Thursday, April 4, 1998

The cry of a rooster woke us at 4:00 a.m. This would be a staple event for the rest of the trip. Fortunately, we were able to tune this out and go back to sleep. We got up, showered and joined the group for our morning worship service on the hotel's balcony. Bob took our lunch order for today (fruit plate, rice and beans, hamburger, cheeseburger or club sandwich) and we headed downstairs to the dining room for breakfast. Eggs, toast, juice and hot tea were served up in short order. We then were joined by Roger Desir, "Mr. Haiti" himself, for a delightful talk on Haiti and her history. Roger was also a big behind the scenes player in bringing democracy to Haiti and had survived several years of death threats. Our group left promptly at 10:30 a.m. and proceeded through the dirty streets of disrepair to the Missionary Sisters of Charity Orphanage. All of us were warmly welcomed by the sisters and enthusiastically embraced by the children. Our group toured the facility and were quickly attached to the faces and hearts of the children. Leaving the orphanage, we journeyed to the home of Antoine Izmery, a successful businessman who had been murdered due to the assistance he gave to bring democracy to the country. Ron Voss gave us a tour of the house and provided us with a brief history of the politics and history of Haiti. Over the past several years, Ron and a group of volunteers had built a soccer field, basketball court and park area at the home to provide a wholesome outlet for the neighborhood's impoverished children. The area was surrounded by a high walls which had various slogans painted on it: "respect life", "many hands lighten the load", or "ourselves are weak, together we are strong". One corner section of the wall had a painted mural of the suffering events that had taken placed in the last 30-40 years of Haitian history. Our group then drove across town to San Fils, the home for the destitute and dying. There our group toured the home and observed the dismal array of human suffering. Women choosing to find comfort on the cement floor rather than the bed, men lying in great numbers just wanting someone to care, mothers and their children waiting for medicine to relieve them of their miseries. One of the residents made it a point to kiss each one of us on the cheek. The sisters were shining rays of joy in the midst of death and hardship. Even with all the years of hard work and witnessing misery and death, they are able to provide a smile and dose of encouragement. Our group then journeyed next door to visit with Father Antoine Adrian, a pillar of change and reform in Haiti. He assumed a leading role in the grassroots movement for democratic change after "Baby Doc" Duvalier's flight in exile. Unfortunately, in more recent years he suffered a stroke and is confined to a wheelchair. On the way back to Coconut Villa, Don stopped for gas and John was amused to see an armed security guard in a cinder block hut ensuring every paid for their gasoline. For lunch John had a cheeseburger, fries and Coke while Terry opted for the club sandwich and Haitian cola. Our group loaded up again in the van and headed out for more observations and encounters of the Haitian history. We went to St. Jean-Bosco church where a massacre occurred.

St. Jean-Bosco church where the massacre took place. The building still stands today, a testament of the price Haitians paid for their freedom from dictatorship. Father Aristide survived the onslaught and later was elected President of Haiti.

From there our group went to Trinity Cathedral where beautiful murals depicted Bible stories in Haitian style. We continued on to The Palace, the meeting place for parliament and the relatively new Peace Monument. Our final stop was the Church of the Sacred Heart where Antoine Izmery was dragged from worship services and shot to death on the front steps. Our group returned to the villa for an hour of relaxation by the pool. Supper was served at 6:00 p.m. - beef, potatoes, spinach, slaw, bread and cake. The food was great! After supper we convened in our group for reflection of the day's events. We also turned in a paper indicating our work preference at either the orphanage or San Fils. Some of us chatted by the pool over a Haitian beer or cola before turning into our rooms. Fortunately, Terry got the air conditioner in our room to work and we had a much cooler night's sleep.

The Palace