snapshot into my time here...

Hey everybody!

So I thought for this post I would take the time to upload some photos: give you a snapshot into just some of the stuff that goes on here, in Haiti!

So, without further ado:

Church!  This is the first Haitian church I went to and I can assure you it was a very different experience than church in Canada.  Even with all its differences, it was great to be in a room full of believers worshiping together.  I even met two North Americans that morning, one being a young lady who is here for almost the exact time period that I am here (late January to late April).  She is spending 3 months with her sister who, with Haitian husband and children do ministry here.

Carneval!  In late February, everyone piles into the streets at night with music and dance all around the neighbourhoods.  Some people dress up, flags are waved and whips are cracked.

We did not participate just because it can be very dangerous (and there is also a lot of voodoo incorporated into the celebration) - but we still had a great time!  The energy of Carneval is contagious!

Some of our neighbourhood friends!

The Citadel

The Citadel, located in Milot, is a huge fortified structure that was built 2 hundred years ago right after Haiti's independence.  The self-proclaimed King of that time was extremely fearful of another attack from Europe, so he spent decades and countless lives to build this huge fortress.

It is so high up in the mountains, we were in the clouds!  From the top you can see for miles; to the ocean and beyond.

The Citadel was never finished because this "King" committed suicide.  The French never did return for a fight, and so now the Citadel sits at the top of the mountain, a reminder of the needless sacrifice endured to build it. 

Let me take this time to introduce you to some people:

Ladies and gentlemen, if you have been following this blog, this is a familiar face!  This is Candy, the wonderful lady I am learning form here!

I love this photo!

This is Candy in her element: with the people.  She is mobilized on the ground, always looking for opportunities for relationship so we can share God's love and improve the quality of people's lives.

…she also happens to be a lot of fun ;)

God bless her!

We do a lot of house visits to the elderly and marginalized - the people who are often neglected.

These are some old folks that we visited just this last trip.  I love this photo!  Candy is beginning ministry in a new part of town, so currently we are developing relationships with people and finding out their needs.  Back here in the DR we create profiles of the people, brainstorm ideas, determine the greatest need, then we head back to Haiti to partner with the locals to figure out how to meet these needs.  We always try to solve the problem from within whenever possible.  Often, external funds do play a role in these advancements but it is the locals who make it happen.  Empowerment of the people!!

For example, the latrines that are being built are funded primarily by brother and sisters (different church communities) in North America (Bethany now included!), BUT it is the Haitians that build them - all without pay.  Neighbour helping neighbour.  Brother helping brother.

This unity is very uncommon in Haiti, and it is a true testimony to the life changing impact of the Word of God in our lives.

This is Wakson!  The dynamic youngest son of the people we stay with while in Haiti, Bito and Nelta Floreal. 

Ruth is the youngest daughter of Bito and Nelta.  She is strong, kind, and loves to laugh!  She serves her family with joy :)

This is the young man Volmi!  He just turned 18!  This is Nelta and Bito's eldest son.

Fredlyne Floreal is a wonderful, bubbly young woman with ambition!  She is becoming a good friend.

Nelta in her element!  Nelta is always working hard and humbly serving her family.

And that is Bito, and Candy, in Bito's element: his farm.  Bito has a plot of land where he makes a small income from his produce.  A lot of the farming that he does is sustenance farming.  All of his work is down by hand.

This is Candy and my bedroom.  It's cozy, isn't it?

Onzy, enjoying a leisurely morning.

A special breakfast! Boiled plantains with vegetable stew, hard boiled eggs, and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.  This is luxury… seriously.

the dining room

the shower/washroom

the morning dishes

morning quiet time

and the work begins!

house visits, latrine updates, construction, and much more!

talking with some friends...

…and goofing around!

There is no electricity, so at night the lamps and candles are out!  Typically, we all end up around the table or outside on the porch telling stories, talking about faith, trials, joys, problems.  Family :)

A view from the back door, can you see the kitchen?

Well folks, there is a little bit of a peek into our lives here.

