I recently had the privilege to travel to Haiti and spend time in relationship and construction with the people of Foison, Haiti. Though the area was not directly affected by last January’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake, this region is possibly the poorest within a country that is already considered the poorest within the Western Hemisphere. Food, water, and life do not come easy here, which is evident by the condition of the roads alone. Day and night these roads are trodden by foot often in the company of a donkey train, which is just a part of their subsistence lifestyle. Subsequently, patience and hope are not just skills or a mindset that is learned, but an integral part of life in Haiti.
The hope and prayers of Foison have been more recently expressed in the desire for a new and safe school building for the children. Past efforts by the community to build a school have been unfruitful because of poor construction techniques. With the leadership, team support, vision, and engineering experience provided by the Robinson’s this project has been able to partner the community of Seattle/UPC with the people of Foison.
This April the slab for the school foundation was built and poured in a continuing effort to finish the proposed four room school building. Finishing these classrooms will bring children out of rickety thatched shelters in which they currently attend classes. This project has been and will continue to be a success because the money given towards this effort is in concert with the prayers and desires of the community it will serve. Ownership by the people of Foison was ever present by their efforts from the young to the old. Even more inspiring was catalytic effect created by our labors and relationships we were able to build. The purpose of sending a team and not just funds or materials was surely validated by the encouragement and motivation witnessed by the serving team’s presence and interactions. One definition of a catalyst is a person or thing that precipitates an event without undergoing change. On second thought, maybe the team I was blessed to become family with were more than just catalysts because we too have been encouraged, motivated and changed by the people Foison.
David Thurman
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