Pay day today.......what a day! How did it get to be 7:00 PM already, it just seems like I just rolled out of bed. ....believe though I am ready to roll right back into it at this moment. The process was more complicated this month as all the staff were meeting at the school. Thus we had to load up the relief packages, bags of rice, lanterns etc etc. to take out to the school for distribution. Plus we delivered 90 boxes of rice packages to get ready for the distribution when school opens. There was so much stuff I had to take the pick up truck loaded to the hilt and Joseph the big truck.

All was going well until we got to the school entrance and I realized I had forgotten the pay envelopes.....believe me I was not too happy with myself. Then I learned that the fellows forgot to pack some of the boxes on the truck with the items for the staff...that made me feel a bit better. The trip back to Hope House was not just due to my non functioning gray matter. As well Christophe who had come with me to fix the screens in the food depot got to the school only to inform me he had no screening....so back he came too. I dropped him at a hardware store, after we creeped through Croix des Bouquets due to the long traffic jam. ....why do these things happen when one is in a hurry?

In a blink of an eye I was in and out of Hope House and heading on back down the road. Christoph waved me down like a mad man as he had changed hardware stores as the one where I dropped him off didn't have screening. Attached is a picture of the role of screen unfurled in the yard of the hardware store and 12 lons (Haitian measurement ......near a yard in lenght) of it being measure and cut for us to take. No fancy rollers here to put the rolls on for easy dispensing.

Once we got the pays and goodies handed out, I met with three staff members for various items, one of the university students, Met Dumas regarding church related things and finally met with Clovis for a short time as well. In between time I greeted my Cnd visitor of yesterday who came to see the school and Health Center site. He is very excited about what he saw and will head back to Canada with thoughts as to how to help us get the center built. He also has a home in Palmetto and I have arranged to see him while I am in the Tampa area.

Back to the University student..I am happy to report that the Notre Dame University is getting back on its feet somehow or other so our three med students are back in class. As I understand they are finishing their semester work this week and will have exams next week after Easter. ..so that is a bit of encouraging news.

When I got back to Hope House there were several folks waiting for me. Got there requests taken care of then I started getting several boxes of items ready for the school opening. To help everyone get adjusted back to school...the first week will be 2 hours of class and then 2 hours of less structured classes..such a quiz time, sports, classroom games etc. Clovis wanted to have little prizes for the teachers to be able to hand out so that is what I was getting organized.

Clovis used a good tactic today by having his meeting with the teachers in one of the classrooms on the second floor of the secondary building.....I wasn't there at the beginning but everyone seemed to be handling okay when I went up to greet them.

So there you have it for this fine day......and I will leave you with the following quote as a little food for thought.

The joyful news that He is risen does not change the contemporary world. Still before us lie work, discipline, sacrifice. But the fact of Easter gives us the spiritual power to do the work, accept the discipline, and make the sacrifice.~ Henry Knox Sherrill

Debbie

Good Evening:

Not a lot to report today as it was spent primarily in the office doing paper work and completing the payroll. The cat made sure I was up good and early..an alarm clock I didn't want "set" for this AM but you can only ignor the meowing for so long. But it was a gorgeous balmy morning so it wasn't so bad to get up early to greet the day.

I had a visit from a fellow hailing from "The Rock" or in other words Newfoundland, who is in Haiti to see how he and his colleagues may be able to help with some of the rebuilding in Haiti. He is connected to various gov't people at the provincial level and his daughter is friends with someone who works closely with our governor general. He is interested to see how he may be able to help with our health center construction and will make a visit to the school tomorrow to look at the site. He is a general contractor and has done work across Canada and in various areas in the Carribean. We had quite a lengthy and interesting conversation.

My weekend away was GREAT. I went up the coast road instead of over the mountains and the road is so improved it only took me 2 hours to get there. We really did not do much of anything...how heavenly. I even managed to read a book during my time there. Saturday evening we went to our local bar/restaurant ..two driveways down...and enjoyed "fritay"....bits fo fried foods and even got a few dances in before we headed home. It was a beautiful evening with the nearly full moon lighting our way back. I stopped at HAS for a quick visit before heading back to town. Unfortunately none of the folks I went to see were available but I did have a short visit with another acquaintance. I've attached two pictures so you can see the little piece of Haiti paradise that I enjoyed over the weekend (our backyard) and a photo of Wilner watering his beloved garden that he has worked so hard to develop.

May I extend many Blessings too, to one and all for this Easter week.

Debbie

The spirit of Easter is all about Hope, love, and joyful living. ~ Anonymous.

The "Stop Hunger Now" food has arrived!

It's now 12:30 and in 30 minutes as I drive out of Hope House yard and head to Deschapelles, I will be able to say TGIF. The day started at 5:00 AM getting prepared for cement pouring and getting the food, Plus packing my own things. At 7 we were off to Food for the Poor, Joseph and I in our truck and Marie in her car behind us. We met another big camion not far from FFTP. After a short weight as the guards hadn't recieved the message of our arrival, we were let in and the vehicles lined up for the loading. We had 10 pallets..each with 66 boxes on them....8 went into the big truck, one on our truck and one into the back of Marie's truck. By shortly after 9 we were on the way back to Hope House.....that was pretty darn good as far as I was concerned and coming home we had very little traffic. Marie went on to her place to unload her truck load into her depot. The rest of us turned into #10 and started our work. As the saying goes, many hands make light work and it didn't take long before we had rice placed everywhich where.