As you can see I am healthy, and so well looked after.  God provides!

Before I sign off, I would just like to make a few prayer requests:

1)  Pray for me as I begin to brainstorm and put together a few lesson plans to teach in a local school in Haiti!  I feel ready and confident to do what I intended to come here to do which was to teach the Truth of God to kids through art and music.  The main theme of the lessons will be about how we are loved, accepted, and significant.  If you have any ideas; songs, activities, stories, crafts; feel free to shoot me an e-mail!  I would love to get as many ideas as possible!  haleigh.pickett@gmail.com

2)  Pray that my Spanish would improve, por favor.

3)  Pray that God would continue to speak to me through his word and that I would continue to be drawn closer to him.  He is doing amazing things here, truly.

4)  Pray that I would continue to be enriched by my experiences as to grow my testimony for Christ's glory.

I am so blessed to have this opportunity to be here and to be learning!  I cannot wait to share with you in person all that has gone on here these past one and a half months!  I have another one and a half to go and there is still so much to be done!  I will surely not return home the same…. 

Thank you for your continued support,  I love you so much,

Haleigh

A Much Needed Update

Hi there family and friends!

Life is good here in sunny Dajabon!  Much has happened since the last post, so there is much to fill you in on...

Firstly, things in Haiti are really beginning to take form.  For the last couple of weeks I have been adjusting to and learning about Haitian customs, language, and culture.  It is quite the adventure!
My Creole is really improving!  I am now able to have conversations, read, and even write a little!  French has been such a blessing in this process of learning.  I am truly grateful for all the help I am receiving from those around me - in fact, it has become a great tool in building relationships.  Nothing quite breaks the ice like a game of charades…
I have also found a real niche in the kitchen.  I love hanging out with the Mamas and learning how to make Haitian food (which is nothing short of delicious).  Even just doing simple chores with them like fetching water, washing dishes, or going to the market.
One of my favourite memories so far was when I went to the market with the Ruth, the youngest daughter of the family we stay with (Nelta and Bito Floreal) while in Haiti.  In the middle of the chaos, I actually felt like a Haitian.  I was dressed like a Haitian, I was sitting like a Haitian, I was speaking their language, I even smelled like a Haitian!  It was an unforgettable experience, and one that caught me completely off guard.  In the middle of the chaos I found myself thinking: God, if you really wanted me to do this, I could.  I could live here.  I could be a Haitian. 
I do not know what the future holds in store for me, and I certainly do not know if God is calling me back to Haiti as a missionary, but I do know that with God, I truly can do anything.  With God, we can do all things through him who gives us strength.
Even through the rough times, God is here, working through the pain.  It is imperative that we trust him, and that we persevere and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel - always.
"…We must glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character hope."
~Romans 5:3-4


Candy has really great friends in Haiti and they have made me feel completely welcome and part of the family.  I now consider Nelta and Bito my Haitian parents, and their home is beginning to feel like my home.  During our last trip into Haiti, Candy brought me to the famous Citadel.  It was a truly incredible experience!  The climb up it is steep and treacherous, but the reward is breathtaking!  There, we stayed with some friends and visited some homes of some elderly people.  The poverty of these brothers and sisters is overwhelming and truly heart wrenching, but nothing abnormal for the average Haitian.  It is  baffling to see such wealth and power located at the summit of a mountain and at its base to see such need.  When we turned the corner onto his street, returning from the Citadel, I actually felt a wave of relief for I knew we were headed home.  I am so happy that my heart is becoming comfortable here.

Just to update you on the work that Candy I are doing in Haiti…
As of late, Candy has been quite involved in building latrines and improving hygiene in several rural communities just south of Cap Haitian where her friends live.  The quality of life for so many of these people could be improved greatly just by having proper sanitation!  Most of these people do not have access to clean water or a toilet, so they are constantly sick and getting sicker.  Having met these people, I have felt compelled to use some of the funds entrusted to me to build a latrine (toilet) for a group of five families that live just down the street from Bito and Nelta.
The living conditions of these families are truly atrocious.  Living on a small plot of land, these families of at least 10 people in each house hold (that makes over FIFTY people) have NO toilet!  In result, they go everywhere and anywhere.  Their children, animals, clothing, homes - they're all covered in filth, and they do not know how to help it.
I think that this money is going to incredible use.  This will change their lives.

