The Haiti Bunch

The 2009 Haiti Team, or "The Haiti Bunch", had a wonderful time visiting our sister church in Chambellan. We had twelve members: Pastor Bill Lee, Midschool Director Charlie Ridenour, Bryan Knowles, Roger and Linda Little, Mission Board Member Cindy Guidroz, Carol Etheredge, Mark & Carol Hawkins, Keila Lorenc, Connor Egbert, and Jessica Williams. We had one member who was not able to go when we rescheduled: Kristen Moore. We also had one alternate who was unable to go due to team size: Lauren King.

At 12:15 on June 11, the team members were at their homes, finishing their final packing details, and almost ready to leave for the airport. The night before there had been some storms in the area, including a few tornadoes, but the weather was much better that morning. Except for at the airport. It seemed storm after storm built and reformed right over DFW. At that point, we learned that American Airlines had canceled our flight to Miami. Try as we might, we could not get on a flight to Miami that night! We contacted Billy Moses, the RMI missionary, to determine what to do. Since we couldn't get to Miami, there was no way we could make our flight to Port-au-Prince, Haiti the next day. We had to cancel. Fortunately, the team scheduled for two weeks later had canceled, leaving an open spot for us! So we put our bags aside and waited.

Two weeks later, on June 25, our flight took off right on time without problems. We spent the night in Miami and took a morning flight to Port-au-Prince the next day. We breezed through customs -- a rare event! A private bus driver/pastor, Nader, drove us from the large airport to the smaller one. After getting our flights arranged, we at lunch at a nearby gas station. Actually, it was quite nice. That afternoon, after a 45-minute flight, we arrived at the tip of the peninsula in the town of Jeremie. From there, we traveled 2 hours by truck into our sister Church village, Chambellan.

We arrived in Chambellan Friday around dusk to a parade of church members waiting for us about a mile from the church. The Brigade, a youth organization in the church, met us in uniform with songs and flags. There were hugs, kisses and hand-holding by young and old Haitians as they welcomed us. The team was overwhelmed!

On Saturday, Charlie Ridenour led a seminar on being a godly single. College students Connor Egbert, Keila Lorenc, and Jessica Williams added their input and experiences. Carol Etheredge gave her viewpoints on being an older single. We broke into men's and women's groups, where they asked lots of questions. The team did an excellent job of pointing them back to God's word as our standard.

Sunday began with a long worship service. Their music groups, ranging from children to adults, gifted us with wonderful singing. Jessica and Carol sang a song in Haitian Kreyol for them. Our team members had an opportunity to share a personal greeting with the church. Pastor Bill Lee introduced the topic of marriage in his sermon. After lunch, some of the team members took a walk into town, where we got a closer look at local living. Later that evening, the church and the team held an open air service at the town soccer field. Several of our team members presented their stories of how they came to know Christ as Savior.

The adults on the team led a marriage seminar on Monday -- three sessions with lunch after the second session. Pastor Bill, Bryan Knowles, and Roger Little taught in the sessions. Everyone participated in fielding questions about marriage in our breakout sessions with the men or women. Although they have different cultural situations, we stayed close to God's word as our guide for the roles as husband and wife.

The highlight of our trip was the group wedding ceremony. We were planning to marry 9 couples. We found out when we arrived that there were 14 couples! Fortunately, we found dresses for all of the brides. It was wonderful to sit back and observe as they performed the wedding ceremony. The team is usually in the spotlight, so being on the sidelines was a real treat! Carol Etheredge took pictures before, during and afterward. She took two "formal" photos of each couple -- one of the couple posing and one of the couple kissing! They weren't used to kissing in public, so this was really funny for all involved! Carol brought her printer and left photos for the couples!

Very early Wednesday morning, we began our travel to the mission compound and then to the retreat center for a little R&R. This isn't just a fun time, although playing at the beach and relaxing in the gazebo is wonderful! It is also a chance for the team to share their experiences and think about how being on the trip might change their everyday lives at home. It's always enlightening to hear everyone's highs and lows.

Thursday we did a little shopping from vendors who set up their wares. We also toured the domestic center, where women are taught to sew, crochet, cook and embroider. This gives the women an opportunity to earn money for their families and learn a valuable skill. The best of the graduates move on to open their own schools! They have lovely items available for sale in their gift shop.

Friday was a day of travel, rising early and arriving in Port-au-Prince in the midmorning. One last treat was representing a family who had adopted a Haitian child. We met with his birth parents and siblings, giving them photos and a video to watch. We took pictures and video of the birth family to give the adoptive family. We flew back to Miami and on to DFW by late evening. It was wonderful to be greeted by family and friends there to greet us and to share our stories.

Thank you for supporting our mission trips this summer through Impact 2009. It was an honor to represent you to the Haitian church in Chambellan. May God richly bless you for being a part of our trip!