One example of "reaching beyond our borders" to help others is the orphanage associated with Brothers United Church Eben-Ezer run by Pastor Kenol Dort and his wife in Mountrouis, Haiti. The YWAM team in PaP that rents space from us on our compound was building a latrine for Pastor Dort's kids and reported back to us the desperate conditions they had observed; 35 kids between the ages of 3 - 15, no food, few clothes, sleeping on the rocky, uneven bare ground with no beds or blankets, and a 12 yr. old with a double compound fracture of her shoulder who needed surgery within a week or risked loss of the limb. She had been taken to a hospital in St. Marc two straight days but would not be seen by a surgeon there for whatever reason. On our first trip to observe we took food and were horrified at the circumstances. Because we had a little money left in our discretionary fund, we were able to arrange transportation for the whole lot, adults and all, to go to Mission of Hope (MOH) for a thorough medical battery, including blood work and de-worming. The greatest blessing in the timing of this is that MOH had 2 visiting orthopedic surgeons from the U of Texas on board that week and the little girl's arm was surgically repaired (2 operations required) and saved..........gratis.
Several weeks later we returned with more food and supplies....some stackable cots for the kids to sleep on, and some blankets. Using a little more of our 501 (3)(c) money we have given YWAM enough money to finish the latrine , take several more of the kids to MOH , and have arranged for them to get on a regular food distribution schedule with MOH. As with our helping Pastor Volner buy the lumber and hardware for 15 school benches which have been built and are being used in his school in Pouille, your donations can have a dramatic impact in the lives of these fragile children. You can see the joy reflected in their faces in the pictures.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Task at Hand
It didn't take long to get back in the flow at NLCH. Suddenly I was Operations Manager with responsibility for getting/keeping things running. Those familiar with my background have to chuckle, if not out and out guffaw, at this assignment. I was responsible for the electrical, plumbing, generator, well/pump, and inverter systems. I must have snoozed through the inverter classes @ CPA school because I had no clue as to what they even were, let alone how they worked or to fix them. But when things don't work and people wake you in the middle of the night to ask why, you learn fast.....even when the explanations are in Creole. Buildings were pressure cleaned and painted inside and out, new screen doors were built and installed on all the guest room doors and the tired old vehicle fleet was kept running with duck tape and mirrors. Everyone had questions....needed immediate supplies (apparently in Haiti you don't pre plan what you might need for tomorrows work).....needed money and/or transportation.....and apparently I was the only one who could accomodate, after I could find a translator of course. Meanwhile we were holding meetings to revamp the organization structure and redifine responsibilities for all employees and orphans.....from mealtimes to lights out. And of course when you change or modify procedures, you must monitor to assure that the new policies are followed. Days seemed longer; nights shorter.
Fran pretty much resumed where she had left off. Several more containers had arrived and been unloaded and the storerooms were a mess again. In addition the US Air Force security troops which had been such a blessing to our compound with their cheerful nature, willingness to help with numerous projects and their loving attention to the orphans, were preparing to leave the country and, always thinking of ways to save Uncle Sugar fuel $ to transport excessive supplies back home, decided to reposition them to our compound instead. It all meant much back end grunt work, and though she had many good helpers from amongst the visitors to NLCH , and of course her veteran team from our own kid pool, the day in, day out work in those extreme conditions is most taxing. On more than several occasions she would throw up from heat exhaustion and, after a 15-20 min. shade and gatorade break, stubbornly head back to the container or storeroom to complete the day's task.
During our 1st stay in PaP, Fran was responsible for the preparation and coordination of distributing over 500 individual bundles of food and hygiene supplies to those in our immediate vicinity, not to mention all the post op families upon discharge. The second trip saw us distribute more in bulk to orphanages, tent camps and clinics, including a large selection of medical supplies to Dr. Heskel and Dr. Parvus' (of Vero Beach) clinic in Cite Soleil , and 2 large truck loads of supplies to the Pestel mountain region where we have been holding medical clinics for the last 30+ years and from where many of our orphans come. During this trip NLCH distributed food, clothes and medical supplies to more than 40 different organizations and Fran had a major hand in all of it.
Fran pretty much resumed where she had left off. Several more containers had arrived and been unloaded and the storerooms were a mess again. In addition the US Air Force security troops which had been such a blessing to our compound with their cheerful nature, willingness to help with numerous projects and their loving attention to the orphans, were preparing to leave the country and, always thinking of ways to save Uncle Sugar fuel $ to transport excessive supplies back home, decided to reposition them to our compound instead. It all meant much back end grunt work, and though she had many good helpers from amongst the visitors to NLCH , and of course her veteran team from our own kid pool, the day in, day out work in those extreme conditions is most taxing. On more than several occasions she would throw up from heat exhaustion and, after a 15-20 min. shade and gatorade break, stubbornly head back to the container or storeroom to complete the day's task.
During our 1st stay in PaP, Fran was responsible for the preparation and coordination of distributing over 500 individual bundles of food and hygiene supplies to those in our immediate vicinity, not to mention all the post op families upon discharge. The second trip saw us distribute more in bulk to orphanages, tent camps and clinics, including a large selection of medical supplies to Dr. Heskel and Dr. Parvus' (of Vero Beach) clinic in Cite Soleil , and 2 large truck loads of supplies to the Pestel mountain region where we have been holding medical clinics for the last 30+ years and from where many of our orphans come. During this trip NLCH distributed food, clothes and medical supplies to more than 40 different organizations and Fran had a major hand in all of it.
Our Return
We're frequently asked by our friends back in the US .....how much have things improved?.....it's no longer in the news, so it must be better. Our 24 hour news cycle is premised upon keeping us hooked on the immediate.....tradegy, suffering, O.J., Tiger....don't dwell too long or we'll get bored.....
Upon our return on 5/26, several notable improvements were a welcome sight. Most of the rubble had been cleared from all the major thoroughfares, though traffic flow didn't seem the least improved. Even with more traffic (suggestion, not stop lights in Haiti) lights working, there are apparently more cars on the roads, more breakdowns and more kami kazi style driving. Several weeks after arriving I was running an errand solo in one of the NLCH "senior fleet" of junk vehicles (a '96 Jeep Cherokee which has since blown an engine); turning a corner right next to the local police station two of us were going for an occupied lane, NASCAR style,both dodging an oncoming vehicle......BOOM.......flat tire here, little dent there. I was pretty much dead in water, stopping up traffic to thunderous horn bashing while I attempted to find someone in close proximity who could both fix a flat tire and understand my non Creole gesturing. Soon Theodore arrived from NLCH and traded vehicles with me, taking care of my immediate problem, and I left the scene to complete my tasks. Of course no police showed up to assist, intimidate or help with the newly created congestion issue.
The other main sign of improvement was the restoration of Haitian Power (EDH) which as sporadic & inconsistent as it is, is an improvement over pre-quake standards according to most natives. Construction debris, other than for the roads, still lays in heaps where it had fallen; still no heavy equipment in view. Tent housing, estimated to hold 1,500,000 in PaP was improved only to the extent that most now had tents and tarps (cardboard and blankets had been replaced; under the penetrating Haiti sun, however, the new stuff won't hold up long) but water, sanitation and any form of regular medical attention is non existant. A major concern remains the possibility that a hurricane could still strike though, thankfully, all this season's storms have tracked north of the island thus far. Permanent replacement housing is still in the talking stages. Catholic Relief Services and The Clinton Foundation have reportedly disbursed less than 15% of the monies collected and are looking to "long term solutions"; The Red Cross is completely MIA. This doesn't resonate well with the displaced. Neither does the absence of jobs.
We also observed some changes at NLCH . The church building which had housed a post op clinic for Medishare patients was again a church. Medishare wound down their field operation center on the airport grounds and moved into an existing structure in PaP as most earthquake victims had finally been attended to. (On Wednesdays, however, the church doubles as a clinic facility for Hanger Prothetics, a joint program with Hospital Albert Schweitzer located 60 miles north of PaP, to provide all the amputee victims of the earthquake with prosthetic limbs and therapy.......and the necessary followup adjustments for young people. We provide food,supplies and assist with the transportation of many of the patients.) One other positive sign was that some of the private schools had reopened and 16 of our children returned to school; our other kids returned to class in tents on our campus, taught by teachers we hired.
Most things though remained little changed. The air was just as foul, the heat just as penetrating (if not even a little more so...it is now summer), and the conditions sloppier---it was also rainy season. Fortunately we brought a new tent and it worked marvelously; no leaks despite many opportunities. The air in the compound was just as foul as the city (we sit just adjacent to the airport so we get a extra dose of jet fuel pollution) and like most in PaP, we burn our garbage, plastic bottles and all. ( I flew with a cold I had just picked up in VA and fought a respiratory condition for the 1st 6 wks there, finally replacing it with a gastro bug.) Halfway through this trip we shuttered our incinerator operation; we now collect garbage and have it carted off weekly....to where?.....God only knows. In what passes for residential areas of the city, sanitation is still status quo, with animals, varmints and people living in squalor. Notwithstanding the fact that Haiti in no longer a daily news story in the US media, it remains broken badly.
Upon our return on 5/26, several notable improvements were a welcome sight. Most of the rubble had been cleared from all the major thoroughfares, though traffic flow didn't seem the least improved. Even with more traffic (suggestion, not stop lights in Haiti) lights working, there are apparently more cars on the roads, more breakdowns and more kami kazi style driving. Several weeks after arriving I was running an errand solo in one of the NLCH "senior fleet" of junk vehicles (a '96 Jeep Cherokee which has since blown an engine); turning a corner right next to the local police station two of us were going for an occupied lane, NASCAR style,both dodging an oncoming vehicle......BOOM.......flat tire here, little dent there. I was pretty much dead in water, stopping up traffic to thunderous horn bashing while I attempted to find someone in close proximity who could both fix a flat tire and understand my non Creole gesturing. Soon Theodore arrived from NLCH and traded vehicles with me, taking care of my immediate problem, and I left the scene to complete my tasks. Of course no police showed up to assist, intimidate or help with the newly created congestion issue.
The other main sign of improvement was the restoration of Haitian Power (EDH) which as sporadic & inconsistent as it is, is an improvement over pre-quake standards according to most natives. Construction debris, other than for the roads, still lays in heaps where it had fallen; still no heavy equipment in view. Tent housing, estimated to hold 1,500,000 in PaP was improved only to the extent that most now had tents and tarps (cardboard and blankets had been replaced; under the penetrating Haiti sun, however, the new stuff won't hold up long) but water, sanitation and any form of regular medical attention is non existant. A major concern remains the possibility that a hurricane could still strike though, thankfully, all this season's storms have tracked north of the island thus far. Permanent replacement housing is still in the talking stages. Catholic Relief Services and The Clinton Foundation have reportedly disbursed less than 15% of the monies collected and are looking to "long term solutions"; The Red Cross is completely MIA. This doesn't resonate well with the displaced. Neither does the absence of jobs.
