Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip, October 19, 2012

Prayer Partners of the Day: Bill Salmons & Dad

It is always surreal leaving Haiti. Waking up in Port Au Prince by myself and being escorted to the airport in a police vehicle had me shaking my head! Three security checkpoints and sipping a cafe latte in the lounge feels like being in a different world. Culture shock? Maybe. But after each trip, I am more thankful for the friends, the family, and the opportunities than the time before.

As a closing to this trip... This is the report we compiled for the newsletter. Enjoy!

42 LWW installations. 10 days. 2 In-Country Technicians. 2 Haiti NCT Members + 5 potential IPs. 1 In-Country Coordinator.

The mission we chose to accept was to evaluate as many of the existing systems in Haiti as possible with the goal of determining who had the best system, who had the best operator, which operator was keeping the best records and other vital statistics. Several OPs proposed this idea last January at the Haiti Operators Conference in effort to create a little competition and boost performance amongst the water systems.

So for 10 days Chris McRae and I, along with two potential IPS, set out in the Kia truck for a long journey. Our path took us from Port Au Prince to Arcahaie to Montrouis to Gonaives to Gros-Morne to Limbe to Cap Haitien to Pignon to Hinche to Port Au Prince. Did I mention that was just the first four days? We dropped off two IPs, picked up two friends of LWW Haiti, and our journey continued south. We went first to Les Cayes, then to back to Leogane, the team hit up systems through the mountains in Fondwa, Decouze, La Voute, Cherident, Trouin and more, and by the time we made it to Jacmel, we had visited 42 Living Waters for the World clean water systems.

From the 36 systems where water meter readings were recorded, a total of 1,681,006 gallons of clean water have been distributed. The top producing system has made 233,610 of clean water since 2009 for its community. The successes and celebrations were aplenty, and communication and record-keeping was reinforced.

A detailed report from this trip will be available for all Haiti NCT IPs, and for new (and veteran) teams, an updated Haiti Network Guidebook is now available. Please contact Ashley Broadhurst (ashley@solarunderthesun.org) for an e-copy. 

Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip, October 18, 2012

Prayer Partners of the Day: Leslie Toth & Faith Nettnin

With most of our work behind us, we took the opportunity to follow up on sites in the Leogane-area today, especially those that were requiring a loving touch. In Darbonne, as the team was troubleshooting with the pump and meeting with the new priest, I found myself on the pre-school playground surrounded by 50 children! While they could not quite grasp the concept of ring-around-the-roseys, they completely understood how to turn me into a jungle gym and make me smile! In fact, it got so rambunctious, the principal came out and asked me to leave!

After visiting around Leogane, it was time for me to pack up. I am leaving a day before the rest of the group to speak in Houston at the Presbytery of the New Covenant meeting. Thankfully, we have finished up our work and I don't feel like I am leaving the group in a lurch.

Ancy and I had such a nice drive to Port Au Prince. We reviewed the trip and made a list of tasks for the upcoming weeks. It was sad, of course, to say goodbye, but I am already looking forward to the first two weeks in January when we will be back again.

Walls Guest House is deserted tonight; there are only two other guests. Usually the grounds are overrun with church groups or journalists, and it is a bit eery! However, on the bright side, they gave me a big room with air conditioning, and with the rain coming down it is sure to be a good night for sleeping.

Another trip to Haiti is in the books, and trip number 13 is sure to be forever memorable. Thanks be to God for this opportunity, and thanks be to you, our prayer partners, for sustaining us throughout the journey. Together, we are making a difference one watt at a time! Let the clean water flow for all God's children!

Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip, October 17, 2012

The most beautiful sea in the world!

Prayer Partners of the Day: Josh Hagstrom & Barbara Shaffer

Installation at Fondwa

God gave us yet another perfectly quiet, rainy night in Palmiste A Vin. It was ideal for sleeping and rejuvenating.

The banner at Decouze lives on
over a year later!

Today we evaluated a couple of sites on the road to Jacmel. Fondwa was one of the sites of our marathon trip in March 2011, and Decouze was the site of our LWW installation with Father Guy in June 2011. We took off toward La Voute, another site from March 2011, before going to Jacmel. We drove along and drove along, and suddenly the road began to resemble the road to Pignon. The bumps were numerous and this was not the road I remembered from 2011. It turns out the regular road had been washed out by Hurricane Isaac... By the time we arrived at the Espiritan Sisters, we were ready to be out of the truck. After checking on the water system and doing a little maintenance on batteries, the sisters had a spread prepared for us. Again, the hospitality we encounter is staggering.

