GBGM on La Gonave

GBGM on La Gonave

Eccl 3:1 It's Time: The last week in October I was on La Gonave with representatives from First Saints Community Church in Maryland. I was "tour guide" as they assessed 20 plus projects proposed by Pastor Jean Louis Dorsely, Circuit Superintendent for La Gonave.  Although challenging, we visited the majority of communities that have Haitian Methodist churches and or schools.  We provided photos and information for the few we could not reach or speak with representatives. 


Following our return FSCC compiled all information into a survey and draft proposal for future teams from their cluster and future UMVIM teams.  Although I have no specific information from Pastor Dorsely related to the proposal, Haiti Disaster Response / UMCOR reported coming changes for teams in remote areas.  Experienced teams can now work directly with the Circuit Superintendent to work on a specific project in remote areas. The update stated matching grants would apply to area projects with earthquake damage.
Pastor Dorsely requests teams address community issues with long term plans, possibly including micro finance components and other community issues.  Partnerships are encouraged.
The original "package" of projects totaled $950,000.00 US but they had overlooked one community needing a school building and church repair for eq damage.  Projects include the building of a manse in Ansa a Galets for the Superintendent.  There are 3 or 4 teams already scheduled in January to finish the church in Anse a Galets.  FSCC has proposed a partnership with several teams to work on projects at Trou Jacques, accessible only from the sea.  
We are excited and impatient to see how this new program plays out for the communities with so many needs. Housing and transportation for teams will have to be negotiated with the help of the circuit leaders. 
During the week I met with scholarship students, received reports from leaders of the industrial association, APG, and met with the engineer concerning wells and water issues.  Our animator went to Trou Jacques one day while I visited the community of Delsie to see the progress on cistern repair. That project needed an additional $250.00 to complete the task.  
Concern WW was drilling two wells a few miles down the mountain but the community had been without water for two years. Concern and World Vision have been drilling wells and repairing damaged cisterns on the eastern half of the island.  The west end remains dry with damaged cisterns and little or no ground water. Concern did hire our animator, Louis Dufrene and 4 others to survey the communities on La Gonave related to water needs and population.
Our report from APG (Assoc. for Peasants Gonave) was encouraging.  They had provided training and goats from the park for 13 groups and presented a plan to train 35 new community leaders in December. We provide food and housing as our third share in the relationship with APG & AAPLAG who provides the trainers. The group members make a small registration fee or provide produce and some provide labor.
Three scholarship students had either failed the exams or not completed a course.  One retook and passed the exam and one re-enrolled in the class.  Others had excellent grades and all but one university student has received a lap top computer from Church of the Resurrection, refurbishing ministry.
We continue collaboration with AAPLAG and share expenses for their old Land Rover and support of the guest house.  AAPLAG is an arm of Service Chretian, an ecumenical group active on the island for 30 years. They provide limited microfinance program, educational programs for industry, and addresse water and housing issues plus train leaders in agriculture, business, cooperatives, education and animal husbandry. 
While touring Roy and Wendy we visited Sousafilip, where we lived for two years.  Generally we meet people at market mid island. I was pleased to see our donation of $2300.00 last August, had repaired the earthquake damage to the church building and the EMH had installed an indoor toilet in the directors house where we had lived. They also plan flush toilets for the guest house that KS/NB teams refurbished and have put in a ceptic reservoir. 
I had opportunity to meet with community leaders about serious water issues that are not part of the church project. Most southwest islanders live with limited or contaminated water and purchase water from the mainland once or twice each week.  Conversation with Concern indicated they did not think many lived on the west end but they planned to survey the island population.
Access to health care on the south side remains seriously limited and during the cholera epidemic several people in various communities died as tap taps would not transport them across the island.  Louis and nurse Wesline (for APG) provided training programs for hundreds of people during the epidemic and distributed water treatment tablets. 
Joe and I continue to alternate visiting the island every 3 months. We are available for presentations to congregations, church and community groups and civic organizations to raise funds for projects of education and scholarships, water projects and industry. 
Repair of the well at Dent Griern has never been completed and the solar pumping system continues in storage.  We have been using water project funds to repair damaged cisterns. There are options and decisions to be made and we hope the opening of EMH projects will bring attention to this extremely remote part of our world.
February 25th, UMCOR Staff, President Paul from the Haitian Methodist Church and various others involved in Haiti projects will meet at Olathe Grace UMC for a Global Mission Event.  We pray for information and guidance to address recovery issues since the earthquake and renewed focus on the more remote areas of Haiti.