We also observed some changes at NLCH . The church building which had housed a post op clinic for Medishare patients was again a church. Medishare wound down their field operation center on the airport grounds and moved into an existing structure in PaP as most earthquake victims had finally been attended to. (On Wednesdays, however, the church doubles as a clinic facility for Hanger Prothetics, a joint program with Hospital Albert Schweitzer located 60 miles north of PaP, to provide all the amputee victims of the earthquake with prosthetic limbs and therapy.......and the necessary followup adjustments for young people. We provide food,supplies and assist with the transportation of many of the patients.) One other positive sign was that some of the private schools had reopened and 16 of our children returned to school; our other kids returned to class in tents on our campus, taught by teachers we hired.
Most things though remained little changed. The air was just as foul, the heat just as penetrating (if not even a little more so...it is now summer), and the conditions sloppier---it was also rainy season. Fortunately we brought a new tent and it worked marvelously; no leaks despite many opportunities. The air in the compound was just as foul as the city (we sit just adjacent to the airport so we get a extra dose of jet fuel pollution) and like most in PaP, we burn our garbage, plastic bottles and all. ( I flew with a cold I had just picked up in VA and fought a respiratory condition for the 1st 6 wks there, finally replacing it with a gastro bug.) Halfway through this trip we shuttered our incinerator operation; we now collect garbage and have it carted off weekly....to where?.....God only knows. In what passes for residential areas of the city, sanitation is still status quo, with animals, varmints and people living in squalor. Notwithstanding the fact that Haiti in no longer a daily news story in the US media, it remains broken badly.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Step-by-step: It's Been A Long Strange Trip
We returned to Haiti on May 26th continuing our odyssey. Returning to Virginia in July our friend Becky Templeman (Virginia Real Estate Partners) sponsored a fundraiser amongst our friends at Wintergreen. The following bio was used to prepare the invitations and pretty well describes the chain of events that had brought us to this point:
"What a Long Strange Trip It's Been"
Trucking...by the Grateful Dead
Since 1995, Fran and Barry have experienced the Wintergreen lifestyle. Besides retreat and cooler summers at their mountain top home, they have integrated their leisure time with community service: as Drivers and First Responders for the Wintergreen Rescue Squad, propagating plants for the WTG Nature Foundation, and the endless pursuit of the game of golf when not recovering from some recent surgical procedure. Back in Vero Beach, FL they had been active with Habitat for Humanity and accompanied their church group here in VA to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi for a week to assist in the rebuilding after Katrina. That effort as you know is still not finished. Yet none of this could prepare them for the road that would lead to the New Life Children's Home (NLCH) in Port-au-Prince (PAP), Haiti after the devastating earthquake on January 12th.
What began as simply helping to organize and repack the relief supplies coming into the Missionary Flight International (MFI) hanger in Ft. Pierce,FL, from all around the country for reshipment to PAP on their DC-3's, quickly evolved into something very different. Soon after starting at MFI, a chance meeting with a stranger, Terry Foley, who was attempting to board a flight to return for a 2nd tour where he had been cooking at the PAP airport base of MFI to support other volunteer workers engaged in the relief effort, convinced Barry that he could be more engaged. With Terry's encouragement...that he could "probably" stay where he had been staying, and assurance...that he would "probably" be able to find something useful to do, Barry set off on his odyssey despite the common sense age, health, safety, and financial objections raised by wife and friends. Sensing that he had "lost his mind" and determined to keep him from doing something even more outrageous, Fran reluctantly signed on. They didn't tell their adult children of their plans until the evening before they left, sensing their non-support and anxiety.
On February 22nd they boarded an eight passenger MFI plane to PAP...beginning their "long strange trip". Equipped with just the first name (Justin) of a disorganized 20+ something American who "would probably" meet them at the airport, they arrived with no group affiliation and no agenda other than to find a way to assist. Justin, bless his chaotic heart, was no where to be found and the first half dozen or so people they asked had never even heard of him. Fran scowled!! Eventually, though, he did arrive and drove them to NCHL, a stone's throw from the airport but over an hour on the rubble and traffic cluttered PAP roads. (A week later, Justin was mugged by troops supervising a food distribution that got out of hand several blocks from the NLCH compound and returned to the U.S.) There they joined dozens of other volunteers...120 college kids from Miami included...who had chartered a plane to erect a tent that never arrived. With "no vacancy" in the guest house, the Barnards pitched their tent (which leaked like a sieve every time it rained), and set about the task of trying to figure out why they were there.
Like any mother, Fran's mind gravitated to housekeeping matters. Cargo containers had been delivered to the facility and the cartons had just been jammed into any available space; box heaped upon box with no idea of what was inside. In searing heat Fran took over unpacking the food, water, clothing, and medical supplies, creating a "pantry" of sorts from two storage buildings on the property. Carton by carton, she and others began to make order, her organizational skills at full throttle. Barry meanwhile began interacting with the numerous groups assimilated on the site: listening, learning, assisting and coordinating; with each new day serendipity seemingly opened new doors and he became involved in obtaining and delivering aid throughout the region to numerous groups and organizations making many valuable contacts.
As they began their third week, however, it appeared the initial rush was quieting down. Most come to assist for a seven to ten day period, and as many left, Barry began to feel that perhaps they had done what they were supposed to do and the upcoming return to normalcy at week's end was appropriate. NOT!!! That's when Fran had her epiphany. Although busy in the store rooms, her maternal radar was tuned into the children, who had their own strange story to tell. The 30-year old orphanage had suffered damage, it was secure with barbed-wire and around-the-clock armed guards. It is safer than most other places and serves as a lighthouse to the region because of its "extensive" facilities as well as it's proximity to the airport, especially since the earthquake. But for the kids, campus life had crumbled; the soccer field was now a campground for tents, schools had been closed and the church converted into a post-op medical facility. Port-a-potties graced the landscape. The 100 resident orphans of all ages (16 of whom are severely disabled) filled the crowded facility to capacity, while outside the compound 1,500,000+ live in tents without sanitary facilities and over 250,000 children roam the street, surviving a day at a time. No jobs exist.
That's when Fran told Barry "We need to talk"... and, if Barry has learned anything in 45 years of married bliss, it's that this is code for "duck...this is not good"...She said she had been praying and had a profound sense that the orphanage wasn't running as it was intended. The older boys were hungry; the handicapped children were being neglected. Who could deny such basic human needs? He suggested she talk to the orphanage's founder and director, Miriam Frederick. And, as if she had been lurking outside their tent listening to their every word a mere hour before, Miriam joined them at breakfast to express almost verbatim her same concerns about what was lacking at her own orphanage. She asked them to consider becoming a permanent part of the staff, to help her straighten out and reorganize operations. Fran, tearfully broke down, her heart convicted. Suddenly, the mission took on a new and almost even more bizarre tenor. What did they know about running a facility such as this? Handicap care? Permanent?!? WOW!! They already had commitments but they did agree to stay on for another two weeks, and so Barry flew home to pay bills and arrange for an extended stay while Fran stayed behind. They eventually left, promising to return again at the end of May.
On May 22nd the Barnards returned to flesh out their new responsibilities. Equipped with a new tent that didn't leak Barry started attending two the aging infrastructure, instigating critical repairs on generator, water and inverter systems...skills not previously honed as a CPA before retirement. In addition property acquisition and facility replacement analysis needed his attention and vocational and computer based educational opportunities for "their kids" had to be pursued. For Fran it was back to the store rooms as more containers had arrived in their absence and chaos had returned. They both got involved in the reorganization of all aspects of the orphanage. And if this isn't enough to keep a senior citizen occupied, NLCH was actively assisting more than 40 other orphanages and clinics throughout the region...distributing food, clothes and medical supplies...and holding medical clinics in the tent cities and the Pestel mountain region of Haiti where the latest team just returned with two more children for the orphanage rolls.
There is much to be done everywhere. Resources are scarce. We can't cure all the problems in our own community, state, or nation, let alone other nations in the world. What we can however make a difference in some lives... IF WE CHOOSE TO DO SO. But WE must make the choice... WE must act!!!
Prior to their recent return to Virginia their children complained that they had been gone long enough and that regardless of their efforts, whenever they eventually did leave, Haiti would still be Haiti. They agreed, but added that if they could just help mentor/rescue several....or 5 or maybe even 10 more.... who knows how many...inspiring them to develop the same character, morality, caring and self worth needed to guide their future offspring as successfully as those nagging them to return at the moment have been...then their joy would be reflected in the bright faces of future generations. And though numerically just a few, those few, and perhaps even Haiti in some microscopic way, would be the better for their efforts. But their joy will be obtained in the journey, not the destination.
Notwithstanding the very harsh, unhealthy living conditions, a hurricane season that seems to be building and an election at the end of November that has already sparked an increase in kidnappings and civil unrest, the Barnards will be wrapping up their brief respite at Wintergreen where much of their time was spent catching up with their active grandchildren in northern Virginia and Atlanta and enjoying the elixir found high in the Blue Ridge. Three more containers have arrived in port but are being held captive by the bureaucracy...the eventual release promises more havoc on Fran's now organized storage areas. New septic drain fields are a critical need. Kids need hugs and discipline. So October 7th they will return for another two months, striving to impact the young lives of their "new family" while continuing to look for opportunities to help other. Who's to say where this long strange trip is headed?
Their spirits bolstered with renewed sense of purpose, they are grateful for any contributions made through BBYN-Haiti Relief, Inc. 501(c) (3) nonprofit corporation that their children set-up to assist with fund-raising for their outreach. Keep up with the adventure on their blog.
"What a Long Strange Trip It's Been"
Trucking...by the Grateful Dead
Since 1995, Fran and Barry have experienced the Wintergreen lifestyle. Besides retreat and cooler summers at their mountain top home, they have integrated their leisure time with community service: as Drivers and First Responders for the Wintergreen Rescue Squad, propagating plants for the WTG Nature Foundation, and the endless pursuit of the game of golf when not recovering from some recent surgical procedure. Back in Vero Beach, FL they had been active with Habitat for Humanity and accompanied their church group here in VA to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi for a week to assist in the rebuilding after Katrina. That effort as you know is still not finished. Yet none of this could prepare them for the road that would lead to the New Life Children's Home (NLCH) in Port-au-Prince (PAP), Haiti after the devastating earthquake on January 12th.
