a1653: Dakotans tell of Haitian visit (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JD Lemieux <lxhaiti@yahoo.com>

Web posted Tuesday, April 9, 2002


Area Residents Return From Haiti
BY RANDY DOCKENDORF
P&D Regional Editor

As she lay in her bed, Cleo Waters heard strange noises
outside her hut in Haiti. The Irene missionary felt fear as
she heard blood-curdling screams.

"It was Mardi Gras, and music was pounding all night. We
heard the voodoo drum and the eternal crowing of roosters
and yapping of dogs," she said.

"Then there was such a commotion and screaming. Was someone
being murdered? My heart was beating so loud. Then a rat
ran through my mattress."

Waters stayed frozen, fighting the instinct to awaken her
roommate. She later learned the noise was not one of death
but of new life.

"The noise came from a Haitian woman two doors down who was
having a baby. They don't use drugs to ease the pain," she
said.

"A midwife and villagers were standing around her and
yelling their support. The woman screamed, and they held
nothing back."

Waters and other missionaries were allowed to name the baby
girl. They chose the Biblical name "Sarah," but the world
may never know the baby's existence.

"In Haiti, her birth will never be registered unless she
goes to the dispensary or as an outpatient," Waters said.

The incident was part of a rewarding mission, but Waters
was left with a disturbing question about the newborn girl.
"What's ahead for a child in (Haiti)? I pray for her and
the other children," she said.

Waters and Dr. Dan Johnson of Yankton shared their Feb.
7-16 mission experiences during Monday's Interchange
meeting at Hillcrest Country Club.

Johnson and Waters were joined on the mission by Dave and
Jarilyn Hansen of Irene. Waters was making her first trip
to Haiti, while Johnson and the Hansens had worked with
Methodist missions on a school and hospital.

"Every day is an adventure in Haiti," Johnson said of his
desire to return.

Making the recent trip without sponsors, the four
missionaries distributed clothes and medical supplies. They
brought suitcases holding 70 pounds, along with 50 pairs of
shoes, socks and underwear.

Ironically, a Haitian connected Johnson and the Hansens
even though they lived only 25 miles apart. "This man who
had never been out of Haiti told me about Dave Hansen from
Irene. I couldn't believe it," Johnson said.

Besides the mission trips, the Methodists have joined with
Rotary International on a solar-oven project to provide
alternative-energy sources.

"Haitians use charcoal as their main energy. If they had
solar power, it would help their deforestation and air
filtering," Johnson said.

"Solar ovens would also help their electrical problems.
While I was there, we had electricity from 4-6 a.m. The
people hope they can run their refrigerators for a few
hours. Ice is a big commodity."

Johnson must remind friends that he is going to Haiti, the
poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, and not Tahiti
with its lush resorts. The 6.9 million Haitians are African
or mulatto (mixed) descent and speak French or Creole.

"There is shock value the first time you are in Haiti. It's
a different world, even though it's only 500 miles, or a
one-hour flight, south of Miami," he said.

"Haiti has been racked by political corruption, warfare,
ignorance and disease ever since it was a French colony."

Haiti's history affected Yankton, which saw the Lewis and
Clark Expedition after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803,
Johnson said.

"Napoleon took about 20,000 troops to re-establish a colony
in Haiti, but the slaves were excellent warriors. Between
the slaves' guerilla tactics and diseases, the French were
losing forces," he said.

"After Napoleon conquered Haiti, he turned his attention to
New Orleans. But he sold (the Louisiana Purchase) when he
realized he could never control that large an area."

Haiti out-produced the U.S. colonies with its mahogany,
coffee, bananas and sugar cane, Johnson said.

"Then there was an uprising, and slaves killed the
plantation owners. They had lived under French brutality,
but then they did the same thing," he said.

"You see it time and again in Haiti's history. The current
president, Bertrand Aristide, and his government are
corrupt. But the Haitians see it as part of life."

The corruption creates a problem in securing foreign aid,
Johnson said.

"People do not trust giving money to Haiti because they
don't know if it will go where it can do the most good," he
said. "Catholic and Protestant missions fill gaps where the
government is not able, which prevents a huge catastrophe."

Haiti suffers devastating health problems and life
expectancy of 35-40 years, Johnson said.

"The HIV rate is 14 percent in the capital of
Port-au-Prince. Haitians also have a lot more
(tuberculosis) because of their poor immune systems," he
said.

"Even with those problems, their population is double what
it was 20 to 30 years ago because people are living
longer."

The longer life expectancy partially comes from reduced
infant deaths, Johnson said. "Haitians used to remove the
baby's umbilical cord, then take dirt or something from the
mother and rub it in the stump, which caused tetanus."

Haiti still suffers a large number of trauma injuries
caused by car accidents, along with many cases of parasites
and gonorrhea, he said.

While the missionaries were given the best accommodations,
Waters said the Haitians suffer from unsanitary conditions.

"People live in squalor and garbage," she said. "What saves
them is that goats and hogs are rooting in the garbage and
eating it."

In another custom, Haitian women carry a huge silver bowl
on their heads to transport children, food, a chair, soap
and market items. The women use the bowls so much that they
wear out the bottoms.

"The women had posture that was wonderful, and they were so
slender," Waters said. "When they got to the river, they
gave their babies baths and washed out their clothes. In
the village, they sold anything on the streets."

Haitians are trying to improve society through education,
which remains a privilege but their hope for a middle
class, Johnson said. Haiti also faces communications
problems, he said, with cell phones finally providing a way
to reach the U.S.

Despite the lack of material comforts, the missionaries
found spiritual wealth through open-air services and
sharing their faith, Waters said.

"We asked a doctor and his wife why they would give up his
lucrative practice and luxurious retirement to move to
Haiti," Waters said. "The wife said they got rid of their
possessions and never felt freer in their lives. You make a
living by what you get, but you make a life by what you
give."

Another mission could head to Haiti next February for
construction and medical work, Johnson said. In return,
Haitians give back so much more than material goods, he
said.

"Many more Haitians smile on the street than you see here,
and the Haitians have nothing. Their joy is based on
spirituality and the afterlife. They don't take much for
granted," he said.

"I was asked if these missions have changed me, and I would
have to say an unequivocal 'yes.' It has brought so much
joy to my life."

To contact Randy Dockendorf, e-mail him at
rdock@yankton.net.


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