Haiti: Ten Years Changed Us

Dave and Judi Coats spent the majority of 1980-1990 in Haiti as part of a mission team. This 12 episode podcast contains conversations where Dave and Judi share events like the births of two of their children in Haiti, family adventures, hardships, the removal of Jean Claude Duvalier (1986), and they will forever remember many wonderful people they met during those years. Living in a poverty-stricken country changed their lives, causing them to appreciate life itself. They wrote letters home nearly every week, and Dave’s mother saved the letters. The stories come directly from those letters.

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Episodes

Sunday Oct 06, 2024

It was inevitable that with the way life had become unstable in Haiti we made the choice to leave this place that had become home.  In this episode we will share some events, including our daughter's kidnapping and Dave being attacked while downtown. The year 1990 was the time of decision for us as our ability to function and carry out our work was greatly limited. 

Episode 11: Lots of News

Sunday Oct 06, 2024

Sunday Oct 06, 2024

Come walk with us once again as we recount the many events and stories that were a part of life in the year 1989.  Toby, our new dog, became a part of our family.  The political scene became more and more unstable. And we adjusted to the new realities. 

Episode 10: Life Rhythms

Sunday Oct 06, 2024

Sunday Oct 06, 2024

Even in Haiti, life has a flow and a rhythm to it.  We could enjoy the people and the place where we lived by getting to know the flow of this country and its people. Yes, Haiti had its many surprises and at times its disappointments, but it was what we had come to know as home.

Wednesday Oct 02, 2024

Sounds ironic, doesn't it? Joy and pain mixed together. Sounds like birth. A little boy's birth in the midst of chaos and revolution. But that is how our son, Jon, came into this world. The USA was flying the former dictator, Jean Claude Duvalier, out of the country. And then the people responded in revolution against 30 years of Duvalier leadership and against those who aided that rule.

Episode 8: The Accident

Wednesday Oct 02, 2024

Wednesday Oct 02, 2024

Of all of the things we experienced in this period of time, the events around what we call "the accident" were some of the most challenging to navigate. It definitely changed us.

Episode 7: Tragic Events

Wednesday Oct 02, 2024

Wednesday Oct 02, 2024

Life and the most difficult moments we face comes at us in phases and at times in unexpected ways. This episode explores some of the things we faced, while also dealing with the daily realities of Haitian life. A hard life. With a good God.

Episode 6: Physical Challenges

Tuesday Oct 01, 2024

Tuesday Oct 01, 2024

We all experience struggles of sickness and other physical challenges at some point in our lives. But the difference is that when you live in a foreign country and land where communication is hard and medical help is limited it changes how you walk through it. This was also part of our story.

Episode 5: Jennie's Birth

Tuesday Oct 01, 2024

Tuesday Oct 01, 2024

How life changes when you give birth to your second child in this place!  This part of our story was at times dramatic and definitely life-changing.  God helped us make it through it all with a new perspective on life.

Episode 4: Sights and Sounds

Tuesday Oct 01, 2024

Tuesday Oct 01, 2024

The transition to our life in the capital city of Port-au-Prince was dramatic, but good. We needed to understand what life was like in this city of about 2 million people. 

Monday Sep 30, 2024

Finally, the transition to life in Haiti began. All of the preparation and planning was done. Now the changes that this country and people would make in our lives became a daily reality.  Included in this discussion is the explanation of everything that was new to us, but that was normal, daily life in Haiti. 

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Haiti: Ten Years Changed Us

Dave and Judi Coats spent the majority of 1980-1990 in Haiti as part of a mission team. This 12-episode podcast contains conversations where Dave and Judi share events like the births of two of their children in Haiti, family adventures, hardships, the removal of Jean Claude Duvalier (1986), and they will forever remember many wonderful people they met during those years. Living in a poverty-stricken country changed their lives, causing them to appreciate life itself. They wrote letters home nearly every week, and Dave’s mother saved the letters. The stories recalled come directly from those letters.

 

A special thanks to our son, Jonathon David Coats, for all of the hours he spent editing the raw recordings (done in our home) and creating original music for the podcast. More of his music can be found at sevencitiesmusic.bandcamp.com

Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.

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