What began as simply helping to organize and repack the relief supplies coming into the Missionary Flight International (MFI) hanger in Ft. Pierce,FL, from all around the country for reshipment to PAP on their DC-3's, quickly evolved into something very different. Soon after starting at MFI, a chance meeting with a stranger, Terry Foley, who was attempting to board a flight to return for a 2nd tour where he had been cooking at the PAP airport base of MFI to support other volunteer workers engaged in the relief effort, convinced Barry that he could be more engaged. With Terry's encouragement...that he could "probably" stay where he had been staying, and assurance...that he would "probably" be able to find something useful to do, Barry set off on his odyssey despite the common sense age, health, safety, and financial objections raised by wife and friends. Sensing that he had "lost his mind" and determined to keep him from doing something even more outrageous, Fran reluctantly signed on. They didn't tell their adult children of their plans until the evening before they left, sensing their non-support and anxiety.
On February 22nd they boarded an eight passenger MFI plane to PAP...beginning their "long strange trip". Equipped with just the first name (Justin) of a disorganized 20+ something American who "would probably" meet them at the airport, they arrived with no group affiliation and no agenda other than to find a way to assist. Justin, bless his chaotic heart, was no where to be found and the first half dozen or so people they asked had never even heard of him. Fran scowled!! Eventually, though, he did arrive and drove them to NCHL, a stone's throw from the airport but over an hour on the rubble and traffic cluttered PAP roads. (A week later, Justin was mugged by troops supervising a food distribution that got out of hand several blocks from the NLCH compound and returned to the U.S.) There they joined dozens of other volunteers...120 college kids from Miami included...who had chartered a plane to erect a tent that never arrived. With "no vacancy" in the guest house, the Barnards pitched their tent (which leaked like a sieve every time it rained), and set about the task of trying to figure out why they were there.
Like any mother, Fran's mind gravitated to housekeeping matters. Cargo containers had been delivered to the facility and the cartons had just been jammed into any available space; box heaped upon box with no idea of what was inside. In searing heat Fran took over unpacking the food, water, clothing, and medical supplies, creating a "pantry" of sorts from two storage buildings on the property. Carton by carton, she and others began to make order, her organizational skills at full throttle. Barry meanwhile began interacting with the numerous groups assimilated on the site: listening, learning, assisting and coordinating; with each new day serendipity seemingly opened new doors and he became involved in obtaining and delivering aid throughout the region to numerous groups and organizations making many valuable contacts.
As they began their third week, however, it appeared the initial rush was quieting down. Most come to assist for a seven to ten day period, and as many left, Barry began to feel that perhaps they had done what they were supposed to do and the upcoming return to normalcy at week's end was appropriate. NOT!!! That's when Fran had her epiphany. Although busy in the store rooms, her maternal radar was tuned into the children, who had their own strange story to tell. The 30-year old orphanage had suffered damage, it was secure with barbed-wire and around-the-clock armed guards. It is safer than most other places and serves as a lighthouse to the region because of its "extensive" facilities as well as it's proximity to the airport, especially since the earthquake. But for the kids, campus life had crumbled; the soccer field was now a campground for tents, schools had been closed and the church converted into a post-op medical facility. Port-a-potties graced the landscape. The 100 resident orphans of all ages (16 of whom are severely disabled) filled the crowded facility to capacity, while outside the compound 1,500,000+ live in tents without sanitary facilities and over 250,000 children roam the street, surviving a day at a time. No jobs exist.
That's when Fran told Barry "We need to talk"... and, if Barry has learned anything in 45 years of married bliss, it's that this is code for "duck...this is not good"...She said she had been praying and had a profound sense that the orphanage wasn't running as it was intended. The older boys were hungry; the handicapped children were being neglected. Who could deny such basic human needs? He suggested she talk to the orphanage's founder and director, Miriam Frederick. And, as if she had been lurking outside their tent listening to their every word a mere hour before, Miriam joined them at breakfast to express almost verbatim her same concerns about what was lacking at her own orphanage. She asked them to consider becoming a permanent part of the staff, to help her straighten out and reorganize operations. Fran, tearfully broke down, her heart convicted. Suddenly, the mission took on a new and almost even more bizarre tenor. What did they know about running a facility such as this? Handicap care? Permanent?!? WOW!! They already had commitments but they did agree to stay on for another two weeks, and so Barry flew home to pay bills and arrange for an extended stay while Fran stayed behind. They eventually left, promising to return again at the end of May.
On May 22nd the Barnards returned to flesh out their new responsibilities. Equipped with a new tent that didn't leak Barry started attending two the aging infrastructure, instigating critical repairs on generator, water and inverter systems...skills not previously honed as a CPA before retirement. In addition property acquisition and facility replacement analysis needed his attention and vocational and computer based educational opportunities for "their kids" had to be pursued. For Fran it was back to the store rooms as more containers had arrived in their absence and chaos had returned. They both got involved in the reorganization of all aspects of the orphanage. And if this isn't enough to keep a senior citizen occupied, NLCH was actively assisting more than 40 other orphanages and clinics throughout the region...distributing food, clothes and medical supplies...and holding medical clinics in the tent cities and the Pestel mountain region of Haiti where the latest team just returned with two more children for the orphanage rolls.
There is much to be done everywhere. Resources are scarce. We can't cure all the problems in our own community, state, or nation, let alone other nations in the world. What we can however make a difference in some lives... IF WE CHOOSE TO DO SO. But WE must make the choice... WE must act!!!
Prior to their recent return to Virginia their children complained that they had been gone long enough and that regardless of their efforts, whenever they eventually did leave, Haiti would still be Haiti. They agreed, but added that if they could just help mentor/rescue several....or 5 or maybe even 10 more.... who knows how many...inspiring them to develop the same character, morality, caring and self worth needed to guide their future offspring as successfully as those nagging them to return at the moment have been...then their joy would be reflected in the bright faces of future generations. And though numerically just a few, those few, and perhaps even Haiti in some microscopic way, would be the better for their efforts. But their joy will be obtained in the journey, not the destination.
Notwithstanding the very harsh, unhealthy living conditions, a hurricane season that seems to be building and an election at the end of November that has already sparked an increase in kidnappings and civil unrest, the Barnards will be wrapping up their brief respite at Wintergreen where much of their time was spent catching up with their active grandchildren in northern Virginia and Atlanta and enjoying the elixir found high in the Blue Ridge. Three more containers have arrived in port but are being held captive by the bureaucracy...the eventual release promises more havoc on Fran's now organized storage areas. New septic drain fields are a critical need. Kids need hugs and discipline. So October 7th they will return for another two months, striving to impact the young lives of their "new family" while continuing to look for opportunities to help other. Who's to say where this long strange trip is headed?
Their spirits bolstered with renewed sense of purpose, they are grateful for any contributions made through BBYN-Haiti Relief, Inc. 501(c) (3) nonprofit corporation that their children set-up to assist with fund-raising for their outreach. Keep up with the adventure on their blog.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Time to publish!
My lack of skill at trying to assemble this has taken far too long and I often found it more frustrating to compose or arrange pictures or whatever and then having my work suddenly disappear forever. Yet I plod on, determinrd to share the story.
This initial overview (lengthy, wordy, self absorbed…many adjectives I’m sure come mind) I’ve basically covered highlights of the 1st two very galvanizing weeks in a journey neither of us was seeking or prepared for. Sure we went to help; we would then return home to resume our vital home missionary responsibilities which, for me, were pretty well centered between golf and softball, except for the increasingly frequent visits to my newly acquired friends in the surgeon community for replacement parts and fixes. Return? Not likely! But things change and more importantly, sometimes we do too.
The trek from March 6 thru our March 30 departure back to Vero will be more chronological, concise and with less fluff. Subsequent postings however will return to serious issues, such as the Haitian street children and the New Orphans, educating the Haiti orphans in the information technology age, sustaining efforts at NLCH and Pouille, and how those in the U.S. can help.
This initial overview (lengthy, wordy, self absorbed…many adjectives I’m sure come mind) I’ve basically covered highlights of the 1st two very galvanizing weeks in a journey neither of us was seeking or prepared for. Sure we went to help; we would then return home to resume our vital home missionary responsibilities which, for me, were pretty well centered between golf and softball, except for the increasingly frequent visits to my newly acquired friends in the surgeon community for replacement parts and fixes. Return? Not likely! But things change and more importantly, sometimes we do too.
The trek from March 6 thru our March 30 departure back to Vero will be more chronological, concise and with less fluff. Subsequent postings however will return to serious issues, such as the Haitian street children and the New Orphans, educating the Haiti orphans in the information technology age, sustaining efforts at NLCH and Pouille, and how those in the U.S. can help.
Unforgettable people- Brian Parker and Miss Fran
Brian Parker
Brian Parker is/was the Chief EMS helicopter pilot for West Palm Beach, FL....a vocation we've become much more aware and appreciative of since we became 1st Responders and ambulance drivers with the Wintergreen, VA Fire and Rescue Squad a year ago. He and his wife live in Jupiter, FL where he also owns and operates Agriculture Air Service, a four helicopter business serving the South Florida agricultural business community. Several years ago he felt called to create an organization to assist those in need using his expertise and Samaritan Air was formed. A 501(c)(3) corporation, Samaritan Air provides free emergency helicopter services (including patient and supply transfer) to remote areas and organizations. While Brian still balances his time between his other jobs, his 18 year old son Hunter, who’s been flying helicopters since he was 11, and Martin Schroeder, an intensely dedicated, hard working German citizen, carry on the bulk of the daily work in Haiti. Presently Samaritan Air has a single four-seater helicopter, but soon a larger model will be added to the fleet.
Miss Fran
It’s obviously not PC to put my wife at the end of the list, even one that’s kind of without order…chronological…significance…arbitrary? And, of course, as I do hope I indicated when I started, almost everyone I’ve met has been a blessing, an inspiration and deserves special attribution, so I apologize to those I haven’t yet acknowledged.
But Fran- being-Fran; skeptical at first…diligent, almost obsessive in her endeavors, steadfast in her daily devotions and uncomplaining in the heat, dirt and somewhat less than five star accommodations, thrives. On our 4th day she decided that the three storage rooms were inefficient and unmanageable. Falling back on our recent MFI experience, she recruited four of the older orphans and undertook to reorganize what would not be an understatement to call “xxxx censured xxxx”… even hotter conditions inside than out, she and her crew worked daily to straighten and then repack as Angela’s supplies, and those from others, rolled in.
