Sometime
after returning from South Africa, I found a HAFF newsletter that
told about a need of someone to teach sciences in Haiti to the Van
Schoyck young people, Gabi and Zach. I said to myself, "I can do
that!" and promptly sent off a letter to Bonnie Price, HAFF's
administrator. After coming back from my trip to visit my family, I
received their acceptance of me, despite my age. But before I went to
Haiti, I visited Mary Jo in her home in Englewood (60 miles north of
Cape Coral). I found her so ill with the new more powerful chemo her
doctor had prescribed, that I immediately ran the doctor down (he had
several offices), and asked to bring her to him right then. As soon
as he saw her condition he arranged for her to be accommodated at the
local hospital, and I took her there right away. That was late in the
week before I was to go to Haiti. I postponed the start of my
teaching for one week, and moved into Mary Jo's home, so I could
spend as much time as possible with her while she was in the
hospital. I went to her room every day as soon as she could have
visitors, and we reminisced of old times and played a lot of Russian
bank. We also discussed what happens after death. Can we believe the
promises in the Bible that those God has redeemed will go to Heaven?
Both of us were completely convinced that those promises were true,
and God had redeemed us. This sounds egotistical, but the Bible tells
us in several places that we can indeed be certain of our salvation.
On the final Monday morning, I had to wait until noon to see her for
the last time as she was having liver surgery to provide drainage
blocked by the fast-growing cancer. I felt I could start for Haiti
that day only when Chuck Balch told me that he was going to take her
to his own home in Annapolis for Carol to care for her until she
died, which he predicted would be in less than six weeks. He was
right — she died on October 16th. A memorial service was held
for her (see below) in Chuck's church in Annapolis at the end
of the month, and I came out from Haiti and drove up to Annapolis to
attend it.Mary Jo was by far the closest friend I had in this life, and her quick death stunned me more than Mary Charlotte's death had nearly four years earlier. Now I was really alone in my generation, because Margaret was being cared for by her daughter Lynne in New York City, where she died five months later on March 7th, 2004.
Greg
and and his son Zach (see left) were on hand to meet me, and
kept me company for the usual hour of clearing customs in a
jammed-pack very hot room. From Cap Haitien one reaches Bohoc, 42
miles south, on one of the roughest roads in the world, including a
river to be forded (see right) when not too high after a heavy
rain. The trip takes four hours (or more). The trip to Bohoc in a
truck was uneventful, but I felt I traveled more vertically than I
did horizontally.
My
present home was one of six missionary family houses, which in 2000
had (almost) no plumbing and electricity for only part of the day. In
2003 we had electricity for 24 hours a day through a battery-powered
inverter, with the batteries charged each morning from the schol
generator. The john was in an out-house about 25 yards distant, and a
cold shower was available in an attached "bath" room. I had
my own personal cook, Madame Resius (see right), who also
bought my food (with my money) and kept the place clean. She fed me
well the nine months (more or less) that I lived there. Her wages,
high for Haiti, were $15 a six-day week.
My
teaching job got under way immediately. I had high school sophomore
Zach (see left, studying with his mother) for three subjects:
"advanced" math, chemistry, and physics. High school senior
Gabi (see right, the smudges were intentional) attended
physics only. We had textbooks especially prepared for home
schooling, which included problems, tests, and experiments (physics
and chemistry). We had each subject three times a week, so there were
never more than two classes in any one day. Both young people were
extremely bright and industrious as well. It was a delight to teach
them. Because they were faithful in doing all "homework",
they were quick to understand each new item of study, and over the
year I was able to add approximately 50% to the content of each
subject. In math, for instance, I covered the rudiments of
differential and integral calculus, which I took in college, with
Zach.In physics, we went into the theory behind modern appliances
such as radio, television, computers, and even power generation and
distribution. In chemistry, whose text was strictly inorganic
chemistry, I covered a lot of organic chemistry including some that
went on in a living cell.
I
had planned to come out for two weeks after the first two weeks, as I
wasn't sure that I would have all I would need on a permanent stay.
And Will wanted me to visit him in Little Rock AR, where his family
then lived. I had no longer been back two weeks when I had to come
out again to attend Mary Jo's memorial service. Here I had a chance
to bond more closely with Chuck (see left) and Carol (see
right). All of Mary Jo's grandchildren and great-grandchildren
were present, as was Margaret and Lynne. Also the Henney family was
well represented. It was a mini family reunion and though a sad
occasion, it was good to be associated with these kinfolk once again.
The
ladies who presided over the activities at HAFF are shown at left.
From left to right. they are: Paige Motis, wife of Dr. Motis, who is
the ECHO representative at HAFF; the ECHO intern, gaining experience
for her third world career; Connie Curilla, who was practically
running the place alone before the Van Schoycks came in 1994, and
still participates in about everything going on at HAFF: and Barb Van
Schoyck, who manages the school staff, and conducts many ministries
among the ladies in the surrounding towns. The gentleman on the right
is Met Gabrielle, the principal of the school, with responsibility
for insuring compliance with Haiti's educational requirements,
discipline, oversight of teachers, and teaching some classes
himself.
A
major ministry is conducted for visiting teams of persons from
churches, medical teams, veterinary teams, pastors, etc., who come to
HAFF usually for one week and are housed and guided by the local
staff to perform whatever ministry they are engaged in, usually
requiring an interpretor as well. Many of the professional people
come back year after year to minister to the local population. Greg
is usually the one who travels that horrible 42 miles to return the
latest visiting team, and fetch the new one. When not busy doing a thousand
and one other things, Greg busies himself in new construction, in
this case, as shown above on left and right, preparing to more than
double the size of the dining porch for visitors, and the kitchen as
well.
Another
activity which has been a boon to the local women, many of whom have
little shops in nearby Pignon where they offer beautiful crafts and
linens. Barb thought of setting up a little store at HAFF, called
"vandolit," where these women's products could be bought by
visiting team members. Here on the left we see Harry and Jane
Volckner from ECHO making their selections. At the right you can see
some of the beautiful quilts the women make, which may be bought at
the store. I spent quite a few hours setting up the inventory and
price list for over one hundred such vendors.