have the very good possibility of attaining as individuals who face similar challenges as the Congolese.

Over the last three weeks I have been struggling a little with fatigue. It has been a while now since I have been home, and the lack of a good rest in the mission field has begun to make me weary. However, the work is very exciting and spurs the passion inside of me, and this has kept me going. As well, I have been blessed to receive little bursts of energy from outside sources. Sometimes this is from friends at SSM; from visiting the kids at Georgette’s orphanage; a really powerful worship service; a quiet moment with God; or an encouraging note from YOU: friends, family, and those I have yet to get to know better. I have been blessed by whatever means I have been encouraged, and am looking forward to another month in Haiti before heading home to Canada on June 13.

That’s right!!! Touch down time scheduled on June 13 at 9:34pm!!!

I look forward to being home and getting some great rest and sharing all my stories and experiences. In the meantime I have scheduled a three day, four night layover in NY/NJ on my way from the Congo to Haiti, and look forward to the rest and a break from work agenda.

Next update: NY/NJ…

…then on to Haiti!!!

May 5/07 - The Last Three Weeks -Part 3 -H2H Grand Savane and Bouva

2007-05-11T17:20:00.001-07:00

Well, here is the second H2H update. On this trip, Rebecca once again accompanied me as we traveled up to northern Haiti to the villages of Grand Savane and Bouva. We had three days set aside for the trip, and it takes a full day to travel one way, meaning we drove all day Saturday, and all day Monday, leaving Sunday to visit. A few brothers and one sister accompanied us from Grand Goave. Pastor Luc, ‘Uncle’ Hoslais, Enoch, Daniel, Claudy, and Elna accompanied Rebecca and I. The focus of this trip was twofold. One goal was to spend time with our brothers and sisters in GS and Bouva, especially on Sunday morning. The other was to have a meeting with the contractors who H2H works with on building projects.

Tangent Time: In my view, the healthiest way to help our Haitian friends is to help them to help themselves. When it comes to building projects this means that as foreigners the best position to take is one of empowerment. To work alongside our friends and empower them to do work, rather than take over and do it for them, allows them to grow, to experience working to earn their keep, in simplest form, self-respect and responsibility. If there are ideas that skilled people can bring to the table, it should be just that, bringing those ideas to the table where it can be discussed and decided on by all. I have seen, and even done so personally, many projects done on ‘missions’ or ‘humanitarian aid’ trips, where the foreigner lands on foreign soil, takes charge, and does the work, leaving a building or a project standing when they leave. I have come to believe that this approach is not the best to take. So we provide a building, but where does that leave the people we are in essence trying to help? With a building… just a physical object. By working with them on a project, empowering them to do the work, it is possible to teach, to build self-respect, to build responsibility, to help them help themselves. A common saying is, ‘Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. But teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime!’ And so that has become my approach to all missions projects. People first… since this is what it is all about. Helping People.

My home church in Cloverdale, BC, Pacific Community Church, has partnered with a H2H church in Grand Savane to help them to build a...

...building that can be used as a church, a community center, and an emergency shelter. The last time that I was at GS was in the fall, when our team brought down funds to finish the walls and get the church to the stage of putting the roof on. When we were down here, our team decided that it would be a wise choice to put a concrete roof on the building instead of a steel truss and sheet metal roof. This would ensure that the building would be unaffected by hurricane winds, which are a real threat here, as at least half of Grand Savane, including the church, is waterfront property. However, a concrete roof includes extra cost, which we had not raised money for. So before construction continues, the first goal is to get as accurate an estimate as is possible of the cost involved in finishing the building. And this is why the meeting with the contractors at the building site. To determine where the building process had finished at in the fall, and to determine what was left in the building process, and how much that is going to cost. Here are some shots of the church building as it is right now:

From left to right: Jean-Francois, pastor of the GS church; Daniel, and Claudy, both mason contractors. If you’ve been following my blog for at least a couple blogs, you’ll know that the typical construction in Haiti is all concrete and mason work. So this is the major part of the estimate. Here the guys are determining parts of the estimate.

Pastor Luc:

It should be said that in Haiti construction is typically not done in the same way as in most of the rest of the world. In most affluent societies, the first part of a building project is to figure out what is wanted, and how much that is going to cost. In Haiti, and other parts of the world that are financially poor, once there is a thought to build something, it is begun. The building usually continues at the pace the money is earned, meaning that in most cases houses take multiple years to complete. In the Haitian society, it is rare to need a bank account, as almost all business exchanges are done in cash. But as we all know, cash can be easy to spend, especially when one is not used to having it. I have seen many examples of Haitians knowing this and therefore making decisions in such a way as to not allow themselves the chance to spend any money. One example is a man who has sold a piece of land that the H2H school property in Grand Goave is standing on, but which has not been paid for yet, because the man refuses to give us a final price. When asked why H2H can’t pay for it, the response is that the man is worried that if he has the money in his hand it’ll disappear. The other larger example is that if money is in hand to build, it is spent. There are not many ‘finished’ houses in Haiti because of this. Another aspect to this is that houses are built so that they can always add another floor, and because of this there is rebar sticking up out of almost all the roofs that you see. So, determining an accurate final estimate has been a bit of work, and requires some hands on work to be done by people who are able to envision a completed project and all of the parts involved in getting there. This is why the trip was necessary. It was a great trip, and at the end we had either determined the estimated cost of each step of the building project, or had written down the information that still needs to be gathered. We are one step closer to the final estimate!

Here are some shots of the kids in Grand Savane who were overjoyed to see Rebecca. I was sitting in the back of the pickup as we drove into the area on Saturday night, and I honestly couldn’t tell if many of the kids were yelling, “‘becca, ‘becca,” (meaning Rebecca) or “blanc, blanc” (meaning ‘white’ short for ‘white man’).

On Sunday morning we had large combined church service at the Bouva church, where the guest house is also located. I was so blessed by the service that I am still touched by thinking on it, even now, three weeks later. I had been starting to feel fatigued and worn out from being in the mission field without any real breaks for about two and a half months. My emotional cup was beginning to feel low. We began in worship, transitioned into announcements, and then into welcoming the visitors present. Our brothers from Grand Goave had not had the opportunity to travel to Bouva/GS since September 2006, when the last PCC team traveled there. So all the H2H leaders that came with us were welcomed, and then they asked the ‘blancs’ to come up and say something. After Rebecca and Ligeia, another lady who has some history of working with Pastor Luc and was in the area, had said their piece, it was my turn. I began by expressing that for me the experience of coming to their church and community after my two and a half months of travel in Haiti was a feeling of being with family. I had come across 2 Peter 2:4-12 about three weeks prior to this day, and felt inspired to share from it. This passage summarized is about building the church on the proper cornerstone, Jesus. I was able to tie this into building an actual church building which is what we are doing in GS together, and this became the theme of the service. After I was done speaking, Hoslais, Luc’s brother, got up and took over where I had left off, adding passages of the Bible that complimented the theme I had introduced. There are three parts of the service after this that blessed me even more than being able to share with my brothers and sisters from the living Word of God, the Bible. The first was Hoslais’ first words, encouraging and exhorting me to use the gift of teaching that he saw in me, but which neither he, nor any of my other Haitian brothers, had any sense was there. Number two was after Hoslais and the other pastors had finished speaking, the pastors conferred together and decided that they wanted to pray over me. They knew that I was heading to the Congo, and doing so without being sent off by my home church family. I was called to the front and the pastors gathered around me and prayed over me. The third was the worship time we had immediately after this prayer time. Everyone was dancing and singing and praising our Lord together. Suffice to say that my emotional and spiritual tanks got filled this day.

After the service the ladies made food for all the people who had come. Here is a shot of the rice and beans and other food. Cooking for a hundred plus visitors over wood fire!

Of course we had to hand out candy… yes even to some of the adults!

That was Sunday. On our way home on Monday, I sat in the back of the truck for the entire trip, since sitting inside the cab of the truck was really causing a lot of pain and cramping to my back and leg. It was HOT and BRIGHT! Here are some shots of our trip home:

A blind man we gave some money to at the start of our journey. His face lit up, and his smile was a blessing to me.

Here is my face. I don’t know if this’ll turn out on the blog with less resolution, but the first picture is the beginning of the trip home; first layer of sunscreen and zinc oxide. The second is about three-quarters of the way to Port-au-Prince. When we got to the CSI guest house in PAP, my face was black… which I didn’t realize was as bad as it was until I got into the washroom after saying all my goodbyes to our friends, and saying my hi’s to all the people at CSI that day. I was slightly shocked and had a good laugh when I saw my face in the mirror. Yes, there was mud in the sink when I was washing my face.

Here is a shot of the traffic and the highway on our trip back to PAP.

Well, that’s the trip. Next blog update: THE CONGO

May 3/05 - The Last Three Weeks -Part 2 -H2H Grand Goave

2007-05-06T23:40:00.001-07:00

Well friends, I starting this blog sitting at the kitchen table of Jim, Cammie, and Tanya’s residence in the Congo. You might want to get a cup of coffee or tea first… the next couple posts will be long ones. I’m listening to a CD recorded and produced by Studios Sango Malamu, SSM, which is the Christian radio station and affiliated ministries which Jim has had a major part in beginning and running during the last thirty years of doing His work in Africa. I will describe more about SSM and the projects that I am involved in here in the Congo on my next post. The last couple weeks have been crazy awesome busy. I am feeling fatigued from traveling for so long away from home, but every time the fatigue begins to set in bad, I get a little boost of energy. Usually it comes through the people or projects that I have been working with here, but sometimes it comes from you, my supporting audience. Wherever it comes from, I sense the source being Him, and so I want to thank you all for allowing yourselves to be vessels willing to be used by Him. I really have only two words to describe this experience, which I have adopted from the African CD album I am listening to….. ‘Alleluia…. Amen!’

In this post I wish to share my experiences at H2H during my last two weeks in Haiti. As you probably know from my last post, this encompasses two visits to H2H, one to Grand Goave, and the other to Grand Savane and Bouva. For an idea of where these are located I have included one diagram below for you to understand.

My first visit to H2H was for a few days from April 6-10. I was accompanied by Rebecca Larkin, a friend from Pacific Community Church, who has been working in Haiti since mid-February at God’s Littlest Angels, which is a crèche located near MTM in Thomassin. We had a great time visiting with our friends and family there. I call them family because that is the feeling that I have when I am with my brothers and sisters at H2H. Rebecca and I both commented on the fact that when Enoch, Hoslais, and co. pulled up to CSI guest house in PAP where we rendezvoused on the way from Thomassin to Grand Goave, that it felt as if we were being picked up by family. This is a huge blessing to myself, and this blessing continued through both visits. Here are some stories of our time at H2H:

First off, most of you know that Michelle, H2H Pastor Luc’s wife, has been struggling with cancer for the last couple years. I spoke with Pastor Luc a couple days ago, and Michelle continues to feel pain, though it tends to come in waves. When she is not in pain she is able to get up and spend time with her family. When we arrived on our last visit she was in quite a lot of pain, and was taking morphine sulphate orally to combat it. However, during our visit Michelle was able to get up and spend time with us in her living room. On Sunday we were further blessed as she attended the church service at H2H, and even got up to speak encouraging words to her brothers and sisters there. We continue to pray for His will to take place in this situation, and ask for His hand to be upon Luc, Michelle, their immediate family, and the children at H2H’s orphanage. I do not have a picture of Luc and Michelle from this visit, but I have a couple from my last visit in February.

