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Levi C. Jones

Haiti Mission 2010

To be honest, I began this trip with a lot of perceptions but little understanding. This trip

changed many of my false assumptions about Haiti and its people. It shaped and formed my

vision of God in a greater way than before. Needless to say, I was very blessed to have

participated in this trip and be a small part of what God is doing in Haiti. This is the journal that

I kept while in Haiti. I have edited and added some thoughts as I have had time to reflect on it

more since returning home. During our week, we traveled from Port-au-Prince to Des Roulen,

Grosmoren, Port-au-Prince, Petionville, De Merger, Leogane, Petite Guove, and back to

Petionville. We saw an enormous amount of Haiti’s country, from the far north to the southern

peninsula. It was quite an amazing adventure!

Day 1 – March 17, 2010

From the air, the island of Hispanola is beautiful. Blue ocean laps at the sandy shores as

mountains shadow the plains below. Even at ground level, there is an austere beauty. Palm

trees, banana trees, and many others sway in the gentle breeze sweeping from the ocean.

However, the breeze does not waft in subtle hints of tropical fruits and island scents. Instead, the

senses are bombarded by a barrage of repugnant images and smells. The streets are literally

lined with people, children seeking a dollar from the “blancs” (white people). Smoke, smog, and

sewage assault the nose and sting the eyes. Rubble heaps leave a bread crumb trail along the

road, appearing as if giant moles had burrowed everywhere beneath the concrete road and

sidewalks. Tent cities dot the city. Some houses are shattered, literally broken in half or

smashed like pancakes. It is obvious that erosion is a major problem, leaving Haiti dusty and

stripped of valuable topsoil.

 It is a broken country and a desperate people. I was overwhelmed by the crowds outside

of the airport. Money cannot be given openly for fear of frenzy or a riot. But, I do not think the

Haitians are particularly dangerous, just in need. We were greeted by a musical band in the

airport. A man playing maracas noticed my captivation. He rattled the shakers at me, eliciting a

smile. He smiled back as he swayed to the music. Also, a young boy yelled, “Bon sua” as we

drove to the Bible college we were staying at. I waved, grinning at the sincerity of his greeting.

Despite the devastation and deprivation, I can see a great deal of potential. I am excited to see

how God will work this week, both in the lives of the Haitians and in my life.

Day 2 – March 18, 2010

Today was a long day. We woke up at 4 a.m. in order to travel in the back of a truck to a

small village northwest of Port-au-Prince, named Des Roulen. It was about a 7 hour journey.

Many towns and villages constantly passed along the way. People would wave and smile as we

passed, although not everyone received our presence cordially. Some people gave us a thumbs

up and a cheer, others begged for food or held up their hands in a shrug, as if to ask why we

weren’t stopping to give them something. The trip was wearying. The overwhelming poverty

was astounding. We broke down by a tent city. It was a makeshift hovel, backdropped by

barren hills that had been over-mined for rock. It was a sad ordeal to see such a hardship on

people. It was equally appalling to think that this island had once been known as the “pearl of

the Antilles.” Now, it was destitute.

When we finally arrived at the church on Thursday afternoon, we immediately set to

work. Some started building pews, some painted, and others began constructing the roof. To

begin with, all that was there was a cement slab and the walls. I was with the crew working on

the roof. We began assembling the trusses and setting them in place. We had a great deal
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accomplished already when an accident happened. The third truss began to swing down without

anyone to guide it. Chuck and I could not keep it from rotating at our position on top of the wall,

due to its weight. Shane was standing on a ladder directly beneath the truss as it began its

downward arc. Rick, who was at the base of the ladder, saw what was going to happen and

braced the ladder with his back to the coming blow. The metal truss smacked Rick on his back

and his head. Blood sprang from his head from the rebar spikes. Time seemed to move in slow

motion as I heard someone yell, “Medic!” It is a wonder that he was not killed or injured more

severely than he was. Our medical team did a great job patching him up before taking him to the

nearest hospital, a dirt-floor hut, an hour and a half drive away. When the accident happened, I

had been pretty upset because I had not been able to stop the truss from falling. And, even

though nobody would have expected me to stop it, I still felt responsible for the accident. But, as

several team members reminded me, that is why they are called “accidents.” At any rate, I was

very happy to see Rick back at the site later that night with numerous stitches and a smile.

Despite the bad situation, God used that event for a great purpose. The doctor that stitched Rick

up, traveled the hour and a half to the village to help with the medical clinic on Saturday (more

on that later).

