Last Leg

I write this waiting for the last leg of my flight home from my trip to Haiti. We started early this morning arrived and waited at the airport. The flight to Miami was running behind and there was a huge crowd at immigration and customs. All of our luggage made it and we arrived at our gate just as they were boarding so we got on the plane and headed to the Windy City. We were early arriving in Chi-town. So we had a chance to get something to eat. While some in my group went for Chicago style pizza. I went for my favorite Italian Beef Dipped and sweet and hot peppers: heartburn on a bun but O so good.
As I reflect on the trip it was a good one. We delivered food to orphanages, saw some happy healthy children with a few unhealthy ones. We played with some kids and made good contact with churches and saw alot of Haitians worshiping and celebrating their faith.
There were several highlights for me, teaching in the seminary is always a highlight. I taught for between 6-8 hours on I Corinthians and really had some very good discussion.
Seeing the building at the Saint Croiux Orphanage that looked solid and easy to construct and even with a metal roof they were cool in the heat of the day.
Playing with the children and the one girl pointing at me saying I want to play with him.
Seeing several young adults and gathering information. Seeing my friend Frnaud and learning he is possibly going to come to the US for college in Kentucky. Talking with some of his friends and seeing their amazement when we talked about many people skip church for various reasons.
Participating in consecration service for the Bishops at CONASPEH and celebrating their appointment to this leadership position.
Then there was the meeting with new people and seeing some old friends at Wall's International Guest House. Along with making contact with several other Disciple groups.
I love Haiti and the Hatian people and I feel good things are ahead for them. They have a great faith and can teach us a lot about priorities.
I look forward to returning, I don't know when because I am going to be a grandfather this Summer and I have been granted a Sabbatical for next summer and depending if I get the Lilly grant I may be headed to other places. One day I will return, I know this much.

Ordination and Capping

Today was the big day at Congress. Patrick was installed as the Senior Bishop. All the clergy who were present from the US went on the platform and we did the cermonial laying on of hands. We prayed for the Spirit of God come upon his leadership and bless those he leads. We then consecrated several regional bishops who are church leaders in the various regions of the country, some of whom were Pastor Raymond from Carfour, Pastor Guy from Croiux Des Bouquets and Pastor Saint Luis. Several others I recognized happened to be set consecrated as well. There were also about 50 -60 graduates of the seminary who were ordained to the ministry. I happened to recognize several from the classes I taught.  Then 45 nursing students were capped in a great ceremony. They had brought in 6000 chairs for the Congress and every seat was filled early and the people just kept coming in all morning long. Julia Brown Kinami the new president of Global Ministries preached the sermon this morning and it was a great day of music and celebration and ceremony. The coolest thing was being on the platform for the Bishop's consecration and then giving them all a big hug after  the end of the ceremony.

Aftre the Bishop Consecration

Patrick Villier in the white stole

and the other Bishops in the black stoles

During the day a young man came up to me and said he recognized me from my sermon last year. His English was very good and we chatted and he invited me to come to see his school when we come back. I remember the church as not having a roof and I feel that is something we could try to work on with some workers along side Haitians.

Katie Pickens Missionary Intern for Global Ministries

giving a nursing student a hug

Capping of Nursing Students

Jean Roni Jolimeau and Pastor Paul Militaire with me at the congress

Congress and Frenaud

Today we spent the entire day at the Congress for CONASPEH.  It was a good day although I did not understand much since the translator we had was out or ear shot some of the time. But there was a gentleman next to me who would give me bits amd pieces so I got the gist of what was going on.  We had wonderful singing and most of the time we could pick out the tune of a familiar song so we would sing along in English. The preacher for the morning was a Hatian starting a new church in New York City and he preached a sermon from Joshua on serving the Lord.
There were some presentations one by a colleague Michael Yarbrough on separation of church and state in the US. Then there were some other presentations by Patrick Villier on the direction CONASPEH is going. There was a lengthy discussion followed by another presentation and discussion.
While during Patrick's presentation I decided to stretch my legs and I heard someone call my name and it was my friend Frenaud.

Frenaud is a 20 year old young man whom I met on my first Haiti trip. I have seen him on every trip I have taken to Haiti. He has interpreted for me on several occasions and I sent some money to his family to help them build a wall around their property in Croiux Des Bouquet. He had 9 brothers and sisters and his father is a pastor.He is a very bright young man and hopes to study in the US through the help of another has applied to a college in Kentucky.