Joyeux Noel

Way of Life

water day

 An old song said, “You are always on my mind” and as I prepare to fly Sunday for Haiti, I realize the people of Haiti and those of La Gonave are always on my mind. Perhaps it has become a way of life.
Season’s cycle from dry to wet and little seems to change between our quarterly visits. Small projects are in process and a few are completed. Scholarship students have completed 3 years with financial help and look ahead to careers. Colleagues email news of progress with some building, planting and even outlook for the future.
At times I wander what it is that calls me back. I hope it is the promise of future rather than the bleakness of despair.
I resumed a Spiritual Renewal resource I laid aside when we went to Haiti in 2007. Our Haiti experience is a persistent illustration as I explore discipleship at the deepest level of devotion.

main street Sousfilip

Devotional classics address the “cost” of discipleship and the price paid for NON-discipleship. The “Jesus call” is for all energy, all affection, zeal and total devotion to charity beyond a “click of the mouse” to add another dollar to a project.
January 2010 we were “called” to be in Port a Prince when the earth shifted and hard life became harder; dirt became something to eat; and the improbable became unimaginable. Hundreds of thousands of caring humanitarians have given billions of dollars and sweat to try to undo what nature did in 35 seconds.
Since 2010 there have been tsunamis’, oil spills, famine, and earthquakes in unreachable areas. Disaster is the new culture; the current trend; the new “way of life.”

construction project

This visit I will be hosting leaders with a plan and funds to make significant construction repairs to schools and churches in one of the most remote areas of the world. The vision is for multiple teams on a regular schedule, in partnership with local people, to make life better in at least two villages. We have seen it happen before so “I’m a believer.”
We have prayed for more attention to La Gonave, particularly to post earthquake needs. It is a remote and challenging place to live and work. It is a small island inhabited by stoic, hard working people who only survive and thrive out of sheer will and the desire to stay independent.
I've joined an Alpha group to help me with a vertical journey to “loving God”. Long ago I chose the horizontal path of charity.

For many “the way of life” is two separate paths; one of service to the wreckage of humankind; and, the other a spiritual love affair with an unknowable deity. I pray this week

Mountain top Experience

Mountaintops: I got hung up on a daily devotion from several days ago and just keep going back to it. Related to numerous bible stories of mountain top experiences it rings my bells. The author points out that in all the mountain top stories the excitement and blessing of those meaningful and transforming events all end with the participants eventually going back “down” the mountain.

For years in the operating room I helped repair serious injuries as people fell from, jumped down or otherwise returned to earth from ladders, roofs or trees. Coming down is often difficult and results in life changes.

In 2006, Joe and I felt compelled to continue our mission activities by volunteering to live on the island of La Gonave. We understood a number of developments as “God things” or those events that reveal God’s rightness in one’s personal future related to God’s ultimate plan for peace and justice in the world. Not situations we manipulate or “set up” but mostly unexpected situations that seem to change the direction of life.

We experienced many “God things” in a short time. The results were two years living on an isolated island in Haiti, in a primitive situation that both blessed and transformed us and allowed us to have impact on the lives of many hurting individuals. These God things resulted in a “mountain top experience” that has lasted well into 2011. It seems it is time to “come down”.

Oswald Chambers, in his wisdom, says that God asks us to “be in the boat together” yet not to plan the journey nor try to determine the success or failure of where the journey leads. For many years now we have experienced life “with” people of another culture, and have our own desires for their future. Our tendency is to judge “the success” of our mission. Our resistance to leaving “the mountain” is rather like asking “are we done now?”

“Our plan” was for others to carry on when we could no longer live on or travel to La Gonave. Oswald suggested, we planned the future according to our hopes, not according to God’s will. We knew our time on the mountain would be limited by age and ability, yet the “coming down” is traumatic and feels more like failure.

