Heartstrings in Haiti , livre ebook

Inspiring Voices - Alice Warkentin

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

161 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

Haiti is a small country, with many people. It is a beautiful country, with scenic mountains, trees that grow year-round, and bougainvillea blooming with pink and white flowers.It is a poor country, with needy and destitute people who do not always know where their next meal is coming fromor whether there will be a meal at all! And each one has a soul that will never die. Most of all, then, they need the gospel. Who will tell them?Heartstrings in Haiti tells of one mans efforts to help the people in Haitinot just by handing out food or money, but by bettering their circumstances and doing something to make their lives easier. Raymond and Vera Withers of Detroit, Texas, have spent years in Haiti working for the good of mankind. Read about their colorful and varied experiences, including an eyewitness account of the major 2010 earthquake that shook the country and its aftermath.

Sujets

Lettres et linguistique

Informations

Publié par	Inspiring Voices
Date de parution	25 février 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781462409129
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0540€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Heartstrings in Haiti

by
Alice Warkentin

as told by Raymond & Vera Withers

Copyright © 2014 Raymond Withers.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Inspiring Voices books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

Inspiring Voices
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.inspiringvoices.com
1 (866) 697-5313

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4624-0911-2 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4624-0912-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014903127

Inspiring Voices rev. date: 02/19/2014

Contents
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Author’s Note
Chapter 1Haiti – Here We Come!
Chapter 2Driving in Haiti
Chapter 3Hungry for the Gospel
Chapter 4Come, Let’s Go for a Ride!
Chapter 5For the Lord
Chapter 6Company’s Coming!
Chapter 7Come to Church!
Chapter 8Haiti – the Land (Part 1)
Chapter 9Trip to Nepal and India
Chapter 10Haiti – the Land (Part 2)
Chapter 11Helps and Hindrances
Chapter 12Another Trip to India and Nepal
Chapter 13Bio-Gas
Chapter 14Sleepless Night
Chapter 15Cast Thy Bread
Chapter 16Crossing the River
Chapter 17Rivers and Roads
Chapter 18A Dozer for Haiti
Chapter 19The Dozer Story – Continued
Chapter 20Road-Building Adventures
Chapter 21More Streets and Roads
Chapter 22A New Hospital
Chapter 23Lastic Water Project
Chapter 24Road Blocks and an Accident
Chapter 25Build That Road!
Chapter 26Trust and Obey
Chapter 27I’m Happy!
Chapter 28Hold-Ups
Chapter 29Lastic Water Project (Continued)
Chapter 30Life in Haiti
Chapter 31Pickup Imported to Haiti
Chapter 32Good People Along the Way
Chapter 33January 12, 2010
Chapter 34Earthquake!
Chapter 35Aftershocks
Chapter 36More Shocks!
Chapter 37Ambulance!
Chapter 38Earthquake Experiences
Chapter 39The Leatherman
Chapter 40Help for Haiti
Chapter 41Off to the Lastic Project!
Chapter 42Moving On
Chapter 43Helping One Another
Chapter 44Vera is Bridesmaid!
Chapter 45Chambellan to Abricots
Chapter 46The Cry of the Poor
Chapter 47Back to the Canal Project
Chapter 48Moving the Rig
Chapter 49What Next?
Chapter 50The Bridge and… Oh, No!
Chapter 51Three Minutes to Spare!
Chapter 52Back to the Bridge
Chapter 53Finished Projects
Chapter 54A Terrible Price
Chapter 55Hope for Haiti
Chapter 56Heartstrings in Haiti
Making a Difference
Letter from a Dying Prisoner
Dad Surrenders Rights
The Tablecloth
More Inspiring Stories
Little Nuggets
Food for Thought
A Short History of the Withers

Introduction
May God be glorified and lifted up by this writing. With a lot of encouragement from other people we have tried to write about our experiences in H aiti.
We started out as missionaries and our hearts were captured! Our hearts have been entwined with Haiti for 42 years. This book tells you about our experie nces.
Our hearts and minds have been enlarged by learning to know the country of Haiti. We have absorbed many things from them. They are a constant reminder that money and goods do not make happiness. They are happy and ready to smile even though things are against them. Their culture and way of life were new to us and taught us that there are more ways to live than just the American way.
My prayer is that this book would lead people to seek God’s face and become His children. May they find the Lord, and then tell others about God’s wonderful plan of salvation. May it inspire you to give yourself to being a missionary and spreading the Gospel. Then the purpose of this book has been accompli shed.

