A letter from Pix Mahler in Virginia
March 18, 2009
Dear Friends,
Baccalaureate service of FSIL students in Trinity Cathedral, Port au Prince Haiti.
When I am at my home church, Westminster, in Lynchburg, Virginia, I take my turn doing devotionals before Sunday school. In the middle of the January trip, I realized that I was on the schedule for the next Sunday. Instead of trading off with my husband, I asked him to read an email letter as my offering and share pictures I had taken. I would like to share that letter and photos with you.
“I send greetings to you from Haiti and from your brothers and sisters who share the same love of Jesus Christ as you do. Worship on a Sunday morning in Haiti begins earlier and lasts longer than at Westminster. People often walk quite a distance to attend service. Singing is robust and their joy in the Lord is evident.
“Since I left on January 7 for Haiti, worship experiences have been varied. I went to a baccalaureate service for 13 nursing school students that was held in Port au Prince in the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti. The brightly painted murals all around the upper walls depict great stories of the Bible—the marriage at Canaan, the crucifixion of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, and other Gospel stories. The service was conducted with all the appropriate pomp and circumstance befitting such an event. It was a joyous occasion and preceded formal graduation the following day at the Episcopal University of Haiti.
“On Sunday January 11, I worshipped in a small church, which is the main Episcopal church on the island of La Gonave. La Gonave sits just off the coast of Haiti about a 15-minute plane ride from Port au Prince. The landing strip is a hard-packed strip of beach. The pilot always buzzes the strip at least once to make sure children and goats are all out of the way before he attempts a touchdown.
House on La Gonave. The island is very rocky and very dry.
“La Gonave is very rocky, very dry, and very poor, even by Haitian standards. As part of our offering in worship, our group sang a favorite hymn of their pastor’s: “Here I Am Lord.” I don’t think we go on tour with our musical skills, but our offering was received with smiles and nods of appreciation.
“Worship was in a typical Episcopal format, and I often recognized the tunes of the hymns so I sang them (softly) in English as those around were singing in Creole. I thought of you as we passed the peace. Here everyone is greeted—not just those sitting right nearby.
“The next worship experience was in the mountains of La Gonave in an even smaller church. It was on Wednesday morning, market day, and many people had quite a distance to walk to the local market to sell or buy things, so they couldn’t stay for the 8:00 a.m. service.
“A special part of this service included the presentation of a cross to the church. Just a little background might help: The team I was traveling with was from First Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. They have been partners with this little struggling community for several years. One of the team leaders, Rose Emily Bermudez, had very carefully hand-carried a carved stone cross to give to the church as a symbol of their love and fellowship.
Presentation of cross to Holy Cross Parish's priest-in-charge, Pere Soner Alexandre.
“It seems like it doesn’t matter how many times I go to Haiti. I learn so much from the people in that country: the joy they experience to see us because we are their friends and they see ‘hope in us.’ The very same people bring hope to my life because if they are joyful, I am joyful. It is amazing to me to see how (in this instance) something bad can be converted into something good and meaningful. I remember my sadness when the cross I had hand-carried from Atlanta to Nouvelle Cite was broken in half at the Worship Service when one lady bumped into the container when she was giving the sign of peace to another lady. Right after that, Pere Soner called me to share with them the gift we had brought. The comparison of the broken cross with how fragile our lives are just came out of my mouth. I know those words were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Hearing the expressions of the people when Pere Soner was translating was rather like a revelation of the purpose of our being there. Putting that cross together and talking about the glue that holds it together and how our lives are glued by the love we have for them, was pretty special.”
Pix Mahler
The Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study 2008, p. 269