I figured the fellows unloading the food deserved a little tip and knowing that food is much appreciated, each of them recieved several bags of it to take home to their families. We will not be short as there are 36 bags in each of the boxes which means we recieved today 23,760 bags of fortified rice meals...each of which will feed approx. 4 -6 people (depending on their age and appetite!) Tues. We will load a bunch of it up and take it to the school as we will be sending several packages home with each student..as a welcome back to school gift.



While we were unloading the trucks, Jorel's crew at the back of the yard was busy pouring the cement roof. They worked so well that a job Jorel figures would take until 2 was done by just after 11. I 've included several pictures that will show you that process.





Each of the workers also recieved a brand new shirt out of the stock of donations that I had recieved so all of them went home with a happy smile on their faces.....a good way to start the weekend. and with that I will say tira for now and go and start my weekend ....hope yours is good as well.

Debbie

Good day: Another day has come and nearly gone. It has been filled with a variety of activities and as usual the minutes race by. Jorel has everything in place for pouring the cement for the depot roof tomorrow...bright and early. They will start around 6 or shortly thereafter as they have to do the work before it gets too hot. We will have about 25 fellows coming and they will form the "chain gang" that will pass the buckets of cement up to the roof. I have seen this many times but it will be interesting to see it in my own backyard.

Robert Burns once wrot "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley," ... This statement came to mind while I started re-organizing my plans for tomorrow and my planned visit to see Wilner. I just felt that I could not leave for the whole day when we were having so many folks around the yard and a big job going on. So plan B was to leave around 12 instead of 7 or 8.

On top of that we have been expecting a shipment of food from FFTP and wouldn't you know it came yesterday and I have to pick it up tomorrow....all 20 pallets of rice packets which means A LOT OF BOXES!!! We are to be at FFTP by 8 AM..and supposedly Junior has everything set up so we can start early.....we will see what happens when we get there. I have hired a larger vehicle to help and FFTP will also provide a truck to help get it all here. Marie is sending her big pick up as well. I am hoping between all of the vehicles that we can make it in one trip.

I will be praying that all goes well, that we don't have too many traffic jams and that I can still be out of here by 2. My next big challenge is figuring out where to store it all for the short term until the depot is done! For sure some of it will go out to the school next week so we can plan to distribute some of it to the school kids when they start back on the 5th.

Speaking of school started I heard on the radio today that the Ministry of Ed'n is still holding to the date of Apr 5 to restart school. Yahoo! Official exams for Grade 6 and I think Grade 9 are planned for the beginning of Aug. Haven't heard what will be done for the senior grades. Clovis told me that the Ministry was able to recover some of their computer docs related to the exam registration which is a big relief to all concerned.

Other news items...tomorrow there is a special ceremony and activity going on in Champ Mars.(down by the Palace) and in TiTayen (north of PAP). A memorial forest is to be planted in the TI Tayen area and tomorrow will be the kick off for the campaign...10,000 trees will be planted ..with a total of 250,000 to be planted by the end of a year..one for each of the victims of the earthquake. Double Harvest another NGO that has a large farm will be assisting with the project by providing the trees to plant. Several buses have been organized to take selected folks to the planting area and they will plant the trees representing everyone else. Fourty people have already been at work digging the holes and preparing the land for the planting. Seven large plots (carreau's) of land have been fenced in to keep out the goats. It seems too that some citizens with large tracts of land in other areas of the country are also offering to provide part of their land for this project. It sure will be something if these forests "take". There are a number of religious organizations involved and they are encouraging youth groups to be involved with the project to ensure that 5-10 years from now there will still be folks around to protect the forests.

The radio station I listen to (SIGNAL FM) is celebrating today as they are being present an award of excellance for their reporting before, during and after the earthquake from the International org'n for radio broadcasters...quite a feather in their cap. A representant of the station will travel to the US to accept the award.

So there you have it folks for this fine day of Thurs March 25.

Debbie

Hello all:

A day full of activity despite the fact that a team is not with me. Joseph was impressed when he arrived at 8:00 AM to see I was already hanging laundry on the line..it was already my second load...gotta take advantage of the generator being turned on.

The rest of the day was spend doing errands..changing money (getting ready for the payroll....another month has passed already!!), shopping....buying some treats for my sweetie when I go to see him Friday (Yahoo). I bought some more Haitian souvenirs which will be carted to the US for various and sundry activities and people. I also stopped by to see Mme Nazaire at the school of nursing. She is preparing for a Mass to be held Friday at the former site of the school, in memory of all who lost their lives. Nurses from my hometown and staff from McMaster University who worked closely on a project with the school wanted to have a wreath sent so I was arranging that with Miss Nazaire. I could tell she was having her challenges when she had to ask one of her staff to go and by and extension cord so they could have some power for the speakers (from a generator)to be used Friday. She told me that she had to tell everyone participating to bring whatever they needed for their part of the program as she just did not have everything that would be needed. I gave her my regrets that I would be unable to attend due to my plans to visit Wilner. I left she and her assistants working out other details. She at least has her chair moved from the busy sidewalk to the grounds where the school used to be. All that is left is the first year classroom and another room.