The kids at the H2H orphanage were overjoyed to see us, especially Rebecca. The kids immediately surrounded her and this became the focus of her trip. I think this was the largest highlight of our visit for them. Rebecca and I came prepared with some things for the kids to do. Balloon animals, crayons, coloring pencils, markers, soccer balls, bouncing balls, hair elastics, etc...

Take note, Albert, here is your pal, Wood, or is it Woody. For those of you who don’t know the twins, on your first visit to H2H, you are sure to meet them. These two are always getting into mischief, but they are growing up to be conscientious young men. Albert, I think Rebecca might actually have figured out how to tame at least one of them:

As you can see, the boys are ready and willing to apply themselves to just about any task or challenge. They are so willing to be taught, they just need someone(s) to take the time to teach them. Here is the other twin, carrying our drinking water back from town:

Rebecca and her posse (these four boys pretty much were always to be found on Rebecca’s heels):

The second largest was probably the afternoon that we took them to Tiano Beach for an afternoon. The Caribbean Ocean is a 20 minute drive from the orphanage, so all we had to do was rent a truck to get there. Of the 85 kids who call H2H orphanage home, we squeezed 65 of them, and 8 adults, into the truck and Pastor Luc’s pickup. It was a great day…

The kids hit the water:

Check out that ‘farmer’… make that ‘missionary’… tan!

The older kids mostly stuck to soccer on the beach!

I also spent some time with Daniel and Claudy, two mason contractors, working on some parts of the new school building at H2H. If you have read this blog from the beginning, you’ll know that I visited H2H in early February, and brought down funds for continuing the construction of the school. While I have been travelling through Haiti, Daniel, Claudy, and crew have finished off the backfilling and pouring of the concrete on the main floor and putting some beams in place to support the next floor. Here are some pictures:

On the way back from the back of the property on afternoon, I came across this group of gals having loads of fun with a skipping rope:

For those of you who have been to Grand Goave, or at least following closely what is happening around H2H, you know that the highway’s bridge over the river nearby has been washed out for a number of years now. Well… they started rebuilding it! Here is a shot of a dump truck stuck in the river… the excavator is pushing it out. Luckily the river is not high right now. You have to understand that in Haiti if it rained you would have a torrent of water roaring down this river… hence the last under engineered bridge being washed out.

It is Mango season in Grand Goave! There are mango trees everywhere… at least three quarters of the trees in GG are mango trees. To get the mango off the tree and into one’s mouth can be done in three ways. The elder’s prefer the slow way of waiting for the mango to drop when it is ripe, while the youngster’s prefer to grab a rock or a green mango and throw it at the ripe mangos, attempting to hit them out of the tree. For the commercial minded Haitians, climbing the tree with a machete and whacking off fruit bearing limbs is usually employed. The immediate needs are me by doing this, but it is a bit of a shame as in the long term the trees are affected. Now to eat a mango properly, you have to be at least part Haitian, otherwise you get strings sticking out of your face. I took to carrying a pocketknife and a roll of floss everywhere I went so that I could deal with having a mango snack at any time. You also need a supply of water to wash up afterwards… hence the bucket. Here are a couple shots. Mom… sorry, can’t take them home for you!

My last story is about Rebecca. She contracted a ring worm spot on her face sometime in the transition between GLA and H2H, and was not sure of the group of kids who were the source. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the right cream to treat it in GG, so it just got bigger and bigger. The shot below is of the CSI guest house in PAP. Notice Rebecca covering her chin!... sorry Rebecca… I told you I had to post this one…. LOL.

Well that is it for now… I have decided to break this post up further since it is getting a little long. The next one will be about my last trip to H2H ministries in Grand Goave and Bouva. Hold tight… it’ll be SOON… I am motivated to get you all up to date.

Apr 22/07 - I'm safe in the Congo!!!

2007-04-22T09:57:00.001-07:00

Hey guys,

In the Congo, safe and sound... I was delayed in New York for an extra night, as there were some concerns over the travel visa which I didn't have on my person, but which was waiting for me in the Congo.... I'll tell more in one of my next blog entries... but I am pressed for time today, so this will have to do for now.

I am safe, and Jim, Cammie, and Tanya are all here safe and healthy.

For those of my family and friends concerned about the safety here; I feel somewhat safer here than in Haiti so far.

First impressions... just as hot as Haiti, but heaps more humid... meaning hotter overall.

In One peace,

Paul

Apr 18/07 - The Last Three Weeks -Part 1 -MTM

2007-04-19T11:19:00.001-07:00

So, I’m sitting in PAP international airport. Life continued to be heaps busy up till I got to the airport. As I sit here I can feel my body letting the fatigue begin to release itself, and the only thing keeping me from shutting down is a desire to finally get you all up to date with some stories and pictures of the last three awesome but busy weeks in my life.

I have divided my time over the last three weeks between Mountain Top Ministries (MTM) and Heart to Heart (H2H). Though I have traveled back and forth a couple times now, I am going to just update you on what has been occurring at each location.

I’ll start with MTM. As you know, if you aren’t reading this for the first time, I have been acting as a consulting architect, engineer, contractor and boss with Willem’s crew of Haitian workers. We began a few weeks ago building up the walls of the main floor, and I have updated pictures a couple times on the progress we have made. The new developments on the house include pouring the second floor; designing the layout of the walls, windows, and doors on the second floor. At this point I left for a few days to go to H2H Grand Goave, so here are some pictures up till that point.

A few of my friends and students:

The floor being formed for concrete:

Laying out the rebar and blocks that are poured into the floor to save some money, the design doesn't really create less strength, which is good:

We hire a concrete crew to come in and pour the floor, and these guys come with a mixer... but the concrete is still 'pumped' by buckets and bodies.

Gravel being brought in with 5 gallon buckets from the pile:

Concrete being pumped by buckets:

Floor is poured and I've laid out the floor. The guys had to be taught how to use a chalk line and the pythagorean theorem to make the walls square... It took some close supervision to make sure the doors ended up in the right spots, and the 45 degree angles put in place, even with chalk lines marking exactly where the outside and insides of all the walls were, but it worked out in the end. I think it'll be worth the gray hairs:

When I returned the crew was ready to frame up the arches over all the windows. Willem’s words were, ‘Canadians sure like lots of expensive windows.’ I believe it’s all in jest, as Beth and Willem are happy with the design and look of the house so far. After I had laid out all the arches with the workers, which took about three days, since there is not enough lumber (too expensive) to frame them all up and pour them all in one shot, I left again for H2H to travel to Grand Savane and Bouva. Here are some shots till this point.

When I returned last Monday (4/16/07) night, the arches looked good, and the last of the rock wall was being built up in the front of the house.

Tuesday morning I headed into Petionville, a suburb of PAP, to get a yellow fever vaccination, which I found out last week Thursday that I needed in order to get into the Congo. First I changed some money in the street, yeah… that is the MTM preferred way of changing money. I find it somewhat comical to just pull up to some guys on the street and while keeping a gun on your lap where they can see it, pass sometimes thousands of dollars out the window and tell them to change it for you. Willem says they always beg him to check the money before he leaves to make sure it is all there, which he always declines… keeps them fearful and honest I think, since they know that he knows how to find out where they live.

Anyway, after this I hit the doctor’s office for my vaccination. Thanks Beth again for arranging it all for me! I left with a little Snoopy bandaid on my shoulder, and headed back to MTM, where Willem and I got into unloading the HFL container that finally arrived here last Friday. We took a bit of a risk letting it sit for three days over the weekend on a nearby street, but everything turned out just fine. The neighborhood has great respect for MTM, since they endeavor to help the people of Thomassin, Gramothe, and Dumay out, and seek to build communities of respect, and this aided the safety factor of leaving the container loaded for three days. Anyway, we unloaded it and here are some pics. The container had not been damaged or rummaged, and the only damage was about 4 cans of sliced apples that were crushed, and a couple boxes of salt that absorbed some moisture. All in all everthing arrived safe and dry!!! Thank you Lord!

Container opened to reveal nothing missing and plastic barrier in place:

In the trailer; first photo, Willem:

Computers arrived all safe, dry, and undamaged:

Unloading into the house nearby:

We finished loading in four hours, though Willem and Beth and crew will be sorting it for the next little while. Afterwards Willem and I headed back to the house, where he has some questions on the rooflines. We redesigned the roof, and I drafted everything out on paper. However, in order to get the look across to everyone I needed to make a paper model so that all the workers would be able to imagine it and build it. So I did this in the evening, and also headed to God’s Littlest Angels (www.gla.com)??? to visit Molly, Joyce, and Rebecca. I had a box of infant clothes to drop, and needed to borrow the use of their scanner to get a copy of my passport to Jim Sawatsky in the Congo, so that he could finish lining up my travel visa at the customs office. We shortcutted the process by dealing directly with the customs office at the airport through some of Jim’s contacts, since I wasn’t able to get to a Congolese consulate, let alone with enough time (three weeks) that is needed for them to issue a visa. I had a great visit with my friends at GLA. Thanks again Molly for helping me get the passport scanned and emailed to my laptop!

I hit the sack last night, and this morning I said my goodbyes… or more precisely, ‘see you laters’, packed my bags, and spent another 45 minutes with Willem and the crew to quickly layout the rooflines and pitches and explain to them all what the finished result is supposed to look like. The paper model helped heaps, and I’m confident they’ll succeed yet again.

I just started sorting photos for the blog, and came across some that need to be in here from various events during the last three weeks at MTM…

Church service:

There was a 50's car show held at an estate nearby, where we go to play soccer Tuesdays and Saturdays. They had about 24 cars there but from all different years. Here is my favorite from the show... no I'm not gonna tell you what it is... you'll have to guess:

I noticed something in the trees nearby and went to investigate... and this is what I found growing in a few of the trees:

I had to include this one. Doesn't it look great... this is from the Willem and Beth's table, so Mom... I'm being looked after well as you can see. Can you guess the bird type??? Try... then read the last line of this blog to find out what it is:

Well, I ran out of time to get into the H2H stories and pics, so I’m going to do that in a separate post (you probably need a break from reading anyway).

I want to thank all my friends and new extended family at MTM for their hospitality and love. I was blessed to spend this time teaching, learning, and working alongside everyone. I was especially blessed by the Haitian workers, who told Willem that they didn’t want me to leave, but to stay and continue to teach and work alongside them. Special thanks to Willem, Beth, Stephen, and David, for sharing their home with me and making me part of their family, I have been blessed by your hospitality. I look forward to returning and continuing to work with you guys in the future. Till we see again, Shalom!

Oh yeah... and Pigeon!!!

Apr 18/07 - Help for possible stay in New York

2007-04-19T06:05:00.002-07:00

Hey all, I'm safe in New York on my 24 hour layover here. I leave in a few hours for the Congo via Belgium and Cameroon.

