Originally published December 17, 2016 in the Suffolk News-Herald By R.E. Spears III Editor I’ve been having a lot of trouble focusing on my work lately. It’s a common problem for many during the holiday season, and many of the things that distract us all this time of year have done the same for me — Christmas shopping, holiday events, an ill-timed but needed vacation. But a young man who runs an orphanage in Haiti has been the main distraction for me this year. Last month, I made a quick trip to Montrouis, Haiti, on behalf of Supply and … Continue reading Thank you for the Christmas lesson

  Originally published October 17, 2015 in the Suffolk News-Herald By R.E. Spears III Editor When I returned to Suffolk from a short-term mission trip to Haiti in August 2014, I was gratified by all the support I received from friends and acquaintances here for my trip and for the accounts I shared about it within the pages of this newspaper. At the same time, I was surprised at the number of folks who responded that they were tired of reading about Haiti, suspicious that my motives for sharing the stories were self aggrandizing and generally wishful that I’d leave … Continue reading Roadblocks on the way to Haiti

  Originally published August 30, 2014 in the Suffolk News-Herald By R.E. Spears III Editor One of the first things I noticed upon returning from Haiti on a recent mission trip was how quiet our ride home from the airport was. To be sure, we’d had a long trip (17 hours, from door to door, including seven passport checks and a dead truck battery) and folks were too tired for a lot of chitchat. The roads in America were also much quieter. In Haiti, driving is punctuated by the out-of-tune brass ensemble of cars, trucks, buses and scooters blaring their … Continue reading A new perception after a trip to Haiti