DEACON SEES HIS MOST TROUBLED KI

DEACON SEES HIS MOST TROUBLED KIDS©

Seeing those little kids suffering like they are really hurts me. God knows I really love each and every one of those little fellows and I wish I could help them all.

If you have been there you will understand if not and you ever get a chance you will be in for a cultural shock. I have had the chance to visit and spend time in many countries. But none like Haiti.

The second you land at Port Au Prince air port and every time you step out of the Plane you are instantly overwhelmed. The smell of pollution in such a humid climate is almost more than you can bear.

The instant you leave the Air Port security gates you are overwhelmed with humanity, poor and starving people coming up to you with there hands out. The look in their eyes are haunting, you can actually see their desperation when asking you to let them help with your luggage or for money or any thing to help them get through another day.

The traffic when leaving the Air Port in route to your next flight is something to behold, I’ve seen traffic jams in my time but that ride will leave you with the impression that our traffic jams are actually joy rides. Horns blowing, people hollering and screaming at each other, showing each other signs with their hands, witnessing the game of chicken played out big time, and in about a mile I did not see a vehicle that didn’t have a dent or scrape showing that its driver had lost his small game of chicken.

At the MAF small air port you board your next flight on small planes piloted by a group of Missionaries who fly other Missionaries closer to there mission. Once in the air you immediately see first hand the deforested landscape, with all those small partials of land surrounded by cactus fences, and very few trees for miles. What trees you see are usually fruit trees. Sides of mountains eroded away, rivers filled in with the countries top soil. Some mountains have actually had their sides slide into valleys, It all happening because over several hundred years the people have used the trees lumber and to make charcoal for cooking fuel. The Island produces as far as I know no other kind of fuel. It has really gotten bad since they started several years ago digging up the roots also, those people and their country in desperate trouble.

After about 45 minutes flying time we were landing on a grass covered landing strip in a small community called Pignon, all this reminded me of my first plane ride as a child landing and taking off from our neighbors pasture.

And at the end of this small air strip sits our next mode of transportation, a several year old Toyota 4x4 truck bent and welded in many places, several shades of paint on fenders and doors, with the hood up getting that last minute check.

This truck was being loaded with six people’s entire luggage and 12 plastic 25 gallon containers, containing all the supplies we were taking to our school. Dental supplies donated by Dr. Larry Tilley and his fellow Dentist. New clothes and shoes for our very little fellows and their baby brothers and sisters, Personal hygiene supplies sent to them by Gordon Central High Schools Beta club. One of those containers held most of what I have called the world’s foremost used collection of match book size cars and heavy earth moving equipment that after some serious explaining to my best buddy Scotty Keener would be appreciated by our little fellows in Haiti if he would let us take and give them to little kids who had never had a match book car. When we gave them to the kids I was totally surprised when some of the kids were ask what they had and didn’t know. These little fellows knew what motor cycles and some of the cars were but not the heavy earth moving equipment. My pal with out any of our knowing had just helped teach a few little fellows new things about their world.

In back of that truck had to be also room for eight adults which would not be too bad if all the luggage and supplies wasn’t on board. Leg and feet room is all that is planned. This mode of transportation is expected and very economical. With our Gasoline prices escalating here we may learn a lot from them.

Finally we were on our twelve mile ride to the town of Ranquitte, Haiti where our school was located. Explaining why it took almost one and one half hours to get there would be almost impossible.

The truck was very seldom taken out of 4 wheel drive. The road was so bad that in places a few of the riders had to get out of the truck so it could clear the rocks and mud holes and they where there by the hundreds of them because of the latest rains. I have in my years been on I guess every kind of roads imaginable. The Haitians called it a road. I call it extremely rough terrain with the grass worn off.

When there was level ground or a flat place in the road our driver would stop the truck, open his door lean out of his seat look underneath checking for broken parts, listen to the motor and how smooth it was running, twice he stopped the truck got out change a spark plug or two that had failed to work efficiently, got back in the truck starting it, listen for a second smiled and then we were on our way again. He amazed me with his skills.