Espiritan Sisters' new school

Catholic Seminary Site

In Jacmel, we visited a potential site and enjoyed an impromptu game of frisbee with the children, followed by our last evaluation of a LWW site at the Catholic seminary. Staying true to form, we deserved another celebration and stopped by Hotel Lamandou for a drink before heading back to the monastery.

Our trip is coming to an end, and each of us are exhausted. We have covered so much ground and evaluated 42 Living Waters For The World systems. It is with much joy we have served, and in turn, we have been filled abundantly with love and kindness.

The view from atop the monastery... God is an amazing artist.

Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip, October 16, 2012

We love our LWW/SUTS operators. 

Prayer Partners of the Day: Becky Field-Ross & Judi Vermillion-Durbin

Visiting Darbonne

Oh, it was everything I had hoped for and MORE! Last night was the first night without sweat since that wonderful night of luxury in Miami. Combined with an invigorating shower, we are off to a great start today!

Visiting St. Matthieu

Chris, Rollin and Samantha left today for the mountains and Bainet. We simply had too much ground to cover to stay together. Thus, I kept Ralph with me, and we spent the day in Leogane with Bertone. (Valdes, thankfully, is on his way to Les Cayes with a new charge controller for the St. Saveur system!)

Sister Edna's Site

Our morning started off with a flat tire in the Suzuki. Thankfully, we were at the corner of the Texaco station in Dufort, and it was easily fixed. The day continued with speedbumps. After a long drive on a bumpy, washed out road to Darbonne, the system was not working properly. At St. Matthieu, there was no operator to be found, and the inverter was missing. We were thankful for two happy systems at Sister Edna's and the Notre Dame Orphanage. I always love visiting both sites, as there are SO many children to play with and hug. At Jean Claude's Orphanage, we found a mass-producing system running well, but the OCDES school in Leogane was completely shut down. The highlight of Leogane is visiting Roody Joseph's site on the main highway. I love the operator, Marie Michelle, who was just a teenager when she started working at the site. She is the perfect operator, and how we wish all of our operators were as conscientious as she is.

Notre Dame Orphanage

After the ups and downs, we needed ice cream...and thankfully, we know where to find that in Leogane! The cashier smiles so big when she sees us coming! Having finished all but two evaluations, we took time to enjoy the ice cream and take the Suzuki for a car wash. Under the awning, they had a television hooked up to a battery... World Cup Qualifying matches were on! Suddenly the day was looking up!

Jean Claude's Orphanage

We finished our evaluations at the St. Charles Clinic, which is selling water in town, and the Little Brothers of St. Therese school. We ended on a good note and were back at the monastery by 4:00pm. Sonie and I spent a wonderful early evening together, just as sisters do, and Brothers Jean Charles and Jonas joined us for dinner.

We were excited and surprised to have Chris, Rollin and Samantha return "home" tonight. They, too, had a fruitful day in the mountains and did not spend the night in Bainet. Tomorrow, we'll travel again, but I cannot tell you how excited and thankful I am to sleep in my bed tonight. Oh it is good to be home in Haiti.

Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip, October 15, 2012

Prayer Partners of the Day: Claire Sparks & Barb Black

Big House

Today was a blur. We awoke in Torbeck after a good night's sleep and went straight to work in Les Cayes. Charles had arrived with the replacement breaker, but unfortunately, it did not fix the problem. Troubleshooting continued, and I left feeling just as frustrated as the day before.

Darivager

Our dear friend, Frantzou Avril, joined us today. Frantzou has been with us on numerous installations, and he most recently came to Solar School. We visited four Global Orphan Project sites today -- Darivager, Big House, La Hatte and Cherette. My friend, Rochelin, stopped by to visit while we were at Darivager. He has just gotten married and they are now expecting a child!

Reunited with Richard

Of course, I was most excited to visit Cherette, home of an installation last October. Over the last few month, I have stopped by many times, hoping to see my favorite child, Richard. Each time, he has been at school or running errands with the pastor, and I have missed him. Finally, this time, he was at the orphanage! As soon as he came running out, I could not believe my eyes. He has grown a foot and is just a beautiful as he was. It was as if no time had gone by, and immediately my heart melted and I forgot my frustrations.

The team was starting to drag a bit, and we felt we deserved a treat. We stopped into Jardin Sur Mer for dinner, and though "uncle Bob" was not there, we enjoyed the company of his wife.

The biggest surprise of the day came in our arrival at Palmiste A Vin, my home away from home. Brother Olizard has built up the place, and I now have my own suite, complete with private bathroom! Sonie and Daniel were there to greet us, and oh, it is good to be home. I cannot wait to sleep in my bed and take that ice cold shower tomorrow morning.

