Another Day in Haiti

Was I not supposed to notice that you were weak from being up all night with diarrhea when you arrived at the hospital on the back of a motorcycle carrying a chaise lounge because you heard there were no beds in the hospital? Did I get out of the way fast enough when you wanted to pull into the hospital because your wife was ill and tired from all night sitting on a bucket? Did you know she would die when she stepped out your car at the front gate of what you thought was help at last? Did she have time to kiss the children goodbye when you left? Baby-girl, did your wrists and ankles hurt after the nurses poked them trying to find veins to start your IV? Were you too long in pre-admission or did you wait too long at home before you decided to go the hospital? Did you tell them you were only 2 years old? Who gave you the water you had been drinking? Did you notice your Aunt was holding up the IV bag because there were no more stands? What were you thinking about while you were waiting for your Mom to return from carrying in some water to wash your soiled clothes? Was the line long at the spout along the street? I guess you heard the well pump was broken at the hospital. You think the water coming in from the city in contaminated? Most people are saying the same thing. Is it like this in other countries? (That is a good question.) Did you wipe your feet on the mat full of bleach before you walked inside? There is no more bleach left in town? Did it help you to hear the singing of hymns during the night? They sang for a long time didn’t they? I wish I could tell you why roosters start crowing at 2:15am. I’m sorry that we drove past you while you were taking a bath in the middle of the street just because there was water bubbling up from a broken pipe. Maybe you thought that no one would be around at 4:30 in the morning. We were on our way back to the States but you were getting ready for another day in Haiti.

Our Last Day

The last day is always a hard one. Good bye's don't come easy when you get right down to it. Our team has made such good connections with the kids! But now we are feeling tired and for some on our team who battled stomach discomfort and fever the thought of heading home sounds pretty good. We will start our trip around 5:00am. We will fly out of Port-de-Paix at 6:00am and then we will wait at the airport for 6 hours until our flight out to JFK.

There are more stories to tell than I can or desire to write to you. Many of them to be told by others after our return to our homes.

I will continue to write; for those who follow this small blog I am thankful.

A la pwochen (until next time)

Cholera in La Pointe des Palmistes, Haiti

Yesterday when I posted there were 150 people admitted to the Hospital for the treatment of Cholera. This morning when we returned to the hospital there were 500 people admitted. The death toll at this point stands at 15. In Port-de-Paix hospital they say they death toll is at 38 and climbing. The pictures can't tell this story even my words on their behalf will fall short to describe the suffering.

All the waiting rooms are full of people laying on makeshift beds and cots. The courtyards are also full IV's tied to trees and hanging off the barbed wire fencing. Families stand by to give aid as well as carrying buckets of excrement for disposal. Babies and small children lay near the aged as this disease is not a respecter of persons. I saw a man in his car parked along the wall with the IV bag hanging on the antennae of his car. Mothers hold up the IV's for their children. Nurses and Lab techs attempt to care for those in need. Hearses come and go by the back gate.

To compound the problems the pumps are not working at the hospital so there is no water. It is being carried in by bucket from the spigot along the road. Filtered water is brought in for drinking. There is a man coming today from Florida who is going to fix the pump. Renel makes this trip often so we expect that tonight there may be water available again.

Pray for those who are suffering, as they lay on their beds in inescapable heat. A breeze occasionally comes by but it blows warm here. Pray for those who provide care. Pray for God's safekeeping on the children at HOH and for our little team as we serve them.

We are grateful that our team has returned to full strength. All of us are well and on the job.I will post again later today. Thanks for reading and responding.

God is good.

Cholera Again

Today we were reminded again of the fragile state of things here in Haiti. I had noticed an uptick yesterday in the number of new cholera patients. This morning as we walked past the cholera section the place was overflowing with people laying everywhere. Cholera has reared its ugly head and returned with a vengeance. IV's everywhere hooked up and running. Not enough hooks to hang the IV bags on, family stands by holding the bags by hand. Staff mopping the floors continually and people carrying buckets back and forth. There are over 150 current patients. Three died overnight and 2 died already this morning. As I walked past the front gate of the Hospital a car pulled up it was in quite a rush to drive into the hospital. I was happy to bypass the commotion and keep moving. When I return 5 minutes later there was wailing everywhere. I was told that the car had pulled up to the hospital gate and that a young woman had got out she took a couple of steps and died right on the spot. People were afraid and wailed for help. The wailing is chilling as women cry out in distress.

This has made us be more vigilant about personal hygiene. We have easy access to filtered water so that is not a problem. Pray for the people of Northwest Haiti and those who care for them. I'm afraid that things will get worse before they get better.

Pray for 2 of our team who had a fever in the night. They stayed back to rest today. Pray.