A couple of others from our group and I spent the rest of the afternoon in a discussion with Frenaud, his sister and some friends about life in the US and some differences between life here in Haiti and some advantages we have and some they have. It was a good afternoon.

Friday in Haiti

Today was the first day of the Congress at CONASPEH. It was crowded and difficult to navigate the road up to the center. We then headed out to spend the day at House of Hope. House of Hope is a ministry focusing on three areas single mothers, children sold into slavery as domestic workers and youth in street gangs. They have a school and a vocational school: which consists of a cosmetology program, a sewing program, culinary arts school and a building trades program. I was very impressed with  their program and felt they were offering some important training for the future for these young people. After showing us around the facility we were able to sit down and hear their program. They are doing good work and making a difference in Haiti. It was a long program and a hot day and terrible traffic around the city.

Today we went to CONASPEH and had a quick meeting with the board and then we went to lunch at 5 coins. We had a very traditional Hatian meal. I tried to order the fish (pwosson) but they were out so I had fried chicken (very Spicy), beans and rice, cole slaw (the spiciest I have ever had) and fried plantains.  Nine of us ate for less than $10 a piece which was a great and great service right in the heart of Port Au Prince. Some who had been on the trip before said they had the same meal for twice the price and a much fancier place close to the airport.
At CONASPEH they were busy getting things ready for the Congress which begins tomorrow. Lots of preparation and the place looks great.
The last thing we did was head to Comite Artisans for some shopping.
It was a relaxing day we tried to see another orphanage but our mission hosts had to get back by a certain time to pick up a group coming in for the Congress. We were not able to go tp the orphanage at Leogonne because our host missionaries had to be back to meet some people from the Dominican Republic coming in for the congress.
The pictures today are of  the main stage at CONASPEH the main market area and downtown

The Orphanage at Sarthe

Today we went to the Sarthe Orphanage in the middle of Citi Solei. Citi Solei is the poorest area of Port Au Prince. This Orphanage had five fewer children than the year before because their parents returned to pick them up. We were greeted by warm hugs all around and weighed and measured all the kids, checked their temp and heartbeat. All of the 35 children at the orphanage were healthy but the two month old baby of the pastor seemed to have strange noise in her heart and may have a hole in it.
We made peanut butter sandwiches and ate with the children. Played games and handed out toys. There wasn't a gameboy or an I-Pod in sight and you would have thought we had given them the world. They were thrilled to death to recieve the simple toys we brought for them to play.
The little fake tattoos were the biggest hit. One little boy was so sad when we ran out but I had a pack of crackers I gave to him which made him smile.

Me and the children at the Sarthe Orphanage

Roni and myself this young man was 19 and trying to get into college. It cost $200 US per year

We also spent some time while at CONASPEH look at a neighboring piece of property they are thinking of buying for a guest house. There could also be a conference center on that space. It looked to be about two acres and was formerly a gym with a pool.The property would need a lot of work and with the close proximity it seems like a good opportunity.

The last thing we did today was head for metal artisans and I bought a metal globe surrounded by children. I paid $10 for it and the same thing costs $60 at 10,000 Villages in Overland Park. Great day as we wind down back at Walls guest house.