Perfect for porch time at Palmiste a Vin

Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip, October 14, 2012

Prayer Partners of the Day: Mom & Sally Block

SUTS/LWW System in Les Cayes

Happy Sunday!

I'm pretty sure a hurricane moved over Haiti last night. Okay, maybe it wasn't quite a hurricane, but the wind, rain, thunder, and lightening were at an all-time high. Combined with the tin roof overhead, it was a loud night...but a cool night!

Ancy arrived at Walls early, and off we were back on the road. Have I mentioned how much time we have spent in the truck this trip?

We picked up Bertone and Valdes in Leogane. They were thankful for a day off yesterday while we were around Port Au Prince. We made our usual stop in Mirogoane at the gas station/restaurant and the boys enjoyed their brunch. Our first evaluation of the day was at Sister Jeanne's. This was the installation I missed in January 2012, and I was so happy to visit. As with every Catholic home we visit, the sisters had drinks and snacks for us. The hospitality is so overwhelming no matter where we go. Everyone treats us as if we were family.

Creative solutions

On our way to Les Cayes, our plan was to stop by two of the Global Orphan sites for evaluations; however, despite my best attempts, we missed the turn for both La Hatte and Cherette! Instead our next stop was St. Saveur Episcopal Church, site of the June 2012 installation. Father Colbert was so happy to see us, and I walked through the house saying hello to everyone and truly feeling as if I was back at home.

While we were stoked to see the number of gallons the system in Les Cayes had been producing, we were quickly stumped by a faulty charge controller. Though they tried switching out a breaker, fixing the wiring, and every other solution they could think of, we could not get the system operating properly. My goodness, I don't know if I have ever been as frustrated in my life. Though it is hard to explain in words, once you install a system and know a community is benefitting from the gift of clean water, to then know they will be without that gift until the problem can be fixed is unbearable.

We left Les Cayes with heavy hearts, but hopeful for solutions in the morning. Our last stop of the day was at Port Salut, where a LWW system had been installed over five years ago. By the time we made it to Torbeck, we were happy to be out of the truck and amongst the hospitality of Pere Alphonse and his family. The "porch time" tonight was priceless, and only solidifies why I love Haiti and God's work so very much. Peace be with you, friends!

Though the lighting is bad...those are two very tired individuals!

Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip, October 13, 2012

Prayer Partner of the Day: Sam Medvene

George & his bag reunite!

It is amazing what a good night's sleep will do for one's body and attitude. After being physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted, I feel refreshed, and all of my belongings have dried out after being drenched in the rain yesterday!

Today is bittersweet, though. Two of our family members, George and Tom, will be heading home. After four solid days in a truck together, we have bonded. We have shared stories, complained about roads, and danced the Herky Perky. The bonds teams form in Haiti are unimaginable, and I will surely miss these two fellas! However, two more members, Rollin and Samantha, will arrive this afternoon! Rollin is a veteran of Haiti trips, and one of my favorite people, and Samantha, his daughter, will be experiencing my home for the first time. They will surely bring us a breath of fresh air and a renewed spirit.

SUTS/LWW Installation @ Institute Racine

After four days without his luggage, George's bag finally arrived...just in time for him to go home. We hugged our friends and went on our way to complete the evaluations around Port Au Prince.

The first stop was Institute Racine. This was the site of SUTS installation #2 in March 2010. I had not visited this site since leaving in 2010, and with it came memories of our week right after the earthquake.  Stefano was still the operator, and the school looked just as it did two years ago. Jumecourt was our next stop, and this is home to the Global Orphan Project HQ. It was good to sit down with Mike Roundbahler, the new Haiti chief, and discuss our many LWW/SUTS projects at his orphanages across the country. As they say, it really is all about relationships, relationships, relationships.

By the time we made it to Fond-Parisien, the temperature had sky-rocketed. We met with Pere Frederic and discussed a system for his parish. On the way back into Port-Au-Prince, we hit the infamous traffic, and I hit another milestone -- running across six lanes of traffic to a gas station!

At the airport, we waited and waited. I snuck in the airport baggage claim again, and while we were waiting, the UN guards were all abuzz about the protests planned for the next day. This got my mind to churning and changing our plans to leave as early as possible.


Rollin and Samantha arrived, and we made it back to Walls Guest House for a leisurely evening and rest. The trip from here will be go-go-go, and your prayers will sustain us with each day!

Because everyone needs a reward after a long journey!

Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip, October 12, 2012

Driving in Haiti... It should be a video game.

Prayer Partners of the Day: Diana Grace & Everludis Lopez

The road began okay...

Not to sound like a broken record...but...it was so hot last night! Thankfully my roommate did not snore!