One of the big problems even today in Haiti is finding what you need. There is no central clearing house and thus supplies languish unused. Over 6,000 NGOs (non governmental organizations) compete with the government to aid, assist the locals. Many don’t know what stocks they have and some aren’t particularly interested in helping other groups. Because of the nature of the disaster and the response to it, many needed items sit in boxes in warehouses, tents, containers and storage rooms – unpacked because those logistical people either aren’t here, or are doing something else. Some people are begging for supplies that others have but may not even be aware, and if they are, don’t know who needs it. Dr. Ken said one of the most useful people in his early response team to the tsunami in Indonesia was the person who organized the medicines and supplies.
Well, Fran took that task on to be her job and in so doing discovered a new weight loss plan that may rival Jenny Craig; warehouse restocking. We’re thinking that weekly trips to the storerooms of Haiti vs. the local “fat farms” may be a more effective diet strategy and a lucrative fund raiser. Maybe tax deductible too?
On our 15th day she awoke and said “we needed to talk” … there’s that phrase again! She shared that she had been led to pray like David (Pertl), a young missionary from AK who had been staying at NLCH, 1st with a group he to do some health clinics and preaching around Carrefour; later on his own (the Lord, he told us, told him to stay on longer). David did little without praying first, then listening.
Fran shared that today’s prayer had revealed concern for the operation and condition of the orphanage and the treatment of the children. Immediately after breakfast Miriam called us aside and asked us to consider staying permanently with the orphanage. She says that the current operation is unsatisfactory, and the fact that the head woman, Louisa, has just had a heart attack is not the reason. She said the entire operation needs a major reorganization…the children are being short changed…and after all, the whole purpose of the ministry is the children!
Had Miriam been outside our tent listening to our talk? Does God answer prayer this quickly? Don’t know, don’t care; Fran wept tears of conviction – when you’re convicted, you’re convicted –time to open a Haitian bank account. Shortly thereafter I made preparations to return to Vero to take care of immediate financial concerns to enable us to extend our stay through the end of March. Fran stayed, kept the storage areas straight and added yet another area to her realm, a container NLCH was given; Air Force personnel erected some shelves inside on one of their visits with us. She also helped organize and prepare for three large distributions of food we provided to families in our neighborhood involving over 450 bags of food.
Brian Parker is/was the Chief EMS helicopter pilot for West Palm Beach, FL....a vocation we've become much more aware and appreciative of since we became 1st Responders and ambulance drivers with the Wintergreen, VA Fire and Rescue Squad a year ago. He and his wife live in Jupiter, FL where he also owns and operates Agriculture Air Service, a four helicopter business serving the South Florida agricultural business community. Several years ago he felt called to create an organization to assist those in need using his expertise and Samaritan Air was formed. A 501(c)(3) corporation, Samaritan Air provides free emergency helicopter services (including patient and supply transfer) to remote areas and organizations. While Brian still balances his time between his other jobs, his 18 year old son Hunter, who’s been flying helicopters since he was 11, and Martin Schroeder, an intensely dedicated, hard working German citizen, carry on the bulk of the daily work in Haiti. Presently Samaritan Air has a single four-seater helicopter, but soon a larger model will be added to the fleet.
Miss Fran
It’s obviously not PC to put my wife at the end of the list, even one that’s kind of without order…chronological…significance…arbitrary? And, of course, as I do hope I indicated when I started, almost everyone I’ve met has been a blessing, an inspiration and deserves special attribution, so I apologize to those I haven’t yet acknowledged.
But Fran- being-Fran; skeptical at first…diligent, almost obsessive in her endeavors, steadfast in her daily devotions and uncomplaining in the heat, dirt and somewhat less than five star accommodations, thrives. On our 4th day she decided that the three storage rooms were inefficient and unmanageable. Falling back on our recent MFI experience, she recruited four of the older orphans and undertook to reorganize what would not be an understatement to call “xxxx censured xxxx”… even hotter conditions inside than out, she and her crew worked daily to straighten and then repack as Angela’s supplies, and those from others, rolled in.
One of the big problems even today in Haiti is finding what you need. There is no central clearing house and thus supplies languish unused. Over 6,000 NGOs (non governmental organizations) compete with the government to aid, assist the locals. Many don’t know what stocks they have and some aren’t particularly interested in helping other groups. Because of the nature of the disaster and the response to it, many needed items sit in boxes in warehouses, tents, containers and storage rooms – unpacked because those logistical people either aren’t here, or are doing something else. Some people are begging for supplies that others have but may not even be aware, and if they are, don’t know who needs it. Dr. Ken said one of the most useful people in his early response team to the tsunami in Indonesia was the person who organized the medicines and supplies.
Well, Fran took that task on to be her job and in so doing discovered a new weight loss plan that may rival Jenny Craig; warehouse restocking. We’re thinking that weekly trips to the storerooms of Haiti vs. the local “fat farms” may be a more effective diet strategy and a lucrative fund raiser. Maybe tax deductible too?
On our 15th day she awoke and said “we needed to talk” … there’s that phrase again! She shared that she had been led to pray like David (Pertl), a young missionary from AK who had been staying at NLCH, 1st with a group he to do some health clinics and preaching around Carrefour; later on his own (the Lord, he told us, told him to stay on longer). David did little without praying first, then listening.
Fran shared that today’s prayer had revealed concern for the operation and condition of the orphanage and the treatment of the children. Immediately after breakfast Miriam called us aside and asked us to consider staying permanently with the orphanage. She says that the current operation is unsatisfactory, and the fact that the head woman, Louisa, has just had a heart attack is not the reason. She said the entire operation needs a major reorganization…the children are being short changed…and after all, the whole purpose of the ministry is the children!
Had Miriam been outside our tent listening to our talk? Does God answer prayer this quickly? Don’t know, don’t care; Fran wept tears of conviction – when you’re convicted, you’re convicted –time to open a Haitian bank account. Shortly thereafter I made preparations to return to Vero to take care of immediate financial concerns to enable us to extend our stay through the end of March. Fran stayed, kept the storage areas straight and added yet another area to her realm, a container NLCH was given; Air Force personnel erected some shelves inside on one of their visits with us. She also helped organize and prepare for three large distributions of food we provided to families in our neighborhood involving over 450 bags of food.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Unforgettable People- Larry Bergeron and Bishop Octamoliere Liberius
Larry Bergeron
We met Larry and five other members of a Cincinnati based church group that included Pastor Doss on the 11th day of our trip. Larry, 62, is a former pastor, and is presently Executive Director of A Child’s Hope International, Inc. (www.achildshopeintl.org), which sponsors a unique program, Kids Against Hunger (KAH).
Operating out of a closed Kroger grocery store in the Cincinnati area, Larry enlists volunteers to work two 2 hour shifts every other weekend producing enough sealed packets of vitamin and protein enriched food to feed a hungry child for a year at a cost of $125.00, or 34¢ per day. Disturbing statistic: around the world, A CHILD DIES EVERY SIX SECONDS from hunger and malnutrition. To postpone the agony of hunger, Haitian adults and children often eat mud cookies, which frequently contain deadly parasites and toxins. (See http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080130-AP-haiti-eatin_2.html). Note: The end of that link should read “eatin_2.html” without the quotes – it just doesn’t show up with the underline.
Kroger provides the facility and necessary utilities, and the labor is free; the only cost is the ingredients and the shipping. Containers of finished product are donated to feeding programs throughout the world. The volunteers register on line, sometimes weeks in advance, often contributing financially to offset the ingredient and shipping costs, for the opportunity to help stamp out starvation while working along side their children, grandchildren, friends, neighbors and just other caring individuals. Larry has promised us a tour this summer when we return from our next trip to PAP. Please click onto the web link and visit this unique site.
Bishop Octamoliere Liberius
Bishop Moliere calls me his twin, as we both turn 68 and celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary this year. I met the Bishop on day 12 when I accompanied Larry, Doss, and the rest of the Cincinnati group on a mission to get food and supplies to several of his orphanages and schools in the Calabresse region (4,000+ ft. altitude) that had sustained substantial damage and were having difficulty receiving supplies.
I introduced them to the MFI supply area at the airport where we picked up some water (undesignated donated supplies from MFI have largely dried up); we made another nearby stop which they had a referral for and picked up four pallets of food and supplies. It was here I ran into a guy wearing a Hokie tee shirt. When I asked him if that was the only shirt left at the flea market, he admitted to being a graduate (Nathan Blessing of Charlottesville.)
By noon we headed to the mountains to deliver our bounty. The Bishop carries three cell phones on his dashboard which are constantly ringing. He also knows about every passerby, whether pedestrian or motorist. The honking (acknowledgement this case) or waving, shouting, running across the street to tap on the car and greet was almost annoying. I could only imagine what it must be like to travel with Bishop Tutu in South Africa. I definitely think the Bishop could become a political force in Haiti – not that he already isn’t - if he so desired. It is from his parishioners in the Calabresse region that the now infamous child kidnapping case involving the group of ten Baptist missionaries trying to take 33 Haitian children to the Dominican Republic occurred.
That afternoon we did visit one of the schools and unloaded some of the supplies; the kids played Frisbee and sang for us. A rant: One of the boxes we unpacked was full of paint roller covers. Sometimes you wonder…"what the hell are people thinking?"... they need paint roller covers like I need ballet slippers. Most people are good hearted and trust me, the Haitians are thankful for almost every little thing. But I have seen used basketballs with quarter sized holes in them, along with just plain junk. Maybe it’s easier and cheaper for some to send their junk to Haiti rather than the dump; after all, it is free for them (although the shipper ends up paying) and sometimes you have to pay at the dump.
We met Larry and five other members of a Cincinnati based church group that included Pastor Doss on the 11th day of our trip. Larry, 62, is a former pastor, and is presently Executive Director of A Child’s Hope International, Inc. (www.achildshopeintl.org), which sponsors a unique program, Kids Against Hunger (KAH).
Operating out of a closed Kroger grocery store in the Cincinnati area, Larry enlists volunteers to work two 2 hour shifts every other weekend producing enough sealed packets of vitamin and protein enriched food to feed a hungry child for a year at a cost of $125.00, or 34¢ per day. Disturbing statistic: around the world, A CHILD DIES EVERY SIX SECONDS from hunger and malnutrition. To postpone the agony of hunger, Haitian adults and children often eat mud cookies, which frequently contain deadly parasites and toxins. (See http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080130-AP-haiti-eatin_2.html). Note: The end of that link should read “eatin_2.html” without the quotes – it just doesn’t show up with the underline.