I have a quick request for help from anyone who is reading this blog who lives in or near New York. I am toying with the idea of spending some extra time in New York on my return trip from the Congo to explore the city. I am looking for somewhere affordable to stay that is close enough to the city that I can get there to explore. The dates I am thinking of are May 11-15, a weekend. Any ideas of where to stay? Any ideas of what I should go and see? Anyone want to be my travel guide for a day or a few hours while I'm there?

Please email me back any info @ gohardcore@hotmail.com.

Stay in One peace,
Paul

Apr 17/07 - WOW... Life is busy, but awesome!!!

2007-04-17T15:43:00.001-07:00

I'm back at MTM after a great weekend with brothers and sisters at H2H. I am leaving tomorrow for the Congo, and my schedule is still heaps busy, but I plan to update with pictures adn stories in the next few days.

The weekend was awesome. I felt like I was back with family. The highlight of the weekend was getting filled up spiritually on Sunday during church. I have been beginning to feel a little weary and fatigued from travelling for so long without any real breaks. (A break for me is quiet and peace and no agenda.) On Sunday I took the opportunity to share my thoughts on the family connection that I felt among them, and then I shared some scripture on building the church family using the correct cornerstone, Christ, and it turned into delivering a sermon. After I was finished, Luc's brother, Hoslais, took what I had shared, and added to it. I should mention that church in Haiti is usually about 4 hours minimum, so two or more full sermons back to back is normal. When Hoslais began he first encouraged and exhorted me to use the gift of teaching that he sees in me to share with brothers and sisters everywhere, as I travel throughout the world on missions. He said we are called to teach if we have the gift to do so, so put that light on a lampstand. This was blessing number one. Blessing number two was after Hoslais and a couple other pastors finished, Luc came up and after talking with the other pastors in Creole, called me up to the front so that they could lay hands on me and pray. Blessing number two. So for my Canadian church family, who did not have the opportunity to send me off to the Congo in person; know that our Haiti church family took on that role, and I feel fully backed!

Last night I got back to my other family at Mountain Top Ministries. I spent the evening doing wash and arranging details for my trip to Congo. Then watched a movie for a couple hours before hitting the sack. If you haven't seen 'the Guardian' I would recommend it. Today I had an appointment with a doctor to get a yellow fever vaccine (I found out last week Thursday it was necessary to have documentation of such to get into the Congo). Also changed some money in the street, interesting banking system in Haiti. Then spent the next four hours unloading the HFL container finally!!!! Everything arrived safely and the container had not been opened, and nothing was missing!!! Thank you Lord!!! Spent at least a couple days on the construction site of the new house, continuing to design and engineer... then drew up a design for the rooflines on the house. Tonight I am going to GLA to visit with Joyce Trainer and Rebecca Larkin, check out Rebecca's blog for more stories, http://www.rebeccalarkin.blogspot.com/. Rebecca and I have been travelling together twice now in the last couple weeks, and we are both involved in Haiti missions at PCC. I believe that we will be working together and seeing more of each other as she is now planning to spend next year at H2H Grand Goave. Awesome!!!

So tomorrow I start my trip to the Congo... yeah... just start it! My plane leaves Haiti at 1:30pm, and arrives in New York in the early evening. I have a 24 hour hotel layover in NY, and then leave Thursday afternoon, and fly till Friday night to get to the Congo! Lots of flying.

Please pray for me as I travel to the Congo... safety, wisdom and fellowship above all.

Updates and emails are tied with Rest time... and I hope to do both in the next week. So please be patient with my busy schedule as I strive to keep you, my support team and readers, in the loop on this amazing journey.

I must go, but I leave with this ending:

'Grace and peace be yours in abundance.' -1 Peter 1:2

His kid,

Paul

Apr 14/07 - A Busy Schedule

2007-04-14T04:32:00.001-07:00

Hey bloggites,

I have only ten minutes before I have to go... so I'm going to give you a brief update and leave the stories and pics for when I have time next week to tell you the stories of all that has been going on in my busy schedule.

Last week I was at MTM continuing to work with Willem and his guys building the new house here in Thomassin.

On the weekend I headed to H2H Grand Goave with Rebecca to spend Easter with our family there. Michelle is still dealing with extreme bouts of pain, but has a joyful spirit, and even had the energy to get up in front of the church on Sunday to encourage her brothers and sisters. Rebecca and I were blessed to have this time with our family at H2H. Highlights included taking 65 kids to the beach on Tuesday in a rented taptap. We were there from Friday to Wednesday.

On Wednesday we travelled back to Thomassin, and I walked right onto the construction site here at MTM. I've spent the last three days working alongside the workers in an attempt to get all the arches and technical aspects of the house completed so that I could leave again.

Which is what I am doing in 2.5 minutes... heading to H2H Grand Savane and Bouva, with Rebecca and 8 brothers and sisters, in a four door toyota pickup. We will be driving all day Today and Monday, with Sunday left for fellowship and meetings. The objectives outside of fellowship with our friends will be to gather new information on the PCC church project in GS so that we can finish raising funds and complete the church.

OK gotta run... I think I gave you guys enough to pray for...

Safety....

Fellowship...

In One Peace,
Paul

Apr 7/07 - AN EXCITING NEW LIFE UPDATE !!!

2007-04-08T16:36:00.001-07:00

My friends, family, and strangers,

It has been a week since I have updated this blog, and that week has continued with the excitement and energy that surrounds a ‘spring time’. As of last week Friday, I am officially working with Hungry for Life International (HFL). To learn more about HFL, please visit their website @ http://www.hungryforlife.org/. A simple description of HFL would be, ‘a group of individuals who seek to encourage other individuals to worship with their lives, which is done through worship, and then by facilitating opportunities for supporting organizations to establish long term relationships with projects in the field'. My current job description has a few different facets, but it exactly embodies what I feel called to pursue. I will attempt to give you a complete yet simple summary. About 50% of my job will consist of shipping physical aid to third world countries. Up to this point HFL has shipped a few containers worldwide, but feel called to further expand this side of their organization. There is a great need in the mission field for physical aid, and a great supply in established countries to address that need, but there is a lack of means with which to bring the supply to the need. To address this problem, I will be working to establish and grow the shipping and physical aid part of their organization. The second part of my job will be project management in the mission field. This will include working with community leaders and ministries currently active in the mission field to build long term vision and find opportunities for supporting organizations to become involved. The countries I will most likely be involved in will be Haiti and the Congo. The third facet to my job will be short term team leadership. This will include leading short term teams to the ministries in the mission field to build relationships and work alongside them on projects. I am heaps stoked about this all, and I feel at this moment in my life, over the last two weeks especially, a real sense of ‘spring’ in my life as a new beginning is taking place.

So what are my immediate plans for the future? That is what I have been working on for the last week-ish, and is some of the reason behind my silence on this blog. I have spent the last week defining what I will be doing with HFL, and also what I will be doing in the near future. I won’t get into all the various reasons behind my travel plans, since I’ve touched on them in the last blog update; but I plan to continue to work in Haiti until April 18. During this time I will be working alongside H2H for the majority of my time in the communities of Grand Goave, Grand Savane, and Bouva. I will also be working alongside Mountain Top Ministries specifically in Thomassin, continuing to work alongside the Haitian workers to build the new house for the MTM ministry directors.

Where am I going on April 18? I am flying to the Congo to spend time with Jim Sawatsky and Cammie Clarke learning about the Congo and helping them in their work there. I expect to be working alongside Jim, Cammie, and possibly other projects in the Congo in the future. I will be in the Congo until May 10, when I will be flying back to Haiti. Don’t ask me what the travel agents who I have been working with think of me!

On arrival back in Haiti I expect to be working alongside two teams, one from HFL, and one from Pacific Community Church, for the last three weeks of May. After this time I plan to stay in Haiti, continuing to do project management, until approximately the middle of June when I will be finally flying HOME TO CANADA!!!

So, that is the massive life update that I have been working towards for the last few months as I have been exploring a desire from God to be involved directly and full time in His work in the mission fields of this world. From the core of my being comes, ‘Hal-le-lu-jah!”

This life update does not mean my travels are finished, rather, they are only begun! So please continue to check this blog for posts as I further explore His will for my life!

Mar 28/07 - A life update... as a new page is turned

2007-03-28T16:03:00.001-07:00

Hey all. I am doing GREAT!!! Just in case you didn’t know. I have had a fabulous last two weeks for a few reasons, which I will attempt to accurately share with you below.

As most of you know, and as my profile describes, I have been traveling through Haiti exploring a desire to get involved full-time in third world missions. The first month and a half was full of exploration of different organizations in different parts of Haiti. The previous entries on this blog have attested to the diversity and extent of my travels. For those first five weeks I did my best to just allow the experiences to wash over me; allowing myself the flexibility to let my God-given desires guide my path. But somewhere about three weeks ago I hit a point where I felt it was time for me to switch my focus from exploration of different organizations to getting involved deeper with people and projects that I believe I will be involved with in the future. I feel that my next full time focus in life will indeed be largely surrounding third world missions. For about two weeks I spent a large amount of time praying and pondering where and how to get involved, and about a week ago I reached a conclusion. Some of you know that before I left Canada I was approached by an organization called ‘Hungry for Life International’, located in Chilliwack, BC (for my non-Canadian readers and friends; that’s in Canada), with a job offer. At this point, though the job is still to be defined in its entirety, I am feeling called to pursue working with Hungry for Life (HFL) in the future. So, last week I sent in my initial application and contacted the people I have been in dialogue with to let them know that I am ready to move forward. That’s as far as the process has gone so far, but I am extremely stoked and excited about it all. The things that fuel this excitement include the organization, job and potential fellow workers that I have met already, but it also will mark a new page in the book of my life. A book marked with pain and struggle over the last four years as I have learned to cope with chronic pain and its effects on my life. I have stayed busy throughout this time with work and play that has been healthy and constructive, but I have been lacking the passion and desire that I would hope we all may experience for our tasks in life. This turning of a new page marks a place in my life where I have once again found something that I am passionate about. My heart swells as I write this; tears threatening to spill over; in reflection and joy at what I have walked through and where God has taken me.

As I mentioned I am still in the process of defining and determining my specific plans for the near future, so I do not know how much longer I will be in Haiti on this stay. However, I expect that I will be heading home no sooner than one month but no longer than two months from now. I expect to be traveling back to Haiti in the future, probably multiple times per year, so I do not see my departure from this country being full of sad goodbyes, but rather full of anticipation of the next trip.

Another exciting development is that during the last four weeks I have had a building desire to become personally involved in the Congo. The exact timing is still being determined, but I plan to travel to the Congo for a stay of at least one month between the months of June and August. My undefined plans for this trip will include working alongside Cammie Clarke and Jim Sawatsky in the Elikia Village Project in and near Kinsasha. The Elikia Village Project, in its simplest description, is a village that is being created to facilitate displaced widows and orphans by building homes and creating family units of one widow and eight orphans per home with the intent that they would learn to support themselves and create an atmosphere of care and love for each other. Alongside my personal desire to get involved in the Congo, I also feel it would be good to spend a significant amount of time in the mission field in another country to gain more experience and greater insight into third world missions which I believe will be extremely beneficial to my planned future involvement in third world missions.

