A Whole New World

Father Herve (pronounced: Air-vey) peered into the rearview mirror.  "Are you scared?" he said with a cheeky grin.  I glanced at the speedometer.  The dial hit 72 mph.  We maneuvered our way around four grown men on a motorcycle.  I shut my mouth and closed my eyes, praying we would arrive at our destination soon...

As mentioned, the roads are in poor condition and unbelievably chaotic.  It was a long journey to get here, which made our arrival to our week-long home at Laborde that much more of a relief.  It has been quite an adjustment from my normal routine in just about every way possible.  I wake up in a knotted mosquito net to the sounds of stray dogs, roosters and church bells every day at 6:00 a.m.  Food has been one of my biggest obstacles.  Although I do not claim to be a picky eater, it is tough to find anything very tempting around here.  Let's just say, I did not know there were so many ways to cook a goat.  The Coca-Cola and plantains are fabulous though!

My favorite part of the trip thus far has been visiting the school.  Notre Dame de Lourdes is located just across the street from our parish.  It is basically an open field with about six concrete, tin-roof buildings (as seen in Deacon's last post).  It was amazing to see the condition of the school; especially after visiting my nephew's Kindergarten class at Kuemper last week.  No, there were no iPads being used by these 5-year-olds.  What we found were dilapidated chalkboards and homemade books.  The children were all dressed in a uniform and appeared very eager to learn and interested in interacting with our group.  It was amazing to see the school, but evident that more aid is needed in order for these children to fully achieve their potential.


Maureen White

Dreams Come True

Dreams.  It's wonderful to see St. Lawrences' dream of a wonderful hall and remodeled church come to fruition.  Nine years ago, the dreams of the pastor of our sister parish in Haiti seemed impossible and now many of them and others are a reality.  It is overwhelming to see the building the that the two sister parishes have done.

Shirley, Jim and Maureen have already written about our journey here - pushy porters at the airport and their outrageous fees, the race through the night for a hundred miles to the parish in Laborde. The way people, motorbikes, donkeys... would pop out of the dark and Fr. Herve would dodge them reminded Jim of a video game that kept him and the ladies all on the edge of their seats.  I know the road and Father's driving skill, so to me it was a delightful amusement ride.  The shock of a strange culture can be overwhelming at first, but for me, I felt very much at home when we reached the parish buildings.

In the morning light, I was impressed with the progress made on building the dreams of a decade ago.  New high school classrooms have been built near the elementary school.  The old classrooms by the church had the hot tin roofs removed and replaced with sturdy and concrete roofs that keep the rooms cooler .  Sewing is being taught in a room there, also bathrooms and a small hall for the parish to gather have been put where the classes had been held.  The volunteers preparing the church for the festival have lunch there.

The morning was spent visiting all the school classrooms.  In 2003, teachers went months without pay.  They were demoralized, and some times wouldn't even show up to teach.  Our donations have changed all of that.  They are very professional now, discipline is better and the students are learning more.  They have more textbooks and learning aids now.  It is so good to witness our parish's part in creating a better future for these young people.

Deacon Tim

A Wild Ride

Upon leaving the airport tarmack and entering the muggy customs building we were confronted by the obligatory confusion and rudeness that seems to go with crossing a border.  Patience seemed to wear the officials down and we entered a madhouse of porters all competing for the right to carry our baggage.  These guys give the word aggressive a whole new meaning.

Luckily, we found our lost Fr. Herve in that mass of humanity.  Six of us squeezed into one and one half seats of a Nissan and took of on a car ride of a lifetime.  The sights of devastation caused by poverty and natural disaster created an unforgettable landscape.  Our route was full of people, road conditions, competing traffic all navigated with speed, skill, horn and brakes and a solid measure of luck.  Four hours later we were grateful to be in Laborde, Haiti.

Our late evening meal hosted by Fr. Herve and his brother priests allowed us to unwind.  Our hosts are men of quiet confidence and great care.  I am looking forward to what tomorrow will bring...

Jim White

We're Here!

Bienvenu! (That's "Welcome" in French)... And we surely had a warm one this afternoon when we arrived at the airport in Haiti.  The temperature was a balmy 95 degrees, but most of all the people seemed eager to see us and help us in any way they know how!

Visiting Haiti for the first time with Deacon Tim, Jim and Maureen White, I was excited and fully prepared (I thought) to meet all the challenges I was to encounter in this country.  Remember this is only our first day in Haiti, and already we were faced with a variety of challenges that tested our patience, endurances, understanding, faith in God and trust in the people we met today.

