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2009
2009
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Tim's Haiti
trip 2009
trip 2009
MY REWARD
I became acquainted with Tim Mastenbrook and his dedication to missions in
Haiti many years ago. A little over five years ago my wife, Kischa, enrolled our
family in his Karate class so that we might participate together in a healthy
activity. Over the years I have gotten to know Tim and have learned a great deal
more about Haiti and their struggles. (When you have regular sparring practice,
you get to know a guy when pretty well when he’s repeatedly punching you in the
nose, jaw, stomach, ribs… I do consider Tim to be a good friend and an excellent
mentor, even though he does beat me up from time to time. By the way,
husbands, if you want to find out what kind of a job you are doing at home,
engage in a Karate sparring match with your wife and you’ll find out really quickly
if you need to step it up a notch). The money generated in Tim’s school is used
to support the work of the Limbe church of Christ in Haiti, and Tim gives us
regular updates on his brother Pierre there as well as at the Center for Biblical
Training, which he helped establish near Cap-Haitien. Over time, the more I
learned about Tim’s mission work in Haiti the more I began to develop an interest
in going there myself. So last fall when Mark Walker told me he was planning to
go this February I decided the time had come for me as well.
Admittedly, I was a little nervous about going. It was a huge unknown. I’d never
been on a mission trip before. Tim began sending me information and a to-do
list: Typhoid vaccine…check; Mosquito spray…check; Malaria pills…check;
Imodium (with an exclamation point?!)……….check! I had also learned from
various talks with Tim that Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, if not
the poorest. I’ve heard it categorized as a fourth world country. Then the more I
researched on my own and reviewed the information that Tim was providing, I
began to realize how terrible a struggle the Haitian people actually endure.
Haiti’s population is thought to be right at 9 million people. It is 90% Catholic, but
half practice Voodoo. Both are nationally recognized religions. The life expectancy
is 57.5 years.
To help prepare me for the journey, Tim suggested that Kischa and I watch a
1986 documentary by Jacques Cousteau called “Waters of Sorrow”. It is aptly
named, and as you watch you find yourself becoming troubled by what you are
seeing. Cousteau offers a sobering glimpse into Haiti’s poverty and living
conditions. Seeing it did provide me with a readiness that I’m grateful to have
received.
Feb 6th finally came. I’d prepared well and I’d done my research, so I was
ready. Or so I thought. During the week I was in Haiti I kept a journal, so that I
could try and capture some of what I was feeling while I was there. I’d like to share
a portion of my very first entry, which I made about 3 hours after we arrived at the
CBT.
even determine for myself what I was feeling. But, thankfully, we got to work
right away and I was able to stop thinking and divert my attention to what we
were there to do.
For the rest of the week we spent our time on various benevolence projects. We
visited 23 congregations and orphanages; delivering 80 sacks beans and 43
sacks of rice at a total weight of 6 1/3 tons. We distributed 93 boxes of clothing.
In meeting all of the preachers we identified many other needs ranging from
building repairs to numerous issues facing the individual church members. We
visited many individual’s homes in the community and gave out countless gallon
size bags of beans and rice to the needy on the street. I had the privilege of
sitting in on a few meetings where different brothers individually presented their
most pressing personal needs, which was very special to me. The most difficult
part for me in all of that was that we simply never had enough food, clothing or
money to cover all that needed to be done. The needs are simply too great.
As the week progressed I noticed a cruel irony. Here I am on this island in the
Caribbean, and it is a beautiful place. I saw magnificent landscapes and
breathtaking views. On the way to Limbe, we stopped for lunch. From up high
on a mountain we had a gorgeous view of a huge bay; the ocean as far as you
could see off to the left, towering emerald mountains in the background, and a
lush, green valley below. The only thing I can compare it to is the many pictures
that I’ve seen of Hawaii. And there were may other places in Haiti just like it;
places that in most parts of the world would be filled with sailboats and Cruise
ships, golf courses; vigorously sought after vacation spots. Yet among these
beautiful sites are millions of Haitian people in desperate need.
I met numerous women and men who were sick and in pain, none of them
having any possible means by which to get medical attention. There were a
countless number of children who were only partially clothed, and many others who
wore no clothing at all. We visited an elderly man at his home. We were told that
he was very ill. As we walked up we found him resting quietly in a chair outside his
home. As his daughters and grandchildren came out through the doorway, we
noticed a recently purchased casket sitting just inside the door. He was
just sitting there waiting to die. We visited a man and wife and their 8 children; he
had asked us for our help because the house they were living in that only had half
a roof.
But the things that I saw that remain with me the most was in the Haitian people
themselves. I saw hope and love and kindness. I saw faith and courage and
perseverance.
