Okay, so the title of this post is a little misleading. It's not that I have been having problems communicating with Haitians, that has actually been going pretty well. A lot of Creole that I had forgotten has come back, and I have already learned so much more in the last two months. I think after another 20 years, I might be close to fluent (maybe a slight exaggeration).
The first real language difficulty came last Sunday. Jennifer and I and the kids were at the airport waiting for my mom, and there were a bunch of UN guys standing nearby in full body armor, with assault rifles looking very intimidating. So I told Wilson to go up and try to shake their hands. And so he did. They were, of course, very nice to him, shook his hand, smiled at him, and then Christa, Hannah, and Jett all followed suit. So I finally decided to walk over to them and find out where they were from, how they were doing, etc.
I started trying to communicate with a guy whose name was something like Andres, but I'm sure I butchered the spelling. I asked them where he was from. Actually, I didn't ask him. I pointed to the patch on his shoulder, which was the Brazilian flag. I said "Brazil?" He said "Wi." I tried to speak to him in Creole, but got nowhere fast. He said, "Franse?" wondering if I spoke French. Of course, I speak about as much French as I do Aramaic. So i said, "no I don't speak French," in Creole. Then I said something I wish I could have taken back immediately after it left my mouth. You ever do that, say something and then immediately think, "Doh, I'm an idiot!" Well, I told him, "I don't speak Spanish."
Well, immediately he gave this quizzical look, and I suddenly realized how big of an idiot I really am. I should have known better. I had a friend growing up whose dad was from Brazil. I know Spanish is not spoken in Brazil. And yet, because he looked Hispanic/South American, this dumb American blurted out, "I don't speak Spanish." He could have looked at me and just as well said, "And I don't speak Aramaic."
Actually he didn't say that, instead he raised his assault rifle, told me Americans are dumb and should be shot, and cursed me in Portuguese. Okay, he didn't do any of that either, but it would have made a better ending to the story. We finished our "conversation," and went our separate ways, me telling Jennifer how dumb I can be and I'm sure him telling his friends how dumb I am.
My second case of language difficulties has been going on periodically this week. You see, I'm preaching at the church in Balan on Sunday. I'll be preaching in Creole, which will be a lot of fun, I think. I've done it several times before at a church in Cap-Haitian, but never in Balan. What has been difficult, is preparing my sermon.
Okay, I had six semesters of Greek in Bible College. I am by no means an expert, but I at least have an appreciation for what the verse originally said, before being translated. Now in the front of the Creole Bible, it states that it was translated from the original Greek and Hebrew texts. I'm not so sure. In fact, I would bet money, it was not. It sounds like more of a translation of a paraphrase, sometimes strikingly familiar to "The Living Bible." Not the new version either, which is actually pretty good, the original.
I'm preaching on the Beatitudes. The problem is that I of course want to be true to the text, the Greek text that is. That is going to be difficult. For example, instead of "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness..." the Creole Bible says, "Blessings for those who desire to live the way God wants..." And instead of "Blessed are the pure in heart..." the Creole Bible says, "Blessings for people who do not have evil thoughts in their heads..." That's an entirely different body part!
I know not everything can be easily translated into Creole, as there are no words for certain things/feelings/ideas. Like the word "funny." There's no word for "funny." That is tragic.
I guess I'll just have to resort to praying that God will speak through me, a broken vessel. He'll use my broken Creole to tell people about his perfect love. That's what I've been praying anyway.
Until next time,
Eric
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Walking Around Balan
Yesterday we left here in the morning to go to Balan for the rice and beans distribution. Jennifer and I, along with our five kids and my mom set out at about 8:30 a.m. Right then I called Jean Claubert and told him to go ahead with the rice and beans and get started, and we would be there shortly.
Well, traffic was pretty bad, and we didn't end up getting to Balan until 11:30. It took us three hours to get there, and as we pulled in to Balan, Jean Claubert pulled out with the big truck. Unfortunately, we missed the rice and beans distribution, which was too bad. I really wanted my mom to see that. So instead, we decided to park at the church, and walk around the village visiting people.
We went from house to house, visiting people, inviting them to church, and handing out vitamins to kids. Actually, Christa, Hannah, and Wilson handed out the vitamins. We offered them the job, and they took right to it, scoping out every house for the kids. They ended up giving the adults vitamins, too. They definitely need them!
