Ups and Downs

We were finally able to get our damaged-beyond-repair buildings demolished, an important step in the rebuilding process. As is so often is the case, while we were struggling to make this happen, God had it all worked out! We had been pestering the Canadian military, Samaritan’s Purse and the Korean military to come and do some demo for us. We were getting worried they weren’t going to be able to fit us into their schedule.

Then one day, Community Housing Foundation just showed up on our doorstep and said they had a break in their schedule and did we need their services? I can’t tell you how many times God has literally sent someone right to our front door offering food, shelter and now demo services!

They had everything knocked down and the rubble hauled away in a week. We can now begin the process of rebuilding our high school, kindergarten, med clinic and eye clinic.

Now we are in the process of getting estimates for building open-air classrooms. School is already back in session, meeting in tents. I think it’s good for the kids to get back to a normal routine since so much in their lives has been turned upside down.

Our calendar is rapidly filling up with short term teams coming from the US to help us with construction. It will be exciting to see Christianville being rebuilt and fully operational!

We went back to the US at the end of March for our annual board meeting in Florida. Then we flew north to visit family and friends. We had a great time until our last day at my sister’s place at Rehobeth Beach. I knelt on the bed to reach over and close a window, heard a loud “POP” and felt a sharp pain in my knee. When I was unable to put weight on my right leg, I realized something serious was going on. We spent the next couple of days seeing doctors and having tests. Ed had to go back to Haiti on April 12 and I stayed in the States. Turns out I had torn my meniscus and damaged my MCL (a ligament). In addition, the x-rays showed some fairly significant osteoarthritis (which I knew I had). So on April 22, I had arthroscopic surgery. Since this requires only two small incisions, I was in and out of the hospital on the same day.

I returned to Haiti on May 4 and I’m getting around pretty well, although I do knee to wear a knee brace if I do a lot of walking on uneven surfaces (which pretty much describes the entire nation of Haiti!)

Our 36th wedding anniversary was on April 20. I spent the day feeling sorry for myself because Ed & I weren’t together. But my wonderful husband surprised me by showing up that night and staying for a few days to see me through my surgery. It was great!
God has been so faithful to us, especially in the last several months. Sometimes we get weary and want to give up, but He continues to give us strength. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME, ALL THE TIME HE IS GOOD!

A Good Day to be Born

Madam Jean-Robert, her new son and nurse Jenn Rogan who delivered the baby

Today is Saturday, March 20, 2010. I wanted to write this down while still fresh in my mind and thought I would share God’s blessings with you. At times it is difficult to believe I have the privilege to be a part of all this.
2:30 AM – I receive a phone call from my friend Frank. He tells me the wife of his brother’s friend is having contractions. I wake up Jenn, the nurse at our clinic, and we start out to pick up this woman and drive her to the hospital. After driving twenty minutes (about 3 miles) we come to a stream that can’t be crossed due to a large truck that’s stuck in mud, abandoned and blocking the way. After crossing the stream by foot and walking about a half mile, we meet the woman and her husband walking towards us. It turns out the woman is Madam Jean-Robert, one of the women that works in our guest house, and we all begin walking back to the pick-up. Before we make it back, the baby arrives.
4:05 AM – There’s a light drizzle. I’m sitting in the middle of a muddy country road playing backrest for a woman that just delivered a healthy baby boy. Jenn is tending to the baby, cutting/cleaning the cord and checking the mom. I’m sitting there thinking, “If this were happening in the States, we would all be going nuts!” But everyone is taking it all in stride and I’m overwhelmed with how calm and peaceful it all is. (Of course, I’m not the one that just had a baby!)
6:00 AM – We all walked to the pick-up, Jenn carrying the baby, and drove to a Doctors Without Borders camp in Leagone. We were told mother and baby are doing fine, they would monitor both and we could come back to pick them up in about six hours. As we drive back to our house, the clouds have cleared, the sky is getting lighter and becoming bright blue. I’m thinking, “It’s a pretty good day to be born”. I’m also reminded how difficult day-to-day life is for the Haitian people, even on their birthday!
Now this is not a typical morning for me, but in Haiti, everyday does bring an adventure and this was a good one! So often we go out feeling ill prepared and unqualified to do something. Yet time and time again, God has His hand on the situation and blesses us in our feeble attempts. God is so good and worthy of our praise!
Ed

Life Goes On

Here are some photos from Port au Prince. The building above is the Palace (like our White House). So much destruction there! It's hard to imagine how they will ever rebuild. Thousands are living in tent cities in any open area where people can put together temporary shelters - even on the medium of the roads!

