Tim's experience in Haiti

I went to Haiti with no apprehension or fear, but just knew I was to go and really had no idea why. Then the finances worked out so that I could deal with my out of pocket expenses. When I got there I realized that I had a real experience ahead of me and that was just because of the ride from the airport to where we stayed.


Coming into Port au Prince the day before a national election also created enlightenment. Because of incidences in years past Haitians did not move around. Everything was closed and the streets were basically clear. Commercial vehicles could not move around but some did just because they needed the money. Monday brought a whole new dimension to the awareness of life in Haiti.

Traffic is horrendous and they have no apparent driving rules like lanes, direction, weaving in and out, horn honking, turning procedures, motorcycle weaving, or load restrictions, etc. Pedestrians cross and weave in and out of traffic and cross wherever they decide to cross the road. They do have a solution to overcome the chaos hand that is who can weld on the biggest, strongest bumper or knee pads etc for the driver of the motorcycle but not the two passengers. White knuckling it with 12 to 13 folks in a small pickup truck for two hours definitely gives you an idea of the stamina of who you're with and a clear view of the streets of Haiti.

Arriving at St. Vincents orphanage changed my entire outlook and emotions. What a welcome of love, smiling faces, souls just out there with no apparent feelings of disabilities about their bodies. Blind, no arms or no arms or legs, deaf, deaf with other disabilities. They knew nothing else to do but ignore the disabilities and learn to do whatever they wanted to. The young girl that interpreted for the pharmacy where I mostly worked had no hands but spoke beautiful English and wrote beautifully with her foot. She even signed to the deaf with her feet. Work with what you have with joy seems to be the answer at St. Vincents. Experience no shame and be proud of who you are. What a lesson for our team.
I can honestly say I received more love than I put out. No matter how I tried putting out more the person or the situation gave me back more love than I could give.
How can you leave such a place so devastated, so primitive, so chaotic, and experience the strong knowing that God is good?
When we landed at the Miami airport as an exhausted team. A wonderful group of souls themselves, I knew I needed to be alone to process all this. Not just the experience of the place but the experience of all the amazing souls in Haiti and on the team. At this moment arriving in Haiti I knew my God like I had never known him before. God does speak!

Some of Allie's Photos from Nov. Trip

Mission Team with St. Vincent's Kids

Mission Team @ Grocery Store

Diana Vincent

Sienna with Wichmene

Keisha runs the Pharmacy with Tim and Dieumene

Dianne Reddoch

Drew Woodruff with Wichmene

To see all of Allie's Nov. trip photos. click here.

Fwd: aerial view: Haiti, before the quake, shortly after, and now NY Times, 9 Jan 2011

Follow the link below to see aerial views of Haiti before and after the quake

 

 Subject: FW: aerial view: Haiti, before the quake, shortly after, and now NY Times, 9 Jan 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/flash/newsgraphics/2011/0109-haiti-map-html/?hp

sent in by Hope Lennartz

Sean Penn and Haiti: Love in time of cholera - Entertainment - Celebrities - TODAYshow.com

Follow this link to read about what Sean Penn is doing in Haiti:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40928936/ns/today-entertainment/from/toolbar

sent in by Sherye Fairbanks

Fwd: St. Vincent's Center - One Year after the Earthquake

       Dear Friends of St. Vincent's Center,

On January 12, 2010, an earthquake hit St. Vincent's Center at 4:53 pm. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake's epicenter was just 16 miles west of Port-au-Prince.  The buildings collapsed and walls fell over causing the death of seven students and three staff members.  One hundred and thirty children were taken to the soccer field at College of St. Pierre to a makeshift tent city.  About two weeks later, Fr. Sadoni moved the children to the former Episcopal Seminary at Montrouis, about 30 miles north of the city.  The children have since returned to Port-au-Prince are living in an undamaged building next to the Boy's Foyer.  The Friends provide funds to re-model office space for 15 classrooms and purchase new furniture including desks, chairs and tables.  The total library was lost so we also purchased new textbooks, school supplies and an office computer. 

