Thank You Message from Pere Deravil

 this email was sent by Pere Deravil Aug 2

---

From: Jean Jacques Deravil [mailto:jackdera@hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, August 02, 2010 4:39 PM

Dear friens,
Fenie an I got back to Trenton Savely. Thanks so much for the great hospitality you have given to us. We spent a very good time at Memphis with you brothers an sisters in Christ. Thank you for inviting us to Memphis, thanks for taking your time with us an visiting  many places with us, Thanks for the foods, thanks for your compassionate love to the haitian people. Father Rencher thanks you for your patience in the airport, you spent all your time with until we left. Once again thank you so much everyone for your love , youe help an support.
             May God continue to bless you all in your ministry.
                                 Father DERAVIL & Fenide

photos of St Vincent's school after the quake

 most of the school is intact except for the front wall which is gone, allowing these pictures to be taken from the street

photos sent by Pere Sadoni on July 22, 2010

Pere Jean Jacques Deravil in Memphis July 31

Pere Jean Jacques Deravil and his wife Fenide were in Memphis this weekend.  Pere Deravil is the priest in charge of St. Paul’s school in Montrouis, Haiti.  This is where the children from St. Vincent’s school were evacuated after the earthquake and this is where the mission team stayed in April.  St. Paul’s school has about 250 children from kindergarten thru eighth grade, and many of these kids were seen in our medical clinic in April. 

Through the generosity of  Margaret McLaughlin and others (Margaret was one of our team members in April), Pere Deravil and his wife were able to visit us in Memphis while in the United States, visiting family in Trenton, New Jersey.  They both worked  at the Stop Hunger Now food packaging event at Holy Communion church on Saturday, July 31, joining approximately 390 volunteers (a total of 450 counting Friday's volunteers) in packaging 144,747 meals. They worked alongside everyone else, counting meals to be packaged into boxes.  Pere Deravil was also given a very special gift at the food packing   event.  Raymond Williams decided a few months ago that instead of presents for his 10th birthday, he wanted to collect items to help children in Haiti.  Raymond brought a suitcase full of toothbrushes, pencils/pens, note book paper and toys to give to Pere Deravil for his children at St Paul's school.  All present were touched by the generosity of this young boy and the opportunity to witness the gift to the Haitian people firsthand.

The following morning,  Pere Deravil spoke briefly at Grace St Luke's  and later at St Mary's Cathedral during Sunday services. He said he was touched by the testimony of people old and young working to help his countrymen who are hungry.  The Deravils also paid a visit to More Than A Meal at Grace St Luke's on Sunday afternoon, where Pere Deravil again spoke to the crowd in thankfulness for all that the church community has done for the people of Haiti.  His message was timely in a room full of hungry people who had just been fed by that same church community.  Pastor Chris Hamm, of Germantown Presbyterian Church, also visited with the Deravils briefly on Sunday afternoon.  Germantown Presbyterian Church installed a water purification system at St Paul's School in April 2010, and we met them while we were visiting St Paul's ourselves.  We are in discussion about ways to connect the various churches in Memphis who are doing ministry in Haiti.

Thank you to all who made this weekend possible, first to Margaret McLaughlin for her generosity and persistence in making their trip possible.  Secondly to all members of the West Tennessee  Haiti Partnership who set aside whatever plans they had for this weekend and made time to be with our Haitian friends. Thirdly, to Rev. Brian Ponder and Dean Andy Andrews, who welcomed  Pere Deravil to their churches on Sunday morning with VERY little advance notice.  Their hospitality and gracious treatment of the Deravils is greatly appreciated.  Drew Woodruff presented Pere Deravil with a check for $5000 to take home to support the school at St. Paul's, directly from the West Tennessee Haiti Partnership.** When presented with the check on Sunday morning at St Mary's Cathedral, Pere Deravil had tears in his eyes.  By way of information, it costs about $200 tuition per year to educate one child at St. Paul's School.  The tuition includes a hot lunch, which is often the only meal the child receives that day.  Often the meals are an incentive to send the child to school, where the parents know they will get at least one meal that day.  It is our hope that some of the meals we packed on Saturday will go to St. Paul's school. 

**(These donations are always processed through the Diocese of Haiti, and are tracked carefully.  The check will go to the diocesan office first, 10% will be kept for the Diocese and the rest will go to St. Paul's School.)

Susan Nelson

Allie's story from April 2010 trip to Haiti

Our last day in Haiti was spent in Port-au-Prince. We started off driving through town, speechless from seeing what remained 4 months after the devastating quake hit. Our first stop was to see old friends from St. Vincents. One of the nurses, Michele was there to greet us. Eluvie, who previously worked in the kitchen at St. Vincents, was there as well. Seeing their faces, hugging them and knowing they were ok, was such an incredible feeling. It was also very emotional for me to see baby Margarette (who was left orphan at St. Vincents on our previous trip in December). She was so strong, so beautiful. Next we walked to what was left of St. Vincents. There are no words to describe what it feels like to look at a place you once stayed, once slept in, and see it completely destroyed, with bodies of children we knew and loved still buried beneath. There are no words, just great sadness.

But the day had to continue on. On our walk back, we stopped at a restaurant to eat and regroup. I sat there with Michele (our Haitian nurse), drinking a Prestige (the Haitian beer), and listening to Phil Collins "Another Day in Paradise" play. There was too much to take in.

