Christian missionaries killed in Haiti

"PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A U.S. missionary couple and a Haitian man who worked with them were shot and killed by gang members in Haiti’s capital after they were attacked while leaving a youth group activity held at a local church, a family member said Friday.

The attack happened Thursday evening in the community of Lizon in northern Port-au-Prince, Lionel Lazarre, head of a Haitian police union, told The Associated Press."

https://apnews.com/article/haiti-us-couple-missionaries-killed-gangs-a65a4515e0d8610d9acd006d24821efd?

By Rik Swartzwelder on Facebook

"Next time you’re feeling superior to Gen Z or Gen Alpha or… whatever other generational label struts down the catwalk next… remember the names of these two…

Davy (23) and Natalie (21) Lloyd. A young married couple from Missouri, USA, who were Christian missionaries who had committed their lives to serving the youngest and poorest in Haiti.

Along with Pastor Jude Montis (45), the local Haitian native who was the Director of Missions for their ministry organization, they were just days ago savagely butchered by a ruthless gang in Port-au-Prince.
Their names will likely barely be remembered…

None of them ever pranced half-naked on a stage, singing songs and begging for your adulation… for a hefty price…

They never made a billion dollars…

Or won an Olympic gold medal or any kind of athletic championship…

Or grabbed a microphone or exhausted themselves in the mockery or belittlement of others…

Or spent hours trolling others online trying to prove their superiority…

They never sought the spotlight… or lived for their own pleasure alone... or bought into the lie that this world is all there is...

What they did do was lay down their lives in the hopes of bringing a better life to others…

These are heroes. These are the souls that humble me and inspire me and call me into wanting to be more than I am. To serve… to give… to love…

Lord, have mercy… hear our prayer… come soon…

Congregational meeting and Dave Mann's retirement

When we began attending UALC in 1974 we met a young couple who were students at Luther Seminary in Bexley, Dave and Pam Mann (although she might have been his fiancée still). He was hired to be the Middle School minister. He had long blond hair and played the guitar. He's also a great organist.  He was sort of in an out -- he became our missionary to Cameroon in Africa. Instead of raising support as many missionaries have to do, our church kept them "on staff." We watched their four children grow up and eventually they returned to the U.S. (must have been some culture shock) where he rejoined our local staff with the usual ministerial responsibilities. In a few years he took a position at Institution Univers in Ouanaminthe, Haiti for about a decade, then returning to UALC where he was in charge of our international ministry. Bob participated in the Haiti short term ministry for 10 trips and taught in the school there.  Pam is a fabulous artist and contributed to so many of our in house art projects and quilt ministry, and also for many years she was a leader in the church's aerobic classes.  They retired at the end of 2023, and today was the celebration for their years of service and best wishes for their next adventure.

Dave and Pam were in Haiti during the terrible earthquake in 2010, and although Ouanaminthe was not hit, his school took in many students from the damaged area.  On his Facebook page he wrote:

"The day began with an all-school worship service. I was privileged to give the message. It was not difficult to find the word that would be right – Ours is a God who knows how to transform evil into good. The story of Joseph which is a key piece of my Bible curriculum in the 10th and 11th grades demonstrates this teaching. As I began to quote Genesis 50:20, many of the students completed the verse with me aloud. And, of course, the cross of Jesus is the ultimate proof that our God is a redeemer. Joseph’s story was not finished when he was in prison. Jesus’ story was not finished in the tomb. Haiti’s story was not finished on January 12th. Our story is not finished today. Our God will have the last word.""

On Easter Sunday 2018 Dave preached and told this story about John and Ali which I recorded in my blog.

