A key ministry in the life of the Diocese of Alabama involves our companion relationship with our brothers and sisters in the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti.
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Haiti Mission Team Returns Home
The Diocese of Alabama's Haiti mission team headed for home Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008, after completing a week-long construction and relief effort.
The team's top priority was to help ease suffering brought about by the four devastating storms that had overwhelmed Haiti in September. While there, the team purchased and distributed a ton of rice, 
A second ton of food staples also purchased by the team with donations from the people and parishes in the Alabama was to be delivered to the remote mountain village of Crochu this week. Crochu is the most remote and poorest village served by the Valdemas.
The effects of the storms were in evidence everywhere team members went. "The road conditions everywhere are just atrocious," said Bill King, 
At St. Sacrament Church in Fond Parisian, where team-member Patrick Turner installed electric lighting on Friday, the team, identified significant storm-related damage to the school building. "If they get a heavy rain again, we've said that they need to evacuate that building because the ceiling at some pint is going to come down," said King. The ceiling which is also the building's exterior roof, is made of concrete and is cracked and 
Three team members, Erin Goldsmith, Elizabeth Croft, and the Rev. Bill Winters, assisted with a mobile nutrition clinic in the village of Thomazeau, on Wednesday. The clinics are operated by Carmel Valdema to evaluate, immunize, and provide nutrition supplements and vitamins to significantly malnourished children. The clinics also provide nutrition education to their parents and identify and arrange medical care for critically malnourished children.
Originally the mission's primary objective had been to pave a schoolyard at St. Simeon Church in Croix des Bouquets. The dirt area, also used to support nutrition clinics, floods after a rain making it unusable. Even though after the storms the team's priority became hurricane relief, the schoolyard project was also accomplished during the week with funds contributed by Alabama parishes. Team members carried tools with them to help facilitate the effort and hired a number of Haitian workers to do much of the work. Team member David French helped speed the effort by using a power saw and special blades brought from the U. S. to cut concrete blocks to the appropriate size.
In all the team carried with them more than 600 pounds of supplies including 
"We pretty much accomplished everything we set out to do," said Winters.
But beyond the work, and amid the extreme poverty of the poorest nation in the western hemisphere Alabama's team found a people of joy, hope, patience and love.
"They live day-to-day, but they still have so much hope," said Goldsmith who was making her first trip to Haiti. "They are an amazing group of people."
"God is everywhere in Haiti," observed King. "But most of the time, God does not wear shoes in Haiti. God walks and His footprints are those of the bare feet of men and women and children walking through the mud and rock along the roads and in the fields."
As the team celebrated completion of its mission Friday evening, Father Valdema expressed his appreciation to the team and to the people of the Diocese of Alabama during an internet call on Friday. "The people at Gorman were very happy to receive food from the people of your diocese, especially from the special team you sent this week," said Valdema. "Transmit for me to everybody in your diocese their thanks for the gift. We thank everyone who contributed to pave the field at the school," he said. "Thank you for everything. I'll continue to pray for you that God will continue to bless you."
Team member, the Rev. Bill King is priest in charge of Trinity Church in Clanton. Patrick Turner is a parishioner at Trinity. The Rev. Bill Winters is rector of Epiphany Episcopal Church, Guntersville. Phil Croft and his daughter Elizabeth are parishioners at All Saints Church in Birmingham. Erin Goldsmith, a nurse, attends St. Mary's on the Highlands also in Birmingham. David French is with St. James Episcopal Church, Alexander City.
For more details on the mission listen to two podcast reports from Haiti on EpiscoPatter.
Haiti Construction, Relief Mission Underway
A seven-member team from five Episcopal Churches in the Diocese of Alabama 
The Alabama team is spending a week in Haiti, as part of Alabama's companion relationship with 
"We finally arrived this morning in Haiti at 8:20 a.m. and went directly to St. 
"What a wonderful day," said King. "It was overwhelming, especially for those who are here in Haiti for the first time. We spent much of the day in 
Sunday evening the team unpacked over 500 pounds of medical, educational and construction materials members carried with them in their luggage. The result of the generosity of Alabama churches and parishioners the supplies will be distributed during the week.