2 days remain until we will turn ourselves around and head for home. Today is field trip day. The whole staff of HOH will head over for an afternoon at the beach. Our team will tag along for the ride. I will try and post pictures tomorrow.

Fo m'ale (gotta go)

No water but lots of work

The past 2 days have been filled with caring for the kids. The team really gets into afternoon bath time. Everyone works together drying, diapering and helping the kids get dressed. It is quite an operation getting 25 kids cleaned up. When we ourselves are done for the day we look forward to some down time back at our rooms. Last night we found out that we had no water because the well pump had broken. The showerhead produced about the same volume as a small squirt gun but nowhere as much force as the squirt gun produces. In the morning there was some water but we were not sure if the well had been fixed.

Despite the heat the team is holding up quite well. All are well; Tuesday night was a good sleeping night. The have been several spiders squished among them two large banana spiders. Banana spiders are really big fuzzy things with crazy long legs; they are harmless but nonetheless they are dispatched on the spot. We have had 2 stray peacocks in the yard they make quite a raquet when they get provoked. The yard dogs try to get them for dinner as of yet the peafowl haveeluded the licked chops of the underfed canines. If I had to bet sooner or later the dogs will have some pretty feathers on their chins. Here is shot of one on the roof of our house:

Team Update

We arrived in Haiti without any trouble. It was a long day for us all. After our plane ride which was very comfortable we loaded ourselves into our vehicle for the 6 ½ hour ride to the House of Hope. The first half of the ride was very smooth since the main road has been repaired since the earthquake. The second half was much more difficult. The roads were very hard as we wound our way up and down the mountainscapes of Haiti. The actual distance is about 150 miles that took us 6 ½ hrs to cover. Thankfully the car had air conditioning so we didn’t have to have all the road dust blowing in the window.

Our Sunday was quiet as usual in Haiti. After church we took a rest and then went out for a walk through town. It was good for the team to see the area and meet some people.

Today was our first day on the job. The team has come together really well and they are interacting well with the kids and each other. It is great to see that language is not barrier when it comes to loving up on the kids. All of our bags arrived today so we will spend the better part of the afternoon getting everything out and sorted out.

The team is all healthy and energetic. We feel the prayers of our faithful friends. We do. We all have stories to tell when we get home. Right now this team is telling it’s story to the kids at the House of Hope, a story of love as we are loved by the Father we are loving our neighbors in return.

July Missions Trip

Many of you reading this post are very familiar with our work in Haiti. Many of you reading this have and do pray regularly for the work in Haiti and particularly the work at the House of Hope in La Pointe in the Haiti’s Northwest Department. Many of you reading this have given generously to the mission God has given us. Many of you reading this are very aware of my deep gratitude for your faithfulness, generosity and prayer support. However, it is possible that you are unaware or have forgotten just how deeply grateful I truly am. No go-er who goes in Jesus’ name representing our Savior and those who make his going possible can forget those givers who give because of that same Savior who are joined together in such a significant work with such an eternal value. How can I declare this to you without a deep gush of emotion and gratitude?

Let me tell you about this fast approaching trip that I will be leading:

The Missions Committee of the Westminster Presbyterian Church of Lancaster, PA asked me to lead a trip this summer. As providence has directed it worked out that there are 3 people from WPC are teaming up with 3 people from the Community Evangelical Free Church in Elverson, PA. Six of us will spend 8 days at the HOH helping to provide care for the children while the staff gets a short vacation from their work. We will work side by side with the older “kids” to make this week possible for the regular staff. We did this 2 years ago and it was great! Along with providing care for the little ones which means diaper changing, feeding and playing with them, we do crafts and games too. It is one of the best weeks of the whole summer for everyone meaning us and them! I wish you could feel the energy at the HOH during this week. The days are long and hot but rewarding. Haiti has two seasons, hot and hotter. July is in the “hotter” category.

Why I go to Haiti: (this is not an exhaustive list of reasons)

• I go because the people who live there are my neighbors.
• I go because God has given me gifts that are useful there.
• I go because when I am there I feel the Lord’s pleasure.
• I go because time and distance refuse to erase the depth of need I see in the eyes of the people there particularly the children.
• I go so that when I come back I will be able “to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
• I go because the Bible speaks powerfully about the poor and my response to them.
• I go because I want to be a light in a dark place.
• I go because I like being there.
• I go because I have relationships worth continuing with people I have grown to love.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

I’m sorry there are so many miles between my posts; konsa bagay la ye (that’s the way things are).