Since returning to Hope House, I have been holed up in the office with my spreadsheets, acct book and payroll list. I've had half an ear on the radio and heard citizens on the Island of Gonaives calling in regarding a prison break out on the island and the abandoned police station. It seems a food depot was also robbed but I didn't catch enough of that to give a good report. There is also a lot of chatter about the rebuilding process and ensuring some sort of Haitian participation in light of so many countries offering to help with the rebuilding.

That is it for today folks.....I will go and end my day as I started it....by doing a couple of loads of laundry....heh at least I am not doing it by hand!

Debbie

Hello all: Sorry for the "black out" and no news for a couple of days. I was having trouble with the Internet and was constantly loosing my connection. This evening seems to be a bit better and I will keep my fingers crossed that all stays as should be while I get this little missive written.
I waved the "Spotted Blancs" off this AM from Hope House and left them in Joseph's good hands to get to the airport. This enabled me to get a few items taken care of before I headed off to the routine Tues mtg with MSPP.



Before completing today's events, I will back track to yesterday. As has been the case with the last couple of teams visits to Food for the Poor nutrition center, Little Children of Jesus Orphanage and Marie's girls touched everyone's hearts in ways that are not always easy to express. Several of the group participated in serving up the rice and bean sauce for the family members coming to collect the daily rations at Food for the Poor. They too were surprised how tiring it was on the arm muscles doing that little task. Just think of the arms the Haitian staff must have!! they do it day in and day out for 1,000 families.

Before heading to LCJ, the next stop was my apt for the big clean up. It was like a whirlwind went through my place.....WOW if you ever need a cleaning crew, I know who to recommend. There is still some to be done, but it will be MUCH EASIER to face doing the little bit that remains instead of what had been there before!....thanks again everyone for lightening my load!!

The team had two large hand puppets with them and what a hit they were at LCJ. Roselore grabbed on to "Jesus" and was cradling him like her baby. Stevenson had a great time marching around with "Moses". The other big hit of the day was blowing bubbles. I think the crew could have spent all afternoon there but all too soon it was time for goodbyes so we could get to Grace Mission for craft time with the girls.

Just imagine what it was like organizing 32 mostly young girls, to get their names written on cloth bags and then to have their hands painted so they could put their hand prints on the one side of the bag....If you are imaging utter chaos...you are right, but oh what fun it was! Cee Cee had the top story of the day, when she told us of handing out the little packages of jelly beans she gave just before we left. As some of the girls were scrambling to get the last packages, one of the younger ones, took her last jelly bean and broke it in two and offered one half to Cee Cee.....I don't think any candy Cee Cee has ever eaten, tasted so good to her as that one little bit of jelly bean!

Now I jump to today and my meeting. It was a good exercise even though I had to leave before we were done. I met more folks working in the Ganthier area.....one of them wants to do environmental projects in school...like planting trees and gardens. I told him of our school and ideas of gardening and as a result we exchanged info and will be in touch over the coming weeks. Maybe something will come of it. It is good getting to meet some of the others working in our section of the dept. It definately makes it worth while to attend these meetings.

This evening Marie and the 10 fellows visiting/working with her came down for dinner. The team was headed up by Jim Meyer who many may recall stayed at Hope House with Shawn several weeks after the Earthquake, while they helped at Marie's. They did a number of projects..one of which was putting up a new shelter area for a temporary church in the courtyard of the school. I didn't get a picture today, but I will on another visit.

And that brings you up to date. Now that my team as gone, I will have the chance to listen to the news of the day, and may have other headlines to pass on tomorrow.

Have a good evening one and all.

Debbie

Hi Folks: The "choir: did not let me down today. They did a marvelous job. Everyone was up singing and doing the hand motions with the songs. Jorel with his fine accordian playing helped to "CHOFE" everyone...get them heated up...so it was quite a lively time we had. Elysee gave a particularly poignant serman and we all came away touched with his words. Hope you enjoy the pictures of the crew in action..

We then headed for lunch meeting up with a young woman named Daphne, her mom and a friend of her mom's with his little boy. Daphne has been supported in school for a numer of years by folks that work with Ray and they asked him to look her up. I called to make arrangements and it was easer for them to meet us for lunch than try to find their home. With the help of Jorel, Daphne and Ray were able to have a fine conversation over lunch. Daphne's mom has a long splint on her R leg as a result of an injury sustained as they ran from their house during the earthquake. I know Ray's colleagues will appreciate getting first hand word of their student.

From lunch we did completed the circuit of Delmas to Rte Frere and back home. Jorel and Elsyee had also joined us for lunch and we were able to drop them off along the route. As other teams have been, I think these members too were very touched seeing the downed buildings in person. It makes it all that much more real to one and all. I still can't take in the enormity of it all and how many weeks have I been looking at it now?!

