Day Five: Tuesday, 22 Jan

Day Five:  Tuesday, 22 Jan

12:27p...

Greetings from our last full day in Bohoc!!  Just kickin' off my shoes to set a spell and write some...

Today, like every day has been great!  Breakfast began at 7a, and, most gratefully, I was able to eat every item served!!

Claudia lead us in team devotions this morning by walking us through the beatitudes.  Tomorrow when you read this, perhaps you could read through the beatitudes yourself.  One place to find them is in the first few verses of Matthew 5.  As you read them, notice the "if/then" quality of each beatific statement by Jesus, and consider focusing on just one of them to the full today.  To do this, memorize the verse, and, as you're walking throughout the day, try to repeat it to yourself whenever you remember to do so.  In addition to this, look for opportunities to affirm the presence of such an attitude whenever you encounter it in someone around you.

Oh...Gotta break for lunch.  See you in a bit...

Dave

107p...

Where were we?  Oh, yes...

At 9a, we walked to our work-site, which was in the same location as yesterday.  Until around 11a, we worked once again alongside our Haitian friends doing some more road widening.  One of the neat things about today was that the Haitians appeared to feel a little more liberated around us.  What began as a time of singing while we worked, blossomed into quite THE celebration.  I must write that the Haitian ladies--especially, the older ones (e.g., those in their 50s and 60s) can dance.  If any on the team post a video of such a thing, he or she may want to consider prefacing the video with a PG-13 identifier.  Another really cool thing we noticed is that Navoh, one of the ladies we prayed for on Sunday afternoon, was at the work site (She was also one of the ladies who were dancing together.).  For those of you who may not remember, we visited her at her home the other day.  She was the lady who'd been sick for well over a year and hadn't been able to attend church because of it.  On the site, she specifically walked up to me and thanked me (as Jedlain interpreted) for praying for her on Sunday.  When asked how she was feeling, she said (in Creole'), "I'm feeling much better...MUCH better."

Praise God!!

After leaving the work-site, we walked down the street to Madam Elmarie's house, where, in September of last year, she began what is now being called "The Older People's Group of Bohoc".  There were approximately 20 older (elderly) people at Madam Elmarie's home, and, according to Elmarie, many of them were blind or handicapped.  Elmarie started this group so that she could be a conduit of ministry to these precious people.  All of us prayed together for their healing and asked God to enable them to see far beyond what any of us can see.  We also asked God to minister His wisdom through them wherever they might be or go and to whomever they might meet.

After our time with Madam Elmarie and her friends, we visited National School of Bohoc.  This is the school that Jerome Greffard, Jedlain's Dad and the vice president of the Leadership Council, dreamed of having years ago.  Jasmin D'Gebsy, who is the 6th Grade teacher, and who is also on the Bohoc Leadership Council, talked with us about the school.

The school, which is a primary school, was built in Bohoc through what I understand was a partnership with World Vision.  The well and pump were installed by Unicef.  (As a side, I love World Vision, and I've also had some really good experiences interacting with some of the folks from Unicef, primarily in Nicaragua.  My experiences with UN/Project Development and USAID ...well, not so good.)  Anyway, I'm grateful to Unicef for providing the well and for World Vision in helping to develop the school in partnership with the people of Bohoc.  For those of you reading this who've been on previous trips, this is the site of the soccer game we attended a couple of years ago.

The school, as I wrote above, is a primary school (Grades 1-6), and it holds class in the mornings and in the afternoons.  The morning classes are for those whose families can pay for school, and the afternoon classes are for those whose families cannot.  As far as numbers are concerned, "Morning School" has 201 students, with Grades 1 and 2, which are combined right now due to a teacher illness, have a combined enrollment of 46 (21 in Grade 1, and 25 in Grade 2), Grade 3 has 43 students, Grade 4 has 54 students, Grade 5 has 40 students, and Grade 6 has 18 students.  Most of the students come from Bohoc; some come from neighboring towns.  The classes being taught at National are as follows:  French, Math, Social Science (e.g., Geography, History, and Civics), Experimental/Physical Science, and Haitian Creole'.  Each subject is taught with equal importance.

