More Faces of Haiti

It's hard to synthesize and describe the range of impressions of my experience in Haiti, but I'll try. On one hand were the undeniable challenges: lack of sanitation, dirty water, sketchy food, fear of illness, fear of the mice that crawled into our luggage at night looking for food while we slept on mats on the floor! And the white-knuckled fear as we lurched and bumped down the rocky, rutted, steep, winding mountain road, 11 of us crammed into a Nissan Pathfinder because one of the jeeps had broken down -- again. Flying up and hitting our heads on the roof as Fr. Stan shouted, "Oh, Jesus!," certain we were going off the next cliff and knowing my family would never forgive me for this folly. Joking that having spent 11 hours in church over the previous three days, at least we were all gonna go to heaven, and then the others remembering what an irreverant heathen I am and worrying that instad we were all headed straight to hell.

Then there were the incredible people, eeking out a living in this hostile, hardscrabble place with everything against them. And Pere Leroy, standing on the steps of the new church that seats 3000, built of rocks that each parishioner gathered by hand, and bags of cement that they carried up the three-hour mountain road on their heads, barefooted. At first I wondered if the money wouldn't have been better spent on our clean water project, or supplies for the clinic.

But then I saw the thousands of people gathering for the dedication, dressed in their finest and on a three day holiday from their difficult lives, celebrating 14 weddings in one day -- because getting married in March is good luck and ensures lots of children, which again begs the question, and this is good WHY?? Because many children ensures that if some die, which they surely will, there are others to help with the work, and take care of their parents in old age.

Pere Leroy stood on the steps of the new church, like an early Aristide before he was corrupted, and spoke passionately about how this was the new face of Medor. That even though they were poor and black and the descendants of slaves, this building represented respect and justice and all the good things they deserved. He promised to continue working with them, fighting for them, for clean water, decent health care, and a good education. He was awesome, and he gave them all the gift of pride.

The schools are also amazing -- 730 kids, busting at the seams. In the coming year we hope to help PL build a new secondary school, and expand the kindergarten where 50 kids were turned away this year. In this remote and desperately poor place, where the schools have no windows, no electricity and dirt floors, the 9th graders spoke to us in Creole, French, English and Spanish. Four languages, all proficiently. Truly amazing.