"John was having a very busy day, and he passed a black man on Route 23 going north who’d had a flat tire and was attempting to flag someone down. John felt the Lord tap his shoulder but proceeded on as he had a busy schedule. Then he felt a firmer tap, so he turned around to help the stranded motorist. Not only was the tire flat, it was ruined. Not only was it ruined, but the man, Ali, had no money. So John paid for the tire himself, and then installed it for Ali. When they were finished, Ali told him he’d been waiting for two hours and no one had stopped, so why did John stop? “Because I serve the King,” John told him. Then Ali said, he’d like to know about this King that John served. Last Easter Ali was baptized a Christian and joined our Lutheran church. Dave told him that he would experience rejection and even hate from his Muslim community, but God’s love, through John had touched him and he came to know the living Lord."

  

Bob with Pam and Dave in Haiti in 2008

Bob and Pam at the quilt show at UALC in 2019 

How some Democrats see Barrett’s adoption

When John McCain appeared with his adult POC adopted daughter during the 2008 campaign, Democrats accused him of having a "love child." Now they've progressed and are calling Judge Barrett a "colonialist" for having adopted children who are black Haitians. Democrats never see love, loyalty, compassion, humility, strength, wisdom, devotion, or even simple humanity. Only skin color.

Slaves in Paradise

"Slaves in Paradise." That's what Fr. Christopher Hartley called the Haitian workers in the Dominican Republic who work the sugar cane fields. Slaves who live right next door to the U.S. He worked as a missionary in the beautiful D.R. about 10 years (1997-2006) and exposed the cruelty, and was eventually expelled. In the interview I heard on the radio, he named the wealthy family, and he called the workers "slaves," although in all the articles I checked they are called "immigrants," and usually the family is not named. He is English-Spanish and grew up in luxury and at one time worked with Mother Teresa. If BLM really cared about people of color, they'd be doing something about modern day slavery which is world wide. I heard the interview on "Kresta in the afternoon," EWTN and Ave Maria Radio, June 29. Documentary is "Price of sugar."

"The people in Father Hartley's parish were lured across the border from Haiti into the Dominican Republic by the promise of good jobs. All of them had their identification papers taken from them so that they are now undocumented workers in the sugar plantations — basically they are slaves. They spend twelve hours a day, seven days a week, in the fields cutting cane with machetes. In the shanty towns built by the plantation owners there is no electricity, clean water, education, healthcare, or adequate food.

These Haitian immigrants are poorer and blacker than the Dominicans and they are hated as outsiders. Father Hartley has made it his personal mission to fight for their human rights. He has single-handedly taken on the wealthy family that owns many of the plantations and controls the media."
 https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/reviews/view/17417/the-price-of-sugar

Porch stories at Lakeside 2018

There’s a 20 year old movement of communities and neighbors getting together to tell stories.  The book, The Moth, has become very popular and many communities are forming around the concept of the old time story telling as a social event.

“The storytelling phenomenon the Moth — with a Peabody Award-winning radio show on more than 450 stations around the world and a hugely popular podcast — is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The Moth was founded in 1997 by the writer George Dawes Green — its name comes from his memories of growing up in St. Simons Island, Ga., where neighbors would gather late at night on a friend’s porch to tell stories and drink bourbon as moths flew in through the broken screens and circled the porch light. It has since grown into what its artistic director, Catherine Burns, calls “a modern storytelling movement” that has inspired “tens of thousands of shows worldwide in places as diverse as Tajikistan, Antarctica, and Birmingham, Ala.” “ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/03/books/review-the-moth-presents-all-these-wonders.html

Last summer, a Lakesider, M.A., decided Lakeside needed a way to capture some of the flavor of this national movement.  The first meeting of Porch Stories which was planned for one of the large gracious porches of our little community was rained out, so we met at the Lakeside Women’s Club—and had practically standing room only! I believe there were three last summer and four this summer. M.A. has her rules—pithy, no more than 15 minutes, created a significant change in your life or beliefs and no questions from the audience to interrupt the flow.