Yet, amazingly the Haitan people go on. Vendors are back out on the streets, stores that were not destroyed are starting to reopen and one of the commerical airlines has resumed flights into Port au Prince.

Below are some photos of the food, tent and tarp distributions we've had at Christianville. As you can see there are many in need. To date we have givn out literally tons of food, over 1000 tarps and dozens of tents to people in the surrounding communities.

School has not resumed yet. We have to wait for the Haitian government to give us the OK to reopen. Since the med clinic is using the remaining school buildings (we lost our high school and kindergarten buildings) we will have school in tents. We have been able to get some large Army-style tents that should hold quite a few kids. Still, we may need to hold classes in split sessions, some kids coming in the morning and some in the afternoon.

We are getting ready to go back to the States for our annual Board meeting and some R & R, visiting family and friends. We're looking forward to being away from the aftershocks that make you hold your breath, wondering if its another "big one". We're all sleeping inside again but most of us are not in our own homes. Several of the missionaries are living in the guest house because their homes were destroyed. We're staying in the home of our former guest house coordinators who have gone back to the US. Our house is not safe to live in till some repairs are done.

Residences are pretty far down on the rebuild list. Our first priority will be to repair the church (we are currently having services outside). Then we will start to work on the clinics and schools. Thankfully many construction teams have already signed up to come down and help us rebuild. Their willingness to serve is really a blessing!

God is Faithful!

The picture on the top above is what's left of our two story high school building. The first floor was completely crushed under the second floor. THANK THE LORD this occurred after school hours when all the teachers and children were gone! The other two photos are children treated for injuries from the quake. We still have patients coming into the med clinic. Now we are seeing injuries from people going into damaged buildings to retrieve their belongings, illness from tainted water, insufficient food and crowded living conditions. Many people who lost their homes are gathering in tent cities in fields.

Many people (including all the missionaries) are still sleeping outside since we are still have tremors and the buildings have not been inspected for safety. Above are pictures of our house. The picture on the top shows all the shattered glass from a glass block wall that fell. I was in the doorway of this room when it fell. If it had taken me a few more seconds to get to the doorway that wall and and all the sharp pieces of glass would have hit me. THANK THE LORD! We think we will eventually be able to move back into our home but would first have to remove the utility room on the side of the house - this area sustained the most damage. This is the section behind the door in the center picture.

We have started to get med supplies and food for the local people by truck and by helicopter. Our soccer field has become a landing field. Above shows Joe & I marking the field for landing and the other pic shows three helicopters bringing supplies. Many people in the States are working hard to raise funds get us supplies. THANK THE LORD! The food that comes in goes right out to our Haitian neighbors. We had one man comment that he was so happy we had not left for the States after this tragedy struck. He said he was so thankful that we had made his problem our problem. This is why we are here!

Ed and others are exploring many different sources for food, meds, etc. The military (US, Canadian and French) have sent troops to Leogane, a town about 15 minutes from us. Ed was there yesterday trying to get them to send food to Christianville. We have a private plane coming next week with 1500 pounds of beans and rice from a church in Maryland and a relief organization is getting 200 gallons of diesel fuel to us this weekend. Please pray that doors continue to open.

Because of the quake, the Haitian government is "fast tracking" any adoptions that were in progress. For this reason our guest house coordinators Amy & Doug were able to get a visa for their adopted son, Dor. They left with him yesterday. They were also able to get a little girl out whose new family was anxiously waiting for her in the States. THANK THE LORD!

With Doug & Amy gone and the English academy closed, I have changed from teacher to guest house coordinator. We don't have any visitors, but this is now temp housing for all the missionaries. I have to shop for food and plan meals, see that everyone has clean sheets and towels, etc. Just because we're sleeping on mattresses on the patio doesn't mean we can't have clean sheets ;-)

We want to thank all of you who have supported with financially and with your prayers. You have blessed us SO much.

EARTHQUAKE!

