What a Week!!!

October 30, 2017 Posted by Jocelyn Pitman

What a week it has been! I have been here for two weeks and I have learned and done countless things I have never done before!

The kids had exams all last week and have this week off, so teachers can work on report cards and such. We are all happy to have Keith and Joan back here with us.

We took a trip to St. Marc on Thursday to do two necessary items. Road trips here are always an adventure and you never know what you’re going to see. This trip was, thankfully, uneventful (for the most part) and we returned home safe and sound.

St Marc road trip. All tires on this vehicle were extremely wobbly.

Enroute to St. Marc

In the afternoon we had some Canadian visitors come to see us. It was a wonderful visit. They belonged to a group ‘Friends of HAS’ (the hospital in the area). A few of them had been to HATS a couple of times before, the last being five years ago, and wanted to see the kids. They brought valuable things for our school students – as they have done each time they came, a picture of the kids from the last time they visited, everyone has grown so much, and two pictures of them with Karen’s brothers they had met in Newfoundland. Karen gave them the grand tour of the expanded school, church, and compound. When it was time to leave, we loaded everyone, and I mean everyone, into the truck and drove them back to the house they were staying at. We had about 23 people piled into our little pickup truck, it was a tight fit but a lot of fun. It was a regular passenger load by Haitian standards!

Our visitors and our kids

Fun time with Canadian visitors to the area

Truck extremely filled inside and out

On Friday Karen, Magalie, Dickieson, and I went up to the hospital close by, to sort out a prescription for one of the kids. The first time I had gone to that hospital was my first trip here in 2015 and it absolutely broke my heart. Not much has changed. There are newly painted walls and new flooring down, in some areas. Some men were doing construction work while we were there. But there are still patients lined up on stretchers in the hallway, people crowded on all the benches just waiting to see a doctor. The sight of some of the patients in there is enough to break anyone’s heart. There is no privacy, the only bathroom some of them have to use is a white metal bucket under their beds. There are no privacy screens, so you do what you have to do and no seems to think anything of it. Small sickly babies screaming as their mothers try to console them. People crowded in a room just to get their medical files sorted out. There is just not enough room and certainly not enough doctors or nurses to make the situation better. It certainly makes a person thankful for what we have back in Canada. We may complain about our healthcare system, but we are so blessed and don’t even realize it. We take so much for granted, myself included. Visits to the hospital are just a reminder of how much God has blessed us with back home.

We enjoyed a long walk as the sun rose on Saturday morning, it is always breathtaking, and the beauty of Haiti amazes me all the time. The compound is between two mountains and I love watching the sun rise and set over them. We actually enjoyed a quiet relaxing morning, after a walk of one and half hours. With tired legs Karen and I each had a book in hand and a cup of chai tea for her and coffee for me. It was lovely, while it lasted. In the afternoon the kids watched a movie while Karen and I went around to check on a few things around the compound and over at the school and church where clean-up was being done. We try to squeeze in office work wherever and whenever we can. There are always lots of little things to be done and it’s always a never-ending list.

Beautiful morning sky with beautiful Leica and Karena

Keith built a wider ramp for Ti Fi’s wheelchair, so on Sunday we wheeled her in the back of the truck and brought her over to the church for the service. She was smiling and waving, you could tell she was proud. (Karen wants to teach her the royal wave.) It was a lot easier on her than trying to drag her legs up the stairs and sit on the bench. We all walked over to the church with arms full of drums, tambourines, water jugs, Bibles, cups, and an assortment of other things. The music was loud, and upbeat, and wonderful.

Ti Fi back at the girl’s home

I love services at HATS in Haiti. Back home we often just stay in our seats, arms at our side, mouthing the words at best. Here we have children jumping all around, hands clapping, feet stomping, drums pounding, all while everyone is singing their heart out in praise. I don’t always know what they’re saying but they sure know how to worship. I spoke the message again this week, with Karen translating, and keeping with my home churches theme from the last month, I spoke about how we are ordinary people serving an extraordinary God. The children connected well with the story of David and how he was chosen even though he was the youngest of his family and not as big as his older brothers. The children learned how David fought Goliath, not with sword and spear, but with the power of God on his side. We finished up church with some very joyful music and headed back home.

Off to church we go

HATS kids singing in church

Our worship leaders this morning

We heated up some lunch and began to make our plan for the afternoon; a good plan for Sunday family day – have a rest, play games with the kids, enjoy the day. Sundays are quiet, relaxing, restful… oh wait, we’re in Haiti, never mind! JJ soon runs in to tell us there is no water in the children’s home. Turns out there was no water going to the compound at all. So, we climbed up to the water tower, checked the tanks, right no water. Keith did lots of checking then we decided to wait for the one who would know, or quickly figure out, the problem, Mr HATS-Haiti, i.e. Luckner.

Luckner is our electrical (and everything else) guy but he won’t be able to look at it for a couple of days. We knew we’re going to need water for cooking, cleaning, drinking, bathing, etc. so we grabbed a big barrel out of the depot, three brand new garbage bins, four 5 gallon water containers, and three buckets, loaded them all up in the truck and drove down to Luckner’s house. We filled everything and slowly and carefully made our way back to the compound. We unloaded most of the buckets, keeping the big barrel on the truck. We will likely have to do this a few times. Hopefully we’ll have the situation solved soon! Never a dull moment around here!