As I mentioned I have been switching my focus to getting involved deeper with people and projects that I believe I will be involved with in the future. This doesn’t mean I have quit my exploration of Haiti, only that my main focus has changed. The people and projects that I am focusing on right now are centered around the organizations of Mountain Top Ministries (MTM), Heart to Heart (H2H), Pacific Community Church (PCC), and HFL. I am currently waiting for a semi-trailer container to arrive at MTM that I helped to load in the fall with HFL in Chilliwack and which was sent on its way to Haiti about two months ago. After that point I will be joining with a medical team arriving at MTM and then head on to H2H for a stay of at least two weeks. In the meantime I have been enjoying working with MTM’s director, Willem, and his workers, masons, and carpenters on a couple of projects. One project is the building of a medical hospital in the village of Gramothe, and the other is...
...the building of a new house meant to help facilitate Willem’s family and the increasing amount of people traveling on teams to Haiti to help out here at MTM. I have had an absolutely great time working and especially teaching building skills that I have learned throughout my experience as a carpenter and contractor. The following are pictures of the last two plus weeks of working alongside my new friends:

Before I get to the pictures I wish to share the following passage with you that absolutely hit home for me yesterday morning as I was devoting some awesome time to the most meaningful relationship in my life.

1 Peter 4:1-2: ‘Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.’ (NIV)

I too have suffered and suffer in my body. Physical suffering. Though I will never presume to compare my suffering with that of another, I feel that through my own experiences I can better relate to those that do suffer. And though ‘the aspect of Christ’s suffering that these passages stress is suffering unjustly because one has done good’ (NIV footnotes 4:1), I feel I can still relate to Christ’s suffering even partially. I do not know that I suffer because I have ‘done good’; that knowledge is beyond my earthly view, however I feel that I can relate to the unjust physical suffering that Christ endured. I specifically can relate to the fact that ‘Such suffering enables one to straighten out his priorities. Sinful desires and practices that once seemed important now seem insignificant when one’s life is in jeopardy’ (NIV footnotes 4:1). And ‘Now that Christ’s attitude prevails, God’s will is the determining factor in life’ (NIV footnotes 4:2). My physical suffering has caused me suffering in more areas, specifically emotionally and mentally, but I sincerely would not change or trade my experiences for anything. At times I even hope that God doesn’t heal my body for I fear that I may lose the constant defining attitude that the chronic pain brings to all aspects of my life. A defining attitude that pushes me forward constantly seek out His will for my life. So I leave you with these pictures and this thought; ‘Do not live your life for human desires, but rather for the will of God.’

My brothers and sisters; stay in One peace!

Here is a mason chipping rocks square with a hammer to create the front wall of the house we are building.

Here are a few more masons placing the rocks in the wall. You can see the opening for the front door and entryway windows above.

Here is the Haitian concrete mixer and pump truck. First mix the concrete on the ground... mix ratio = when color is the right shade of grey.

The pump truck setting up:

Concrete being pumped :

We needed more rebar, so I went into town for the ride. You can see the loading workers bending the rebar in half to get it into the truck.

Here the boss, a loader, and Junior (One of Willem's drivers) are counting out the steel rods used to tie the rebar together to create beams and posts. Over 650 20'pieces picked up today:

Here are some shots of the house. Teaching the Haitian workers how to draw and frame elliptical arches created a neat addition to the windows and arches in this house. We design as we build here:

My new carpenter friends and primary students: From left to right Anel, Boss Tienne, and Jude. (I spelt the names like they sound... still learnng the Creole language).

Here is a shot of Willem getting a needed break from a busy life... sorry man... had to take it :)

You can see the white church building at the top of this next picture that gives you the location of MTM's church, school, medical clinic and the new medical hospital under construction. The two houses have a great view of the village of Gramothe. What better way to be inspired with life when you look out the window.

Mar 21/07 - A new creche

2007-03-28T15:49:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics from a crèche that is being started near MTM. A crèche is the name given to a home that houses orphans who are on their way to being adopted. It is not the same as an orphanage because the intent is not for the kids to grow up in the same place. Rachel, the lady who is starting it, has 9 kids already in the house. If you remember the team that came to MTM … see entry titled ‘It’s all good … Sa tout byen’… then you’ll remember the bunk beds that we built for the kids. Anyway… pictures in this case are better than words. You can see the different emotions and perhaps even glimpse pieces of their stories on their beautiful faces…

Mar 16/07 - A piece of Haiti History

2007-03-18T18:22:00.001-07:00

On Friday I went to Seguin again. The occasion this time was the graduation of the first park rangers in Haiti history. This was a historic event, and will begin to help turn the tide on the deforestation and devastation that has occurred in this once beautiful country over the last 25 years. I was privileged to be present for a piece of history to unfold. There were very important officials from the UN and from the Haitian government present. They attempted to fly in by helicopter but couldn’t land, so they took four wheel drive trucks in from Jacmel, a two hour drive. I drove an ATV in with the guys from Foundation Seguin on a road that starts in Thomassin, where MTM and most of the guys who are a part of FS are located.

Enough talk... here are some shots.

First, a couple shots of the location of the ceremony. It was held next to the ranger station, and the white UN tents you see were set up for the officials and VIP's that attended.

Here are some of the Foundation Seguin members on ATV’s.

Here are a couple shots of a band that was present for the ceremony. I estimated that there were approx 1000 villagers in attendance, and another 200 rangers, officials and members of Seguin.

Second, a couple shots of the ceremony. The graduation class before the ceremony:

In the ceremony:

Raising the flag:

In the 50’s and 60’s there was large scale logging happening in Haiti, but it was monitored and conducted in a manner that was good for the environment. Here is a shot of some of the next generation sitting among logging equipment that has not been used in the last 25 years.

Here is some examples of the deforestation. The first shot shows a meadow that acts as part of a large watershed for Port-au-Prince and Jacmel. You can see the mud caused by pigs that the villagers have brought up here to the marshes. You can also see trees cut down in the background.

Here is a shot of a forest that has been harmed by villagers. They burn and cut the bark around the trees so that the sap in the tree will dry up. That way when they log it they don’t have to dry the wood out before using it for firewood.

Here are a couple kids filling water from the middle of the meadow. The same water that the pigs graze in. The contamination of the watershed by grazing animals is causing nearly 80% of the health problems among children in all areas connected to the watershed.

I had a great day. Riding quads is always fun, and my pain did not bug me too much today. It poured on the way home. Here is a shot of the ride home. I couldn’t get any pictures of the mud, but we were wet when we got home.

And, since I realize there has been a lack of shots of me on this blog, I asked Beth to take this one so that you would know that I am in fact still alive and healthy. You can also see Willem and Beth's house in the background.

Mar 15/07 - Another week at MTM

2007-03-18T06:01:00.001-07:00

This past week has been full of activity, but most of it has been small jobs here and there, nothing really major. I spent some of my time building a shelf for the orphanage here in Thomassin that is part of MTM's organization. It is for the kids' bathroom for their toothbrushes and towels. I installed it on Thursday. Here is a shot of it being painted:

On Tuesday I spent most of the day working with Willem's workers digging out some of the new hospital's foundations. I was feeling pretty 'malad' but gained a few blisters regardless. One comment I got was, 'these guys didn't think white men worked like this.' I still find that the fastest way to gain respect and friendship, and therefore passport, into guys' lives in any culture is to work beside them and sweat a little. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures; my camera went on the blink. But I'll get some next week, as I'll be working alongside Willem's workers again. Willem wants to make sure that everything is parallel, level and square on the new hospital... a challenge with the lack of building education here. I worked alongside Willem today on his new house, squaring walls and discussing different ideas for the building, and in the process volunteered to teach his workers some basic skills in building things square and level. Willem and the workers jumped at the suggestion, so next week it sounds like I'm going to be Professor Paul.

Thursday I spent most of the day repairing desks for the school at MTM with a couple of Willem's workers. We'll probably be fixing some more next week, so I'll get some pictures then. Same story, my camera was on the blink. Specifically, one of my SD cards was corrupted or messed up inside. Luckily I have another one.

Here’s a glimpse at Haitian missionary medicare. As I mentioned above, I was feeling a little ‘malad’ this week. A doctor who was here a couple weeks ago had sent an email that she had a cough while she was here, and was diagnosed with pneumonia when she got home. She suggested that anyone with a cold should probably take some antibiotics just in case. Since I had a cold, a headache for one full day, and a slight fever on a couple nights, I was a candidate. So I was diagnosed and prescribed medication over email, and then took a quad up to the medical clinic and filled the prescription myself in the pharmacy.

Don’t worry Mom, I’m feeling heaps better now. While I’m on that note, you should know that I have about 10 moms here at MTM, all making sure I’m fed and feeling good. So, including the fact that I can look out for myself, you can be a elevenfold sure that I am well looked after. Of course, this doesn’t replace the care you provide, and though it may be an overly used line, I do miss home cooking at times, which none of the moms here would take offense to. I weighed myself when we were in the medical clinic chasing the rat last week, and I’m still right on 189lbs. Mark; sorry brother I didn’t lose any weight yet.

Mar 9/07 - My last 'back update'... hopefully!?!

2007-03-14T17:05:00.001-07:00

Still at MTM. We had a father, Darren, and his two sons, Adam and Josiah, come in to stay at MTM for about 5 days. Their primary goal was to visit Josiah’s birth mother, since he was adopted as a child, and moved to the US.

When they weren’t visiting family, we worked together to put a roof on a house in Gramothe for a family of 8. They were living in a very small patched together hut. I don’t have pics of it unfortunately. If I get the chance I’ll go for a hike and get some. Here is Adam, Willem, and Darren pounding the tin onto the wooden trusses.

Another task we had was rat hunting in the medical clinic. While the team was here last week, they noticed that there was rat kahkah in the clinic. So we went into the storage room and started pulling out bins and medicine until… Darren started going nuts with a wooden crutch. The rest of us went into hysterical laughing as he chased a rat back and forth in the storage room smashing the wooden crutch to pieces on everything he hit. He got it, so the sacrifice of the crutch was not in vain. We thought we were done, but after about twenty minutes we found another. Unfortunately this one escaped through a hole in the steel mesh of one ventilation hole… But, we now know how they get in and out, so Willem had a couple of his workers fill in the hole with concrete. So far no other signs of rat.

Here is a shot of rat #1:

Ok. That basically ends my ‘back updates’. I am finally caught up... for now anyway.

Mar 5/07 - The village of Gramothe

2007-03-13T19:30:00.002-07:00

Back update to MTM 3/05/07

Today I worked alone up in Gramothe, the village nearest us where MTM has a school, church, and medical clinic. I stayed busy with a few small projects like fixing wooden bench legs and repairing steel doors by welding. Nothing too eventful, just a good easy, yet productive, day. Willem went into PAP to go pick up a dad and two sons who are coming in to visit one of the sons’ birth mother. I had time in the afternoon to take a few shots of Gramothe.

