HIGHLAND — Father Chuck Edwards, Deacon Ron Hesson and five parishioners of St. Paul Parish in Highland traveled to Haiti last month to visit their sister parish, St. Charles Borromeo in Gonaives, Haiti.

St. Paul Parish has been supporting St. Charles Borromeo financially and spiritually for 27 years, explained Shelly Sands, one of the participants. Also in attendance were Len and Alice Daiber, Joan Riffel and Brad Scott. Sands said the trip was instrumental in strengthening the ongoing relationship between the two parishes.

Of the seven who traveled from St. Paul Parish, Len Daiber was the only person in the group who had gone to Haiti before. In fact, he was one of the first parishioners from St. Paul to travel to Haiti many years ago, not long after the sister parish partnership was developed by the late St. Paul pastor, Father Martin "Mitz" Mangan.

"Len is my father and founded Missions International," Sands said. "He traveled a lot when I was in grade school and high school, mostly to Haiti and Guatemala." She said the most recent trip to Haiti had been postponed twice, first due to the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010 and then as a result of the subsequent cholera outbreak.

The travelers were in Haiti from Oct. 31 to Nov. 5 and were there to celebrate St. Charles Borromeo's feast day (Nov. 4) with their sister parish, Sands said. "We visited with the school children that receive support from St. Paul Parish and we also went to a remote mission of St. Charles Borromeo in the village called Boucan Thony.

"A well was recently drilled there and a small school and chapel were built for the people there — a project made possible by the financial support of St. Paul Parish," she said. "I can honestly tell you that I don't know how people survived there without that well."

Sands said she was particularly moved while visiting a hospital run by Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata order, the Missionaries of Charity. "To walk with those nuns there — I can't describe the strength and grace of those women," she said. The group also met with Bishop Yves-Marie Pean, CSC, of Gonaives.

"I really do think that there is no way to comprehend what is happening in Haiti unless you experience it," Sands said. "The amount of joy they have is incredible — along with their faith and strength. Words can't really describe it. I am so glad that we went."