As I prepare my Adult Bible Study and apply the lessons to life, I’m aware there are other “boats” where God may be calling us. The excitement and challenge of the “mountain” made Peter want to build structures to stay there. Sort of like our old basset hounds who thought petting was to last forever.

I return to La Gonave in October to assess the water project that has attempted and failed to get wells to the dry west end; the industrial development association that is slowly progressing along a Haitian cultural path; and, the scholarship program that has potential with modification.

We hope the decent from the mountain top experience of the last several years will open our eyes to other activities in service to God. God is constantly rearranging and redirecting lives, and in our experience, we can trust we have learned not to try to determine the future or what constitutes success or failure.

Pastor Shirley Edgerton, August 26th, 2011.

Our friend, Bruce, from S.Dakota sent a copy of his recently published "coffee-table" book from his last visit to La Gonave. Brief, beautiful and thoughtfully done. It will sell for &20.00 US, funding to be used for various projects on LGN.

I will teach Haiti Mission at UMW School of Missions in June and have his book and our "prayer angels" to help fund projects on the island.

Needs are great I am so inept at teaching, leading and letting our Haitian friends go it alone. Solidarity is what Haiti needs not solitude. Liberation-from begging, starving, scratching, wishing, and half-helped.

Joe and I are now alternating each 3 months to the island to visit well sites, industrial projects and meet with scholarship students. Visits are like being with "best friends" as we "take up" where we "left off" the last visit. Phone calls and emails fill the gap as do Haiti Presentations (fund raising), committee meetings, family celebrations and grand babies. We are selling our motorcycles since we can't find riding time.

Preparing to teach at School of Christian Mission, I had to brush up on recommended Haitian History, liberation theology and Christian mission. I was side-tracked by "Readings in Christian Ethics", books on The Coming of Global Christianity plus "praxis & faith" with some "evangelism" for dessert. What a feast of information to wrap around our years of Haitian experience. Except for Reinhold Niebuhr, they make me think " we can do that!" But then...I wonder, why aren't we - why can't we? Then I begin to "feel" very Haitian, like "the universe hates us!" --a phrase from my granddaughter.

Thanks to the delete key you miss the long paragraph related to needs of the Association for Peasants Industry on Sud La Gonave, need for wells and repaired cisters, and scholarship support and sponsors for university students from the churches on La Gonave. Between the mega and multi tornadoes wrecking the midwest states and the moles wrecking my drowned yard, the clouds have invaded my attitude!

We live on our hill, watching finches fight, hummingbirds play tag and bluebirds make families while coyotes come begging for scrapes, geese quietly parade the perimeter and groundhogs pose for a photo shoot and survey the traffic on the distant highway.

I wrote a "journal entry" titled "Always Alternatives" a short time ago about alternative resources for mission. In the article I refer to para-church and specialized church organizations that "fill the gap" for denominations to meet the needs of the millions of "needful" people in the world. How missions work is confusing for many, particularly those we "help". We are always looking for alternatives to make life better than it has ever been.

Our Annual Conference in June (for which I forgot to register) has a planned "Bishops 5K walk" and funds will sponsor the SAMVEYE Orphanage in Anse A Galets. They have 11 children who were orphaned by the earthquake and plan to raise them, educate them and give them a good life. A World Vision nurse and her husband who also works for World Vision are doing a good thing with little support. I'm working toward a faster 5K but time is going quickly!

Feb 25th of 2012, Kansas East will host a Global Mission Experience, to try and connect our Kansas Covenant to projects of the Haitian Methodist Church. We look forward to some good conversation about missions in Haiti, plus reunions with some friends not seen for a time.

With Regional School of Mission, plus KEC and Nebraska, then KEC Conference and Global Mission Experience I hope to gain some "smarts". The reading, conversations and interactions focus my prayer on wisdom and ways of encouraging a self-sustaining lifestyle on La Gonave.