On Monday, August 20, my husband was one of the story tellers, speaking to 115 friends and neighbors at the Lakeside Women’s Club.  Several days later I’m still being stopped on the street with comments and questions. He told about his first year of going to Haiti on a short term mission trip and how that changed his life. The next night, all the story tellers from 2017 and 2018 met for a reception so all could get to know each other.  It was an amazing gathering, and we caught up on three stories we’d missed while we were in Columbus one week this summer and had an opportunity to discuss the “rest of the story.”

Both Clintons should return to Haiti and shovel mud

Hillary Clinton failed Haiti as Secretary of State. Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation allowed their donors to do the rebuilding (U.S. tax dollars paid them) instead of those non-profits that had experience. They didn't listen to the Haitians about what they needed. To make way for the new industrial park the Clinton promoted as a "model," hundreds of farmers were removed from their land and given meager compensation in return. Many are now unemployed. The State Department and its partners said the park would create 65,000 jobs when fully operational.  Nearly four years later, there are just over 9,000 employees. Workers that Circa spoke with make the equivalent of $3.81 per day.

 Friends of the Clintons made out like bandits. The Haitian people still suffer. Now we've had Hurricane Matthew--don't believe anyone who has donated to the Clinton Foundation, or their relatives.

 http://circa.com/world/haiti-storyline

Celebrating 20 years of our mission school in Haiti

A huge crowd met at UALC last evening to celebrate the mission we support in Haiti (school and medical clinic) and the service of 2 of our missionaries who after 8 years are moving to another continent. Classes at the Christian school (Institution Univers, founded in 1994) may have 35-55 students--a huge improvement over the public schools where classroom teachers may have to handle 80. All the volunteers who have participated in short term missions admit they received so much more than they gave.

Friday Family Photo—homeschooling

My husband hosted his young home schooled friends on Thursday. He set the dining room table with paper plates and napkins with Twinkies and milk. He brought them t-shirts and caps from Haiti with a letter for each from a Haitian child. He showed them a video of his recent short term mission trip. Several weeks ago he did an art class instruction for them; I think today was social studies.

 

They pay him back by being adorable models for his paintings—in the one above his head they are eating ice cream along the lakefront in Lakeside. The other, just finished this week, is a painting of the children in front of the ice cream shop at Lakeside.

Their mother called that tonight to tell him the younger girl prayed at dinner for the children of Haiti, and that they would have enough money to continue their education.

Haitian Creole—a brief history

“Kreyòl, or Haitian Creole, is the major language of Haiti, spoken by nearly all the 10,000,000 people who live there, plus those in the widespread Haitian diaspora. Its vocabulary (but not the grammar) is primarily based on 18th-century French, with admixtures from African languages, English, and others. Although it is now an official language of Haiti, it has historically had second-class status to French, which was spoken only by the elite and educated, Kreyol being spoken by everyone else. Likely because its use was (and still is) strongly related to social class, the first texts in Kreyol did not appear until the 1920's; orthography (spelling) was finally standardized in 1979.”

The above is from the Book of Common Prayer (Episcopal)

My husband doesn’t speak Creole, French, or Spanish, but by the time his students graduate from Institution Univers located in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, they know those plus English.  Usually a senior is appointment to translate for him, although most of the students can understand, if not speak, English.

Why does the “caring” left discourage wealth?

The earthquake in Haiti was a magnitude of 7.0. According to Wikipedia, the 1989 Loma Prieta quake in San Francisco was either 7.0 or 6.9 depending on which scale is used. In other words, the intensities were fairly similar. Haiti is devastated. If the New York Times is correct, the death toll could be in the tens of thousands. The death toll in the 1989 quake was 63, if you include indirect deaths due the quake.

The difference is wealth. San Francisco is one of the wealthiest areas in our part of the world, while Haiti is the poorest. Poverty makes natural disasters worse. Wealth mitigates natural disasters. You would think that those who worry about the poor of the world would promote policies that increase wealth. Instead, they push policies that restrain wealth creation, and they do it intentionally and knowing it will restrain wealth creation.

http://www.thefreemanonline.org/headline/wealth-poverty-and-natural-disasters/

Friday Family Photo--Haiti Mission

Boarding the plane after a long delay in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. Better to have problems on the ground than in the air!

