Winter 2002
Each trip to Haiti has its own joys and its challenges. Our February
trip to Ouanaminthe was no exception. During the wintertime, we
normally take a small group of volunteers since our Aslan teens
are in school This time, however, we were able to obtain permission
for Alexus to leave Long Branch High School long enough to go with
us. In addition to Alexus, Dustin Bogard (the son of Aslan founders
Lynn Ann and Craig Bogard) also returned with us for this sixth
trip to Haiti. Craig Bogard, Joe Atkins, Colleen Ward, and her friend,
Paul Mayette, rounded out the team. After flying into Port-au-Prince,
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) ferried us to Ouanaminthe in two
planes. The trip across the mountains in a small 5-seater Cessna
is always an experience to remember! Once we landed on the grass
landing strip outside Ouanaminthe, we were greeted by adults and
kids and then transported into the city by pickup truck.
The pastor who we stayed with had taken in Nadesh, a young girl
who lost her leg as a baby in a motorcycle accident. It is sad enough
to see children in Haiti with both legs. It is doubly sad to see
a child for which there is almost no hope whatsoever. If you cannot
fetch water or work you are considered “expendable”
in a place like Haiti. Fortunately, this pastor was willing to give
this little girl a place to live. This illustrates again how very,
very difficult life is in an extremely poor country like Haiti!
A highlight of this trip to Haiti was a 4-hour long trip south
of Oanaminthe to Mango, deep into the mountains. The trip was supposed
to take only 2 hours, but the truck we were literally crammed into
like sardines, got stuck trying to forge a small river. After almost
2 hours of cutting down small trees with machetes, moving rocks
behind the tires and pushing, the truck made it across the small
creek bed and up the very steep hill on the other side. We all climbed
back in the small quarters for the remainder of the trip to Mango.
Once there, we walked along narrow mountain paths and across 2 streams
until we arrived to find hundreds of Haitians inside and outside
a small concrete church building. Everything stopped while the Americans
were properly seated at the front of the church. Afterwards, we
were all treated to a traditional Haitian meal of rice, beans, fruits
and vegetables before the long ride home. It was so inspiring to
see these beautiful people worshipping wall-to-wall inside this
tiny church building with sweat dripping down (especially from the
Americans). No carpet, padded seats and air-conditioning here --
just people desiring to encounter the living God, in the midst of
their very difficult lives.
While in Ouanaminthe, we visited the ever-growing Institution Univers
school started in Ouanaminthe by Hugues Bastion. Hugues immigrated
to America in his early teens and he eventually became an American
citizen. After graduating with his degree in civil engineering,
he anticipated a life of prosperity in the US. God, however, had
other plans and instructed Hugues to return to Ouanaminthe, his
boyhood town, to start a school for Haitian children. And what a
school this is becoming! Before long, it will be one of the most
beautiful and prestigious schools in all of Haiti. Hugues’
standards are high, and as a man of great faith, he has a wonderful
vision for the future!
Spring 2002
Aslan’s Spring 2002 trip to Haiti was the beginning
of a whole new era for our work there. We earnestly began searching
for land to build a true home there for Aslan. The seeds for this
dream had actually been planted on our first trip to Haiti in 1996.
From the moment we stepped out of the First World into the Fourth,
we knew that something very special was taking place in the vision
that God had placed in out hearts. An entirely new area of ministry
was opening up before our eyes.
Some might wonder why I have referred to Haiti as the Fourth World.
This term is being used more and more to describe nations like Haiti.
A First World country is, of course, a highly industrialized nation
like the United States, Japan, and much of Europe. A Second World
country is one like Russia or Mexico that is a mixture of industrialization
and poverty. Most Second World nations have a good deal of natural
resources and the ability to export products. Then come Third World
countries like the Dominican Republic, much of Central America,
parts of Asia and other poorer countries. Although many of these
nations have natural resources and the ability to export products,
their governments are often unstable. They are, however, still developing
nations. A Fourth World country like Haiti is one with very low
per capita income (only $1 per day or less in Haiti), little expectation
of economic growth, few or no natural resources, and almost nothing
to export (and little ability to export). Countries like Haiti usually
have a very unstable government and almost no hope without outside
assistance. Haiti is, in fact, now considered one of the four poorest
countries on earth, with one of the lowest calorie and protein intakes
per individual on earth!
On this visit, we began to realize that purchasing land inside
the city of Ouanaminthe could be very expensive --especially for
Americans. In fact, we drew quite a crowd on the West side of Ouanaminthe
where a local pastor wanted to lease us a desolate piece of property.
Realizing that we were being taken advantage of, we politely declined
and began to widen our search a bit by looking outside Ouanaminthe.
We found some beautiful property some 2 - 3 miles south of Ouanaminthe
near Dousman, although we could readily see that this particular
land might present problems for building because of the rises and
drops in elevation. Access to the land was also difficult -- both
from the Dousman side and from the road between Ouanaminthe and
Capotitle. It was a good start, however, on our search for a permanent
home for Alan in Haiti.
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