The Hope of Haiti, Pt.1

This photo was taken by the last mission trip to Haiti from Holland Church. I believe the young man in the foreground is Isaac, and the man behind the wall is Pastor Randy, team leader that year. they are working on an outer wall of the Bethesda medical clinic. As each year passes, and the teams continue to work, the hope of the people who live in Haiti as missionaries grow alongside the lives of the native peoples as they learn of the love of Jesus, and see it displayed by those who come to share it.

Greg sweeps the dried tile mud and sand from the unfinished section of the room. We had hoped to finish the whole room, just as I below strove to finish the hallway before we were called back to the OMS compound for dinner. Even in our earnest labor for the Lord we are still chastised for our pride. He sends hands to dig the furrow, others to plant the seeds, some to water and He gives the increase. The next team, one from Canada will take over next week and finish here all according to His plan.

I never expected to learn a skill on this foray, even one as enjoyable as this one is to me. I look forward to the day when the Lord calls me back to Haiti to serve the needs of these people, and to share in the fellowship of such good brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Hope is such a multifaceted word. Over the past blog segments we have seen the need for it, and I pray enough drive to empower the execution of action on it's behalf. I believe there are two planes of hope for this nation. This segment will attempt to address in some small way the lesser of the two.
Above part of our missions work team takes a quick break from laying tile in the new compound that will house a large modern seminary school for the training of Haitian pastors. As I write this the building you see here is already completed and occupied by full time missionaries Gil and Dan Shoemaker, who are overseeing the project. The physical labor is hard and the temperature is above 90f. Most of us have never laid a tile in our lives, but became fairly good at it under the firm and professional guidance of fellow missionary Lt. Dan, a professional contractor from Indiana who gives weeks each year to the Lord's service.



Begun and finished 3 years ago, this is an addition to the Bethesda medical clinic on the main OMS compound, this photo was taken by the last mission team to Haiti from Holland Church.



Donated from The US, Canada, and other countries, things we take for granted like cabinetry for a kitchen may seem trivial, but the desire in the hearts of those who donate, ship, and work to install these simple amenities is anything but that. The love of Christ and the desire to help those in desperate need fuel the furnace of human industry that helps to build even the smallest parts of God's Kingdom.



John, son of a full time missionary from Canada spends his winter months working to add to the compound. Here he cuts tile with a wet saw. The pace is fast as we strive in a week to accomplish all we can for those who live and devote their lives to the mission field full time. Though we are but a small drop in the bucket, the privilege and blessings are great, growing our hearts for service to others.
The next segment will be the final one on this experience, and will tell of the largest hope for the people of Haiti, and for those who are moved by the Grace of God to call Jesus Christ Lord and Saviour.

In love in Christ, Mike.

The Beauty of Haiti

A beautiful garden maintained in a restaurant courtyard in Cap Haitian.


First let me apologize for the delay in this promised post on the physical beauty of the nation of Haiti. Physical and emotional distress has kept me otherwise distracted until today, as God has blesses me with a window of relative comfort, and a desire for industry. The following are some of what I feel are the wonderful natural gifts God has bestowed on this island. Gifts that are constantly in danger of eradication, and in some cases extinction. I was not able to obtain all the names of the flora featured here, but I will do my best to identify those I do know. If you see any you recognize, feel free to leave a comment and the correct name!


This wonderful flowering shrub was all over the OMS compound, fragrant, and looks to me like a tropical version of Azalea, or it's larger cousin Rhododendron found frequently in my home area of New England. The bushes ranged is size from o few feet to over 12 ft. tall and as many wide. Their beautiful sunburst color and sweet fragrance were a welcome experience every morning.



Most everyone will recognize this classic tropical beauty, the Hibiscus. This is just one of many colors and configurations I saw during the week, and with the exception of Bananas, Papayas, Bougainvillea, and some others I can not name, they were the most numerous and possibly the most fragrant of all I encountered.



Though deforestation is rampant on the island, in some small protected places such as the OMS compound, and on the lands held behind high walls of the wealthy few the diversity of trees and shrubs that grow in profusion here are remarkable. Charimoya, Mahogany, Date palm, Papaya, Banana, and I believe ( correct me if I am wrong) Lychee and Longon berry trees.
There were also cultivated Tamarind trees, who's seed pods produce a fruity paste like a tart fig. God has certainly placed a wealth of life here, just waiting for the spiritual recovery of the nation to thrive upon, feed it's own, and export to a waiting world.



