IN THE NEWS
“FIGHTING THE LIFE” AT MONT SINAI MINISTRIES BY BECKY BARNETT PHOTO CREDITS: LYLE FRIED
This past week I was given the chance to sit down and have a conversation with Reverend Lyle Fried about his work in Haiti with Mont Sinai Ministries. There is a common Haitian phrase that translates roughly to “fighting the life.” Because for many living in the depths of poverty, every day truly is a fight. Envision a life where there is no connection to the outside world. There are no trips out of the village to look forward to. Life is not spent seeking comfort and entertainment, but struggling to survive each day. The people living in places like Haiti know that somewhere in the world are others, who live with running water, who live in houses with roofs and air conditioning and toilets. But the rich people in those houses don’t see them—at least not most of the time. But sometimes, worlds collide. As I talked with Reverend Fried, he told me about a series of mysteriously orchestrated circumstances—including the 2010 Haiti earthquake, diverted plans, language barriers, misunderstood distances, and a good bit of travel delay—that lead to something quite unexpected. He and his wife, Darlyn, found themselves up a remote mountainside and became the first outside visitors at an isolated Haitian orphanage. When Reverend Fried and his wife unexpectedly ar16 MKR Magazine September 2021
rived in the Bayonnais area, the buildings included a UNICEF tent for treating cholera outbreaks and a school/church made of sticks and tarps. There was no running water. No electric. No phone service. No latrines. No showers. Haiti is the poorest nation in our hemisphere, and Bayonnais is one of the poorest regions in Haiti. Those living here survive on a wage averaging less than 25 cents a day. To add some perspective, that is one dollar and 75 cents a week…. seven dollars a month…. eighty-four dollars a YEAR. How many of us in the United States can spend more than that amount in a single grocery trip? On that momentous day in 2010, as Lyle and Darlyn found themselves visiting an orphanage they had no plans to be at, a connection was formed and hope was kindled. Darlyn made a promise to return to Bayonnais. And return she did, Darlyn Fried went back to Haiti six times that next year. Returning to the same remote mountainside and working along with her husband and many others, to improve the lives and living conditions of the children and adults of Bayonnais. “We invested in them, and they have become like family to us” Lyle Fried avidly remarks. By 2013 the ministries of Mont Sinai were in full swing. A school had been built to replace the sticks and tarps. Teachers were hired, the importance of water sanitation was taught, latrines were built, and waterborne illness began to decrease. A sponsorship program was initiated