The classes he's teaching this week are perspective drawing and they get to make a model. This is the model he constructed there which is one of the classroom buildings not yet built (no money) which he designed a few years ago. Each tiny piece was cut out here at home and carefully packed into the suitcase.

The accomodations for the volunteers are nice--much better than what the people of Haiti or even the mission staff have. It's sort of like a camp--they have a dorm and working toilets and showers plus very good food. This mission group's purpose was to build up the tech support so it involved a computer team. Equipment was sent down ahead. My husband doesn't even do e-mail, but he went along and did after school classes in art. These photos came via Facebook from the team leader, Gary.

Here he is at work in Haiti during his last architecture class of the week, Friday. From their hands, I'm guessing they are working on perspective. On Friday the kids get to wear school t-shirts, but M-Th they are dressed up and the teachers too.

Update April 29: Home safe, and on time. He says it was the best mission ever! But I think he says that every year. Monday's teaching day was lost because of the delayed flight into Cap Hatian, but the rest went well. He was teaching 4 classes a day, plus one day filled in for a teacher who didn't show up (very common in the public schools but very rare in the Christian schools).

Why it's called the Massacre River

My husband is still hoping for a mission trip to Haiti this year--now probably postponed to April. The Massacre River separates Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Why the unusual name? In today's letter, Pam Mann, a missionary/teacher in Ouanaminthe from Upper Arlington Lutheran Church writes:

". . . Why the river's name was changed to Massacre. Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus, the indigenous Taino and Arawak people called the river Guatapana. However, in 1936, the centuries-old name was changed. Dominican Dictator Trujillo ordered the genocide of all blacks living in the DR who could not pronounce the Spanish verb, pereir, “to perish”. Spanish r's are tricky for Haitians as are English r's. In a few days time, an estimated 25,000 were slaughtered by machete, knives or bullets. Haitians fleeing to their homeland were tracked down and butchered by machetes when the bullets ran out. The waters of the Guatapana River ran red with Haitian blood and a horrified nation renamed it.

Our God will have the last word

Pastor Dave Mann and his wife Pam of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church are teaching in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. This is where my husband will soon go on his fourth short term mission with other members of our church. This area was not damaged by the earthquake, but the school, Institution Univers (private Christian), has taken in over 300 new students as relatives and friends take refuge in Ouanaminthe, an 18% increase using every available space. Dave writes on his Facebook page:

"This morning as the students lined up in the lobby before going into their classrooms, it was easy to recognize the new students. Not only did they wear a Univers t-shirt instead of the full uniform, but there were also many other tell-tale signs – arms wrapped in gauze, wrists banded between splints, arms resting in slings, bodies balancing on crutches, eyes downcast. It was a moving sight. Two of my top English students who often come to practice English over the lunch break shared that they saw a girl who just cried all morning.

The day began with an all-school worship service. I was privileged to give the message. It was not difficult to find the word that would be right – Ours is a God who knows how to transform evil into good. The story of Joseph which is a key piece of my Bible curriculum in the 10th and 11th grades demonstrates this teaching. As I began to quote Genesis 50:20, many of the students completed the verse with me aloud. And, of course, the cross of Jesus is the ultimate proof that our God is a redeemer. Joseph’s story was not finished when he was in prison. Jesus’ story was not finished in the tomb. Haiti’s story was not finished on January 12th. Our story is not finished today. Our God will have the last word."

Time Warner Cable helps Haitian customers

"In an effort to relieve at least a small measure of worry for our customers with friends and family in Haiti, Time Warner Cable will immediately make all calls placed by its Digital Phone customers to Haiti free of charge through the end of February 2010. This program will be retroactive to January 12, 2010 and includes calls to both landline and cellular telephones.

