Greetings
to you all from Leogane:
It is a beautiful Sunday morning in Leogane. The cool air blowing into my modest, but more than adequate office is due in part to the "lapli"/rain - a major 60 minutes down pour - that visited us early Saturday morning.
The
last of the mobile clinics volunteers left yesterday for their return flight to
Boston, after staying here for a week. Because of major remodeling
construction work that began yesterday on the Guesthouse floor, the next group
of mobile clinic volunteers will not be here until the last week in May.
Beginning with the return of the next mobile clinic team in late May, the new
improved Guesthouse will be teaming with volunteer groups from the United
States for the remainder of my stay in Leogane. One ten-person volunteer
group, associated with Family Health Ministries, will be working in the general
area of Leogane for two months, beginning May 30.
Our guests this past week also included - for three days - a producer of documentary films about how communities around the world have tried to recover from a natural disaster. The producer, David, along with his videographer, Scott, was joined by the third member of this group - a Presbyterian relief representative who knows Leogane and was introducing David and Scott to various people in town. Friday they interviewed, among others, Pere Joseph Kerwin Delicat, the Rector of the Episcopal Church next door to the hospital.
David received an award for his documentary on the aftermath of the tsunami in Indonesia. During dinner conversation with David and Scott Thursday evening, I learned that they will be coming to Haiti at various times over the next 2 - 3 years to document the recovery efforts from the January 2010 earthquake. The documentary will rely in significant part on initial interviews, and follow-up interviews two to three years from now, with people not only in areas where the earthquake destroyed many important buildings and caused such devastating loss of life, but also interviews with Haitians living in other parts of the country that have been significantly impacted in other ways. For example, after the earthquake, hundreds of thousands of Haitians left Port au Prince and returned to villages where they may have grown up. David and Scott are interested in how the influx of such relatives and friends to more rural areas of Haiti is affecting the quality of life and sustainability of "extended families" in these areas.
Last Sunday, I had the privilege of attending the Sunday service at the Episcopal Church next door. Both the Episcopal and Catholic church buildings were leveled in the earthquake. Episcopal services now are held in what previously was a basketball court/recreation area. The wooden roof, with strong cross beams, and wooden pillars on the sides to support the roof structure, are all that remain from before the earthquake. Along with the concrete pad, the roof and side supports have become the permanent parts of the new church. All sides of the church are made from canvas, which can be rolled up to allow a breeze into the church. There are about twenty rows of wooden benches in the church, with each row being made of left side, middle, and right side sections of wooden benches - much like the three sections of seating at St. Anthony on the Desert Episcopal Church in Scottsdale. (Indeed, there was a woman sitting about three rows back in the right side section who had the same gait, mannerisms and direct eye contact of Jill Kyler. This Madame must have been the official greeter.)
I think I may have already mentioned that the service lasted more than three hours. For me, this was time well spent. I cannot possibly convey here the communal soul, so to speak, of this gathering of more than three hundred people - standing room only. I rather think it best to share with you just a few of the many lasting impressions from this morning of worship.
First and foremost for me was the music. This service provided me with a new appreciation of how song can lift spirits during worship. By my count, there were more than ten songs sung during the service, by five different singing groups. There was the "adult choir"; about 15 singers with their director playing a portable electric keyboard. There was what I call the "twenty-somethings" choir, four women and a man accompanied by a single acoustical guitar. There was the "youth choir"; ranging from five to thirteen years of age. There was a women soloist. And, there was the seven-woman group that I call "the purple/whites." This choir group was dressed to kill. Each wore a white suit top with purple stripes and a matching white skirt, also with purple stripes. The suit and skirt were complemented by a purple blouse, of the same shade, and white shoes. The applause "the purple/whites" received from the congregation after their 5 - 6 minute song bodes well for the youth movement at this church.
It is a beautiful Sunday morning in Leogane. The cool air blowing into my modest, but more than adequate office is due in part to the "lapli"/rain - a major 60 minutes down pour - that visited us early Saturday morning.
Our guests this past week also included - for three days - a producer of documentary films about how communities around the world have tried to recover from a natural disaster. The producer, David, along with his videographer, Scott, was joined by the third member of this group - a Presbyterian relief representative who knows Leogane and was introducing David and Scott to various people in town. Friday they interviewed, among others, Pere Joseph Kerwin Delicat, the Rector of the Episcopal Church next door to the hospital.
