This sixth mission trip to Haiti (altogether, about three months out of the last two years spent here) has been fruitful and promising.  I have come to be “at home” here, and returning is a return to family and friends.  However, nothing does away with arduous nature of life in Haiti (except extreme riches and the ability to insulate oneself completely from the surrounding country), nor the frustration of spending so much time to accomplish so little.  

Thanks to the inability of UPS to find Fr. Jean’s new home (I found it within 15 minutes, with the same information they had… so much for the advertising!), no one here knew when I was to arrive.  Fortunately, the church is very close (walking distance) to the airport, so I was able to go there at once for prayers of thanksgiving, and to leave a note on a school-desk that I had arrived and could be reached at the Mission House.  Within a very short time, I had visited or been visited by Fr. Jean, Fr. Grégoire, and all the most active members of the parish.

The parish family has regrouped, to a far more realistic (and dedicated) nucleus.  As is often the case with infant missions, there was an initial surge of people (sometimes rising to apparently impressive numbers)… many of whom failed to understand that this wasn’t just a rather peculiar Roman Catholic church, closer to home, or who were drawn by irrelevant expectations which had nothing to do with the Faith.  Our parish family here is today truly more and more of a family… a group of people drawn together by common Faith, and dedication to its spread in this land.  It is much smaller, but much more cohesive.

I am happy to be able to share with you the news that all are in reasonably good health… and that, after many years of waiting, Fr. Grégoire and Matushka Rose-May eagerly await the birth, shortly after Pascha (so it is predicted!) of their first child.  Fr. Jean and his family are settled into a new home (rented), within walking distance of the church… an enormous benefit, both from a purely practical standpoint (remember, the journey by tap-tap from Christ-Roi always took an hour, sometimes two), and because it enables Fr. Jean to be far more visible and available to the people in the immediate vicinity of the church. 

This home doubles as a small, newly-formed school, directed by Matushka Marie-Chantal, both as a service to the children in the immediate vicinity, and as a means of support for the family.  The usual difficulties are there:  many of the children are unable to afford even the most modest tuition, and the needs far outstrip the modest resources available.  This is one of four schools currently to a greater or lesser degree associated with the Mission:  at the parish church itself, the Collège de Notre-Dame continues, although considerably diminished in number of students by the opening of other (and better-funded) schools in the area.  Considerable retrenchment will be called for next fall, as it will almost certainly not be possible to continue direct salary payments for the staff from Mission funds.  On the other side of Port-au-Prince, Matushka Rose-May continues to direct the Foyer d’Amour, a specialized school for mentally handicapped children, with several staff members.  At La Plaine, the faithful parishioners (whose ordination as readers we hope to be able to bring about in the near future) Amboise and Jean have established yet another school which, if all goes as they hope, will begin regular classes next fall.  It is my hope that Mission funding in the future will make possible modest subsidies to each of these schools. 

Our work here has been greatly aided by the generosity of Yves Guerrier, of Ft. Lauderdale, who has kindly permitted my continued use of the Mission House at Croix-des-Missions, rent-free (the Mission pays the electric bill and takes care of minor repairs and maintenance).   The trade-off:  the house is on the market for sale, and might at any moment be no longer available.  In that event, provision has been made for the safe storage of Mission property (the benefit of having a “furnished” work-space available immediately upon arrival should be obvious!)… and then back to the task of locating another base of operations. 

Another kindness… of a Syrian grocer, Daas, near the Mission House:  We now have, gratis, e-mail communications facilities at our disposal (amongst many other generous offerings).  Since a postal letter may take as much as a month, each way (and even then delivery is not always certain), this brings an entirely new dimension to our capabilities.  The only alternative heretofore has been FedEx or UPS (which will still be necessary when actual papers have to be moved)… a considerable expense for the Mission. 

All of this is by way of a preamble to a potpourri of mini-articles (see links in sidebar) which will, I hope, provide a broad-ranging view of the state of the Mission and work in Haiti today… and the country itself.  Some parts will be of more interest than others for you… please feel free to pick and choose!  Please forgive repetitiousness in some cases, as similar concerns arise in various places.