Proverbs 31: 10 – 28

A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

I think it was the summer of 2007 when our family spent the better part of the summer in Haiti. We were trying to visit with the communities where Haiti H20 had been doing work. Our hope was to live among each community for an extended time, build relationships, develop trust, and graciously hear their stories and experience their day-to-day lives. 

Bassin Caiman was one of the communities that thrived under the leadership of Pastor Celande. With vision, he led the transformation of a village with a small church set in the middle of a dry, barren area with thorny plants. Now there stands a bustling two-story school, a new larger church, bread oven, pit latrine toilets, and a gravity-fed shower. It was one of those places where we observed the significant influence of a solid leader. 

But if we were to attribute the growth of this place only to the leadership skills of Pastor Celande, we would be reducing the leadership to an exceptional individual and miss what was truly a partnering leadership. 

If ever there was an embodiment of the Proverbs 31 woman, it was Madame Pas. She served alongside her husband in remarkable ways that often were overlooked. Walls and roofs were raised, but they sit on the foundation of love and care exhibited by this amazing woman. 

Every block laid, every bucket of gravel lifted, was done with a background of laughter and singing coming from a smoky kitchen. Here, Madame Pas joyfully organized meals prepared over an open fire. During the day and into the night, the “kitchen” was dark, hot, and filled with amazing smells of hot oil, plantains, beans, rice, fish, and chicken. Not too many visiting team members could last long in the “smoke shack,” with eyes tearing up and lungs filing with smoke. But I remember always seeing Madame Pas, glistening in sweat, laughing with her ladies, telling jokes, singing, and preparing delicious meals for the hard workers and visiting team members. Before she would eat anything, she would make sure the children had something to eat and that there was enough food to take home to feed families. 

Madam Pas had eyes that looked to care for others. As a mother, she had compassion on my wife, Cande, who was not sleeping well on a cot. Madam Pas arranged for her to receive a back massage and had other Haitian kids look after our own four kids while we were involved in meetings and other things. She loved to braid Cande’s hair while we watched the kids play soccer.  She sang songs while tenderly braiding the hair of our girls. When Pastor would arrive, she made sure he was eating and drinking. When her little daughter Isalan walked in the room, she was filled with joy, laughing with pleasure and taking delight in her daughter. After services, I would observe her and Pastor joking with others as they found pleasure of presence in the community. 

Madam Pas was industrious beyond the preparing of meals to teams. Our kids loved to buy lollipops that she sold in her little market business. Teams would relish the ice-cold sodas they could purchase after a hard-day’s work.  She provided for her family, always making sure shirts were pressed and clothes clean and repaired.

I can’t read Proverbs 31 without thinking of her faithful work together with Pastor Celande. There is something to be said about the resilience of a Haitian woman. She never was limited by a lack of resources, and she was able to flourish in the most challenging of conditions. While she has physically passed on, the spirit of love, laughter, service, and care she embodied will continue to be the foundations remembered at “the city gates” of Bassin Caiman.