In case you don't know what the village of Balan is like, I will attempt to describe it for you. It is the absolute poorest place I have ever been. The people live in little one or two room mud houses. They make a basic structure out of wood, then slather it with mud. They actually even paint the mud on the outside with something to make it look nice. People in the U.S. wash mud off of their vinyl siding. People in Haiti build their house with it. Here's a picture of some people smearing mud on their house.
Some of the houses have thin corrugated steel roofs, and some have thatched roofs. All of them leak water when it rains. Almost all of them have dirt packed floors, which turn into mud in the rains. There are very few concrete structures in the village, our church being one of the few.
The water situation in the village is deplorable. Water is piped into the village from a neighboring village, but it is definitely not clean. That is the water they drink and cook with. Here's a picture of the inside of the village water reservoir. It's not the best picture, but that is the water they drink, note the scum on top.
There is so much need in the village, both physically and spiritually. There is a witch doctor that lives about 150 yards away from the church. Scattered throughout the village are various voodoo symbols, such as crosses planted in the ground with bottles of drink offerings tied to them.
A few weeks ago we were able to go inside the voodoo temple at the witch doctor's house near the church. The syncretism between Catholicism and voodoo are very apparent. Pictures of Mary, Jesus, crosses, various Saints, are hanging in the voodoo temple. I'll post some pics of the inside later. Very disturbing.
In the meantime, I'm glad to announce there were 86 people in church there on Sunday! The bad part is, there are only 7 benches, all of which are falling apart. We are in desperate need of some new benches and chairs. We have resorted to taking our own chairs, and many of the people in the church have begun to bring their own chairs, too. Last Sunday we had to send some people home to get their chairs. I think that is probably not considered "seeker-friendly." It is a good problem to have, but one we hope to solve very soon.
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Here's how the church looks now, standing at the entrance. Note the benches in front of the other doors to keep out the goats and sheep during the week...they like to poop in the church!
Why don't you come and see what we are doing here? We would love to have you!
Well, traffic was pretty bad, and we didn't end up getting to Balan until 11:30. It took us three hours to get there, and as we pulled in to Balan, Jean Claubert pulled out with the big truck. Unfortunately, we missed the rice and beans distribution, which was too bad. I really wanted my mom to see that. So instead, we decided to park at the church, and walk around the village visiting people.
We went from house to house, visiting people, inviting them to church, and handing out vitamins to kids. Actually, Christa, Hannah, and Wilson handed out the vitamins. We offered them the job, and they took right to it, scoping out every house for the kids. They ended up giving the adults vitamins, too. They definitely need them!
In case you don't know what the village of Balan is like, I will attempt to describe it for you. It is the absolute poorest place I have ever been. The people live in little one or two room mud houses. They make a basic structure out of wood, then slather it with mud. They actually even paint the mud on the outside with something to make it look nice. People in the U.S. wash mud off of their vinyl siding. People in Haiti build their house with it. Here's a picture of some people smearing mud on their house.
Some of the houses have thin corrugated steel roofs, and some have thatched roofs. All of them leak water when it rains. Almost all of them have dirt packed floors, which turn into mud in the rains. There are very few concrete structures in the village, our church being one of the few.
The water situation in the village is deplorable. Water is piped into the village from a neighboring village, but it is definitely not clean. That is the water they drink and cook with. Here's a picture of the inside of the village water reservoir. It's not the best picture, but that is the water they drink, note the scum on top.
There is so much need in the village, both physically and spiritually. There is a witch doctor that lives about 150 yards away from the church. Scattered throughout the village are various voodoo symbols, such as crosses planted in the ground with bottles of drink offerings tied to them.
A few weeks ago we were able to go inside the voodoo temple at the witch doctor's house near the church. The syncretism between Catholicism and voodoo are very apparent. Pictures of Mary, Jesus, crosses, various Saints, are hanging in the voodoo temple. I'll post some pics of the inside later. Very disturbing.