One Size Fits All World

I'm off to Haiti, once again. I'm flew out of JFK airport which had a non-stop flight to Port au Prince where I stayed for about 24 hours. The elections or lack of elections have the city in a twist. It is unpredictable there right now but I am in good hands. The Hands that created the world and all that is in it. Beyond that my friends will meet me at the airport and take Juvenal. A nice neighborhood not far from where the Doc is staying. My work will begin after I arrive at the House of Hope Monday afternoon. I will have a lot to cram in in 4 days. I am bringing in a printer for the HOH. It is a big one. Only one problem; the TSA forbids carrying printer cartridges heavier than 16oz. I knew that going in but the cartridges weighed in at 24oz. So the TSA had to inspect the printer before they would permit the box to be put on the conveyor. They declared them overweight and wanted me to take them out of the box. I told them they weren't mine but that they belonged to Jesus. Once you say something like that everyone begins to stare. I begged them to let them stay in the box because it is not possible to print without them. The employees at the check-in were urging them to overlook the cartridges. But in the end I took them out carefully because you know how dangerous printer cartridges can be! I had to leave them in storage until I return- I put them in a room right next to Jason Bourne's stuff in a special room. In the end I lamented the lack of reason in the whole process. All they were was printer cartridges anyone could see that. But we live in a one size fits all world. There is a better world coming one where we won't get sand in our shoes and things will go back to the way they are supposed to be. That is Shalom, true shalom come quickly. Pray for me while I am away from those I love at home. Pray that I would represent Jesus well. Pray that I have wisdom in conversations. I'll be having many of them, important ones too. Pray for safety in and out of the country and in the air and on the roads. Pray for those who suffer in Haiti. Pray for the caregivers who work long hours in the cholera wards. Cholera is still powerful and taking lives daily. If you would like to email me at doorofhopehaiti@gmail.com I will write you back.

January 12, 2011

Today the flag of my soul is flown at half mast. The black curtains of mourning are festooned around the windows of my heart. One year ago today near the very hour I am writing this post Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake. In a matter of seconds over 220,000 lives were lost, probably more. People from every walk of life in the course of their daily routines were tragically killed in a matter of seconds. The scope of their suffering cannot be told in pictures or in words. I’m hesitant to write much more just because of that. The media has revisited Haiti in its aftermath only to declare how much has or has not been done. Truthfully, not much has been done. Over 90% of the rubble remains as it was one year ago today. Questions remain as to where all the humanitarian aid money has gone. Finger pointing and blame assessment are still in full gear. This I know, Haiti has picked itself, dusted itself off and has kept going. Haiti will walk with a limp for years to come. Please pray today for Haiti and those who remember vividly exactly where they were at 4:53pm on year ago today. Please pray for those who lost loved ones on that day.

Reflections 2010

I wonder if the chaos of Port au Prince, Haiti was similar to Bethlehem in the year of our Savior’s birth. No wonder there was “no room for Him in the inn.” He was born in the squalor of the cattle stall; his Mother birthing Him in the insanitariness of the stockyard. He lay in the same box where the animals ate. He is a Savior who understands Haiti and those who live there. He would find everyday life in Haiti very familiar. He grew up walking with the poor; He walks with the poor today. Remembering this gives me hope as I look back on the year past and to the year to come. Remembering your partnership with Door of Hope Haiti is a cause to rejoice.

We are thankful for the generosity of all who gave just after the earthquake hit. Your gifts helped meet the needs of displaced children, people who needed care following leg amputations and the feeding of many who came and are still coming looking for help. The photo above is of the House of Hope receiving the very first kids from Port au Prince who were displaced by the earthquake. The boy with his arm in the sling lost his entire family when their house collapsed on them. He was spared mercifully since he was in school at the time. His school building collapsed and he was one of only 3 boys that survived. This is one of many similar stories.

We are thankful for so many cards and inquiries of concern for our friends in Haiti.

We are thankful for people who follow our ministry online at our website, on our blog and on facebook. We are overwhelmed by the increasing number of people whom we have never met yet are friends of our ministry.

We are thankful that not one child or staff at the House of Hope has contracted Cholera! The Northern Provinces of Haiti were among the hardest hit; it is no small thing to rejoice in such a mighty protection that the Lord has given to these children. It is common for people to feel sad for children in orphanages in Haiti; we see them as the fortunate ones! Two meals a day and readily available filtered water to drink.

News & Notes:

We visited Angie at LeTourneau University in November. Angie is studying hard and doing well. It was a very hard semester for her. Chemistry was a difficult course for her but her disciplined study paid off. One night while she was studying some of the girls from her apartment were going out to get something to eat and they invited Angie along. Angie responded quickly to their offer and let them know that “I have a life you know!” She is studying to be a nurse and takes it very seriously.We will be taking a short term team to the House of Hope this July to give the staff a chance to rest for a week. The staff gets to spend a week at a camp adjacent to the House of Hope where they will have daily bible studies and activities. They also will have an excursion to a local beach. Two years ago we brought a team there to help and it was very successful. Jenny & Linda would like to do it again. We want to bring down a nurse to help us on this team. Pray.