Our group had the pleasure of interacting with many of the CBT graduates
and current students. These preachers are all very brave men who are strong in
Christ. I was awed at their love of God and their commitment to His work. Through
them God is blessing the people of Haiti and the church is thriving and growing
there. Because of their efforts in doing God’s work many people in their
communities are coming to Christ and are committing their lives to Him. Most of the
church buildings have serious structural issues. Sometimes there is no building in
which to meet. But as we know, the church is not a building.
We visited numerous Christian schools, where children are receiving excellent
educations, providing hope for a better future. They are being taught by kind,
serving teachers who often continue to work even though, much too often, the
money to pay their salaries is not there. Many of the preachers and CBT students
accompanied us as we visited their home congregations. And even though there
was never enough to meet everyone’s needs, they and their church members were
always humble and thankful. They were grateful for what God had provided them;
never unhappy for what had not been given. On these visits we were always met
with the utmost love and kindness, which included warm hugs from our Christian
brothers and sisters, and if we were lucky, hugs and kisses from the children.
I did lose some things while I was in Haiti. A pot hole in the road no longer
bothers me. I am content with the square footage of my house. I no longer gripe
that what I have to eat isn’t exactly what I have a taste for at the moment. My
concerns for the many things of this world that stand in the way of my relationship
with God are evaporating. My relationship with my family is even more important.
Excuses that stand in the way of my service to my fellow man are gone. Before we
left for Haiti, Tim offered to me this insight. He said, “On this trip God will work
through you and many Haitian people will be blessed, but when it’s over you will
find that you are the one who has been truly blessed.” How right he was!
Perhaps your view of this type of work is as mine once was; that mission work is
for special people and that they will take care of it. “Tim handles the Haiti
mission work” as I used to think. But guess what? If you are a follower of Christ,
it is for you, as it is for me. This week in Haiti was the most rewarding
experience I’ve ever had. And you should know that the blessings that God has
for people in need are more than Tim or I or any one of us can do alone. Our
prayers and financial support have been and always will be needed so that God’s
work can be done in places like Haiti. But if you really want to make a difference
in a place like Haiti, GO THERE! Experience what their lives are like every day.
Walk with them, love them and serve them by being there. What could be more
Christ-like that that?
I became acquainted with Tim Mastenbrook and his dedication to missions in
Haiti many years ago. A little over five years ago my wife, Kischa, enrolled our
family in his Karate class so that we might participate together in a healthy
activity. Over the years I have gotten to know Tim and have learned a great deal
more about Haiti and their struggles. (When you have regular sparring practice,
you get to know a guy when pretty well when he’s repeatedly punching you in the
nose, jaw, stomach, ribs… I do consider Tim to be a good friend and an excellent
mentor, even though he does beat me up from time to time. By the way,
husbands, if you want to find out what kind of a job you are doing at home,
engage in a Karate sparring match with your wife and you’ll find out really quickly
if you need to step it up a notch). The money generated in Tim’s school is used
to support the work of the Limbe church of Christ in Haiti, and Tim gives us
regular updates on his brother Pierre there as well as at the Center for Biblical
Training, which he helped establish near Cap-Haitien. Over time, the more I
learned about Tim’s mission work in Haiti the more I began to develop an interest
in going there myself. So last fall when Mark Walker told me he was planning to
go this February I decided the time had come for me as well.
Admittedly, I was a little nervous about going. It was a huge unknown. I’d never
been on a mission trip before. Tim began sending me information and a to-do
list: Typhoid vaccine…check; Mosquito spray…check; Malaria pills…check;
Imodium (with an exclamation point?!)……….check! I had also learned from
various talks with Tim that Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, if not
the poorest. I’ve heard it categorized as a fourth world country. Then the more I
researched on my own and reviewed the information that Tim was providing, I
began to realize how terrible a struggle the Haitian people actually endure.
Haiti’s population is thought to be right at 9 million people. It is 90% Catholic, but
half practice Voodoo. Both are nationally recognized religions. The life expectancy
is 57.5 years.
To help prepare me for the journey, Tim suggested that Kischa and I watch a
1986 documentary by Jacques Cousteau called “Waters of Sorrow”. It is aptly
named, and as you watch you find yourself becoming troubled by what you are
seeing. Cousteau offers a sobering glimpse into Haiti’s poverty and living
conditions. Seeing it did provide me with a readiness that I’m grateful to have
received.
Feb 6th finally came. I’d prepared well and I’d done my research, so I was
ready. Or so I thought. During the week I was in Haiti I kept a journal, so that I
could try and capture some of what I was feeling while I was there. I’d like to share
a portion of my very first entry, which I made about 3 hours after we arrived at the
CBT.