A few shots of the village on the hillside/mountain. In the foreground is Willem and Beth’s new house that they are building on the same property as what is now their guest house. You can just pick out the steeple of the white church just to the right of the center of the photo. Notice how lush the terraced crops are from the clean water that is piped in from a spring up on the mountain. This is the same source that created the waterfall that Craig was baptized under in the post on 3/01/07.

Here are a couple shots of some kids getting water from the spout at the school. They carry all their water to their houses multiple times a day.

Hanging clothes out to dry:

Last is a few shots of Willem’s workers who are building the foundation for the new hospital. You can see the side wall of the existing medical clinic. I pitched in for an hour or so. I got fired though when I broke the sledge hammer handle. Oops. Time to find another tree branch for the new handle.

Mixing concrete:

Waiting for more concrete:

Mar 3/07 - A day at Foundation Seguin

2007-03-12T17:33:00.001-07:00

Back update to Foundation Seguin 3/03/07

On the Saturday following the medical team leaving from MTM, I took a daytrip with some members of Foundation Seguin (FS). FS is an environmental group that is working in a mountainous region of southern Haiti, and in particular with the village of Seguin. There has been large scale deforestation and subsequent destruction to the once beautiful forests in Haiti. In this area, only approx 25 hectares out of 2000 are still forested. I was informed that the Haitians have adopted a plan of destruction that not only takes out the trees, but also the roots and the underbrush. This leaves only soil that easily becomes prey to erosion and infertility. As you can see below, one of the ways that FS is encouraging a stop to this erosion is to introduce bamboo trees to the area. I have found out that bamboo is quite adaptable to this climate, and after three years it gets to a stage where ‘the more you cut, the more it grows’. The area is basically only easily accessible by four wheel drive quads and rhinos. It would make a very good four by four route.

Here is a shot of a bamboo nursery. The first thing I was reminded of when we got into this area is of home. The temp is cooler and the pine trees give off a fragrance that is similar to that of our forests.

Here you can see the young bamboo in the back of the Rhino’s (aka four wheel drive cart).

The agenda set for the morning was much bamboo as would fit in the Rhino’s planted along the road towards Seguin. The villagers we passed all know that Foundation Seguin is looking out for them, since they work alongside the villagers. They also receive aid from FS in the form of clothes, food, shoes, etc. FS has a new policy that they do not pay or give out money to have the villagers help them because it matures into begging, and/or extortion. They also do not come alongside a family to help unless they first see the family initiating the relationship by helping the environment. Here you can see the villagers placing and planting the bamboo. Everyone drops what they are doing as we drive up to come over and pitch in.

As we approached Seguin we came across bamboo that was planted 1.5 to 2 years ago. You can see it has taken root and is maturing well.

We met up with a group from the UN who came in the ‘long way’ on a road that was more accessible for trucks. They are working alongside FS and specifically today they were doing a soccer ball distribution to about 25 schools in the vicinity.

Here are some shots of the terraced farming that has been done in the mountains. Keep in mind that there used to be an abundance of trees here.

This shot shows the extremes on the top of a mountain. The soil used to be six feet deep here, but now the rocks have been exposed by wind and rain.

I had a great day learning about the environment. Thanks for the hospitality Serge and Co. I may get the chance to visit them again in the near future, as MTM is on their route into the mountains. In the next couple weeks there is going to be a graduation of park rangers at Seguin. This is a big deal as there have not been any park rangers in Haiti for the last 25 years. Officials of the UN and the Haitian gov’t will be in attendance, flying in by helicopters.

Here is one last shot to leave you with. A peach tree in blossom and a clear pond in front of the house where we ate lunch in Seguin.

Mar 1/07 - It's All Good...Sa Tout Byen

2007-03-12T08:50:00.001-07:00

Back update to MTM ending 3/01/07

Well, I arrived safely at Mountain Top Ministries. I flew into the airport in PAP on Feb 24 with the team that was leaving from NWHCM. It took three separate flights to get all of the people and gear to PAP so though I was in PAP at 7am I had to wait outside the airport till 11am for the rest of my luggage. I'm finding the airport is the best place to meet people, by people I mean other missionaries in, or traveling through, the country. This time through I also met Paulin Leon, a Haitian taxi driver, and had a conversation with him which lasted nearly five hours. Paulin has a wife and three children, but is not married yet… so I challenged him on this fact, shared some of my faith with him, and gave him my only Creole Bible along with a few gifts for his family. About halfway through our 5 hours together I suggested to Paulin that he get back to his job. He said something along the lines of, ‘No, you are my friend, I will wait till you are picked up.’ Just another snapshot of a part of the Haitian culture: drop everything and focus on people.

Around lunchtime I met up with Willem and a medical team that came in from Indiana. The team of 12 came in to staff the medical clinic and do some building projects for a few days at MTM.

On Sunday, the first full day the team was there, we started off with a baptism after the morning church service. It was held at a waterfall, an hour’s precarious hike from the church. We celebrated with our new brother Craig:

Unfortunately, I only have one shot of the medical clinic that was held, and that is of the lineup outside the clinic. Here it is:

The majority of my time with the team was spent being involved in the project side of MTM. This included a couple woodworking projects and time spent with the Haitian workers who are beginning the medical hospital foundations (more about this on a later update).

Craig painting a bench for the new preschool playground:

Nick and Doug assembling bunk beds for an orphanage that is being started nearby.

Yeah that’s me:

Willem decided to test them out before we left:

The team left on Thursday, having spent 3 days seeing patients and doing work. We finished up late on Wed and had to clean up by flashlight and drive home in the dark (as you can see below). There was a little unfinished business as we suspect there is a rat in the clinic, but we’ll have to hunt for it on a different day.

I drove down into PAP with the team to take them to the airport. Here is a shot of the caravan of three trucks. Red SUV, flatdeck with luggage, and pickup full of people.

The phrase of the week was ‘IT’S ALL GOOD.’ Which we translated into ‘SA TOUT BYEN.’

Back update of NWHCM ending 2/24/07

2007-03-10T06:21:00.002-08:00

Back update of NWHCM ending 2/24/07

I should start this post by republishing a paragraph I wrote a couple weeks ago:

As I travel more I feel more and more burdened with how to help out and to what degree. How much help is good and when does it become unhealthy? This burden is paired with another. As most of you know, I am here seeking a desire that was planted in my heart to explore the path of serving in missions full-time in some capacity. As I see more and more of Haiti I feel I am starting to drown under the amount of need that there is here, and in the world. Where should I get involved? How can I make the biggest difference possible with the skills, time and resources that I have been entrusted with? How do I decipher where to go and what to do when I am absolutely submersed in need that I am drawn to wherever I look?

I have continued to seek out guidance and answers to these questions, and others regarding missions, for the last couple weeks. I will do my best to communicate my findings and thoughts to you over the next few weeks.

For now I should say that I came to a point of realization that while I am here, spending time with the Haitian people, it would be best if I let myself enjoy the time I have here, and do my best to also be a light to the people here. And though the deeper thoughts are still being pondered, I shouldn’t allow them to detract from the good work that I am able to do. I came to this realization after taking a much needed break (for me that includes ‘hibernation’ or ‘hobbit-ing’) on the Tuesday, Feb 20 at NWHCM. This rest of this post will bring you up to date on the highlights of the remainder of trip.

On Wednesday, wanting to just spend time having fun with the Haitians, and not having quite enough medical knowledge to be really effective in that side of running the mission hospital, I became the balloon man. From Wed to Thurs I created about 350 balloon animals, handed out about 400ish suckers and kept a stash of bouncing balls in my pocket. It was a blast. Here are some pictures and stories:

This little girl was in the post-op/recovery room at the hospital, and while I was in there blowing balloons for the other kids in the morning, she was sleeping. She did not have any family members present near her, so I left this balloon on her bed, as I didn’t want her to be left out. I came back in the afternoon and this is what I saw:

The reason I was coming back in the post-op room was to do some final adjustments to a walker that I fashioned for this young boy. He is around 10 years old, and is in an almost full body cast, as the surgeons had just finished straightening his bones so he would be able to walk better. I fashioned this walker from an old bedside commode, and some pieces of steel, pvc pipe, and fiberglass C-channel. Here is the result:

As this little boy tried to use his new walker, he was quite distressed by the effort and strain involved in trying to walk again, possibly even with pain. He kept crying out ‘WOO, WOO,’ which best translates to ‘NO, STOP, I CAN’T DO IT.’ After the nurses and Leigh, the physiotherapist were able to convince him to try, he began saying ‘MECI JEZI, MECI,’ which translates to ‘THANK YOU, JESUS, THANK YOU.’ As he said this he patted Leigh’s head with his little hand and softened all the hearts in the room.

I went for a walk with some of my new friends into the village, and made some more friends as I went.
Here is a location shot of NWHCM - you can identify it by the green church tower - and the blue water tower in the middle of the photo. All the buildings immediately surrounding these two towers are the hospital facilities.

Here is a shot of the front of the birthing center, with the prayer tower, the green cylinder-like building, and the cafeteria on the second floor. Throughout the two weeks everyone was put on a hourly prayer schedule. This prayer chain ran 24 hours a day for the entire time we were there. Prayer was also stressed at every stage of patients coming and going from the hospital. From diagnosis, to pre-treatment, to during treatment, to recovery, to discharge, the patients were prayed for at every stage. The surgeons would not do surgery without first making sure that the patients had been prayed for, and Jesus had been shared with them.

Here are some shots of my new friends. First the surgeon’s dining table:

Second, Molly and Ashley, with the town of St.Louis du Nord and the Caribbean Ocean in the background. It seems that wherever I travel, Haitians don't seem to want or desire to really take advantage of their beautiful beaches. In a lot of the cities that I have travelled to, including this one, buildings are built right up to and onto the beaches.

Third, a couple of the translators letting loose at the end of a long day… Wilmack and ? (can’t see his face). Perhaps when the guys at NWHCM see this photo they can help me out with his identity. That is, if I don’t get in trouble first.

Fourth, a couple of my new friends in ‘Heavens Waiting Room.’ This section of the hospital is dedicated to children with disabilities. I spent one afternoon there with Ashley hanging with the kids. We blew up balloon animals, and played with them. I was struck by how concerned they were for each other’s welfare. They would make sure that no child was left out of the fun and games. Spending time with these kids was one of the greatest blessings of this trip for me.

I left NWHCM on Feb 24, next destination; Mountain Top Ministries.

Mar 9/07 - Finally, an update...

2007-03-09T18:12:00.001-08:00

I must apologize for my lack of communication over the past couple weeks. Life here in Haiti is very busy, and I have been spending my free time pondering the issue of where to spend my near future in the mission field. Yes, at this point I do feel that part of my life will definitely include work in third-world missions. How much and where is yet to be determined.

I have tried up until two weeks ago to try and keep everyone updated on everything I have been involved in. This could easily become a full time job, so for simplicity sake and in the interests of time I will be cutting down on my time updating my blog by highlighting key stories and travels. This will also allow me to have some stories left to share when I come back home.

Over the next couple days I will endeavor to bring you up to date on my travels and experiences over the last couple weeks.

Know that I am well, though physically the last couple days I have been bothered by a sore throat, a headache, and a slight fever at night.

