Youth mission team headed for Haiti next week

A group of 16 local youth and adults is headed for Haiti next week to work at a school.

The mission trip, through "Welcome Home Haiti Canada," is being led by Phillip Craig (above centre, with Danielle McBride, left, and Alex Convay), youth pastor at Chalmers Community Church.

He is joined by adults Jill Brown, Christine Franklin, Chelsea Ferguson, and Josh Lott (of the Peterborough area) and youth members Olivia and Alex Convay, Danielle and Luke McBride, Cailyn McKay, Katie Voskamp, Jenna Franklin, Patricia and Brandon Stein, Dana Craig, and Kate Burns.

This is the first time a youth team from this area has travelled to Haiti, said Phillip Craig. Previously, it was mostly adults with a few youth going to Haiti to help build a house for a family. That is planned again for October of this year.

"We're going to help with a rural school in Pillatre, near Cap Haitien," said Craig. "The school feeds 1,800 children each day and it's likely the only meal they get. About 800 primary students come in the morning for classes, have lunch, and go home. And about 1,000 high school students come for lunch and go to classes in the afternoon."

He said there are 10-12 classroom buildings with about 60 students per class.

Fund-raising for the Haiti mission trips has gone well, said Craig, so the group decided to send a youth team to help out this school. "The youth are quite excited about going."

Danielle McBride of Kincardine and Alex Convay of Tiverton have both travelled to Haiti to help build houses for families. In fact, this will be their fourth trip there.

"Working at a school is going to be so different," said Danielle. "I'm sure that first day is going to be crazy. I guess we'll be helping out like we do with Vacation Bible School."

Alex is looking forward to seeing the group of builders he worked with on the last house, and seeing the child that his family sponsors.

"That's always great," he said. "I remember the first time we went to Haiti and we had to find out where our sponsored child lived. It gets kind of addictive - you want to keep going there and helping out."

"It's wonderful to go back and see how the people that you helped are doing," agreed Danielle.

Craig said the community has generously supported previous mission trips to Haiti and the team hopes that will continue. The group is accepting donations of school supplies to take to the school, including the following items:
 

• Pens (blue, red and black)
• Pencils
• Pencils sharpeners (the ones that attach to desks, in particular)
• Coloured chalk
• Stickers
• Crayons
• Children's scissors
• Adult scissors
• School glue
• Powder tempera paint (red, yellow, blue, orange, green, brown)
• Tape
• Popsicle sticks
• White paper
• Thin crafting wire
• Pretty craft rocks
• Thin Leather cord
• Beads
• Large Ziploc bags
• Medical supplies
• Tylenol
• Advil

The youth team is also accepting donations of playground equipment, such as soccer balls, basketballs, etc.

If you would like to donate supplies for this mission trip, contact Craig at 519-706-1445 or by E-mail at: phillip@chalmerschurch.com