Two months in Haiti, Visit to Bwadlorens, and God’s Leading

Wow! Two months in Haiti! As I write this blog entry I am preparing for my final three weeks in Bohoc and all that the Lord has in store. Reflecting over the past two months has been both encouraging and challenging. This past week has been a great marker of growth while in Haiti and God’s leading.

This past week Jenny, Beth, Carolyn and I visited Brian, a former ECHO Intern, who works for the Mennonite Central Committee here in Haiti. Brian grew up in Haiti as a missionary kid and has been working for MCC for a little over a year. MCC has a number of projects going all over Haiti, but lately Brian has been working with a project helping local communities cap springs for fresh drinking water. This project is part of what we visited Brian to see.

Brian came and picked us up on Monday and we loaded into his Toyota LandCruiser and headed for the hills. Bwadlorens, where Brian lives part of the time, is a rural farming community up in the mountains, which takes nothing short of off-roading to get there. We climbed hills that you would never think were part of the road, and covered in mud. Brian's driving skills were quite impressive! I think I would have gotten stuck in two seconds!

Although Bwadlorens and Bohoc are only about 20 or 25 miles apart, it is a three hour drive, traveling in true Haitian style. On the way up we had 14 people and three children in a car that is supposed to carry about 10. This was really amusing. Everyone crams in until they can't hardly move, along with all their stuff (bags from the market, clothes, luggage, etc.) and of course, a chicken. It was quite an entertaining experience.

Tuesday, is market day in Bwadlorens and the busiest day for Brian. Many people come into town for market day, so Brian had visitors the whole day long. Not wanting to be in the way and needing groceries for the week, Carolyn, Jenny, Beth and I went down to the market and bought food for the rest of the week. The market was smaller then the one in Pignon, which I appreciated, and everyone was very friendly. I quickly fell in love with this small little community on the top of the mountains. It was also a terrific feeling to be able to walk down to the market by ourselves and buy everything that we needed for the week. I remember the first time I went to the market in Pignon and how overwhelming that was, and how intimidated I felt of having to some day visit the market without help. Bwadlorens was an encouraging reminder that we can stand on our own two feet here and all that we have learned (communicating and being comfortable) over the last two months here. I was greatly encouraged by the experience.

In the afternoon Brian went out to visit some people and Carolyn and I joined him. We walked around the town and visited some different people and stopped by the dispensary (small clinic) in the town. It was fun for me to see the local health system and the need for improved health within the community. I will share more thoughts on this a little later.

After our short walk, Brian asked if we wanted to go swimming. Our response, or course, was "yes". We grabbed our stuff and headed out for a half hour hike to a waterfall. Once we reached the waterfall we had to scramble up some rocks on the bank to get to the highest pool of the series of falls. Once we got there, we were in the water and having a great time playing in the current and finding rocks to jump off. It was a really fun time. After swimming for about half an hour we noticed that storm clouds were closing in. Trying not to get caught in a down pour, we decided to head back to the house.

Wednesday, Brian was going to visit a couple of guys who are working to cap a spring in the area. We woke up, got ready for the day and hiked about an hour to get to the house where we were to meet the "bosses" of the project. At the house they grabbed some tools, bags of cement, and we headed to the spring. The community had found a spring where fresh water was coming right out of the mountainside. The community then applied to MCC asking them to come and cap the spring. A number of years ago MCC helped send a Haitian man to a spring capping seminar in Port-au-Prince (I believe). This man returned to his home town and began working with another man who was trained in masonry. Together, these men began working with MCC capping springs in the area. Soon the demand to have springs capped began to increase so each of these men took on an apprentice, teaching them their skill. The men then split, each older man taking one of the apprentices and creating two spring capping teams.

At the spring they were in the process of building a holding tank for the water coming out of the spring with cement, sand, and rocks that have been dug out of the mountain side. The way the partnership works is that MCC pays the men who cap the spring and supplies the cement (which would be far to expensive for the local community to supply themselves). The community is then responsible for supplying the sand, rocks, and other labor that is needed. Talking with Brian about this reminded me again how important it is for the community to have a hand in their own project. There needs to be ownership. We spent most of the day watching the bosses mix cement, measure level against the hillside, and build the first wall for the cap of the spring. It was amazing to see these men working with the simple tools that they had and creating a straight wall out of rocks of every shape and size. Definitely a skill!

Thursday we woke up early and packed up our things to head back to Bohoc. We had some pretty hard rains the two nights before, so we weren't exactly sure what the roads would be like, but as always, God was good. The roads were really muddy and slick in some places, but we made it back to Bohoc safe and sound.

All in all, the visit to Bwadlorens was a great break from HAFF and the Bohoc community and helped me to see another side of Haiti that I haven't seen yet. It was funny to think that this whole time I thought I was in a pretty rural part of Haiti, and after visiting Bwadlorens it's quite clear that Bohoc is kind of a suburb of Pignon. The two communities of people are very different as are their living situations in so many ways. It was an interesting new perspective.

Also while in Bwadlorens I prayed that the Lord would just open my heart and my mind to what he would want me to see, learn, and hear from him. I also wanted to spend some good down time really thinking about my time in Haiti so far, what I have learned, and what I am going to do with all that God has placed on my heart here. I prayed that the Lord would show up and guide me, and as always, he is faithful and showed up!

Many times throughout our time at Brian’s I was able to ask Brian about the community and culture, the needs and the groups striving to meet them. Again and again, Brian came back to the need for improved health, education, economy, so many things. The thing that kept pulling at my heart though, was the community’s health. Bwadlorens is three hours away from the nearest hospital and there is one nurse who works at the local dispensary. When Brian, Carolyn, and I went up to the local clinic a number of people were waiting to be seen by the nurse. My heart wished that I could jump right in and begin to treat these people, to have the knowledge to help, and the language skills to communicate better. This feeling was so motivational, but also brought back memories of other times that God has moved my heart in this way.

Have you ever felt like God has been moving you in one direction for a long time and yet you continue to go your own way? All along walking your own way, he continues to nudge you down another path?

This moment at the dispensary reminded me of years in High School studying Anatomy and Physiology, Sports Medicine, working as an athletic trainer, and getting excited about studying Medicine in college. It reminded me of going to college and starting on the Pre-Med track, the disappointment of not feeling like that fit and wondering what else I could do. It reminded me of working as a nursing aide in the retirement facility my first year of college and the many experiences had there, of spending days in the hospital when my little sister Lacey had her back surgery, watching the nurses, taking care and spending time with Lacey, and the desire to serve in a similar capacity. It reminded me of switching to nursing in college only to find that I wouldn’t graduate in four years, being impatient, and deciding to do something else. And then at this moment, the feeling came back again. The question: Lord, do you want me to become a nurse? Should I return to community health in some form?

I’m not quite sure. This time in Haiti has opened my eyes in so many ways and changed my heart along with it. I have been greatly inspired by the missionaries and development workers I have met here and their desire to glorify the Lord by loving His people of all nations, tribes, and tongues. My heart goes out to the many people who do without education, good health care, or even enough to meet their basic needs for living. So much has been placed on my heart! My next thought is, “Lord, what part would you have me play in all this?”

I am so thankful that the Lord if our faithful and trusted guide, who often speaks in a whisper, but speaks none the less. Now I will tackle these many questions with prayer and watch what opportunities and doors the Lord opens up. Please pray with me that the Lord would grant me a clear heart and mind and wisdom to follow Him wherever he may lead. Your prayers and support are so appreciated!