In the meantime, I'm glad to announce there were 86 people in church there on Sunday! The bad part is, there are only 7 benches, all of which are falling apart. We are in desperate need of some new benches and chairs. We have resorted to taking our own chairs, and many of the people in the church have begun to bring their own chairs, too. Last Sunday we had to send some people home to get their chairs. I think that is probably not considered "seeker-friendly." It is a good problem to have, but one we hope to solve very soon.
.JPG)
Here's how the church looks now, standing at the entrance. Note the benches in front of the other doors to keep out the goats and sheep during the week...they like to poop in the church!
Why don't you come and see what we are doing here? We would love to have you!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Can't Think of a Title
Having a hard time coming up with a title. If I write "She's Here," or "Finally Here," you might think I'm talking about the container. But I'm not. I'm talking about my mom. She was supposed to fly in on Sunday at 4:00. Well, Sundays we go to the village, Balan, for church, which is about 2 1/2 hours from where we live. It would have been a waste of gas and time to come back to the orphanage, so we decided to make a day of it.
After church in Balan, we sat around and talked for a while, before heading out for the Visa Lodge, a pretty nice hotel in Port-au-Prince where we were going to have a late lunch. By the time we got there, the buffet was closed down (which is good because it's like $14.00 US per person). So we all got cheeseburgers, banan peze (think smashed fried plaintain) and a little rice and beans. Oh yeah, and a bottle of Pepsi for each person (they were out of Coke). We had a nice relaxing meal, and met a guy from Minneapolis who was here on a Dental mission. I got so confused, when he talked about going to Jeremie, because I totally thought he said Germany. I couldn't figure out why he was going to Germany. I even asked him where he had to fly to connect to Germany. Incredible. I can be a little slow at times. It was when I mentioned Luftansa, a German airline, that Jennifer finally elbowed me and said, "He's going to Jeremie, not Germany." I'd like to think it was because I spent a month in Germany back in 1995 that I heard Germany and not Jeremie. In actuality, it's all just a lesson in humility.
Back to the story. My dad called me, to tell me my mom's plane was delayed. So we hung out at the hotel a little longer. Finally we left for the airport, which is not too far from the hotel we ate at. While we were waiting, my dad called again to say that her plane was delayed again, and was scheduled to arrive in PAP at 6:30 pm. Supposed to be there at 4:00, it was about 5:00. So we decided to go back to the Visa Lodge for ice cream. We just got back to the restaurant, and he called again, saying that her flight was cancelled, and she would be coming the next day, Monday.
So we left to go back to the orphanage, without my mom. I felt bad when we got to the orphanage. I should have called and told them we weren't bringing my mom, but it totally slipped my mind. When we pulled up, all of the orphanage kids were dressed in nice clothes, waiting outside to welcome my mom. They were a little surprised when we all got out of the car, without her.
So the next day, Monday, I went to get her. Her new flight was scheduled to get in at 10:25 am. I was there at about 10:00. She came walking out at about 11:45. No luggage. Not even her carry on, which she had to check last minute. So we either had to wait all day for her luggage (they promised it would come at 4:00, and it did) or we could come back to the orphanage, eat lunch, and I could go by myself to get her bags later.
Well, my mom is pretty friendly, and she made some friends. One of them in particular was a guy named Matthew Goodwin. He hailed from South Carolina, just finished his PhD, and had decided to start medical school in the fall. He is volunteering at an AIDS clinic in PAP for the next six months. He had never been to Haiti, spoke no Creole or French, and no one was there to get him at the airport. Well, we couldn't just leave the poor guy. He had a phone number for the place, but there was no answer. He had an address, but I had no idea where the street was. I called Jean Claubert, and he suggested I bring him back to the orphanage, and let him go back down with me to the airport to look again for his ride. So we did.
We all came up to the orphanage, had a nice lunch, and relaxed a little. Then Matthew and I left to go back to the airport to find both his luggage and my mom's luggage. We found his, and even found a man holding a sign with Matthew's name on it! So he was on his way, I found my mom's luggage, and everyone lived happily ever after.
