Our
day began with a trek down the mountainside to church. The walk was amazing as we stumbled and slid
over rocks and ruts and gullies while Haitians in high heels giggled past
us. The beauty of the landscape was
appreciated even though the tough terrain made us doubly aware of the ease of
life back home. Haitians rode by us on
burros sitting astride wooden saddles.
Some sped by while carrying logs or bags of beans on their heads. Still others in their Sunday best with heeled
shoes gracefully slid past us, the rocks and ruts a natural part of their movement. Church was filled with beautiful singing,
happy people, and a special spirit reflected by the people of this land.  |
| The Market Place |
After
church, we walked to the market. As
Chris stated, it was a place where entrepreneurs laid blankets on a rocky,
dried riverbed, selling varied items from tennis shoes to matches to tobacco to
mangos. It is a land of people willing
to travel over difficult terrain to deliver whatever they have to sell. It is a testament to the spirit of these
people and their desire to survive in spite of difficulties faced.
 |
| Chantelle and her kneading machine |
Some
traveled with Gary to visit Chantelle, the first to receive a low interest loan
from ServeHAITI to maintain her family’s bakery after an unfortunate fall from
a tree leaving her father in need of extra care. After developing a finance plan, she was able
to purchase a dough kneader. She noticed
that people did not like the texture of her bread and a kneader enables her to
create a smoother dough. She is operating
her business in spite of losing her mother, her father, and most recently her
horse that helped to transport flour from the Dominican Republic to her
bakery. Chantelle is defining dignity
for her family and for the Grand-Bois community with her strong spirit and
devotion to hard work.
While
the teachers were working on unpacking suitcases and preparing for the teacher
training on Monday, several others traveled to a youth group meeting where over
200 were present. The meeting was
organized by some of the youth of the area to honor ServeHAITI. They sang a song they wrote about the
importance of organizing and having dreams.
Alfred said it was encouraging to see the youth take on leadership and
not be afraid to dream. They showed a
passion that displays hope in their future.
ServeHAITI is providing a model of providing assistance to those who are
willing to develop a plan and provide sweat equity towards implementing their
ideas. The youth are interested in
learning computer skills, having a cyber café, and learning so they can improve
their lives. The internet can open many
doors through digital books, online
classes, and also broaden their view of the world. All present were encouraged by their genuine
desire to work towards achieving their dreams.
As one interpreter said, “The light is sparkling!” |
| Tilapia ponds |
 |
| The beginning of a vision |
Tonight
at reflection time, Brian made the statement, “I saw evidence today of Haitians
recapturing the blessing of this area.” Dr. Leo who runs the clinic for ServeHAITI in
the Grand-Bois area is a true visionary.
He inspires the people to work hard.
He is working on building a center based on his vision of a stage,
cinema, cyber café, dance club, and hotel.
He has ponds behind the building stocked with tilapia. He showed us his coffee bean trees that
require a canopy of other trees around them in order to survive. Much like the people of the Grand-Bois area
need some assistance to thrive, ServeHAITI is supplying the canopy of
encouragement many need to allow their dreams to grow.
Alfred,
our interpreter, made the profound statement that capitalizing on opportunities
is a way to “win your life.” The
Haitian roads may be rocky but organizations like ServeHAITI allow others to
use those stumbling stones as stepping stones to a better future.
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