In One peace,
Paul

Back update to 2/18/07 -Birthday

2007-02-21T05:32:00.001-08:00

Back update to 2/18/07

My Birthday. I’m 26 today, and it doesn’t feel any different than yesterday. As I reflect on where I am at today in my life, I realize that I do not wish that I was anywhere else. I believe that I am following the path that He would have me follow as I explore Haiti and missions. It is a great place to be both spiritually and mentally, to know that I am following my heart’s desires, and what I believe is His will for my life. But I am still burdened by the needs of the people around me as I ponder where and what to do with my life. It is tough to decipher what and where to invest my time and effort in the missions field with all the need that is around me, pulling my heart in all directions.

Today was travel day, that is, after a relatively short church service of two and a half hours this morning. It began raining just as church let out, and we waited around for about an hour and a half for lunch to be cooked before leaving. In retrospect we should have left right after church. The rain had made the road out from Miss Pat’s to the main highway into a mud slide. When I write ‘highway’, you should all be reading ‘less muddy but still bumpy gravel road. Our bus got stuck about halfway down the road. We sat for five hours in the middle of the Haiti bush as we waited for some guys from the main mission compound to come rescue us with four wheel drive trucks.

Washing my feet in the rain:

The team leaves on a 4X4 taptap:

A shot on the bumpy road... it's blurry for a reason...

We ended up getting back to the main mission in St.Louis du Nord around 9:00 that night. Half the team ended up riding a taptap to get here. I spent some serious time on my cell phone talking with my parents and quickly checking my email before the power was turned off. The delay getting back didn’t even phase me. I just chuckled all day whenever I reflected on our location and situation.
I have to include this email from my brother. This is part of our family tradition and part of what I missed today:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUU!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR PAULIE!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!

(insert random cracks of the voice and extreme falsetto changes randomly throught out song)
(also dont forget to wickedly change the pitch and tone of song)

And you have a DenHaan Birthday SPECIAL!!!

Here is a re-posting of the ending to my b-day, these two stories impacted me the most today:

Here is a story from today. But my story is a little sad... and it is actually two stories... I was sitting in the eating area at the main mission compound (yes I am back safe in St.Louis now) last night, reading my email and talking to family on my cell phone, because I finally had service again. One of my new friends came and sat by me with a three week old infant boy. The baby's mother died in childbirth, and his father has 8 children to take care of already, and can't take another, so the child an orphan and will most likely grow up in an orphanage here. The child is so innocent, and as I peek over at him in his little crib (he is at the next table being looked after by some of the nurses here) I am filled with wonder and curiousity and sadness as I ponder where his life's journey will take him. And how being an orphan will affect his character and his personality.

The second story happened last night within about half an hour after the first. Another lady brought up a 2 day old baby from the birthing center below us. The doctors did not believe that the baby would make it through the night. And the baby was breathing her last breaths. I sat beside the woman and the child, praying and reflecting for about an hour, before she breathed her last breath. All I could do was be there and help to usher her into Jesus' arms.

It was a sobering ending to a birthday. But a joyful one as well as I look forward to seeing the little girl one day in Heaven in full health.

Back update to 2/15/07 through 2/17/07

2007-02-20T19:26:00.000-08:00

Back update to 2/15/07 through 2/17/07

The medical team and I have been staying at a missionary’s place out here in the ‘Far West’. The missionary’s name is Miss Pat, and she is affiliated with NWHCM. Her place is an outpost of their organization, and she has been serving in Haiti for 23 years now. We’ve been sleeping on her rooftop in tents. It is a little noisy and I have had a couple rough nights as the dogs and the roosters and the other local church nearby seems to have worship services once or twice a week for the entire night… or at least till 4 in the morning when the church service ends and the dogs and roosters go solo till dawn. I haven’t figured out yet why the service needs to be all night when it always seems that they have plenty of time to sit around during the day. Welcome to Haiti. It’s all good!!!

I decided to stick around Miss Pats for a few days as the team is leaving today. There is another team that will be coming here on the weekend and I will go home with them on Sun. I have found a task to do here. Miss Pat’s house needs to be wired with electrical as it has only been done very roughly and without conduit. Fortunately someone sent over all the supplies needed to get some work done. There is a fellow here named David who is interning for a few months, so he’ll be giving me hand as well. Here are some pics of the miss pats and the end result.

So, the team left… and the first task Dave and I had was to unplug a toilet. There are a couple flush outhouses here, but it is a gravity fed water system so it can get plugged easily. All the toilet paper and other products are supposed to go into a bucket. Unfortunately for Dave and I, we didn’t have a toilet plunger for this one. So we went in with wire and sticks and gloves and goggles. We ended up emptying the toilet into a bucket and then taking the toilet out and fishing out the plugged mess from underneath. I won’t go into to many details or I’ll lose some of my readers, but it was disgusting. Dave and I decided we were ‘plumbing for Jesus’, so ‘It’s all good.’

Nothing surprises me here in Haiti anymore. David laughed when I told him I’ve hit the level of ‘unshockable’. Here is a good quote, ‘Working in Haiti is like wading in chest-deep water, when you move slow everything is fine, but when you try to speed up you expend lots of energy and don’t really go much faster.’ (taken from a news article, words spoken by Bruce Robinson, a Crossworld missionary.)

Here is something I stuggled with on Saturday after devotional time and hearing some of my teammates perspective on walking through hard times in their lives. Does God give us suffering to walk through, or does He walk with us through our suffering? Or both? My personal take on this I have reached over the last few years of struggling with chronic pain and the effects (suffering) that it has had on my life. Please do not take offense to this if your take is different. I would love to chat with you and discuss and explore this issue more. Here is my quick take:

It is unhealthy and unbiblical to think that God causes suffering in our lives. I believe at times He allows suffering to happen in our lives, since He cannot touch every detail of our lives and change everything that goes wrong. If He did, He might as will ditch the entire point of free will in peoples’ lives. But I do not believe that he directly causes the suffering and hurt that we experience. That is the work of the Devil. God only allows it to happen. I believe He is saddened by what He sees and the hurt in this world. And I believe that He does intercede and cause miracles to happen. But this does not happen all the time. For the most part, and for most of us, I believe He carries us in and through our suffering. And He works with us in our suffering to help us to grow and to work it out for good in our lives. It is not easy, but it is made easier by the knowledge that we are not alone.

That is it in a nutshell. Email me if you wish to.

Back update to 2/13/07 and 2/14/07

2007-02-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

Back update to 2/13/07 and 2/14/07

Hit the road at 6:00am after a quick breakfast to head for the ‘Far West.’ Most of the food here has been mashed, smashed, or smushed in some form, as it is mostly canned, and fresh meat is hard to come by. Our breakfast of French toast was not though. It was great. We drove for three hours and set up our first clinic. For the next few days we will be doing medical clinics in different remote villages. Though they are only about 30-40 km from the main mission, the drive seems to be about 1 hour for every 10km, making these villages far enough away to be considered remote. This is a good ratio to use anywhere in Haiti when attempting travel. If the bumpy, gravel roads don’t slow you down, the traffic will. I have combined two days of clinics together into one post to speed up this ‘back update’ posting. Our team of about 12 consisted of a medical team including a chiropractor, one doctor, one surgeon, three medical students, and a couple nurses. I filled in as the candy man, handing out treats and making balloon animals to the kids after they had gone through all the stations. I caused one controlled riot. It is nearly impossible to hand out anything here without being flooded by people.

Chiropractor at work:

Worm medicine station for everyone:

Pickup pharmacy in suitcases:

As I travel more I feel more and more burdened with how to help out and to what degree. How much help is good and when does it become unhealthy? This burden is paired with another. As most of you know, I am here seeking a desire that was planted in my heart to explore the path of serving in missions full-time in some capacity. As I see more and more of Haiti I feel I am starting to drown under the amount of need that there is here, and in the world. Where should I get involved? How can I make the biggest difference possible with the skills, time and resources that I have been entrusted with? How do I decipher where to go and what to do when I am absolutely submersed in need that I am drawn to wherever I look?

On a happy note:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK!!! I LOVE YOU BRO!!!

Back update to 2/12/07

2007-02-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

Back update to 2/12/07

Monday. The work begins in earnest. Everyone seems to have their place pretty much figured out. I’m still trying to find my place to help out here… and I think it might just be to help out everywhere. So today, since it needed doing, and I had the time, I cleaned the guys bathroom. First it took about 25 min to locate a brush to scrub with, as rags don’t work so well on painted concrete walls. The only thing I found was a 18” bristle broom. It was a little large but it got the job done. Took me two hours, and two liters of PineSol, and I still felt that I didn’t even dent the job as it was impossible to get the stains and Calcium/Lime/Rust of the walls. But I know it’s clean!

I had the opportunity to see my first surgery this morning. I was exploring the hospital yesterday and in the recovery and pre-op room I found some nurses attempting to get an IV started in a 10 month old girl. The child had a hand that was enlarged with some kind of tumor or growth. Her hand was as large as her head.

Today I saw her arm get amputated. It is great to know that we have just saved her life and given her future, but it is sobering to know that we also just affected the entire course of her life. She is now a cripple, at least in the world’s eyes. In Haiti that usually means a rougher life and, in most cases, more discrimination. Doctor Del and Cory did a superb job. It is neat to see the surgeons and doctors put their skills to use in such practical and meaningful ways.

In the afternoon I got involved in some construction that is going on in the guys dormitory. A crew of half a dozen guys of all ages is here just to help out with maintenance. A few of them were building shutters and wooden window frames for the dorm. They had been working on it for most of the morning, so I decided to step in and help if I could. After some altercations to the first shutters they had already started, we got a production line going and finished off about 75% of the shutters by the time it was dinner time. It was good to feel like I contributed in a tangible way using some of the specific gifts that I have.

Had a great refreshing cold shower. It is so good to usher out the grime, dirt and heat of the day with cool water.

I have one more story before I go… It is already getting hard to narrow down the stories I’ve been hearing here. During the evening Tom White, one of the surgeons who I met during the last couple days, relayed the story about one of his cases. His patient, a Haitian lady, was gored by a bull yesterday in the groin area. A colostomy (thanks for the technical help Nicole) had to be performed to prevent the injury from becoming infected as it had pierced both waste exits. For those of you that are like me, this means a new exit to a collecting bag had to be put in place. She will have to have the bag in place till probably October when the next surgical team is here. The doctors are worried about infection as she doesn’t have access to health care that can help her with any complications that may arise. This is just one example of doing what can be done while we are here, and leaving the rest in His hands.

Back update to 2/11/07

2007-02-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

Back update to 2/11/07

Rained twice last night. First time false alarm, but second sent those of us who enjoy the outdoors running for cover with our beds in tow.

Spent the morning in church, another good long Haitian church service (4 hours), it’s not so bad if you can understand what is being said. Read my bible for most of it.

After lunch the medical teams spent the day getting their stuff organized… they have tons and tons of medicine and supplies. We also had a huge organizational meeting as all of the medical staff comes from all over. There are nurses of all kinds here, pharmacists, doctors, surgeons, dentists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, pretty much all facets of the medical world are represented here at the mission. It was amazing to see the contributions that everyone brought to the site, in suitcases no less.

