Pappa Cassy - Haiti

Just after we were married and before we had children, My Wonderful Husband and I went on a mission trip to Haiti. WAYYYY back, and it does seem like a lifetime ago, in 1990. Or maybe '91. Haiti is a fourth world country. If you have trouble believing that term, then you haven't been to Haiti. My parents had been going for a few years taking mainly construction teams and people willing to do general grunt-type work - that was me. MWH went off during the days to a construction site, and I spent the week painting at the orphanage with the other women who became dear friends to me. It was a sweaty privilege to paint the day long, surrounded by wonderful Haitian children all eager to pull us away from work to play, sing or dance. It completely changed the way we saw the world then, and even now, and ever shall.

While many of my memories have faded, much of that trip seems clear as day to me! Since it would take pages and pages to describe, here are some random impressions:

*how scary the airport was when we arrived

*driving through Port-au-Prince in the dark and peeking into homes, shacks, stores which were pouring out light and absolutely crammed with humanity

*tarantulas outside our shower

*the peace of the mission compound where we stayed

*the beautiful songs of the Haitians that Sunday morning in church - all in French-Creole

*the unspeakable grinding poverty of those living in Cite Soleil - it was impossible to keep looking

*how beautiful the faces of the beaming Haitian people as they welcomed us with open hands as their brothers and sisters in Christ

*voodoo drums and screams of sacrifice in the night

*the beauty of the ocean, even knowing how polluted it was on and near the shoreline

*the smell that is specific only to Haiti, I think - burning rubber, garbage, and tropic ripeness

*shacks painted to demonstrate dedication to either voodoo or Christianity

*a tiny baby boy brought to the orphanage by his mother, hopeful for some milk

This is Papa Cassy. I took this picture of him a few years ago when he was visiting here. Born and raised in Haiti, he began a ministry to Haitian children when he was a young man. Children are often discarded there, for many horrible reasons, and he searched the local dump for them daily, bringing them to a safe place. He and others, like Mamma Lucy (wish I had a picture of her), and his sister Mona, brought up the throw away children, feeding them and clothing them in obedience to Matthew 25. Later, they added grammar schools, trade schools, and bakeries. It is his life's work to feed, clothe and educate the orphans as well as the children and families in the neighborhood, or as far as anyone could walk. And the work has gone on all these years. I love to listen to him as he tells the story of his life and the miracles that God has done in his life and the lives of the orphans!

We always thought that someday, we'd take our sons to Haiti in hopes that they might learn some of the same lessons we did. What were those? So many, but among them, and most applicable for them right now - the lesson that most of what you think you need is really only a want. And - there is joy to be had even in the most dire circumstances. How about living your faith out loud, even down to the way you paint your house! I still have hope that we might get the chance to take them someday. A mission trip is the best kind of school!

Please pray for Papa Cassy, Mona, and the children.

Here is the last communication we've received from them:

"We are safe only by God's grace. Our three story building and the dormitories have been damaged permanently. All the walls around the orphanage are down on the ground. We have no water and food. We are trusting God to feed the children in the near future."

Here's a link to an interview done with one of the orphans who is going to college in Kentucky.

If you'd like to help monetarily with their recovery, you can donate here:

The Good Shepherd Orphanage and School Foundation

c/o David Zimmer

1848 Conway Hills

Hebron, KY 41048

It's tax deductible - if you'd like a statement, just ask for one.