A lot of what Candy does is community development.  Because of her relationships and understanding of the culture she is able to redistribute funds of the wealthy to the poor without creating dependancy but rather establishing self-sustainability.  Much of what we have done together during my time here has been visiting people, especially the elderly.  By getting to know them we get to know their needs.  We pray for them, bring them encouragement, evangelize if prompted by the Spirit to do so, and then we brainstorm to figure out how to meet their needs within the community.  This is such an important biblical principle that we come together as a community and support the needs of others.  It's unity, and unity is strength.  And unity is in Christ.  In Acts chapter 2 and 4 the believers are so unified they actually end poverty.  No one claimed ownership over any possession and they accommodated everyone's needs this way.  It is remarkable!  This can happen for the Haitians!  This is the calling of the church, and this is one way Candy disciples and serves her community here.  With her ties in the States  (and now Canada) she also enables an opportunity for the wealthy church in North America to support their brothers and sisters in Haiti (and the Dominican) in a way that encourages self-sustainability and not dependance.  I truly admire the work she does and am so honoured to be able to learn from her.

However, the process of her work is loooong.  To build trusting relationships takes time.  One thing I am learning here is that relationships are not about efficiency.  So often as North Americans we want things to happen quickly; efficiently.  But that is just impossible with relationships!  Hard work, and time.  Trust takes time to build - however I can say with confidence it happens much more quickly when Jesus is the centre of the relationship!  Praise be to GOD!

So as you can see things are really happening here!  Slowly, but surely God is working and transforming so many lives.

Before I sign off, let me tell you about Ginny. This little, bright eyed 5 month year old girl needs our prayers.  I have never seen a human being like Ginny before in my life.  Ginny is so poorly malnourished and sick that her skin is pealing off in sheets.  She looks as if she has been boiled and then put into a deep fryer.  Candy is currently in Haiti right now helping the family by bringing Ginny to the hospital in Cap Haitian to try and save Ginny's life.
(Unfortunately, I could not go to Haiti this time because of some tummy troubles I experienced the morning we were supposed to leave.  No worries now; I seemed to have recovered after several doses of antibiotics and lots of water!  For some reason I was not supposed to go to Haiti this last trip, and I trust God that there is good reason behind it.  I trust him!)
Please keep Ginny in your prayers.  She needs a lot of it.

Also, as a little aside to our work in Haiti, this past week Candy and I travelled to the North Coast of the Dominican to visit some missionary friends of hers there.  Candy is trying to take me around and show me as much as possible during my short three months here (can you believe that I have already been here for half of my stay?- only 6 more weeks before I am in Canada again!).  I am so thankful that she is taking the time and effort to expose me to all the possibilities that exist on the mission field.
It was a lovely visit and I was able to meet so many new people who speak beautiful, wonderful English!  It just so happened that the day we went to visit was their weekly group home schooling session.  On this day many missionary families come together from all over the North Coast and host a group class for their kids.  It just so happened that their geography lesson for that day was on Canada, and I was asked if I could teach the lesson.  Of course, I jumped on the opportunity and we had a blast!  I love my country so much and any chance I get to share how beautiful my home is I take full advantage of!  I am so grateful for that time of fellowship and hope to make another trip to Sosua before I leave - I will keep you posted!
 
So as you can see, we are doing very well here.  Things are starting to take off in Haiti, and I am really beginning to settle in.  Prayers are being answered.

Thank you for being there for me.  Again and again I am brought to tears by the blessing that you are in my life.  I thank God continually for the beautiful community I have!  God bless you all!
So, just a quick up date, but I hope it satisfies your curiosity for now.  Hopefully the next one will not be so delayed.
With much love,
Haleigh

I LOVE YOU!