Mission Trip To LaGonave Haiti
vBy Aimee Huntley
When most people in the Midwest plan excursions to leave the
country, Haiti isn’t usually on the top of the list. The 2019 year ushered
in a trip full of life-changing experiences for Cory Enfield. Cory serves
the Yankton First Methodist Church congregation as the Pastor of
Discipleship, Youth and Family. United Methodist Church members:
Merle and Gena Brandt, and Julie Moderegge, who is the Kids Hope
program director for Yankton, also went on the mission. Their visit
was from December 31st until January 8th. In Haiti, it was considered
winter with temperatures in the 90’s. The local residents often wore
jeans and long-sleeved shirts, while the Americans were dressed in
shorts and t-shirts. Other church members had been to LaGonave
on previous missions, but this was a first for Cory. Cory had been
on other missions in poverty stricken communities in the US, but
“This was totally different. It’s a culture shock. There’s no electricity,
indoor plumbing, or running water. I told my wife and kids that it was
something like what the pioneers experienced long ago, when they
made their way west without roads or infrastructure.”
Other churches in Yankton, such as Calvary Baptist go to Port
of Prince in Haiti, but Merle and Gena are part of a group called
“LaGonave Alive”. The couple have gone to Haiti multiple times and
always to the island of LaGonave. It has become a headquarters for
the Yankton United Methodist mission volunteers. Through previous
LaGonave Alive mission work and financial donations, a school and
clinic have been built. A doctor and nurses have also been put through
medical school and now work at the local clinic in the town of Anse
A Galet. Because such strong, long-lasting friendships have been
formed, the volunteers want to build on this foundation and keep
them intact. LaGonave is a very rural, remote island. It is so isolated,
that the Haitian government doesn’t put any time or finances into it,
for its residents. A reef-edged island, LaGonave is made up mostly of
limestone and is primarily barren and hilly. The population for the 37
mile long and nine mile-wide island is around 87,000.
Full of smiles, Cory shares that every mission has different goals,
even if they keep going to the same community. For this trip there
were funds set aside for families that had damage done to their
dwellings from the latest hurricane or earthquake. They visited
people at their residences and choose one family where the rebuilding
would be the most practical economically and would make the most
impact. “It was a difficult decision, because everyone could use help.”
With the assistance of their Haitian host, Doctor William, from the
United States funded school.
clinic and another
knowledgeable
local man, Mr. B,
the volunteers were
given a list of seven
or eight critical
cases. The family
they choose was
a single mother
with five children.
Cory relates, “They
all slept outside
because when the
wind would blow,
or it would rain,
she was afraid the
damaged structure
would blow over and the walls would cave in on them.” The mission
volunteers hired a local Haitian construction crew familiar with the
land and could locate materials needed to do the repairs. Two years
ago volunteers helped dig the school’s foundation. This wasn’t a
mission where the volunteers were doing back breaking physical work
every day, as others had done before. It was an excellent opportunity
for making pre-existing relationships with local Haitians even stronger.
The work on the residence took longer to start than expected,
because work couldn’t begin until after the holiday. Haitians celebrate
their independence from France on New Year’s Eve and shoot
fireworks off in celebration, just as we do in the United States for the
Fourth of July. The missionaries helped make a traditional New Year’s
Day meal of pumpkin soup for the students at the school and nearby
village residents. This is a very expensive meal to make. It is more
like a stew, with lots of vegetables, noodles plantains and goat meat.
Pumpkin soup is a particularly special treat, because under the French
regime it was forbidden to the Haitians.
There were many community activities planned during the
volunteers stay. One day was spent visiting the many elderly people
that lived nearby, and giving them gift bags that had dried rice, beans,
and other items that had been donated from local businesses. The
volunteers were sure to have candy with them everywhere they went,
because like most kids, Haitian children love candy. Another day was
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Visiting a local family.