The Best of Times - The Worst of Times

Mission to Haiti – November 21, 2010

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”  This quote from “ATale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens is something like what we are experiencing this week in Haiti.  Last Saturday we had the best of times as we attended the wedding of one of the professors at the Emmaus Biblical Seminary and now we are experiencing the worst of times as the cholera epidemic seems to grow each day; the violence associated with the coming election escalates; and, people react to the latest rumours linked to the spread of cholera by demonstrating to show their frustration.  To say the least these are interesting times.



Lucner and Luna Pierre

 Before talking of other things let us share with you the wedding that we attended in Cap Haitien.  It was something not unlike what you might see in any church in North America with some minor exceptions starting with the time.  The wedding was to start at 9:00 a.m. but didn’t actually start until 10:00.  Our weddings last something in the neighbourhood of 45 minutes to an hour.  This wedding went on for just under two hours.  Where we might have one soloist this wedding had two full choirs, three smaller choral groups, and the bride, once the exchanging of vows and rings had taken place, then sang a solo to her new husband.  Notwithstanding what was going on outside the church, we had a beautiful bride, a nervous groom, and a wedding that will be remembered by all who attended for many years to come including the 3 kisses the presiding minister insisted on.  The reception was held in the upper level of 4VEH, the Christian radio station operated by OMS just down the road from the Vaudreuil compound.  Announcements were made in several churches that everyone in the congregation was welcome to attend.  Our estimation of those seeking refreshment was close to 400.  We went but did not stay.

The cholera epidemic is currently driving so much of what is going on in Haiti.  The numbers of dead and infected continue to grow. Last week we were talking 500 dead and 7,000 infected; this week we are talking in excess of 1,000 dead and 17,000 infected, and these are just the reported cases.  There is little or no light at the end of the tunnel with the UN saying that upwards of 200,000 may become infected.  John was talking with a doctor who is visiting with a work team from Hamilton this week who feels that with simple rules of sanitation and hygiene such as the boiling of water and the washing of hands cholera could be avoided.  The problem remains one of how do you solve what is almost unsolvable.  Human waste runs down open gutters, and washing of hands would be perpetual because in Haiti, a very social country culturally, the shaking of hands and kissing of cheeks are what everyone does upon meeting someone. 



Church Sunday morning



What this all means in terms of deaths is something too unsettling to even contemplate.  Rumours are rampant.  Earlier this week we were told that a young man from the edge of Saccenville had died of cholera.  Today we find that it was not a young man but rather a man too young to have died, and rather than cholera he had a heart attack.  But the fear and anxiety is such that something like this serves to panic the community.  Yesterday we heard that seven children were killed when the UN fired tear gas at or nearby a school.  Today we find out that this did not happen as described. The truth is anybody’s guess, but again, it is another sign of the tension that currently exists in the community.  We are told that with the election less than two weeks away that many of the manifestations (demonstrations) rather than being spontaneous are planned by various political factions to foster fear and hatred toward the UN forces that are maintaining law and order along with the Haitian police.  And we now learn that most, if not all, candidates for President are promising that if elected they will make it a priority to get the UN out of Haiti.  While this is only my opinion, I do not think Haitians realize that if the UN leaves so would most of the aid money promised by governments to assist in the rebuilding of Haiti following the earthquake.  Rightly or wrongly government in Haiti is still seen as being among the most corrupt in the western hemisphere if not the world, and Haitians themselves have no trust in their government or its ability to deliver on its promises.  On Sunday morning the pastor was speaking out about the election and politicians and you could almost hear the hisses and boos from the congregation.

However, our oasis of calm, the seminary, is still very much in operation as most of our students are housed here during the week.  Some who live nearby commute but for the most part our student body is here, our visiting professors are here, and life goes on at least at the Emmaus Biblical Seminary.  What is somewhat eerie is the lack of traffic on the highway outside the main gate of the seminary.  Normally we hear the constant rumble of trucks, buses and tap-taps but today at the time of writing all is quiet.  As we sat doing our devotions today we remarked at the silence and how it is a bell weather of what is happening in Cap Haitien where the schools and banks are closed, and roadblocks of burning tires and abandoned cars litter the roads.  We are told that everything is to end on Thursday, a national holiday in Haiti, so perhaps the noisy traffic we are so use to will return at week’s end.  

From our These Days devotional book the highlighted verse today was, “Be prepared to endure everything with patience.”  Colossians 1:11.  This has been our unspoken motto since we arrived and continues to be so during this time of upheaval in Haiti.  Please pray for Haiti specifically this week that there will be major intervention to stem the spread of cholera, and that during this upcoming election things will stabilize and those elected will serve the people and also be governed by Christian principles.

The peace of Christ be with you.
Dorothy and John