(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)
(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.