With all of this being said, I'd have to say that the drive home was the most memorable part for me. I had 2 hours, standing, not sitting, in the back of a truck driving from Port-au-Prince to Montrious to absorb all that had happened that day. We had only been on the road for 5 minutes when we all turn our heads quickly to see something in the road, and then look at each other with mouths dropped to verify the object, a dead body laying in the street. Too much devastation, too much to absorb. But as the drive continues, and as I attempt to process through all that has happened, something in me shifts from despair to hope. I am standing in a truck with hair I have only washed in the ocean, dreaded and tangled, bug bites all over my face and body that one could easily play connect the dots, and not to mention that I smell of something aweful, but at that moment, I felt like a queen. Every place we passed, people where smiling, cheerful and waving at us, so happy to see us. You couldn't help but smile and wave back. Its hard to explain, but theres something powerful about seeing these people, who have been struck over and over again with hardship, knocked down when you think it wasn't possible to get any worse, still smiling & waving. I guess Abraham Lincoln was right, people are as happy as they make up their mind to be. The Haitians have a hope that inspires. Standing there driving for 2 hours past all kinds of devastation, its easy to be disheartened, but in the forefront of that picture, are beautiful people whose lives continue on, shopping in the markets, building, laughing, playing, singing and dancing. Because the Haitians know that this terrible quake will not stop them, that they will continue on, they will perservere, and they will be happy regardless of their circumstances. That was a moment that almost took my breath away, as I stood there in awe, so incredibly humbled by the hope of the Haitains.

                                                                                              Allie Russos

Some Photos from our April Trip

Sienna Nelson St. Mary's Youth Sunday Sermon

St. Mary's Cathedral Youth Sunday Sermons are available here and on their website.  Sienna Nelson, a 17 yr-old member of the partnership, spoke about her experiences in Haiti.  The link is to a 15 minute mp3 file with Sienna Nelson's and James Gruber's sermons.

 David Nelson

Technical Help: Click on the first green link to play the file. If you cannot play the file in your web browser, you can download the file and play it from your hard drive. Right-click on the link "here" and select "Save Link As," then save it to you hard drive.

Why I go to Haiti

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and was asked why I go to Haiti? The honest answer is there is no one reason why.  It’s a lot of things that make up an experience that for me is life changing and indeed nurturing.  I always return feeling both physically and emotionally drained and this trip was no exception.  But I always come back from the trip with a new found closeness with my faith too.  It’s like after receiving communion, but for me it last far longer and is much more intense.   As my friend Susan says, “It’s a God thing” and for me it’s a tangible feeling of wonder and fulfillment that can best be felt through one’s heart and soul.  It seems to lose both meaning and depth when attempting to express it in words.

It’s the sureness I felt that there is indeed a God while I was standing on the rubble of Saint Vincent’s and coming to the realization that under my very feet are six children’s bodies.  After the first wave of sadness hit me,  I cried out in my mind “Oh my God!”, then it hit me……you are such a fool, our God has already taken their souls and they are being hugged by Jesus and are running and jumping and laughing   as they so richly deserve. There is no doubt in my heart that crippled, orphaned, handicapped children  have taught me the very meaning and depth of faith and have shown me the power of the Holy Spirit in there loving smiles.  If they aren’t in God’s embrace, then I can quit right here and now because there is no hope for me to ever make it to heaven.  With that I was standing there and was filled with hope.  I had a new hope for a brighter future that the hundreds of handicapped children in Haiti may finally have a school without stairs, but rather one with ramps, elevators and even bathrooms to handle wheel chairs. We can come together, and with God’s help, make a school that can actually help the children learn to overcome their handicaps. They have the faith and love in abundance, they just need the chance.  With God’s help and ours, we can make a difference in their lives.

The amazing thing for me is the children.  They are the same as they were before the earthquake.  They can still melt your heart with a smile and are full of love, caring and compassion.  They share everything with each other.  There is almost no evidence of me and mine there.  If you give a child a cookie, they will say thank you even before taking it, they break it in half and call a friend over to share it. A tennis ball will be cherished by a boy for days.   I actually watched one boy wash himself in the morning then wash the ball, so that it stayed new and clean and yes he dried the ball with the towel before he dried himself.

We experienced more of the true Haiti this trip, no air conditioning or ice and no electricity after midnight.  My heart goes out to all the people that live in the tent city.  It is so hot in there I can’t imagine being there day in and day out.  The saddest thing for me is it may very well be years before they can have housing that is affordable and better.  Yet they are happy and go on with their life and their faith as strong as ever.  I can’t help but wonder how different it might be if we were in USA?

We saw a body lying on the street and the people just kept on doing their own thing.  No one seemed to notice. This troubled me, but later I came to the realization that there were over 300,000 bodies lying in the streets after the earth quake. That is a mind-boggling!  Yes, we experienced a short week of what it is like being Haitian, but we are now in our homes with all of our loved ones.  We are enjoying the AC   and in my kitchen I can feed multiple families. Why do I feel that the people in Haiti living in the tent city have a deeper and better understanding of faith and God’s love and hope?  Those that have nothing   teach me I have everything and more.  THANKS BE TO GOD.

sent in by John Mutin

Photos of the April 2010 trip to Haiti

This is a link to a Picasa Photo Album (106 pictures) from Susan.

Here are 202 photos from Lauren Coleman.

Here are Allie Russos' photos from the trip.