25 April - Dr. Rodney Electrical, Truck Repairs, G5 and Maurice's Story


Thursday, April 25 – Breakfast was abundant yet again – omelets, fruit, bread and local peanut butter to supplement what Steve brought. A few more people have moved into other guest rooms in Pastor Thony’s house, so we’re sharing bathroom space with another couple as well as the young man who was already here. We still have no lights in our room, even when the electricity is on for 3 or so hours in the evening. And to complicate matters, the water pump didn’t pump enough water to the roof so the taps were dry this morning and nothing to flush the toilets. No biggie – though at home we’d be totally freaked. We piled into the truck to go to the Empower Global compound to meet Thomas, a young well-educated, unemployed Haitian. His story is troubling. He worked as a translator in a large hospital in his hometown of Pinon, but he developed a tumour on his back and had surgery and a long recovery. The tradition in Haiti is that if something bad happens to you, you must leave your home and move elsewhere, but if you don’t know anyone, have an “in” you can’t get a job in the new place. We couldn’t help him, but there may be some chance of something with Empower. The other bad news was that as soon as we pulled into the compound, the truck quit. Of course, the good news is that it happened on Empower Global property, not at Dondon yesterday. Fortunately, they were able to get a mechanic quite quickly and the repair was done by noon. Meanwhile, the guys changed one of the tires on the truck, that was worn down to the belt. None of us wanted to ride around on that tire, once we had seen the shape it was in! We went to Dr. Rodney’s home, stopping at a hardware store (or what passes for one here) for supplies. Steve, Jim and Larry then made some electrical repairs and modifications to enable the family to manage their lights. Then, after a quick stop at Pastor Thony’s (still no water) we sat in on a meeting of the G5 groups. It was great to interact with some of the people who have been in the gardening program and have benefitted from it. Steve, on behalf of Tansley, presented $200 to the governing body of the G5s, to buy 2 bicycles for the volunteers who will inspect the gardens and coach the gardeners in better methods. The governing body feels ready to get goats and start phase 2 of the ACAT program. There was a long discussion about goats, so all bases are covered. This whole process is not simple or straightforward. When we got home, we found that the tinkering the guys had done had finally started the rooftop tank filling. Then during dinner it actually overflowed! Maurice joined us for dinner to tell his inspiring and amazing story of how he went from being a bandit in Newfoundland and a junkie in the Caribbean to giving his entire life and self to God. He’s an amazing guy and we were very privileged to meet him this week. We all combed through our suitcases and sent him away with everything we could for the people he works with here. Like he said – there’s all kinds of junk available in Canada, but these people have nothing. I told him I’d been trying to talk myself into going home in flip-flops so he could have both pairs of running shoes, and he said, “Well, you could, but if you don’t we could use the flip-flops too”.  That’s what he got, so I won’t freeze my toes in Buffalo. Meanwhile, back in our room, the lights were suddenly working again. Who can explain the vagaries of electricity?

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26 April - More Electrical Repairs to Doctor's House - Trip to the Beach


Friday, April 26, 2013 – Miriam, Cal and Pastor Thoney visited a Notary first thing, to clarify the purchase agreement and land transfer process for the new school site. As soon as they got back, Cal took the truck for a tire change. Then we headed over to Dr. Rodney’s for the guys to finish up the electrical work. He and his family are very glad to have that done. Dr. Rodney’s wife Vedane, and his children Rudy, Ollie and Alicia joined us for a trip to the beach. This involved travelling through narrow back streets of Cap Haitien and over a really quite alarming mountain road. Cal is really quite the Haitian driver, using the horn and swerving among vehicles with that big truck, with all of us clinging to the back. We finally arrived at a really lovely resort beach. It was fun playing with the kids and floating in the ocean. We are all pondering what we have seen this week and where we might want to invest further effort. We used some of our time this afternoon to talk about that, but there is so much need and so much great work going on that we will need to pray and consider some more before we reach a conclusion. We are very grateful for this whole experience – we have seen the pain and sorrow of the beautiful people of this beautiful country, but also the joy and faith they have and the bright hope for “the big tomorrow adventure”. Grace and mercy indeed, as Pastor Thony tells us often. Tomorrow we’ll be on a bus to Santiago and the next day on a plane home – what will being there look like after being here? We were talking about what we missed or where anticipating at home, and other than family none of us missed much of anything. We all anticipate a long, hot, bubbly bath. And I think most of us think we’d do this again, given the chance.