Not one's to sit idle, the team got down to work as soon as we got back...or at least right after getting into cooler clothes and downing a cold drink! Their assignment..starting to prepare the next "relief" packages we will give to the staff at the end of this month with their pay. The assembly line took a bit of time to get organized but no matter what the bundles all get packed and organized.

Last night several of the gang got a wee taste of a tremor as we had a little "shudder" around 9:30 or so last evening. It really was quite a short one. I was sitting at my computer typing away. After the fact, I was quite amazed at how fast my heart got beating with that one little shake. Just imagine what others must feel who had a much more intense experience than I did.

We sure must keep up our prayers for all of those who still suffer so much in one way or another as a cause of the earthquake.

Tomorrow ex-President Bush and Clinton make a visit to Haiti......it will be interesting to hear the results of it....the Lavalas party will try to get a good number of people out to demand more aid and to ask for Aristide's return.......that's pretty interesting considering the Bush/Clinton history as regards Aristide.

Everyone was just basking in the cool breeze...a beautiful tropical evening as we enjoyed Tom's devotional leadership tonight. I actually nearly went to put a sweater on as I was feeling a bit too cool. However I "toughed" it out and stayed put....what a whimpy Canadian I have become!

Sorry...about the order of my paragraphs.....I somehow got things out of order and now I can't figure out how to cut and paste them back into order....my normal way of doing it does not seem to work on this blog site.....that will be lesson number 3 tomorrow....everyone else had gone to bed.

That is where I will head now......rest well and may we all have a good and productive week.

cheerio,

Debbie

Good Evening...the skies cleared up and we enjoyed a beautiful tropical day today.....sunny skies and balmy breeze. I was happy for the breeze knowing it would keep the team a little cooler as they painted away. I have now named them the "Spotted Blancs" as they all appeared at lunch with little specks of white paint all over everywhere. While they painted.... some the entrance sign and others the classroom...I did computer work. Several of the fellow fixed desks and a couple of the gals picked up garbage and cleaned classrooms. This was a gung ho team..and far exceeded my expectations...they got all of the rooms on the second floor done as well as one on the first floor.....yahoo! They look so nice and I can't help how it will surely make the students and teachers feel good to be working in newly painted rooms. The entranceway sign also looks great....no more "vote so and so" spray painted on it. Jorel and Joseph even go into the act and had paint brushes in hand at one point.


From the school we headed to the Iron Workers shops and this team had a hay day. Purchases were made at many different shops and it was going on to 6:00 PM by time we left. We had an "exciting" ride home as Joseph was trying to get us back to Hope House so he could get on his way to Carrefour. As always when you are in a hurry one always seems to get stuck behind a slow vehicle.and sure enough so did we. This time it was a large truck carrying a load of Portable toilets. Our before dinner drinks were enjoyed as we watched Kristens little video of the ride and our passing the Toilet truck....it was just as entertaining watching it as it was experiencing it.

Everyone was happy to get to their rooms with their "treasures" and then jump into the showers. It was a l-o-n-g day.

Dinner was enjoyed by all.....and I was proud of all of those game enough to try something they hadn't eaten before...now many know the good taste of fresh Haitian beets.

Jenny led the devotional time this evening and then after it was time for choir practice as the group prepared to sing in front of the kids at church in the AM. Jenny and Stefanie our two school teachers led the way....Stefanie every resourceful used an empty beer bottle as a pitch pipe..boy did they sing well! It was a joyful time for all and many laughs were shared as the practice went on.

Haven't had a chance to listen to the news the last two days, so am unable to give any updates as to latest earthquake relief work or news of the day...maybe tomorrow.

Now I wish one and all a good nights rest and a Good Sunday tomorrow.

cheerio,
Debbie

PS..thanks to Marni for lesson number 2...how to post a picture to your blogger post. I'm really "getting up to speed now"...hah!

Hello all: I have reached a new plateau this evening as I am actually posting this report myself..and Marni who has been helping me all of these weeks by posting my reports as I sent them to the Board...is saying free, free at last as she will no longer have to worry about getting my words to the website. I have appreciated her assistance, saving me to have to go through a new learning curve when I was already dealing with enough things. It was a relief to know I just had to push a send button on my email and the rest would be taken care of. But now I have had my lesson and am set to go.

Well the team arrived yesterday safe and sound. I improve my tan waiting 2 hours to greet them.....one has to get to the airport early 1) to beat the traffic and 2) to get a parking space a decent distance from the arrival area. It was bedlam as usual but I am getting my system down pat and it is working out pretty well.

After catching their breaths and having a bite to eat the gang set to work unpacking their suitcases and then doing chores I had lined up...inventory, bagging rice, beans, corn meal, milk powder and organizing craft supplies. What a big help that was!

It wasn't long after devotions (after dinner) before everyone was heading to bed...it had been a LONG day for them as they were on the road by around 3:00 AM to get here.