Auntie fixed us a wonderful breakfast with eggs and lots of avocado. We were on the road by 7:30am... We have heard so many differing reports about how long it will take us to get to Pignon. Some have said a couple of hours, others have said more. One has raved of how great the road is, while others have told us it is the worst road in Haiti. After 4.5 hours on the road, going maybe 10mph, I can confidently conclude it takes more than four hours to drive from Cap Haitien to Pignon on what is no doubt the worst road north of Port-Au-Prince.

But then it got worse...

Survey in Las Caballas

Upon arrival in Pignon, we met with Dr. Theodore Guy, the past Rotary District Governor and administrator of the hospital in town. While the survey was perfectly conducted, we were saddened later when we tested the water and realized our system capabilities would be unable to treat the water. There is nothing worse than forming a partnership only to learn we cannot provide clean water.

Back on the road, our next stop was Hinche at a Little Brothers of St. Therese monastery. This was a site of one of the earliest LWW systems. The brothers prepared for us a lovely meal, which we happily accepted after being on the road all day. Following a detour to Las Caballas for a survey at an Episcopal Church, the downpour of rain started and the gridlock traffic began. We finally made it to Walls International Guest House Port-Au-Prince by 9:00pm. Though our bodies feel as though we have been shaken senselessly all day, we are thankful to be at our destination.

Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip, October 11, 2012

Prayer Partners of the Day: Allison Fleig & Becky Keller

The last two nights have been nearly sleepless. With no fans, it feels much like sleeping in an oven. So as not to sound too whiny, I am thankful for sweat and purification of my pores!

Along with clean water, many of our
systems double as cell phone
charging stations. 

We drove to Cap-Haitien today. In all honesty, I was a bit nervous about going back to Limbe and Cap Haitien. The last time I was there, I became very ill and it was a place I never dreamt of returning. The road was fairly well paved, and we arrived in Limbe at the Jela School. The greeting was warm, and though I had not visited since August 2010, many of the teachers remembered my name. How is that possible?

While yesterday was a day of successes and excellent evaluations, we hit our first bump in the road today. Troubleshooting and maintenance commenced, and after only a couple of hours, the system was running like it was brand new.

You do the HERKY PERKY! The HERKY PERKY!

On our way to Cap Haitien, we stopped by Balan. This was a fairly new installation, completed in May by a team from Pulaski, TN. We were amazed at the building and the beautiful system. This site houses many orphans, who were all eagerly awaiting our arrival.

You may have noticed the title of this trip -- the Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip. The teachers and leaders asked us to join the children and sing and dance with them. Of course, we were happy to oblige! We were dancing right along to the hokey pokey, putting our left feet in and our left feet out...and doing the herky perky! Yes, our Haitian host could not quite pronounce "hokey pokey" and instead the song became the herky perky! And thus, our hearts were filled with joy and our faces forever shaped into smiles!

Pere Noe's Church,
Cap Haitien

Upon arriving in Cap Haitien, we dropped our bags at my auntie's house and took off to Pere Noe's Episcopal Church in downtown. On our way, we drove past the most beautiful toilet in all of Haiti, one I bonded with on the trip in August 2010! The fellas began to joke that I must know where all of the good toilets in Haiti are! Perhaps there's an app for that?? :)

The electricity was out at our host house, which meant another night in an oven. The roof was much cooler, and Pastor Moses and I sat for quite a long time as he told me the story of his calling and his life in Haiti and the US. The rain was cool and the breeze was perfect. How often do we sit outside with our friends at home and ask to hear their stories? Now that I have adjusted to Haiti Standard Time, I am reminded of why I love this country and culture so much... It is good to relax and simply be.

Still reveling in the beautiful day of yesterday. How thankful I am for these smiles. 

Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip, October 10, 2012

This picture perfectly describes my love for Haiti. 

SUTS Installation #1
in Arcahaie, Haiti

Prayer Partners of the Day: Carrie Delisio & Carie Turner

When in Haiti, there is what I fondly refer to as "Haiti Standard Time." Americans tend to live in a monochromatic state. We are time-oriented, ready to complete tasks and move on to the next item on the list. Haitians, as well as Europeans and more, live by a polychromatic culture. They are focused on relationships and strolling through life. Shifting from a monochromatic lifestyle into a polychromatic culture takes me, on average, a couple of days, and the first days are often filled with personal frustration! My personality is ready to get up and go, and my hosts remind me to calm down and enjoy.