The surgeons and nurses in the surgical wing are already previewing their cases for tomorrow so that they can start surgery first thing in the morning. I was of no real help as my usual first aid kit which consists of a clean roll of white hockey tape would have been laughed at for sure. So I went on a short hike with three others up a hill to get a patient. The lady we packed out on a stretcher to the hospital so that she can have surgery tomorrow. She has a huge growth on her neck that needs to be examined, and, if possible, removed.

Continued to meet people all day, most of them amazed at what I am doing. It is neat to meet people from all different walks of life. I also met some more Haitians today. The children near the mission have turned into hustlers. They are do their best to tug at the heart strings of those coming to help out here to get stuff from them. There is also real need here, so it just seems to add to the difficulty in determining where to help out and where to step back.

Back update to 2/10/07

2007-02-20T18:05:00.000-08:00

Back update to 2/10/07

I met the team from NWHCM at the airport in PAP. I was allowed past security into the airport only after befriending them for about 15 min. 80 people flew in to join a group that totaled 109. We transferred to the domestic flight terminal by taptap (read ‘The Haitian Taxi’). We flew to Port de Paix, landing on a gravel runway that made most of our logging roads in BC look good. It was awesome to see the country from the air in a small airplane.

A lot of waiting involved today as everyone had to be shuttled everywhere about 20 at a time. I made the mistake of drinking too much before our drive from the airport in PDP to St.Louis du Nord, where the main mission compound is here. An hour and a half ride on a road… not a road… a clearing between buildings that is more or less going in the right direction. SUPER BUMPY… and yeah my teeth were floating. Anyway, enough of that.

I spent the day getting to know people. This team is a massive surgical and medical team who will be staffing the mission hospital and doing medical clinics in villages as well.

Hitting the sack outside tonight under the Haitian stars to the serenade of roosters and dogs.

Feb 19/07 - One quick update to tide you over

2007-02-19T19:08:00.001-08:00

Hey all,

I promised some of you that I would update my blog today, but I have so much to type up that I am going to update it tomorrow when I have more time. Today was the last day that the full surgery team was here. There is about 20 people that left last Saturday, and another 40 leaving tomorrow, so things will probably get a little less busy... or maybe more busy... during the rest of the week. Either way, there won't be so many distractions and relationships to focus on during the evening hours here, so I will have the time tomorrow to update this better.

I am well. I am healthy. I am growing.

Here is a story from yesterday. Yesterday was my birthday. Yippee!!! But my story is a little sad... and it is actually two stories... I was sitting in the eating area at the main mission compound (yes I am back safe in St.Louis now) last night, reading my email and talking to family on my cell phone, because I finally had service again. One of my new friends came and sat by me with a three week old infant boy. The baby's mother died in childbirth, and his father has 8 children to take care of already, and can't take another, so the child an orphan and will most likely grow up in an orphanage here. The child is so innocent, and as I peek over at him in his little crib (he is at the next table being looked after by some of the nurses here) I am filled with wonder and curiousity and sadness as I ponder where his life's journey will take him. And how being an orphan will affect his character and his personality.

The second story happened last night within about half an hour after the first. Another lady brought up a 2 day old baby from the birthing center below us. The doctors did not believe that the baby would make it through the night. And the baby was breathing her last breaths. I sat beside the woman and the child, praying and reflecting for about an hour, before she breathed her last breath. All I could do was be there and help to usher her into Jesus' arms.

It was a sobering ending to a birthday. But a joyful one as well as I look forward to seeing the little girl one day in Heaven in full health.

I hope this will tide you all over till tomorrow.

With a prayer,
Paul

Feb 12/07 - On a slow connection... and only 10 minutes

2007-02-12T18:42:00.001-08:00

Hey guys,

If there are speling mistakes in this one... it's cause i don't have tons of time. I am at NWHCM and arrived safe after meeting everyone at the airport in PAP. We flew on a smalll plane to port de paix and took a flat deck truck from there to st.louis du nord. Sunday we had church for 4 hours and then we all got organized. Tons of drugs were sorted and surgical supplies. Patients were already waiting for the surgical team. I have so many stories i don't know where to start.

There are 5 surgeons here, and one dentist. a full pharmacy. nurses galore of all different types. it is pretty crazy. there is one large operating theater... and a minor one as well... .anyway.. ill move to stories.

Today i woke up. ate breakfast. then spent 30 min searching fro a brush to scrub the guys washrooms with. we all pitch in with the chores around the place. It is not very well set up here for stuff ... as in there aren't as many full time staff as would be desired to make it run cleaner and faster. but there is a spirit of willingness and flexibility that gets the jobs done that need to be done. I enjoy it here. anyway... after scrubing bathrooms for two hours and two liters of pine-sol-type cleaner... i went into the operating theater under full scrubs to watch an amputation of the swollen and infected arm of a 10 month old little girl. WOW. I thiink i n eed some more time to digest that one. first surgery i saw... and that wasn't bad ... but this little girl
s life is changed for life. Her hand was as big as her head. the connection is bad or i'd post some pictures.. maybe when i get back from....

The next stop... a few days of traveling to what is called, 'the far west' around here. We will be traveling west.... to remote villages ... we meaning a team of about 20 who include a surgeon and nurses and me and a couple others.... we will try to do a day clinic in a different village every day. I will be back saturday... and will post some more detail and maybe fix this post then. ... maybe with pictures... so many stories to record.....

tODAY A LADY CAME IN WHO WAS GORED BY A BULL LAST NIGHT. WOOPS .... she was gored rigth up the crotch... piercing both cavities... today the surgeons put a bypass.. i forget the medical terminology... into her waste systems which will be in place for the next yearish as her body hopefully recovers... the doctors are really worried about the possibliiety of infection... I have learned that Haiti is a giant emergency room....

Yesterday packed a lady off a mountain about an hour's hike from here... whe has a huge growth on her neck and can not walk becase she is weak. so about four of us packed her out on a stretcher... the surgeon i talked to today said they cant test here to see if it is caused by a tumor.. . which means certain death for her.... or possibly tuberculosis.... so they are going to take a tissue sample back with them to the states and put her on tb meds in case it is that and it might help.... you can only do what you can

today i also spent four hours leading a group of guys here on maintenance in putting shutters on the guys new dorms.... everything had to be scribed ... nothing was squARE.... OR IF IT WAS IT WAS BECAUSE IT WAS A FLUKE..... WE GOT MOST OF IT DONE... THE FIRST COUPLE DIDNT LOOK SO GOOD... LOTS OF GAPS... SO I PUT MY ARTISTIC FRAMING SKILLS TO WORK... THE GUYS HERE MOSTLY DO FURNITURE AND WOODWORKING AS HOBBIES... ONE'S A EX AIRLINE PILOT... IT FELT GOOD TO BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE.... AFTER ABOUT 10 MIN AFTER I GOT THERE AFTER THE SURGERY I WATCHED WE HAD A PRODUCTION LINE SET UP... AND ALMOST FINISHED THE DORM BY THE END OF THE DAY...

WOW.... LOOKS LIKE THE GENERATOR WILL BE ON FOR A LONGER THAN I THOUGHT BECAUSE THE SURGEONS ARE STILL AT WORK... AND PROBABLY WON'T STOP TILL ABOUT MIDNIGHT OR MAYBE LATER.... LOTS OF WORK TO DO... WITH 5 SURGEONS HERE THEY CAN PULL SHIFTS AND KEEP THEMSELVES FRESH...

... but i got to go... i have to pack ... its 10pm and i have to pack sleep eat breakfast and be leaving here with everyone by 6 am tomorrow... I hope this message finds you all well..

Out ... .and still in ONE PEACE>

Paul

Feb 9/07 - From a dark cafe full of cobwebs

2007-02-09T16:20:00.001-08:00

Hey all,

I made it to Heart to Heart (H2H) without any problems. There is more of a sense of ‘Haitian time’ at H2H, as everything planned and scheduled is usually delayed, and everyone is ok with that. So yeah, it took a few hours to get back here, but if you haven’t gotten used to that, you won’t survive in Haiti! Thanks to Beth for driving me to CSI, and thanks to Hoslais and Jacque for picking me up. For those of you who are worried for my security, Hoslais is in the Coast Guard Police here, and is very respected by all the police we pass in the streets when travelling.

We stopped at a Comcel dealer on the way here, as I am having trouble at times getting reception with my Digicel hookup. Most of the people here who need to be contacted use two cell phones. I opted to use one, and to swap SIM cards when I need to. To get hooked up with a SIM card is about 400 Haitian gourdes, which is like …. $10-11 USD. Pretty affordable security for emergencies.

I am currently sleeping in Pastor Luc’s bedroom at the children’s home. For those of you who are not familiar with H2H, Pastor Luc and his wife Michelle are the directors in Haiti. Michelle is currently battling another bout of cancer, and I have included an update below, which I originally wrote as an email. Pastor Luc, Michelle and family have relocated to their house in Grand Goave, so that Michelle may have some peace while she is sick. The children’s home has been left under the care of a pastor, named Herold, and the leaders already in place here in the church and school.
The guest house here is full of clothes!!! A seventy-something year-old lady, named Ligia, from Edmonton, has spent the last 10 years collecting clothes in her home. The last time she was here was about 13 years ago, which was before H2H’s entire compound was started. She says her house was full of clothes before she came, and she was living in a corner of the basement because there wasn’t any other room for her. She sent a 40’ container which arrived the day before I got here. She spent a month in the fall transporting the clothes from her house into a van, and then across Edmonton to a field where she had a canvas tent set up where she sorted and loaded the container in -40 weather. The container was packed only with clothes and blankets. The only items that were different were about 16 bicycles, a few chairs, two stoves, and one old hospital gurney. Unfortunately she sent the container to Cap Haitien, the other side of the country, but she says that it was a good mistake, because it only cost her $800 to get the container released from customs, apparently the lowest cost that customs will charge. She is obviously pretty dedicated to what she feels called to do. She will be leaving by March 13, so the guest house will most likely be cleared by then.

Also a quick update on the construction at H2H. Here is a shot of the wall that we began in September, the last time I was here. It is finished and looks good.

Tomorrow I leave for Port-au-Prince, to meet up with a team that is going to Northwest Haiti Christian Mission in northern Haiti. We fly to Port-de-Paix, and my next update will most likely be from somewhere near there. Check out my last post and Links for more info, and stay tuned for more posts from there.

The only other prayer request that I have, besides what I have included below regarding Michelle, is for patience and for an abundance of unconditional love. I desire to help my friends here at H2H, but I find it very hard to help people who do not help themselves. I do not mean that there is nothing happening here, but that there is a general attitude of complacency towards their situation and problems, and a reliance on outside help which I find unhealthy. I find this wears me down at times. It is hard to stay motivated to help people when they choose not to help themselves, for they are able to help themselves. This is not a case of them being unable, only a case of motivation and willingness. Please pray for discernment for me as well, as I struggle to know how much to help, and to know the point where too much help becomes unhealthy, the point where they become reliant on me or others.