There’s more…

Looking ahead to 2011…

This Door of Hope will consolidate its ministry focus to two principal areas. Specifically, we will continue our advocacy work with Angie Charlot and our partnership with House of Hope. Our work with the House of Hope and with Angie has been very fruitful and a source of joy to us. Please pray for us and for them.

Items for prayer…I am often asked for specific requests; here are several

1. For some time Door of Hope has been considering becoming a Non-Profit Corporation. The need to do this has become more urgent. We are also considering other possibilities. Pray for the Lord’s leading in these matters.

2. This is a faith ministry. We started it by faith and by faith it moves forward. But it takes faith and that’s the hard part. Please pray for our faith to be strong. Anything involving Haiti is always hard. It just is. We could talk more about that sometime. Not now. Just pray…pray…pray.

3. Pray for Angie at LeTourneau University. She has a full semester and she will stay in Texas for courses during the early part of the summer.

4. Pray for Haitians as they continue to suffer with the cholera outbreak. The earthquake and the cholera outbreak have exhausted both the Haitians and the international community who serve there. It is a lot to take.

5. Pray for Americans who minister in Haiti. Haitians are becoming skeptical of foreigners since there are some people who go there to work with only their own interests in mind and not the interest of others.

6. Pray for Hope Village. The project was set back as we were counseled that the Haitian government was not in favor of us building our new children’s village on the coastline. We are now looking at other properties more inland in the town of Bayeux. To date we have site plan drawn up; now all we need is the site to build it on!

Things aren't as bad as you hear on the news…THEY ARE WORSE!

The situation on the Cholera outbreak in Haiti as reported in the news is grossly underreported. The photo to the left may be familiar to some of you; it is a makeshift overflow ward for people coming to be treated for cholera in LaPointe. The “official” death count is around 1600. My co-workers in Haiti are estimating it at 6 to 8 times that number already. Many of the hardest hit hospitals primarily in the North (where we work) are receiving 75 to 100 new people a day. News reports the death rate a 1-2% on the ground they say it can be more like 20%. Both national and international relief workers are very tired since they are working literally around the clock. There is a shortage of the IV required to treat the sick. Many facilities are simply restricting the amount of IV treatment that is given to 2 bags a day for 5 days. All estimates agree the disease has not peaked yet. The Haitians themselves are very tired; this only beats them down more. The sick being carried to hospitals can die along the way. In some cases I am told the bodies are thrown into ravines or simply left along the road. Not all those who die are properly interred. Open defecation and clean drinking water has always been a problem. Until there is widespread easy access to clean water and a plan for the problem of human waste, I am afraid this will continue. The relief agencies have been working on this since the earthquake but there is much to be done.

I have been asked if I would be willing to travel down with a medical team in December to serve as a translator. The group, a medical relief agency called MTI, based out of Seattle, WA is very experienced in relief work. If they call me, I will go. If this doesn’t happen, I will be returning to Haiti in January, as God wills.

There is also unrest in the country right now. The Haitians are blaming the UN International Peacekeepers for bringing the disease to Haiti. Actually, there has never been an outbreak of cholera prior to this in Haiti. The cities and towns have been taking steps on their own to monitor who is coming into their areas. Sometimes this is associated with violence, like rock throwing and the burning of tires. Some Medical Teams have been disallowed from entering some locations. On top of all this, Sunday, November 28^th begins the election process. This only complicates Haiti’s trouble. The current government leaders have had their chance to profit from their office. Their departure will make room for the next Kleptocrat’s to take over.

What saddens me is my perception that the international community is just tired of Haiti and its problems. Mary Anastasia O’Grady in a recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal referred to Haiti as “the ultimate economic basket case of the Western Hemisphere.” It is! Not all problems are like those of the trapped miners in Chile. Their problem had a definite beginning and a definite (happy) ending. The news likes that. Then there’s the money shot, the first miner out of the shaft, hooray! Haiti is just an ongoing mess trapped in a downward spiral going from crisis to crisis with no end in sight.

Please pray for Haiti as well as those who serve there as often as you can. If you can, make a donation. Door of Hope will hand deliver your gift to responsible people who will in turn use it to care for those in need. God give us as believers the grace of staying power to not grow weary in well doing believing that in due time we will reap if we don’t faint.

Quick fact: Haitians use Clorox bleach in water to kill disease. It is widely used in Haiti for sanitation. If you can find it you are going to pay $7.00 US per gallon. I guess the laws of supply and demand are blind to plight of the poor.

Things that make you go hmmm...

