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: 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.

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.

Destination: Montrouis, Haiti

First off, thank you everyone for your tremendous support. I've received an overwhelmingly positive response towards my month and a half medical mission to Montrouis, Haiti this summer. I'm grateful for all your generosity and graciousness! It's such a blessing to be provided for, and to have this opportunity. Your donations are truly bringing me closer to Haiti, but I have a long way to go.

Click here for pictures of life an Canaan Christian Community.

Here's a little taste of Haitian history and background on Montrouis:

Since the 7.0 magnitude hurricane ravaged Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010, many people found themselves homeless. Homes, businesses, Parliament and the Presidential palace were reduced to rubble. Many children became newly orphaned, either because their families were among the estimated 220,000-318,000 killed, or because their parents were no longer able to take care of them. Haiti has suffered from various acute diseases, such as cholera, from contaminated water sources--especially difficult to eliminate with the estimated 1.6 million Haitian people packed in slums. In the more rural areas surrounding Port-au-Prince, malnutrition is prevalent.

Montrouis is a town located on the coast in western Haiti.

Here's some information from Canaan and their mission in Montrouis:

Canaan Christian Community was established in 1991 as a community of Christians that welcome people who need a place to belong. Most of the 110 residents are children who either do not have parents or whose parents are unable to provide care for them for various reasons. The leaders of the community strive to provide a safe haven for all who live or visit here. God has blessed us with facilities to provide a comfortable home for both residents and guests. Canaan is designed to be a place of peace and preparation. The founders and current leadership at Canaan is Pastor Henry and Sister Gladys.

The community is located near the town of Montrouis, approximately 80 kilometers north of Port Au Prince, the capital of Haiti. Guests from North America usually fly into the international airport in Port Au Prince and are met by Canaan staff. It takes approximately an hour and thirty minutes to make the trip from the airport to Canaan.

Canaan Christian Community is built on a hillside near the national highway overlooking the Caribbean. The hillside surrounding Canaan is dry desert just like Canaan was when the community was first established in 1991. Since then, God has blessed the planting of trees that has resulted in Canaan being the only shaded community in the area other than directly on the seaside. The buildings consist of dormitories for boys and girls, staff homes and guest facilities. Recently, the government has provided periodic electricity for the area. Generators provide electricity in the evenings when the government electricity is not available. There is usually no electricity available during the daylight hours. Drinking water is hauled in by Canaan staff and put through a purification system. Water for washing, bathing, etc. comes from a well on the property that is not used for drinking water.

Meals are served to the children and the staff in an outdoor, covered cafeteria. Meals prepared by the cooks, consist of simple but delicious food that the Lord provides through the donations of friends of Canaan. Rice and beans are the staple food along with local fresh vegetables that are served when funds are available. Meat is very expensive in Haiti and not as readily available as in North America.

My stay in Montrouis will cost $15 per day to offset the costs of food, lodging and transportation to and from the airport, which is an hour and a half away in Port-au-Prince. If you're interested in a tax-deductable donation, you can send me a check made out to Canaan Christian Community, which will all go towards living expenses during the time I'm in Haiti.If you have any questions or want to be notified via e-mail whenever I update my blog for my trip, or during my trip in the future, please contact be at bapiche@comcast.net. Again, thank you so much for your support!