Work on the schoolyard continued on Tuesday. Some members of the team visited St. Marc's Church in Lilavois, another of the churches served by Pere Val. They were on hand as the first water was brought to 
Team members are; the Rev. King, and Patrick Turner, Trinity Church, Clanton; the Rev. Bill Winters, Epiphany Episcopal Church, Guntersville; Phil and Elizabeth Croft, All Saints Church, Birmingham; Erin Goldsmith, St. Mary's on the Highlands also in Birmingham; and David French, St. James Episcopal Church, Alexander City.
For more on the team's visit to Haiti, listen to "Mission Team Checks In From Haiti" on EpiscoPatter.
Alabama Team to Aid Haiti Relief Efforts
A seven-member construction team scheduled to depart the United States for Haiti Oct. 11 will distribute food to the storm victims in the Corix des Bouquets parish as part of their week-long mission. The team will carry donations to purchase rice, beans, oil and other staples for distribution in the villages of Gorman and Crochu, two areas in the parish affected by the storms.
During the past few weeks, Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, has been ravaged by four devastating storms. More than 600 people have died, and hundreds of thousands have lost their homes and virtually all of their possessions. Most went several days without food during the worst of the floods, and many subsistence farms on which people depend on for their food have been washed away, making an already severe food crisis even worse. Virtually all of the water is contaminated, and epidemic diseases threaten, according to Carmel Valdema, a Hatian public health nurse, and the wife of Father Fritz Valdema priest in charge of the Croix des Bouquets parish.
The long planned construction mission was scheduled to pave a schoolyard at St. Simeon Church to reduce the adverse affects of rains and flooding, and install lights in the St. Sacrament Church at Fond Parisian. While team members will spend a portion of their time assisting with these projects the team's priority will be to help relieve suffering.
In addition to food distribution, team member Erin Goldsmith, a registered nurse with St. Mary's on the Highlands in Birmingham will also work with Carmel to address malnutrition and health issues. The team will also carry donated vitamins for the nutrition program.
The team led by the Rev. Bill King, Trinity Church, Clanton also includes the Rev. Bill Winters, Epiphany Episcopal Church, Guntersville; Phil and Elizabeth Croft, All Saints Church, Birmingham; David French, St. James Episcopal Church, Alexander City; and Patrick Turner, also a member of Trinity Church in Clanton.
Contributions Invited
Individuals wishing to contribute to the purchase of rice, beans and other staples (or other recovery efforts in the Croix des Bouquets parish) may send monetary donations through their parish to the Diocese of Alabama, annotated for "Haiti Relief." Those wishing to contribute to general hurricane relief in the United States and the Caribbean may do so through Episcopal Relief and Development. For details read "Alabama Responds to Devastating Storms" on the diocesan website.
Medical Teams Forming
Recovery in Haiti will be a long term effort, and the diocese is planning to send two medical teams to Haiti early next year to help deal with likely long-term, storm-related health issues. The first team is scheduled to depart Jan. 17 and return Jan. 24. A second team is scheduled to depart Feb. 7 and return Feb. 14. The second team will likely spend two days camping in the village of Crochu, an impoverished, remote village in the mountains above Port au Prince accessible only on foot or by horseback. The teams will be small ideally consisting of two doctors, two or three nurses and two or three laypersons.
Anyone interested in participating in these missions, in leading a parish-based mission, or in more information about Haiti should contact the Rev. Deacon Dave Drachlis, dave@stthomas-hsv.org.
To learn more about the effects of the storms on the Croix des Bouquets parish, the area where Alabama's companion relationship is focused, read "A Letter From Haiti."
After the Storms
A Letter From Haiti
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a letter written from Haiti, Sept. 8, 2008, the day after it was hit by Hurricane Ike, the fourth major storm to overwhelm the country in less than 30 days.The letter is from Carmel Valdema, a Haitian public health nurse and the wife of the Rev. Fritz Valdema, an Episcopal priest in charge of the Croix des Bouquets parish. The parish, with which Alabama's companion relationship is focused, consists of six geographically separated churches. The letter was written to Burt Purrington of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan and others, including the Diocese of Alabama, who have ministries in the Valdemas. A gift sent from the Diocese of Alabama is helping pay for medical treatment for the two cheldren mentioned in the letter. For information on how to contribute to hurricane relief in Haiti or other affected areas, please see "Alabama Responds to Hurricane Devastation."
Monday, September 8, 2008
Dear Burt and other friends of Haiti,
We thank you very much for your prayers. It is with much sorrow that we write this letter to you. Because we believe very strongly in prayer, we hold fast to the belief that God will not destroy the country completely. There must be people who remain to give testimony to what we are seeing happen today in the country of Haiti. It's something I haven't ever seen since I was born. I can understand how it was in the time of Noah when people were drowning in the water.
