Thursday, April 5, 1998

We rose early (5:45 a.m.) today in preparation for Sunday worship, Haitian style. Croissants, rolls, papaya, juice and hot tea were the day's breakfast fare. Our group loaded into the van and headed for the starting point of the Palm Sunday parade. Driver Don eventually located the place in the middle of a Haitian neighborhood. Our group was warmly greeted by handshakes and children competing to hand us "palms" - reeds tied together to wave in jubilation. Our group listened to recitation and song led by their priest, Father Jerry Juste. He taught the people several English phrases like, "Jesus is the only King" and "Jesus is the only Savior" on the spot and had us all repeated it together. The Haitians realized the priest was attempting to make our group feel more at home and they looked at us and smiled while repeating these English phrases. Then we commenced on a double file walk up the hill to St. Clare Church. Immediately three young boys eagerly took Terry's hands and walked beside her. Eventually one relinquished his spot so as to remain in the expected double file. The other two, who were brothers, stayed glued to Terry's side, heart and later her lap for over 2 1/2 hours. The crowd of roughly 200 people walked the mile to the church singing praises to God and expressing their faith and belief in Jesus Christ to their peers and neighbors. We arrived at the beautiful white church and upon hearing a few words from father Jerry we entered the building. John was eagerly escorted by a Haitian woman and her family to the church's balcony. Terry was led to a pew and surrounded by a dozen or so kids. She soon spotted John in the balcony and joined him, still surrounded by a multitude of children. The service which was very lengthy and mostly in Haitian was beautiful and lively with God's spirit. The children around us were so well behaved and welcoming to us. They were obviously captivated by our presence as they touched our skin and hair and John's beard. Terry shared with them some candy (which they loved) and also pictures of our children which they adored, kissed and fought to have in their possession. We walked to the front of the church twice, once for giving our offering and the other to take communion. We were graciously welcomed and introduced in the front of the church. Due to our tight schedule, we departed shortly after being introduced with John leaving his name and address with the Haitian family we sat with. We came back to Coconut Villa and prepared for our trip to Citie Soliel. Under recommendation of our group leaders, we left behind our watches, jewelry, purses and cameras as a crime prevention measure. Don't tempt fate! We would be escorted by Edward, Ambrose and Julio (Citie Soliel residents and also friends of the Ministry of Money) who served as tour guides, but more importantly our security and protection. Citie Soliel (City of the Sun) is an impoverished area on the edge of Port-au-Prince which Mother Teresa described as "the most desperate area on earth". Over 250,000 people are crammed into an area of only two square miles. We entered the slum area and parked the van in a protected school yard. We then were led by our "tour guides" through sludge and raw sewage in what was the most horrendous home life we have ever witnessed. The area was a maze of tiny one room cinder block shacks (no bigger than a walk-in closet) which have no running water, toilet, telephone or electricity. Rent is $200-$600 per six months and the first payment is due in advance. Since the average Haitian makes $250 a year, multiple families must live in each dwelling. In some cases, the number of people living in a "home" is so great that residents must take turns sleeping at night due to lack of floor space. Some of the children called out "Hey you!", probably the only English they knew. The canals of waste eventually merged with what is known as the "Mississippi", an eight foot wide and several foot deep trench of meandering matter. Black sludge was everywhere and the smell of burning charcoal and rotting garabge filled our nostrils. Our group walked in between cement walls of their home, trying not to fall into the gray-black rivers, feeling like intruders in a very ugly part of the world. Some residents soaped themselves on their doorsteps while others cooked on wire charcoal stoves. Our group eventually arrived at Joanna's Boutique, where she sold crafts made by local Haitian artists. The room was very small and sweltering and several times our group knocked over several of the crafts. John killed time talking to Julio about the local neighborhood. Residents fear of the authorities were lessening, but this was replaced by being terrorized by criminals. Gangs now exist. It is not uncommon for gang rivals where members are hacked or beaten to death. Unfortunately, there is not enough police to handle the increase in crime. Emerging from the darkness, we headed for another craft "store" and eventually were surrounded by children. Terry found the children tugging at her hands and quickly observed her wedding bands, the only of jewelry she had. She quickly turned the diamond inward toward the palm of her hand. Our group purchased more crafts at the second boutique and emerged again to attempt to communicate with the locals. Again Terry was surrounded by many Haitian children vying for her attention. They were eager to touch and get close to her as well as try communicating. They "talked" to her about playing soccer and then we all laughed together as they tried on her sunglasses and offered the "thumbs up" sign to each beautiful child of God. We continued the tour by visiting the meeting house/school where our "body guards" meet. These young men had formed an association which assisted with problems in their local neighborhood. We returned to the van and all 17 of us again packed ourselves in. Don then took us on a driving tour of the "city" where we viewed the area which had been set on fire many years ago as retaliation by Dictator Duvalier's Tontons Macoutes, as well as the harbor where ships come in loaded with goods (primarily charcoal) from nearby islands. Our group drove out of the slums a bit and then dropped off our Haitian friends who had been our protective companions. Thanks to them our group was able to observe first hand this extremely dehumanizing area. For the past two years no other groups have ventured into Citie Soliel due to safety precautions. We then drove back to our comfortable home for a lunch fit for a king. Free time was from 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. John and Terry rested for a bit and then journeyed by foot out on the streets of Port-au-Prince.

Boys carrying baskets of pineapples on their heads

After walking and taking a few photos we met the infamous Peter Paul, tour guide and con artist extraordinaire. Bob had warned us about him and so we were aware of his "hard luck stories" game. However, he willingly walked up and down Delmas with us imparting his knowledge of the area and hoping for a generous donation for "milk for his kids". We gave him $2.00 which was not what he had hoped for and returned to the pool area for a Haitian cola and relaxation. Our group was treated to a huge feast of soup, chicken, carrots, pasta with cheese and a pastry for dessert. Our leader Don was enchanting company this evening as he related first hand stories of encounters and a real relationship with Mother Teresa. The group finished supper and proceeded to the balcony for our evening sharing session. What a powerful day it has been! Most shared how various parts of the day had affected them and we all seemed overwhelmed with the overpowering sensations of spending a day with the Haitian people. Bob then informed us we would be able to work at the work station of our choice with an almost equal number going to both locations.