Carry On

Just over two years ago my uncle, Fr. Bernard Reiser, passed away.  Fr. Reiser had a presence that was larger than life, and he was a respected spiritual leader and mentor to thousands upon thousands of people.  His death left a painful vacancy for his family, friends and followers.

Shortly after his death I joined the board about Reiser Relief knowing almost nothing about Haiti, missionary work or managing a non-profit.   All I knew was that I wanted to do what I could to carry on Fr. Reiser's ministry of serving the poorest of the poor in Haiti, and to answer God's call to Go!  And somehow I figured it out (or at least I'd like to think I did).

On February 15, 2014, Mialta Miracle, the director of Reiser Heights school in the rural mountainous village of Donte, Haiti passed away suddenly at the age of 65.  Mialta was not only the the director of the school with an enrollment of 333 children, but he was also a respected leader in his community and a father to 11 children 3 step children and 8 grandchildren.    His death left a sudden gap in his family, the school and his community.

Today we traveled to Reiser Heights to express our sympathy, to share in their grief over their loss, and to explore how we can partner with them to continue to support the legacy that both Fr. Reiser and Mialta Miracle left behind in Haiti: Reiser Heights school.

We spent time with Mialta's step daughter, Natacha.  Natacha has been the principal of Reiser Heights for the last few years while Mialta acted as the director.  Now Natacha is stepping up and doing what she can to keep Reiser Heights going.  Armed with a pre-school teaching license and some classes in business and computer skills (far more education than Mialta Miracle had), Natacha was bursting with confidence and courage that she can manage the school with the help of two of her younger brothers, Jean and Rodney.  She also has the support of her mother Madam Mialta, who is an astute business woman in her own right, butchering animals and selling meat at the local market.

I suppose that Natacha knows next to nothing about actually directing a school.  She likely has never established a vision statement, developed or implemented marketing strategies to attract students, or managed the finances of the school.  And I have confidence that Natacha will find her way and make it happen.  So much of leadership is an innate quality, and I saw that quality blooming in Natacha today.

We talked about marketing.  Natacha shared that she thinks having some computers at the school would attract students.   Kids are kids across the globe. We talked about the needs of the school.  Their most immediate need, after a severe dry season, is water.  Their cistern is dry and they have to purchase water from far away and haul it up to Reiser Heights.  We discussed installing more gutters to collect rainwater and a faucet to make the water easier to access.  We made preliminary plans to hold a summer carnival when I come back to Haiti this summer with a team.

Together, with the help of God, we will carry on.

 

Peace,

Joyce