It poured rain all night long and it was still gray and overcast with a few drops still falling as we headed to the school. Marni was disappointed not to be able to start 'refreshing" the paint jot on the entrance sign, but planning for summer enrichment classes made up for that. It will be bit different this year as school will still be in session but between Clovis, she and I, I think we got a good schedule worked out. Now the rest is in Marni's capable hands to get planned.

While we met with Clovis, the rest of the gang started painting the class rooms on the upper floor fo the secondary building. They got as many classrooms done today as I thought they would do in two days....lucky us. No break for them though...I went and bought more paint so they could keep at it tomorrow. Several of the girls are also putting welcome back signs on the blackboards with coloured drawings in chalk. All of the classrooms still had January 12, 2010 written on them and we wanted to not have instant reminders as soon as kids and teachers walked in...instead they have welcome back....God loves you and various other sayings. It all looks pretty nice. While this was going on at the secondary building, Christophe and his crew were making progress repairing the wall in the dining room.

Some of the team members got a little taste of shopping in Haiti when we went to get the paint. I ordered it, paid for it and then stood for about 15 minutes waiting for the helper to bring the paint out for us. Finally I went and asked where it was to be told that they didn't have any and that they would have it delivered and couldn't I wait......that was just a tad frustrating., but what can you do. So we headed back to the school and then on our way home stopped by to pick it up. We got great service then, as I had just barely left the car, when the fellows were bringing the paint to the back of the truck.

We've had an enjoyable evening and good discussion during our devotion time and now it is time to get some shut eye. Wishing you all a good weekend.

domi byen....Debbie

Top o' the evening to you all:...Did you all wear green today? By happenstance I did!....but not a drop of green beer in sight. So to all with Irish blood flowing in them Happy St Patrick's day.

It was another day of taking care of the business at hand. Got the ladies off to the market this AM to get fruits and veggies, met with Joel and Fleury to straighten out some job duties, saw Joseph and Jorel off to purchase materials for the depot. Then Christophe and I headed to the school to check out what prep work we needed to do for the wall repair when the team gets here. I met with Clovis while I was there to go over some details from the budget he prepared. He was there to see that work on the food depot got started...which it didn't for one reason or another..until late this afternoon.

Clovis also told me of an interview he heard from the Director General of Schools regarding the opening. It seems he gave very wishy washy information and further confused the whole thing instead of giving clear information and details about the opening of school and the conditions under which each one can open. We strategized a bit so that we will be giving the same message to the teachers and students who may be leery to come to school and be in the classrooms. We will just have to take it one day at a time!

On the way home, I stopped by the grocery store and then headed to the hospital to check in on Vionnie. Her big sister Waldine was with her when I arrived. She is doing better and was pretty alert and bright eyed. I think however she will be there yet for another couple of days. Christophe joined me for this part of the trip too as his son Mark, was getting treated for a cut to the forehead he recieved a day or two ago, when a thug attacked him on the street. He had to have his dressing changed and to see the Doctor. I dropped off drugs for Hopital Eben-Ezer and last stop was to Marie's to deliver letters and bracelets mailed to her and the girls via my Agape address. A class from Port St Lucie Fl was sending cards of greeting, prayers and support and friendship bracelets for the girls.

..and the rest of the afternoon doing correspondence/paper work brings me to the current time of 5:30. I promised to finish early today as Marni, the one who has been assisting me get these reports to the website, will be leaving early to get to the airport as she is part of the Mission trip to Hope House tomorrow. Now I will leave you with a short Irish Blessing. ......Debbie

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

Hello all Here are the latest updates for you:
. Floor is poured for the depot. Now we will start working on the ceiling..if all goes well and as I planned with Jorel this AM, it should be done, the roof that is, just before I leave for the US in April
. The wall by the work shop area is now 90% done. It will go on hold now while Christophe heads to the school to do some repairs in the dining hall to prepare for the team coming on Thurs. Before we finish it completely too, there has to be some decisions regarding the new roof and that advice I will be seeking in another email.
. I attended the health coordin mtg today and got some more information on possible psycho social support for our staff and students, through a rep from Plan Haiti who was at the meeting. It is good to know what is going on and I get to catch up with some other folks I know, plus make new connections that will stand us in good stead it the future.
. Stopped by to see Gladys for her wish list to send to folks in Naperville who are getting a container ready to send to Haiti
. Had an appt with Marie to go over the same list, but missed her as she had another place to go.
. Met with Clovis and Helene re school admin operations, background information and budget for next year
. I got confirmation for the June 23-28 group and they only have 9 folks coming. If anyone knows of any singles our up to 5 people who may be interested in joining let me know. I have already written to one person I know who was on her own, to see if she would like to join them.
. In between there were phone calls and computer work....the ordinary mundane things.
. Lots of chatter on the radio, regarding President Preval's reaction to accusations of corruption in his government; calls for him to step down before the next election. He is not elegible to run again as he has held office 2 times and that is the constitutional limit here for a President's terms. Who will run to take his place is another huge question?
. Clovis heard the Minister of Ed'n speak on the radio and he is hopeful school will be able to open in April as one of the Minister's comments was realizing he should be having kids in school in our Dept where the school were not damaged....that it didn't make sense any longer to make a blanket statement that all school should remain closed. So we are keeping our fingers crossed and Clovis will move ahead with his planning with the staff.