The Haitian Child Welfare office contacted the House of Hope and asked if they could place children there who had lost families in the earthquake. The HOH is happy to take more children. Of course it costs more to care for these children but are trusting the Lord for that. Please pray that the Lord will send the very children that He wants to become a part of the family at HOH. It is interesting that this is happening now because in the days after the earthquake the government agencies like UNICEF were actively working to ensure the placement of internally displaced children into state run organizations. (This action was taken following an Idaho church group's misguided attempt to smuggle Haitian children out of the country after the quake.) This recent action indicates that things are getting back to normal in Haiti. Hands-on government intervention, although very necessary in crisis does not last forever but the work of the Kingdom of God keeps moving forward year in and year out!

ANGIE’S UPDATE: Door of Hope has been advocating for Angie for 3 years now. It started with her scoliosis surgery. Since then Angie is enrolled in LeTourneau University .Angie is doing great in school. She has maintained a 3.85 GPA. That is impressive; remember English is not her first or second language! Angie is a blessing to us. She is a disciplined, hard working student. She puts her education first and is determined to excel. She is in Haiti for July and the early part of August visiting family. It is good for her to keep her feet in Haiti once in a while. You know we are putting her through school by faith. We trust the Lord to supply her financial needs. Would you like to help? I am looking forward to seeing her while I am in Haiti.

I leave tomorrow for Haiti. Please pray for:

· traveling mercies in the air and on the ground

· I’m carrying an extra suitcase (above the 2 allowed by American Airlines) full of antibiotics & specialized medications – pray that these would make it there in good shape

· for easy passage through customs especially with the medications

· spiritual sensitivity to what is going on around me and for grace to react or to speak into those situations wisely

· Gail and my family at home

· a productive time while we meet and discuss the plans for Hope Village

· I’ll be carrying a lot of luggage; it is hard carrying it all at once!

Help

The photo was taken on my last trip to Haiti in February of this year. You can barely make out the end of the word “help.” Evidently their can of spray paint went empty before their plea was finished so they used a piece of charcoal which the rain has since washed away. There is a lot to this picture even though it is poorly taken. I’m not much of a photographer. Six months have come and gone since the earthquake of January 12^th. I reflect on this thought…that the Lord shakes the earth when and where He wants, it is His. He has been shaking it a lot lately, hasn’t He? Check out Psalms 18: 7 and Haggai 2:7. It certainly gets hold of our attention. How long does the attention last? When was the last time you read anything about Haiti in the news or saw something on the TV about it? Haiti is still there. George Orwell in his essay entitled “Marrakech” written in 1939 wrote, “People with brown skin are next door to invisible.” Haiti is our next door neighbor, I feel their invisibility. Maybe Orwell was more right than we would like to admit. Out of sight, out of mind it is said. Not out of my sight, nor are they out of my mind. They still need our help. Door of Hope will be there.

WHAT’S NEXT? I will be returning to Haiti for a 6 day trip. I will leave August 4^th and return August 9^th. This opportunity just came up and it came up fast! I need you to pray for me, that is why I am posting. Will you do that? Please pray because I have so much to do before I leave at home, at work and just plain getting ready to go to Haiti. While I am at the House of Hope. I HopeI will be spending time in planning meetings for our new project at “Hope Village.” I have been drawing up site plans as well as drawing up the individual houses. Since I am a member of the Board for this project it is important from time to time for me to go and review the project. Hope Village Haiti is a very exciting project have you checked out their blogsite ? www.hopevillagehaiti.blogspot.com

ONE MORE THING… It has been a long time goal of ours to begin helping some of our young men and women start small business enterprises. We are going work with one of the older guys at the House of Hope to pilot a small business. Recently someone donated a very nice key duplication machine to Door of Hope; they also donated 150 blank keys to help get them started. I will be bringing all this down with me and training one of the guys on how to run it. They say there is no one in town or in the area that can make keys. I’ll keep you posted. Please pray for this endeavor.

God’s Heart For The Poor Is Huge

Today, I’m writing on my blog, from my heart. Letting you in…except I don’t know who I am letting in. It feels like I am writing to nobody and sending it nowhere hoping someone will read it, kind of like a cyber message in a bottle.

What would make good story for you to read is the non-public side of my life, the inside, the part of me that I protect. It would expose my life that is filled with pride, the bullheadedness of a man often too big for his own britches; a faithless man surprised by a flawlessly faithful God. Having faith in God who is able to do exceeding beyond all that you ask or think. Sounds good to me. But it doesn’t work for me. Let me tell ya, I can very easily understand wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. I hope I get it on to before that. I don’t even have 40 years left!