What I need now is an "attitude alternative". Bishop Willimon says, "For Wesley...the good news of Jesus Christ had ethical demands. Work is our faithful, grateful, necessary response to Christs "work" on the cross." There is much work to do, faithfully, gratefully and absolutely necessary for my attitude improvement. Blessings.

Earth Day and Good Friday

Earth

I am the earth and the earth is me,

Older each day, wounded and scarred..Storm ravaged, bashed and broken by wind, quake and greed.

Someone plants flowers, rice, wheat and trees. Brown grass turns green with sunshine.

Rains wash away earth, reroute rivers as trees drink deeply and are reshaped.

Once tender and young, vulnerable and uncertain,

Now older and knowing destruction rearranges more than it destroys,

Pain a reminder of life and living and growing and changing.

Darkness and discipline the balance of tenderness and warmth.

Born of fire and passion, holding deep the warmh of the flame.

Spinning and rolling and turning face to the sun and the dark side of the moon.

Dry barren places where nothing can grow, Gardens and forests filled with poety and song.

I am the earth and the earth is me. Enduring all in the promise of tomorrows memories.

Wars and weddings; danger and dancing; death and resurrection.

Chaos and harmony.

An always tomorrow, unknown, uncertain, but always.

I am the earth, the earth is me.

Today is Earth Day. A day in April when I find myself meditating on life and death, where we come from and how we become and are undone. Two people shared a birthday in April many years apart. One died long before her death and one was living when she died. Yet, both live in me and memory.

There are many ways to "observe" Good Friday. The day a man died for a world filled with sin and shame. The day that goodness won a victory over power, prestige and privilege. The day that by all rights should have been forgotten 2000 years ago. A day that puzzles many, turn millions to "the church" and turns others away. A day of reality followed by a period of puzzlement, then a day of celebrating the impossible, improbable and unbelievable.

Earth Day. Is there a Wind Day, Fire Day, Water Day....or would that be too Buddhist for a western comtemplitive? Yet, who will deny that air is life, water is life and fire is both light and life, all elements Christians revere and children delight in and all life depends on.

Pink Bunnies delivering decorated eggs; "Rites of Spring;" a literal or metaphorical belief that a man died and lived again; somehow we spend the next 2 days thinking about darkness, anticipating a day for celebration of life.

Some are attracted to "the church" by Christian belief in resurrection and many rebuffed by the impractical, impossible story. History, science, literature and Hollywood have a go at "Harvey & Jesus" as the earth turns.

Looking out the window, the sky has stopped melting and sunbeams are peeking through the buds on the trees lighting greening and growing grass that was in remission for so long. I think about my life and earth history. I think about the nature of disaster and recovery; of vulnerability and resiliency; of chaos and consistancy; of memory and of two that live in me.

I think about the earth. I think about life.

Many (most) have salty water to drink as cracked cisterns refuse to hold the little rain that fell the last rainy season.

Homeless residents and refugees live in multifamily homes with little money to purchase the food and clothing at market.

Broken churches are ministering to broken people in a very dry, dirty and thirsty land.

Broken schools and orphanages, struggle to find space, supplies and food for children who are homeless or from homes with little or no resources.

Yet, on the island of La Gonave, organizations and leaders, interact and plan for a better future.

To drill a 100 wells, takes time. A newer, larger hospital takes time. An extended microfinance program to help retailers to improve industry takes time.

A year and a half after the earthquake, transitional homes are beginning to spring up in places, and there is both hope and despair as life goes on in the most remote area of Haiti.

I returned to La Gonave, March 21st with 3 "explorers" from Kanasas West and Bill from COR. We landed and took a van to Caraisse then a "flyboat" to Anse a Galets, La Gonave. There by early afternoon we were ready to address water issues of recent phone calls, and meet with students claiming and asking for laptops and tuition for the next semester.

It is exciting to answer requests for notebook computers as Church of the Resurrection has a ministry that "resurrects" donated notebook computers. The university students we support with Round up funds, are thrilled to recieve a necessary item to help with their education. Matt and Catherine had a bag of flashdrives to offer recipients. These are very expensive in Hiati.

