Day Three: "I don't understand." or Creole lessons...

Thursday

7 AM Breakfast at the Villa was oatmeal and fruit today.  The bus came  around 7:30, but Pastor met with Rob and Heather until 8. It was fun to chat and reflect on the previous day. I posted a few on day two this morning.

We were only on the bus for an hour today. We picked up several students and musicians along the way. Widelson had invited a few other congregations' bands/directors, including Evens Nelson.

As we take the same route to church each day we are observing more and more of the city and people. It really is a beautiful place and we are recognizing the daily routines. Tracie is learning a lot of Creole and we bought some translation books.

Sidebar: we are all still having a hard time with the garbage all over. Ths t will take time though. Other things are more important...

Music and art lessons started at 10am. The music groups were split up into groups and throughout the day. Music theory, singing, drums, scales, piano, rhythm and dynamics using drumsticks and vocal music. They sang JESUS LOVES ME. they slso played our National anthem... which was funny and touching at the same time. There was an AMAZING drum/percussion lesson/throw down with Adam. Adam got challenged as much as they did! I wish you could all hear it!


(So many tiny stories... too many to write down now.)

(We plan on recording the concert on Sunday.)

Tracie, Sydney and I set up the art station for the little kids in the back of the church. We started out simply with crayons and coloring. We started out with 25 and it quickly grew to 35. They Loved this activity and worked so hard for an hour straight!

We gave them a break to play soccer. Then we gave the cameras to the kids and that kept them entertained for a long time. They take photos and immediately show the subject their pic. Everyone wanted pictures with us or just of us. this went on all day :)

Drawing activities resumed and kids started drawing on blank paper. One girl did a self portrait, some boys drew roads and then cars and played with them... making motor noises. Another one drew a 3-D image. The more serious students stuck around and the others took photos or played.

We bought rice and beans meals for the students again and then the day wrapped up. We were visiting with people and all took away stories. I chatted with a guy, a band leader at another church. It started out with his love of Luther Vandross and Peabody Bryson. Then we talked about our jobs and he loves history. Well I happen to be a professé istwa and his eyes lit up. He was talking about his favorite history stories...including President Lincoln freeing the slaves.  He asked me about Egypt and Israel because he didn't understand the geography from the biblical stories. I drew a map... we chatted and I promised him some history books. :)

On our way home we stopped at the Deli mart grocery store. It was a modern, air conditioned grocery store like we have at home. We bought snack and Haitian drinks.

At the villa merchants set up shops along the outer wall... and there was a wooden tap-tap... so I bought it for my classroom. Widelson will have it painted with his logos!

6 PM Dinner at the Villa... RICE AND BEANS... and chicken. Rice and Beans is my new favorite food. Seriously.

Rob and Heather had a meeting to discuss things with Widelson and Enelsen. I chatted with him a bit... he is an accounting teacher at a university. I asked about phones snd he said most people at school have Samsung Galaxy products and a few iPhones. he has a smartphone with data. They buy minutes as needed... no contracts.

Widelson said there was a recent graduation and many found jobs.  He said it is hard to find a job in Haiti. High unemployment and high inflation... worse combination... stagflation. Schools and education ate plentiful, but there are not many jobs.

After dinner we took a dip in the pool and enjoyed chatting about mutual friends, school and our day in Haiti. Too many good stories are flying out to catch right now..

Team Reflections on the day:
Tracie: the artistic talents of the kids.
Sydney: teaching a few girls duck face and all the cute pictures.
Heather: Lacy's hairdo courtesy of two little girls.
Adam: Getting challenged in drums.

Day Two: music is the universal language

Wednesday

7 AM Breakfast at the Villa was delicious. Egg bake, toast and fresh mangoes- for those of you who are curious. Oh, and good coffee.

Pastor arrived with the bus at 7:30 to load it up with instruments for the lessons at the church. The church is about an hours drive from the villa.  It is in a developing community, where people are building new homes to escape the city. The drive took us through nicer areas- meaning less crumbly buildings and no tent cities. We actually caught glimpses of the sea a few times. There is no shoreline drive or anything- in fact they built a huge landfill where they burn the trash. Seriously. The water is a perfect Caribbean blue.