More Teaching and Orphanages

I woke up in the middle of the night remembering I forgot to e-mail Jamie (my daughter) with a medical question about a young girl who was having a medical problem at our visit to the orphanage yesterday. I have been getting up 5:30 and heading to the dining area for a couple of cups of coffee before breakfast. Mike my roommate for the trip usually beats me down to the dining area and is busy on his computer journaling from the day before.
The main group headed to Carfour. The pavement on the road to Carfour was much improved and there were dividers and the trip was much faster and the traffic moved at a much better pace so a trip that last year took over an hour was cut in half.
When the group arrived at the clinic it was full of people with lots of little babies.Pastor Ramone and the doctor were at the clinic. The group gave money and meds and played with the children.
Then the group headed to Commite Artisans for some shopping only to find it closed for the Carnival Holiday. Disappointed the group decided to brighten their spirits by hitting Domino's for lunch. After eating their fill of pizza it was time to buy food for the orphanages: 200 lbs of rice, 100 lbs of cornmeal, 4 cases of milk 20 lbs of pasta, a case of margarine, and 2 cases of oil. Half of the supplies were delivered
Today I taught for four hours and finished up my class on I Corinthians. The group for the class was a good size like yesterday and they again were very inquisitive asking all sorts of questions when given the opportunity. They were very serious questions seeking some practical advice for problems of their churches similar to the Corinthian church. I loved the opportunity to teach such a responsive caring group of pastors.
Then we went to deliver food at Guy's orphanage. It was at a new location because they rent property because their building was destroyed in the quake and it has not been rebuilt. The kids we some of the most loving kids. They came up and gave big hugs and were well fed looked healthy. We checked out some children 13 and there were no high temps or obvious signs of illness. With the setting it might be a hotspot for worms or other parasites. 75 children live at the orphanage with 25 at camp this week die to the holiday. We also left some funds with them for more food or to help with rent.
Back to Walls Guest House for a meal and some relaxing after a busy day. Jamie did get back with me with some valuable advice which I passed on the the nurse in the group

The pictures tonight are of the orphanage and the new buildings at CONASPEH.

I Corinthians and a playdate

When we arrived at CONASPEH this morning I discovered I was teaching a class. The last time I was here they had asked me to teach Corinthians so I spent most of my two hour class time focused on the introduction and then answering questions about some of the things I was saying. With the focus centered around Paul's view of salvation a question was asked what I thought about the importance of Baptism. I responded that Baptism was important but since it was a symbol of the saving act of Christ it was not necessary for salvation. but it was an interesting response and Patrick had made several comments in Creole which were not interpreted so I had no clue as to what they were saying.
After sharing lunch with out gtoup we headed out St. Croix Orphanage. One our first trip to Haiti we went to St. Croix and they had no food no beds and all the children were sleeping outside. In October when we came back there were beds. Then when we came back they had moved to a new piece of property. This time we saw two new dormitories and bunk beds and well fed children.
Erin picked up the baby in the picture below and held her most of the time.
The highlight for my day was when we asked a girl if she had any questions and she said I want to play with him and pointed at me. So I taught her how to hit a wiffle ball. She was great and I had a wonderful day.

Here is the dorm for the girls and even through there is a metal  the ventalation was great even in the hot sun.

Can't wait for tomorrow.

Worship in Haiti

Sunday was a great day of worship for us in Haiti. We went to on church was in a part of Port Au Prince called Citi Solei where I was asked to preach and I chose to speak on a passage from Exodus where the children of Israel were complaining about the how God had led them into the wilderness to die. The theme was on how we need to trust God when it is time to move forward and letting fear take over. I heard several amens from the church so they must have agreed with something I had to say. Sorry I do not have any pictures or video from the first worship. I was on the platform and did not have my camera. There was great singing and wonderful fellowship at the church. The children sang and then a women's choir sang and danced two songs.
The second church we attended was also in Citi Solei. A place with lots of gangs and violence. Pastor Guy is the founding pastor and he is on the CONASPEH Board.

Part of a song by the Choir at Pastor Guy's Church

Erin is in her element big smiles with kids

One of the kids wanted to take my picture

The children at Pastor Guy's Church

At the second church they were celebrating an anniversary. We had the opportunity to hear great music in both churches. At the last Church they sent some meals with us of Hatian food of beans and rice, chicken, goat, slaw, fried plantain and beet salad (and no I did not eat the beet salad). Lots of great food and good fellowship.
We returned to Wall in time for a swim and we had beans and rice and goat for dinner. Great Hatian  food. A great day.