Tuesday the group traveled by AAPLAG Land Rover to market at Ti Palmiste. We met with delegations about water concerns on the south and west of LGN. The well at Soucafilip had been serving 25 communities until the overworked generator broke. Their only water souce was two salty wells on the south side. Port a Racquette well was down to a dribble as was the Presbyterian dug well at Nan Sema.

Pastor Dorvil requested assistance to repair the broken cistern that serves the school and community of Delsie. $1200.00 US and the church would volunteer work to repair. It was nice to once again greet his wife who had offered such lovely hospitality the first time I preached in their small church with palm panel sides. The school, they said had more damage since the eq.

Wednesday we met with the new water manager for Concern WW and an expert from the Congo. Haiti Outreach engineer, Javan joined us. We were pleased to hear of plans for 100 bore holes in the next year, and even more pleased when all agreed to address some sites on the West we have identified as critical.

The group was introduced to Pastor Medina and his wife at the Anse a Galets Methodist Chapel which was only half completed when the earthquake added to problems. Members have been involved in outreach to the poorest of west AAG, with Mme. Medina organizing 3 women's conferences and procuring food from NGO food distributions.

Estimates, contractors and team schedule was approved with a call to Pastor Admirables, the Circuit Superintendent, then a tour of the building was made. A journey to the Wesleyan Guest House to make plans for future team housing ended the day.

Fifi, who manageds the Service Chretian Guest House, delighted us with full festival fashion, with three meals a day and warm hospitality between meetings.

A trip up the hill to Celebrate Jesus, resulted in a broken u-joint on the Land Rover and a dusty jaunt for the team. A group of doctors and dentists from Scotland, were visiting schools and running a clinic for their third year. We learned of their commitment to purchase land and fund an orphanage.

Later the team visited an independent school and church, College Ralph Tuthill. It is directed by a Hiatian Presbyterian pastor we met years ago. Pastor Agonus is now up to 85 students from the poorest section of AAG and funds the school almost entirely with money from his 54 ft sailboat profits.

Pastor Angous will have to move his school out in the next few months and is considering pouring a foundation and setting up a large tent. Feeding these school children is more difficult with increased prices and deminishing assistance from the Presbyterian church.

Pastor Medina, President Ocule of AAPLAG, Celebrate Jesus, Missionary Aviation Federation all work to keep these poorest of people and much needed independent schools operating.

Jules Enolet, President of PLATIG, a political (sort of like a lobbying group) with leaders in each section on the island, invited us to participate in a meeting lead by Concern WW. The meeting was to address future mitigation related to hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. It was a good opportunity to visit with mayors, Haiti Red Cross, and other leadership on the island.

On Friday, we were blessed to meet with the President of AAPLAG and other officers who explained the Microfinace program they have promoted for many years. The group of leaders we trained in 2009, have now organized as an Association (APG) and participate with AAPLAG with a goat park, fishing cooperatives, gardening groups and are considering a magazine (store) at the market in Dangirin. We gave APG $300.00 to purchase a mule to haul water to the goat park.

We have committed to help AAPLAG with transprotation issues as they act as the "hub" for education, industry and infrastructure on La Gonave.

In the afternoon, we visited another independent orphanage, SAMVAYE Joe and I discovered a year ago. At that time there were 11 malnourished child refugees from the earthquake. Now the bright, healthy children sing and show evidence of great love and care. A legal insititution with a school teacher and house mother, they limit the number to 11 and are in need of a new home in two months.

Well fed and very worn out we flew MAF early Saturday for our American Airlines flights from PaP. As typical for Haiti, the three from Wichita could either wait and fly Tueday OR (thanks to a familiar agent) take a detour to New York.

Interestingly, as I reached home on Sunday, and called Wichita, they were retrieving their luggage from the carrosel.

It was a great journey.

The destination has great needs. BUT we did get the generator fixed!!

Pastor Shirley Edgerton

Make a free picture collage

The Apostle Paul lamented he didn't do the things he should and did the things he should not. Well, life goes too rapidly when I want it slow, but I am too impatient to wait for the things that take so much time. Perhaps these imperfections are what make us human. This Ash Wednesday week is all about looking at our humanity. Genesis 2, God says, you came from dust AND to dust you return. That is a very big "and".