We stopped to fill the bus with gas at a National gas station. Pastor purchased bagged (not bottled) water for the students and coca cola for us. Along the way we stopped and picked up additional passengers so the ride took two hours.

Sights: cows, goats, chickens, cats and dogs. .. wandering. Shops are inches from the bus as we pass. There is an abundance of food and merchandise. .. but the prices are what we pay here for most items. It doesn't smell out this way, but the roads aren't paved so it is really dusty.

The morning drive was relatively calm... and it was nice to see everyone setting up their shops or walking to work.

Claude is an amazing bus driver. He navigates narrow gravel roads and steep winding hills like a magician.

Music Lessons took a while to set up. Ernst and Watson divided them up in to beginner and advanced groups. The little kids were left out, so we gave them the pre recorders and had Adam and Sydney teach them notes. That class grew and grew... and it sounded like your typical elementary school recorder unit :)

Ernst led the advanced group and taught them to read music. They loved the new instruments.

Sarah and Sharon took on the beginner level class. Sharon's gift for teaching was clear to everyone.  Together they team taught notes with drumsticks. Then they moved onto recorders. After while everyone was looking overwhelmed so they took a break.

67 students signed up for the classes.

Sarah taught small group lessons and learned some Creole along the way.
Adam broke out his guitar and led a sing-a-long with the little kids.
Sharon grabbed a French horn and joined the band.
Darlene assisted the basic music lessons.
Lori assisted wherever she was needed. At the end of the day little kids were cuddled up to her.
Sydney taught recorder lessons and the kids were drawn to her. She grabbed the camera and took photos of the kids and let them play too.
Tracie had her camera and then continued her Creole lessons. She was surrounded by little kids the whole day.
Rob and Heather spent time with Pastor and helping out throughout the day.
Lacy- well I helped out where I could but mostly observed. Everyone was shy at first. However I was swarmed by teen/young women the minute I took out my journal. It was really difficult to communicate. But they all wrote down their cell phone numbers for me.. ?

The whole Hanover crew was worn out by the time Pastor brought a rice and beans meal for the students. It was quite a feast for them and it smelled delish. The students turned the tables on us and took photos of/with us before we left.

We stopped at the orphanage to see the baby goat that was born today. We met Mrs Marcellus and most of the kids. We got a tour and visited a bit. Tomorrow we will go there to drop off the clothes and toys.

6 PM Dinner at the Villa was nice.. spaghetti and cake. Right now the gang is cooling off in the pool and reliving the favorite moments from the day as I type.


Team Reactions
Darlene: the small group lessons worked better than the big group class. The personal conversations.

Lori:
The student band was much more musically talented than I expected.

Sydney: Connecting with the kids.

Lacy: the dogs. At the church  three or do dogs hang out. One in particular was literally skin and bones. She was a light brindle and stayed near the people at all times. A black and tan female was healthier and a tiny puppy showed up in time for rice and beans. People were feeding the puppy right away and then the other two got some chicken bones and leftovers.

******Additional reflections from last night/Thursday am:

Sharon chatted with the band as she played.
the saxophonist said that he "plays two ways... with his heart and with the spirit."
The band plays together extremely well... and only a couple of them can read music. Seriously.

Also, Sarah is "leaning into the discomfort" as she experience real teaching for the first time. The best laid plans can go horribly, but organically learning magic happens. I told her we all have to monitor and adjust every day... or every 20 minutes. Sharon did the best FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT. .. drum sticks up.crossed.or down. :)

Heather witnessed the little kids not wanting to let go of candy or recorders... even when it was time to potty... :)

Day One: Culture Shock and Our first impressions of Haiti

MSP 5am flight- check-in went smoothly. All 21 bags made it and they checked our carry on bags for free at the gate.

Atlanta Layover- gave us enough time to grab a hearty breakfast. This flight was over full and it was so hard for me to hear them offer a $1500 air credit to fly tomorrow instead. The plane was delayed a bit but we made it to the newly renovated Port-au-Prince Airport around 2:30pm.