Today I am going to help Jay-Michel to plan the construction of his home. In Haiti, to get married, you need to have a place to live. You can rent, but most people do not wish to start doing this, because once they do, they can never get enough money together to buy a house. Yesterday, I asked Jay-Michel how much money he needed to finish his house, and he had no idea. Right now he plans to finish building it from Feb 19-24, but I think this is highly unlikely, as he needs to make approx $4000 USD in two weeks. So we will see what we come up with today.

Here is the email I spoke of earlier on this post:

Friends of Michelle,

I am writing to update you on Michelle’s health condition and the effects of her illness on H2H.

If you are reading this email you probably already know that Michelle has been in Florida for the last month, undergoing treatment for cancer that has returned to her body. I will give you an abbreviated story, as I am short on time, and I will do my best to be as accurate as possible. This is a paraphrased version of what Luc communicated to me yesterday.

Michelle underwent surgery to remove a tumor in her colon, the original site of her cancer. When the doctors began the surgery they found that the cancer had spread to multiple organs. They were unable to remove this much cancer from someone’s body, so the sewed her back up. Michelle began to bleed internally. Luc says she had 14 units of blood pumped into her over a period of a couple days. She lost so much blood that the nurses couldn’t find anywhere to put an IV into her. She continued to get sicker and sicker. She slipped in and out of consciousness. She was put on life support at the hospital. On the evening of the second day of life support, Luc began to pray by her side. He prayed all night, until 5 am, pleading with God. At 5am he left to go to Michelle’s sister’s place to wash up and change his clothes. While he was there, the hospital phoned and told him to come back, as they believed that Michelle was going to die soon. He came back with Michelle’s sister, and his youngest daughter, Tracy, age 6, who is living with Michelle’s sister, to say goodbye to Michelle. Luc was able to ask Michelle if she had any last words for him. She said, ‘Take care of the children.’ After about two hours the doctors said that it was time to take Michelle off the life support. They said she was already dead. Luc and family were asked to leave the room for about 10 min. When they came back in, Michelle was still breathing. Luc went to her side and touched her hand, and she opened her eyes. She began to feel a little better. The surgeon was surprised and didn’t know what to say. Luc went to the nurse and asked for some apple juice. The nurse gave him some, and he fed it to Michelle. While he was doing this he heard the surgeon arguing with the nurse asking her what she was doing. Michelle continued to improve, and the surgeon did not know what to do so he stayed away. Then the next day the surgeon came to see Michelle and Luc. He said that he did not know why she was still alive. Luc told him, ‘you are a doctor, but you are not the Master doctor.’ The surgeon said he agreed with Luc. The surgeon also told Luc that all the nurses in the hospital had heard of what had happened with Michelle, and they were affected deeply. He said that the most affected were a few nurses who said they were Christians but in their hearts they didn’t fully believe.

Michelle continued to improve and after a few days more in the hospital, she had to be transferred to her sister’s home in Florida, since it was too expensive to stay at the hospital. The hospital bill came to $247,000 USD, and another $47,000 USD for drugs and blood. A social worker met with Luc and the people at the hospital, and Luc explained to them that he doesn’t have that kind of money, because he and Michelle have spent their lives devoted to raising 90 children, and to helping others. They decided that the hospital could probably find a way to cover the bill for $247,000 and the bill for $47,000, but there is still a bill for the doctor for $15,000 USD that Luc needs to cover. He does not know how he is going to do this yet.

Michelle made it back to Haiti on Feb 3. She is not fully better, but she continues to hang onto life. She has been living with their immediate family in their home in Grand Goave. The strain, noise and activity around H2H’s Children’s Home is too much for her to bear. In the interim of her illness, Luc has a pastor, Herold, living at H2H to care and oversee the orphans and the church activities. The children are doing their best to fill in the roles that need to be filled, but it has had an affect on cleanliness of the property, and on the spirits of the children. Michelle is being cared for by two of her sister’s, Elna, Luc, and Miselene. Miselene is a woman who has grown up under Michelle’s care and is also a nurse, having completed four years of schooling in nursing. She is working for a doctor in Grand Goave who is also helping to care for Michelle. Last night he spent at least three hours with the Michelle and her family.

Michelle’s health is still up and down. Some days she feels worse, and some days she feels better. She assures me that she is not in pain, but feels sick at least half the time. She is on an IV, and can drink some fluids, but she has not been able to keep solid food in her body. Her body is very weak. She has become very frail as she can not retain nutritious food, and her body is under attack. She is on antibiotics so that she does not contract any infections. Yesterday she broke out in a fever and shakes during the late afternoon. The doctor has now sent out blood tests this morning to see if she has malaria. It is hard to look on and not know what to do, except to pray for His will to be done, whatever that may be.

Luc is nursing her and does not leave the house very often. People come by all day to help and to pray. Last night the entire house erupted in prayer a couple times. If you have never been to Haiti this might be hard to imagine. Everyone, wherever they are, begins to pray out loud, in loud voices, at the same time. Then they move to singing. Then back to prayer. Then back to song. Sometimes this continues for an hour. Michelle, surrounded by people, lays on her bed and raises her arms in prayer.

Yesterday, we shared some laughs and jokes at her bedside, and she joined in. It was a respite from the somberness of her illness. Today I am going to rewire the generator at their house, as it is very near her bedroom. We are going to relocate it to another area of the property that is farther from her bedroom, so that she will be as comfortable as possible. Besides little things like this, there is not much that can be done, except to wait and to pray.

I just wanted to relay an update of Michelle’s situation to you. I do not know what to ask you to pray for, except for His will to be done. The only prayer that I have learned to pray at times like these is this one, written by Blaise Pascal;

I ask neither for health nor for sickness, for life nor for death; but that you may dispose of my health and my sickness, my life and my death, for your glory…. You alone know what is expedient for me; you are the sovereign master; do with me according to your will. Give to me, or take away from me, only conform my will to yours. I know but one thing, Lord, that it is good to follow you, and bad to offend you. Apart from that, I know not what is good or bad in anything. I know not which is most profitable to me, health or sickness, wealth or poverty, nor anything else in the world. That discernment is beyond the power of men and angels, and is hidden among the secrets of you Providence, which I adore, but do not seek to fathom.

In One peace,
Paul DenHaan

Feb 7/07 - Off to the next place.

2007-02-07T04:50:00.001-08:00

It is morning here, just finished another nutritious breakfast at MTM. Thank you again to Willem and Beth for their hospitality.

Played a game of soccer with some of Willem’s friends yesterday night. It was nice and cool in the evening, though still a little muggy. I was goaltender for our team… yeah… not so great at that position. But we all had a good time. I think the score was something like 12-14 when we were finished.

Heading to PAP today to meet H2H at CSI guest house. I’ll be at H2H till Friday, and I do not know of any internet connection there, so this will be the last post for a while. That could be either a few days or a couple weeks. On Saturday I’ll be headed to northern Haiti to a place called Port-de-Paix, the only other city in Haiti with an airport besides Port-au-Prince. I’ll be flying there from PAP with a team of 80 people. Yeah, that’s not a typo. It’s a huge medical team. Don’t know what I’ll be doing there yet, but I am flexible. Sounds like I’ll be doing some traveling up and down the coast with some outreach medical clinics, and also spending time at the main compound. The organization that is hosting our team is called Northwest Haiti Christian Mission. Check the link in the ‘Links to Haiti Organizations.’ After that I'll be at MTM again for at least a week starting on Feb 24.

I’ve also added a map to my links page so that you guys can find these cities that I am traveling to. Mountain Top Ministries is near Kenscoff, H2H is in Grand Goave, and NWHCM is in Port-de-Paix.

Gotta go, my ride leaves in a few minutes.

Still in One peace.

Feb 5/07 - Day at MTM School

2007-02-05T18:17:00.001-08:00

Hey, here’s the latest.

Spent the day with Willem at MTM doing some work… I forgot to get some before shots, but here is the shop we cleaned up in the morning.

After that I spent a little while getting shots of the place.

These kids came searching for a photo op.

Then spent some time discussing MTM with Willem while he supervised the prep work for the preschool playground that he and his workers are building. There are 130 kids in the preschool… huge number for three classrooms. The school attendance total is 500 kids. Here's a shot of the location of the new playground area.

Spent the evening updating emails and this blog… gotta go, still have some more work to do before hitting the sack.

Feb 4/07 - A day of rest

2007-02-05T17:56:00.001-08:00

Today is Sunday, a day of rest, and that fits me just fine.

I had the opportunity today to share some of my life story and testimony in church. Willem mentioned that he was thinking of having me preach about 10 minutes before the service started. I blanched at first, cause I couldn’t think of anything that I could effectively teach to people that I had never met. Then I realized that I could start right there and just share about myself so that they could begin to know me. So I turned my life story and some of the struggles that I have faced with my back injury into a ‘mini-sermon/testimony.’ It was a little bit challenging as the only words I understood during the entire church service were my own, and I’m used to being able to prepare a lot better, but Willem reassured me that what I shared tied into his sermon, which he preached right after me, quite well.

After church, Willem and Beth’s kids, Stephen and David, put me through a rigorous game of basketball. Good fun. Worked up a sweat fairly quickly in the sunshine.

I spent the rest of the day relaxing, getting caught up on some emails, and SUPER BOWL. I’m not too huge of a sports fan, I’d prefer to play the sport myself, but I didn’t mind just watching this one. Beth grew up in Indiana, so we even had a home team to cheer for. Thankfully the cable service didn’t cut out during the entire game. Last year a team brought all the gear for a Super Bowl party, but ended up losing the cable service just as the game began… Welcome to the Haiti public service sector.

I’ll be spending the day with Willem tomorrow at the school.

Anywho, later.

Feb 3/07 - First day in Haiti

2007-02-05T17:22:00.001-08:00

I have arrived safe and sound at Mountain Top Ministries (MTM). My travels went through without any hitches. It was fast and on-time. I met Willem, the director of MTM, at the airport for the first time. We walked right out to his SUV and off we went.

Mountain Top Ministries is situated about 13 miles directly south of the airport. It is run by Willem and Beth Charles, who have capacity for up to 20 guests in their own home. They are very hospitable and view their possessions here as part of God’s ministry. Their home is located on one side of a valley, with the main ministry site on the opposite side. Their ministry in the valley consists of a school (currently grades pre-k to 9) for 500 kids, a church, and a medical clinic. They also have an orphanage nearby that is currently occupied by 13 children. They plan in the near future to continue to expand their high school, and to build a medical hospital in the valley. Check out their website in the Links to Haiti Organizations for more info.

On the way home from the airport we stopped at a cell phone dealer so that I could get hooked up with a SIM card and minutes for my phone, and also exchanged some money from USD to Haitian Gourdes. There is some fun. For the uninitiated, Haitians use gourdes to pay for items that are priced in Haitian dollars. A Haitian dollar is made up of 5 gourdes, and a USD is made up of approx 7.5 Haitian dollars. This makes the math all kinds of fun J. So $1000 gourdes, shown below, is the equivalent to approx 25.974025 USD.

Well, that is all for now. Just have to power through today so that I can kick the jet lag asap.