If you make direct-dialed calls to Haiti during this period, you do not need to do anything to receive a credit. The program will cover any Time Warner Cable Digital Phone customer. If you made calls to Haiti in the days after the earthquake, Time Warner Cable will issue credits to your account, with no need to call a customer service representative. It’s automatic — so you can rest easier as you talk to your loved-ones — whenever and as often as you’d like." More here.

The vilification of Pat Robertson

When the 700 Club Host referred to an old story that Haitians had made a pact with the devil 200 years ago for help in driving out the French and therefore had suffered greatly over the years, Christians and non-Christians, liberals and conservatives reacted in horror. This was a bit surprising to me. Western literature, music and folklore is filled with this story. Why should the Haitians have not known the story? Their masters were Europeans; their religion was Christian mixed with elements of African pantheism. This story was not original with Robertson--was this black Haitian preacher also vilified for telling the myth and then unpacking it biblically? What sort of reverse racism, and anti-western thought is this? Or, conversely, why is it that poor descendants of slaves can't get as caught up in this story as sophisticated, educated Westerners?

The idea of making a pact with the devil is deeply ingrained in our culture--Theophilus, Solomon, Virgil, Simon Magnus, the Faust legend and the literature, music and poetry that surrounds it, and of course, the real Doctor Faustus, who was a contemporary of Martin Luther and Melanchton. And let's not forget Louisa May Alcott, Pushkin, Liszt and Berlioz. And what about Hollywood? Isn't much of that or any modern entertainment just a pact to postpone death in a never ending quest for youth, money or fame?

Did we learn nothing from Katrina?

Bush was vilified for waiting for the chain of command to kick in from the governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans in 2005 to let them call the shots on rescue and relief (although the coast guard responded immediately). That was actually the law. Our law. It's called the federal government not stepping on the state. But what about Haiti? Why would Obama first send USAID to do an assessment, when the people were desperate for what the military could bring them? Another dawdle incident indicating he really doesn't like the military much. I know some conservatives don't think the military should be "meals on wheels" for every disaster, but when Russia, Cuba and Brazil can get there in a timely fashion, why couldn't the U.S.? Read the sorry story here. How many lives and limbs were lost due to his incompetency?

The high cost of aid

No country has received more U.S. foreign aid and U.S. charity from NGOs and churches than Haiti. There's a very high cost. Not to us, but to the recipients.

"The real problem of aid to Haiti . . . has less to do with Haiti than it does with the effects of aid itself. "The countries that have collected the most development aid are also the ones that are in the worst shape," James Shikwati, a Kenyan economist, told Der Spiegel in 2005. "For God's sake, please just stop."

Take something as seemingly straightforward as food aid. "At some point," Mr. Shikwati explains, "this corn ends up in the harbor of Mombasa. A portion of the corn often goes directly into the hands of unscrupulous politicians who then pass it on to their own tribe to boost their next election campaign. Another portion of the shipment ends up on the black market where the corn is dumped at extremely low prices. Local farmers may as well put down their hoes right away; no one can compete with the U.N.'s World Food Program." See the full story at Wall Street Journal, by Bret Stephens To Help Haiti, end foreign aid.

What crisis at home? ACORN?

I realize journalists don't write the headlines for their stories that appear in the paper or our WaPo e-mail alerts, but exactly what "crisis at home" is Patrick Gaspard dealing with that would come anywhere close to what's happening in Haiti? One news talking head referred to the Massachusetts race as a "crisis at home." Really? And as I recall the Hurricane of 2008 response was quite large. If he could do little then, as reported, was it because he wasn't on staff, didn't have enough money, didn't volunteer, or because Bush was in office and WaPo can never think of a thing good or decent to say about him?

Here's the lead-in headline this morning to a personal story about Patrick Gaspard of the Obama administration, who is not a native Haitian, but grew up there. "A White House portrait of grace under pressure; Adviser balances crises in Haiti and at home (By Jason Horowitz and Anne Kornblut, The Washington Post)

Just how big is Gaspard in the Obama administration? Huge, says the same journalist at another publication.