The line to get through Customs was long,  but in the new space it was air conditioned and comfortable.  Adam discovered the free WiFi and Rob texted Pastor Widelson. Widelson met us inside at the new and modern baggage claim. Two bags broke, but nothing was lost.

Luggage and Porters: once we made it through the airport we paid a group of professional porters to navigate the parking lot as Widelson walked us to the school bus. YES- THAT school bus! He brought a host of teens and young adults from the orphanage to help us load it and chat. AWESOME!

The bus ride was not nearly as traumatic as my husband described from his evening arrival in 2011. We arrived in the day and ride comfortably in a MN yellow school bus.  I sat next to Jean Rene and shouted him some pics of Jake and home.  We chatted a bit with others too, although I don't know their names.

The road was treacherous with stretches that were mate gravel pit than street.  Markets and tiny "stands" selling EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN lined the street.  One huge complex seemed to take a whole square mile. Seriously there are piles of fresh bananas, piles of onions, charcoal, clothes (I guess they are super expensive, even used), toiletries, car oil, building supplies, etc.  Actually- it is kind of like New York City in that way- having "shops" lining every street.

We passed a funeral procession. It is very similar to a New Orleans funeral procession- a walking parade of musicians and family members, all dressed in black and white. Most of the cemetaries are above ground crypts, like in New Orleans, too. French Influence?

The destruction, debris and garbage are worse than I expected. I have seen the photos and heard the stories over the past six years- but it is everywhere. Actually- there is a beautiful contrast here in Haiti. The devastation, garbage, and pollution is disgusting. Yet people walk around and live their lives here- in really nice Western clothing. They are hanging out with their friends and family, shopping, and walking amidst piles of items at the market. And garbage is EVERYWHERE. I kept thinking, "I wish  Randy's Sanitation of Delano could send down all their trucks and lead a garbage mission trip. Seriously- bring in bulldozers, front end loaders, etc... and clean it up. Oh- but then what? People have to change their behavior, too. Ugh... it will happen eventually with education and time, right?"

Animals are wandering everywhere, too. Actually they kind of stay in their areas. Black hogs wallow in garbage filled irrigation canals and cute little goats tromp around on the garbage piles, eating away. Chickens roam freely, and get purchased, bound by the feet and carried around the market. Oh- and goat and chickens get carried on motorcycles, too.  DOGS? I didn't really see any until we got closer to the Villa. Then I noticed small packs wandering around- little red street dogs and doberman looking dogs. Skinny dogs! Some dominance scuffles, too.  At the villa they have a few house dogs.  No cat spottings yet.

We passed a few tent cities and then some "nicer" neighborhoods with patched together tin siding. Most remaining buildings are crumbled cement debris piles. The government ministry buildings were pristine and guarded by high fences. Buildings got progressively nicer as we drove to the villa. Some neighborhoods were reminescent of Italy and Spain, with curving staircases going up the hill, and houses and shops tucked in all corners. In the right light and frame of mind' it could be beautiful.

Arriving at the Villa' it really is a compound. 15 foot high walls surround the facility and Claude successfully backed a yellow school bus through the 15 foot high gate. Once inside it was immediately quieter and calm. We visited with Pastor Widelson, got our Nursing School shirts and said our goodbyes. Then we found our rooms which are spread around this tiny campus. There are lush palm trees, a crystal blue pool and lovely garden terrace. It feels like we are in a different world. We are.

We made it just in time to eat dinner at the Villa. Rice and beans, beef, salad, spicy! coleslaw and bread. There was dulce de leche pie for dessert, too.  Eating a hearty meal after such a long, hot day felt amazing. After dinner we opened all 21 bags to sort and organize our gifts. This took two hours and was hot, sweaty work. It was amazing to see everything that made it here. A full, detailed list will be published later.

The kids wanted to go swimming and convinced the rest of us to jump in. So we did. They were right. The water rinsed us of the day and we felt cool for the first time. We socialized a little with the other group staying here.... they are from Florida.

Overall it was an exhausting, exhilarating day. Tomorrow we start by heading up to the church at 8am where they have invited MANY PEOPLE to see us.