With the operator in Montrouis

Before breakfast, we completed our first evaluation in Arcahaie. By 10:00am, we were on the road to Montrouis. This was the site of our March 2012 installation, and the operator clearly had heard we were coming. The building was decorated with streamers and balloons, and she was so excited to see us! Records were in order, the building was clean, and not a piece was out of place. The drive to Gonaives was uneventful, and by mid-afternoon we were evaluating the system at the Episcopal Church in downtown.

Pastor Pudens, Tom, & Bibi

While we were there, Pastor Pudens Innocent and his brother Bibi, met us. Pastor Pudens is the pastor of Philadelphia Evangelical Church, and he oversees Village de Vie, the Global Orphan Project we will install a new system in March 2013! It was so nice to meet the Pastor in person, and his brother spoke English so well. This made for a wonderful first meeting, and off we went to complete the official survey of the site. The children were beautiful and loving, and the site is perfect for a solar-water system. The partnership between Village de Vie and Green Valley United Methodist Church is well underway!

In Myan lining up for water.

After a late lunch at Pere Max Accime's house, our team split up Chris, Tom & Ancy went north to Gros-Morne, and George and Ralph stuck with me for an additional survey. It was at this moment two "first's" happened to me in Haiti. First number one, I rode a tap-tap with my new Haitian friend Kerby. First number two, I rode a motorcycle in Haiti with my new friend Jake and Kerby. For anyone who's been to Haiti, these are monumental milestones in the life of a missionary! My faith in God that day became deeper than ever!

Jake, a Coreluv International missionary, showed us to his future orphanage site in Myan. After playing with the kids there and taking water samples, we drove around the area and found ourselves watching the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. (That says a lot, coming from a connoisseur of sunsets!) It may have been the reflection on the water. It may have been the magnificently painted sky. It may have been the children in my arms. All combined this may have been one of the best days I have ever spent in Haiti.

George, Jake, and Ralph in Myan, Haiti

SUTS/LWW Evaluation Trip, October 2012

Click here to view these pictures larger

Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip, October 9, 2012

Prayer Partners of the Day: Sean Devolites & Dad

If one must have a wake-up call for 3:45am, one should be rewarded greatly! Blessings abounded today, first with a warm greeting at the airport. The taxi driver dropped me off and my dear brother Ancy was awaiting me on the other side of security. As I have said many times before, going to Haiti is much like going to a family reunion. How beautiful it is to see so many friends who have become family!

Ronal Alexis picked us up in Port-Au-Prince. As we rode through the capital city, I noticed something was missing.... Where is all of the trash? The streets are normally lined with papers and styrofoam containers, yet the streets were remarkably clean and free of debris. Even more, solar-powered street lamps had been installed in the medians of the highway. Has all of this really been accomplished since June? What other surprises will there be?

Ancy had been in the US for over a week and was anxious to see his family. We stopped by Kerry's school in Port-Au-Prince, and Ancy sweetly gave him snickers bars for his classmates and teachers. On our way to Carrefour, we picked up Lorna, and I have never seen a wife so happy to see her husband! She had tears of joy in her eyes. We hung out at Ancy's house for awhile, and Ancy and I went to lunch while the new Kia had a bath. Pastor Evens stopped by to say hello, and finally when Bertone arrived, we went back to Port-Au-Prince. On the way into town, we stopped by to see Ancy's older son, Hans, and once we were parked back at the airport, we heard the boys' flight had been delayed. Yeah for nap time!

Valdes met us at the airport, too, and together we had a fun wait! After what seemed like every person came out of the terminal, we were still waiting for our four guys. I snuck in the baggage claim area and there they were filling out a lost luggage claim. Poor George's bag never showed up. By the time we made it out of the airport, the sun had gone down. Driving through Port-Au-Prince in the dark is never anxiety-free, but we made the trip to Arcahaie without incident. Madame Mamose was our host for the night. How I always love seeing her, and what a wonderful Haitian lady she is.

Tomorrow will be a big day, as we will kick off our evaluation tour. The schedule is flexible and has changed several times... Everyday will truly be an adventure!

Haiti "Herky Perky" Trip, October 8, 2012

Prayer Partners of the Day: Carl & Marilyn Jones

It seems like a lifetime since I was last in Haiti, though in reality it's only been a little over 3 months. My packing routine was off, I seem to have forgotten many of my standard items, and by the time I made it to Miami, my suitcase was in shreds! Let's hope this is not a sign of things to come!

Upon arrival at the Miami Hilton, my favorite pre-Haiti hotel, they upgraded me to a top floor fancy suite! What a lavish blessing before the trip begins. Thankfully, the gift shop downstairs offers a variety of luggage, and my belongings now have a safe home.

Tomorrow will be an early, early morning leading to a long, long day. How good it will be to go home!

Thank you, prayer partners, for kicking off this journey to an adventurous beginning!