Retreat night: Monastery of SSJE

I arrived at the guest entrance at 3pm, after a day of pastoral visits
in Dover, Mission Hill and Cambridge. It has been a few years since I
was here last. They have new windows, new bathrooms. The guest host
walked me up to the third floor and to room #13, Saint Thomas name is
on the door.

It is a small room, eight feet wide by fourteen feet. I had a long
list of work to do, preparations for annual meeting at Saint Dunstans
on Sunday was on the top of my list. I left them in my bag. I went for
a run on the Charles river in the cold, damp, January late day air. As
I ran, I was able to let go of so many worries and burdens on my mind.
Four miles later, I was back at the gate.

A quick shower and now I can settle down for the retreat. In my room I
begin with prayers: healing for my daughter, thanks for seeing great
friends last night, healing for those in the parish recovering from
surgeries this weekend, tender compassion for those who are in
mourning, thanks for Matthew's visit, those looking for work, those
preparing for babies, etc.

I wonder what your prayers are tonight. I have come to firmly believe
that God listens to all our prayers, as I have been able to witness
the power of prayer that opens our hearts to God's voice, God's Grace.

Plenty of prayer time coming:
The daily offices: evening prayer at 6pm, Compline at 9pm, Morning
Prayer at 6am, Eucharist at 7:45am and noonday prayers as noon.

Prayerfully,

Mark+

Sent from my Phone
Rev. Mark C. McKone-Sweet

Day 9: we are home

We have arrived home to snow flakes, clean public bathrooms and joy of
being home. It will take some days, weeks and probably months to
process. We have collected over 7,000 photo's. In the meantime, we
give thanks for our safe return, your prayers and the spirit of Haiti
bouncing in our hearts.

Stay tuned for more reflections on walking the walking after Sunday.

Prayerfully,
Mark+

Sent from my Phone
Rev. Mark C. McKone-Sweet

Day 9: Bring them home

Good morning. Today we travel home. Today we do more than say goodbye.
Today we open our hearts and lives to a new chapter, a new beginning,
new birth in Jesus Christ. We have begun to form relationships. And
with relationships comes companionship, mutual prayers and a desire to
work together. We are not coming home with answers ... But with
stories, and God wiling, a passion to testify to what we have
experienced as individuals, groups and as parishes. I often witness
missioners trying to process everything on this day. It is to much,
even for me. God willing we will be able to slowly and steadily unpack
and discover God's voice calling our names.

Last night we began that work. We all shared experiences that will
stay with us for a long time, we tried unpack, we laughed, some cried,
and we listened to each other. And so we could see the spirit moving
and forming each other.

What a gift from God. Please pray for our team, our parish and
partners in Haiti.

A view from the porch of Matthew 25.

Day 8: 9am service

Te second service was much different. It began with Jon playing
trumpet and Mark+ serving with his friend Sr. Sarah.

As the service rolled along, the rest of the group arrived to great
music! The Bishop is here today and so we were able to greet him,
pray with him. He gave thanks to God & blessed our work and our call
to mission work, going deeper into ministry. I think the photo's speak
for themselves. Enjoy!

Rec John on trumpet

Day 8: worship 7am

This morning Rev Jon and I woke up early. Quietly took showers, ate
breakfast and put on our collars. We arrives late for the 7am service
at the cathedral for children. About 1/3 of the school, 300 children,
sitting quietly for an hour and half service.

An hour later, Jon and I were distracted, during Eucharist presided by
the first woman priest of the diocese & head of school. It then we
heard the famous cathedral choir voices capture our ears and hearts.

Day 7 - st vincents

We also had a chance to visit Sisters of St Margaret's school for the
blind and the disabled. Below is the courtyard where a few boys play.

One life long resident explained that everything was working great
leading up to the quake. Then, For three months they were moved out of
the area until their school could be cleaned and the Japanese embassy
could build more facilities in the courtyard. Now, with more residents
and greater needs, they are working 1/2 the space.

I was surprised to walk upstairs into an orphanage for young
residents. To be honest my heart was warmed by their smiles ... But as
I left the room, I was wiping tears from my face. I finally reach my
breaking point. And then I saw the woman in the second photo praying,
very peacefully. What faith she had. I began to feel spiritually
inadequate.