The scenery around the church was gorgeous. Luscious foliage covered the hills as the

low clouds rolled over them like a blanket of fog. The stars with no city lights were absolutely

wonderful. A group of young Haitian girls sang a melody that weaved its harmony together with

the sounds of nature all around. As we settled in to sleep, a hard rain covered the landscape,

tapping a steady beat upon the tin above our heads. I awoke in the middle of the night to the

bleating of goats and two roosters crowing back and forth between one another. I rolled over

simply inhaling the fresh, cool air. The symphony of God’s creation was on full display that
night.

Day 3 – March 19, 2010

The second day was much better. We managed to avoid accidents (which is a good thing,

considering how difficult it is to find medical attention). We finished putting up the trusses and

putting tin on the roof of the church. After all of the hard work, it looked tremendous. I could

tell how excited many of the local people were to see the church coming to completion. One

woman peeking into the church looked at me and began dancing, lifting up her hands and saying,

“Thank you, Jesus!” While we were constructing the roof, a couple of our team members danced

with the children as they sang songs. Watching the two, large, white guys try to dance made

everyone laugh. The adults especially thought it was funny. Even though I didn’t get to

participate, it was fun watching them dance, play games, and sing with the locals. Everyone was

smiling and laughing with great joy… such a universal language beyond us all.

I did an odd assortment of jobs this day, which actually allowed me to interact with

several team members. I enjoyed several great conversations and company as I helped paint the

outside of the church with Terri, a pastor. We discussed worship and the church. I found it very

interesting, especially since he has been pasturing for about 40 years. I also enjoyed roofing with

Nathan and Chuck, a pastor and mayor/banker respectively. I have a great deal of respect for

both of these men and enjoyed talking with them. We had a great system working as we

fastened down the tin. One of the nice things about being on top of the roof was the view that

you could get. You could see the valley, the hills, the surrounding huts and herds. It was quite a

landscape. We worked hard that day and was able to almost fully complete the construction of

the church, minus a few finishing touches.

That night, I walked down into the surrounding pasture alone. It was pitch black with no
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moon to light the path. It was an overwhelming silence, save for the sound of crickets. In fact,

the silence was almost deafening while a star or two peeked out among their cloud cover.

Despite being totally alone in that field, I felt anything but alone. I felt a strange sensation of

being very close to God at that moment. Overall, compared to the day before, I sensed that

things were looking up and that God was only getting started on doing great things.

Day 4 – March 20, 2010

Saturday was a great day. The trip really changed for me at that point. We finished the

roof and finished varnishing the pews. The ladies of the community cleaned the church and

decorated it with silk flowers. A medical clinic was the main business of the day. The medical

team was able to treat somewhere around 150 people, although many more had shown up to get

checked out. It was hectic for the medical team.

One interesting event occurred when a mentally ill lady, clad only in a skirt, began

shouting/singing at the top of her lungs. From her mannerisms, it was obvious that she probably

suffered from a mental illness or handicap. Those types of moments happen suddenly, without

warning. However, the community tried to handle the situation gently without causing too much

of a scene.

George, Brent, and I decided (since we were not able to be involved too much with the

medical clinic) to hike the hills nearby for a while. It was a time of laughter for me. George and

Brent, who are from two totally generations, were chattering and jibing with each other the entire

time. It was something like the Odd Couple. That type of unity could be seen throughout our

team, for which I was thankful. Many times, teams with strong personalities tend to clash,

bicker, and butt heads. However, this team, for the most part, was able to cooperate and work

together… but more than that, they were able to enjoy one another’s fellowship. George, Brent,
and I walked up a tall hill that overlooked the church and the surrounding valley. It was quite

beautiful… although Brent and I could hardly keep up with George, who nearly had 40 some

years on both of us. While we were walking up the hill, a woman and her child walked with us.

They lived on the hill close to where we were trekking. The little girl tried to keep up with her

mom’s pace up the hill. I was eating a small package of cheese crackers as we walked. I took

one of the crackers and handed it to the little girl, who took it eagerly and began munching on it.

It wasn’t much, but it was a moment that I was blessed to be able to partake in. The little girl

seemed very happy to have gotten something to eat, even if it was strange food.

After we returned to the medical clinic, I decided that three days without a shower would

not do since we were dedicating the church that evening. I took a very small bowl of water

behind the church, stripped down most of my clothes and took a shower in as much privacy as

possible… which, needless to say, was not much. That was the nastiest I have ever felt in my

life and I sure appreciated showers at that moment. I did manage to get relatively clean (or

cleaner).