Kroger provides the facility and necessary utilities, and the labor is free; the only cost is the ingredients and the shipping. Containers of finished product are donated to feeding programs throughout the world. The volunteers register on line, sometimes weeks in advance, often contributing financially to offset the ingredient and shipping costs, for the opportunity to help stamp out starvation while working along side their children, grandchildren, friends, neighbors and just other caring individuals. Larry has promised us a tour this summer when we return from our next trip to PAP. Please click onto the web link and visit this unique site.
Bishop Octamoliere Liberius
Bishop Moliere calls me his twin, as we both turn 68 and celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary this year. I met the Bishop on day 12 when I accompanied Larry, Doss, and the rest of the Cincinnati group on a mission to get food and supplies to several of his orphanages and schools in the Calabresse region (4,000+ ft. altitude) that had sustained substantial damage and were having difficulty receiving supplies.
I introduced them to the MFI supply area at the airport where we picked up some water (undesignated donated supplies from MFI have largely dried up); we made another nearby stop which they had a referral for and picked up four pallets of food and supplies. It was here I ran into a guy wearing a Hokie tee shirt. When I asked him if that was the only shirt left at the flea market, he admitted to being a graduate (Nathan Blessing of Charlottesville.)
By noon we headed to the mountains to deliver our bounty. The Bishop carries three cell phones on his dashboard which are constantly ringing. He also knows about every passerby, whether pedestrian or motorist. The honking (acknowledgement this case) or waving, shouting, running across the street to tap on the car and greet was almost annoying. I could only imagine what it must be like to travel with Bishop Tutu in South Africa. I definitely think the Bishop could become a political force in Haiti – not that he already isn’t - if he so desired. It is from his parishioners in the Calabresse region that the now infamous child kidnapping case involving the group of ten Baptist missionaries trying to take 33 Haitian children to the Dominican Republic occurred.
That afternoon we did visit one of the schools and unloaded some of the supplies; the kids played Frisbee and sang for us. A rant: One of the boxes we unpacked was full of paint roller covers. Sometimes you wonder…"what the hell are people thinking?"... they need paint roller covers like I need ballet slippers. Most people are good hearted and trust me, the Haitians are thankful for almost every little thing. But I have seen used basketballs with quarter sized holes in them, along with just plain junk. Maybe it’s easier and cheaper for some to send their junk to Haiti rather than the dump; after all, it is free for them (although the shipper ends up paying) and sometimes you have to pay at the dump.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Unforgettable People - Angela Lizotte and Lowell & Sally Senitz
Angela Lizotte
Angela, 30, a single mother of two, who with several of her close friends formed a foundation to serve the people of Haiti; they raise funds on their Facebook pages.
Angela is beautiful; a high school dropout who went to Europe to model, she reminds one of Angelina Jolie. I have never witnessed anyone charm, bluster, confuse and wear down people to get “things” that they have and that “her” people need. She is relentless. Angela got food, toys, tarps, and tents…containers full of stuff… Lysol, medical supplies. One day we crashed the UN complex, she using some U of M badge telling the guard at the door that I was Dr. Barnard and was with her. Once inside she used a name of someone she had met several days earlier to call someone at IOM (International Organization of Migration) who was handling tent distribution. We went to their compound and after several hours in their office, filled out the paper work at their desk-her “people” needed tents now, not next week. They’re not used to working this way; we received verbal approval for 250 tents before we left. (Several days later she returned to back check, found they had lost the original application and was told we could only get 125, but she reapplied using Manhattan, NY as a site plan that she found lying around, and received the tents three days later.
Five days after our trip to the UN Angela somehow talked the military out of 26 undesignated containers they had been storing at the port. We organized the groups we had been working with and spent a free-for-all day with organizations battling one another for precious items for the people they represent, trying to maintain order to the mayhem. It was seven hours in the very hot sun and in even hotter containers, ankle deep dust sent flying through the air by the oversized vehicle used to move the containers, not to mention the large box trucks rented by the organizations at $250/day to get these supplies for their people.
I got the sense that heretofore, Angela was kind of a wild child. She made the comment to me that not only was she not a Christian (I say she’s an agnostic beginning to explore with more seriousness her growing spirituality), she said that four months ago she would not have even considered working with a Christian organization. She now observes Christian missionaries in Haiti are the ones she seeks to assist because they are the ones who really care, really touch and really try to make a difference with those who are most in need.
Angela extended her first stay by almost a week and was back on the ground in Haiti 10 days later working her magic.
Observation-In my first 18 days in Haiti I saw one Red Cross Truck. They may be doing things … and we all know they sure raised enough money to do things … but so far they sure have had a low profile.
Lowell & Sally Senitz
We met Lowell and Sally Senitz on our third evening at NLCH. They had come to PAP on behalf of their organization Wings of Shelter Int’l, Inc. (www.wingsofshelterintl.org) to implore the UN to pressure Haiti to support the international agreement on slave trafficking. Haiti is currently a non-signer, a tier three classification, which makes dealing with the US on many issues very problematic.
Like us, the Senitzs’ are in their mid 60’s and live in FL; unlike us, they have been actively involved in the mission field for years, spending considerable time in Kenya and Uganda, dangerous hotspots in the fight against international slave trafficking. They are also involved at home in FL, establishing a safe home in Lee County and petitioning local and state authorities to the silent but virtually unknown problem here at home (an estimated 360,000 slaves are counted in the US – many drug related; alarmingly, FL ranks as the 2nd worst state in the country). We hope to have them visit local law enforcement and local high school and college administrators in Indian River County as soon as we can arrange it. Further discussion of slave trafficking will be given prominent future commentary, especially as it relates to Haiti, as we have since met several others, engaged in the fight, notably Dean Ouilette, Carmen Vaught, and Michael Brewer, a truly remarkable man, who has been on the ground working with Haitian street kids for over a decade. A tragic story!
Back to Lowell and Sally; harkening back to a connection they had with their previous church in California, Dr. Rik and I joined them on a visit to Mission of Hope in Titanyen where we met with Brad Johnson, President. Because of some timely publicity shortly after the earthquake, an NBC camera crew visited Mission of Hope and aired footage on the Nightly News which resulted in significant quantities of food and medical supplies pouring in. Our meeting and tour established a valuable contact, as we have been able to assist both Bishop Chervil and NLCH obtain needed medical supplies.
While waiting to meet with Brad Johnson on that first trip, I was introduced to Bill Neusch from Burnet, TX. who is volunteering there. Bill is affiliated with Sparrows Home (www.sparrowshome.org), and is president of Gibraltar US (www.gibraltarus.com), the largest fabricator of fence panels for the border crossing between the US and Mexico. More pertinent to his current ministry in Haiti, Bill’s organization has initiated a program to allow the adoption of special needs Haitian children directly into the US. Medical visas are already in place and several churches have enrolled: each church agreeing to help five parishioner families maintain a home and social support system for both the family and the child. Families have already undergone FBI background checks and counseling on what to expect. Bill has since visited NLCH and met with Miriam and Dr. Schroering, and there is interest in the two amputee orphans we have; however, at this point our other special needs kids fall into a different category. We will continue to pray for their future adoption also.
Angela, 30, a single mother of two, who with several of her close friends formed a foundation to serve the people of Haiti; they raise funds on their Facebook pages.
Angela is beautiful; a high school dropout who went to Europe to model, she reminds one of Angelina Jolie. I have never witnessed anyone charm, bluster, confuse and wear down people to get “things” that they have and that “her” people need. She is relentless. Angela got food, toys, tarps, and tents…containers full of stuff… Lysol, medical supplies. One day we crashed the UN complex, she using some U of M badge telling the guard at the door that I was Dr. Barnard and was with her. Once inside she used a name of someone she had met several days earlier to call someone at IOM (International Organization of Migration) who was handling tent distribution. We went to their compound and after several hours in their office, filled out the paper work at their desk-her “people” needed tents now, not next week. They’re not used to working this way; we received verbal approval for 250 tents before we left. (Several days later she returned to back check, found they had lost the original application and was told we could only get 125, but she reapplied using Manhattan, NY as a site plan that she found lying around, and received the tents three days later.
Five days after our trip to the UN Angela somehow talked the military out of 26 undesignated containers they had been storing at the port. We organized the groups we had been working with and spent a free-for-all day with organizations battling one another for precious items for the people they represent, trying to maintain order to the mayhem. It was seven hours in the very hot sun and in even hotter containers, ankle deep dust sent flying through the air by the oversized vehicle used to move the containers, not to mention the large box trucks rented by the organizations at $250/day to get these supplies for their people.
I got the sense that heretofore, Angela was kind of a wild child. She made the comment to me that not only was she not a Christian (I say she’s an agnostic beginning to explore with more seriousness her growing spirituality), she said that four months ago she would not have even considered working with a Christian organization. She now observes Christian missionaries in Haiti are the ones she seeks to assist because they are the ones who really care, really touch and really try to make a difference with those who are most in need.
Angela extended her first stay by almost a week and was back on the ground in Haiti 10 days later working her magic.
Observation-In my first 18 days in Haiti I saw one Red Cross Truck. They may be doing things … and we all know they sure raised enough money to do things … but so far they sure have had a low profile.
Lowell & Sally Senitz
We met Lowell and Sally Senitz on our third evening at NLCH. They had come to PAP on behalf of their organization Wings of Shelter Int’l, Inc. (www.wingsofshelterintl.org) to implore the UN to pressure Haiti to support the international agreement on slave trafficking. Haiti is currently a non-signer, a tier three classification, which makes dealing with the US on many issues very problematic.
Like us, the Senitzs’ are in their mid 60’s and live in FL; unlike us, they have been actively involved in the mission field for years, spending considerable time in Kenya and Uganda, dangerous hotspots in the fight against international slave trafficking. They are also involved at home in FL, establishing a safe home in Lee County and petitioning local and state authorities to the silent but virtually unknown problem here at home (an estimated 360,000 slaves are counted in the US – many drug related; alarmingly, FL ranks as the 2nd worst state in the country). We hope to have them visit local law enforcement and local high school and college administrators in Indian River County as soon as we can arrange it. Further discussion of slave trafficking will be given prominent future commentary, especially as it relates to Haiti, as we have since met several others, engaged in the fight, notably Dean Ouilette, Carmen Vaught, and Michael Brewer, a truly remarkable man, who has been on the ground working with Haitian street kids for over a decade. A tragic story!
Back to Lowell and Sally; harkening back to a connection they had with their previous church in California, Dr. Rik and I joined them on a visit to Mission of Hope in Titanyen where we met with Brad Johnson, President. Because of some timely publicity shortly after the earthquake, an NBC camera crew visited Mission of Hope and aired footage on the Nightly News which resulted in significant quantities of food and medical supplies pouring in. Our meeting and tour established a valuable contact, as we have been able to assist both Bishop Chervil and NLCH obtain needed medical supplies.
