Chalice: Notes from the field...

Today, seventeen Canadians learned a thing or two. They learned that seventeen human beings each carrying 110 lbs of donation bags is too heavy for an 11-seater van – no matter how much they will it otherwise. They learned that ‘organized chaos’ is actually possible and that no matter how good your Canadian French is, you’re completely incomprehensible. A few learned what avocado tastes like, and most learned that the local beer, Prestige, goes down mighty fine after a long day in 34°C at 90% humidity. We arrived today in Port-au-Prince, a quick stop-over en route to Jérémie. We were greeted by the lovely Sr. Mérilise, the local site director who will be accompanying us on most of the journey. She informed us that we would be singing our grace, in Creole. She wasn’t kidding. Mercifully, Haitian Creole is one of the most phonetic languages we’ve encountered, and we muddled through.  With sunset at 6:00pm, we’re all struggling to keep our eyes open by 8:00pm...

In late 2014, a call went out on the Chalice website for volunteers “with a heart for service.” We didn’t need specialized skills or professional backgrounds, we were just called to love and serve. The resulting crew for the 2015 Homes for Haiti mission is a wonderfully diverse bunch from all across Canada, ranging from recent grads to retirees and a plethora of skills and interests. A cohort of seventeen in total, we set our fundraising goal for the eight months leading up to the mission: $20,000 in funds, and fifty child sponsorships, plus whatever donations we wanted to bring with us in our suitcases. Because we were so spread out across the country, we didn’t coordinate a unified fundraising method, so it was up to each of us to determine our action plans. Mary-Susan is a sewer, so she made “Scrap Catchers” (cloth bags that sit on the edge of the table for collecting scraps from crafts) that she’s sold at the craft fair and to her similarly-crafty friends. Sandra made...

Packing 6-months’ worth of life into one suitcase (without severely compromising the integrity of the zippers) can be a challenging endeavour. Through my past experiences traveling and living abroad, I have tried in earnest to perfect the packing process, with the hopes of packing more and more frugally each time. I have learned that being conscious of what I bring with me to a place is not only important for the physical items but also the spiritual, mental and emotional. And so I present to you a few of the essential items that I brought with me this time (although it is an ongoing process). Things I have learned to pack: Extra space in the suitcase – for those physical items and souvenirs that I inevitably want to bring back and share with my loved ones, but more importantly, for the intangible things that I pick up along the journey. The life lessons and the challenging moments in which I learned something essential about myself. The random pockets of space end...

Our next Mission Team is heading to Jérémie, Haiti this November.  We will be immersed into life at Chalice's Haiti South Sponsor Site.  Before we go, we are raising $20,000 to support the urgent need for adequate housing and sanitation for families in the communities we visit.  DONATE HERE .  Your donation will have a lasting impact for families, and the community as a whole. See what we have accomplished together to date...

  March 19th, St. Joseph's Feast Day, is also Father's Day in Bolivia.  It means a day off for students and workers alike and lot of celebration.  This little man is watching the festivities from his rooftop, overlooking the valley below from the mountainside.  He had my heart in an instant with his fearless lounging and beautiful smile. Here's the view from in front of his home... A wider view from his home to the valley below... We were visiting sponsored children and their families this day.  When we showed up to Lucinda's home, this pup was hanging out, ready to greet us:  Lucinda's family gave us such a warm welcome - this photo says it all!  We then continued on for another visit, which brought us up the mountainside even higher... It was quite a walk! Interesting to see all the homes. It was well worth the walk when we met Edwin and his mom!  Our next visit ...

The trip started as any good Canadian winter journey should, with a blizzard and an array of flight cancellations in Halifax. Upon arrival at the airport we (the Enactus Team from St. Mary's University) saw a sea of ominous red cancellations, and yellow delayed notifications for almost every flight leaving Halifax, except ours. By the time we were ready to depart, we were only 20 minutes behind schedule. After this potentially rocky start to our trip, the rest of it went very smoothly, with little delay, and no more fear of flight cancellations.             As we flew into La Paz, the beauty of the city’s surroundings was breathtaking. Surrounded by the snowcapped Andes, and the rolling green fields of the plateau, it is truly a sight to behold. The second most breathtaking aspect of landing in La Paz is the actual shortness of breath from the altitude sickness. I had never been to an altitude of over 2500m, and with La Pa...