2005, September

An uncomfortably long interval between journeys, perhaps the longest since my work in Haiti began in 1999 — six months.  The planned June trip had to be canceled as a result of a retinal detachment and subsequent surgery.  Not only that, however, but worse — the “emergency” saved the necessity of a very difficult decision, as conditions in Haiti throughout the summer were terribly unsettled, with much daily violence, kidnappings, and sporadic instances of widespread riots and destruction.  Embassy personnel were recalled, most NGOs ordered the evacuation of their workers.  Indeed, the situation was so bad that although it might have been reasonable to travel to Haiti, travel within Haiti once there might have been all but impossible.

Thanks be to God, for inexplicable reasons the situation returned to something like “normal” in mid-August, as did my medical condition (at least I was no longer forbidden to fly), and plans were laid for this trip.  Up to the last day, of course, they were subject to re-evaluation and cancellation.  But, as the Lord willed, all went according to plan and I was able to fly to Haiti in time for the temple feast of the Chapel of St. Moses the Black at Fontamara, 28 Aug/ 10 Sept.  Arrival two days before was more or less “typical” — an uneventful flight down (beginning at Nashville airport at 5AM), an hour or more to reclaim baggage, another hour to accomplish a car rental (even with a reservation), yet another hour (not normal — usually 15 minutes) to drive from the airport to Maison Mission.  I felt pretty well on arrival in Haiti — and totally exhausted by the time I got “home”!

The “generosity” of American Airlines had restored the previous allowance of 70# per checked bag, and allowed three excess pieces in addition to the two free ones (at a cost of $100 each).  Thus it was that I arrived with a thoroughly abnormal load, 350# of supplies for the Mission, in addition to carry-ons.  To put it mildly, this presented a formidable unpacking task (as previously, at home, packing), not yet accomplished — one box remains in the “depot” at Maison Mission awaiting attention when I return there later this week.

The usual complications of Haitian life beset the visit.  For as yet unexplained reasons, several checks issued earlier this year against our account were refused by the bank (no question of insufficient funds), resulting in severe shortages for work here.  A visit to one of our bank’s branches on the way to Fontamara for the vigil (close to an hour to make a deposit and inquiries) yielded only the information that it will be necessary to go to the main office at Pétionville (a two-hour trip or more) to find out why the checks were refused, and attempt to prevent such occurrences in the future.  Normal?!

But the vigil in the recently-established chapel, and liturgy and festal meal the next morning made up for it all.  The spirit of peace and joy was tangibly present in the small chapel, largely open to the outside, surrounded by fragrant flowers and trees and singing birds.  Services at St. Moses are irregular (for it is yet part of the larger Port-au-Prince parish), but frequent throughout the week and, occasionally when conditions prevent travel to the principal church near the airport, on weekends.

After Divine Liturgy and the festal meal at St. Moses on Saturday, just enough time (with a little luck) for the drive to Cyvadier for Vigil at St. Augustine’s.  Despite a rear bumper which partially detached itself (and had to be strung up with a couple of rags for the rest of the journey) and an apparently leaking transmission, resuscitated with a jolt of oil, the journey was accomplished in time, just in time.  Though poorly announced (it was uncertain until Friday evening whether I would be able to come to St. Augustine’s for Sunday services), by the end of Vigil the chapel was pleasantly full — and on Sunday morning overflowing for the Liturgy.

After Liturgy, a brief visit to George’s home; sadly, his oldest sister had died during the week in childbirth.  A little time spent with the family, a brief prayer of consolation.  Then on to examine the state of work on the pavilion which will serve (once it reaches a suitable state) as a temporary (for how many years!) church building.  Currently, the foundations (designed for a three-story building) and floor are complete, with ironwork for columns to support the roof (later, floor of the second story) in place.  Not much to look at, but a serious labor accomplished.  Everyone is eager to have the roof on and an enclosure for the temporary sanctuary completed, so that services may be moved there — with enough room so that people need not stand outside.  By God’s grace and the generosity of our faithful supporters, perhaps we can reach that state by the end of the year (when the lease on the temporary chapel expires).

Tuesday night, Church New Year.  Vespers begins with a few faithful (many more by the end), the murmur of voices throughout the quarter.  A tap-tap roars by, backfires.  Music of all sorts from all sides.  And over it all, the simple chanting of the service, celebration of the New Year, of St. Symeon the Stylite.  How, I ask myself so often, does this “sell” in such a place as this — and so much more profoundly than in the “civilized” world to which I will return in little more than a week?  There’s nothing flashy or grandiose about Orthodox services as they must be in Haiti — and yet the crowds continue to grow.  Little children, old folks, and always, it seems, far more men than women — here at St. Augustine’s, the ratio seems pretty steady at about seven to one.  What mysteries!