I am going back to Haiti Wednesday, August 4^th and returning on the 9^th. Many people know this because I have sent letters asking them to consider giving to the poor and to help the people of Haiti through this ministry. Every time I write, I really feel like I have worn out my welcome because I go so often, at least two or three times a year. If I only went once a year it might be more tolerable. But I keep going to Haiti, and I keep writing letters. Each time I do I think that I will receive very little or no financial support to bring along to those in real need, the people I know and the people I want to help. I’ve said to myself, “Your trip was too last minute; there is a ton of people going on short term missions during the summer, they got their letters out ahead of you; did you ever hear of donor fatigue; unemployment; too much month not enough money; recession; revolving credit debt?” You name it, I have thought of it. Notwithstanding any doubt of mine, any faithless thought of mine, God’s heart for the poor is huge. He provides for their every need. In the 10 days since I sent out my first letter for this trip, God has been graciously surprising me, “again” with His faithfulness and generosity.

Being “surprised” by His provisions is sad. Thankfully, His Grace is sufficient, and this blog post can be more about His faithfulness than mine.

A Great Story

Wednesday 24 February: Today is my last full day in Haiti. I spent it wrapping up various little projects and answering the question “Kile w’aptounnen?” When are coming back? It is all part of the process. I was able to get the gas grill up and running with the only problem being there is no propane just now. "The truck is coming," is all I’m told. So is Christmas. There are still the charcoal burners and we did get a load of charcoal from Cap Haitien the other day. I am sure we all will eat well for awhile. Let me tell you a great story. The House of Hope welcomed its first 2 IDP’s on Monday. Internally Displaced People are those who for various reasons have left Port au Prince. Some out of fear; some out of misery; and some out of necessity have left the hope of a better life in the city. A 17 year old boy and a nine year old girl were brought in by recommendation. It has been really hard getting kids to come up here. The missionaries in the news who were caught at the border to the Dominican taking kids there has really hampered many established works in their mission. The reaction of UNICEF has been to take over all placement of IDP children and they are excluding the non-profits from the list of optional relocation sites since they are unregulated. Notwithstanding all of this political palaver the Lord has worked uniquely to make a way for the HOH to receive Biterson and Dieunica to join us. Biterson known as “Son-son” has come through a very tragic ordeal. The school he was in at the time of the earthquake completely collapsed claiming many deaths. Son-son was trapped in the building for 8 hours until he was found. He and two other classmates were taken out alive the other 40 in his class perished. He suffered a significant injury to his collar bone which has left his right arm with limited mobility. He also had an injury to his right eye. Upon his recovery he learned the devastating news that his entire family, his mother, brother and 2 cousins died in their home when it collapsed on them. He has never known his father. Our heavenly Father placed him in the path of a health care professional who knew Leah Beidler who in turn recommended that they get him up to the House of Hope. What providence! How great is God? He arrived really depressed after all the things that had happened to him. He lay on his bed alone trying to put everything together. One of our boys here at the HOH named Joseph, aged 19 asked if we thought it was a good idea to go and tell Son-son his story. 2 years ago Joseph was the only one is his family to survive the hurricanes that hammered Haiti. His whole family had gone up on the roof to escape the rising waters while Joseph’s brother helped him climb up a tree. Joseph climbed up high hanging for his life only to hear the screams of his family as they were all swept away. Joseph like Biterson has a story, he is not alone here. Each one has a story. He is not alone anymore. Hosea 2:15 says: “I will turn the valley of troubles into a door of hope.” I’m watching that happen.

Life Goes On

Sunday 21 February: My only good chance to get to Port au Prince was to go on Sunday since that would be the only time that most everyone would be around. This was necessary since I would need to be driven around by others. The Boucher family was able to meet me at the airport along with my traveling companion Carl Evans. Dr. Boucher is a friend of the House of Hope which is where I met him and later the whole family. After seeing their home which was substantially damaged in the quake they took me around to see the rest of the city. It was by and large the same as I had seen on television but for me to see it with my own eyes, in real time, was terrible beyond description. Buildings down everywhere leaving people entombed even now while life just goes on around them. Haitian masons recovering fallen block and mixing mortar and putting them back up again; market ladies sat stoically by their small piles of fruit or sacks of rice waiting for the next sale; people walking to and from church and families sitting around eating together. Haiti will forever be a land of ironies the rational and the absurd comfortably side by side defying explanation requiring only acceptance. I believe most of this goes over the heads of the casual observer but to those who know the queues it strangely makes sense. No one living in Port au Prince can ever be the same. Life was changed that day in a thunderous roar some dodging death to die another day and some dying in their tracks. I even saw a rat lying crushed in the street struck by falling debris. By the time we arrived back at the house I was literally unable to take in anything more. But dinner was ready so we sat down and ate because life just goes on. I went off to bed in a very nice home that had survived the quake and was virtually unharmed except for minor damage. The home was built by an engineer who said he built it right; apparently he did! However, in the same city some 250,000 people went to sleep on the ground in their tents afraid to sleep under anything that might fall on them. In case we are tempted to call their fear irrational, at 4:37 in the morning I was awakened by everyone calling out there had been another aftershock. It was a 4.7 on the Richter scale enough to rattle the windows but not enough to wake me up. Life goes on....