The building was just completed last year, so this school year is the first year the school has been in operation.  The school has a well and pump, as I wrote above, which supplies clean water for drinking, cooking, and the washing of hands.  Soap is provided by World Vision, and food (salt, rice, beans, and oil) are provided by The World Food Program.  The school has two latrines in the back.  It has one flush-able toilet (and, most likely, a sink) inside the building, but these facilities are not currently in use because the school lacks a storage tank to supply the water from the top of the building and a pump to pump the water from the well up to the tank.  When I return to the U.S., I want to speak with newhope church and to The 410 Bridge about the possibilities of newhope paying for the pump and storage tank.

D'Gebsy estimated that between 5-10% of the children (of primary school age) in Bohoc DO NOT go to school.  As such, the numbers look a little like this...

There are approximately 10,000 people living in Bohoc.

There are approximately 2,500 children living in Bohoc who are of primary school age.

5-10% of 2,500 children equates to around 125-250 children.

Based on the above, it would appear that at least one more primary school is needed just to capture the current number of children not in school.

After leaving the school, we drove back to the guesthouse and ate lunch.  I am happy to report that, once again, I was able to eat everything that was served (It's been a great food day!).  For those of you who may not know, I (Dave) am pretty much allergic to many of the foods that comprise the typical U.S. diet (if there is such a thing).  For the last few years, my culinary exploits have been limited to what many might consider a Daniel Fast-Light, consisting of fruit, vegetables, fish, chicken, nuts, seeds, green tea, honey, decalf coffee, water, wine, and (occasionally) dark chocolate.  Dairy products, meat (from all four-footed animals [i.e., beef, buffalo, pork, deer, goat, etc.]), shell fish (except for shrimp), oats, barley, and wheat (though my wheat allergy is only mild at this point) are pretty much off limits for the rest of my life.  I carry an epi-pen with me at all times, and I cannot tell you how many times Ramsay has said, "Here, Dave, eat this.  I'm just dying to stab you with your pen!"  He is kidding, of course!

At least, I think he is...

Okay...it looks like we're just about ready to head to the souvenir market in town.

Come on back now, y'hear?

Dave

548p...

Hey Everyone...

The afternoon began with attending the souvenir market in the town square.  The market can be quite a site, as it involves about 40 different women peddling their wares (jewelry, art work, clothing, book marks, writing cards, metal works, wood carvings, machetes, etc.) and all just for us.  Beforehand, we all decided to try to split up and buy things from as many different women as we could; that way, no one feels left out.

After the market, we returned to the guest house, and Michelle, Kelly, and Claudia went back to The Wisdom Club while the rest of us went over to Kris El Espwa to play with the kids one last time before departing Bohoc tomorrow morning.

Tonight, the Bohoc Leadership Council will be coming back to the guesthouse to wish us a good trip back to the U.S.  In the past, this has been a very special time, and I am so looking forward to hearing their hearts yet again.

Okay...dinner is being served in just a few minutes.  CU later...

Dave

544a (Wednesday morning)...

Last night was our best night yet.  I'm writing about it this morning because we didn't finish up until after 10p, which is about an hour and a half after my bedtime.  As such I went right to right to bed afterward without passing Go and without even collecting my $200.

Anyway...as we were all sitting down for dinner, I asked Jedlain, "What do you want for Bohoc over the next two to three years?"

I want four things...

I want the people of Bohoc to know God.  So much hinges on this.  When the people really know God, everything done will be done to His glory and will bear much fruit.

I want to see the trade school come to pass, so that people can get jobs in the community.

I want an industry for the transformation of food.  During harvest season, a lot of our produce (oranges, avocados, mangoes) goes to waste because we have no way to preserve and store it.  We end up feeding a lot of it to our pigs while many in our community go hungry.  If we could transform our food (through refrigeration, packaging, canning, and bottling), not only could we sell our products in our community but we could sell them in other communities as well.

