HOULTON, Maine — Starting next weekend, a group of 13 members of the Houlton Wesleyan Church will trade in snow shovels for hammers and snowsuits for shorts as part of a six-day missionary trip to La Gonave, Haiti.
Led by Pastor Wayne Robertson, the missions group includes both adults and younger members who will be doing a variety of tasks when they arrive March 14.
“We wanted to do a team somewhere and knew there was a need in Haiti,” Robertson said. “A group from Presque Isle went to this same area last year, so we were able to gather more information from them.”
Located west of Port-au-Prince in the Gulf of Gonave, La Gonave is the largest satellite island of Haiti and has a population of about 120,000 people. The local missionary team will be helping with construction of the Wesleyan Hospital, the island’s only hospital, which is open 24 hours, seven days a week.
Following an earthquake in January, 2010, a large portion of the hospital was destroyed, creating a need for a new hospital. Construction began on that facility in January, 2012, and it will replace the current facility which had been built in 1958.
“The new hospital will provide facilities for better surgical care and will be better equipped for training Haitian professionals and hosting medical specialties,” Robertson said.
Robertson last went on a missionary trip to Haiti 30 years ago and added he was excited to see how much has changed during the past three decades. He also hopes participants gain a spiritual enlightenment on the trip.
“Some of the guys who are going have stated, ‘The project is not the mission, the people are,’” Robertson said. “I like that. The mission work over the years in Haiti has changed. Years ago, it was ‘Come do this for us.’ Now the focus is more no development and training. We want to help the Haitians develop. We are going as a construction team, but the people are the important ones.”
Each participant was required to raise $1,200 for the trip. Additional expenses for construction materials are also required. A number of local businesses donated materials and tools for the group to take on the trip, but the group is still doing fundraisers. The church has set a goal of raising $7,000 for the project.
Those interested in helping can make donations to the Houlton Wesleyan Church, stipulating the funds are to be earmarked for the Haiti mission trip. For more information, contact the church at 532-9056.
