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Thursday, December 22, 2016

Adult Awareness Trip November 2016 (30th Year!)

(The following trip summary is by Brian & Bev Murphy)
It was very successful – a small group with good chemistry.  We had a very busy agenda with long days.  We saw all of the Rayjon operations in Haiti and were very impressed with the staff and the effectiveness of the programs.  We also visited several initiatives not managed by Rayjon and we were very impressed with those operations as well.  The accommodations were very good; Amy Fletcher’s guest house was a very pleasant surprise.  We were pleased to be able to get Brian access to almost everything the rest of us saw.  Finally, we were fortunate enough to meet with several prominent personalities in Haiti:
  • Bill Nathan, who manages the St. Joseph’s Boys’ Home
  • Richard Morse, a noted musician who manages the Oloffson Hotel
  • Father Rick Frechette, a very impressive priest who has been working in Haiti for over thirty years.
Front row: Brian Rea, John Barnfield   Back row: Fr. Dan Vere, Bev Nottley-Murphy, Jim Leliveld, Brian Murphy, Terry DeMarco.

(Trip impressions from Brian Rea as follows)

I'd like to add that wheelchair travel has never been easier for me personally, with the hands-on support of our fabulous group and many of our hosts and new friends we met in Haiti! I don't know if any of you have a picture of the flying emperor or other versions of His Majesty, but it was an exciting and royal experience.  

My personal highlights are many, but at the top was meeting members of the Rayjon team in Haiti, putting faces and personalities to names I have heard and seen in reports while volunteering with Rayjon in Sarnia. Everyone was enthusiastic about their work and extremely diligent in their roles supporting the various projects in Haut de St. Marc and in Cap. 

We had fun learning a little Kreyol along with the Adult literacy classes, and came away with great respect for the class participants and professors.  At he Gilbert clinic, Dr. Bayard’s description of the post huricane mobile clinics and dramatic lowering of cholera incidents, was satisfying and reassuring.  Of course the school kids were inspirational. They were boisterous, but also dedicated to their learning. Another generation of hope!

As Brian M. Noted, our itinerary and agenda was packed – some trips are long and feel short; others are short but feel long – this was one of those. Each day felt like another trip, another full experience.