At Cyvadier, a couple of days of welcome respite (with Vespers each evening) before the return trip to Port-au-Prince (hope the transmission holds out and bumper, now reinforced with wire hangers, hangs on!), for a meeting of clergy and readers, and then the flight to Les Cayes for weekend services.

Return trip to Port-au-Prince uneventful (with two riders), apart from the inevitable flat tire on the way.  Happily, the spare actually fit (once it didn’t) and was in good condition.  Stop at Tombe Gateau to obtain from the coffee processor a needed letter of attestation that the coffee there is produced organically (we already knew that, but our roastery now accepts nothing but organic coffee).  Planned car exchange had to be put off to the next day; stop to pay for air tickets to Les Cayes useless… can’t pay at the airport, but only at the main office, I learned to my rue, so that also was put off to Friday.

Friday morning, the usual confusion about exchanging a badly tattered car for one (hopefully) better; should have taken 10 minutes, but took well over an hour, so I was unfortunately late for the scheduled “seminar” with clergy and readers.  The meeting was pleasant and fruitful, largely devoted to Church history and the present difficult situation in which we in ROCOR find ourselves. with much discussion of the issues of the Church Calendar and past and present heresies, particularly the Monophysite heresy.  Afterwards, tickets more or less efficiently purchased for the flight tomorrow to Les Cayes.

Travel to Les Cayes was more or less as expected — normally behind schedule.  My smallest scheduled passenger airliner yet — a 12-seat single-engine prop plane.  But unlike my first plane to Cap-Haïtien, this one at least inspired a little confidence: clean, neat, nicely painted.  But just try cramming a 6’3” frame with carry-on baggage up an “aisle” barely wide enough for two legs to pass each other, with a head clearance barely high enough to sit on a seat, let alone “walk”!  The trials of a missionary.  Oh well.

The Les Cayes airport was a pleasant surprise as well: neat, clean, nicely built.  The promised bus to the city (quite some distance) failed to materialize, but Fr. Grégoire contrived to hitch us a ride with someone he vaguely knew.  The trip into town was much rockier than the air travel.  Not surprising.

My first experience for full-scale services at Les Cayes: Vigil, Hours & Divine Liturgy.  Fr. Grégoire served and I manned the cliros, as there is not yet a trained reader at Les Cayes (Pierre, however, shows much promise).  Very simple, very beautiful, as always, no matter the crude environment: converted classroom, low desk for a Holy Table, racket from the streets outside… but with a glimpse of the seashore through the pierced blocks of the wall behind the Holy Table.  In a word, beautiful.  The congregation, pious and attentive, about the same people for Vigil Saturday evening and Liturgy Sunday morning. 

Afterward, sodas for all, some time in conversation.
Then… off to investigate a possibility for some greater permanence.  Three years of hunting for an apartment or house to rent have led nowhere.  Everything which has been located is either far too expensive, or in need of far too expensive modifications and repairs to be practical.  Two years ago one of the faithful suggested that we were on the wrong track; that we should rather be looking for a piece of land to buy and go from there.  We’ve come to the conclusion that she was right.

The proposed piece of land is at the edge of the city (which is, helpfully, geographically rather small), at the reasonable limit to which people could travel without undue difficulty.  It is also very close to the major crossroads at the edge of the city, with rapid (by Haitian standards) access from a number of surrounding towns.  The “highway” on which it is situated has been paved since the last time I explored in that direction (toward Port Salut), and it is possible to reach the center of the city entirely by paved streets (no small matter).  The property is in an area where almost any deep well sunk is artesian, requiring no pump for low-pressure potable water.  In sum, it looks very promising.  Frontage on the “highway” is about 100 yards, more or less normal width for a tract of undeveloped land in Haiti… and extends into the distance farther than one can see (altogether 18 hectares, about 45 acres.  The owner is offering to sell as much as we want, beginning at the highway.  He’ll take responsibility for constructing a bridge (necessary as there’s a small spring-fed brook which runs through the property) and a drainage canal alongside the road and access road into the interior of the property.

