By the grace of God, the latest visit to our mssions in Haiti went smoothly, with no more than the usual hassles.  Much of the shape of the trip was dictated by the need for baptisms, and liturgies, in both parishes — which, under Lenten conditions, could only be accomplished by serving on Friady and Saturday at one parish, then Saturday evening and Sunday in the other.  This was a bit of a task, given the (probable) difficulties of travel between the two parishes — St. Augustine’s on the south coast, and St. Dorothy’s on the north side of Port-au-Prince.  As always, traveling across Port-au-Prince was the real challenge, both ways.

Apart from a minor accident, the trip to Jacmel went smoothly.  Typical — I was standing stock still in a traffic jam in the port area of Port-au-Prince, and a neighboring tap-tap driver decided he was going to force his vehicle into a space too small for it.  Minor scratches, big hassle with the rental agency.  Amazingly, in all the years of driving in Haiti, only three accidents — and every one just like this one.  I’ll settle for hassles!

Friday afternoon, began services for the 40 Maryts of Sebaste, then continued with six baptisms (all children), well into the night before we finished.  My first baptisms in French, and first in Haiti.  A daunting, joyful task. 
Divine liturgy, and first communions for the newly-illumined Theophania, Alexandra, Nilus, Jean, Pierre and Jonah, accomplished Saturday morning, then back on the road as quickly as possible for the trip to St. Dorothy’s.  I had estimated at least four hours for the trip, possibly much longer, but it seems a guardian angel cleared the way for me — and I arrived in just under three hours.  Fortunate, because it would have been unwise to remain out after dark; vespers and another baptism there left me just enough time for the bone-jarring return trip to Maison Mission before nightfall.

Divine liturgy Sunday morning at St. Dorothy’s was a joy, enhanced by the presence again (most of them had been there Saturday evening as well) of a large truckload of children from the Delmas region, many of them preparing for baptism in the future.  There were so many that a “large tap-tap” (full-size pickup with roof and benches) was required for the hour and a half trip each way.  Expensive — $40 for each round trip (but then the driver and truck were tied up for a total of about 5 hours each time).  We need help so these children can get to church more regularly!  I asked Jean (the reader around whom these children live) how many it took to fill the truck (which it was Sunday morning) — about fifty!  Would you go to church under those conditions?

The schools of St. John Chrysostom at Delmas and St. Nicholas at LaPlaine, as well as St. Augustine’s at Cyvadier/Jacmel, continue to function well.  Unfortunately,   I was unable to visit any of them “in session”, as I had unknowingly (though the dates for the trip were pretty well determined by other issues) scheduled the trip over the Roman Catholic Easter weekend — everything official in Haiti (including schools) closed from Thursday through Monday.

Thus it was that the final meeting with the inspectors from the Ministère de Cultes had to be postponed until Wednesday, at which the renewal of legal recognition for the Mission was finally concluded successfully.  Such affairs are always tedious in Haiti, and this had proven to be more tedious than most.

Just as this issue (finally) goes to press, I have received word (from a CNN news-flash) of extensive demonstrations, even riots, in Haiti brought about by the catasrophic increases in food prices in recent months — rice up 50%, pasta more than doubled in the last six months.  Please keep the suffering people of Haiti, and especially your brothers and sisters in the Lord, in your thoughts and prayers!