We have already had rain for two weeks in our country. Every time we think a hurricane is gone and we take a little breath of relief, they announce another. So in this way, the earth can't accept any more water. All the rivers have begun to overflow. We are having floods all over in all ten departments. All places we are calling are flooded. There isn't a department that can give relief to another department. Each of these places has their own problems. There are places where the road has been cut off. There are places where the bridges are completely collapsed. There are places with landslides. There are places where the raging wind is demolishing homes; destroying gardens. All the animals are in the water. Thousands of victims have lost all of their possessions. They have lost family, children, friends, and so on.
I must tell you that we in Croix-des-Bouquets have some places nearby with problems such as Bon Repos and La Plaine. MINUSTAH [the UN] and the Red Cross are working to gather up the people who are in the water. We have Gorman which is completely flooded. At Crochu nearly all the homes are damaged. This morning we spoke with Louis-Jacques and Tazia. They told us their home and little toilet are both badly damaged. The church, the rectory, the former church are all badly damaged. They lost all of their gardens. They don't have a road. Up to now we haven't been able to go there because there is still wind and rain. The water at Gorman is too high. Pere Val still hasn't been able to go to this area. We get the news by telephone. Raymond, supervisor of our health workers, and his wife and child almost died in Gonaives. They lost their home too. They spent three days on the roof of their house without food, without water. Up to now, we haven't been able to go to see them. Because all of these problems are being repeated in all ten departments, the Minister of Education distributed a communiqué about the opening of school, which was to begin on September 8. He set it for October 6. There is no way for school to begin here this week.
Right now it is very difficult for one to leave one department and go to another. That demands a lot of thinking about how one would go. I must tell you that last week we had nutrition clinics. We had a chance to go some places, but there are
I must tell you that it is always the program Lespwa Timoun (the children's nutrition program) that buys medicine for these children. Right now they are still in the hospital because their parents don't have the means to help them. The others we saw are still at the compound at St. Simeon where we can take care of them and can give them enriched milk, akamil and other medicine. They come from Crochu, Thomazeau and Thoman. They are still with us.
Now they are telling us that there are still more hurricanes that will come. We are still looking out and praying. What we are thinking here is that after these natural catastrophes more misery will spread in the country. More epidemics of illness, diarrhea, rashes, typhoid, pneumonia, more children who become malnourished, more hunger because the gardens are almost entirely gone.
Each time these problems appear and we have an opportunity to take these actions, we say thank you to God and we thank all the people who do these things to help us through their churches and Lespwa Timoun. They should know that they have a special place in the hearts of all of these families. It is always a gesture of solidarity and one that they know they won't lose. God will bless them and their families because they helped someone who is weaker. According to what is written in Matthew 25:40: "The King answered them: 'Truly I say to you, each time you did this for one of the least of these among my brothers, you did it for me.' " Always remember us in your prayers and we will pray for you too.
Thank you,
Carmel and Pere Val
Construction Mission Planned for October
Planning is underway for the second construction mission of Alabama's Companion Diocese Relationship with Haiti. The mission is scheduled for Oct. 11 - 18, 2008.
During the week, mission team members will work side by side with their Haitian brothers and sisters to construct a concrete and brick school yard at St. Simeon Church in Croix des Bouquets. The dirt yard, which presently turns to mud after a rain, is used both by the children and a monthly nutrition program that provides protein supplements, immunizations and follow-up to malnourished children, and nutrition education to parents.
A few slots remain on the eight-member construction team. Individuals interested joining this or a future mission team, should contact the Rev. Bill King at bp3king@bellsouth.net.
It is estimated that the cost of construction supplies for this mission - including approximately 1,000 bricks, 100 bags of concrete, two truckloads of gravel, six heavy-duty wheelbarrows and transportation - will be about $8,000. Churches and their outreach committees desiring to help support the mission may send gifts earmarked for the construction mission to the attention of the Rev. Pat Wingo at Carpenter House.
For more information on the Companion Diocese Relationship, contact Companion Diocese Commission Co-chairs Anne Kimzey (hanahanford@yahoo.com) or the Rev. Deacon Dave Drachlis (dave@stthomas-hsv.org). Members of the commission are also available to speak to church groups about the companion relationship.