Smells: human sewage, coal fires, garbage, diesel fuel.
Sights: overwhelming.
Sounds: honking horns, trucks without mufflers, hawkers selling roadside beverages

Team reactions:
Adam
Worse: the conditions were worst than I anticipated. Not ready for the extreme level of poverty and conditions we saw on the bus ride.
Better than expected: The smiles and appreciation of Pastor and the kids. We just met them and they loaded the bus for us, but they are so excited all ready.

Sharon: I actually thought the city would be worse than it was. It was really cool to see the instruments and supplies all unpacked.

Sarah:
The Villa is better than expected. It is an oasis in the dust storm of chaos.
Nothing could have prepared me for Haiti itself. You just have to experience it.

Don't worry, Pray.

#firstworldproblems

Tuesday July 15th at 3 am we depart for Haiti.

Leading up the trip members of our team were waking up in the middle of the night with (somewhat) irrational fears. I'm probably the worst offender, as I tend to get anxiety about random things before I travel. After the fears subside, all of our team members eventually come to the realization that, "God always makes it work." Pastor Widelson says, "Don't worry, pray." Good Advice.

So what was I worrying about? 

#firstworldproblems. (Get ready to laugh at/judge me... I am aware that I worry too much.)

***If you haven't heard of #firstworldproblems before, watch this one minute video. (My students showed it to me when we were discussing global income distribution in economics class. It is painfully true.)

The Mosquitoes- I'm not a fan of MN mosquitoes, but bugs in Haiti carry more diseases. I'm currently taking anti-Malaria medicine, but there are a few other viruses they are delivering to humans. On the news last month I heard about a Minnesota woman that contracted the chikungunya virus. Watch the video and you'll quickly see why I'm paranoid. At the packing party Darlene and Tracie showed us the deet spray for pre-treating clothing. They are not messing around!  At least, we also fortunate enough to afford DEET infused bug repellent. Yay, for bug spray. #betterthanadisease

The Airport- 10 white people with 21 huge suitcases and personal items... seriously- we're going to stick out. I keep thinking we're gonna get hassled or caught by customs and thrown in Haitian jail. Then I come back down to reality and think- we're bringing in musical instruments, not contraband. Will we get hassled? Yes. However Rob figured out that you should actually say YES to the porters and they get you through customs quickly.  I'll let you know how that goes... as long as I don't end up in jail.

The Food- I am allergic to wheat, and I don't want to get sick. I really don't want to get sick in front of my students! I also know that I go from hungry to H-Angry real quick. But- many people in Haiti go hungry and survive on much less than I do in a normal day. I (and most Americans) struggle to keep my weight down- talk about #firstworldproblems. I'll be fine- and bring my KIND bars.

The Water- I don't want to spend the trip in the bathroom- especially not surrounded by my students. I certainly want to avoid dehydration and hospitalization in Haiti. Gotta stay hydrated! I bought the two stage iodine tablets for purifying water, and Rob has a fancy water purifier. We'll be fine, right? The fact that I've never have to worry about clean drinking water...

The Heat- Haiti is a tropical island and it is July. Sharon was really good at reporting Haiti's temps at church- it was in the 100s regularly. My latest check on weatherchannel.com says it will be in the 90s with afternoon storms. High humidity. No air-conditioning. Its going to be HOT. We're going to be sweaty. But, the orphans never have air-conditioning and most people around the world live like this.

The Air- The smell of Port-au-Prince as been described as a blend of ,"diesel fumes, burning rubber, kerosene, sewage, smoke, rotting garbage and body odor." Jake said the air is thick with dust and odor and that was the first shock to his system. I live in rural Minnesota with fresh clean air everyday. Occasionally we are gifted with wafts of manure, but that is rare. In New York City we got wafts of garbage or sewer off and on throughout the day, but Jake insisted that was "nothing." Again- clean air is something we take for-granted in America.

The Language Barrier- The Haitians speak Haitian creole. This is blend of French, Spanish, Taino,West African and Portuguese according to Wikipedia.  I have a few years of Spanish from years ago, but Jake said it was nearly impossible to understand creole- even though he would recognize a word here or there. I spent six weeks in Europe with my minimal Spanish and did just fine- but most Europeans know English. Jake reassures me that Enelson and a few of the young adults know a decent amount of English. I feel guilty for going on a trip and expecting them to know my language...

