Death for the Kingdom, Rebirth for the Paradise



Partners & Friends: Jack & Daniel

 I can only hope that most of my updates will start this way but, Wow! Today was an amazing day! Daniel's business partner and a key member of the Partners Worldwide Board of Directors, Jack Van der Ploeg, has been in town for the last week, as we travelled 2 hours north to Gonaives, and 1 hour southwest to Leogane. The dynamic has been so rewarding as we often find ourselves literally rolling on the floor laughing, or experiencing some amazing dinner conversations over a bottle of red wine (Jack's doctor prescribed it), discussing what 100,000 Jobs for Haiti Initiative really looks like in vision and practicality. Jack is convinced he's too old to bother learning Creole, so he doesn't even attempt it... compared to Roger speaking spanish to everyone last week... it's been a fun lesson in communication, and shown how valuable Oscar is to the operation.... which is great because I want to keep my new friend around! Jack's even decided to give Oscar a loan for a new car, just to show how committed Jack is to not having to speak Creole ;) Also like Roger, Jack is inspirational in his work ethic, his ability to analyze finances, procedures and standards, and his absolute devotion to seeing the progress in hard-working, Christian entrepreneurs. On a funny side note to describe Jack's sense of humor and slight issues in communication.. the first day we got to the guest house, Jack introduced himself to our Security guard, Mito:

Jack: "Hello, I'm Jack!"
Mito: "Metoh"
Jack: Oh wow, how cool! Hi Jack!"

Gonaives

So north we travelled along the coastline to Gonaives... past the rolling hills and beach resorts, through the tropical villages and local markets of women carrying huge baskets on their heads and sugar cane vendors on every corner. It was a first-time sight for me to see the rice-fields, and the tedious work being put into rice-farming. Gonaives is a place that only a few years ago was underwater from flooding (evident based on the fact that the road there is a long gravel highway bridge on a desert plain), yet it still contains that old-french style, New Orleans feel. Something about it made me feel less safe than in Port-Au-Prince, but it may have been the unknown, as well as the way everyone stares at the blancs driving by in the car. It was here that we met with the Jerusalem Affiliate as I mentioned previously, Wilsonor, Exode, and Tony the baker.



Brunel

 This week in Leogane, we had the job of prospecting for new businesses to take part in the training classes beginning in January. Brunel is Daniel's business development coordinator in Leogane... and he plays an integral role in discovering christian businesses that meet the criteria of being an SME who could benefit from our partnership model, potentially growing to create new jobs. This is not as easy as it might sound when so many of the businesses are street vendors and micro-enterprises, who have no vision for the future other than survival. Although Brunel has a Business Administration degree and background in finance, Daniel has come a long way in shaping him into a creative business professional who takes initiative, and maintains focus on the mission. He speaks about as much english as I speak Creole, so we've been having fun using a lot of broken sentences and hand motions. Our little family of big dreams might have a few communication problems, but it's such a comforting relief to know I can really depend on my new Haitian brothers, and we are learning a lot from each other- especially as I am the only female in the family, and I'm working on teaching them to be perfect gentlemen in addition to great businessmen!

While in Leogane, I had the opportunity to take a visit to the site of the first mission trip I attended with Clifton Presbyterian, in July of 2010- Hospital Ste. Croix. It was amazing to see the Patient Wing fully functioning as a hospital, and the huge (not-very-good) rainbow we painted in the Children's room was keeping watch over some pretty sick kids. It was bittersweet, as I did not recognize any of the workers, and even the family that lived across the street no longer seems to be living there... I have some really great memories of playing soccer in the street, and watching the World Cup on a big screen in a field where the UN is now building a wierd-looking structure. I guess that's the thing about change.... it is inevitable, and good... but I can't help but wonder where that family went, and what happened to those that made me fall in love with Ayiti Cherie in the first place.

