A Trip To Hinche

I apologize for the lapse in my blog entries. It has been due to my schedule and very inconsistent internet access. I will do my best to return to my usual weekly postings from this point forward.

The weekend of January 23-25, I had the pleasure of visiting Hinche (Ench in Kréyòl), located about five hours north of Port au Prince. Hinche is a city in central Haiti, in the hills of the Cordillera, near the border of the Dominican Republic. It has a population of about 50,000. It is the capital of the Centre department. Hinche is also the hometown of Charlemagne Péralte, the Haitian nationalist rebel leader who resisted the United States occupation of Haïti (1915-1934).
The city of Hinche has, at different times, belonged to either the Dominican Republic or Haiti. The border treaty agreements of 1929 and revisions to the treaty in 1936 left it permanently in Haitian territory.

Two of the fourth year Seminarians, Michelin and Reginald, have been placed there for extended field work. It is somewhat unusual for two Seminarians to be assigned to one location. However, the head priest, Pere Wally DeCamps, had fallen from a ladder about eight months ago and suffered some serious head injuries. Victims of brain trauma need to minimize stress in their lives and get plenty of rest. It is hoped that Michelin and Reginald’s presence will support Pere DeCamps during his recovery and also provide broader service to his extensive parish community.

Traveling to Hinche is quite an adventure. The road between Port au Prince and Mirebalais is decent. In fact, there is a beautiful new highway that takes you through the mountain on the last stretch to Mirebalais. After Mirebalais, however, the road is little more than silt and rubble.

Reginald, Michelin and Pere DeCamps were all quite concerned about me traveling by road and, in particular, via public transportation.. If only they knew the roads I have travelled in Kenya! After much discussion, I finally acquiesced to taking the plane to Hinche with Pere DeCamps. Plans in Haiti change on the turn of a dime. There was no seat available on the plane, and so I ended of traveling in a public pick-up. As with Kenya, the drivers pack their vehicles with as many people as possible. The back of the pick up had been enclosed and two benches installed. There were four of us on each bench. An older gentleman and I were positioned at the end of each bench and had to straddle each other’s legs to fit in the vehicle.

We made one bathroom stop, which meant either going on the side of the road or behind a bush. We traveled a while longer and then stopped in a little community that was clearly the central place for food and refreshment. Everyone bought their desired soda, water, fried fish, chips and plantains and we were, once again, on our way. The second half of the trip was definitely bumpy and dusty, though not radically different from experiences that I had had in Kenya. The driver dropped me off right at Paroisse St André (St. Andrew) Church, where I was greeted by Michelin. After a hug, he immediately asked if I wanted to take a shower. I said no, that I first wanted to spend some time with Reginald, Pere DeCamps and him.

We entered the Rectory and chatted for a while. Father DeCamps left to pick up his wife from work and Michelin again asked me if I wanted to shower. After two urgings, I decided that I should take a shower. When I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror, I could see that my hair was literally white from the dust of the road. You have to love Haitian men- they would not think of telling you that you were a dusty, dirty mess and needed to take a shower!

After I cleaned up, we had lunch. This was my first opportunity to meet Madame DeCamps and their children, Kedora and Freddie. It was Kedora’s 2nd birthday and she was very excited. Her brother Freddie was 7 months old. They were both adorable.

The afternoon and early evening were spent getting ready for the party- preparing food, blowing up balloons, setting up chairs etc. Around 7 p.m., children started arriving, all beautifully dressed and perfectly behaved. Soon the living room was filled with children. Pere DeCamps began the festivities with a prayer, particularly giving thanks for Kedora and his recovery. Some brought gifts. Everyone paid tribute to Kedora by singing a song to her. It was really touching. Plates of food were distributed and, eventually, it was time for the cake. Throughout the entire evening, all the children remained in their seats, their manners impeccable, and socialized with one another. It was certainly unlike any American birthday party that I had attended. It had been a lovely evening.

The next morning Michelin and Reginald left for a Mission at about 7 a.m. They took a truckload of other leaders of the church. They would not return until sometime on Sunday afternoon. I then spent the morning with Kedora, whose nickname is Noo Noo, and Freddie. It was wonderful. During their naptime, I walked into town and experienced market day. I must have spent two hours walking through the streets and in the covered area viewing the wide array of fruits, vegetables, livestock, 2nd market American clothing and a few handcrafts such as hats, makout (woven bags) and baskets. All forms of transportation, including motorcycles and even ox drawn carts, moved quickly throughout the streets. You really had to be attentive.