Conaspeh and an Orphanage

Today began early I was up at five thirty and began today one the run. We headed to CONASPEH and and learned their general congress is going to be at the CONASPEH headquarters. We saw a group planning clean up of the grounds and then we headed up the coast to the orphanage. They people from CONASPEH had only been to the orphanage once and that was a scheduled visit and they did not know we were coming today. They wanted to see if the place was well cared for on this visit as it looked on their regular visit. What we discovered was good news. The orphanage was was clean and well run by a very caring woman and her staff of one other helper. The kids ranged in age frown 5 - 16 with most of them falling in the 9-14 range. The children were clean, smiling and looked like very happy well fed kids. They all had beds and and backpacks for school hanging over their beds. The children spoke well and obviously well cared for.m
Today we purchased $300 dollars worth of food which consisted of 150 pounds of rice 20 pounds of Macaroni, 60 lbs of corn meal, two cases of corn oil, three cases of tomato sauce and 1/2 a case of Mackerel and 6 tubs of margarine. We also bought 40 lbs of laundry detergent out of the $300. We left half of the food at the orphanage gave them $300 to buy more food when they need it.
I felt good about the purchase and good about the orphanage. It was a long trip up the coast traffic was heavy and we went through several small villages on the way.
By the time we got back it was dinner time and we are now relaxing back at the guest house.
I was planning on posting a video but I do not have the correct cable to do that because I did not bring the right one to transfer it to my computer.

Arriving in Haiti

After waking up at 3AM, driving to the airport arriving at 4:30, Catching a 6 AM flight out of KCI, changing planes twice and the final flight leave late we arrived with all of our luggage. Out of all of my four trips we went through immigration and gathered our luggage with the least amount of hassle and were on our way the the guest house.
Some things I noticed immediately like fewer tents, new construction and after two years the airport was under repair.
 Some things have not changed like the crowd of men hustling for tip money to help with our luggage at the airport, or the sheer number og people on the street trying to make some type of living anyway they can.
Wall's Guest House was packed when we arrived. It was as busy as I have ever seen it. I recognized a man from my first trip here. He and his wife are from the Quad Cities area in Illinois and right after the quake they brought supplies in by truck from the Dominican Republic.
There is a large group of Canadians that are leaving over the next two days so thing will begin to be less congested here. One thing I like about Walls is the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. It was fun to connect with people on the flight who were heading here
I watched as Erin (a young lady from our church) experienced her first impressions of the country. I am excited to see more things unfold over the next few days. What does God have in store for this trip?
I will just have to see where God leads.

Getting ready for Haiti

This is a video of the dedication of the things we are taking to Haiti from the worship service at Good Shepherd Christian Church, February 12, 2012.

Heading For Haiti

I love Haiti. I am going to be heading there in three days. This will be my fourth trip there since the quake two years ago. Every time I make the trip I discover new things about myself as well as meet new people and have new things to learn.

This time I look forward to going because I am taking a new person with me. Erin is a thrity year old young lady in my church and she has been on several mission trips with me and really loves getting involved in the lives of people and going on trips like this.

The most amazing thing is the church I serve paid the entire way for Erin to go on the trip. Through the CWF and the generosity of the members Erin is getting the chance to go to Haiti.

I am excited for her. I will be watching as she experiences new things and is immersed in the culture of Haiti. I believe it will be a fun trip and i will be posting some video here on my site so keep checking in here to see what happens.

Next time from Haiti.

Ron



The Problem of Greed

For the longest time I have been saying the basic problem in the world today is one of greed. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins and the premise of greed basically says I do not have enough and I always need more. If that means you have less then so be it, that is your fault but I will do whatever it takes to get more.

The problem with greed is in a world of limited resources like the one in which we live greed divides the world into two basic categories the haves and the have nots. What develops as a result of the division created by greed is a competition between the two groups. Those who have not want the things those of those who have. The "haves" on the other hand desire to hang onto their elite status at the top of the ladder.

As a person of faith I need to look at the problem of greed and see the solution to the greed issue is what I call the principle of enough. As look at life I need some basic things: food, shelter, job, health care and transportation to name a few. Take shelter for example: we live in a house, it is not a fancy house, it is a basic structure, several rooms and while it is nothing fancy it is enough for me and my wife and in some instances it is more than enough. We definitely do not need a bigger house and in some cases we could even downsize to a smaller one just because our kids are grown and no longer live with us. Because I have enough in this area of my life rather than going out and buying something bigger I make a conscious choice to help another get into a house by working with a group like Habitat for Humanity (an organization that builds housing for lower income people).

The principle of enough works on the premise that I have been blessed by God and because i have been blessed by God I can provide for my family and share what I have been entrusted with others who have not been so fortunate.

I still fall into the greed trap from time to time seeing the latest technology come out and feel how great it would be to have it. Then after I get I realize it was not so great and I could have used the money to help someone eat or have a warm place to stay.

