Join us for a month of bringing the nation of Haiti to life at home. Printables, recipes, reading recommendations, prayer points, and more. Come explore the culture and people of Haiti with us!
How to get the most out of Planted seeds
1. Download and print the resource package 2. Display the info graphic, national flag, and prayer points somewhere where the whole family can see (ours is by the dining table) 3. Pray for the nation of the month each day 4. Pick two or more activities from below. (You are welcome to do them all, but let's be real, sometimes the "extras" just ain't happenin'!)
Make cards to send to the missionary of the month, be sure to include exactly what you have been praying for them during this time.
Pickup some of the recommended books from the library, scatter them around the house, or intentionally select them for read alouds
Plan a night to eat like the Haitians
Locate Haiti on a map
Watch the the recommended videos
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. 61 percent are classified as under-nourished.
Spotlight on a Missionary
You are encouraged to pray for a missionary from your own church to the nation of Haiti, but on the chance that your church is not currently supporting a missionary in this country, please consider joining us in praying for our featured missionary. Luke and Becca Perkins with Crossworld serving the STEP Seminary in Port-au-Prince
Luke is working with the seminary to train a new kind of pastor for the churches of Haiti. One that builds dynamic relationships on an individual level to make lasting change through discipleship. Becca homeschools their children, tends to the everyday needs of their family and works to disciple young moms. Some of the challenges they are facing in ministry include an ongoing struggle with gang violence in the neighborhoods surrounding the Seminary. The sound of gunshots is a weekly occurrence. The seminary is actively involved in improving the living conditions for those in these poverty-stricken neighborhoods, and hopes to reach the hearts of the gang leaders for Christ. They are also faced with the challenges of every foreign missionary in raising their family with a foot in two cultures. Learn more about their family and ministry here. Write to the Perkins at: Luke and Becca Perkins 3170 Airmans Dr
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946 Be sure to include your family photo, or some stickers for the kids.
The Perkin's filmed this video for a church in North Carolina, it gives a brief introduction and overview of their family and ministry.
Recommended Reading
Tap-Tap, by Karen Lynn Williams
This was one of our favorites. A sweet story of an 8 year old girl just old enough to help mom, and yet not quite. When she tires of walking she begs mama for a ride in the Tap-Tap, the Haitian taxi. A story of coming maturity and generosity unfolds on the back drop of a Haitian market.
Sé Lavi A Haitian Story of Hope, by Youme
A hope filled story of one orphan's struggle to find his own kind of family, and the continuing fight to make a life for themselves. Sé Lavi does not sugar coat the reality that Haiti's orphan's face, but also shows the compassion of those who make it their aim to help.
The Haitian Earthquake of 2010, by Peter Benoit
A non-fiction look at the devastation and relief efforts of the 2010 Earthquake.
Aunt Lilly's Laundromat, By Melanie Hope Greenberg
Aunt Lilly moved to New York when she was a young girl, but the pages of this book are filled with her reminiscences of the island home she loved, Haiti. Everything in the laundromat reminds Aunt Lilly of Haiti, from the swish of the washers that remind her of a waterfall, to the brightly colored piles of clothes that remind her of the tropical flowers and fruits.
Bouki Cuts Wood A Haitian Folktale, by Amanda St. John
Bouki and Malese stories are popular folktales that were adapted from African tales when the people of Haiti were brought to the Carribean as slaves between 1681 and 1789. Bouki is a very silly character always making mistakes and easily confused while Malese is a sly and clever trickster. These stories are a fun look into Haitian culture, and stories that Haiti's children would hear and enjoy.
Please, Malese! by Amy MacDonald
An adaptation of one of the popular folktales about the sly character Malese, from Haitian culture.
Bouki Dances the Kokioko: A Comiical Tale From Haiti, by Diane Wolkstein
Another Bouki and Malese folktale.
Recommended viewing
Sweet video about a the life of a little Haitian girl and her family. A picture into a child's day in a different nation.
Beautiful chronicle of a man's short visit to a remote mountain community.
Somewhat dramatized, but my kids were fascinated by this report on an unusual stop gap for hunger. It really made them realize the severity of the situation.