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27 April - Cap-Haitien Haiti to Santiago Dominican Republic


Saturday, April 27, 2013 – Well, OK, last night and this morning I really yearned for more reliable electricity. The generator ran for a few hours last night as usual, but before the water tank was full, something failed and suddenly the pump and all the upstairs lights stopped. In spite of Jim’s and Steve’s best attempts, there was no solution found so we stayed in the dark and went into water conservation mode. I managed to shower in the dark and wash my travelling pants by standing on them in the shower, but we gave up on packing. We thought, wrongly as it transpired, that the sun would give enough light for us to pack this morning. We ended up hanging our headlamps from the fan blades and putting up our standing flashlight. If there was anything in a dark corner of the room, it was left behind. Everyone made it to the kitchen by about 6:20 and Mary served us oatmeal, coffee and bananas which she had prepared in the dark. Pastor Thony said a grace, thanked us for coming and reminded us that the future is the children, and that if we want to help, that is where it should be directed. We wished Mary a fond farewell and boarded the truck for the last time. It had rained overnight, so we all got damp from the benches. Pastor Thony delivered us to the bus station and we exchanged blessings before he left us there. It was a slow process getting through the paperwork and finally boarding the bus and we pulled out about 20 minutes late with hot breakfast boxes and cold water bottles having been distributed. 
Our route took us along the harbour front, which looked great until we came to the place where all the garbage was washed up. Then past the busy market where I’m sure I saw stuff from our Florida rummage sales, for sale. After about 90 minutes we reached the border. At the Haitian exit point we got off the bus and handed our breakfast boxes into eager waiting hands, then stood in line to surrender our passports and got back on the bus. After crawling through the heavily-secured border area, the bus pulled up in front of a warehouse. The attendant on the bus gathered our Dominican Republic documents and we all gathered all our luggage and went into the warehouse. After a cursory inspection of our bags we reloaded them and ourselves into the bus, and then waited…until finally the attendant reappeared and gave back everyone’s passport. She couldn’t face trying our names so just handed all 9 Canadian passports to Leon to deal with. We were on our way again. On the DR side of the border things are better --  crops, animals, houses, roads. There are no high cement-block walls and razor wire around each property. More flowers, a bit less garbage, nicer vehicles. Somewhat more orderly traffic. In Santiago we stuffed ourselves and our gear into 3 cabs (we left so much behind, why do we still have so much? A mystery.) At the hotel we were all given upgraded rooms from what we had last week and we feel like kings and queens. We met for a late lunch and long conversation about the past week. We’ve agreed to get together in a couple of weeks, when we have had time to absorb all the Haiti experience and agree on a project recommendation for Tansley. I know I have lots of ideas and I’m sure everyone else does too, but we need to pray and ponder before we can be sure.


Videos for Whole Trip

 
The videos below were taken during various activities of the Tansley-Empower Global Mission Trip to Haiti.  Click the link to go to the Youtube video, then click Full Page.








 

 Tansley Mission Team Photos - Combined Collection

 
This posting is mainly for exchange of photos among the team members although anyone is certainly welcome.  The collection is not complete so if team members have more that I can add, just forward them to larryhatt@gmail.com.  For people who were not on the trip and want more photo details, there is lots to see here.

For copying, when you click on a day, you will see small thumbnail size pics and when you click them you will see  a 600x800 pic.  If you want a true copy of the photo, don't copy this one.  Click the 600x800 again for the full size original picture.  Right-Click that one and Save-As to your local folder.

If you click the full size one again, you will see one too big to deal with, but may be useful for discerning some small feature.


Reverend Stephen's Reflections on the Haiti Mission Trip

    Just walked back into the house after going for a walk and was thirsty.  Without giving it much thought, I reached for the tap to take a drink of water.  Suddenly, a moment of panic consumed me and I stopped, and then, just as sudden a sigh of relief.  I was back in Canada and hadn’t just swallowed something that could have made me violently sick.
The act I had just performed is something you and I do quite unconsciously, drinking from a safe water source.  We seldom if ever wonder if it will harm us.  
    Haiti is a world away, that’s how I have come to speak of it.  We all know it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and a long way from Canada, but to see, smell and experience what life is like there-well, let’s just say we inhabit different worlds.
    We live in a material world, consumption is our God and we spend much of our time figuring out how we will spend our hard earned money; we contemplate what next item we can buy to improve our selves and make us happy.  We live in Canada, the wealthiest and most affluent nation in the history of mankind.  We are privileged beyond all comparison. We have come to expect that what we have in life is ours to do with whatever we want, after all we have earned it.
    This surreal world of abundance leaves us out of touch with a reality that so many others face daily.  We are protected from most of life’s harsh realities, lack of food, drinking water, etc.  This material consumer world we live in lies to us about what makes for a happy and satisfied life.  We miss out on the immediacy of life, the touch and smells that go with being connected closely with others; the day to day vibrancy of life lived of being connected to our surroundings.
    As I reflect on the week that has just passed I am torn.  I hope and pray that I will not forget what blessings we have in our lives, and equally, what a place like Haiti can teach us about the life we lead. I personally felt more alive.
    A few years ago our family hosted two Kenyan students for a short time.  Prior to their return home we asked them about their experience of this country, one of them said that he felt sad for us because we had so much!  I think I now understand what he meant.
    Haiti is a world away in so many ways; we are worlds apart.  Someone said to me last night that anything you do in countries like Haiti goes for nought.  Yet through actions of people and groups which seek to alleviate suffering and poverty, opportunities like this trip can make a difference in both our worlds.  As Christians we have an obligation. We cannot stand idle in the face of great poverty and need.  I pray that you might be encouraged to join this outreach, you will be blessed if you do.