I'm scheduled to return to La Gonave, March 20th. This time without Joe but with three who will experience Haiti for the first time. I want so much, but experience tells me the time will quickly pass as we meet to talk about issues of water, education, industry and construction on the Anse a Galets' Methodist Chapel.

Before leaving, there is a grant application to propose to UMCOR, a building estimate to somehow get from the contractor in AAG, a project profile to file, and even the need to finalize transportation to the island.

Involved in some of this is the Kansas East Haiti Task Force and Conference VIM/Disaster Response committees, who are probably wandering just how this all ties into our KEC / EMH Covenant.

Experiencing life in Haiti for two years and one week of the earthquake and the disaster of human suffering makes me impatient. I want people out of the muck, eating food on a daily basis. I want things "picked up and put away" and water pumping clear and clean. I want the chaos in the world to stop happening just long enough that we can "get things picked up and put away" like after a birthday party. The only pattern I'm finding in the chaos is more chaos. I want to understand that there are others walking the wilderness with me. I guess I've needed this Ash Wednesday week to help me understand the Lenten journey.

To focus on the "and" between the dust of birth and ashes of death for my life alone is not only scary but self-centered. The AND includes Haiti, Liberia and my daughter.

I'm sure there is an answer to the song, "What's It All About, Alfie?" But, like God said through Haggai, "my house is in ruin; rebuild my house." Not to worry about the "dust or ashes" but to trust the journey does not end in the wilderness.

Project La Gonave

Make a photo collage

We have been asked by the Haitian Methodist Church to finish building the church in Anse a Galets as a post earthquake project.

We visited with the pastor and his wife in early December for information related to publishing a project profile with the United Methodist Church. We took photos of the church where we had hosted construction teams in 2008.

The partially completed building has hosted three women's conferences since 2008 with the last, a large conference in July following the earthquake.

The women and congregation have been providing an outreach ministry to the poorest of Anse a Galets and local area with few resourses. We provided funding for the conferences and Shirley was honored to be a keynote speaker at the first scheduled conference. At that time birthing kits were distributed to many very poor, pregnant young women from the airport area of AAG.

Following our visit and photo shoot in Dec. we contacted a contractor, recommended by AAPLAG, to prepare an estimate to complete the building.

The Smilebox Collage, "La Gonave Project" has photos of the church, that will zoom with a curser click, plus other issues we noted in our December visit.

World Vision and Concern have been trying to address post earthquake issues by building some transitional houses and checking wells. The KEC Water Project is an on-going concern, particularly since most cisterns and wells were damaged by the initial earthquake and a 6.3 tremor that followed on the island the next day.

It is difficult to discern the exact damage to churches, schools and cisterns as most were damaged by previous hurricanes in 2008, numerous tropical storms and lack of upkeep.

We believe it is critical to the 16 Haitian Methodist Churches on La Gonave that recovery projects help them repair and complete churches in outreach ministry as we also look at providing transitional homes for the more that 1100 local homeless and 10,000 earthquake refugees on the island of La Gonave.

We ask for prayers this building project be approved and the UMC can join with other NGO's and Christian Denominations to help the broken people on La Gonave.

Tonight: "God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses”

Sitting here tonight thinking of where I was and what I was doing just one year ago. At this time we were triaging numbers of injured in broken down tap taps, under guest house tables and between vehicles. Broken legs, broken heads, people still trapped in homes nearby and our three comrades in dubious danger at the Montana Hotel. A couple of confused UN personnel stopped in stunned disbelief that they had nothing to offer.

Much later, only Joe and I, felt secure enough to rest awhile inside the guest house. The night was full of sound and chaos, but only restlessness and groans accompanied the disbelief of what had occurred.

Very early this morning, Enicson called from Petit Goave just to check on us and Bruce from S. Dakota exchanged multiple brief emails about “the news” or lack of it in our local papers. I tried to call Ronald to say “how ya doin” as he does when he calls me. No answer.

During the 35 seconds of death and destruction, I knelt with a firm grasp on his arm keeping him out of the swimming pool.