"Earlier this year, Mr. Gaspard, a Brooklyn-based, 41-year-old Democratic operative, succeeded Karl Rove as the White House director of the office of political affairs. Unlike Mr. Rove, Mr. Gaspard is at his most comfortable making his presence felt without actually being seen.

“He’s become a real player in the White House, the president himself told me,” said Representative Gregory Meeks. “He’s a low key, behind-the-scenes, no-fingerprints kind of guy. I need something, I call Patrick. And if he calls, it’s a big deal. He’s close to the president.”

Mr. Gaspard’s official responsibility is to provide the president with an accurate assessment of the political dynamics affecting the work of his administration, and to remain in close contact with powerbrokers around the country to help push the president’s agenda."

So perhaps Obama's falling numbers and crashing support for health care is a "crisis," for this very far left adviser. And if Karl Rove was "seen" in the Bush WH, it was because the media decided he was the other half of Cheney's brain and Bush was just a puppet.

New Zeal probably has the best run down on Gaspard's communist ties, via New Party, Working Families Party, ACORN, SEIU, etc.

Lutheran seminarian killed in earthquake

Ben Larson, a cousin of our senior pastor, was killed in the earthquake in Haiti, where he was on a short term mission with his wife and other relatives. Story here. The other members of the team survived and have returned to the states.

We also learned that the emergency bus and truck load of food, water and medical supplies from Ouanaminthe to Port au Prince made it and returned safely with about 100 people from Ouanaminthe, including the four nursing students from the school in Leogane west of Port au Prince with 80% of the buildings destroyed. Of their four other students, 2 haven't been located, one had a foot amputated to get her out of the rubble, and another is safe. Those four had gone into PP. Our UALC pastor, Dave Mann, who lives and works in Ouanaminthe says of the return trip,

"The pick-up was stuffed inside and out. The bus was full both inside and on the roof. Many other vehicles were headed north with similar overloading.

Mèt Arne, our high school assistant principal, discovered that his wife is okay, but his 15-year old daughter along with many other students in her school died.

Dr. Riccardo, former employee of UMC [this might refer to their clinic, not sure], and his mother died in the quake.

The government’s Northeast Department director of education died. Several senators, other top governmental officials, heads of police stations, and many U.N. personnel died – and untold tens of thousands more. I don’t know if we ever will have an accurate count of the dead. Estimates range from 50,000 to 500,000. Some bodies have already been covered in mass graves and many are uncounted under the rubble. But still many, many corpses are lying exposed, bloated, and stinking."

For sale--TECO pottery--for Haiti earthquake relief

TECO Pottery was modern before it's time. I do not collect TECO (the little green one between 2 pieces of Hull), but I have one piece, Pogoda style, small, green matte finish. This is not a reproduction.

TECO (an abbreviation of TErra COtta) art pottery was originally produced from 1899 through 1920 by the American Terra Cotta and Ceramics Company, located in Terra Cotta, Illinois by that other Bill Gates, William D. Gates. If you're into Prairie style, arts and crafts, you just must own a piece of TECO.

When produced in the early 20th century they were inexpensive. Even Frank Lloyd Wright got in the act as a designer. Now quite dear. Make an offer. Help yourself and others.

William Gates came up with the Teco name from the “Te” in Terra and the “co” in Cotta. Soon thereafter Gates and his chemists developed the highly sought after “Teco matte green” for which the company is famous. After mastering the matte green color, Gates continued to experiment with new arts and crafts shapes for his vases.

It was always Gates' desire with Teco to produce pottery with appeal from shape and color rather than elaborate decoration. The expanding arts and crafts movement and the Prairie School provided Gates an approach to architectural ceramic design and a customer base for Teco pottery. Teco, possibly more so than any other arts and crafts pottery from its time, seems particularly at home in arts and crafts bungalows and houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and other Prairie style architects. Art Pottery Blog