David received an award for his documentary on the aftermath of the tsunami in Indonesia. During dinner conversation with David and Scott Thursday evening, I learned that they will be coming to Haiti at various times over the next 2 - 3 years to document the recovery efforts from the January 2010 earthquake. The documentary will rely in significant part on initial interviews, and follow-up interviews two to three years from now, with people not only in areas where the earthquake destroyed many important buildings and caused such devastating loss of life, but also interviews with Haitians living in other parts of the country that have been significantly impacted in other ways. For example, after the earthquake, hundreds of thousands of Haitians left Port au Prince and returned to villages where they may have grown up. David and Scott are interested in how the influx of such relatives and friends to more rural areas of Haiti is affecting the quality of life and sustainability of "extended families" in these areas.
Last Sunday, I had the privilege of attending the Sunday service at the Episcopal Church next door. Both the Episcopal and Catholic church buildings were leveled in the earthquake. Episcopal services now are held in what previously was a basketball court/recreation area. The wooden roof, with strong cross beams, and wooden pillars on the sides to support the roof structure, are all that remain from before the earthquake. Along with the concrete pad, the roof and side supports have become the permanent parts of the new church. All sides of the church are made from canvas, which can be rolled up to allow a breeze into the church. There are about twenty rows of wooden benches in the church, with each row being made of left side, middle, and right side sections of wooden benches - much like the three sections of seating at St. Anthony on the Desert Episcopal Church in Scottsdale. (Indeed, there was a woman sitting about three rows back in the right side section who had the same gait, mannerisms and direct eye contact of Jill Kyler. This Madame must have been the official greeter.)
I think I may have already mentioned that the service lasted more than three hours. For me, this was time well spent. I cannot possibly convey here the communal soul, so to speak, of this gathering of more than three hundred people - standing room only. I rather think it best to share with you just a few of the many lasting impressions from this morning of worship.
First and foremost for me was the music. This service provided me with a new appreciation of how song can lift spirits during worship. By my count, there were more than ten songs sung during the service, by five different singing groups. There was the "adult choir"; about 15 singers with their director playing a portable electric keyboard. There was what I call the "twenty-somethings" choir, four women and a man accompanied by a single acoustical guitar. There was the "youth choir"; ranging from five to thirteen years of age. There was a women soloist. And, there was the seven-woman group that I call "the purple/whites." This choir group was dressed to kill. Each wore a white suit top with purple stripes and a matching white skirt, also with purple stripes. The suit and skirt were complemented by a purple blouse, of the same shade, and white shoes. The applause "the purple/whites" received from the congregation after their 5 - 6 minute song bodes well for the youth movement at this church.
All of the music contributed in its own way
to lifting spirits. One might say that the variety of music reflects in
part the diversity of ages and music tastes of those attending the
service. Maybe so. But how do I know that the 75 year old (my best
estimate) woman sitting next to me wasn't enthused more this particular Sunday
by "the purple/whites" than by the older adult choir. Indeed,
the youthfulness of spirit of Madame sitting next to me was underscored by the
fact that she knelt on the concrete floor several times during the service - in
a "Sunday best dress" - while many of younger age stayed seated
and just bowed their heads. (I couldn't let this gesture of worship by my
75 year old pew member serve to single me out as a "worship
weenie". It only took a few minutes to brush the dust from the
concrete floor off at the knees of my pants after the service!)
When I returned to the Guesthouse after the service, someone asked me "How long did the sermon last?" I replied, "Which one?" By my count, Pere Kerwin addressed the congregation three different times. The first "sermon" took place about thirty minutes into the service, and lasted about 40 minutes. Those of us who arrived a few minutes late for the beginning of the 7 a.m. service - (I get to blame a few other lollygaggers from the Guesthouse) - had to stand outside the back of the church until this first sermon was over. While I do not understand French, and only have begun to tackle Creole, I still could tell that Pere Kerwin is a captivating speaker. There were several times during this sermon where there were interactive exchanges with those in the pews, including applause for the Lord after Pere invited a demonstrative response to some part of his sermon, perhaps a discussion of a scripture reading.
The second sermon by Pere took place after Eucharist. It lasted about 25 minutes. My read was that Pere was weaving together themes he had gathered from all parts of the service. After this second sermon, at about the 2-hour mark of the service, I thought I soon would be exiting the church after I said goodbye in Creole to my peer neighbor, Madame. Not so fast grasshoppe!
For the next hour, the service morphed into a weekly church community business meeting, with many questions and answers flowing from the pews up to Pere Kerwin and the Deacon, and responses from the clergy back to the parishioners - the "third sermon" I mentioned above.
During this part of the service, I was introduced as the new Guesthouse Manager at l'hopital Sainte Croix, and was given the opportunity to briefly address the church, including a report on where the mobile clinic teams would be serving the community of Leogane, and other areas farther away, during the coming week. Pere Kerwin translated my brief remarks into Creole. I'm happy to report that when I observed that, "with the congregation's permission", I would like to return for other Sunday services during my three-month stay in Leogane, there was enough polite applause for me to interpret as an affirmative response.