Acknowledgements
We have gratitude and thanks for everyone who has helped us in many ways.
Many thanks to Ralph Reimer for all you have done for us and those less fortunate. He always said, “You go do the work; I’ll get the funds – don’t worry abou t it!”
Special thanks to Regena Hiebert for being our wonderful secretary always on time.
A very big thank you goes to our special neighbor, Dave Ensz, for the many hours you have given in our behalf, never too busy to help out.
Without these three doing what was so vital for us, much less would have been accompli shed.
We also want to thank you for the many prayers offered in our behalf, plus all the financial assistance you have given – which oftentimes we knew not where it came from, but you know who you are…
Last but not least, to Alice Warkentin for editing and compiling the book and making it ready for publica tion.
Many, many thanks to you all!!!!!

Author’s Note
It has been a pleasure to work with Raymond and Vera Withers in writing this book. Raymond is a man of action and his story is the same – it moves forward. I hope this book inspires you and that you will enjoy Raymond’s many experiences and adventures! AW

Chapter 1
Haiti – Here We Come!
Haiti! A small nation with lots of people! Happy people! People who smile and welcome you, no matter who you are! This country of the West Indies comprises the western half of the island of Hibe rnia.
In the 1960’s we felt the Lord calling us to serve in Haiti. After much preparation, we with our three children, Kevin 11, Kimberly 9, and Kendra 5, said goodbye to loved ones in Wichita, KS on June 17, 1969. The plane lifted into the air. Off to H aiti!
Our hearts beat faster when we felt the thud of the landing wheels on Haiti soil! We wondered – what will it be like?
The first thing to hit us was the heat. Whew! Sure, it was hot where we came from in Kansas, but not like this! Soon we were wiping the drops from our faces. Everything felt sticky! The heat was everywhere – in the sunshine, in the shade, inside and outside. Even the wall felt warm when we leaned agains t it.
We walked with the other passengers to leave the plane. Our ears heard a far-away sound of music. What was it? It sounded like a band. We kept on walking. The music grew louder and lo uder.
Too many new impressions assaulted our senses as we tried to absorb it all.
We walked with the procession of travelers and at last we rounded a corner, and there they were – a band of musicians! They sang, and played a clanging accompaniment with a few instruments and metal pieces beaten in perfect time. The beat was lively and they smiled their welcome. We were mesmerized with their performance as the crowd of people carried us for ward!
Too late I realized that they expected a tip for their eff orts!
This was Haiti. Black faces crowded around us with big smiles! So eager to help, and friendly, but with words we could not understand! Our senses were dizzy with new sights, new sounds, new sm ells!
We went through the usual procedure – getting our luggage, and going through customs. After a while Kendra looked up at Vera and said, “Mama, I’m so dumb, I can’t hear anyt hing!”
She heard the words but she couldn’t understand the new language. Learning a new language is not easy for most people. We are still learning the language today, some 40 years l ater.
Not only did we have to learn a new language but new customs as well. We Americans think the way we do things is the only way, but that is not so. There are other ways to get the same res ults.
Our missionary friends took us to their house. We tried to see everything of this new country, our heads turning this way and that.
Three days after we arrived, Minister Carl Nightingale drove us to the airport to get one piece of luggage that didn’t arrive when we did.
We took the road back to the airport with all its bumps that jolted and tossed us around in the vehicle. Not only was it a rough ride but the traffic was heavy. A road that in America would carry two lanes only, was used for three, four, or if needed, five lanes of vehicles. Motorbikes and pedestrians filled the spaces bet ween.
Suddenly a woman dashed out from behind another vehicle right in front of us! Carl tried to stop, but it was too late! The left front fender hit the woman and she went flying off to the left, rolling like a rag.
We expected her to be dead. By the time we got the vehicle stopped and walked towards her, we heard the death wail start from all around us. What now?
When we got to her she was not moving, but soon we noticed she started to move a little. We loaded her onto our vehicle and headed to the hosp ital.
The x-rays showed that she had no broken bones, but she was badly burned from sliding on the asphalt of the airport road.
Carl went to see her every day, and paid for her hospital stay. He got her address so he could visit her after she was dismi ssed.
One day when he went to the hospital to visit her she had been discharged and was gone, so he went to find her at the address she had given him. When he got there the people at th