While waiting to meet with Brad Johnson on that first trip, I was introduced to Bill Neusch from Burnet, TX. who is volunteering there. Bill is affiliated with Sparrows Home (www.sparrowshome.org), and is president of Gibraltar US (www.gibraltarus.com), the largest fabricator of fence panels for the border crossing between the US and Mexico. More pertinent to his current ministry in Haiti, Bill’s organization has initiated a program to allow the adoption of special needs Haitian children directly into the US. Medical visas are already in place and several churches have enrolled: each church agreeing to help five parishioner families maintain a home and social support system for both the family and the child. Families have already undergone FBI background checks and counseling on what to expect. Bill has since visited NLCH and met with Miriam and Dr. Schroering, and there is interest in the two amputee orphans we have; however, at this point our other special needs kids fall into a different category. We will continue to pray for their future adoption also.
Unforgettable People - Dr. Rik Celie and Pastor Volner Alexandre
Dr. Rik Celie
A Belgian born doctor who founded Doctors on Mission.org, has served as a missionary doctor in Bolivia, establishing three indigenous clinics in various regions of that country. He actively served in Bolivia until 2009 when the local drug cartel decided to hold one of his clinics for ransom and put a bounty on his head. He and his wife, also a doctor, reside in South Florida between mission assignments.
Dr. Rik was to accompany Pastor Frank to Bishop Chervil’s church and assist with the clinic. Fran and I were invited to assist with the clinic, putting some of our First Responder training to work. While working at the clinic for several hours, Dr. Rik observed that they had plenty of medical personnel (3 doctors and 120 nurses belong to the church): the problem was lack of supplies. He set off to get some, finding that the existing system was unsustainable. He began filing paper work to get the church set-up with the World Health Organization (WHO) so that the medical supply chain could be routinely accessed by local medical personnel.
During Dr. Rik’s forays to WHO, we had the opportunity to introduce him to Pastor Volner Alexandre who has need for clinical services in the remote regions he serves, and Martin Schroeder and Hunter Parker of Samaritan Air, (www.samaritanairhaiti.blogspot.com) a missionary helicopter outreach serving medical emergencies in remote areas of Haiti. It is based in Jupiter, FL. His vision expanded, Dr. Rik created a new Doctors on Mission for Haiti. He’s already received the promise of a large tract of land by the mayor of Cressier, a town near Leogane on which to build a hospital. Regional clinics will be supported from the main hospital and regular missions to remote areas will be organized by the clinics. The organization will be operated and run by Haitians.
Through the assistance of Bishop Chervil and doctors and lawyers from the church, the paperwork was completed and filed within a week.
Pastor Volner Alexandre
Volner, 39 has served the remote area of Pouille for 12 years. Trust me, if one wasn’t called to Pouille, you wouldn’t be there for a week, let alone 12 years. He also has a ministry in Savanette, even more hours distance from PAP. Volner is one of the nicest men I have ever met with a true Godly Spirit.
Just prior to the earthquake, Volner’s 21 year old niece was working in the kitchen. Acting on a feeling that she needed to look for his five year son, she went upstairs, took him out the back door, and was walking down the outside stairs when everything broke loose and the second floor collapsed. Volner told us later that God had saved his child and now he, Volner, had to stay in Haiti and save God’s children. His wife and three children are now relocated to Carthage, IL where a church group that partially supports his mission, Christ’s Freedom for Haiti, (www.christfreedomforhaiti.org), resides. He also receives some support from a church group in KY. As is common with all nonprofit funding in the US, the economy has forced support cutbacks and local activities are being reduced or curtailed.
Pouille is a two hour car ride from PAP. Once there you cross a ¼ mile wide, shallow river by a wooden boat that looks to be dated from biblical times. It is poled across by a local. Once ashore on the other side, it is a brisk 45 minute hike to the church compound. From a barren piece of property when he arrived, several structures now stand, the newest, a brand new church building for 300 is almost completed. Originally it was to have been dedicated in February, but things are running behind schedule and it looks now as if Easter will mark the first service.
The amazing thing is that everything that goes to the Pouille compound must be carried by hand : food, bags of cement for making block, stucco, etc. An orphanage to house 50 children will be started within the next several months thanks to a generous $35,000 donation from a KY woman.
He runs a Christian school for over 300 local children which we observed. They wander in from all directions, all in their neat school uniforms; many with backpacks. The boys play soccer behind the church with a flat soccer ball (since replaced with three new ones).
A Belgian born doctor who founded Doctors on Mission.org, has served as a missionary doctor in Bolivia, establishing three indigenous clinics in various regions of that country. He actively served in Bolivia until 2009 when the local drug cartel decided to hold one of his clinics for ransom and put a bounty on his head. He and his wife, also a doctor, reside in South Florida between mission assignments.
Dr. Rik was to accompany Pastor Frank to Bishop Chervil’s church and assist with the clinic. Fran and I were invited to assist with the clinic, putting some of our First Responder training to work. While working at the clinic for several hours, Dr. Rik observed that they had plenty of medical personnel (3 doctors and 120 nurses belong to the church): the problem was lack of supplies. He set off to get some, finding that the existing system was unsustainable. He began filing paper work to get the church set-up with the World Health Organization (WHO) so that the medical supply chain could be routinely accessed by local medical personnel.
During Dr. Rik’s forays to WHO, we had the opportunity to introduce him to Pastor Volner Alexandre who has need for clinical services in the remote regions he serves, and Martin Schroeder and Hunter Parker of Samaritan Air, (www.samaritanairhaiti.blogspot.com) a missionary helicopter outreach serving medical emergencies in remote areas of Haiti. It is based in Jupiter, FL. His vision expanded, Dr. Rik created a new Doctors on Mission for Haiti. He’s already received the promise of a large tract of land by the mayor of Cressier, a town near Leogane on which to build a hospital. Regional clinics will be supported from the main hospital and regular missions to remote areas will be organized by the clinics. The organization will be operated and run by Haitians.
Through the assistance of Bishop Chervil and doctors and lawyers from the church, the paperwork was completed and filed within a week.
Pastor Volner Alexandre
Volner, 39 has served the remote area of Pouille for 12 years. Trust me, if one wasn’t called to Pouille, you wouldn’t be there for a week, let alone 12 years. He also has a ministry in Savanette, even more hours distance from PAP. Volner is one of the nicest men I have ever met with a true Godly Spirit.
Just prior to the earthquake, Volner’s 21 year old niece was working in the kitchen. Acting on a feeling that she needed to look for his five year son, she went upstairs, took him out the back door, and was walking down the outside stairs when everything broke loose and the second floor collapsed. Volner told us later that God had saved his child and now he, Volner, had to stay in Haiti and save God’s children. His wife and three children are now relocated to Carthage, IL where a church group that partially supports his mission, Christ’s Freedom for Haiti, (www.christfreedomforhaiti.org), resides. He also receives some support from a church group in KY. As is common with all nonprofit funding in the US, the economy has forced support cutbacks and local activities are being reduced or curtailed.
Pouille is a two hour car ride from PAP. Once there you cross a ¼ mile wide, shallow river by a wooden boat that looks to be dated from biblical times. It is poled across by a local. Once ashore on the other side, it is a brisk 45 minute hike to the church compound. From a barren piece of property when he arrived, several structures now stand, the newest, a brand new church building for 300 is almost completed. Originally it was to have been dedicated in February, but things are running behind schedule and it looks now as if Easter will mark the first service.
The amazing thing is that everything that goes to the Pouille compound must be carried by hand : food, bags of cement for making block, stucco, etc. An orphanage to house 50 children will be started within the next several months thanks to a generous $35,000 donation from a KY woman.
He runs a Christian school for over 300 local children which we observed. They wander in from all directions, all in their neat school uniforms; many with backpacks. The boys play soccer behind the church with a flat soccer ball (since replaced with three new ones).
Unforgettable People - Mariam Fredrick and Pastor Frank Amedia
Miriam Frederick – Director of NLCH and World Harvest Mission of Lake Worth, Fl.
Miriam, 67, established NLCH 34 years ago. During that time she has lost her property twice, once during a governmental coup when she and her staff were flown out by a Lear jet, the other time when the family of the Haitian employee she was required to add to the property’s deed to reclaim it, showed up with machine guns to forcibly evict her. That time she managed to flee by small boat, eventually being rescued by two Coast Guard Cutters off the coast of Cuba. She later recalls that when questioning God as to why he let her fail, she was reminded that He had sent her a Lear jet and the Coast Guard as evidence of His support. To return for a third start represents a conviction that passes all understanding!
NLCH runs a Christian orphanage for between 90-125 children, many with special needs. Over 15 current orphans are mentally challenged and wheelchair bound. Two are amputees. Some were just abandoned at the gates of NLCH or left nearby to die; others have been rescued from the various remote regions of Haiti where they conduct medical missions. Several orphans being cared for in the Post-Op facility are babies that were so severely malnourished when brought in that they were within a day or two of death.
The Post Op Clinic is currently affiliated with the Medishare Hospital Operation (a University of Miami Medical School outreach program) at PAP airport. Amputee and other critically injured children operated on at Medishare are sent to NLCH for Post Op care. Doctors and nurses rotate through the clinic caring for the patient needs on kind of a missionary availability… signing on anywhere from three days to three months. Dr. Ken Pierce and his wife Diane, an ER doctor and RN from Kauai were recently here for three weeks with their youngest daughter Emily, a home schooled high school junior. (In addition to doctoring, Ken has published a book “Wise @ Heart”, plays guitar, sings and leads worship service). They were a fantastic addition to “our family”. This clinic, housed in the former church building in the compound, is being overseen by Dr. Steve Schroering an orthopedic surgeon from Ft. Myers who is in the process of adding a permanent prosthetic fitting facility to accommodate patient recovery and rehabilitation.
Pastor Frank Amedia
A former wild child who played with the WHO, Alice Cooper, etc. business owner and entrepreneur. Frank was born an orthodox Jew, has a PHD in Philosophy, and now is an evangelistic, conservative born again Christian, a conviction reinforced on April 20, 1999 when 12 students were tragically gunned down at Columbine High School. (Franks rather remarkable vision and subsequent conversations with Darrell Scott, the father of the first girl shot, Rachael, are fascinating and I encourage you to Google “Frank Amedia Rachael Smiles”, and follow the link.
Frank arrived at NLCH to deliver aid to various orphanages, etc. He is also in the planning process of setting up a two day revival (tentatively May 6-7) for 1200-1500 Haitian pastors on the street across from the collapsed Presidential Palace downtown PAP. The purpose of the revival is to reinstill a new spirit of commitment, service and leadership to Haiti, led by pastors at the community level. This can only succeed, Frank believes, if the pastors confess and repent of transgressions in the secular world in recent years.