- 1:26pm –
The poverty is as prevalent as I’d imagined; probably worse. Upon leaving
the airport I was struck by the number of Haitians standing around looking for
hand-outs, work or something? On the drive to the CBT there were tons of
people, jammed together, doing mostly…nothing. Cap-Haitian looks exactly
like the Cousteau documentary on Port-Au-Prince...
even determine for myself what I was feeling. But, thankfully, we got to work
right away and I was able to stop thinking and divert my attention to what we
were there to do.
For the rest of the week we spent our time on various benevolence projects. We
visited 23 congregations and orphanages; delivering 80 sacks beans and 43
sacks of rice at a total weight of 6 1/3 tons. We distributed 93 boxes of clothing.
In meeting all of the preachers we identified many other needs ranging from
building repairs to numerous issues facing the individual church members. We
visited many individual’s homes in the community and gave out countless gallon
size bags of beans and rice to the needy on the street. I had the privilege of
sitting in on a few meetings where different brothers individually presented their
most pressing personal needs, which was very special to me. The most difficult
part for me in all of that was that we simply never had enough food, clothing or
money to cover all that needed to be done. The needs are simply too great.
As the week progressed I noticed a cruel irony. Here I am on this island in the
Caribbean, and it is a beautiful place. I saw magnificent landscapes and
breathtaking views. On the way to Limbe, we stopped for lunch. From up high
on a mountain we had a gorgeous view of a huge bay; the ocean as far as you
could see off to the left, towering emerald mountains in the background, and a
lush, green valley below. The only thing I can compare it to is the many pictures
that I’ve seen of Hawaii. And there were may other places in Haiti just like it;
places that in most parts of the world would be filled with sailboats and Cruise
ships, golf courses; vigorously sought after vacation spots. Yet among these
beautiful sites are millions of Haitian people in desperate need.
I met numerous women and men who were sick and in pain, none of them
having any possible means by which to get medical attention. There were a
countless number of children who were only partially clothed, and many others who
wore no clothing at all. We visited an elderly man at his home. We were told that
he was very ill. As we walked up we found him resting quietly in a chair outside his
home. As his daughters and grandchildren came out through the doorway, we
noticed a recently purchased casket sitting just inside the door. He was
just sitting there waiting to die. We visited a man and wife and their 8 children; he
had asked us for our help because the house they were living in that only had half
a roof.
But the things that I saw that remain with me the most was in the Haitian people
themselves. I saw hope and love and kindness. I saw faith and courage and
perseverance.
Our group had the pleasure of interacting with many of the CBT graduates
and current students. These preachers are all very brave men who are strong in
Christ. I was awed at their love of God and their commitment to His work. Through
them God is blessing the people of Haiti and the church is thriving and growing
there. Because of their efforts in doing God’s work many people in their
communities are coming to Christ and are committing their lives to Him. Most of the
church buildings have serious structural issues. Sometimes there is no building in
which to meet. But as we know, the church is not a building.
We visited numerous Christian schools, where children are receiving excellent
educations, providing hope for a better future. They are being taught by kind,
serving teachers who often continue to work even though, much too often, the
money to pay their salaries is not there. Many of the preachers and CBT students
accompanied us as we visited their home congregations. And even though there
was never enough to meet everyone’s needs, they and their church members were
always humble and thankful. They were grateful for what God had provided them;
never unhappy for what had not been given. On these visits we were always met
with the utmost love and kindness, which included warm hugs from our Christian
brothers and sisters, and if we were lucky, hugs and kisses from the children.
I did lose some things while I was in Haiti. A pot hole in the road no longer
bothers me. I am content with the square footage of my house. I no longer gripe
that what I have to eat isn’t exactly what I have a taste for at the moment. My
concerns for the many things of this world that stand in the way of my relationship
with God are evaporating. My relationship with my family is even more important.
Excuses that stand in the way of my service to my fellow man are gone. Before we
left for Haiti, Tim offered to me this insight. He said, “On this trip God will work
through you and many Haitian people will be blessed, but when it’s over you will
find that you are the one who has been truly blessed.” How right he was!
Perhaps your view of this type of work is as mine once was; that mission work is
for special people and that they will take care of it. “Tim handles the Haiti
mission work” as I used to think. But guess what? If you are a follower of Christ,
it is for you, as it is for me. This week in Haiti was the most rewarding
experience I’ve ever had. And you should know that the blessings that God has
for people in need are more than Tim or I or any one of us can do alone. Our
prayers and financial support have been and always will be needed so that God’s
work can be done in places like Haiti. But if you really want to make a difference
in a place like Haiti, GO THERE! Experience what their lives are like every day.
Walk with them, love them and serve them by being there. What could be more
Christ-like that that?
- -David Moore
2/27/09
Below is an account of the
trip from David Moore, a
first-time visitor.
trip from David Moore, a
first-time visitor.