“Music is a universal way to communicate,” said Jeannette Wong, a Biola junior. With this in mind, six Biola students chose to use music ministry to help the children of Haiti after a 7.0 earthquake struck on Jan. 12, 2010. News reports stated that the disaster killed over 200,000 people and left nearly one million homeless. With a vision to use music as an emotive healing tool, Wong, Jordan McGrath, Tavia Grubbs, Stephanie Lowe, Evelyn-Doris Sanchez, and Sarah Quale (all juniors or seniors at Biola) spent two weeks of their summer vacation serving the children of Haiti.
The idea of the mission trip was conceived last spring when three students hosted a benefit concert to raise money for the “Haiti for Hope” fund. Yet, these three students wanted to do more. Biola University was raising a Haiti Initiative Grant at the time, and it was then that the students began discussing the idea of using music as a therapeutic way to cross cultures and language barriers. They submitted their proposal to the university and were awarded the grant money. In addition to the grant, Lowe stated that the team raised money for their trip through car washes, street performances, and donations. Dr. Strauss, Professor of Psychology at Biola, aided the team by connecting them with Biola alumna Laurie Casseus at North Haiti Christian University, while another Biola faculty member introduced the team to an orphanage in Port-au-Prince.
The students left July 2, 2010, bound for Limbe, Haiti. Here, Wong described how they stayed in dorm rooms at a university where Indigenous Pitch, an organization that uses dance and art for healing, was conducting a weeklong camp. Although Indigenous Pitch is not a Christian organization, they welcomed the musical aspect the team brought, and even allowed the Biola students to spend time each morning telling Bible stories and conducting a time of worship with the children.
Displaced and with lives torn apart, the near 100 child refugees were picked up each day and brought on campus where they explored the theme of “identity.” Wong recalled how the children arrived to camp with “deadened eyes and sorrow.” Yet Wong, Grubbs, and Lowe all smiled in recollection of how the apathy melted away a little each day. “Music,” explained Grubbs “can be used to draw out emotion.”
The Biola team consisted of violinists, cellists, drummers, guitarists, and a harpist who all shared their knowledge and love of music with the children. Interestingly enough, musicians, music stores, and many types of musical instruments are rarely found in Haiti. Lowe said simply, “the music brought joy.” After one week, the team left the university for Port-au-Prince.
Team member Grubbs described Child Hope as an orphanage and school run by Sue and Bill Manassero. Here, Quale, McGrath, Wong, Grubbs, Lowe, and Sanchez taught a music elective every day to children between the ages of 13 and 17. Basic theory (such as notes, rests, and rhythms), along with choir was all a part of the lesson. Three days a week, malnourished children from the area were invited to come and receive rice, beans, water, and vitamins in the orphanage’s courtyard. Lowe and Wong stated that many of the 120 children who came to the feeding program had scabies, skin infections and swollen stomachs.
The team returned to California on July 17, however, their story does not end here: the spring of 2011 beckons another year of music ministry. The team desires to create a self-sustaining music program in Haiti where children will learn the art of music and hopefully carry the knowledge out into their professional careers. By teaching the value of something as simple and lasting as music, Biola students offer an invaluable gift to the children of Haiti.
Contact the team at [email protected].
