Trip Summary August 2009

On the trip this year were Deacon Lloyd Duplantis, Joe Cunningham, Jr. and Ken Trahan.

After arriving on Monday, we spent time getting reacquainted with our host, Fr. Jomanas Eustache and his staff. In the corner of the property we toured the soon to be Haiti Mission Depot.

This facility will allow us to orderly maintain and inventory of tools, pumps, filters and supplies.

Tuesday morning we began putting the roof on the second of our chicken buildings, which were started on the April trip. With cordless drills and the help of a few locals, we finished half of the roof before it got too hot. We ran into a problem installing the doors, screws were too short and no nearby Lowes or Home Depot. This will also be finished on the next trip.

In the afternoon, we went to check on the progress of the catchment system, which is being sponsored by One Family International. Things are moving along nicely. When complete, the first stage of the system will allow access to clean drinking water. A bathing and washing area will be created and the final stage of the system will provide drinking water for livestock.

The rest of the afternoon was spent taking water samples and visiting one of the houses that we would like to replace. We asked the owner what they did for the hurricane last year. She said that she moved to the strong part of the house, but we couldn’t figure where that might be.

A grandmother lost her daughter and could not keep her grandchildren because her house is so small.

Wednesday morning, we finished the roof of the chicken house, except for the ridge cap, which will be installed on the next trip.

Lloyd and Joe enjoyed fresh coconut while taking a break.

The drilling rig is still on location at the chicken farm, so we took inventory of the maintenance items that must be performed. The tongue jack is damaged and we will have one made when we return to the states. Maintaining equipment in a third world country is difficult and expensive.

We stopped to visit with Mr. Maturin, the blind man, to see how he was enjoying his new house. While there we presented him with a new chair for his porch which was donated by Ronnie and Betty Thomas. He was very appreciative for all the Haiti Mission has done to improve his quality of life.

We scheduled our trip to coincide with the Feast of the Assumption. Fr. Joe scheduled a recreational day for the children followed by our Feed the Children program.

We ate with the children and the food was delicious. Beans and rice, similar to a Cajun meal, topped with a nutritional sauce and a knock your socks off coleslaw. I’m always amazed to see how much these small children can eat and not waste even a grain of rice.

As the sun set, the children were shown a documentary movie about Haiti. For most of the children, this was the first movie that they have ever seen.

While the children watched the movie, we went up the mountain to see the natural water source at Debarrasse. You can hear the water flowing from the mountain long before you see it and this creates such excitement. Once at the site, the flow of water was tremendous.

Since the water is so clear, it doesn’t show up in the pictures. After visiting this resource, we plan to work with the government to keep the existing system maintained along with other similar sites.

The new school is being utilized, even though it is not totally complete. Both student and teacher desks are needed in the classrooms that are being used. The school, like most buildings, is multipurpose. The night before we departed, the school gallery was turned into a stage and we were treated to a wonderful concert featuring the children of Numero Deux. It was fantastic and I can’t imagine the effort it took to learn a few songs in English with the finale, “We are the Children”. The people are so grateful.

On Thursday we did maintenance on the Unimog, which is not working right now. There is either a clutch or transmission problem along with a broken shift level. Another difficult piece of equipment to maintain from the states and without the “Mog”, we don’t have anything to move the drilling rig.

Fortunately, on the journey home, we made contact with a mechanic in Port-au-Prince who is familiar with the Unimog and is also willing to travel to Jeremie to access the problem. Hopefully, he will be able to order the required parts and get us drilling again.

In the afternoon, we went to the races. The community celebrates the Feast of the Assumption with a three-day celebration. The airport runway becomes a racetrack.

We watched foot races, bicycle races, horse races and donkey races. What an exciting evening.

Friday morning, we observed booths being set up and food being prepared for the festival. A special banner was hung in recognition of the 10th Anniversary of Haiti Mission. We then visited other wells and did follow up water testing. When we returned in the afternoon, we headed to the local beach where we paid some of the local children to help clean up the trash that washes ashore. After a very hot day, the water felt great.

On Saturday morning, Bishop Romelus celebrated Mass for the Feast of the Assumption along with many of the local priests. It was a beautiful service and well attended. The people are poor, but very rich in spirit.

The offering of the gifts is very memorable with the ladies offering bowls of fruit and other works of the hands. Following the Mass, we were invited to attend a reception with the Bishop and priests. Bishop Romelus has just retired and has been tremendously supportive of the Haiti Mission. Best of luck Bishop Romelus, we will miss you.

Fr. Joe thinks of everything, a special cake to celebrate the Mission's 10th anniversary.

Lloyd had the honor of cutting the first piece of cake watched closely by the ladies who created this masterpiece.

Sunday Mass was another memorable event, 58 baptisms. The Holy water was flying as Deacon Lloyd and Fr. Joe’s brother, Fr. Matt administered to the people. What a beautiful site.

In the afternoon, we made one last trip to the beach followed by a small army of small boys who were eager to clean more beach in exchange for a few American dollars. Before dark, we hiked up the mountain to visit another natural spring. Like the others, the catchment system for the spring needs a lot of work to properly serve the community.

Incredible beauty in an incredibly poor country. That's all until the next trip.