I'm attaching another couple of photos from my day yesterday. They will give you an idea of what many of the side streets look like. Private citizens and the yellow t-shirt work crews are clearing wheelbarrows of debris from the smaller inner streets and bringing it to a larger one that would be able to take a dump truck on it. The plan is that eventually the dump trucks will come and haul it away....and who know how long that will take. It gives you an idea why all the main bigger streets are so busy because everyone's "secret" side streets they used to use to deke around traffic are now strewn with rubble and in places impassable.

a la prochaine,
Debbie

Howdy: The weekend was quiet but today made up for it ...what a full day! I was all over the place from one side of PAP to the other but was pretty please with what I accomplished considering the traffic and congestion. My stops were as follows

Hopital Ti Frere et Soeur.....close to the US embassy. I went by to visit Vionie, Modelene's daughter who has been in the hospital for a week. She had her first operation last week for appendicitis. I spoke with one of the residents who said she was doing a lot better than when she first was admitted. Today she was scheduled for a second operation to reassess the site as it seems an abscess formed and it was still draining more than he thought was good at this point. I told them I would drop by again on Wed. While at the hospital I passed by their outpatient clinic to ask about a nurse I have known for a number of years and sadly learned that she was killed in the earthquake. She was really an exceptional nurse and I know they will miss her very much there.

Food for the Poor....to drop off some donated medical supplies and medications I had in overabundance. Didn't see Dr Laurent or others I wanted to check in with because everyone was in a meeting with Mr Mafoud. I'll try calling the others tomorrow..wanted to check on a shipment of food that is due to arrive anyday now.

Megamart....a large grocery/dept store along the line of Costco..but not quite as large. I was checking on some prices for a group who is deciding whether to purchase things at home and ship them or purchase the items in PAP. They have quite a large parking lot and part of it is taken up with folks camped out in their tents.

Carrefour.....this area is about halfway between PAP and Leogane.....I didn't realize it was so far, having mixed it up with another section of town. I was heading there to see where Joseph, our driver, was living and how he was situated with his tent. I tell you it is like two different worlds between Santo, our area, and that side of town. The damage is so much worse over there. Having visited his house, I now have a better understanding why Joseph has to leave his house at 4:30 to get to our place by 8....what a trip!!

Kombit Artisanat...is an Haitian souvenir place not far from the Oloffson hotel which I have been frequenting for years. I wanted to see if one, the shop survived and two, if the owner and her staff were okay.......good news on that end. All were okay as was the shop....so naturally I had to spend a few gourdes while I was there.....for various gifts and fund raising events. A crew was busy out from of the Oloffson in the process of re-building their walls. I didn't stop to check out the hotel but from the number of cars I saw in the parking lot, I figured they are open for business.

Ministry of Health....found Mme Nazaire the Dir of Nursing for the State school of nursing in the "new" offices of the Ministry of Ed'n. She was there chasing after some money for her staff who haven't been paid in some months. My purpose to see her was to present her with a tarp as she too is living on the streets. She is still deeply saddened by the loss of so many of her students and still does not have a complete count. Some have not only left PAP but the country. The Ministry will be having a Mass at the end of this month for those students and staff members killed at the school and hospital.

Plaza Hotel..made reservations for a Canadian construction contractor who will be visiting Haiti at the end of the month. It is a convoluted story of how I got connected with him but I was happy to be able to help a fellow Cdn. He may be interested in doing some construction work in Haiti, so I told him about the clinic we wish to build..so now Hope House is on the agenda for one of his stops while he is here so I can share more with him about our project.....you never know where it could lead!
Jospeh headed home from the hotel and I drove the rest of the wayback home, as I only had one more stop. It didn't make sense for him to drive me all the way back to Santo just to turn around and take public transport all the way back home. After each of us downed an icey cold coke we went our separate ways.

Visa Lodge...stopped by there to make reservations for the gang coming this week. We will enjoy lunch there Sunday after church.

From there it was clear sailing all the way home...I chose the right route as traffic was pretty light and I got back home in no time.

And that folks is what took me from 8:00 AM today until 3:30 this afternoon......I am a little bouke...(tired out)..are you too!!
I'm attaching a couple of pictures for your interest.

One is of an irrigation ditch in PAP. This is one of the biggest challenges for recovery work..trying to clear out some of the canals before the rainy season starts in earnest. As we headed to Joseph's the one crane was pulling stuff out of one of the canals. The sludge that it lifted was definately not a pretty site!

The second picture is of a crew of men taking down a building by brute force alone...they have a long way to go!

The EDH just came on, so I will say goodnight and go and take care of a couple of chores taking advantage of the electricty.

Have a good evening.
Debbie.