I want greater wisdom for me personally.  I want it also for the Leadership Council and for the pastors and teachers in our community.

After dinner, we moved into the guesthouse to have our evening debrief.  Michelle lead us in reflecting upon the day by encouraging us to fill our minds with ways to serve others.  We were all challenged to think of ways to be a blessing to those around us when we return home.  For me, I want to be a better listener.  I do my best, but I know I can improve in this arena.  Having been in Haiti for a week, I've had to listen very closely to my Haitian friends as they've tried to speak with me in Haitian Creole' and in English.  They, too, have had to do the same with me.  Despite the difficulties we've had understanding each other, the really cool thing about all of this is that whenever one of us spoke, the other had to block everything else out and focus very intently on listening to the words being spoken.  This is how I wish to be with everyone in my life.  No more do I want to think about what I'm going to say while another is speaking.  I just want to listen so that I might truly hear what others are saying to me.  Another aspect of listening well is repeating back what the other has said.  I cannot tell you how often, while speaking with Jedlain, I stopped and repeated back what I heard only to ask him afterward, "Am I getting it?  Is that what you wanted to say?"  These are all good things for me to practice during the remainder of my time here in Haiti.  Actually, I'm going to do more than that.  I'm going to practice such things for the rest of my life.

Toward the end of our debrief time, Jedlain motioned to me from down the hall that he wanted all of us back out in the gazebo where we've been sharing all our meals, devotions, and debriefs as a team.  Waiting in the gazebo, and dressed to the hilt, was Kedum, a 35+ member choir from Maranatha Church right here in town.  Fabijean, who's the leader of the choir, said that they've been singing together for just over 32 years.  Fabijean is such a warm, gentle soul.  In fact, thinking of him now brings a bit of a tear to my eye.  I remember Fabijean from previous trips, but I've always had a hard time remembering his name.  On this trip, I decided to start calling him (in my mind only!) Fabricsoft to help me remember his name.  And Fabricsoft is what he is, for his very presence and humility brings such a soft tenderness to the moment.  I am drawn to people like him as a moth is to the flame.

Kedum was fabulous!!  What a blessing they were to all of us.  We had so much fun as we listened and clapped along to their singing.  They even sang two songs in English and one in an African dialect.  Fabijean said (essentially), "We like to do this because we do not know yet what language will be spoken in Heaven, and we just want to have all our bases covered." :o)

After the concert, the team got to serve soft drinks to all the members of the choir as well as to the members of the Leadership Council who were present for the concert.

After the choir left, we circled-up and had a really nice time with the Bohoc Leadership Council (BLC).  What a special time this was for everyone, and what an honor it was just to be with these great men and women of God.  Provided below is a summary transcript of the evening...

Participants:

Jedlain Greffard, The 410 Bridge (410)

Jerome Greffard, BLC

Edmund Jasmin (Tompy's brother and our driver), BLC

Jasmin D'Gepsy, BLC

Madam Emma, BLC

Madam Sufras Filli, BLC

Madam Jacques Maomi

Steve, Team Haiti 2013/Travel Team A

Allison, Team

Dave, Team

Kelly, Team

Leah, Team

Ramsay, Team

Joey, Team

Michelle, Team

Claudia, Team

Note:  Seven council members were not present for this meeting.

Summary Transcript:

Jerome...

I keep loving you.

It's kind of sad, because tomorrow night you won't be here.

In heaven, though, none of us will be absent.

When Kedam began to sing, I felt sad.  Sad because I was thinking of my wife who passed away three years ago.  I have sadness every day.  I know, though, that God will heal me.

We want to thank The 410 Bridge for coming to our community.

Each time we invite a team to come be with us, they become family.

Every team loves Bohoc.  They...you have a place to come back to.  A place where you can live here.

We have such a beautiful community.

We have many things to do here.

Come, join us together so that we can improve our life here.

We have much to do.

As our friends, your presence here is very important to us.  Our work together pleased me.

We are all happy.

When will you come back so that you can see the fruit of your work?  Hopefully, soon!  If, though, you are unable to come back, you'll see pictures of what you did.  Of who you were to us.  What a wonderful day that will be.

