Work in Progress

For those who haven’t experienced Haiti, one thing that’s hard to comprehend is how difficult it is to get from one place to another. It’s kind of like an off-roading experience. Today was an example of that. This morning we “off roaded” to share food and gifts to 5 elderly Haitian men and women. All of them certainly fit the criteria of elderly, as they were in their 80's or beyond. Life expectancy here is about 63 years. And not much support for the elderly exists.

I was surprised that each of them did have their own place to live. I imagined that some of them may not. Most of their residences might compare to the size of a tool shed. They were little more that a room and a cot, but they had shelter.

The first lady we met with, I was a little hesitant to get too close to. She was a beautiful person, but did not remember her age. She was grateful that we came to spend time with her. The next gregarious gentlemen was hard of hearing, but had an irresistible personality. I really enjoyed visiting with him. He tore into the food we brought to him immediately and praised God in every sentence he shared with us. He laughed a lot and was joyous for the life he had.

We visited 3 more “young” ladies. They were all beautiful and gracious. They prayed with us and for us. One of them, Marie, is an absolute hoot. She has the energy and movement of someone half her age. There’s a debate whether she is 101 or 105. Either way, she was an inspiration with her humor and ongoing eye for the guys. 

Visiting their homes required a lot of walking, or more like hiking. Lots of uneven ground, walking twisted trails through tight neighborhoods. When we were done with our visits, we drove up the mountain to Grace Village, which is operated by Healing Haiti. 

It’s a large operation and quite impressive! They have many different programs, serving the local community with a school, and the greater community through the orphanage. In total they serve roughly 450 youth, educating and transitioning them into being productive members of society. They’re doing some great things with a fish farm and using the waste water from the farm for organic gardening. Because of the extreme heat, they start a new crop every three months. One of the new projects that they’re working on is building a community bakery to supply bread for Haitians to sell. 

Personally, I think Grace Village is very cool and has incredible potential. They’re learning as they’re going. I would love to come back in 3-5 years and see where they go with things. 

There is a lot of support and enthusiasm for what Healing Haiti is doing. 

On our way back to Port-au-Prince, we stopped by Mémorial du 12 Janvier 2010, a mass grave for victims of the terrible  earthquake five years ago. One of our drivers told us, in his own words, that everyone here was touched in some way by the earthquake. It is hard to put words to the stories. Members of our group hope to see the memorial completed. It’s still a work in progress. 

~ Bob Karas & Team