On the morning of our third day we joined Pastor Frank and his assistant, along with Dr. Rik Celie, to go to Carrefour and meet with Bishop Vilsaint Chervil, church Eglise Jesus Christ De La Guerison, one of the area’s religious leaders. Pastor Frank wanted Bishop Chervil to head up the team to obtain the permits for the pastoral crusade.
Carrefour, being nearer to the earthquake epicenter, sustained more destruction than PAP. Quite a bit of the church property including the school, and even the Bishop’s residence several miles away, were destroyed. The main church structure itself was not damaged and was being used as a clinic on Monday when we arrived. They were routinely seeing 200-300 patients per day, or until they ran out of meds. Many families were living behind the church in the destroyed school facility and on the bare ground in front of it, sleeping on blankets on rock hard ground (which would turn to mud and standing water when the fast approaching rainy season arrives) under a couple of tarps. One of these families included the Miracle Baby born the day of the earthquake and twins born the day after the quake.
After the clinic (see below) we ended the third day in front of the Presidential Palace and adjacent to a massive tent complex of displaced Haitians surveying the site for the revival. As the day’s light began to fade, seven of us joined hands to pray. One by one those on the street began to join in until the group swelled to over 50. After an angry young man passed by and created a big disturbance, Pastor Frank calmed him down, got him to repent, and a healing revival broke out. Turns out the young man had lost his entire family in the earthquake. A potentially explosive disturbance was averted and we returned to our compound safely as darkness fell.
Miriam, 67, established NLCH 34 years ago. During that time she has lost her property twice, once during a governmental coup when she and her staff were flown out by a Lear jet, the other time when the family of the Haitian employee she was required to add to the property’s deed to reclaim it, showed up with machine guns to forcibly evict her. That time she managed to flee by small boat, eventually being rescued by two Coast Guard Cutters off the coast of Cuba. She later recalls that when questioning God as to why he let her fail, she was reminded that He had sent her a Lear jet and the Coast Guard as evidence of His support. To return for a third start represents a conviction that passes all understanding!
NLCH runs a Christian orphanage for between 90-125 children, many with special needs. Over 15 current orphans are mentally challenged and wheelchair bound. Two are amputees. Some were just abandoned at the gates of NLCH or left nearby to die; others have been rescued from the various remote regions of Haiti where they conduct medical missions. Several orphans being cared for in the Post-Op facility are babies that were so severely malnourished when brought in that they were within a day or two of death.
The Post Op Clinic is currently affiliated with the Medishare Hospital Operation (a University of Miami Medical School outreach program) at PAP airport. Amputee and other critically injured children operated on at Medishare are sent to NLCH for Post Op care. Doctors and nurses rotate through the clinic caring for the patient needs on kind of a missionary availability… signing on anywhere from three days to three months. Dr. Ken Pierce and his wife Diane, an ER doctor and RN from Kauai were recently here for three weeks with their youngest daughter Emily, a home schooled high school junior. (In addition to doctoring, Ken has published a book “Wise @ Heart”, plays guitar, sings and leads worship service). They were a fantastic addition to “our family”. This clinic, housed in the former church building in the compound, is being overseen by Dr. Steve Schroering an orthopedic surgeon from Ft. Myers who is in the process of adding a permanent prosthetic fitting facility to accommodate patient recovery and rehabilitation.
Pastor Frank Amedia
A former wild child who played with the WHO, Alice Cooper, etc. business owner and entrepreneur. Frank was born an orthodox Jew, has a PHD in Philosophy, and now is an evangelistic, conservative born again Christian, a conviction reinforced on April 20, 1999 when 12 students were tragically gunned down at Columbine High School. (Franks rather remarkable vision and subsequent conversations with Darrell Scott, the father of the first girl shot, Rachael, are fascinating and I encourage you to Google “Frank Amedia Rachael Smiles”, and follow the link.
Frank arrived at NLCH to deliver aid to various orphanages, etc. He is also in the planning process of setting up a two day revival (tentatively May 6-7) for 1200-1500 Haitian pastors on the street across from the collapsed Presidential Palace downtown PAP. The purpose of the revival is to reinstill a new spirit of commitment, service and leadership to Haiti, led by pastors at the community level. This can only succeed, Frank believes, if the pastors confess and repent of transgressions in the secular world in recent years.
On the morning of our third day we joined Pastor Frank and his assistant, along with Dr. Rik Celie, to go to Carrefour and meet with Bishop Vilsaint Chervil, church Eglise Jesus Christ De La Guerison, one of the area’s religious leaders. Pastor Frank wanted Bishop Chervil to head up the team to obtain the permits for the pastoral crusade.
Carrefour, being nearer to the earthquake epicenter, sustained more destruction than PAP. Quite a bit of the church property including the school, and even the Bishop’s residence several miles away, were destroyed. The main church structure itself was not damaged and was being used as a clinic on Monday when we arrived. They were routinely seeing 200-300 patients per day, or until they ran out of meds. Many families were living behind the church in the destroyed school facility and on the bare ground in front of it, sleeping on blankets on rock hard ground (which would turn to mud and standing water when the fast approaching rainy season arrives) under a couple of tarps. One of these families included the Miracle Baby born the day of the earthquake and twins born the day after the quake.
After the clinic (see below) we ended the third day in front of the Presidential Palace and adjacent to a massive tent complex of displaced Haitians surveying the site for the revival. As the day’s light began to fade, seven of us joined hands to pray. One by one those on the street began to join in until the group swelled to over 50. After an angry young man passed by and created a big disturbance, Pastor Frank calmed him down, got him to repent, and a healing revival broke out. Turns out the young man had lost his entire family in the earthquake. A potentially explosive disturbance was averted and we returned to our compound safely as darkness fell.
Initial Impressions
Haiti is a 3rd world country. Before the recent earthquake it ranked with Bolivia as one of the two poorest nations in the hemisphere. The native language is Creole. We arrived February 20th, a little over a month after the earthquake (January 12th). The epicenter was between Leogane and Carrefour, approximately 15 miles from PAP, but the destruction is extensive and everywhere. It occurred at 4:53 PM and the current official estimates are that 222,570 persons were killed, over 300,000 injured; 97,000 homes were destroyed and another 158,000 damaged resulting in over 1.3 million people being displaced. As recently as early March people reported the smell of decaying bodies from some of the larger destruction sites.
PAP, the capital of this island (shared with the Dominican Republic) country is a port city surrounded by 5,000 foot high, mostly barren mountains. It is the filthiest, most polluted place I could have ever imagined, let alone been; an environmental disaster. The stench and insect population surrounding the main market area next to the Port is about enough to cause you to hurl. Scraps leftover from the day’s activities are thrown over the side of the road to join with those of the previous days. Pigs, goats and dogs feast on the morsels. Garbage, when disposed of other that throwing it in streams or alongside the roads, is openly burned along with plastic containers; this smoke mixed with diesel and gas fumes from the numerous vehicles on the roads without emission control devices, and the dust from rubble and unpaved streets, makes the air dense, foul and almost unbreatheable. Every one of the numerous streams and bayous throughout the city are filled with rubbish and animals. Adult and infant humans bathe and wash clothes in the streams.
Tent cities are everywhere; upper class folks have newer tents handed out by relief organizations; lower class still live in cardboard covered with blankets (those better off, cover with tarps); “old money” have tin shanties which I assume were established prequake. People who live in structures that weren’t destroyed sleep outside in make shift tents because of fear. Two 4.7 aftershocks that have occurred since our arrival have reinforced their feeling of terror. People are desperate for jobs but none exist.
Debris is everywhere. Roads which were originally four lanes are often reduced to two. Most vehicles are total junk and traffic jams are often caused by breakdowns. This however, doesn’t dissuade drivers, all of whom are IDIOTS. Roads reduced to three lanes by debris often see five lanes created; four going one way, one the other. If this requires occasional sidewalk usage, so be it. All drivers are in a hurry but traffic goes nowhere. The horn is the most important part of any car and broken down vehicles make for additional obstacles every block.
Despite the widespread chaotic conditions, I’ve never felt unsafe. I’ve been all over PAP as well as several remote villages delivering food and supplies – but all travel has been during daylight hours. The greatest cause of unrest is the distribution of food and water where panic can breakout if careful planning is not used. As supplies are becoming more available, this is rarer.
The Haitian people seem genuinely resilient and are quite thankful for all we do. Generally most condemn their government for being corrupt and incompetent; they would love to be annexed to the US. We’ve explained that short of a massive oil discovery here, that dog’s not going to hunt. The government, on the other hand, wants the US out as soon as possible so they can reinstitute the old-boy way of doing business. This withdrawal has now begun, and soon the UN will be left in charge. For whatever reasons, the Haitian people consider the UN ineffective … their rubber bullets aren’t much of a deterrent and they do little but drive around. There is concern that increased lawlessness may be a near term result of the US withdrawal.
Arriving February 20th with no mission or home base…and a lone name to contact at the airport we have witnessed God’s hand in our journey. We have been blessed to stay at New Life Children’s Home (NLCH), a five acre property adjacent to the airport. You could walk from the property to the airport, if allowed to cross the runway, in five minutes. Travel by car can take between 20 minutes to an hour+.
We sleep in our tent on cots. As there is no hot water, showers are cool at the start, refreshing at the end. Because of the increase in number of people coming thru Haiti to aid in relief efforts, numerous tents are on the grounds and Porta Potties are available. Thank heavens they are serviced frequently and are very clean, even by US standards. Every day is hot with the heat index at 105+ and during the day and 90+ at night as you lie in your un-air-conditioned tent and await sleep.
On the three nights it rained our tent leaked and we were living in Barnard Pond. I think we have solved the problem but won’t know for sure until the next time. Fran, bless her heart, though not enthused about our coming and one who’s idea of roughing it before this journey was staying at a Motel 6, only whined once. She has since been convicted of our purpose here and is in full speed ahead mode. [The next rain storm turned out to be a major downpour that flooded out many of the displaced camps. Our compound turned into standing water for several days. Our tent was pretty much under water and we were forced to abandon it. We now have a better, drier version…it’s like we’ve moved up to the Marriott. Our old tent, which we would have thrown away at home, has been recycled to a less fortunate Haitian family.]
The compound is/was surrounded by and eight foot high block wall, half of which was damaged by the quake (only damage to the facility). The walls are presently being rebuilt ($30,000); in the interim they employ armed Haitian guards ($2,000 a month). We are fed breakfast and dinner and the cooks are excellent; someone is available to wash our clothes (we pay $3/$4 each time). Fran has since taken over this job...back to hanging out the laundry with clothes pins circa 1940s, 50s. They charge $30 a person per day to stay here. Wi-Fi is available, but at dial-up speed only.