At Luckner’s filling everything we could find at HATS

Yay, more water

~Jocelyn

About Jocelyn Pitman

Jocelyn Pitman was born in a small town on the East Coast of Canada. She always had a desire to serve people and enjoyed helping in her church and at home with her family but never really looked beyond the small town of Yarmouth. In April of 2015, she traveled to HATS for the first time and fell in love with the country and people. After returning in December 2016, it was clear that God wanted her there longer than a week. After much prayer and guidance, Jocelyn returned in October 2017 to begin a six-month term. When home in Yarmouth, Jocelyn is actively involved in her church, serving on the mission’s board, and doing fundraisers for HATS.

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Testimonials

I spent a week in Haiti at HATS in November 2017 and it was a wonderful experience. Karen is an amazing woman and is doing amazing work. She is dedicated to the children in her care and is changing lives. I would love the opportunity to visit again and help out where I can.

Sandy Eastly
HATS Visitor
After years of thinking about it and months of planning for it, it seems strange that our time in Haiti is over. We have been asked by a few if it was like we expected. Well, no. I’m not sure what we expected, but our minds could not have fathomed what we have experienced, and we can hardly believe that our 3 month stay has come to an end. HATS really became home away from home for us. We knew we would enjoy getting to know and spending time with the kids but we had no idea how difficult it would be to leave them. They sneak in and steal your heart without you even knowing it. We have left a piece of our hearts in Haiti and can’t wait for the day when we can return.

Mike & Nicki White
HATS Visitors
We’ve made a difference, I believe. Big stuff, little stuff; it all contributed to the greater good and that big picture: keeping HATS a surviving and thriving, safe haven for the children of Deschapelles, Haiti. And oh my, what children they are. As expected, it was tough to leave. There were tears, whispers, hugs and I’ll miss you’s. I learned that it gets easier (only a bit) for those who’ve done this a few times. As Bob says “I’m part of the furniture now. I don’t say ‘goodbye’, I say ‘see you later’.” Maybe that’s how you cope with leaving…you return. Once, five times, 10 times. However many. Guaranteed you’ll leave a different person than when you came in.

Aimee Feaver
HATS Visitor
Culture shock for this Canadian team at first, but a ride through busy, vibrant streets proved terrifically interesting; busy markets, vendors selling exotic fruits, clothing and shoes, used tires and rusty metal… and then the gorgeous countryside: banana plants, mangoes, cows and goats and pigs and dogs, the Golfe de La Gonave by our side. Rice patties indicated we were close to our home for the next week. We were greeted by Magalie, a house mother, with hugs for all and, of course, the children themselves, so gorgeous and endearing. A beautiful meal was followed by a sharing of impressions: there is a lot of poverty but so much potential and hope. We are already in love with Haiti.

Team Canada
HATS Visitors
Personally, this is my first time here. I’ve never done a mission trip of any sort before and I’ve certainly never been anywhere this hot before. I keep seeing things that are different from what I’m used to, and hearing about things even more unfamiliar to me. One of the most surprising things to meis how quickly I’ve grown to love all the people here. Everyone here is great, and the team is wonderful too. Watching everyone support each other warms my heart almost as much as the sun warms my skin. I’ve learned a lot from this experience, and I know that this trip has already had a profound impact on my life.

Matthew Sketchley
HATS Visitor
I am going to try to explain why a trip to Haiti is life-changing. No-one can be thrown into a group of people who have the common purpose of doing something for someone less fortunate and not be changed in many ways. As with those I joined in each of the first four trips I made to HATS, my respect and affection for each of the team members grows daily. To those who wonder if your donations and prayers are actually making a difference, I will answer you in this way…there are about 300 children in front of me right now and some or many of them God will use in a great way to change the future face of Haiti and its people. YOU have helped make that possible — AND THAT, FOLKS — is a fact!

Brian En
HATS Visitor
They call Karen “the helicopter ” and after spending three days by her side I know why. She propels through life!!! If you want to get on the ride you better start running. It is an amazing work that the Lord is doing here through so many many dedicated workers…literally hundreds of children impacted every day with the love of Christ…but the task to do so is enormous. The dedication of staff is invaluable…they NEED US ALL!!

Barbara & Louis
HATS Visitors
One thing that has impacted me on this trip is seeing the children and all the dedication in this orphanage. There is so much going on behind the scenes to keep the HATS orphanage and school running.

Donna Wheeler
HATS Visitor
I have learned much about Haiti in my short stay here, much about generational, entrenched poverty, and much about hope. We can only be part of the bringing of hope if we become one small actor on the huge stage that is poverty. Thank you, Lynn Clark, for inviting me to share this life changing experience with you, and thank-you, Karen Huxter, for investing so much of your life in a work designed to bring hope to those who need it more than any Canadian could ever imagine.

Linda
HATS Visitor
I am so thankful to God for allowing me the opportunity to be here and experience his splendor. This day will forever be in my heart and mind. The scripture that resonates with me today is “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matt 25:40. I am so happy I decided to come to HATS, this experience will stay with me for my life time.

Crystal Young
HATS Visitor