I close my observations about last Sunday's service with the Eucharist part of the service. Incense was in heavy use during the consecration. I think the altar literally disappeared behind the incense cloud on two occasions. Everyone coming to the front of the church received Eucharist from Pere Kerwin, who dipped the host in wine before we all received communion by mouth. But, there's more - which partly explains the length of the service. After the serving of Eucharist, the blessings of all of the children began. There had to have been at least fifty children who approached Pere in groups of two. No quick and done laying of the hands for this blessing ceremony. I think each group of two children received no less than 10 seconds of attention from their Rector.
At (my - oops sorry Jeanne) our church, St Anthony on the Desert Church, there is a sign at both exits from the church parking lot. Each sign states something along the lines of: "You Now Are Entering the Mission Field." To me at least, the directive that our religious faith requires more than just attending service on Sunday is important for my stay in Leogane.
When I returned to the Guesthouse after the service, someone asked me "How long did the sermon last?" I replied, "Which one?" By my count, Pere Kerwin addressed the congregation three different times. The first "sermon" took place about thirty minutes into the service, and lasted about 40 minutes. Those of us who arrived a few minutes late for the beginning of the 7 a.m. service - (I get to blame a few other lollygaggers from the Guesthouse) - had to stand outside the back of the church until this first sermon was over. While I do not understand French, and only have begun to tackle Creole, I still could tell that Pere Kerwin is a captivating speaker. There were several times during this sermon where there were interactive exchanges with those in the pews, including applause for the Lord after Pere invited a demonstrative response to some part of his sermon, perhaps a discussion of a scripture reading.
The second sermon by Pere took place after Eucharist. It lasted about 25 minutes. My read was that Pere was weaving together themes he had gathered from all parts of the service. After this second sermon, at about the 2-hour mark of the service, I thought I soon would be exiting the church after I said goodbye in Creole to my peer neighbor, Madame. Not so fast grasshoppe!
For the next hour, the service morphed into a weekly church community business meeting, with many questions and answers flowing from the pews up to Pere Kerwin and the Deacon, and responses from the clergy back to the parishioners - the "third sermon" I mentioned above.
During this part of the service, I was introduced as the new Guesthouse Manager at l'hopital Sainte Croix, and was given the opportunity to briefly address the church, including a report on where the mobile clinic teams would be serving the community of Leogane, and other areas farther away, during the coming week. Pere Kerwin translated my brief remarks into Creole. I'm happy to report that when I observed that, "with the congregation's permission", I would like to return for other Sunday services during my three-month stay in Leogane, there was enough polite applause for me to interpret as an affirmative response.
I close my observations about last Sunday's service with the Eucharist part of the service. Incense was in heavy use during the consecration. I think the altar literally disappeared behind the incense cloud on two occasions. Everyone coming to the front of the church received Eucharist from Pere Kerwin, who dipped the host in wine before we all received communion by mouth. But, there's more - which partly explains the length of the service. After the serving of Eucharist, the blessings of all of the children began. There had to have been at least fifty children who approached Pere in groups of two. No quick and done laying of the hands for this blessing ceremony. I think each group of two children received no less than 10 seconds of attention from their Rector.
At (my - oops sorry Jeanne) our church, St Anthony on the Desert Church, there is a sign at both exits from the church parking lot. Each sign states something along the lines of: "You Now Are Entering the Mission Field." To me at least, the directive that our religious faith requires more than just attending service on Sunday is important for my stay in Leogane.
For me, this man serves as a symbol of Haiti after the earthquake. He doesn't need me to come from Arizona and dump a bag full of ABC (a rock aggregate used to make concrete) next to his rock pile for him to sell rather than the rock bits he has made. What happens when I return to Arizona and don't bring a second bag of ABC to Leogane next month or next year? But, the gentlemen probably would benefit from someone providing him a better tool - perhaps a down-sized sledge hammer - so that he can move forward with his work in a manner that doesn't take so long and doesn't cause so much wear and tear on his hands. For me, it is important for the gentleman with the rock pile, and all of the people of Haiti to be assisted - in the many ways available to the friends of this country - in the rebuilding of a new Haiti with Haitian hands.
I learned much last Sunday thanks to the grace and friendliness of my fellow churchgoers. I have learned a valuable lesson about dignity in the midst of extreme adversity from many Haitians I have met since my arrival at the airport in Port-au-Prince; not the least of which the man next to the rock pile.
I hope this Note finds you and your loved
ones in good health and spirits.
Peace,
Peace,
David
April 10, 2011
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