It was almost 5 PM on Tuesday January 12. I was on the second floor of our home, Ed was over at the Guest House. There was a vibration that I thought for a brief moment was a big truck going past. The next moment I realized our house was shaking violently. I scrambled to the doorway and just as I got out of the room, a large glass block wall shattered, sending flying glass throughout the room. I was able to get down the stairs and out the door (which had been locked but was now standing wide open) just as Ed came running around the corner, asking if I was okay. He said there had been an earthquake and we ran hand in hand to the Guest House lawn.

Miraculously none of the missionaries had been injured other than a few minor scrapes and bruises. Our Haitian neighbors started to arrive, knowing Christianville was a place of refuge and assistance. Our amazing med team sprung into action and within the hour we had tables and supplies set up to treat a multitude of injuries, many life-threatening. The docs worked through the night, doing their very best in VERY limited condition. We had about 100 people sleep on the front lawn of the Mission. There were tremors throughout the night.Three new healthy babies were delivered among the chaos!

At dawn, the incredible Haitian people greeted the sun with songs of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. Many, many people had lost their homes and loved ones but were still praising Jesus. What a living example of I Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks..."

With daylight, we were able to access the damage to our facilities. Our high school, university and the English academy were damaged beyond repair. Thank God this did not happen during school hours! The brand new 4 unit apartment building for the med staff, two other apartments for missionaries and our pharmacy are also lost. Our medical, dental and eye clinics were hit pretty bad. Not sure if they can be used. The remaining buildings have some cracks but we have a short term team here that includes some construction people and a civil engineer and they believe these buildings (including our home) are okay. However, due to continuing tremors, we are all still sleeping outside in the front yard of the Mission.

Many of our employees have lost their homes but most seem to have escaped serious injury. We hope to be able to continue to pay their salaries over the next several months as we rebuild.

Yesterday we had a truck arrive from another mission in Haiti that had not been hit as hard as us. They sent bed sheets, medical supplies, food and water that we will be able to distribute to folks in the area. Praise God!

Overall, our mission is in good shape compared to our neighbors. We went out the day after the earthquake and got several drums of diesel fuel for our vehicles and generator so we have power. Our water is running but we need to boil it. We have a decent supply of canned and non-perishable food. We're hoping to get our short term vistors out as soon as possible. This trip to Haiti is more than they bargained for! But they have been real troopers and very helpful.

We plan to continue our work here at Christianville, although it will be on a smaller scale in some areas. However, this catastrophe has presented us with many NEW opportunites to minster and share the Gospel, so the work will continue.

The next several months will be devoted to clean up, rebuilding and providing whatever services we can to our neighbors. The med clinic plans to reopen next week in one of the remaining school buildings. School will probably not resume until next Fall. Our main concerns for the next few weeks will be food and fuel shortages. We will be cutting back as much as we can so our supplies will last as long as possible. Even though much aid is cmoing into the country, distribution will be an issue in a country that is inefficient even under the best of conditions!

Through all this, we have seen God's protection and provision over and over again. We have seen people who had little to begin with and have now lost EVERYTHING continue to worhip our God. We have seen people (Americans and Haitians) work hard and give 110% for the sake of others.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support.

Home Sweet Home

November has been a busy month for us. It began with a strike by a few of the teachers at one of the Christianville schools. We have about 70 teachers and 11 of them decided the raise we offered was not enough. After being out for a week, they decided to come back, realizing that Ed does not negotiate with terrorists or teachers. Hopefully they know we were giving them the best we could afford.
On November 15 we attended our first wedding in Haiti. One of our employees got married. The wedding party (brides maids, flower girl, etc.) all wore white so it took a while to figure out who was the bride. As the bride was coming down the aisle, guests were still arriving and thought nothing of stepping in front of her to get to their seats! The best part was a funny little two-step the bridal party does as it comes down the aisle. It’s almost like a dance step and it takes quite a while for each one to make their way to the front of the church. It was a great experience.
In mid November we made a short trip to the States. Our Board of Directors asked us to attend the National Missionary Convention. This year it was held in Peoria, Illinois. It’s a very nice small city. We stayed at a lovely hotel and enjoyed some American luxuries like hot showers and fast food.
When we returned to Haiti our house was FINALLY empty and ready for us to move into! We never realized how important “home” was to us until we went without one for almost 6 months! Unpacking all our suitcases was like Christmas since we had forgotten much of what we had packed! The wonderful people at our church sent down a great house warming gift: a box full of goodies that are hard to get or very expensive in Haiti. Things like paper towels, breakfast cereal and onion soup mix are much appreciated when you can’t get them!
The house we’re in is very roomy and the only project we’re planning is some painting. Our “dining room” is a screened porch and we have a nice yard that one of the previous Directors landscaped with all sorts of tropical plants. Guess we’ll need to learn about gardening in this part of the world.
On December 10 we head to the States for the holidays. It will be great to see family and friends! We miss everyone so much. Some of the missionaries left yesterday for Christmas break, a few of us are leaving next week and some are staying in Haiti for the holidays. Doug and Amy, the guest house coordinators who are in the process of adopting a dear little Haitian boy named Dor, are staying since they can’t take their soon-to-be son out of the country till the adoption is finalized. One of our nurses, Jenn, is also staying and spending Christmas with some of the many friends she has here.
As we look over the last several months here, we recall many different experiences. Some good, some bad, some just plain bizarre. We still feel this is where the Lord wants us to be and we thank Him every day for his faithfulness.
As each of you celebrates the Christmas season, we hope you will be blessed with a renewed love for the Lord.