We spent today (Tuesday) in Balan, but I'll have to write more about that another time. Until then, Eric
After church in Balan, we sat around and talked for a while, before heading out for the Visa Lodge, a pretty nice hotel in Port-au-Prince where we were going to have a late lunch. By the time we got there, the buffet was closed down (which is good because it's like $14.00 US per person). So we all got cheeseburgers, banan peze (think smashed fried plaintain) and a little rice and beans. Oh yeah, and a bottle of Pepsi for each person (they were out of Coke). We had a nice relaxing meal, and met a guy from Minneapolis who was here on a Dental mission. I got so confused, when he talked about going to Jeremie, because I totally thought he said Germany. I couldn't figure out why he was going to Germany. I even asked him where he had to fly to connect to Germany. Incredible. I can be a little slow at times. It was when I mentioned Luftansa, a German airline, that Jennifer finally elbowed me and said, "He's going to Jeremie, not Germany." I'd like to think it was because I spent a month in Germany back in 1995 that I heard Germany and not Jeremie. In actuality, it's all just a lesson in humility.
Back to the story. My dad called me, to tell me my mom's plane was delayed. So we hung out at the hotel a little longer. Finally we left for the airport, which is not too far from the hotel we ate at. While we were waiting, my dad called again to say that her plane was delayed again, and was scheduled to arrive in PAP at 6:30 pm. Supposed to be there at 4:00, it was about 5:00. So we decided to go back to the Visa Lodge for ice cream. We just got back to the restaurant, and he called again, saying that her flight was cancelled, and she would be coming the next day, Monday.
So we left to go back to the orphanage, without my mom. I felt bad when we got to the orphanage. I should have called and told them we weren't bringing my mom, but it totally slipped my mind. When we pulled up, all of the orphanage kids were dressed in nice clothes, waiting outside to welcome my mom. They were a little surprised when we all got out of the car, without her.
So the next day, Monday, I went to get her. Her new flight was scheduled to get in at 10:25 am. I was there at about 10:00. She came walking out at about 11:45. No luggage. Not even her carry on, which she had to check last minute. So we either had to wait all day for her luggage (they promised it would come at 4:00, and it did) or we could come back to the orphanage, eat lunch, and I could go by myself to get her bags later.
Well, my mom is pretty friendly, and she made some friends. One of them in particular was a guy named Matthew Goodwin. He hailed from South Carolina, just finished his PhD, and had decided to start medical school in the fall. He is volunteering at an AIDS clinic in PAP for the next six months. He had never been to Haiti, spoke no Creole or French, and no one was there to get him at the airport. Well, we couldn't just leave the poor guy. He had a phone number for the place, but there was no answer. He had an address, but I had no idea where the street was. I called Jean Claubert, and he suggested I bring him back to the orphanage, and let him go back down with me to the airport to look again for his ride. So we did.
We all came up to the orphanage, had a nice lunch, and relaxed a little. Then Matthew and I left to go back to the airport to find both his luggage and my mom's luggage. We found his, and even found a man holding a sign with Matthew's name on it! So he was on his way, I found my mom's luggage, and everyone lived happily ever after.
We spent today (Tuesday) in Balan, but I'll have to write more about that another time. Until then, Eric
Friday, January 23, 2009
Container!!
Hey again ya'll.
Two posts in one day...I'm on a roll.
Just thought I would update you all on the container. It is supposed to arrive in port TODAY!!!! I don't know if it actually will, and I assume it won't be released to us for some time still. I'm guessing we'll get it in a couple of weeks. We have already begun filing the paperwork in PAP, so hopefully that will speed things up!
Thought I'd share the good news. Okay, GREAT news!
Eric
Two posts in one day...I'm on a roll.
Just thought I would update you all on the container. It is supposed to arrive in port TODAY!!!! I don't know if it actually will, and I assume it won't be released to us for some time still. I'm guessing we'll get it in a couple of weeks. We have already begun filing the paperwork in PAP, so hopefully that will speed things up!
Thought I'd share the good news. Okay, GREAT news!
Eric
A Shout Out
Hey everyone. Eric here. I thought that I should give a shout out to all you faithful readers, all four of you that is, (just kidding, I have no idea who follows our blog).
First of all, Happy Birthday to Hannah, our daughter, who is 7 today, and also Happy Birthday to my mom, and to Jean Claubert's wife! We should have a party!
Things at NHHM are going pretty well. Yesterday we sent Lucson home to his family in the states. We had a good visit with Brooks (his dad), Tim (his grandpa) and Telius (his uncle). Brooks and Lesley have been so patient in the process of adopting Lucson, they actually started the process three years ago!