 

Jim Allchin's Reflection on the trip

        When our group left Canada with our Team leader Cal Shultz from Empower Global, I really didn't know what to expect. I fully expected to get my hands dirty either building or repairing homes,schools,churches,etc.,but God had a different plan for our small group.
          This was a mission to observe,and identify projects that we might be able to support in future endeavors to a country that needs a lot of love and support to change the way they do things. Cal explained so much about Haiti and their culture and the obstacles they face in their daily lives during that week long adventure. He and his Empower Global team have been bringing real solutions to some of the problems with the way the Haitians carry on with everyday farming activities. Empower Global provides special seeds that can thrive in the hot climate that can provide nutritious vegetables for the farmers families. Hopefully under the watchful eye of inspectors and Cal the farmers will have enough surplus crop to sell. There are many stages to this effort by Empower Global and they are just about ready to start the second phase ( raising goats for meat ).
           I think the most memorable thing that " Team Tansley " saw was the beautiful children. It didn't seem to matter that they were hungry,undernourished and sick,they ALL had wonderful smiles and were extremely happy to see us,play games with us,and sing for us. They were absolutely beautiful children with no real future...kids just wanting to be kids. It really left a lasting impression on all of us. PLEASE look at their pictures,look at their eyes and at their smiles. I learned a staggering statistic ..."OVER 50% of the population of Haiti are children UNDER the age of 15". Please,pray for these children.
          It is our hope that we at Tansley can identify a project that we can ALL get behind to somehow bring a little light into their lives. An old camp song I remember had these lyrics , "And they'll know we are Christians by our love ,by our love. Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love!"
Let's get behind a project at Tansley and show these children the LOVE !!!!!

 

Janice Hatt's Reflections on the Haiti Mission Trip

    This first trip to Haiti was eye-opening for me, although not surprising in many ways. I had read enough reports, and had enough information before going to know that we’d see crowded, dirty, hot and impoverished conditions. Without Cal’s reminders of the factors that lead to dependence and the cycle of unending impoverishment, I would likely have been handing out dollars right and left and responding to every sad story – and there were many, many sad stories -- in an attempt to solve the immediate problem, likely with a hand-out, knowing that these instant solutions were, at best, very short-term. In the end, I likely would have thrown up my hands in despair, thinking that the problems are too big to solve.
    Instead, I got to meet some people who are working on their own problems with the assistance and support and encouragement of Empower Global. I came to appreciate the challenges of changing two centuries worth of habits and attitudes, one small step at a time. I was extremely impressed with the calm, firm way Cal kept patiently bringing everyone back to the principles that govern the projects they are involved in. I feel confident that if anything is going to help break the vicious cycles at work, these grass-roots (and vegetable roots) efforts are a big part of it. I was heartened to see and hear the stories of the children who are being fed, clothed and educated, thanks to the sacrifices of local Haitians who are giving everything they have to that effort. I could see the difference improved access to medical care made for people. The progress the small groups are making in productivity and self-reliance through the cultivation of family sustenance gardens was most impressive, and their growing ability to manage the process for themselves is very heartening. However, it’s also very evident that the kind of patient effort Cal was making will need to continue for a long time. We were told that the African model seems to take about 7 years to become ingrained, and that sounds about right from what we saw.
    Everything we did and saw on this trip reinforced my faith in our ability to make a difference and to invest time and money where it will really count.
    Having said all that, though, I still grieve for the people we saw, struggling to find food, health care, and all the other things we take for granted. The children scrounging whatever food they can and rewarding us with giant smiles when we offer it. The people spending long hours waiting in line at understaffed, under-equipped clinics. Schools that manage day to day, with leaders who hope teachers will stay on, even if they can’t be paid. Families whose small garden plots have washed away in torrential rains. People whose voodoo beliefs and practices deny them any hope of a brighter tomorrow. We can’t give up on them. It’s up to us, with God’s help, to find the patience and resources they need to turn this situation around.

 

 

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