Haiti has long been the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Since 1992, I have seen “poverty” up close. But, for most of those years, people here in our community were able to piece together a few things and build a bit of a life. Parents who did not finish school, were able to push their kids through school. Families who lived in a thatched hut were able to build a two-room cement home. Well, that was the first thirty years.
Since 2020 and a little bit before, Haiti has spiraled into a dark place. With the capital city paralyzed by gangs, the countryside is peaceful but unable to acquire supplies. Fuel prices have been high enough to reduce availability of supplies as well. The $20 that bought a full meal just a few years ago can’t even buy a chicken leg now. Diets have changed here in our town. People who ate one good meal a day, are now only getting that meal every few days. Meat has always been a bit of a luxury. Instead of real meat, people were eating questionable varieties of salami and other ground meat. Now, that is out of reach. Fruits and vegetables are pricy, and they have become another diet casualty. People are filling their bellies instead of eating meals. Bread and water have become a way to temporarily fill a belly. Fried flour in diverse forms is what is keeping people upright. Evenings provide fried bananas, if you have money to purchase them. This is not a diet for the future. I was able to bring vitamins along when I came back this time. I don’t know if they are helping, but I hope they are able to fill a void to some degree for a few people. I, like you, see hunger and want to help…quickly. There is not a lot we can do, though, in this situation. Money is only a band-aid that doesn’t even stick for more that few minutes. Planting is a part of the solution. Haiti needs to feed itself. Prayer is key. God can change hearts and minds…and societies. Pray for Haiti.
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Matthew is 11. He was walking home from a well when a young motorcycle driver hit him. The accident happened in February. His leg suffered a compound fracture. Doctors operated to save the leg…after 2 days of waiting. He spent 40 days or so in the hospital. The steel rods weren't removed until July.
He missed weeks of school, in a year already shortened by political tensions. His mother is not in the country. I don’t know who his father is. The lady who took him in a couple of years ago spent weeks living at the hospital with him. His brother spent weeks beside him in the hospital as well. The family of the motorcyclist has contributed. The local church has contributed. ASAPH contributed greatly to cover the operation and hospital bills. Matthew was at the May 1st Agriculture program. He is slowly getting involved in Pasbwadòm life again. We are still praying for the leg…always suspecting infection. So far, the signs are good. Life in Haiti is tough. Accidents accentuate the difficulty of life. Food is hard to find. Every little task (bathing, going to the market, buying a shirt…) is a complete production. We are thankful to God for the leg being saved. Matthew’s quality of life is dependant on a healthy leg. Interestingly, Matthew suffered from breathing issues since birth, and since his stay in the hospital, those symptoms have disappeared. God uses events in our lives to do things He wants to do in us, around us, and through us. Amen. “AGRICULTURE AND WORK” DAY
May 1st is a national holiday here in Haiti. It is one of many holidays that usually is nothing more that a day with no school. In cities, there a public programs and fairs. In the smaller communities, there is usually nothing. This year, ASAPH hosted an afternoon program in which we invited 7 different speakers to address environmental issues plus farming and other food-production issues. The ASAPH brass band provided a musical break after each session. The ASAPH girls choir sang three songs with the band. We took advantage of this occasion to have the very first performance of the ASAPH GRAND CHOIR! The sopranos and altos from the girls choir were joined by tenors from the ASAPH brass band and basses from the ASAPH soccer team. We sang a song about…food! The theme of the day was : Let’s plant so we can eat. A highlight of the program was when we honored 11 local farmers who put food in our bellies all year long. We encouraged them with certificates showing our appreciation for what they do. It is a group of people who seldom get recognized. Then, we honored five or six laborers who make a living hoeing and cleaning gardens for the farmers. We honored them with some things that will make their jobs a bit easier. The crowd applauded robustly for this group of people that we almost always see in work clothes. On this day they were dressed up and looking pretty sharp. Pasbwadòm is an agricultural community. Like so many across the planet, we are a community in which school children always say they want to be doctors, nurses, and lawyers. So few dream of working the land. ASAPH is working to change that. The agriculture program here at ASAPH is young, but we are making strides in the right direction. Asaph’s soccer team played three matches in April. We lost, we tied, and we won. Each result had it’s own lessons. In May, the team began hosting a 6-on-6 no-goalie tournament with smaller than normal goals. There are 8 teams, most of which are composed of AAF players, with two teams invited from outside AAF.