After that, Levi Bratten asked Jim, Jamie, Dale, and I to come down by the hut used for

the medical team because it had become a pushing match to get inside. Levi was a little bit

worried that it might get ugly and that maybe music would help soothe them. So, the four of us

walked down by the clinic and began to sing hymns and praise songs together. It became a time

of worship for us. I’m not sure what the Haitians thought, or if they even quit shoving… but, I

felt that God was at least calming those that were working in the clinic, allowing them to

continue on.

After our singing group broke apart, a group of Haitian kids sat down around me and

began to try to communicate with me. I didn’t know very much Creole or French, so it was
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difficult. The Haitians couldn’t speak much English. So, we managed to roughly communicate

in Spanish and begin teaching each other our respective languages. We all laughed at each

others’ poor attempts at the other language. But, it was fun watching the children’s fascination

to learn English and teach me Creole. This was my first major interaction with the culture,

which I absolutely loved. The people were extremely friendly.

That evening the church was dedicated. Although it was a small congregation, I have

never seen such a celebration. They sang many songs and prayed with great energy (aloud and

together). It was a great joy to celebrate with them an answer to their prayers. As we left Des

Roulen, our group sang songs for an hour and a half on the truck ride to Grosmoren. The Spirit

of God had infected the entire group. It was an experience I have never had before, but one I

hope to have again.

We made our beds at the church in Grosmoren that night and were served a wonderful

meal of spicy rice, fish, and boiled yams and bananas. That night I was chosen to preach at the

Sunday morning service at Grosmoren. It was a large building, three stories tall and still waiting

to be completed. I spent a good part of the evening putting together my sermon. Initially, when

I first tried to go to sleep, a large pack of dogs could be heard barking at one another just outside

the compound. The cement walls only intensified the sound as it echoed in our room in the early

hours of Sunday. I almost felt like a citizen of Jericho as the dogs marched around the church

trying to knock the walls down. Not to mention, Chuck’s snoring was trying to compete with the

dogs’ noise. However, I did manage to finally fall into a deep sleep. It was a wonder that I was

able to sleep because I was nervous about how I was going to present what I felt God was asking

me to communicate to the church the following morning.

Day 5 – March 21, 2010

 Sunday was a great day! We woke that morning at about 6:30-7:00 a.m. We went to

Grosmoren’s Sunday school at 8:00. Everyone was gathered in the church as two teachers

preached at full volume. A woman taught all of the women on the left of the building while a

man taught all of the men on the right. They both taught with such fervor. Children were seated

at the front of the sanctuary.

The service started at 9 a.m. Many songs were sung on this beautiful, clear morning. We

could make out some of the hymns and were able to follow along in English. The sun was

beaming down through the open roof, flooding the stage with light. All of the pastors, including

our group of pastors, sat on the stage together. I preached from Exodus 14. Before I had started

preaching, God had impressed upon my heart during the service that although much darkness

faced Haiti, the light shining from God’s people was scattering the darkness. I don’t know the

impact that the message had on the audience of about 500 people, but I know that God impressed

me with how much greater He is than any force that comes against us. I don’t believe I have

ever preached so adamantly.

After the service, the pastor’s wife prepared a meal for us. They had slaughtered a goat

for us to eat, which was a huge gift and sacrifice that they made. Curt Luthye was overwhelmed

by the gift, saying that the kingdom could be found in such moments of service. The meal was

absolutely delicious, yet, at the same time, humbling. We then loaded the truck and headed back

to Port-au-Prince.

I was absolutely spent and napped on the way back. As we traveled closer and closer to

Port-au-Prince, the air became dustier and smokier. The same putrid smells assaulted our noses

and stung our eyes. It was sad to imagine what was once a beautiful scene was now nothing

more than a dust bowl, stripped of its beauty. People washed in stagnant water trickling through
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the gutters. Trash littered the roadside. Vendors sat along each sidewalk as streams of people

pushed by.

We finally arrived back at the seminary where we had our nightly devotion and spent the

remainder of our evening fellowshipping together. I took my first proper shower since

Wednesday night. It was very refreshing and made me appreciate the blessing that a shower can

be. I slept on a futon that night, which was considerably more comfortable than the table I had

slept on the night before. Needless to say, I slept quite well.

Day 6 – March 22, 2010

Monday morning we headed out at about 6 a.m. We traveled south of Port-au-Prince

where a great amount of the earthquake damage was sustained. It was crazy seeing the

tremendous amount of damage inflicted. We traveled to De Merger to look at an “l’eglise”

(church) that had major damage. It was determined that it would have to be demolished and

rebuilt due to the unsound structure.

From there we traveled further south to Petit Guove to work on an “ecole” (school) by a

church. It was a scorching day and extremely humid (as it had been most of the week). Half of

our group went to work on another church that had been damaged. At our particular site, we dug

four foot deep by two foot wide trenches for the base of a stone wall which would be the

foundation for the school. The ground was literally rock-solid.