NLCH is a fascinating place and I will elaborate on it more as I review our specific activities and goals.
The first two weeks are best overviewed by listing some of the fascinating people we met and worked with. This is somewhat chronological and does little to explain why or how we were brought together in this moment in time. Just accept that it was God’s plan. It also isn’t to slight the many other talented, hard working, warm hearted people we have been privileged to meet, talk and work alongside.
PAP, the capital of this island (shared with the Dominican Republic) country is a port city surrounded by 5,000 foot high, mostly barren mountains. It is the filthiest, most polluted place I could have ever imagined, let alone been; an environmental disaster. The stench and insect population surrounding the main market area next to the Port is about enough to cause you to hurl. Scraps leftover from the day’s activities are thrown over the side of the road to join with those of the previous days. Pigs, goats and dogs feast on the morsels. Garbage, when disposed of other that throwing it in streams or alongside the roads, is openly burned along with plastic containers; this smoke mixed with diesel and gas fumes from the numerous vehicles on the roads without emission control devices, and the dust from rubble and unpaved streets, makes the air dense, foul and almost unbreatheable. Every one of the numerous streams and bayous throughout the city are filled with rubbish and animals. Adult and infant humans bathe and wash clothes in the streams.
Tent cities are everywhere; upper class folks have newer tents handed out by relief organizations; lower class still live in cardboard covered with blankets (those better off, cover with tarps); “old money” have tin shanties which I assume were established prequake. People who live in structures that weren’t destroyed sleep outside in make shift tents because of fear. Two 4.7 aftershocks that have occurred since our arrival have reinforced their feeling of terror. People are desperate for jobs but none exist.
Debris is everywhere. Roads which were originally four lanes are often reduced to two. Most vehicles are total junk and traffic jams are often caused by breakdowns. This however, doesn’t dissuade drivers, all of whom are IDIOTS. Roads reduced to three lanes by debris often see five lanes created; four going one way, one the other. If this requires occasional sidewalk usage, so be it. All drivers are in a hurry but traffic goes nowhere. The horn is the most important part of any car and broken down vehicles make for additional obstacles every block.
Despite the widespread chaotic conditions, I’ve never felt unsafe. I’ve been all over PAP as well as several remote villages delivering food and supplies – but all travel has been during daylight hours. The greatest cause of unrest is the distribution of food and water where panic can breakout if careful planning is not used. As supplies are becoming more available, this is rarer.
The Haitian people seem genuinely resilient and are quite thankful for all we do. Generally most condemn their government for being corrupt and incompetent; they would love to be annexed to the US. We’ve explained that short of a massive oil discovery here, that dog’s not going to hunt. The government, on the other hand, wants the US out as soon as possible so they can reinstitute the old-boy way of doing business. This withdrawal has now begun, and soon the UN will be left in charge. For whatever reasons, the Haitian people consider the UN ineffective … their rubber bullets aren’t much of a deterrent and they do little but drive around. There is concern that increased lawlessness may be a near term result of the US withdrawal.
Arriving February 20th with no mission or home base…and a lone name to contact at the airport we have witnessed God’s hand in our journey. We have been blessed to stay at New Life Children’s Home (NLCH), a five acre property adjacent to the airport. You could walk from the property to the airport, if allowed to cross the runway, in five minutes. Travel by car can take between 20 minutes to an hour+.
We sleep in our tent on cots. As there is no hot water, showers are cool at the start, refreshing at the end. Because of the increase in number of people coming thru Haiti to aid in relief efforts, numerous tents are on the grounds and Porta Potties are available. Thank heavens they are serviced frequently and are very clean, even by US standards. Every day is hot with the heat index at 105+ and during the day and 90+ at night as you lie in your un-air-conditioned tent and await sleep.
On the three nights it rained our tent leaked and we were living in Barnard Pond. I think we have solved the problem but won’t know for sure until the next time. Fran, bless her heart, though not enthused about our coming and one who’s idea of roughing it before this journey was staying at a Motel 6, only whined once. She has since been convicted of our purpose here and is in full speed ahead mode. [The next rain storm turned out to be a major downpour that flooded out many of the displaced camps. Our compound turned into standing water for several days. Our tent was pretty much under water and we were forced to abandon it. We now have a better, drier version…it’s like we’ve moved up to the Marriott. Our old tent, which we would have thrown away at home, has been recycled to a less fortunate Haitian family.]
The compound is/was surrounded by and eight foot high block wall, half of which was damaged by the quake (only damage to the facility). The walls are presently being rebuilt ($30,000); in the interim they employ armed Haitian guards ($2,000 a month). We are fed breakfast and dinner and the cooks are excellent; someone is available to wash our clothes (we pay $3/$4 each time). Fran has since taken over this job...back to hanging out the laundry with clothes pins circa 1940s, 50s. They charge $30 a person per day to stay here. Wi-Fi is available, but at dial-up speed only.
NLCH is a fascinating place and I will elaborate on it more as I review our specific activities and goals.
The first two weeks are best overviewed by listing some of the fascinating people we met and worked with. This is somewhat chronological and does little to explain why or how we were brought together in this moment in time. Just accept that it was God’s plan. It also isn’t to slight the many other talented, hard working, warm hearted people we have been privileged to meet, talk and work alongside.
The Beginning
Having been touched by the nature and scope of the earthquake, I was moved to volunteer in the effort to mobilize aid to Haiti thru Missionary Flights International (www.missionflights.org) when Carol Liebler made an announcement at our church on Sunday shortly after it happened.
Assisting at MFI by repacking the heavy stream of donated items arriving daily was like drinking 3.2% beer, filling but not really satisfying. I did run into Terry Foley from Lake Worth one afternoon; he was preparing to return for his 2nd visit. Going sounded so simple and Terry was so enthusiastic that I went into the office and said I am putting a group together and to let me know when some empty seats to Port au Prince (PAP) were available. Several days later they called, said they had some seats, and asked if my group had all their shots. Shots!??! What shots? What group? Those initially interested, were suddenly apprehensive. It took two weeks to schedule necessary shots, at which time I returned to MFI’s reservation clerk and said my wife and I were ready. Unfortunately they called Fran and asked several unnerving questions like where we were going to stay, etc. A “We need to have a talk” moment occurred the next time I arrived home. This led to a 9:00 PM meeting with Terry on his return from his 2nd trip several nights later. We flew out two mornings later, hoping to find someone named Justin (no last name) at the airport. Fortunately within an hour of arrival we met up with Justin and our journey began.
Assisting at MFI by repacking the heavy stream of donated items arriving daily was like drinking 3.2% beer, filling but not really satisfying. I did run into Terry Foley from Lake Worth one afternoon; he was preparing to return for his 2nd visit. Going sounded so simple and Terry was so enthusiastic that I went into the office and said I am putting a group together and to let me know when some empty seats to Port au Prince (PAP) were available. Several days later they called, said they had some seats, and asked if my group had all their shots. Shots!??! What shots? What group? Those initially interested, were suddenly apprehensive. It took two weeks to schedule necessary shots, at which time I returned to MFI’s reservation clerk and said my wife and I were ready. Unfortunately they called Fran and asked several unnerving questions like where we were going to stay, etc. A “We need to have a talk” moment occurred the next time I arrived home. This led to a 9:00 PM meeting with Terry on his return from his 2nd trip several nights later. We flew out two mornings later, hoping to find someone named Justin (no last name) at the airport. Fortunately within an hour of arrival we met up with Justin and our journey began.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Prelude
Thanks to my daughter Lisa for setting up this blog and my Facebook page after my church purchased an I phone for me. I wanted to not only report on what Fran and I did and saw in Haiti, but also to have a platform for tying in appropriate media such as “The Silent Cry of Haiti”, a 15 minute DVD which Miriam Frederick of World Harvest Mission and New Life Children’s Home made telling the story of some of her kids.
I chose the name “bbyn – Haiti Relief” because I was moved by the song Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman. The partial lyrics:
Blessed be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be you name.
Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be your name.
Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back in praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name.
As a privileged, retired American, this was my first encounter with massive poverty and suffering on a scale that doesn’t translate well in the 24 hour cable news cycle’s preoccupation with Tiger’s affairs or A Rod’s steroid abuse. Going from a land that is ostentatiously plentiful to one marked with daily suffering and pain is the story of this journey. Not for us, we can come and go. Yet while the people here can’t just pick-up and leave, and the suffering and destruction are without understanding, we seek to find strength in serving …and praising…and blessing.
I know blogs are supposed to be like daily posts, etc. and once I get over the learning curve and catch-up, I intend to do that. I’m going to go ahead and post my initial writing, followed by photos gleaned from our 1st journey. Fran will also insert her observations as she feels led as she too has been mightily involved, and as those of you who know us well are aware, frequently sees things with a far different perspective than me.
Our 1st visit lasted from February 20 to March 30, 5 ½ weeks. We plan to return for another 4 – 6 week period in May – June, and then later in the fall. We would like to continue some of the work we have started and are in the process of setting up a tax exempt non profit 501© (3) corp. to help fund these efforts if any are so led to participate. Lisa, too, is assisting with this, and more information will be available.
I chose the name “bbyn – Haiti Relief” because I was moved by the song Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman. The partial lyrics:
Blessed be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be you name.
Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be your name.
Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back in praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name.
As a privileged, retired American, this was my first encounter with massive poverty and suffering on a scale that doesn’t translate well in the 24 hour cable news cycle’s preoccupation with Tiger’s affairs or A Rod’s steroid abuse. Going from a land that is ostentatiously plentiful to one marked with daily suffering and pain is the story of this journey. Not for us, we can come and go. Yet while the people here can’t just pick-up and leave, and the suffering and destruction are without understanding, we seek to find strength in serving …and praising…and blessing.
I know blogs are supposed to be like daily posts, etc. and once I get over the learning curve and catch-up, I intend to do that. I’m going to go ahead and post my initial writing, followed by photos gleaned from our 1st journey. Fran will also insert her observations as she feels led as she too has been mightily involved, and as those of you who know us well are aware, frequently sees things with a far different perspective than me.
Our 1st visit lasted from February 20 to March 30, 5 ½ weeks. We plan to return for another 4 – 6 week period in May – June, and then later in the fall. We would like to continue some of the work we have started and are in the process of setting up a tax exempt non profit 501© (3) corp. to help fund these efforts if any are so led to participate. Lisa, too, is assisting with this, and more information will be available.
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