Upon my return to the Rectory, I found that it was time for lunch. This was followed by Noo Noo and Freddie’s naptime, which gave me an opportunity to catch up on e-mails. Throughout the day, beginning as early as 7 a.m. that morning, I had observed parishioners and others from the community coming to see Pere DeCamps. The demands of this parish and community would be great for a person in perfect health. I marveled at the way that Pere DeCamps managed it all while fully engaged as a very loving father and recovering from a serious head injury.

The evening allowed more time to enjoy the DeCamps family and, especially Noo Noo and Freddie. As I stayed up to finish some work, I also reminisced about the early days of my life as a parent. While days are demanding, they are filled with lots of laughter and fun times. It is clear that the DeCamps revel in every moment as Eric and I did. What a special time in a family’s life.

Sunday morning came quickly. I was reminded by the difference between a household of boys and girls as Mme. DeCamps painstakingly pressed Noo Noo’s beautiful cotton dress and carefully braided her hair adorning it with color coordinated clips and ribbons. Needless to say, I managed to arrive at Church on time and Mme DeCamps, Noo Noo and Freddie followed.

Noo Noo spent much of the service “visiting” various parishioners, including me. At one point, she had some kind of disagreement with her mother and came running to me. She climbed up into my arms and, eventually, fell asleep. What a long time it had been since that happened to me!

Pere DeCamps provided a very warm welcome to me, sharing the fashion in which I travelled there and that it was evidence of my eagerness to visit the congregation. Everyone applauded. I was very touched.
After the service, we had a brief lunch at the Rectory and then headed off to Saints Innocents (Holy Innocent), one of the 14 Missions associated Paroisse St André with in Hinche. The lay leadership team from the main church hopped in the back of the pick up truck and we were off! It was about a 40 minute drive, mostly on a rocky, dirt road. The sanctuary was a natural structure of sticks supporting a roof made of palm branches. A wall had also been crafted with woven palm frons. It reminded me of one of the worship spaces I had visited in Lodwar, Kenya. It was a lovely service, this time in Creole. Again, Pere DeCamps introduced me and the congregation responded with a round of applause.

We returned to the Rectory after the service at the Mission. The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Before I knew it, it was 5 p.m., and time for the special youth meeting. As I headed over to the Church, Michelin and Reginald pulled into the driveway. They looked exhausted. Apparently, there had been a change in their transportation to their Mission church. They were driven part of the way and then had to ride horses for 2 hours! Of course, they needed to do this both ways. I went into the church and waited for the children to arrive. Haitian time is somewhat different than American time, so it took a while for everyone to assemble. Once they were there, I asked them to write down their names and ages. Then, with Pere DeCamp’s permission, I had them congregate on the steps leading to the altar space. Noo Noo had been given a copy of The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein in French. What a find! I began reading the story and then Pere DeCamps stopped me. There were younger children in the group who had not yet begun French in school. So I started the story again and, as I read a page in French, Pere DeCamps translated it into Creole. We made quite a team! After reading the book, I asked them a series of open ended questions. It was a nice experience. I enjoyed being back with young people and doing what I loved.

As I finished the story and discussion, Reginald and Michelin appeared to run to a brief choral practice. Within 20 minutes, it was time to call it a night and head to the house for supa.

I was originally scheduled to return to Port au Prince with Michelin and Reginald using Pere DeCamps’ car. However, they now needed to stay an extra day in order to transport a choral to the opening liturgy of the Diocesan Synod. I was, once again, left to travel by public transportation. Though Pere DeCamps had some reservations about this, I assured him that I would be fine.

The return was actually more comfortable than the drive to Hinche. Though “cozy”, I was in a conventional back seat of a pick up truck. There was certainly more leg room. Our routine was identical- bathroom stop on the side of the road and a brief respite to purchase breakfast. We made great time back to Port au Prince and, as I stepped out of the vehicle, found Sonley parked only two cars behind us.

It had been a wonderful three-day visit to Hinche. In addition to reveling in the playtime with Noo Noo and Freddie, I gained a deeper understanding of the scope and demands in parish ministry for the Episcopal priests of Haiti. In addition, I once again proved that travel in Haiti, though certainly crowded and sometimes bumpy, is perfectly safe and actually quite enjoyable.