Never Ship a Car to Haiti

On June 15, the day before we left Pennsylvania, we gave our Jeep (and its title) to a shipping company that was supposed to deliver it to Haiti in four to six weeks. Oh my, we were so naive! Well, eight weeks later our car was in Port au Prince. So, all we had to do was go pick it up, right? Wrong! Nothing is that simple in Haiti!

First they had Pierre Something-or-other listed as the owner of the Jeep. We had to contact Pierre and get him to contact the shipping company to verify the Jeep was not his. So, now we can get our Jeep, right? Not yet!

The next issue was the VIN. It had been recorded incorrectly on the paperwork and did not match the VIN on the car. More delays and paperwork to rectify that.

Then, the BIG obstacle came up. In order to bring a car into Haiti, you need to have a Haitian ID card. To get an ID card, you need a visa. To get a visa, you need your original birth certificate, a letter from your hometown police stating you are not a criminal, a bank account in the States, a bank account in Haiti and bunch of other paperwork. Yikes, that would take months! Thankfully we found a local attorney who, for a fee, helped us bypass some of this and get an ID card in a few days. Now we could get our car, right? Not yet! By now we forgot what the Jeep looked like.

Ed had to go into Port for eight days in a row, visiting almost every office in the Haitian government, from VIPs to lowly clerks. Each had to examine and sign his paperwork. I think Ed is now on a first-name basis with all these officials ;-)

FINALLY, 14 weeks and lots of money later, we had our car. Then we had to get a license plate and inspection sticker…ugh! But now, praise God, we are enjoying the convenience of our own car for shopping and getting around. We hope to start exploring more of our new surroundings.

On a more cheerful note, it looks like we will be moving into our house at the beginning of November. The apartments being built for the med staff are nearing completion so the lady who is in our house will be able to move and we can get into our permanent residence. Living out of suitcases for almost 5 months is starting to get tiresome. We will be very happy to unpack and settle in at long last.

We are going to make an unexpected trip to the States in November. Our Board of Directors has asked us to attend the National Missionary Conference in Peoria, IL. We’re very excited. Not only will the convention give us chance to meet other missionaries and attend helpful seminars, but we get to enjoy the posh life in the US for a few days! Now, a trip to Peoria may not sound that exciting to all of you but since we have not had hot showers, fast food or temps under 90 for months, it seems like a dream vacation for us ;-)

We will be heading back to the US Dec 10-Jan 6 to visit family and friends. Can’t wait to see how much our grandkids have grown.

Things are going well here. I’m settling into a routine with my school kids. One has ADD but since this is not recognized or treated in Haiti, I’m finding creative ways to keep this student focused. Ed has been battling the flu for a few weeks but seems to be doing better now, thank the Lord. He is busy as always dealing with issues all over the mission.

Yesterday we had the privilege of visiting another mission. It’s called New Hope and is located in one of the more rundown areas of Port au Prince. They run a children’s home for about 100 kids, 19 of whom are handicapped. It’s an impressive facility and we were really touched by the work they’re doing.

Please continue to pray for us as we deal with the many challenges of living in a different country. We thank the Lord for the opportunity and for all the wonderful people who make it possible with their prayers and support. Thank you!