I remember thinking I sure do dread doing this in reverse in a few days which was not a very pleasant thought.

One and one half hours after starting our truck trip we arrived at Ms. Ivy Salomans home and what a joy it was to see her infectious smile again. I sure love that lady and know why she is known as the Mother Teresa of Haiti. She is surely a saint.

After hugs and the customary kisses on the cheek from Ivy and all her staff we started settling in to our new home where we would live in comfort for the next few days. A home you’re always made to feel like you are such a part of.

After the customary warning about the water, only drinking the water that had been boiled at Ivy’s house, brushing our teeth with sterilized water only not with the water we use for bathing or showers.

These warning puts you on a track that you have to keep on, like don’t go bare footed because of the worms, keeping bug repellant on to keep the mosquitoes away and the threat of malaria, continually keeping aware of clean hands, drinking plenty of water so you won’t become dehydrated in the countries high heat and humidity. A warning I had to continually remind my self of because my legs would let me know with aching muscles.

Before you realize it you are part of very unfamiliar world. Having to develop a different mind set knowing you will become ill in a short time if you don’t always keep conscious of that fact.

I could hardly wait to talk with Roger Honore our School administrator. He is such an honorable man I considered a very trusted friend, with a heart as big as all of Haiti. I knew he would have several things for us to help him complete on this trip and I knew our crew was eager to get started helping. We had several plans of our own we wanted to get accomplished and only a few days to get all this done.

The first thing we had planned was for the school visit to see all the sixty kids, especially our new 3 year olds and to take the school supplies that Gordon Centrals Beta club had sent.

Before we got to the school we passed the community well that was a blessing from The Calhoun First Baptist and The Calhoun First Methodist Churches. A group of Parents were there getting water. We ask through our Interrupter what they thought about the well, I don’t understand the Creole language but when they were told we were the ones, who helped get them the well, they let us know in a hurry with pats on the backs and some of the widest smiles you can imagine that they appreciated clean water and that they didn’t have to carry water they use for long distance in buckets. I felt pretty good my self seeing the kids use the well and knowing what bridges we had to cross to get it there. Roger told us he opens the well at 7 o’clock in the morning and closes it at 4 o’clock in the evening. He informed us he chains and padlocks it to keep vandals from destroying it. I stood there wishing all those people in our two Churches could be here to see what they have done for these people and that if all our plans work out maybe soon a few can.

As we were approaching the school we could hear the kids singing. I have been teaching kids to sing for years and hearing my kids sing I can tell when a group was putting their hearts in to their singing and these kids were wonderful, those little three, four and five year old fellows harmony was beautiful, the sound of a large chorus of very happy children will get my attention in a hurry.

All three classes were doing well. It was very rewarding to see many of the supplies we had taken the last time being used and on the walls. The first time any of us visited the school they had nothing on their walls that would cause a kid think they were in a school. We saw Tolbert Elementary School supplies still in use and in one cabinet there was some of Calhoun Elementary schools personal hygiene supplies.

One of the things that all of a sudden I remembered being told in the beginning was that there was no funds to purchase any kind of school related supplies and that we would have to try to supply them. These are the kids from families that were completely desolate that were barely able to keep the family from starving much less paying to educate their children.

Our little Calhoun Pre School is now in our community’s hands, we have told the Roi Community we would try to keep our commitment to help them. The people who are sponsoring one of our childen will be helping us tremendously keep our promise to the school and its families.

We have been able this year to pay our teachers and help feed our kids. Thanks to a special lady from Calhoun First United Methodist Church who had a vision and ask the Church to find ways to help kids who were struggling to find a way to succeed. I know there are a small group of little fellows that will enter the Haiti State Schools this year with a chance they would never have had with out her. If only more people would have that kind of loving heart and that kind of foresight. A lot more of our own troubled kids would have a chance to succeed in life. God has permitted me to see many programs that work and unfortunately to see many that failed. If we remember to keep our focus on this Haiti program it should work but will have to be monitored constantly.