After the earthquake "The Friends" received funds from the Diocese of Connecticut for emergency food and staff salaries.  The Diocese of Chicago sent funds for the prosthetic program. Also during 2010, "The Friends" continue to address the needs of the older orphaned students to move out into society with useful skills by providing scholarships to attend local high schools and colleges.  The prejudice barrier that prevented handicapped children from attending secondary schools has been broken.  Our students are competing well in regular classrooms, making us proud and providing role models for others by their academic and social success.

Recently, Dr. Susan Nelson, a Board member of the Friends, led a medical team down to treat the students and staff at the Center.  We provided some of the funds to purchase medications to stock the pharmacy.

A Japanese non-profit funded building temporary space for the medical clinic, the Director's office and the Brace Shop.  We are working on repairing the "old" Brace Shop building so we can move back to that space at the Main Campus.  Another major project is to reestablish a functional potable water system.  The Cholera outbreak continues in the city and at this point in time some 3000 persons have died in Haiti from this epidemic.

Projects that remain to be addressed include the need for orchestral and band musical instruments to reestablish the music program and providing non-electric typewriters.  The development of musical ability provides a marketable skill that helps graduating students to become self-supporting.  Typing services are needed and marketable.  Since electricity is unreliable in Haiti, use of non-electric typewriters is mandatory. Anyone with musical instruments or manual typewriters in good working condition can contact "The Friends".

"The Friends" are dedicated to doing all they can to improve the life and lot of the handicapped children who depend so completely on the Center. 

God Bless you all,

Hope Lennartz RN  MSN

Volunteer Executive Director of the Friends of St. Vincent's Center   

You can contact us at:

E-mail:   hopelennartz@comcast.net

Phone-  860-233-8366

Address:  Friends of St. Vincent's Center

                  c/o St. James's Episcopal Church

                  

                  West Hartford, Conn. 06107

19 Walden Street

FW: Thank you for your encouragement and support

From: Director, The Haiti Connection [mailto:Director@TheHaitiConnection.org]
Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2010 1:06 PM
To: The Haiti Connection
Subject: Thank you for your encouragement and support

Thank you for your encouragement and contributions for all the individuals and organizations that support the educational, medical, water and construction projects in Haiti. We are privileged to work with many of them that improve the lives of children and adults. We give the give of Hope.

                                               Blessings for the New Year

                                                                                 Bonnie

Bonnie Y. Elam

The Haiti Connection

206 New Bern Place

Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 USA

001 (919) 786-4478

E-mail: director@thehaiticonnection.org

http://www.thehaiticonnection.org/

O Holy Night

I HESITATE TO WRITE ABOUT THIS. But something stronger than me pushes the words out. Music speaks to me, and as we drove to St. Vincents, I heard " O, Holy Night ' AND REALLY LISTENED TO THE WORDS. " Long lay the world in sin and error pining…" If ever the world was in sin and error pining, I was in the midst of it. A bleeding , suffering world, one full of destruction and pain, with no real end in sight. This was the real world..the world God sent himself into in the form of Jesus to save. This was no dress rehearsal..this was the real thing..here, now, close, heavy and so in need of love and redemption. This seems like a philosophical thought as I rode slowly down to the ones He came to save, to the chosen children, to our precious children of St. Vincents. But all the rest of the people. Those walking, almost running to find work or food or someone who cared. They too were the ones He came to save. And all this filled my head as this beautiful song came from the radio. Why now? Why think about this? In Haiti, of all places. I must be losing it. Yet, I felt more like I was really getting it than losing it. There, bouncing in and out of pot holes large enough to do serious damage. And so I let it fill me. " Le Redempteur". & "Voici, le Redempteur."Advent has never been more meaningful. May your Advent and His coming be real to you and those you love.
Sent in by Diane Reddoch

John and Tim in Haiti

For more photos from the November trip, click here.