Day 7: Hope in our midst

Dear friends,
Today I reached emotional & intellectual capacity. I felt it coming on
yesterday as the extent of the work before the church and people
seemed endless. After driving through blocks of tent cities, first
erected two year ago, we visits the Episcopal Schools:
First was the school at the Cathedral campus, we were drawn in by the
sounds of a great band playing. We met the priest in charge, the first
woman ordained in Haiti in 2003. The school began for preschoolers as
the kids grew older they added more grades. This June they will have
their first graduates taking the national exam so they can attend
college. Below is the band.

Day 7 - the Cathedral

Here I am standing at the place of the high altar - where it use to
be. We were greeted by the young musicians preparing for a regular
rehearsal. And so the work of the church continues. When the Temple
is destroyed, we learn that the church is made up of people. In a
photo exhibit at the national gallery, one person quoted said "the
earthquake destroyed people's lives, but it did not destroy their
souls". Amen!

Day 7: tent city

This morning we flew to Port Au Prince. And 1/2 mile from the airport,
we passed a tent city, slowly shrinking, as the government learns that
some residents are not sleeping here. I wonder how we will witness
progress here and discover what has been forgotten.

We'll try to keep you posted throughout the day.

Day 6 - having fun

This afternoon we took some time to visit the artist market and
support them. When we returned, the boys from school had the new
jerseys on and after defeating the boys in the grade above them, they
were all smiles.

In the evening we packed our bags, how did this week go so quickly?

After dinner we all gave thanks for a good week, shared a bible study
of Matthew 25, and then shared sweets with the kids in the house.

Day 6 - hope growing

This morning we drove 30 minutes outside of the city, heading east on
the highway towards the DR border. Kris and I notified the changes
immediately: more homes, many construction sites, etc. We stopped at a
small episcopal church, (st etienne church/school) now with 300 kids
and a priest on site (Noe hired last year). Noe reminds us that the
real work does not happen without a priest on site, living with the
people. Most priests have three or four parishes/ schools.

Then we drove 10 miles to a new university for 3,000 students being
built by the European Union. One of ten that they will build as gifts
to Haiti. One mile away USAID is building 4,000 homes (for sale). And
another two miles down the road the Episcopal church has their
agricultural school and small village being built for survivors of the
earthquake. They are working with the NGO food for poor.

8 more homes have been built and 10 more will be built this summer.
Now they need a school for these kids. They have the property and had
large tents - which have since been shredded by weather and wind.
These are very poor people ... Most kids had no clothes and they are
not able to eat most days. Below is a picture of where the new houses
will be built, the concrete blocks, and the existing homes. No
electricity yet.

Day 6 - images from day 5 worship.

The altar (notice the light bulbs under the altar)

Day 6 - ambassadors preparing

Today we were greeted by a warm sun, as seen outside the rectory
compound/walls. The amazing beauty of the earth and God's creation in
the midst of such poverty. Indeed it was Pere Noe's message of hope to
his church that the future will return to Haiti it's rightful title of
"pearl of the Caribbean".

Today we will visit three other ministries of the Episcopal Church
and visit several family homes of children of the school. This is
important work so that we can go beyond the surface of our
understanding of the true work of the church, God and Pere Noe's
ministry.

In deed, it is in our homes that we often see our relationship with
God expressed. Right?

The Morning sun that greets us and sheds light on fishermen casting their nets.

Day 5: day of prayer begins with soccer

And so we wake to the morning, peace in the air, and soccer with the
kids at 6:30am. See photo below.

Feels funny when we stop to think about two years ago ... The hour
quickly approaching when bells will ring and silence will consume the
country. In Roman chapter 5, (we studied last night) Paul teaches us
that with suffering comes persistence, with that comes character, and
with character comes hope validated by gift of the Holy Spirit - ever
present to our daily lives.

May hope lead to concord as well to joy in working together, hand in
hand, to reduce all human suffering.