I must say I have been blessed and I have enough to live the life God has given me to live. When I understand this I discover I don't need the things I think I do in order to have a meaningful life.

Tools to Use
During my early years in ministry I came across explanation as to why people respond, react and at time overreact to events in their lives. It had seemed a man was lamenting the damage that was done by the local fire department to his property. In his view they had called way more damage than what the situation called. In response to his lament a friend replied, " you need to remember a fireman has two main tools at his disposal: a hose and an axe. When you call them they are going to use one or the other."
As I ponder the way people treat one another in our culture today I have come to the conclusion that we as people often treat one another with the tools we have at our disposal. So if all we have at our disposal are words that are intended to damage or harm one another (words that we have learned because they have been used on us) then that is the tool we will use.
While traveling back home after visiting my parents in Arkansas the car I was driving just stopped dead in its tracks. Since it had happened on another occasion there was a small inexpensive part bolted on the fire wall that needed changing. It took a wrench or a pair of pliers to change the part. As I looked through the car the only tool I had besides the tire changing equipment was a hammer. No matter how I used the hammer it would not get the job done because it was not the right tool for the job. I made sure the next time we took a trip to have the right tools in the car in case something happened.
Likewise in our relationships we need to use the right tools our own lives if we are going to build relationships that last. A good place to start is with what the Apostle Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy , Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, and Self-Control. When these tools are kept close and available their use will make a difference in our lives when building lasting relationships.

Forty Years and Counting

The first weekend of August I had the opportunity to attend my 40th High School Reunion. Up until this year the only reunion I had attended was my ten year and for a while until the development of Facebook I had lost touch with the class of 71 from Marengo Community High School.
I missed some reunions because people had no idea where I was living (being in ministry one moves every few years) and my family (parents and brothers) were no longer living in my hometown.
I feel fortunate to grow up in the community in which I did. I went to small grade school with only 17 in my 8th grade class. Five schools fed into my high school making my senior class 141 students. I look back on that class as being a great size because you could know everyone and I had opportunities to play sports and get involved in activities I would not have been involved in larger schools.
For the first two years of my high school education I focused on non-college prep courses and then I made the decision to switch to college prep classes. I have to admit I was not the best student and the only reason I kept my grades up was I wanted to play sports and my parents were more strict than the school policies for academic eligibility. It was only when I got to college when I realized I needed to really study in order to make the grades needed to graduate.
As I chatted with the other alumni from our class and their spouses at the reunion, I began to appreciate how much we meant to one another at our school even though we would never admit it at the time. There were people in attendance I had not seen since graduation. Most I had lost track of and some were doing some amazing things. Over the years and with the maturity those years have brought to our lives I sensed a tremendous amount of respect and caring for each other.
A majority of students in my class were not aware of my faith transformation since it happened a couple of years after high school and were surprised at my call to ministry and my chosen profession of the pastorate these past 30 years. I had an opportunity to listen to several faith journeys that have developed over the past 40 years in various fashions.
There are some in my class (9) who have died and I will miss them and the opportunity I have missed to let them know how much they meant to me. There were others who chose not to attend the reunion for various reasons. It was great to share some time together and I just wanted to say to the MCHS class of 1971 you made a difference my life.

I am the one not looking at the camera

Reflections on General Assembly

I returned from the GA of the Christian Church (DOC) last week and I have had a little time to think about things that took place there.
First I thought Nashville was a great place to hold the GA with a good venue and lots of things to do close to the convention center. The city showed great hospitality towards us and I was impressed overall with the city. It almost makes me want to return sometime to Nashville and spend a few days.
As far as the assembly is concerned it was a good experience for me I went primarily to get information at one of the workshops for some responsibilities I hold in our region but there were a couple of other tracks scheduled for the same time so I was disappointed I could not attend everything I wanted to attend.
Because of a late start we did not arrive in Nashville until the first night session was over and there was not an evening session Sunday night so I only attended two evening sessions and I found the speakers to be on top of their game. In addition there were several times when during the assembly when breaks were taken in the business session for speakers to talk about how we can be involved in making changes needed in our congregations. I thought all of those speakers were excellent. Each one taking a different approach speaking in their area of expertise. I was particularly interested in Soong Chan Rah and Amy Levine in the things they were saying.
One downfall was I have come to the conclusion Disciples do not know how to do Emergent Worship. The night Brian McClaren spoke they advertised worship as emergent but it was at best blended. Needless to say I skipped out after McClaren spoke.
While I enjoyed the assembly I came home with some renewed energy to implement some things in my church and I guess that is their purpose.

