Two years later

Today marks two years since that terrible day. Since the day that the ground shook and we all lost faith in it’s solid foundation. The day the earth’s crust moved a bit too much in a place a bit too poor with buildings a bit too weak in a city with a bit too many people. It is still a day we as a family will never forget. The Haiti earthquake of 2010 is something we wish never to relive yet those days hold a special bonding in our hearts to a country we love dearly. 

On this day we remember the fear, we remember the blood, we remember the death, we remember the stench, we remember the dust, we remember the screams and we remember the sobbing. We remember the mass graves, the collapsed buildings, the stories of deaths, the smell of decomposing bodies, counselling mothers after their babies die, the little boy with a crushed body that took his last breath 13 hours later, reducing and repositioning countless broken bones, the open wounds, the stitches, the burns, the broken pelvises, the scalps torn off, the disfigured faces, the missing limbs. 

But between all this horror, we remember the songs of redemption, we remember the singing voices, we remember the prayers answered, we remember the life change, we remember the strength, we remember the resolve, we remember the courageous stories, the extreme human benevolence, the superhuman successes, the dependance on a higher power, the will for survival, the heart to never give up and the power or God.

Please join us in remembering those that perished as well as those both physically and emotionally scarred forever by the Haiti earthquake. Please pray for continued strength in the Lord and redemption for the people in Haiti. Join us in being thankful for our lives and pray that we never take our moments here for granted. Each day is another that God has decided we need to be here on this earth. We pray that we will all search for the purpose of why He has decided we need to be here while others are gone and then charge full force in fulfilling that purpose.  

We are in Canada today but our hearts are in Haiti. Nou pap janm bliye.

Mass graves close to our home in Haiti - where we are in spirit today...

P.S.  With all the media negative on "where did the money go?" Please watch the video below to see the exciting things going on right now at Mission of Hope. Mission of Hope is a Haitian NGO that employs over 250 Haitians and works in relationship with the government and local area for all it's programs. The Haitian people are all involved in the decisions of MOH and the money gets to the people.
For specific stats on programs advanced in 2011, please follow this link to see MOH's updated progress.


MOH Visual Summary from Lespwa Means Hope on Vimeo.

Reflecting on 2011

I (Cheryl) was recently in Haiti. It was my first time back after moving to Canada full time. It was fantastic and surreal at the same time. I missed my family a lot while there as it did not seem the same without them however the reception you get with Haitian friends and co-workers is like none other. I completed the next section of Mission of Hope's community health program and everything went as planned. Now those of you that know Haiti well, that in itself is a huge thing! As planned?!?!?! It was such a fruitful trip and things are progressing well. Praise God!

As we think back to 2011, it has been another year of tears and joy. A year of tough decisions and a year of scary steps. A year of loss and a year of successes. A year of endings and a year of beginnings, a year of sorrow and a year of happiness. A year of yearning and a year of questions. A year of following where the Lord is leading us.....

Things we will miss about 2011.
Waking up to sunshine and warm temps every single day. Period.
Seeing smiling brown faces everywhere we go
Hearing the laughter of orphanage kids playing nearby
Speaking a different language every day
Teaching and training
Adventure and drama
Challenges that continually push you to your limits
The beach
Jolibris
Our tropical gardens
Bare feet
Sandals
Lizards
Driving like a maniac

Things we will not miss about 2011
Packing and Unpacking
Incurring debt
Kidnapping and murder of friends
Leaving Haiti
Acclimatizing to the cold
Rats, tarantulas, mice, scorpions
bad plumbing
cold water
power issues

Of the above, two major events stand out to us for 2011. First making the tough decision to move back to Canada full time and second the murder of our gardener and friend Jolibris. Jolibris was the sweetest old man you could ever imagine. He loved the Lord with all his heart and soul. He came to work each and every day with a smile on his face and love in his heart. He watched out for our kids and our dog if he escaped. He kept our gardens watered and cared for. He was father to our Pastor and friend to all. He was kidnapped and murdered this fall. Senseless. We will miss him greatly. May he rest with the Lord in all His splendor. We love you Jolibris.

Although we remember 2011, it is with joy and anticipation that we look forward to 2012. We savour the road that God leads us on and look forward to what adventures He will put in front of us.