So today was so amazing because it was my first trip to Quisqueya Christian Church, which is located pretty close to the guesthouse. It is an American Church, non-denominational, but very Christian Reformed in nature. There is a great integration of local Haitians, and ex-pats living in the area. Thankfully the service is in english, and everyone was so welcoming! The service began with praise worship, and I was in awe of the musical abilities- saxophones, electric guitars, grand piano, drums and a great family of vocalists who get very passionate. Our opening prayer was given by Alan, a pastor of the New York Times Square Baptist or something like that... he is one of those seriously intense prayer-pastors who begins with a mild vocal praise, and builds into an intensely loud participation, willing God into the room with "AMEN!s" and "Thank you JESUS!" The sermon to follow was a response to John 12:20-26. The more quiet-spoken pastor preached death as a prescription to life. It described the "Kingdom way of thinking" and understanding that you must die to have life, versus the "Culture way of thinking". To let down your pride, and respond to God's way of creating a Kingdom through your life. The pastor asked, what stage of death are you in? I pondered this... and I still do not know where I am in the death of my self, and rebirth for His kingdom... but every day I am listening to God. Every day I am going through the process of realizing that it is He that brought me here, He that has saved me, and He that will bring about rebirth for a country that's been through a lot of death. It was an emotional service, and afterwards I made so many connections with incredibly welcoming people who have a lot of experience living and working here, and I'm really looking forward to the fellowship of the Bible Small group on Wednesday evenings.



 We had to skip lunch today (which is ok because I've been eating like every meal is my last), and drove up to visit the Mission of Hope Haiti compound about 30 minutes north of PauP. This was a network connection we made at Movement Day's Rebuild Haiti Session in New York City in September, and MoH has pledged to create 10% of our 100,000 Jobs goal. They work in many different mission-areas, focusing on education and vocational training. They were eager to find a way to partner with us, and working together to push the economy forward. Ralph Edmond (directly to my left), co-founder of Farmatrix Pharmaceuticals and Board of Directors for Partners Worldwide Haiti, along with his friend and Executive Director of Haiti International Traders, Ken Michel (far left), met us there as well. I met Ralph in New York at Movement Day... I will have to get into his story later because it is incredibly inspiring, but he is a huge personality with an IQ level through the roof. It is a huge possibility that this may be Haiti's next president, even though he insists he couldn't deal with politics. Ken is actually very similar to Ralph, and the two of them were quite the dynamic team as we got into intense dicussion about the biggest issues in Haiti. Ralph states...."you have no idea how painful it is to be Haitian." And I know this is true because I hear it in his voice. The meeting was made up of 3 Haitians and 4 Americans. Why, they ask, is it that Americans care more about improving their country than Haitians do? So that is where our conflict lies.... convincing Americans to find a new way to "help" our neighbors other than mass donations that are killing the free-market society of Haiti, and the even greater struggle of not only creating wealth in Haiti, but convincing those Haitians that become wealthy (Diaspora?) to give back and lift up their fellow countrymen out of poverty. I hope to be sharing interviews of these great men with you later, because believe me.... this was a meeting of great minds, and a lot of progress was made as we build a network of effective NGOs and Haitian leaders.

Mentors bring value in expertise and
encouragement to entrepreneurs

This week I will be doing the administrative work, writing stories and profiles on the entrepreneurs we are working to connect with mentors, and planning our upcoming January 27th conference in Haiti. The time I've spent in the field, made me realize there are quite a few Christian business professionals with varying specialities  who would do great at walking alongside these business owners. It's a really rewarding experience,  and the only investment is in the cost of trips to Haiti for consulations, and the time spent dedicated to being a life-transformer as a partner to people who really just need good, sound financial advice and encouragement in their field of business. If you know of anyone who fits this description, please send them to me- LaraB@partnersworldwide.org, or my regional partnership manager, Dave Genzink- DaveG@partnersworldwide.org, and respond to the call to share in wisdom and love for they neighbors.

Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and financial assistance for making this opportunity possible. I hope to see some of you making your way down here for a Caribbean getaway sometime in the next 12 months...the guesthouse is almost open for business and all are welcome once it is! May God bless you and Keep you well.

In His Praise,
Lara