I would like to say these beauties are a form of Bougainvillea, but I can not be sure. They may be indigenous or introduced, I really do not know much about them but they are spectacular.
Among Haiti's subsistence crops are peanuts, which they make the best peanut butter in the world with. Sugar cane, guavas, papayas, bananas, and my personal favorite of God's earthly gifts, coffee, which local co-ops helped by OMS grow, harvest, roast, and sell. If you have never had Haitian Coffee, check out the link on the link section on my blog front page "Starfish Kids", and check out their link section, this will lead you to places where you can find ways to order this delicacy at for far less than the overpriced mud found at Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts. I still have a pound in my freezer I keep for special occasions. You can also order peanut butter from them, but the supply is limited and sporadic depending on the harvest, and the rain



I hoped to get a better shot of this creature, it is a large (15") reptile of the Skink family that did not seem to eager to wait around for a photo op. Aside from much smaller Anoels and an abundance of insects, spiders, birds and frogs, native fauna was hard to come by. This is mostly due to habitat loss and human predation for food.


Away from the interior of the country the tourist areas, which one is seldom if ever allowed to leave is kept pristine and breathtaking. Labadee is a small island a few hundred yards off the coast of Haiti that is owned by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as a 'day at the beach' dock. Lavadee beach where we went for a day of R&R a few hundred yards swim west was not so exclusive, but beautiful in the fact that it was God's provision for us that day.
Part of the port of Labadee . If you look at the far edge of the water on the right side of the photo, almost to the opposite shore, you can see a small dark spot. Four of us swam with one kayak between us to that buoy, it is over a mile away and weighs several tons. It is anchored to the sea floor and is used to tie to the cruise ships that sail the Caribbean and stop here for a day at Labadee.
Beauty and danger often go hand in hand in Haiti,. These wondrous limestone formations on shore are part coral and will shred the feet of any who venture onto them unprotected!



Possibly my favorite scent in all of Haiti, the Jasmine. (at least I believe it is, smells like it, looks like it even though I am used to seeing them in white.) These are also found all over the land where pollution and contaminated water has not devastated the ecology. They are a common shrub around the OMS compound and most of the walled enclosures of the well to do. The night air is thick with the scent and brings a peaceful sleep despite the whine of mosquitoes!



On our approach to Haiti I was awestruck by the landscape. I have been to the Bahamas, but their featureless topography never prepared me for the breathtaking sight of the Hispaniola Mountain range that divides The Dominican Republic from Haiti. this view is from the Northwest. about three hours from our last stop at the Bahamian island of Exuma where we took on fuel to complete the trip.



This is one of the most unusual flowers I have seen anywhere, but Haiti is not the first place I saw it. There is sample species in a greenhouse in Connecticut. It is (by the curator) called a lobster claw plant, because of the way the flowers petals open and close into each other like the claws of the popular North American crustacean . I was not able to learn the Haitian name for the plant, but it was abundant and thrived in the tropical environment.



While one may not recognize the plant shown above by the flower, you would know it instantly by the sharp heat and flavor, indeed even the spicy scent from and number of Japanese, Indian,Thai, Korean and Caribbean dishes, as the tuber from this plant is the ever popular spice Ginger! It is indigenous, and grows profusely in the wild, and local gardens, as well as by most roadsides where pollution has not destroyed all plant life.




This one, well, you got me. I am guessing by the ornate petal edges on the main body of the flower that it may be a member of the Hibiscus family, even with the wild display of pistil and stamen. Unfortunately, I can not remember if there was a strong scent associated with it to confirm my guess. This was a less common species so it seemed, usually found in tended gardens and not so much in the open areas we were allowed to explore. Again, if you know the species, please comment!


The last image I chose here is one that is both nondescript, and potent in my thoughts. It is not cultivated or colorful, cultured, or maintained by any but the hand of God. He made the nation of Haiti as He did America, Europe, Africa, South America or Australia. It is the sin of humans that cursed the lands, and by the Redemptive Blood of Christ and the loving labor of the Faithful in worship of the One True God, this land may once again shine forth in spiritual as well as physical beauty in honor of the Father, Son, and Holy spirit.

In love in Christ, Mike Z.