We wish you and your families a blessed 2012. May you follow the path set out for you with all of your heart and all of your soul for it is the Lord our God that we work for.

Emotional goodbyes and newfound hellos

The VDM Crew in Canada

Wow, what a tough adventure returning from full time missions in a 5th world country. I know we have been silent for a while and mainly to be honest it is because we just did not know what to say. Our hearts ache for our Haiti home, our co-workers and friends, the broken lives and faith-filled hearts. At the same time we know that God has called us back to Canada.

We miss the smiles, the heartfelt greetings, the heat, the sweat and the tears. We miss the community living (it's true Rachel), the relationships, the language and the bond between earthquake survivors. As crazy as it sounds we miss the life threatening traffic, the hour and a half dangerous drive to groceries and the rocky mountain hill. We miss friends that are willing to lay down their life for you and we miss being there for others no matter what time of day or night. We miss our lives in Haiti.

Transition back to a culture that is for the most part oblivious to poverty, God, their eternal security and most things that do not relate to their daily schedule has been tough. Relating to and integrating back into that is harder than we thought yet not...

We have found a fantastic and I mean fantastic Christian school for the kids where they are nurtured and loved beyond what any parent would hope for. They have teachers that see their potential and encourage them to be all that God has called them to be and they are being used mightily. Teagan has her grade 10 class sponsoring a grade 10 student at Mission of Hope school already and she is leading a mission trip to Haiti this March break with 15 of her students. She has been asked to make presentations at which she has made people cry and ignited their hearts...The Lord is using her in amazing ways. The 4 younger ones are excelling both in the classroom and on the field and we are told by their teachers they are setting an example for others in their caring ways and leadership abilities. Praise God for how He is using them as well.

Laurens is getting used to being back on the force and remembering all the paperwork involved in investigations in Canada, the rules in Canada and the red tape in Canada......all the whole appreciating the fact that Canadians are fortunate to be in a country that provides so much for it's people and what a blessing it is to live in a country where so many have a job that pays more than enough.

Cheryl is getting used to being mom to 5 kids that have homework, activities, driving to school and who have things due all the time, all the while unpacking in our new home. She will be starting to do chiropractic out of her home office soon and covering for other chiropractors on vacation and maternity leave. She misses all her orthopaedic surgeon, ER doc and FP friends from the US and is hoping they will relocate to Canada and refer her patients :) Most of all she is trying to get used to being away from her Haitian staff friends and missing her housekeeper horribly!

We feel a renewed strength to share our faith with others and to open the eyes of others beyond these borders. We look forward to not just jumping back into same old same old but rather in to same old place, fresh new outlook.

It is an interesting road that we travel when we follow the Lord with all our hearts. He walks with us into difficult situations and is there before, during and after the fire. We seek His face in all things as we get used to this new phase in our journey with Him.

Thank you for being with us on our journey. The journey never ends and we are pressing forward with joy in our hearts.

Bridgely getting ready to race

Grayden showing them how it's done in the long distance

The twins...like they have always lived in Canada!

Haitian Mother's Day

You may think this is a little late for Mother's Day but in Haiti, it was just last Sunday. This Sunday was special and I was proud of our Haitian men honouring the mother's. When so many countries in the world do not honour women, it was nice to see. 

Now in Haiti, woman are not seen on the same level as men and there are many very chauvinistic practices for sure, but they do see the woman as essential to their being. As one of my Haitian doctors said in his mother's day speech, "today we honour women because without them there would be no perpetuation of life. We praise God for creating women so that life can be renewed and continued". 

At church on Sunday, one of our elders in the church who likes a good party (who also looks like a Haitian biker with a big moustache) called out to find the oldest mother in our church. He stated at 100 and counted down until he hit the age of the oldest lady in our church. In Haiti the average life expectancy is only 56-58, so anyone over 60 is pretty old. He made it down to 85 before 2 ladies came forward. You can see them both in the photo below (the one in the blue dress and the one to her left. At 85 years old, they have seen so much in this country and what an accomplishment it is to live that old. 

If you have ever seen a Haitian lady this old (and I have met a few that are 98 and even one that claimed 101), they are the sweetest things in the world. He proceeded to count down until we had the group of oldest mothers in our church. 

Here is the photo of the oldest "mommy's" in our church. They range from 75 to 85 years old. These women have a legacy for sure, praise God.