Group’s Haiti trip postponed

Journey to All Saints sister parish new set for March.

By Jennifer Tangeman

Haitians have a tradition when saying goodbye to one another. They say, “I’ll see you later if the good God’s willing.” For a group of Logansport natives, that phrase is ringing true.

A mission trip to deliver medicine and supplies to friends in need in Haiti has been postponed because of continuing delays in commercial flights.

Parishioners from All Saints Catholic Church were planning to fly out next week to deliver aid to their twin parish in the mountainous village of Terre-Neuve, but with no commercial flights being allowed in the country, the local delegation will be grounded in the United States until March.

“If the government doesn’t release Port-au-Prince Airport to commercial flights, then they won’t fly,” said Carol Greiner, who has traveled to the town in Haiti for a handful of years.

Greiner said the airport is too congested with mercy flights and military aid.

“The port in Port-au-Prince was pretty much closed,” she said. “I heard they do have one pier open now, so that will relieve some congestion.”

Greiner, her husband Rick and a few others planning to travel to the nation just weeks after it was devastated by an earthquake were told commercial flights could resume to the country’s capital Friday.

“At the last minute, the airlines could fly out on the 23rd, but it takes a little while to arrange our transportation, and I don’t know that we could have canceled our driver in time, and that’s a hardship on them,” Greiner said.

So, the group decided to reschedule the trip for March 23-30.

The All Saints group started its mission trips to the desolate community five years ago as part of the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas. All Saints was twinned with Our Lady of the Nativity in Terre-Neuve. Each year, a group from Logansport visits to take donations of money, vitamins, bandages, antibiotic ointment, Tums and eyedrops.

The Haitians are so appreciative they begin preparing for the next trip as soon as the current one ends, Greiner said.

Although their foreign friends do not have much money or resources, they make sure to take care of their guests.

Greiner explained many of the roads along the eight-hour trip from Port-au-Prince to Terre-Neuve were made of dirt.

“When we’re in the mountains, it is not a paved road,” she said. “The first year, the parish got together and by shovel and hand, and maybe on wheel barrow, they built a rock road over the existing road so we wouldn’t walk on dirt.”

Another year, she said, the Haitians rebuilt a 500-foot stretch of road up the side of the mountain to make sure the visitors could reach Terre-Neuve.

“They did it all by hand,” she said. “And most of them don’t have shovels like we have. They have make shift shovels, with metal off of a piece of car fixed to a piece of wood.

“They didn’t get paid for it. They did it just so we could see them. That’s how much a visit from somebody means.”

Since the earthquake, the priest of Lady of the Nativity and a few others have been keeping in contact with the All Saints parishioners when Internet connectivity allows.

Greiner said the twin parish was doing fine in terms of shelter. The village is so far up in the mountains that the earthquake caused little damage.

“Food is starting to be a problem for them, because the Port-au-Prince area is getting a lot of attention, food and donations,” she said. “And gas has increased in price and some places have a shortage, so they’re having a difficult time.

“But they have a difficult time on a good day. Haiti is hard, and the people are just so strong.”

The people of Terre-Neuve are fairly disconnected from the nation’s capital and the events there, Greiner said.

The folks in Logansport also heard from one of their past interpreters.

“He said his family is OK, they are living outside and they are very depressed,” she said. “Haitians are kind of short and to the point. I would imagine there was some cyber cafe open, and he had to pay per line or per minute.”

Greiner said she hoped the good God would be willing to let the group return to Terre-Neuve. The trips are a much needed break from daily hardships, she said.

“They get up and look for water, look for food or make charcoal to make some money, and that’s a whole day,” Greiner said. “Their life is very hard, and there is not a lot to look forward to. When a group from All Saints goes, it’s something different and a reason to celebrate.”

She said a visit from friends at All Saints would give the message that the Haitians are thought of.

“They would say ‘Don’t forget us. Are you coming back?’ over and over, and that just breaks your heart,” Greiner said. “Someone is thinking of them, and they know we pray for them all of the time, and that they are not alone. And they know we are all connected through the love of Jesus.”

• Jennifer Tangeman is a reporter for the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5148 or jennifer.tangeman@pharostribune.com.

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