Off to Port au Prince

Saturday 20 February: Today was a productive day. I was able to go to Port de Paix to purchase plane tickets to go to Port au Prince tomorrow. In the afternoon I worked on gas burners I brought down. I will finish up this job Monday. We did all the cutting and welding today. Monday will hook up the gas. I am anxious to see if the system works. We also unloaded a truckload of charcoal for cooking. Charcoal has been hard to get with the heavy rains. The price of fuel has driven the cost up as well. By using these propane burners we hope to have the charcoal last longer. Tomorrow I will be traveling with Carl Evans a student who grew up at House of Hope (HOH) and now is studying in Port au Prince., He was in Port when the earthquake hit but escaped unharmed. The house he was staying in was partially destroyed. He would like to see if his school will reopen and he would like to check on the family he was staying with. I will stay with this same family for the night on Sunday. I am going to spend the day visiting and hopefully getting a chance to see my friend Robert. Please pray for this trip. We leave on the first flight and should arrive in Port at 7:30am. This will give me all day to spend in Port. The HOH donated a full suitcase of supplies to send down with Carl and I to give to the family that lost their home. I was given a tent while I was in Ft. Pierce in case I met someone who needed one. There are family members sleeping in the yard who could use it. I plan to return on the first flight up to Port de Paix to return to the HOH for the rest of my time here in Haiti. I will not be able to post again until Monday night. Thank you for your prayers. If you have not received a Door of Hope prayer card for your refrigerator and would like to please email us your address at doorofhopehaiti@gmail.com and we will send you one.

It is good to finally be here...

Wednesday 17 February: Today went well. The people at MFI were able to make a good recommendation for me to get the tooth I broke on the plane Tuesday fixed. A Dr. John Byers from Vero Beach. I drove up from Ft. Lauderdale and was at his office by 12:30. He cleaned it up and put some kind of bond on it to protect it. I had thought it that the tooth broke was the same one I had broken before but it wasn't. It was a different tooth. So the new total for broken teeth stands at 3. 2 have been be patched and one is just broken not patched because it doesn't hurt. I will have get this stuff taken care of. I spent a couple of hours at MFI. What a place! There is so much going on. There were many volunteers helping load pallets and shrink wrapping them. MFI has been receiving many donations. You name it, it was in that warehouse! Wheelchairs, walkers of every size, crutches beyond number, generators, blankets, towels sheets, tarps, tools, clothes, grills for cooking, tools, and barrels of diesel fuel. We leave tomorrow at 7:00. I need to be there at 5:45. We should arrive in Cap Haitian between 12 and 1:00. Then fly with MAF to PPX. Air travel is a miracle. Imagine doing all this in one day! I'll try and take a bunch of pictures and then hopefully post them on Wednesday. I have been receiving comments on the blog so I know people are reading it. I also know that there are many people praying about this trip. I feel it. There is something unique about this trip because the Haiti I am going to tomorrow is different now. It is has a post 911 feeling. I just know this to be true although I have not felt it for my self. I am eager to see with my own eyes that which I have only heard about. Haiti has been knocked down but it has been knocked out. There is hope for Haiti. Thursday 18 February I left Ft. Pierce at 7:30 on a DC-3. We landed on Great Exuma island to take on some fuel. So we spent a whole 10 minutes in the Bahamas! Then we sped off for Cap Haitien. We arrived at 11:30. It has been raining heavily in Cap for the past several days. As result of the heavy rains MAF was hesitant to fly since all of their planes do not have the instruments for flying IFR. I sat at the airport until 5:00pm and just waited. Jenny arranged for a relative of Linda's to come and pick me up and take me back to his house. So I spent the night in the city. Haitians are very hospitable so I was taken care of well. Friday, 19 February I arrived back the airport at 8:00am I waited about 45 minutes then the MAF plane arrived. We boarded and left Cap at 9:30 for our 20 minute flight to Port de Paix. It was still raining but not quite as heavily. So we flew in right at 500 feet just below the clouds. It gave me a really good view of the coast line. I was able to get some aerial shots of the new property at Coco. Then we flew over House of Hope. I got some photos of that too. The rest of the day was spent getting all the gear that I brought in distributed. That took some time. It is good to finally be here. Some thoughts before I go... Everyone I speak to has a story of someone they know who was affected by the earthquake. I met a young woman here at the HOH who is recovering after having surgery at the hospital. She had gone into Port au Prince on the 12th of January to go the US Embassy to get a passport. She had no idea of what would happen at around 5:00 that afternoon. In a moment the earth began to shake violently and as she was fleeing for safety something struck her leg right at her heel. Whatever it was it severed her Achilles tendon and her foot was dangling off of her ankle. She had surgery here in LaPointe to repair her foot by a Dr. who had come in from Lancaster county. So now she is here recovering waiting for the Dr. to do a skin graft. The Doctor from Lancaster county had acquired a new skin graft machine called a Dermatone. I carried this machine in for the Doctor here to use in this procedure. Today I watched the nurses clean and redress the wound. It is not infected and it is healing slowly. She is ready for a skin graft soon. This is just one story, to think of 250,000 people dead and on top of that a countless number of people wounded. The suffering is unimaginable. Tent cities all over town. Cardboard for walls and tarps for a roof. Now the rains are coming. Shanties collapsed under the water weight. Whatever dented possessions remain are soon soaked too; bedding and mattresses too. No where to hide for shelter. I am working on a plan to go to Port au Prince on Sunday. It is coming together well. Please pray more for the people of Port au Prince than you do for me. But please pray for me too and for my family as we are apart from one another. Thanks for reading. Jeb