Thank you for working alongside us.

I met many people in the community this week who asked about you.

The community and the BLC hope that each of you will come back with 10 more people each!!

We love the way you work!

Today, I saw a cloud of birds flying overhead, and they were singing.  The birds were happy to see you.  The universe itself was happy.

Talk about Bohoc in the U.S.  Let them know that the people in Bohoc are not asking for their money.

We're just looking forward to improving our lives.  To creating jobs.  So that our children will not feel the need to go to Port au Prince to go to school and then try to find work.

We haven't been able to do it yet.  But we're willing, and we're happy because we know that God will provide.  And it's why we've invited you to come and be a part of this blessing.

Please come back.  Feel invited.

The Leadership Council loves you.

Tell your pastor that if your church sends thousands of $ it won't be nearly enough, but that each person who comes here is worth more to us than $1M.  Each of you do different things to improve our community.

We are very excited to have Dave here.  God wants to use Dave in our community.  We want Dave to be a part of the 410 staff.

God will bless you, Dave.

We love all of you because you love Bohoc.  It is a huge thing to love the nations.

Keep praying for me, for the BLC, for my family, and for my son Jedlain.  Pray for him to keep loving the Lord.

I love you all, and I love all the kids in our community.  Pray that each of us will have the same love for the community.

May God bless you.  May He bless you spiritually, economically, and socially.  May He also bless your families.

We wish you safe travels.  God loves you, and we will keep taking care of you.

I hope to hear from Dave that those who don't have kids now will have them soon.  God is so powerful; He can do it.

On behalf of me and the BLC, THANK YOU.

D'Gepsy...

I greet you in the Name of Jesus.

My name is D'Gepsy, and I am the secretary of the BLC.

On behalf of the community and the BLC, we thank you for coming.

It's kind of sad right now, because we know you are leaving us.

We would love for you to spend more time with us.  Unfortunately, though, it is time for you to leave.  At the same time tomorrow night, you will be in Port au Prince.

Thank you to 410, and thank you especially to the pastor of your church.

For those who left husbands or wives or kids, please thank them all and greet them on our behalf.

When you come back, please bring your husband or your wife so that they can see our beautiful community.

As a teacher, my "high" this week was your visit yesterday to the school where I teach.  Your team was the first to visit our school.  What a joy that was for us.

Dave is now going back to the States to catch people and bring them back to Bohoc.  Dave is no longer an American; he is one of us.  Dave...the same God Who was with you here will be with you there.  God will continue to bless you.  He will bless your life, your church, your job.

(To the team) Please talk about the Bohoc community so that more people will come and experience us and Kedum.

May God bless you all.  Have a safe trip!

Edmund...

I greet you again!

I have no words...because I have been with you all week!

As I spent time with you, I could see that you were enjoying your time here and that you love us very much.

May the Lord bless you with great success.

Madam Jacques...

Thank you for your presence in our community.  Your presence was really necessary.

You weren't discouraged, and you did everything God sent you to do.

While you worked, you played with my kids at Kris El Espwa--even though they are a little weird!

I saw Steve wearing many of them, today, on his shoulders.  It wasn't easy, but he did it.  It was a good example from God of how He keeps all of us in His Hands.  To protect us, and to bring us success.

I am asking for prayer for the kids so that when they grow older the Lord will lead them.

In the name of Kris El Espwa (Christ the King), thank you for being with us.

We were happy for your presence.

Don't be discouraged.

Come back.

Pray for the BLC.  We have a lot of work to do.

Pray for Jedlain...that he is never discouraged and that he will do all that he needs to do.

God bless you all.

We believe you will have a safe trip home.

I'm going to pause writing now, because I need to go pack.  I'll provide a transcript of the team's words back to the BLC sometime this afternoon or evening once we're back in Port au Prince.

Until then...God's peace,

Dave

Never offer a hollow greeting of peace, never turn away from someone who needs your love, always speak the truth from your heart.--St. Benedict