Dear Lazarus Project Partners,
Would you like to meet Debbie Berquist, our new acting director of Village of Hope, and hear first hand reports about the earthquake relief efforts of the Lazarus Project without traveling to Haiti? Here's your chance! There will be two Regional Gatherings of the Lazarus Project in April. One in Virginia and the other in Florida. ALL are welcome to either one or both! Debbie Berquist will report on all that the Lazarus Project has been doing to help the people of Haiti. We will also introduce the Capital Clinic Campaign. With your help the Clinic will soon become a reality!
Please invite your friends who may not know about this wonderful ministry.
Peace,
Marni

2010 Washington, DC Regional Gathering of
THE LAZARUS PROJECT
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Lord of Life Lutheran Church
5114 Twinbrook Road Fairfax, VA 22032
(703) 323-9500
www.lordoflifelutheran.com
Agenda
5:30 pm - Worship
6:30 pm - Dinner
7:15 pm - Sharing and introduction of Clinic Capital Campaign


2010 Gulf Coast Regional Gathering of
THE LAZARUS PROJECT
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Faith Lutheran Church
7750 Beneva Rd, Sarasota, Florida 34238
941-924-4664 Fax 941-924-925-2931
www.faithsarasota.com
Agenda
11am - Gathering, Welcome, News from Debbie Berquist
12pm - Lunch (meal provided)
1pm - DVD and photo presentation and introduction of Clinic Capital Campaign
2:30pm - Worship in the Sanctuary

Good evening one and all:

A quiet weekend but a productive one. Saturday I shopped for groceries and cement....as I said to someone else..that is quite a combination. Never fear for all who may eat here, I will not get the two mixed up! Then it was on to mail pick up and at the same time recieved some more medical donations. Slowly I am being able to replace a lot of items we had given away to help others for emergency care. The afternoon was spent doing correspondence and sorting through the supplies.

Joel and I watched a movie in the evening and then it was time for some shut eye.

Today I putzed about doing some preparation in the kitchen for the team arriving on Thurs. and then spent the rest of the afternoon in front of the computer completing some assignments. It was nice to have the peace and quiet and not a lot of interruptions.

I had a call this afternoon from one of the kitchen staff (Modelene) who's daughter Vionie is in the hospital with apparent appendicitis. I will stop by at the hospital tomorrow to see them. Modelene said she may be operated on tomorrow or Tues.

This report seems a little drab but in a way its nice, knowing things are slowly down a bit so that we can get to the everyday work at hand.

Wishing you all a pleasant evening.

I will close with a short quote from Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy "Life isn't a matter of milestones but of moments"!......how true that seems to me.

Debbie

Mar 12 TGIF......is everyone else uttering these letters as well? I can't believe another Friday has rolled around. Today was pretty quiet as I remained at Hope House and did paper /computer work all day long. I did take a few breaks to check out the work going on at the back of the property. The floor of the new depot is now poured and the wall at the side nearly finished. Probably two -three more days of work and it will be done. That is good timing as next week Christophe will work at the school with the Mason on the Mission team to repair the wall in the Dining Room. Part of the morning was also taken up with my meeting with Clovis discussing various issues that need taking care of.

I have had the radio on all day and the big talk of the day was the earthquake that took place in the North of the country, the day before yesterday. It seems more prisoners escaped from a Prison in Ouanamenthe (where the earthquake was) so the police have been busy chasing them down. It seems there was not a lot of great infrastructure damage....just personal articles being shaken about. Of course it caused a great panic with everyone..so now there will be more people sleeping outside I am sure.

That is about it for today....I don't think you want to be bored with all the detail of my work, so I will say tira for today and wish you all a good weekend.

I will write a combined weekend report on Sunday evening.

Debbie

Good afternoon:

Not too much to report for today. Ron and I had our final meeting after breakfast today and then he got a good taste of Haiti traffic jams as we headed to the airport. Despite the crawling along I still managed to get him there 2 hours ahead of his departure....good thing we left an hour ahead of time. Coming home there were several steps along the way.....at the bank, my apt and Little Children of Jesus. I delivered a tarp for Gladys who was VERY appreciative of this gift to use at her house. While exiting Santo 17 I stopped at the camp site that is being prepared just before the main road. I learned it is for the people living in the Santo area and that it is the dept of Civil Protection from the DR that is preparing the site and the Dept of Civil Protection - Haiti will select the folks to live at the site. It seems as if it will be quite organized...it is divided into sections, with gravel laid down, a water distribution site prepared and some sort of showers. The latrines are yet to be placed at the site. The water distribution is a huge bladder sitting on top of a huge pile of dirt. I've included a photo but it is a bit hard to see.

The rest of the day was taken up with correspondence and going through old files while cleaning up the file drawers so I can get my files out of the milk carton that is doubling as a file drawer for me.

Below is another update from a friend of mine.

General Updates
Statistics...The latest data released shows a stabilizing of the casualties to around 222,000 but I am sure more will be discovered as the rubble is cleared.
The national plan for displaced persons is five-pronged: "Return to safe homes; return to safe plot and erection of transitional shelter [two types have been proposed]; resettlement in proximity to destroyed houses; support to host families; and resettlement in new neighborhoods." Although over 600,000 persons have left PAP for the rural areas, it is expected that a significant number will return to look for work. Thus the figures for displaced persons in PAP may actually climb.