We already knew that the meals were helping save our little fellows lives and was told that some of the children that were showing signs of malnutrition are now improving.

We as a Community have a Pre-school we can be proud of with trusted people seeing that our commitments there are carried out.

We have now established a Savings account in Cap Haitian, Haiti that will dispense our funds as directed. And with Ivy Saloman and our school administrator Roger Honore are the only ones who can access the account.

We had a State Pre School evaluator from Cap Haitian to visit our School for three days to give us advice and help us develop long range plans. The Lady was very thorough and was surprised at what we had accomplished so far. She was very appreciative of the commitment we were making.

We met with the parents of the communities mentally and physically Handicapped children to see what their thoughts were about a school for their kids and if a chance came some day could the physically handicapped children get to school. I for the first time in all my time spent working on our school project in Haiti felt in my element, those Mothers and Grand Mothers were the same as the ones I have dealt with for so many years here in the states. I could feel the same kind of love in that Little Adventist Church in Haiti a couple of Wednesdays ago that I have thanked the Lord many times for permitting me to feel and be around here. Those Haitian Mothers have an innocence that is obvious and a love for their little people is infectious. Those precious little fellows with Gods help we will give a few of them a chance to learn to read. And as I have mentioned to so many times what I was told by our Mentor Mrs. Ivy Saloman. I will never forget it because that statement really got my attention, “Deacon Listen to me don’t even think past teaching almost all those babies to read. They and their family’s lives are so hopeless with no future to even think about, if they learn to read and they read their bibles they will find hope where there has been none and find that God through Jesus has provided a wonderful future for them”. I still get very humble when I think of what Mrs. Ivy told me. I doubt any of us have ever been where our Haitian friends are or ever will be.

I have for the most part of my life been working with troubled children and thought I had seen about any thing that could trouble a child. That was before I saw what is happening to the children of Haiti. The ones we are helping now and the ones we haven’t seen yet. The Handicapped kids there have been dealt a tough hand and unless we or some one else helps them they will definitely loose. They are literally starving to death and will continue starving until they become very weak when disease or something else takes their lives. I saw several little fellows with Down syndrome at the Church and on the roads that looked very weak and I’m afraid they could be gone when we return in a few weeks. Those little fellows kind of trouble over shadows most all the trouble I’ve seen children here have.

I know we have to continue to focus and to concentrate our Groups efforts on that small part of Haiti. We can’t focus on the deprivation and hopelessness that is rampant in that community and country that’s so bad and could take away our effectiveness. My heart goes out to those little fellows and their families. Seeing those little kids suffering like they are really hurts, God knows I love each and every one those little fellows and wish I could help all of them.

I along with a group of friends have formed THE GROUP INC. that is a 501-C3 tax exempt organization and among other things we have planned for our community troubled people we are supporting our Calhoun Pre School in Haiti. We have been accepting sponsors for our 60 kids; we are just in the beginning stages of asking for financial support. We have many more trips to make to Haiti and will need financial help getting our Missionaries to and from our work. We need to start implementing our long range goals; I can say I am really excited about some of those goals, and making sure the wishes of our contributors are carried out. We can sure use any financial support any one can offer.

I have no doubt that our communities Churches, Schools, Civic Organizations, and individuals could make a long time commitment to help those little fellows and their families that would change their lives for ever.

The mission Pre School in Haiti is our own Gordon County, Georgia effort that is not affiliated with any other agencies and we as a community can make sure we can make a difference in the lives of a small community called Roi, Haiti and give a small group of children a future they would never have dreamed about. Those people sure need our help.

We have supporters available to speak to groups that are interested in helping with our Communities Mission in Haiti. We can be contacted at The Groups phone # 706-629-5577 or by mail at The Group Inc. 980 Sugar Valley Rd. N.W. Calhoun Ga. 30701.

background music "Closer Walk Medley" by Margie Harrell