Cheap?  No.  The asking price is US$1000 per centième, or about $40,000/acre — but still certainly to be negotiated.  But remember:  even 50 centièmes (1.25 acres) in Haiti is a huge piece of ground, and this property is in a prime (if not center-city) location.
The plan (if we can find donors for the purchase price):  buy as much land as we can afford, then construct a very temporary chapel of wattle and thatch (or perhaps metal under the thatch if we can afford it) at very low cost, while we continue to watch the development of the community at Les Cayes (steady at this point).  If it continues to grow, then we can think of a more permanent structure.  If not, and it becomes evident that this is too much of an investment, the value of the land will simply continue to grow, so it could be sold in whole or in part to finance some different course.  Such a purchase is, of course, unthinkable without the generosity of the faithful of the Church throughout the world.  As you prepare for what is sometimes called the “season of giving”, please bear this need (and the many others!) in mind.

[A footnote, as we go to press:  Vladyka Gabriel has just given his blessing for the mission community at Les Cayes to be regularly established and select a patron saint.  While I was there, several possibilities were discussed.  Watch for further news.]

The return trip was uneventful in the same little plane… but at a much higher elevation (about 7500’) due to considerable storminess in the late afternoon.  Missed the feature of the trip down: a section of the air travel where I had the opportunity to look sideways at mountains, houses, trees, animals and people not more than a hundred yards away.  Didn’t miss it too much!

Monday.  La Plaine.  Hot as always, blazing sun, the usual body-pounding trip over “Boulevard Marin”, made of rocks the size of grapefruits with holes the size of washtubs (and bigger), slightly faster than walking speed (but air-conditioned car made it worth it!).  Work to inspect:  a “barrière” has been constructed for Foyer Ste-Marie d’Égypt; a rolling iron gate wide enough to permit cars and trucks to pass to the interior. 

Unimportant in itself, it is essential to future construction of a chapel on the property, and to permit parking within the enclosed space when that becomes necessary.  Two small rooms currently house Juliette, still in the process of transformation from semi-wild “street girl” to settled citizen (something which is likely to take years, if ever successful) and Roselenn and her six children, formerly condemned to a mud shack.  Both assist with work at Fr. Amboise’s home and at Collège St.-Nicholas.

Fr. Amboise and his family hope to vacate their current home (pretty much yet another building of the school), liberating the space for an afternoon and evening adult literacy school, in favor of a partially-built house in the quarter (2-minute walk or so).  The cost for the building as it stands (uninhabitable without considerable expense) is about US$9000, which he wishes to finance with an advance (over many years) on his modest salary.  Any contributions to help with purchase cost and continuation of work on the building would of course be graciously welcomed.

On to the “new land”, about 5km (3 miles) away, where another mostly Orthodox family is installed as caretakers.  In the far distant future, this property is likely to be to site of a “normal” Orthodox Church, at the side of what is certain to be the major thoroughfare in and out of Port-au-Prince.  We have received (and accepted) a bid for the sinking of a deep well at the edge of the property, with a deep-well handpump, at the remarkably low cost of US$800, to serve not only the church property, but also the surrounding residents (hence the very low cost), yet another step in its development.

Visiting there, I was treated to an unusual event.  It’s certainly not uncommon in Haiti to be welcomed by entirely naked small children — but it is definitely rare to have one of them come up and very formally and properly ask for a priestly blessing!  “Suffer the little children…”!
Thanks to a generous contribution from an inheritance, Katherine’s house has been “doubled” — a second 12x12’ room added, providing a “luxurious” 288 square feet for a family of twelve.  Count your blessings!  The family seems to be doing well — about half the children are enrolled at Collège St.Nicholas, others of school age elsewhere.  Little by little drop by drop, at some point the glass will be half full.

The parish feast at the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God: a truly joyous and fitting conclusion to the visit.  The local parishioners were joined by a considerable number of faithful who made the difficult trek from Cyvadier and Les Cayes, as well as numerous friends of the parish.  Fr. Jean, Fr. Grégoire and I concelebrated the liturgy for the birthday of the Mother of God, with Fr. Dcn. Amboise assisting.  The festal meal following, though considerably delayed by all too typical Port-au-Prince traffic complications, was served in good order to the patiently awaiting faithful.

An unfortunate, but thanks be to God not tragic, footnote: the day after I returned, Mme. Jean, one of the “friends of the parish” and Fr. Grégoire’s colleague in the administration of the vocational school COFPT, was seized as she left the school and held for ransom.  $400,000 US was demanded, but the brigands settled for $7,000.  This brings to four the number of our friends harmed by the tragic situation in Haiti:  two Syrian shopkeepers (George and Daas, separately) seized and released unharmed after ransom payments, and the manager of the Hotel Roi Christophe, where we hold service at Cap-Haïtien, murdered.  A recent e-mail from his widow assures me that his spirit lives on at the hotel and we are welcome there for services at any time.  A bit too close to home for comfort — but the Lord provides and protects and directs.  Glory be to God for all things!