Follow explorer Clive Simms as he searches for an ancient Mother’s Day poem in this episode of Perilous Expeditions.
What do exploding turkeys, fire breathing reptiles, and dare devil crusaders have in common? Find out in this episode of Perilous Expeditions.
Hunger is a worldwide epidemic that inflicts millions of people throughout the world. This short documentary follows The Rock Church youth group as they participate in 30 Hr Famine, which is an international youth movement dedicated to fight poverty and hunger.
Experience:
In the Spring of 2011 I had the exciting opportunity to go to Haiti with the mission’s organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM). While in Haiti I visited Port-Au-Prince and Gonaives, spending a month in each city.
Port-Au-Prince is the capital of Haiti and is just a few miles away from the epicenter of the devastating earthquake that occurred in January of 2010. My mission’s team stayed with and served YWAM Port-Au-Prince, which opened its doors just days after the earthquake. We assisted in construction projects, made regular visits to an orphanage, and visited many tent cities where earthquake refugees lived because their homes were destroyed.
Our next stop was three hours north in the large but laidback city of Gonaives. Here we stayed with a Pastor and his family who have close connections with YWAM. The ministries we were involved in there included: sharing skits and testimonies at local churches, open air and neighborhood evangelism, as well as orphanage and hospital visits. The Haitian people were generally very open to us as we spent time and shared God’s love with them.
While on the trip, I was able to bring my professional grade video camera and document the entire two-month trip. I knew this was an experience of a lifetime that I may never be able to have again, and it was an answered prayer for me to film this island nation.
A brief history of Haiti:
Haiti has suffered from natural disasters, corrupt leadership, poverty and other injustices since it won its independence from France in 1804. It is the second country in the western hemisphere behind the United States to gain its independence, yet it is also the poorest and the sixth poorest in the world. Even before the devastating 2010 earthquake, 70 percent of the nation lived on less than two dollars per day, 80 percent had no formal jobs, and 86 percent lived in slums.
Columbus found the island of Hispaniola in December of 1492 for Spain and called it “the pearl of the Antilles” because of its great beauty and rich natural resources. As time passed, settlers moved onto more prosperous Spanish settlements in Peru and Mexico. Pirates, mainly French buccaneers began settling on the western third of the island and in 1697, that portion was surrendered to France by the Treaty of Ryswick. The larger Spanish controlled portion later became known as The Dominican Republic and the smaller French portion became Haiti.
Most of the indigenous population was eliminated after settlers arrived and the Europeans, mainly the French began bringing slaves in from West Africa to work the land. Because of its great ability to grow crops, Haiti became the most productive territory in the Caribbean, supplying France vast amounts of sugar, cotton, indigo, and rum.
A slave rebellion, which began in the late eighteenth century forced France’s departure and led to their independence in 1804. Napoleon, the military leader in France at the time, sent troops to stifle the rebellion in 1802, but to no avail. Disease and slaughter ravaged the French army until they finally gave up. The victory of the Haitian people was monumental because not only were they the first independent nation in Latin America, but they became the only enslaved nation to militarily win its independence from a major colonial power.
Jean Jacques Dessalines, the military commander of Haiti’s war for independence claimed Haiti as a place of refuge for any escaped slave, declaring that never again will any colonist or European set foot on the island as master or landowner. He became the head of state and drafted Haiti’s first constitution. In 1806, Dessalines was assassinated. The murderers were left unpunished, thus beginning a trend of unstable Haitian leadership.
Over the next hundred years, Haiti was governed by dozens of different leaders and built up a large economic debt to many of the world’s superpowers. U.S. president Woodrow Wilson sent marine troops in 1914 to restore order, fearing that if unrest continued another government power would try to take over. The U.S. occupation was unwelcomed by the Haitian people. The U.S. forced Haiti to repay its debts, strengthened its government, and built roads, schools, and hospitals. The U.S. left in 1934 and Haiti resumed control of its own affairs. Since then, Haiti has endured much hardship.
While some leaders have tried to involve Haiti in domestic development and global economics, most of the leaders have worked against the peasant majority. A country born doctor named Francois Duvalier was elected president in 1957. Seven years later, he declared himself president for life. He died in 1971 and his son Jean-Claude took over as president for life at the age of nineteen. They both ruled as dictators, controlling the military and a secret police, which became known as Tonton Macoutes, or bogeyman. The Macoutes were involved in many slaughters of the Haitian people. A revolt against the younger Duvalier led to him fleeing the country, and soon afterwards, the Tonton Macoutes were disbanded. In 1987, Haiti adopted a new constitution, which has been followed at varying degrees as the nation has wavered between democratic and military rule.
On January 12, 2010, a magnitude seven earthquake killing over 222,000, injuring over 300,000, and leaving over a million homeless further devastated the already suffering nation. It was the fifth deadliest earthquake in recorded history. Relief and mission organizations such as World Vision, Red Cross, USAID, and the UN have aided in the nation’s recovery. On May 14th, 2011, former Haitian music star Michael Martelly became Haiti’s new democratically elected president. Although he has had no previous political experience, the people are hoping he will be able to lead the country out of their current plight.
Reason for Film:
My hope with this film is that it helps people better understand the nation of Haiti, and that it would stir people’s hearts to reach out to this poor and needy country. Through the testimony of the Team Haiti missionaries, viewers may hear and believe that Haiti’s recovery begins at the foot of the cross, because with man nothing is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
The trailer for the film can be viewed on my HOME page, and you can read about my experience in more detail by visiting my BLOG. Interviews from the film can be found on the MISSIONARIES page.
Above is a link to a YWAM video I worked on for my discipleship training school. It covers some amusing aspects of living in YWAM L.A.
Below are some short films I made over the past few years with my trusty Panasonic DVX 100a camcorder. Feel free to watch a couple. They’re all filmed in the pacific northwest.
Above is a segment of the Team Haiti documentary I shot while in Haiti.
Tucked in the heart of Seattle lies a place tailored to tickle your funny bone. “Open Mic” night at Giggles comedy club gives aspiring comedians a venue to test the waters, and veteran comics a chance to polish their acts.