Prayer Requests

Prayer for Haiti:

1. For those who are giving medical attention would be sustained; my reports tell me it is really hard there right now.

2. For all the wounded and amputees, many traumatized children; pray for many who are grieving the loss of family members.

3. For the orderly and equitable distribution of food aid not just to Port au Prince but to all the damaged area of Haiti.

4. For the honorable use of the millions of dollars of aid flooding Haiti.

5. Pray for revival in Haiti.

6. Pray for the faith of Haitian believers and missionaries who are there, it is very hard there right now.

Prayer for Jeb & Gail:

7. Over the weekend we decided it would be best for Gail to stay home for this trip. This was a difficult decision for both of us. Pray for us while we are apart. Gail will be well cared for by family close by affectionately known as “the kids.”

8. For traveling mercies for Jeb as he travels. Jeb will be volunteering for a day at Missionary Flight Int’l in Ft. Pierce, FL before flying out on the 18^th.

9. Some towns are experiencing frustration and there have been some demonstrations.

10. For Jeb to be encouragement to those he meets and works with.

11. Pray for wisdom for Jeb to make wise decisions while in Haiti. If the planes begin flying regularly in and out of Port au Prince, Jeb would like to fly down for 2 days and a night. Pray for wisdom and safety.

12. Pray for Jeb’s health while in Haiti. He often comes home sick with intestinal problems. (For the record whenever Gail goes to Haiti she never gets sick!)

Knowing that you are praying for us is a tremendous encouragement. Please read the blog for updates and feel free to comment as I will be checking email while away.

Travel Plans

We have had a change in our itinerary since American Airlines has cancelled our flight. Prior to the earthquake we had purchased tickets to travel into Port au Prince on the 11th of February. After the earthquake, American cancelled all flights in and out of Haiti immediately. They expected to resume their flights in a couple of weeks. I was not inclined to believe this as the situation on the ground especially at the airport was chaotic even by Haitian standards. I decided by faith or lack of faith that the chances were very good that eventually American would cancel our flight on the 11th. So, Gail and I went ahead and were able to find seats on a plane flown by Missionary Flight International (plane pictured at left). We will fly out of Ft. Pierce, Florida to Cap Haitian on the 18th. We will be leaving on the 16th to fly into Miami with American Airlines. From there we will drive up to Ft. Pierce for the flight. We added a day in case of bad weather to insure we would not miss our connection. With all this planning and contingency planning we had 2 separate sets of paid tickets and flight arrangements. Thankfully, American did finally cancel our flight in on the 11th and we were able to get a full refund on our tickets! In providence, Gail and I visited the hangar in Ft. Pierce this past November to see MFI’s planes. Little did we know then that we would be flying in one of their highly maintained vintage DC-3’s. This will really stretch Gail as she is not too big on flying as it is. Flying with MFI adds about 2 1/2 hours to a 90 minute trip on American including a refueling stop in the Bahamas. To sum up, we depart Philadelphia Tuesday the 16th at 11:00 am for Miami. We depart Miami for Cap Haitian, Thursday the 18th. We will then fly Missionary Aviation Fellowship form Cap Haitian to Port de Paix that same day. (This is a 20 minute flight on a small 5 seater; Gail is going to love it!) This flight will save a 10 hour overland trip by car. We will return on the 25th MFI from Cap Haitian to Miami and then on the 26th(in time to celebrate my daughter Sarah's birthday) we will fly AA from Miami to Philadelphia. You can check out our blog to keep updated on what is going on as we travel. We will update it while we are there. Pray for us this week as there still many things to do before we leave.