MINUSTAH: My lasagna dinner with a representative from the United Nations in Haiti

United Nations emblem.

I received an e-mail Sunday from a family at St. Paul Lutheran Church inviting me to share dinner with them and their house guest--a man who works for United Nations from Port au Prince, Haiti. His name is Emmanuel, and he is Minustah de la Mission des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation en Haiti, or the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

Although Emmanuel is a native of the Republic of Burundi, he has been working in Haiti for several years in telecommunications. It was so wonderful to talk to him about Haitian culture, political affairs & Haiti's newly elected president (popular musician Michel Martelly), reconstruction after the earthquake, and NGOs in Port au Prince. He said that from his experience, Port au Prince is "not a problem" and not dangerous for travelers as long as I do not wander alone in the "red zones" or accept a ride from someone I do not know when I arrive at the airport. This is reassuring to hear from someone involved with the police in Port Au Prince.

Emmanuel's native language is French, and striking up a conversation in French helped overcome some communication barriers, though we mostly talked in English (and reminded me how rusty I've become since my month-long backpacking trip in France!). He said that being a French speaker allows him to understand Creole very well, the official language of Haiti, so I definitely need to intensively work on my conversational French. French is mostly spoken by the Haitian educated elite and remains the language of politicians, whereas Creole is spoken by the majority of the general public.

On a different note, I have been kicking myself all morning for forgetting to take a picture to share with you all! After all, I started a blog to streamline my experiences into a cyber scrapbook, with both the blurbs and visuals. I'll be sure to take advantage of the photo opportunity when I meet Emmanuel again this summer in Port au Prince. He will be working during the months I'm in Haiti, so we're planning on meeting again.

I'm so grateful to have a friend from Haiti with whom I've shared a meal and good conversation. It makes me feel like less of a stranger to the country knowing he will be working in Port au Prince during the months I will be serving Canaan in Haiti. I'm looking forward to new friendships and the enjoyment of new cross-cultural experiences!

Edit (4/29): Here's the fundraising update for the end of April!

Fundraising Update: Spring Break

I've been enjoying the week off from school, but I've been working as much as I've been relaxing. I helped out at St. Paul Lutheran Church's quilters guild meeting last Saturday by providing childcare for the participants, which was a fun way to help supplement my fundraising efforts.

Here's the exciting fundraising update: Your support has been pouring in, and I'm less than half way to meeting my trip's financial needs at $1,725. Every week brings me closer to $3,000.

Thanks for checking in and for your support!

Fundraising Update: I bought my plane ticket!

Your financial support has come flooding in this week. With the help of generous friends and family, I've raised about one-third of the funds needed for Haiti.

Also, exciting news: I bought the plane ticket to Port-Au-Prince! I had to push back my departure date one day (to Wednesday July 13 instead of Tuesday the 12th) because the ticket price went up about $50 overnight.

The ticket was $693 after all the fees--the last one I could find anywhere under $700! God is so great.

Here's my itinerary for the medical mission, with the finalized dates. I'll be in Haiti for a total of 37 days:

Departing		Arriving
City	Date & Time	City	Time
MSY New Orleans	Jul 13, 2011 06:00 AM	MIA Miami	Jul 13, 2011 08:50 AM
MIA Miami	Jul 13, 2011 10:00 AM	PAP Port Au Prince	Jul 13, 2011 11:05 AM
PAP Port Au Prince	Aug 17, 2011 08:50 AM	MIA Miami	Aug 17, 2011 12:00 PM
MIA Miami	Aug 17, 2011 04:30 PM	MSY New Orleans	Aug 17, 2011 05:30 PM

Daily, I'm amazed at how generous and supportive everyone has been.

Here's the latest fundraising update. Funds raised: $1,025!

Thanks for checking in! Please read down through my previous posts about Canaan's history and other information about my medical mission in Montrouis, Haiti this summer.

100 Days Until Haiti

In 100 days, I'll be arriving in Montrouis, Haiti. This is an exciting countdown to begin!

I have my trusty black Sharpie dangling next to free calendar advertising for some anonymous insurance company. I'm looking forward to marking a big, fat X on the days as they pass.

Tonight, I'll be hanging out with my Young Life kids from Woodlawn High School. Many of them are also in the midst of fundraising for YL summer camp. When the financial side of missions becomes stressful, they're the best reminder that in the end, all is provided.

From what I remember of the orphanage renovation I participated in with Crosspoint Community Church while I was in high school, the fundraising was tedious and discouraging at that age. But the friendships I still have are testimonies to the experience: It's so worth it to have the opportunity to serve.

Today's post is brief to make time for some studying (the end of the semester and final exams are creeping up). For now, here's another fundraising update. Thanks again for your support!

$580 down! Please see my previous post about tax-deductible donations.

Missionary Account: Making Tax Deductible Donations to Canaan Christian Community

Canaan Christian Community is a charitable organization (IRS 501 c3) which means your donations are tax deductible.

To cover all my lodging, food, and any other expenses living at Canaan in Montrouis this summer, I need to raise $15.00 per day. I will be in Haiti for 37 days, which is $555.00. Canaan can start a "missionary account," which allows donations to be made out to Canaan, but used in my name to go strictly towards my living expenses.

On the downside, this amount does not cover the majority of my costs. In fact, I still have money to raise separate from Canaan to cover the cost of travel to Haiti and other trip expenses such as immunizations and anti-malarial medications, which will not be covered in the tax-deductible donations. (I unfortunately am not registered with the IRS as a non-profit organization). I am so grateful for everyone who is able to generously donate towards those outside expenses since I am traveling alone and without an umbrella organization for the medical mission.

However, I understand it's not for everyone. Here's what you can do to help AND get a tax deduction:

1. For a tax-deductible donation, please make the check out towards Canaan Christian Community.

2. Write Missionary Account: Brianna Piche in the memo line to clarify.

3. Please send the check to my address. I will send all the checks to Canaan together along with supplies I collect before the trip. (For privacy reasons, I will not put my address on the internet. Please send me an e-mail and I will forward you my mailing address).

4. Feel great: You just made my medical mission possible! Plus, now you can count your donation as a tax exemption!

5. If you would prefer to donate online directly to Canaan, please click here to access Canaan's Paypal donation account. The money will not go towards my missionary account nor my trip expenses, but there are so many beautiful ways Canaan can use your donation to help their children at the orphanage, operate their health clinic, and ultimately aid the Montrouis community.

As always, I'm interested to hear from you so please feel free to leave any comments or questions or send me an e-mail! Thank you for your prayers, support, and happy donating.

Fundraising Update: April 2nd

It's been two weeks since beginning the fundraising efforts for my month and a half long medical mission to Haiti. Together we've raised $480 of the $2,950! Thank you so much for your support!

If you're just now checking out my blog, please scroll down to the previous posts with background on Canaan and information about the medical mission in Montrouis.

Much love,

Brianna

Haitian proverb of the day: Bondye Bon. God is good.

$480 down, $2,470 to go.