Recipes
Most rural Haitians eat the same thing for almost every meal, some kind of porridge and some fruit, or the national dish, beans and rice. Most meals would be meatless, and a variety of fruit is consumed for vitamins, especially mangoes. I've included a few recipes that that majority of Haitians in poverty would eat, and a few that would be enjoyed on holidays and special occasions.
Poverty Meals
Cornmeal Porridge
Ingredients
6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 cups cornmeal
2 Tablespoons butter, margarine, canola oil, or olive oil
Procedure
Bring water to boil in a large pot. Add the salt, if desired.
Gradually stir in cornmeal with a whisk. Turn heat down to medium.
Stir briskly to get the lumps out, then cook for another 10 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently (add water if it becomes too thick).
Remove from heat and stir in butter or oil.
Serve immediately or pour into a square pan.
Let cool and cut into squares.
Serves 4 to 6.
Serve with a tropical fruit indigenous to Haiti such as pineapple, mango, or coconut
Read more at Food by Country:
Or:
Haitian Beans and Rice 1 1/2 cups dried red beans
2 cups white long-grain rice, rinsed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 bouillon cube, crushed
1/8 – 1/4 cup onions, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
5 whole cloves
2 tbsp + 1 tsp canola oil
1 tbsp butter
Procedure
Soak beans overnight and drain before cooking.
Add the beans and salt to a pot and pour enough water so that they are completely covered, plus a couple more inches of water. Boil for 2-4 hours, until the beans are soft. Add more water if the level gets below the beans. Strain, reserving the water.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oiI in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and chicken bouillon cube and sauté for 4 minutes.
Add in 3/4 cups of the cooked beans and continue to sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Once the beans begin to brown, add in the remaining beans, black pepper, cloves, and the reserved water the beans were boiled in. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Add the rice. Boil until the water has reduced to the level of the rice.
Stir in 1 teaspoon of oil and the butter. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and allow to gently simmer for 10-15 more minutes, until everything is tender.
Holiday meal
Meat is a luxury for most of the Haitian population, this is a meal that might be served for Christmas, or another yearly celebration.
Fried Pork (Griot)
1.5 lb of pork
1 hot pepper
1 tsp of parsley
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of thyme
1/2 tsp of rosemary
1 tsp of seasoning salt
1 lime
1 orange
Procedure
1. Cut the meat into medium pieces.
2. Wash thoroughly with the lime and/or sour orange juice.
3. Season well with Adobo seasoning salt, rosemary, thyme, parsley, garlic powder, pepper and let it marinate for 4 hours. For best results, refrigerate overnight.
4. In a saucepan, cover meat with water and boil over medium-high heat until water evaporates.
5. Stirring occasionally, continue to cook until meat is tender.
6. Remove the meat and set aside.
7. In a skillet, heat oil and fry each side to brown evenly. Serve with Haitian Beans and Rice, which is considered a national dish.
Banana Pez (Fried Plantain)
1 green Plantain
1 cup oil for frying
1 tsp salt
Procedure 1. Peel plantain, cut into 1-inch diagonal pieces.
2.Add oil to small pan on medium to high heat and fry plantains. Remove from oil, drain on paper towel and flatten using a plantain press.
3. In a small bowl add about 1 cup water along with salt and dip pressed plantains into water, shake off excess and re-fry.
Salt and enjoy, these taste a lot like french fries!
Simple Orange Cake (Haitian Gateau a L’orange)
Total Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
¾ cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rum or rum flavoring
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a mixer bowl, whip the butter and sugar to a cream.
2. Add the eggs one at a time and mixing well after each addition. Add the orange zest, then the sifted flour
with the baking powder alternating with the orange juice. Add the vanilla extract and the rum. Mix well
and on high speed for about 1 minute.
3. Pour the cake batter into a buttered and floured 10 inch pan or 10 inch tin tube. Bake in the oven for 40
minutes or when a cake tester or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
4. Remove the cake from the oven, and let cool covered with a kitchen towel. Remove from pan, dust with
powdered sugar and serve.
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