We talk so often with our young men about sportsmanship and respect for opponents and the officials. It is a constant theme for AAF. We hold them to high standards. So it was with some degree of shock that I learned two AAF players were given red cards in a game…and it was a game in which they did not play. It appears these players were arguing with fellow fans during a game…while still in uniform from their own match. They say they shouted at their fellow fans. The referee heard them and gave both of them red cards, which he has the right to do if he feels their behavior was not respectful. Here at ASAPH we embrace cases of bad behavior as a chance to dig deep and learn life lessons. I sat down with WEC, another team leader, and the two red-carded players. They told their side of the story in which they appeared to be only guilty of passion and not disrespect. They asked for the decision to be reversed. They are both longtime AAF players. They both love the team and work hard to make it better. We heard their position. We talked about the need for decisions of referees to be final and respected by all, and the importance of controlling passion. In the end, after many examples and suggestions, the red cards were upheld along with all of the punishment that goes with a red card in our tournament rules. Their team will play the next game with two players unavailable. We hear a third player will be out of town for the upcoming game, forcing them to play the entire game at a disadvantage and with no chance of substitution. Despite the severe consequences, both players have been fully engaged since the punishment began. We are working to restore them without removing even a smidgen of the punishment they deserve. When they pay the price for their actions, they will be better men. That is what AAF is all about. Will their attitude remain positive? Will they lash out? We don’t know. If they do, we will be there to love them more, to hold their hands, and to administer punishment that they deserve. 😊 That’s how you build character. An academy is a group of people who gather around a common love. Here at ASAPH, we have a music academy. My students are teaching beginners.
B.J. is teaching her second group of beginners on trumpet, sharing her love for music. E.M. is teaching her first group of beginners on trumpet. N.B. is teaching trumpet beginners as well. P.S. is teaching several trombone students. A.M. is teaching solfege (music theory). R.C. is leading the "B" band in practices. O.J. is teaching keyboard and leading small music ensembles. T.M. is teaching music (recorder) in schools around the area. I meet with these "young maestros" from time to time equipping them with the tools they need to grow as young teachers. They are developing leadership skills that will be useful in whatever they decide to pursue in life. ASAPH sponsors make these programs possible...providing instruments, stands, chairs, written music, visual aids, and a clean, safe work environment. Music happens almost every afternoon here at ASAPH. Without you, we'd be whistling. When I go to PA for a while, my memories and impressions of the work here always change a bit. Distance seems to cover some problems and embellish good things. Because of that, the first days I spend in Pasbwadòm often bring a few shocks. Most are negative, but there are some surprises that are beautiful to see.
The AAF soccer team underwent a bit of a fracture in 2022. Our longtime soccer coach kind of lost the great relationship he had with the players on the team. He also moved on to more “adult” pursuits...directing a primary school not far from here. At the same time he left, we were devising a way for the team to function in two parts : Junior and Senior. We had never had a senior team (over 18 years old), but the benefits of having one became apparent to me over time. Before I flew home in February, I had set up a plan for 4 young men from the senior team to lead the younger team in a weekly session of teaching on Tuesdays at 4:00pm. I should have been here to smooth out that transition, but I wasn’t able to do so. I didn’t expect much. I came back to pleasant signs of success. Reports were all good from the people I spoke with about the weeks I missed. On Tuesday, I sat in while the young men did their thing with the younger players. I watched as S.J.C did a devotion and taught from a book I wrote about how to be a man according to God. Then E.J.W. taught from a book we made based on the FIFA’s 17 laws of soccer. After that, B.W. spoke with the team about their upcoming practice on the field. I was delighted. The work Jude had done for the last several years had produced visible fruit. His investment in the AAF players has produced AAF leaders. It was a blessing to be shocked by the lessons I followed, by the desire I saw in the young men to lead others, and by their ability to do it well. God is good! WEC is leading the AAF Senior soccer team now...for the past several months. They are preparing for a match on Sunday. Last Saturday evening a showed up at practice, just moments after arriving in Pasbwadòm.
The team was ready to get to work for WEC, present and motivated. They launched into a series of physical training exercises with the equipment AAF provides. It was quiet and serious, but with the laughter of young men enjoying what they are doing. At one point WEC whistled for a three minute break. The team efficiently helped itself to juice from a thermos and bread from a bag...with no tension and no one left out. After the three minutes, they were back on the field working on schemes and plans. WEC is a quiet leader. The guys seem to be united with him. After practice yesterday there was a problem. One of the players had complained about who was chosen for a certain position. He has used language unacceptable. A captain reported it to WEC, who addressed it well. He waited for the guilty party to apologize. It took a minute, but he did it. A team is a family, and love must reign. The mood lightened dramatically after that apology. I noticed several older players who were proud of the progress the team had made functioning together. I was proud of them as well. AAF is presenting Christ to soccer players in a rural Haitian community...one practice at a time. Kids just keep growing, that is one thing we can count on. AAF (Asaph Academy of Football) began several years ago as a project for boys age 11 to 17. As time went by, the kids we knew so well grew older and older. This year, after some struggles, we have successfully arranged the team into two different categories...AAF SENIOR and AAF JUNOIR.