Within minutes of getting off the plane I, started to learn more about Haiti and its people (lessons that are not learned by books, Google or hearsays).

Here are the top ten lessons I learned on our first day in Haiti:
1.)  Haiti is a beautiful country.  From the air it looks like a graceful maiden, asleep and floating in the tiny ripples of the water of the gulf.
2.)  Most homes are built closer to the shore, but the hills and mountain slopes are dotted with tiny, colorful houses (the tin roofs are sometimes painted with bright shapes of red and orange).
3.)  Though obviously impoverished, the people seemed happy and content (I didn't see any grumpy Haitians).
4.)  Haitians love to walk and visit by the roadside (they don't seem to realize the danger).
5.)  Motorcycles and bicycles, as well as refurbished school buses and trucks (called tap-taps) are favorite modes of transportation in Haiti.
6.)  Road as narrow and not very well maintained, but they offer the best challenge to even the most skilled driver (Like Fr. Herve).
7.)  There are no traffic lights, lanes, right-of-ways or signal lights in Haiti.
8.)  Most people on the streets are very young to middle-aged adults.  I did not see any elderly, whether ambulatory or using special equipment -- like walkers or wheelchairs.
9.)  Our sister parish in Laborde is a beautiful place nestled quietly in the countryside amid tall trees and green banana plants.
10.)  Fr. Herve (The pastor of our sister parish), together with his staff at the rectory were genuinely gracious, warm and generous with their time and attention for our needs.

Tomorrow, we have another full schedule.  But for now, I must go to bed... it is past midnight and I have to catch some sleep.  We didn't get here until almost 9pm.  I can't wait until tomorrow and the surprises and lessons it will bring.


Shirley Molitor

The Final Countdown

About all my packing is done. Just got some tooth brushes and medical thermometers to squeeze in.  Beyond our personal items our group is taking four 13 gallon tubs full of sheets, towels, and assorted items. I've been reading journals of my past trips to prepare myself mentally: just a 2 hour flight from the USA, a different reality, a hot tropical climate with insect born disease so take pants & long sleeves, beautiful coasts punctuated with streams chocked with garbage, cell phone towers rise above mud huts with starving people. They are the reason we are going. I look forward to seeing my friend Fr. Herve and others I’ve met there –like children that have grown up since my trips in 2003 & 2009. Here is an entry when I reflected back on my first trip: I see many faces, black, shiny, startled by a ruddy stranger, hollow faces, some desperate, some peaceful, in their faces you can see determination, resignation, pleading, curiosity they are all God’s children. 

Jim and Maureen’s blogs reflect the faith and trust involved in an initial trip to Haiti. Much of the sense of security we take for granted here doesn’t exist there. Like children we put ourselves into the hands of our Lord which is really true of all the faithful, it’s just more obvious in Haiti. I thank God for the prayers offered for our trip and for Fr. Herve and others that will take good care of us.

God’s peace,

Deacon Tim

Our Beautiful Adventure

Our journey is quickly approaching.  Because I was a late addition to the group, I haven't had much more than about a month to prepare.  Since my commitment, I have spent time reflecting and educating myself on Haitian culture.  Still, I do not know what to expect as we land in Port-au-Prince tomorrow afternoon.

As a student at Creighton University, I had many friends that partook in service trips and other like experiences.  The fact that I never took advantage of those opportunities was something I have deeply regretted since graduation.  I am very excited to be a part of the St. Lawrence group and eager to experience the Haitian world.

There are many things I fear about our trip, but I am certain it will be an experience I will treasure for a lifetime.  It is sure to be a journey of self-reflection and discovery with a greater understanding of our world.  I have found overwhelming support from my family, friends and professors as I have been preparing for our departure.  Although many of the details are uncertain, I am thrilled to embark on our belle aventure!


Maureen White

Journey of a Lifetime

This invitation to attend the feast day celebration of Our Lady of Lourdes parish to the people of St. Lawrence is an indication of the great significance placed on the long standing relationship between the two congregations.  It is an honor to be part of the local delegation who will attend the feast day on February 11th.

All events of consequence in our lives are preceded by a period of uncertainty.  As I contemplate the upcoming journey I am filled with uncertainty.  My goal is to "quiet my mind" in order to comprehend and appreciate the spirit of the people we will encounter in the coming days.  I suspect the experience will be life changing.


Jim White