Day 4: ends with transformation

Today we returned to painting in the afternoon. The first photo is a
classroom with no paint - it is brighter at 4pm because the windows
face west and the flash on my camera. And so we actually finished two
rooms today and prepared another. The work is hard, and the reward is
everything. Look that the difference. Thanks to Kris' eye for
finishing! Image if we had more missioners and more days?

Day 4: Preparing for the 2nd anniversary

Dear friends,
Today preparations are in full swing for tomorrow. Below is a link to
a statement from our Presiding Bishop and the Bishop of Haiti. Read
hers - very formal of course - and then watch the video. Recovering
takes time as witness in our own country as the gulf coast has yet to
be restored. It is even worse here. Once the world stops watching and
governments move onto more popular agendas they leave vulnerable the
necessary, long term relationships that are critical to rebuilding and
strengthening communities for the future.

Yes, there are signs of hope. And Yes, TB is spreading and killing.
The new government has new controls on medications brought in by
medical teams. Yes, schools can't meet demand. Yes, churches and
schools with reliable resources from the States are growing quickly.
And yes, churches with little resources are often churches that lack a
personal network are left to make do despite the odds. In truth our
denomination in the States seems to be less generous or able to
provide the surge and sustaining resources compared the other
Protestant groups. I have witnessed this reality in The Dioceses of El
Salvador and Belize too.

What brings us hope is the faith of the people, children and clergy of
Episcopal Church of Haiti. Day after day, caring for children of their
own and strangers, feeding whomever they can, loving the dying,
celebrating God's Grace every day and rejoicing! Awesome. Inspiring.
Spiritually captivating and humbling.

Here is the link:

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/01/11/episcopal-church-marks-second-anniversary-of-haiti-earthquake/

Faithfully yours,

Mark+

Sent from my Phone
Rev. Mark C. McKone-Sweet

Day 3 evening

Friends, this afternoon we got to work. We primed two classrooms and
gave a good first coat to one. Tomorrow and Friday we hope to finish
all three rooms. Turning them from dark, dirty rooms into bright
learning environments It is amazing what a coat of paint can do for
any room.

Tonight we reflected in the destruction of the temple after the life
and death of Jesus Christ. London taught how often reconstruction
honors history, art and architecture while she rattled of a bunch of
examples. We also reflected on what the role of the Cathedral is, in a
diocese and how it can impact the day to day life within an
individual's personal and community lives. In concurrence with this,
we also spoke about how rebuilding the cathedral in Haiti is so
important from the religious aspect but also from the community
standpoint as it is a building that brings about hope for a group of
people who live in a world that seems derived from all the
possibilities of a better future at times.

Day 3 - trash, everywhere

There are less Pepsi and Coca Cola bottles compared to 12 months ago,
thanks to USAID incentives. To be honest, at least something is
better. Everything else is dirty and dumped into rivers, shore lines,
streets, everywhere and countless people sort through them, looking
for anything and others continue to fish in these very waters.

Day 3 - meeting the children

We slept to the sounds of rain, dogs, cats, roosters, cars until 4am.
Then we tried to sleep to those sounds AND the women preparing
breakfast, banging pans, smells from the kitchen fire, buses, men shouting and then laughing. By 7:30am we were at the school, high school ages already in their classrooms.

This photo is of London and Kris taking photo's and then showing the
kids their faces on the screen. Fiona, speaking French is in the
middle greeting children. 40% of the kids pay their own way. 10% have
partial financial aide. The rest have no money. Pere Noe is constantly
approached by patents for scholarships.

Cash flow: the "paying students" cover total cash flow through
Christmas. Then cash flow is month to month. Our funds will go to work
almost immediately. Noe tells us with soft voice, May and June he
rarely has cash. The teachers work on a prayer and his integrity -
that they will be paid, hopefully.

How would you divide the money? Scholarships, teachers, building
rooms, books, food? ... This is Pere Noe's daily discernment.

We are off to the trade school for a tour and then we will prepare for
painting rooms.

Mark+

Sent from my Phone

Rev. Mark C. McKone-Sweet

Day 2: The day comes to an end.