Haiti blog intro

As promised and a long time in coming, I begin my account of my missions trip to Haiti. Over the past few months I have thought a lot about the experience, how God used me and the humble work of the hands and hearts of our team for His Kingdom.
Even more dominating in my thoughts is how mightily He blessed us by the tasks that were provided, and how we are humbled by the awesome faith of the people of this island nation, the poorest in the western hemisphere. I hope through the next three blogs,( it will take that many at least!) that I am able to impress upon you the vastness of the gulf that separates the wealth and faith, joy and sorrow, hope and despair in the existence of these amazing people, and the comparably tragic state of the soul of our own nation in regard to our mutual faith in the same God, and the same Saviour.
I also hope to goad you to spiritual self examination, as I was by the reality of what I saw, and maybe even exhort you to action in your faith in Christ beyond Sunday service attendance, weekly giving, and an occasional Bible study. I do not condescend, the scathing tone is for myself as well as for the comfortable Believer. Since I have been home I have settled into the familiar comforts of running hot and cold water, adequate clothing, shelter, medical care, and abundant food quite easily. This is natural for the average American Christian as we know little of hardship, and are prone to whining when the price of gas jumps higher than we feel we deserve to pay, or our favorite ice cream is out of stock on a given day.
while these things may sound trite, it is the truth. We are a spoiled and wealthy beyond reason and the soft, easy life God has blessed us with in this season is not the reality for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Or for most of the rest of the world for that matter.
The next blog will be uncomfortable I promise. I will attempt by the Grace of God to rip you from your emotional and spiritual comfort zone with images and words that are the daily truth of life for millions less than a days' plane flight away from your home. My only sorrow is that I can not transfer the feeling of the heat and humidity, the smell of burning garbage and human waste, and the desperation in the voices of children begging as a way of life.
The second post will be on the natural beauty of the island and the potential God has put there. Despite the wreckage of most of the land there is the breathtaking glory of The Lords' love of good things to be seen, this will be soothing ice for the wounds your eyes will endure just before.
The third will be on the hope of Gods' people in that land, the work being done in faith by the hands of full and part time missionaries for the glory of His Kingdom, and stories of perseverance in the field, and in the face of kidnapping, human tragedy, Voodoo and death, all of which took place in and around the week we were there. It is my fervent hope that you will be moved to tears, feel the heat of shame, be overcome with the need to reach out and take action in your commitment to Christ to some degree. Weather that is to sponsor a child in Haiti or elsewhere, donate money, goods, time, or heed the call of our Saviour to go into the world and proclaim His Truth in person to people you have never met is between you and Jesus. Be assured however, that it is between you and Him if He is your Saviour, and the call sounds every day in the life of a Believer. We have only to pry our attention off of ourselves for a moment and it is easy to hear.

In love in Christ, Mike Z.

In preparation

I have been absent from posting for some days now, and it has been some weeks since I offered a new post here.
There is good reason. In eleven days I will be embarking on my first missions trip, and I am excited, and preoccupied with all this entails.
Originally we were scheduled to to go to Haiti in August of last year, but this was not God's plan so the date was moved. While this felt disappointing at the time, I looked to the future with anticipation. Now the future is, and there is much to do. Meetings and prayer, finances for the trip to arrange, inoculations, packing, supplies, and the collecting of all I can to bring to the people I will serve and witness to in Jesus name. The team of dedicated Christians I will be serving with will be doing a variety of tasks, assisting in the field clinic ministering to the physical needs of the poor, who may get the only medical attention they will see all year there. We will be hand pouring concrete and laying cinder block walls for a seminary school in 90 degree heat and 100% humidity. We may work at assembling working computers from spare parts, paint, teach and most importantly witness by word and deed of the love of Jesus for His people.
Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere with 80% of it's population living in abject poverty. Violence and crime is a daily occurrence while the specter of disease and starvation looms ever present in the lives of the Haitian people. Kidnappings of foreign nationals, and missionaries in particular are a fact of life here. We have been told to expect anything.
As I do what I can to prepare, I consider that all the material things I can bring to help these people will not last for long. I am packing minimal clothing and personal items, all of which I will leave there, I have ransacked my apartment for hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, and soap, I am gathering my daughters outgrown clothes from her guardian family, and their neighbors. My fishing buddy builds computers as a hobby and I hope he will donate chips, hard drives, and processors for the missions school. Today I am going to buy socks, underwear, towels and facecloths, as much as I can afford, and hopefully my employer will donate over the counter medicine and first aid items to contribute to the missions clinic.
I am struck with the gross wealth all around me, and am doing my best to pack as much as I can into two 50 lb. suitcases and one 40 lb. carry on. My heart is beginning to break with the realization that all this will be less than a drop in an enormous bucket.
Yet with this in mind every morning I pray and thank God that He has called me to this task and given me an excited heart to do his will, and serve His Kingdom. While I despair in the smallness of my ability to give, and the weakness in my flesh that I know will feel the shock and shame of exposure to a society of the truly materially destitute, my spirit soars and I am brought to tears of joy and humility, that Jesus would choose such a worthless sinner as myself to share the witness Christ has given me, and allow me the privilege to labor for His Glory.
Now that you know where I have been and where I will be going, I need to ask you all to pray for the team, and for me. Please ask The Father for safe travel, protection from disease, and that He will give us great strength of body to labor, and an even stronger heart and spirit to witness to and serve the needs of our brothers and sisters in this poverty stricken land. It is my fervent hope that we will willingly give all that He has provided us to this calling, and that the people of Haiti will see Christ in us, and praise His Name for the helping hands and humble witness we bring by the will of God.