Medical Mission Update
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Alabama's five-member medical team returned home overnight following a successful week-long mission in Haiti. The team treated 519 patients during mobile clinics in four villages. Scheduled to arrive home on Saturday, flight delays pushed the team's homecoming into the wee hours of this morning.
On their last full day in Haiti, the team visited a spring near Croix des Bouquets. The area around the spring was lush with mature trees and pools of crystal clear cold water, which provided a glimpse of what Haiti was once like before devastating deforestation. The team also visited Holy Trinity Cathedral, the Episcopal Seminary, and other sites in Port au Prince. On Friday evening team members hosted a farewell dinner for their Haitian counterparts.
Friday, June 20, 2008
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| Nurse Laura Grille examines a baby during Haiti medical mission. |
The joint Alabama/Haiti medical team conducted the final mobile clinic of its week-long mission yesterday at Transfiguration Church in the Village of Gorman. More than 100 people seeking medical assistance greeted the team on arrival. Many had been waiting since 6 a.m. The general health in the Gorman area appears to be better than in other villages visited by the team. The team reported seeing fewer patients with serious illnesses.
As at the other villages, there was time for and building companion relationships. At Gorman, children gathered in the church yard with team members to sing and teach each other new songs. “The atmosphere was joyful,” said the Rev. Deacon Gerri Aston, team leader.
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| The Rev. Deacon Mary Groff interacts with children during a medical clinic. |
“It has been a wonderful mission, with much good work being done in the name of Christ,” said Aston. “We have had lots of laughs and some tears. Friendships are growing stronger and stronger.”
Today, the team is scheduled to visit Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port au Prince. The team will return to the United States tomorrow.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
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| The Rev. Dr. Foster Eich examines a young patient in Thoman. |
The team saw 84 patients in the mountain village of Thoman yesterday. Although Father Valdema does not have a church in the village, his wife Carmel conducts a nutrition cllinic there for significantly malnourished children. Today, the team will conduct their final clinic of the mission in the at Transfiguration Episcopal Church in Gorman.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
| Nurse Lorelle Johnson takes a child's temperature. |
Alabama's medical team passed the halfway point in its mission to Haiti yesterday, conducting the second of four mobile medical clinics in the village of Thomazeau. Working with Haitian medical personnel, team members treated more than 108 patients with ailments ranging from minor to life-threatening.
| Gerri Aston, with a patient during clinic at Thomazeau. |
On arrival, at St. Sacrament Church in Thomazeau, site of yesterday's clinic, the team was serenaded by assembled patients with a song of welcome. "One of the patients offered an opening prayer," said the Rev. Gerri Aston, team leader. "It was an incredibly moving moment," recalled Aston. At day's end, while the Haitian team members completed their administrative work, the Alabamians had the opportunity to gather and sing with the children.
| Waiting to be seen during medical clinic at Thomazeau. |
On Monday, the team conducted a day-long clinic at St. Simeon Church in Croix des Bouquets, and today the team was scheduled to see patients in the mountain village of Thoman.
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Alabama medical team spent their first full day in Haiti worshiping with their Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ and preparing for their first medical clinic. The team arrived safely in Port au Prince Saturday afternoon. 
Team members attended Holy Eucharist at St. Simeon Episcopal Church in Croix des Bouquets, on Sunday morning. St. Simeon is the church at which their hosts Father Fritz Valdema and his wife Carmel are based. The Rev. Deacon Mary Groff, of the Church of the Nativity in Huntsville, was invited to read the Gospel; the Rev. Deacon Gerri Aston of St. Andrews in Birmingham delivered the homily; and the Rev. Foster Eich of St. Bartholomew's in Florence, celebrated with Father Valdema.
Today, the Alabama five will join with Haitian medical personnel to form a joint Haitian/American medical team which is expected to see more than 100 patients a day over the next four days. They are scheduled to conduct their first medical clinic today at St. Simeon.
(This story will be updated as reports are received. However, due to internet communications difficulties in Haiti, updates to this story may be sporadic.)
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Several of our Haiti missioners have shared their perspectives and reflections on their experiences in Haiti. Click here to read.Haiti News Archive
- Missioner Reflections
- After the Storms: ALetter From Haiti
- October 2008 Construction Mission Planned
- Medical Mission Update (June 2008)
- Alabama Conducts First Medical Mission to Haiti (February 2008)
- Construction Mission Accomplished (October 2007)