We ate pudding, P&J sandwiches and drank Hot Cocoa for dinner. We then
offered gifts for Noe's family, including stuffed animals, shower
heads, colored pencils, snap watches and in this photo the photo album
Kris made from last years photos.

We finished with Compline. A Simple word search gave us our scripture
to reflect upon: persistence (thank you London) found in Luke 11:5-13.
Noe offered his reflections too; On Sunday priests go home to eat a
meal with their families; many people on Sunday, come and pray - pray
for a miracle that they will be able to eat something. He spoke to how
they pray and pray - trusting in Gods Grace. They are persistent and
faithful.

How are you persistent? Are you persistent in your prayers even when
you don't experience them as answered?

Day 2: true meaning of faith

We have been here for less than two hours and we already are impressed
a few improvements to the city. The main road from the airport to down
town is now smooth and functional. We meet woman collecting empty
plastic soda bottles from beach (USAID now pays for these bottles -
new incentive to not liter). It seems to be working a bit. Small
progress is progress.

The capacity of the school continues to be stretched, it has grown
from 1,000 students to 1,200. They have had no new funds to add rooms
or even finish rooms. So the average room has grown from 25+ to 45+
kids.

They have had only one or two missions teams since last we came. Many
of the funds they need are not in hand, and yet Pere Noe is hopeful.
And so we are called to learn from Noe and his parish about the true
meaning of Faith!

Our work is clear this week: mornings with the school and afternoons
painting classrooms. Thursday we will stop to worship and take in the
2nd anniversary of the earthquake.

And so I write you from the airport to which we have returned to
gather our bags which were sent on a later flight.

Faith is believing in something you can't touch or understand, right?

How strong is your faith?
How will our faith as group grow this week?
How will Saint Dunstan's community strengthen our faith through this
experience?

Written prayerfully,
Mark+ and London

Sent from my Phone
Rev. Mark C. McKone-Sweet

Day 2: greeting from Shirley

We were greeted by Pere Noe's wife, Shirley, in PaP. Waiting for our
in country flights, Kris shares photos of Pere Noe's school and their
family with Shirley.

Day 1: We take the flight

And so here we are, four of us from Saint Dustan's as we enter our second year in partnership AND three from Saint Paul's (Natick) entering their twenty-fourth year in partnership. Two parishes on a journey to learn, grow and discover hope from our sisters and brothers in Haiti.  Two parishes prayerfully discerning God's call for the future. Join us in prayer.

 

 

The unexpected blessing. 18 hours before departure to Haiti.

And our mission trip is now before us, we depart in less than 18 hours. My bags are packed and I am ready as I will ever be.

This year, my kids decided to get involved. Marcos helped with my first "pre" pack earlier in the week. He had fun running up and down the stairs finding whatever I was seeking (small zip lock bags, batteries, garbage bags, clean socks, painting pants, work gloves, prayer book and more). He kept asking "daddy, when can I come with you? Earlier today my daughter went with me to the local sports store to buy soccer balls and basketballs. The manager was great, found a bunch of balls on sale and gave us a discount on top of that. What was fun, was that we had to push all the air OUT of the balls on the floor of the store. Everyone was curious and we enjoyed talking about the trip. Then we were off to CVS for a few more items. As usual, Maya wanted to me buy her something and I could not help but respond "no, the kids I am going to see don't even have one ball ... you don't need anything else".

When we returned home I went straight upstairs to pack. In what seemed like 15 minutes, Marcos and Maya came boldly in with a full trash bag. "Dad, you need to bring these too". It was a bag full of stuffed animals and small toys. They were so proud of themselves. After Kate and I removed a few items (passed on for generations in our families) the kids packed them into the ball bag with great pride.

I have to admit, there are many times when I feel like no one around me understands the pulling of my heart, pulling in all directions, the aches and pains, especially when my prayers and ministry take me fluidly between here and there, rich and poor, white and non-white, rural and urban, USA and the poorest country in the world.  And then this experience happens. Not only did my kids "get it", they blessed me tonight. It was what I needed. 

Please keep the people of Haiti, the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti and the members of our mission teams in your prayers.
You remain in my prayers.

Mark+