The Internet- Electricity and internet are sporadic in Haiti. I will attempt to blog every evening after dinner, but I know the connections will be limited. How upset do we get when the power goes out for a day? How crabby do we get when the internet is slow? #firstworldproblems.

Lucky

OK-Some of those fears are legitimate. All of them make me realize how fortunate we are to live in America. This has been the essence I try to get across to my students. "Is our government perfect? No. But, you and I don't have to worry about the air we breathe, the safety of the food we eat or the water we drink daily." My garbage gets picked up weekly and we have a sewage infrastructure so good that we forget about it. Our country runs so smoothly that we take all of those things for-granted. However, hiccups in the system send us reeling. When flood waters overwhelm the sewage system, as they did in Mound this summer, everyone gets upset. What if that was your daily life?

A few people can't understand why the 10 of us are volunteering to go to Haiti for a week to endure these challenges. Speaking for myself, I want/need to experience this. Most of the world does not live the way we do. From everything I've heard, the people we are visiting in Haiti are some of the happiest, hopeful people, full of faith in Christ, that we will ever meet. They are hungry for education and are making real changes in their lives for the good. Yet, in America- land of abundance- depression runs rampant and we have a huge drop-out rate at schools. I'm not expecting to get all the answers, but I want to experience this myself.

My next fear- Will I struggle to adjust back to American life with all the #firstworldproblem whiners?

Packing Magic

The whole team (minus Sydney) got together Sunday to do the final packing.

Doug Voerding stopped by to snap a few photos and gather information for the Buffalo News Paper, so look for that this week.

What: 10 people, 21 suitcases/instrument cases.

(19 cases up to 50 pounds each and 2 bags weigh 70 pounds.)
Here is the unofficial list of what we're packing:

1 autoharp
1 accordion
2 bells sets
3 baritones
6 clarinets
2 French horns
2 trumpets
4 cornets
2 keyboards
1 drum set
1 snare drum
4 alto saxophones
1 soprano saxophone
7 flutes
1 trombone
100+ drum sticks
15+ mallets
40+ collapsible music stands
50+ recorders
3 tuners/metronomes
3 drum stick bags
3 French horn mouthpieces
1 clarinet mouthpiece
45+ clarinet reeds
36+ alto sax reeds
18+ cork grease
2 bottles slide oil
7+ bottles valve oil
7 cleaning pads
2 flute cleaning rods
3 cleaning snakes
1 Master Key chromatic pitch instrument
1 tuning fork
1 drum key
3 shakers
1 tambourine
150+ lesson books
Guitar
12 Quilts
Over 200 beanie babies and stuffed animals
Clothes and shoes - at least 5 boxes worth
Candy
Art supplies -
4 lap tops
USB storage devices
1 printer

Also:

Each of us get 1 personal carry-on and 1 personal item, too. I think Adam K is going to carry a guitar on board for his item.

As for the 21st bag- that costs $150 dollars... which is a bargain versus the $500 shipping cost with Fedex.. plus we KNOW it will get to the orphanage this way.

Who and Where in Haiti?

Reality is setting in-we leave for Haiti.
Here's the lowdown on Who and Where in Haiti.

Who: There will be many people (50-150?) we interact with, but a few key names you should know.

Pastor Widelson Marcellus has been our main contact in Haiti since 2008. Widelson is a very well connected man, and we learn more about him and the amazing things happening in Haiti every time we visit. He is married and has four grown children of his own, and one grandchild. His home is the orphanage, he owns nursing schools and he cares for his church congregation.

Ernst went to college to be a music educator and has been teaching music lessons over the past few years. He is excited to get some help and instruments from Sarah and the team.

Enelson is Pastor Widelson's son and he is one of the key planners in this trip. Enelson graduated this spring with an Accounting degree. His English is pretty good and he has been sharing his knowledge of business and technology with others. He is very interested in helping others start micro-businesses and creating sustainability.