AAF Senior is composed of players (18 and older) who agree to ASAPH's code of conduct, who pass a written exam on the 17 FIFA laws that govern soccer, and who also pass a written exam on the biblical meaning of manhood. That team is currently coached by WEC. They are part of ASAPH, but take much of the responsibility for their own group. AAF Junior is composed of a new group of younger players (11 to 17). They meet each Tuesday afternoon at the ASAPH Teaching Center for biblical devotions, study of the 17 FIFA laws of soccer, and other group building and training activities. On Wednesday, they train on the soccer field. I administrate the Junior team, but they are led by four young men who grew up in the AAF program. J.W. is teaching the 17 FIFA laws. P.L.L. is responsible for warm-ups and physical training. B.W. will coach the team (line-ups, positions, strategy...). C.S. is the chaplain of the team. He will teach the biblical devotions while I am not there, and he will watch over the players...paying attention to their church lives, their academic lives, their family lives, and their spiritual lives. This is an exciting step. Coach Jude and I did those things for the older group. They are now doing the same thing (with my direction) for the younger group. Growth has always been something that captures my attention. It fascinates me. A small boy participates in a program looking up to the people who stand before him. In the blink of an eye, he stands as tall as his teachers. Thank God for every student who turns around to see the next generation coming along behind him ! Back in the WFL days, one of the things I enjoyed most was Friday morning chapel services in the school. The entire student body would gather in the church, as well as the teaching staff. I led the programs with practical demonstrations and messages about everything from litter to love. We played games. We sang. We learned together. Many good programs and projects came out of those sessions.
Jude Medoit was a primary school student at the time. He attended chapel services. Later he became the head coach of Asaph’s soccer team. This year Jude is the Head Principal at the Baptist school down the road. He invited me to “do chapel” as we did it years ago. I agreed. It has become the highlight of my week. So far, we have focused on math. I used “magic” math tricks to capture their attention. We have done practical demonstrations of measuring distance, weight, and volume. We have done fractions. Jude also asked me to teach a hand-writing course for 8th and 9th grade...a critical need as students are about to take state exams. I have enjoyed inspiring those students to look again at how they write. In 1992, the Baptist school was “the” school in our area. Almost every educated person I met was a product of that school. Over the years, the institution fell victim to some bad management and financial trickery. Last year was a dramatic low point for the school, and Jude took the job knowing he is basically starting the school from scratch in many ways. The road is long. His job is heavy. Pray for him. He may be the agent God uses to bless this town with another institution that He can use to change lives. The school is unable to pay bills. There are deep currents that move against almost every pastor that serves the church and school. Still, innocent children are there seeking education. It is a joy to be a small light in their week. God uses chapel services to call kids! I know that. :) There is no hiding the fact that things are tough in Haiti nowadays. The only thing flourishing in Haiti is the gangs. Violence, kidnapping and other direct influence from the gangs remains a Port-au-Prince thing, but the entire country is hostage in many ways. Many items we all use are no longer available, or they are unreasonably priced. I tried to acquire a big water tank, but learned that the trucks bringing them from Port have not been able to do so for some number of months. Photocopies used to be dirt cheap. That is no longer the case. The little six-page books I used to make without thinking now require planning and a budget.
People are losing weight. I saw it last December when I flew back. It is not dramatic...yet. People used to address hunger with cheap cookies from the DR, cheese curls, and the like. Those items are dramatically high priced now. They aren’t selling, because people don’t have that much money for snacks. Soft drinks used to be part of the daily diet here. Not any more. The cheapest way to fill you belly these days is plain bread and water. I add real ocean salt to make the bread into a soft pretzel, and I add sugar to make it into cake. Spaghetti (no sauce) is a second option. The people who make food for me used to do a great job of including vegetables. When I mention that now, they say : “Too expensive.” Life goes on. Schools are working. I am sure absenteeism is up and test scores are down. But at least they are functioning. Band and choir activities here at ASAPH have really suffered in January and February. As much as ever, Haiti needs the light of the Gospel. Christians are the salt, the light that society needs more and more. The local church here just had 21 straight days of evening services...worship and preaching. It was well attended, and many people worked long hours to make it all happen every day for three weeks. A church auction near the end raised an eye-opening amount of money from right here in the community. God is faithful. And He is good all the time! |
Andy StumpMissionary in Haiti. Archives
March 2024
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