"Let's focus on the important things"

I am not surprised at the response of the response I have seen to the recent verdict in the latest trial of the century. When Casey Anthony was not found guilty of murder or even manslaughter and only was sentenced to four years for lying to investigators. The backlash directed at the jury has been overwhelming. I was reading an article where one of the jurors said, I did not say she did not commit the crime only that there was not enough evidence to convict her of the crime.
At the sentencing hearing there was person outside the court house holding a sign which said "hang the jury", obviously expressing his displeasure at the jury's result.
Let me share a couple of thoughts on these events. First, the death of a child by whatever means is a tragic event. I also was shocked by the verdict but then realized I was not in the courtroom hearing the testimony or seeing the evidence or in the deliberation room. I therefore unable to make a judgement as to the guilt or innocence of the person on trial.
Second, the media blew this case way out of proportion and created a media frenzy. Way too much time and focus was given to this case and everyone involved was tried in the press long before this case ever went to trial.
Third, the jury in a trial with such publicity is under a great deal of stress. To return with an unpopular verdict only subjects them to greater stress. It is easy to see why none of the jurors chose to participate in a post trial press conference. If I was on such a jury I would want to disappear in the crowd and never be heard from again. I also have to say I admire the jury to stand by their convictions and come back with an unpopular verdict in the midst of such a public trial. They did what they were called to do and they followed the law as they understood it. Is it any wonder people do not want to serve on juries when the decisions they are called to make are met with such criticism.
Finally, I believe there are a lot more important issues to deal with today than to rehash the trial in the media over and over. While a child is dead, and what a tragedy it is, we need to remember there are thousands abused each and every day that we never hear about. There are people suffering from floods and droughts and other natural disasters that are pushed to the back pages of the newspapers, when a celebrity gets a hangnail is on the front page.
I guess what I am saying is we spend a lot of energy focusing on the wrong things and not enough energy trying to alleviate the problems.

Packing to leave Haiti today. The last couple of days have been really busy with lots of travel over the streets of Port Au Prince. I was able to experience some different things this time around. We got out in the countryside a little up the coast to a beach. We traveled up to Kenscoff beyond the Baptist mission to an orphanage. I thought the road did not go very far beyond the mission but we traveled 30 minutes beyond the orphanage then traveled another 30 minutes on a side road. Beautiful country cooler weather green valleys with lots of terraced farming.
Saw parts of the city I have never seen before ad also was able to walk down the lane outside the compound and buy pop from a vendor.
I realize if i am going to do more I need to learn more of the language. It is my goal to learn French or creole so I can converse better with the people on the street and with Tullis our driver it would be easier.
Not looking forward to leaving but looking to being home

Yesterday was so busy and we were so tired at the end of the day I did not take time to post a blog. We went to Carrefour to see the clinic where Eastgate Christian Church is supporting the Doctor. We got there very quickly because traffic was very light by Haitian standards. Every other time we traveled in that direction traffic around the market was bumper to bumper and the dust was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The dust was bad but we traveled through without much trouble. Then on the west side of Port Au Prince there always seems to be a traffic jam. But on Monday traffic moved at a fair pace. We arrived at the clinic after about a half hour to 45 minute drive very fast. The doctor was there and so was Pastor Ramon. We dropped off the drugs we brought for the clinic and they wrote down what they were and gave then the doctors salary and more money for the clinic to help with the nurse's salary.
Then back to Conaspeh for some lunch and the rest of the crew headed out to visit and orphanage and I stayed and finished up my class on the introduction to the Gospels. I had a great time teaching the students asked some very good questions very practical concerning their ministries. Good experience all around.
The ladies did not have such a good experience down very rough roads long walks and extra stops. We came back exhausted and ate and jumped in the pool. Slept well and ended up getting rested up for another day of shopping and evaluation with the committee.
Starting home tomorrow. Tomorrow night Miami, the Dallas and home.