Where: Carrefour is just west of the capital city, Port-au-Prince. This is a very poor, run-down neighborhood of the capital. Our home-base will be at the Villa. The villa is a pretty nice place to stay and many America mission trips spend time there. (They have a pool but no air conditioning and the electricity is unreliable.) Villa is very close to the Widelson orphanage where we will spend most of our time.

The Orphanage:  St. Paul's congregation sends monthly support to aid the orphanage in his home. I hesitate every time I write the word ORPHANAGE because it is not the typical orphanage most of us envision. Technically many of the children have at least one living parent and they are "poverty orphans" or "children of grace." Regardless, many (35)  children live with the Marcellus family. All of the kids are sent to school and attend church with him. The older kids were part of the technology class in 2011 and gone on to teach those skills to the younger kids. Many move onto college or nursing school, too. It is really fun to look through Rob's photos of Haiti over the years to see the growth of all the kids. Look HERE.

The Nursing School: Widelson became the owner/director of a failing nursing school in 2008. St. Paul's raised money to build desk/benches for the school. This has been a blessing to give his kids access to education and careers.

The Church: This church is up on the mountain side, in the country, overlooking a growing village and the sea. The church is a wooden framed building with tin roofing. It gets really HOT during service. Most of the music lessons and activity will take place here. We will all attend the Sunday service as well.

---------------------- Widelson in MN Storytime Break---------------------

Its my blog, so I get to do this :)

Pastor Widelson came to MN in the spring of 2013 to learn more about us, including a visit to Buffalo High School. Pastor got a personal tour of BHS from principal and St. Paul's member, Mark Mischke. Widelso was blown away by our school's sheer size, organization, and music facilities. They stopped by my classroom to visit and he loved seeing the Haitian flag and mementos in my room (Sister Jake, as he greeted me.) Actually the WHITEBOARDS were his favorite. BHS presented him with some BHS gear, which he proudly wore the rest of the week, including at St. Paul's where he received a bit of teasing from the STMA students, but he proudly insisted that, "Mark Mischke is my friend!" -- Love this story!!

Oh- and Widelson loved the Irwin's pitbulls, Jasper and Tito. He affectionately gave them nicknames, ti tet "little head" and gwo tèt "big head." Dogs are not seen as family members in Haiti, or most developing countries, so this was a fun surprise. When my husband was down there, he of course made friends with the dogs that hung out at the villa. (After the Sochi dog situation in Russia, I am curious about Haiti's dog policies, but I am having a hard time finding anything. Clearly we don't want un-vaccinated strays wandering around for public health and safety.)

He was able to see both snow and experience a warm spring day while he was here. He also had his first s'more around a MN backyard fire pit. The Mall of America was a bit overwhelming, but he asked to take photos by the amusement park to show the orphanage kids.

Overall it was a great visit. Relationships take time to develop. Trust is important.

Meet the team..

Meet the Team: Haiti 2014

Last year on his Minnesota visit Pastor Widelson said he would love more musical instruments for his church in Haiti. When the Irwins brought this request to the St. Paul's congregation, the call was answered. Sarah K. was inspired to lead an instrument collection project that was described in my last post.

This instrument project is a major undertaking, and sending the collected items to Haiti is not an easy task. In the past the Irwins sent some instruments by mail, but customs charged a HUGE fee, so it was more cost effective to have volunteers deliver them in person and serve for a week as well. Each of us will have two 50 pound checked bags- full of instruments, tech gadgets, art supplies and some clothing/toys and other filler supplies to maximize space. While the main mission of this trip is to deliver the musical instruments, the volunteers will teach classes, collaborate on music and art projects with the kids of the orphanage during the week.

Rob I.- Most experienced member of this Haiti mission team. He has traveled to Haiti many times since 2008 and hosted Pastor Widelson during his visit to Minnesota. Rob organized this trip and looks forward to visiting again. In Haiti he will focus on the tech aspect of the trip and taking photos. Career: Electrical Engineer. Married to Heather I. and father of Brian and Kiley.