On another note, we said goodbye earlier in the month to Wilson and Medja Innocent, and their son Jean Daniel. They answered God's call to return to the states, and did just that! They will be missed, but we know God will take care of them (and us). Their departure has left Jennifer and I in charge of the day to day overseeing of the orphanage. It has taken the kids a little while to get used to our style of doing things, but I'm sure they will adjust soon.
This Sunday we will be going to church in Balan, and will be starting to teach Sunday School. Jennifer is going to teach the young kids, and I am going to lead a class for men. This week I am teaching on Galatians 3:10-14. Come join us!
Also on Sunday, my mom is flying in for a visit. We are excited to have her here with us!
Keep looking, I'll continue to post, hopefully with more regularity (in the posting, that is)
First of all, Happy Birthday to Hannah, our daughter, who is 7 today, and also Happy Birthday to my mom, and to Jean Claubert's wife! We should have a party!
Things at NHHM are going pretty well. Yesterday we sent Lucson home to his family in the states. We had a good visit with Brooks (his dad), Tim (his grandpa) and Telius (his uncle). Brooks and Lesley have been so patient in the process of adopting Lucson, they actually started the process three years ago!
On another note, we said goodbye earlier in the month to Wilson and Medja Innocent, and their son Jean Daniel. They answered God's call to return to the states, and did just that! They will be missed, but we know God will take care of them (and us). Their departure has left Jennifer and I in charge of the day to day overseeing of the orphanage. It has taken the kids a little while to get used to our style of doing things, but I'm sure they will adjust soon.
This Sunday we will be going to church in Balan, and will be starting to teach Sunday School. Jennifer is going to teach the young kids, and I am going to lead a class for men. This week I am teaching on Galatians 3:10-14. Come join us!
Also on Sunday, my mom is flying in for a visit. We are excited to have her here with us!
Keep looking, I'll continue to post, hopefully with more regularity (in the posting, that is)
Saturday, January 3, 2009
A Very Busy Week
This past week, we had the honor of hosting a group of guys from Commonwealth Chapel, Richmond, Virginia. There were six guys in all, and for four of them it was their first time in Haiti. One of our board members, Scott Salvant, a member at CC led the group in with the pastor from the church and four other guys.
Commonwealth Chapel had a special program this past Christmas at their church. They hosted something called Advent Conspiracy. Basically, they bought fewer presents for Christmas and gave what they would have spent to NHHM for our Balan feeding program and water problem. It will definitely be a huge blessing for the people of Balan. The video is very cool, definitely check it out!
Also with them was a professional videographer named Ryan. He came with a professional video camera to capture footage of Balan, the feeding program, some interviews, and even inside people's houses in Balan. He's going to turn it into a 5-8 minute video we can show people to highlight the main emphases in our ministry in Balan. Also very cool!
Tuesday we went to Balan to do the feeding program. We distrubuted over 1300 pounds of rice and 600 pounds of beans. I am always amazed. It never seems like there will be enough for everyone, but everyone received a good portion.
The group left on Friday, and that evening we had a wedding to go to. So after getting back from the airport, we loaded up our five kids, Jennifer and I, a staff member, and two kids from the orphanage into the Trooper, and went to Petionville where the wedding was at. It wasn't in a church, but at someone's house. Can I just say, the house was amazing!! It was in this bourgeois district, compete with a gated community, armed guards, and the whole shebang. The house was very nice, even by American standards, complete with an in ground pool in the back. Pretty funny though, we pulled into the driveway, and there was a generator running to power the house. Even the rich in Haiti are affected by the lack of infrastructure.
Oh yeah, it was one of our employees, Jasmine, who got married. The people who own the house are somehow related to her, I never quite heard the whole story.
The whole time during the wedding, I was thinking about the poverty in Balan. Here I was at a beautiful house, better than many houses in the states, and just fifteen miles away there are people living in the kind of poverty most people only see in a National Geographic. In front of me was a swimming pool with sparkling clean water, and in Balan, there is no clean water at all. Not enough to wash clothes, dishes, bathe, or even drink. Very sad indeed.
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