Do you really think we have time to play tennis? Absoliman pa (absolutely not)! This is a wonderful, useful invention made here in Haiti, it is a mosquito zapper! It is a battery operated racket that zaps the mosquitos on contact. For this kind of activity we always need to find time.
On Sunday, November 18 we were invited by our new friend, Clobert, to participate in the Eucharist with members of the Neocatchumenal Way. It was a joyous celebration and we look forward to joining the community again as we share in walking the way of the new evangelization.
On Friday, November 16 we met with Bishop Launay Saturne to discuss our coming to Jacmel. After our meeting with him he took us to various sites for our future living accommodations and mission. One of the sites was the youngest and poorest parish in the Diocese, called St. Yves. The worship space is a tent and the pastor lives in a small rented house. We saw many opportunities for Felician presence in this area that has many needs.
The Bishop showed us land that is owned by the Diocese that the Polish Haiti Foundation will be building a future school. It is was a special joy for Sister Inga to hear that her homeland has a generous heart for the people of Haiti.
On the way back Yvon met with a friend who owns a papaya plantation. We had never seen anything like this, papaya everywhere. They were very tasty.
On the way back to Port au Prince, young people were getting out of school at 5 p.m. It was already dark. These teens have to walk miles back to their homes. Joseph, who always offers those he sees walking someplace a ride in the back of his pick-up truck, told the kids to get in, we had 9 in all. As soon as we started up the mountain it began to rain. It was a downpour and these kids got soaked. But at least they did not have to walk in it.
Monday through Friday, from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. we have our Creole language class with our teacher, Sabestien. Our homework time is 2-3 more hours of study. We understand what students go through because we too look forward to the weekend.
We have Felician Haiti Mission Christmas cards available. For a donation of $20.00 you will receive 10 Haiti Christmas cards (see below). These cards can also be offered in your parish or ministry with all proceeds going to support the Felician Haiti Mission.
To order packets of cards, contact the Felician Sisters Publications Office at: communications@feliciansisters.org.
Please note: the Christmas cards are available in Polish upon request. If you have any questions, contact the Publications Office at 734-742-2131 or by email.
We are grateful to Sister Mary Francis Lewandowski, CSSF, Director of Internal Communications and Felician Publications who designed our card.
On Monday evening above our house, embracing us was the sign of God’s covenant. We are seeing rainbows everywhere these days.
Our plan was to return on Friday, November 9 from Jèrèmie to Port-au-Prince. Don and Dan were leaving on Saturday to return to the States. We started our journey after Mass and breakfast at 6:45 a.m. During the night there were very high winds, but we didn’t think much about it. When we left Jèrèmie it started to rain. We tried to find a place to buy bread for the journey but we could not find any. As we approached the mountains it began to rain harder. We had to drive slowly on slippery muddy rocky roads. Our prayers were becoming more and more intense. After three hours of driving we arrived in a small village called Duchity, and met a man who said that the river overflowed and could not be passed. We waited in the car in the village for 8 hours. During this time we decided to have something to eat so we found a Haitian village “restaurant” which Yvon told us is called “under the dog.” Don’t ask us what that really means because we have no idea. It was a very good dish of hot rice and beans, and eggplant with large pieces of fat. The fat we gave to the hungry dogs. There was a young American man we met from New York City, who was in Duchity for the week participating in a volunteer mission. His name was Martin and told us about the St. Michael’s Catholic Church that was down the road and invited us to wait there if we liked. But we decided to wait where the other trucks and vehicles were lined up to cross the river. (Martin is the young man in the pictures below in the yellow shirt.)
When we got close to the river we saw a red pick-up truck in the river. This truck past us earlier in the day. Thank God the people were able to get out of the truck. Some very large trucks were able to cross but one of them missed the bridge and got stuck leaning on its side. This was a scary site and people were stuck in the truck for hours and through the night. We learned that in this same exact place last May the river overflowed and a busload of people were caught in its rush and all 30 passengers drowned. The rain kept falling and it started to get dark and we knew we were going nowhere. We remembered Martin’s invitation to come to St. Michael’s Catholic Church. We decided to go there. Yvon is an incredible driver and even at night, with the dense fog we felt safe. When we got to the parish we met the volunteers who welcomed us. We were given a hot meal and beds to stay the night. Martin was indeed an angel we met earlier in the day who gave us an invitation that we would need to remember. If we didn’t hear about this place earlier we would have stayed the night in the car. Once again God’s providential care was with us.
Early in the morning at 6 a.m. with the rain still falling, we went again to the river to see if we could cross over. The truck was still stuck in the same place, but with the help of many people hanging on the side of our car to make it heavier we were able to cross over and make our way back to Port-au-Prince. On the way home through the mountains we saw 3 rainbows as the sun began to make its way through the clouds. This was a sign of God’s covenant and powerful presence in our lives. Don and Dan got to the airport on time.
When we arrived in Jèrèmie, Don had to meet with another co-worker from Madonna University who was participating in a mission with the Methodist Church community in Jèrèmie. Yvon took us to the Myriam Bethlehem Family, a religious community that we met last month while we were in Jèrèmie. We tried to contact the Sisters by phone but we never got an answer. We found out that their cell phone had been stolen. When we arrived at the convent we knocked on the door, when the Sisters saw us they yelled out our names and welcomed us. Here we experienced God’s tender loving care. The Sisters are known for their welcoming spirit and hospitality and we certainly experienced that the whole time we were with them.
They already had a houseful of guests. It is their mission to open the doors of their homes to receive persons wishing to be refreshed spiritually by participating in catechesis, prayer and community. This week they had 7 young adults sharing community and prayer.
We asked the Sisters if we could take a retreat day the next day. We had the opportunity for Mass, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration and faith sharing. In the evening we shared recreation with the whole group. It was truly an international experience of Haitians, French Canadians, Polish, and American.
We were blest to receive the grace of a welcoming spirit from this community once again.
We realize more and more how God is leading us, taking care of our souls, and teaching us more and more what is ours to do in our Felician mission in Haiti.
On Wednesday, November 7 early in the morning we began one the most prayer-filled and faith-filled journeys of our lives. We went with Yvon, Don and his brother Dan to Jeremie by Land Cruiser. You may remember that a month ago we had to fly to Jeremie. To travel by car to Jeremie there is only one road. This road is paved halfway, the rest is just a path through the rocky mountains. Because the rivers cut through the mountains during the rainy season the roads are often not accessible. We traveled along the Caribbean Sea, that starts on one side of the peninsula to the other side. The people were always ready to guide and help us get through the water when needed. When you get hungry your rest stops are by the side of the road with people selling sugarcane, bananas, and other fresh fruits.In the middle of our journey we met up with a broken down “Tap, Tap,” Haitian public transportation, that had been stranded for three days. The people had no food or water so we gave them what food and water we had with us.
Felician Sisters of North America Mission: Haiti 