A call from Louis to say the S. Dakota team was working hard in Anse a Galets

but had all paused for prayer and remembrances. They were there this time last year. Louis, Mr.B and all have been much in my thoughts today.

The last two trips we by-passed Port a Prince, as our route to the guest house generally takes us through the 95% of the rubble that remains to hide the unfound bodies of now a year dead.

La Gonave, in early December we watched election results, a few burning tires and pondered the future. We met with church members to discuss the ministry and building needs of the church in Anse a Galets. We drove through Zetwa and looked at some transitional houses then on to the water well and projects of the future. It seemed more civilized than when last in Port a Prince.

On La Gonave, NGO’s seem to be working together to undo, do-over and just “do” something to get life a little better than normal. The beggars remember us, Fifi sets a festival table and offered bottled water for bathing safety, and most debris is the accumulation of stuff from the last rains. They wonder when the cholera will stop and where all the money went, but tell us of weddings, funerals and the wives that have left.

Tonight I look at photos of scholarship students grinning at the promise of a university partn

ership and school tuitions paid; photos of goats, and wooden houses, and a small group studying a geoglogical map and planning a well, and a church we will eventually finish.

Tonight, I wander why Ronald didn’t answer his phone in his tent in Port a Prince.

Tonight I know where Jim and Sam and Clint are. I’m uncertain if yet I know what witness their lives will be. There are still too many bodies under rubble and too many who don’t answer their phones. In March I may stop in Port a Prince for a little while.

Pastor Shirley, January 12, 2011. Not there this time.

A Common Goal

Not certain my frustration levels can handle a blog but here goes.

Watched Haiti Alerts as we sat at Sue's bedside listening to her machines bring her back to us, and wandered just what will "bring Haiti back"? Bring Hiaiti back "to what?" More of what has been? More hunger? More chaos? More oppression by world powers and well meaning NGO's? Must Haiti "come back" or is there a possibility of "going" forward?

Church leaders and friends in Haiti, have wished us blessings for a New Year and prayers for our crisis. Sue's illness in December initiated a journey home through the Dominican Republic we felt was assisted by the 100 prayer angel's in our luggage. Since hurricanes of 2008 there have been over 1000 angels sold for $20.00 each to fund industry on south la gonave. Still available, the sale of angels funds wood workers and APG, the developing industrial group.

We greet 2011 with gratitude for those who help us "market" and those who purchase and pray with the angels for the broken people of the world.

In cooperation with Service Chretian D'Haiti and AAPLAG we trained 18 community leaders to plan and implement industrial groups. A goat park and fishing cooperatives, plus assistance for agriculture groups has grown out of the training. A meeting was held Dec 29 to 30th, with leaders from SCH and AAPLAG. These meetings reinforce early training, and help community and church leaders understand the value of working together for the good of all.

Each participant invests either money or labor to

join a group and receive training and resources. APG is growing and we hope soon to provide assistance for office space, internet
and transportation beyond a motorcycle to enhance the relationship with AAPLAG and GBGM and Methodist projects on La Goanve. The expansion includes water projects and recognition by local government and other NGO's and Hiatian agencies working to improve life and living conditions on the island.

We have learned the greatest progress is directed by Haitians who want a better life and help with the hurdles of history, geography and climate. We experienced greatest progress when there was cooperation between related entities that share common goals.

As we look forward to future development on La goanve, especially the remote south side we feel God has guided us to resources and agencies that share our same mission. These common goals enhance and strengthen the Haitian Methodist Church and other denominations in Christian mission for the people of Haiti.

Years ago the Haitian Methodist Church was part of Service Chretian D'Haiti, and today the Sec. of the EMH Committee on Development serves on the Board of Directors.

The President of AAPLAG, Wilter Ocule, and the Director of Service Chretian, Peter Graff provide wisdom and assistance for us. The group is highly respected and this association has made possible advances we could never do alone.

I believe Haiti can only move ahead, when the Haitian voice is heard and respected by the world, and things get done the "Haitian way". Haitians working together utilizing their unique resources of ingenuity and endurance can rebuild. The world providing information and technology to confront the elements that put mountains on every horizon, will reach a common goal of a new Haiti.