Heather I.- wife of Rob and longtime supporter of the Haiti mission trips. She traveled to Haiti in 2013 and presents Mission Minutes monthly at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. She can't wait to get back to Haiti to visit everyone again. According to Pastor Widelson, Heather and he "have the same heart," and she will use this time to visit and learn more about the church, orphanage, and nursing schools he runs in Haiti. Career: Human Resource professional. Married to Rob and mother of Brian and Kiley.

Sarah K. will be a senior at Buffalo High School this fall. Sarah began thinking of a global music project when Pastor Widelson came to Minnesota in the spring of 2013. She can't wait to see how her plans all unfold in Haiti with her mother and brother at her side.  At home Sarah is involved in many activities at BHS - including band, swimming, student council, and NHS. She plays the flute in concert band and the saxophone in jazz band. She is also a drum major for Buffalo's 2014 HERD Marching Band.

Adam K. graduated from Buffalo High School in 2013. He is currently a sophomore at Concordia College in Moorhead and pursuing a degree in biology with plans to attend medical school in the future. This summer Adam is working as a camp counselor at Luther Crest in Alexandria, MN. Adam is excited to meet all the kids in Haiti and to spread God's love through music. Brother and supporter of Sarah K.

Darlene K. is the mother of Adam and Sarah and married to Brian. She is currently a math teacher at St. Michael-Albertville High School. Darlene is thrilled to be able to share this amazing experience with Adam and Sarah. She is anxious to see and to begin comprehending the extreme poverty that people in this part of the world live in. She is so excited to see Sarah's project come together and to see excitement on the Haitian faces when they see the amount of musical equipment that we are bringing.

Sharon G. teaches 2nd grade at Big Woods Elementary in St. Michael. She grew up in the community and has been a member of St. Paul’s "forever." Sharon teaches confirmation and sings in the church choir. “I was sitting in church back when Bonnie and Dennis Kueng first asked to raise money to buy mattresses to send to Pastor Widelson. From that moment on, I knew I would travel to Haiti. I have taught overseas and done mission work in Hungary and Spain. I am looking forward to using the skills I have learned on those trips to make connections, share stories, and build relationships with our brothers and sisters in Haiti. I am also so thrilled to go to Haiti for this trip because of my musical background.”

Lori E.has lived in Hanover for 25 years. She is married to Karl and one son, Taylor, a recent graduate of UWRF. She works as an independent sales rep in textiles, which is perfect because she loves quilting. Lori sings in the church choir (with Sharon) and played in her high school band years ago. Those experiences inspired her to join the team this year. "I have listened to the stories of St. Paul's Haiti mission trips and put it on my 'maybe in the future' list. When I heard about Sarah's project, 'I thought this is the time, some of what I know might help!'"

Tracie C. is the mother of Sydney and Taylor and married to Tom. She is CEO Chief Creative Officer at Curb Crowser, a retail brand design company. Tracie is coordinating some art projects to do with the kids at the orphanage. "We plan to share our time and talents of art with the Haitians, old and young. Thanks to the tremendous support of our congregation, St. Paul’s filled a suitcase of basic art supplies. Depending on what the kids and adults want to explore, I plan to share color, shapes, mixing colors, drawing cartoon faces and how to express oneself with art. We may not have enough time!" She adds, " This is the right time for Sydney and I to go. We have so much love to share with the Haitians, and we are ready for laughs, tears and lots of hugs. We all appreciate prayers of safety and good health."

Sydney C. will be a sophomore at Buffalo High School this fall. She has traveled with her family and hopes to connect with the kids through art and soccer. "I am looking forward to going to Haiti, because I am excited to meet new people and help them." Daughter of Tracie C.

Lacy S.- Teacher at Buffalo High School and Director of Save-a-Bull Rescue. Team blogger. My husband Jake went to Haiti with Rob in 2011. No known music skills. (Seriously I struggle to clap in a rhythm.) I love ART and appreciate music, though, so I'll help where I can. As a teacher I hope to discuss education tips and tricks with the teachers, too. I look forward building relationships and learning as much as possible so I can share this experience with my students back at home.

One more week! Look for my next post highlighting some of the people we will work with!
~ Lacy