We also were stacking stones for the masons to use. We had to walk up the hill to get the

boulders, walk back down with them, and then throw them over the trench… which meant you

had to throw them 4-5 feet in distance. That wouldn’t be such a big deal if these boulders

weren’t 50-70 lbs. It was hard work all around.

However, after some time during that, several of the young Haitians surrounded Terri and
I to learn English and teach us Creole. I loved it! The children were so eager to learn and to

teach. Soon, I had a group of young men, from teens to thirty-somethings around me talking

English and trying to communicate with me. We all laughed and gave each other a hard time.

We spent the rest of that work day talking about all sorts of things. Two of them gave me their

email addresses (Joshua and Reme-John). It was such a joy to spend the day with them.

We finally had to say “bye.” Before I left, Gladson, one of the younger boys I had been

talking with asked me for my bandana. I tossed him the do-rag which he immediately wrapped

around his head and tied with a giant smile. I couldn’t help but laugh. We headed back to the

seminary, back through such a beautiful part of the country. The fields and trees were green and

fresh. The ocean to the north was gorgeous to behold. It was little wonder in this part of Haiti

why it had once been known as the “Peal of the Antilles.” All I could say was that this trip had

been well worth every minute.

Day 7 – March 23, 2010

Today was our final day in Haiti. We spent most of the day working at the seminary

campus. We split up into several groups to do odd jobs. It was a pretty laid back day. I met a

young man that morning that was a student of the seminary who wanted to try out his English on

us. His dream was to go to the seminary in America and get his master’s so that he might be able

to be a teacher back at the seminary in Haiti. He spoke very well and seemed to be a very nice

individual.

That afternoon I played basketball with a group of young boys. Chad and I were on a

team against 6 younger boys. After we finished our game, Chad, Randy, and I kicked the soccer

ball around with them. They were very good at soccer, showing us their tricks and skills. I

basically fumbled around with the ball, but it was fun nonetheless.
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After that, we drove to the top of a mountain overlooking Port-au-Prince so that we could

view the city from a better vantage point. The city was gigantic. The view was unbelievable.

You could see the pollution easily despite it being one of the clearest days that they had had in

quite some time. The trip up the mountain was wonderful. The air was crisp due to the

vegetation and the mountains. It was gorgeous scenery. We rounded one corner that looked out

over several mountains. One of them had a deep, white scar that spoke of vast mining. It was a

mark on an otherwise beautiful landscape. It only reminded me that the mountains and its beauty

would not last if people did not take care of their resources. That view sure made me appreciate

what we do have. Likewise, it makes me realize the importance of taking care of those

resources.

While we were at the top, we haggled with the local vendors. I actually quite enjoyed it.

I bought several small trinkets to give to friends and family and to remember my time in this

wonderful country. We came back to campus after withstanding the usual organized chaos that

is traffic. Elise had prepared us a traditional dinner. It was very good! Dr. J. K. Warrick, one of

our General Superintendents, at dinner with us. We had a great conversation with him about

Haiti and the churches there. Although I do not know him well, he seems to be a very good

person.

After dinner, we were given a statue of a man pulling a “pou’ette,” which is a cart.

Franz, our Haitian leader and guide, told us that pulling these carts loaded down can be very

difficult. When someone is struggling to pull his cart, someone will come behind and help push

the cart. Franz said that our coming to Haiti was like the man giving a push up the hill. We then

gathered around Franz and Elise and prayed for them.

A group of us were then asked to help fix the cistern which had broken again. I was
elected to go “swimming” in the cistern to retrieve the fallen pipe. Hopefully, after getting

everything back together it remained fixed. Dr. Bill, who volunteers at the seminary, sat and

talked with us for quite a while. I enjoyed that. He had some great stories about ministry in

Haiti. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying each others’ friendship and our final moments

in Haiti. Overall, it was a very good day.

Day 8 – March 24, 2010

We woke up the next morning to travel to the airport. We arrived 3 hours before our

flight. We said our “good-bye’s” to Franz and Curt. It took all three hours for us to get our

tickets and through security. We had just enough time to board our plane, which took off an

hour later than it was supposed to. We had a relatively uneventful trip until we reached Dallas.

Our connecting flight to OKC was cancelled due to weather.

Most of the group rented vans so that they would be able to get home. A small group

stayed behind hoping to get a flight on standby. Everyone got home safely. Those that had

stayed to catch a flight did manage to find one late that night. It just so happened that if they

would have had one more person, somebody would have had to be left behind. So, thankfully,

we all managed to make it home!