Haiti Trip 3
4/25/12
This message is part of my continuing story of the trip that my dad and I took to Haiti back in 1985. This message will be dealing with some of my thoughts and experiences since the life changing moment with the shoe. Some of my trip dealt with some new spiritual concepts that I previously had no clue existed and how objects can play a part in the spirit realm.
The hotel that we were staying at was a fairly nice hotel; remind you it was no Hilton or Radisson but it was a very nice hotel according to Haitian standards, it had running water and a toilet in the same room which was a luxury. The beds were not too bad and the room even had an air conditioner which was not the most efficient model of its kind but made things a tad bit more bearable. No television was present but that was ok not many channels could be reached anyway Haiti is not the most news or sports worthy country in the hemisphere. Nothing against the country but the way of life in the country was also a shocker to my system as well but the best way to describe it would be “the hustle and bustle of a populated street of not much going nowhere fast”.
The next morning I woke up and realized that dad was not in the room. He had left earlier to go talk with our host about the day’s events and meetings. I crawled out of bed and got some clothes to change into after I took my shower. The bathroom was ok but very small, only one person could fit in there at a time and if that person was a large person then things could get a bit tricky. I turned on the water and dreamed that hot water actually would come out of the “hot” side of the shower faucet and head but reality hit when the water that hit my forearm seemed like it was freezing cold. So, for the second day in a row I took a cold shower which was actually kind of nice since the temperature was going to be hot and humid for the day.
I really did not do much thinking in my previous cold shower times however that morning I stayed in the shower for a while thinking about what had happened the previous day. I had once again lost myself in that moment and there he was that young kid kneeling at my knees only this time it was in my mind and not on a pier. I tried to clear my mind of the penetrating image that had unfolded the day before but it was burned into my mind and in fact that burned image still crosses my memory to this day. That image serves to remind me of those who are not as lucky as we are to live in a country that has been blessed to have almost everything we want when we want it. Opportunities abound on a daily basis and there are many things one can do in this country to earn their daily bread.
After shower time had come to a close, it dried off and began to change clothes when dad came back to the room. He asked if I was about ready to get some breakfast and I immediately asked if he was going to shower and he stated that he already had and I had slept through all of the noise. I put on my socks and shoes to complete the dressing routine of my life and it was time for the taming of my mane. I spent the next few minutes brushing my hair in a manner that I believed it had to be in, which was perfect. Oh the stories that my parents could tell you about my public appearance beliefs back then. J Anyway, after my hair routine was completed, I was ready to proceed for the huge breakfast I was anticipating, wrong!
As we met our guide again in front of the hotel my eyes were fixated on a group of people standing under one of the trees that lined the entrance way of the hotel. Our guide walked us over to them and began speaking to them in Creole it was evident that he was introducing us to these merchants, commonly known to Americans as peddlers. They had smiles on their faces and nodded to us in a somewhat friendly gesture. We scanned over their items for a short moment and then all of us turned away as our guide once again spoke to them as we got into the car.
A few items that those people were selling caught my eye. One group of items was wooden busts of men’s faces. There were many of these busts and all of them were not of the same person, however at first glance a person would believe that they were of just one person. As you got closer to them they all had distinctive features of some person. I asked our guide who the busts were of and he said that they were probably of local politicians or leaders of the community but he was not for sure.
The other group of items that grabbed my attention was some very ornate masks. All kinds of masks ere there including almost every size, shape and color represented. They were beautiful and very detailed in their craftsmanship. The intricate lines and carvings into the wood brought these masks to life and they really were quite extraordinary to observe. I did notice that not all of them had spaces to tie a rope or chord so that the mask could fit around a person’s head, I would later find out why. I had to admit at the time that these works of art captured my imagination more than the wooden busts did.
Our guide continued his talk about the wooden busts as we drove towards the designated restaurant for our breakfast. The talk on the busts lasted almost the entire drive which was not too far from our hotel. He had said that the busts were of great quality and that they would be ok for us to take back home as souvenirs if we wanted. I was puzzled by this statement from him which proved that I had no clue of what meanings some of these souvenirs might contain. This was puzzlement of my brain was quickly erased when he began to share about the spiritual aspects of the objects.
We approached the restaurant and the car stopped. All of us, with the exception of the driver got out and shut the doors. The car slowly drove away and the three of us turned towards the restaurant. This is when the conversation about the masks took center stage. Our guide said that the locals made the masks for a variety of reasons but one main reason stood above the rest in that some of them were used in their Voodoo worship services and conduits to the spirit world.
Now it is important to know that the country of Haiti is considered to be a Catholic country; however, the main religion that is practiced on a regular basis is Voodoo and everything that it entails. It is a part of their culture and history brought with them with their slave ancestors. Even people who attend the Catholic churches on the island attend Voodoo services as well. Their main spiritual guidance comes from the Voodoo church and the majority of the people will admit this fact, or at least at that time. One of the main ways of voodoo worship is by using mask which serve as doors to the voodoo dancers during the service.
The way that Haitians believe is that if they bless the mask and pray for the mask that it will lead them into the spirit world and allow them to see the spirits that in turn show them how to live. These spirits can also bring them rewards if they obey the spirits’ commands which could include anything that the mind can conceive. They will pray over as many masks as possible in order to fulfill the spirits’ commands, even if the merchant is not a member of the Voodoo Church and is really trying to earn a living for his family. That subject will be addressed in the next message about my journey.
By these examples it is important for us to understand the cultures and beliefs of other people that live around the world. We do not know when we might be exposed to these people for whatever cause or circumstance. As with the major earthquake that devastated that country a few years ago, many of them might be allowed to take refuge in our country for a while, we never know what the living conditions will be in the future or even tomorrow. We need to be prepared both physically and spiritually in case the horrible may occur.
These people of this island nation are a wonderful group of people and they struggle to survive on a daily basis. Their country is considered by most people as a Christian nation but they are so far from God that is heartbreaking to even think about their spiritual conditions. They are a people that need restoration both in the physical sense and just as importantly in the spiritual sense. God loves these people just as much as He loves you and me. Haitians are another example of how God sees us through our hearts and not by our economic or social status. These people need God in every way and we need to continually uplift them in our prayers.
DLB
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