There is a real push to send people from the camps back to their homes (after being inspected); but to do this, the rubble must first be cleared so they can reach them. Président Préval has estimated that it will take 1,000 trucks working 1,000 days to remove the rubble, and the experts have said he's probably not very off target. The Prime Minister has approved five plots of land for transitional settlements and another eight for rubble disposal. These are on the outskirts of PAP. The Ministry of Environment is presently negotiating with private landowners for more plots. The transitional shelter kits are expected to begin to arrive by the end of April.
The registration that took place in the largest camp at Champs de Mars (the heart of downtown PAP) showed that 77% of the people came from one area closeby. So efforts have begun to make their quartier a priority for house inspection and rubble removal. Similar registrations are being carried out in the other camps that will likewise interpret where the removal efforts will be focused. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, David Holmes, suggests that the emergency phase is not over. In fact it will continue for several months yet as reconstruction begins. About 285,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed in PAP, and about 80,000 persons are now being employed through cash for work to remove rubble.

Presently close to 50% of the displaced families have received either two tarps or a tent to shelter them from the rains--and rain we have had! Friday and Saturday we did not see the sun---it only began to poke out Sunday afternoon. And boy, was it ever cold! All tarps and tents needed are now in the pipeline and expected to be distributed before 1 May.

A second food surge is in process to help cover all the displaced persons in PAP. There are more and more accounts of families sharing food and communal meals. Surveyors have been impressed with how effectively the Haitian people are helping their neighbors and working to keep their neighborhoods safe by forming 'brigades', etc. By the way, Odelin would like to thank all of you that prayed for protection for him and those he's hosting at his house--now about 30 persons nightly. The thief that had terrorized their neighborhood was probably killed in a shoot-out with police. He had been one of the many that escaped when the national penitentiary fell during the earthquake.

There is a continued push to return children to at least some organized activities if not true schooling by the end of March. This is a little easier said than done, but efforts have begun. The first tent 'school' has begun in the Carrefour area of PAP with the help of a few large organizations. It will be able to serve up to 400 children daily.

The figures suggest that about 30,000 businesses were destroyed in the earthquake. That along with other losses has led to a 35-50% drop in the gross domestic product. A recent economic survey revealed that family income has decreased by 60-70%. That coupled with inflated food prices has caused families to now spend 85% of their income on food rather than the 35% customary pre-earthquake. Thus it is not surprising that those living on borderline food supplies have increased by about 50% (from 17% in the SE and 25% in the West Departments to an average of 30% in both).

If you are planning on registering with the government or bringing goods into Haïti, be forewarned that the situation is a little complex. Customs is not functioning well, and the Ministry of Planification that normally handles non-profit registrations is not operational. If you have customs or registration issues, you can contact the UN Logistics Cluster for help. Information on customs clearance procedures and contact information can be found at their website, www.logcluster.org/hti10a

Finally, some friends sent an interesting UTube link. I don't necessarily agree with the Partners in Health's representative's comments, but the rest is quite good. If you could understand the French and Créole, it'd even be more impressive. The persons interviewed in these languages were particularly articulate! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuUt12usDVs

For those of you that are pray-ers, here are a few requests:
That those who have lost family, homes and jobs may find the Lord's comfort and hope. Jeremiah 29:11That those who are becoming distraught, impatient, even suicidal, may find His peace. John 14:27That those who are frazzled by a constant lack of food, dry shelter, and a place to call home, that they may find God's contentment in the midst. Philippians 4:11-12That those who are lost may find Him. Matthew 11:28-30 It really is easy and light, I am awed.

With these prayer requests from Judith, I will leave you.

Have a good evening.
Debbie

Good evening:

Another busy day which started by my serving up a fried egg for Ron...which was probably the freshest egg I have ever served up in my life. I had Joel run across the street at 7 AM this morning to get me two dozen eggs from our neighbour who has his own chicken coop. This is one benefit of the earthquake...I only learned of this little gold mine because of the walls falling down, I was able to see the chicken coop and the eggs laying their just waiting to be picked up. A great benefit for us and I am glad we help the truly "local" economy.

After breakfast we headed to the school for meetings with the parents comittee and the university students. Both were very touching and informative.The parents committee expressed feelings from the community that they did not feel the presence of VOH after the earthquake in assisting with disaster relief, although they were very appreciative of the efforts that were made for the staff and providing the food distribution for the students. The university students presented a very nice typed document to Ron which they had all signed. It basically thanked VOH for all of the help and support to date, expressed their despair and feelings of hopelessness with so many universities lost and they see no future in site and also asking us to see how we could help the continue their education. Ron did a great job of supporting and encouraging them . After one hears such stories you just wish you could wave a magic wand over all to heal all of the wounds whatever they may be and to cure all the problems. Sadly that is not the case, so we just pray for patience and courage and that a " new day" will come along never the less.

Before leaving the school we looked at the repairs made by the "D' team and what other items need to be taken care of. Then it was off for a short tour of PAP, stopping for a bite to eat along the way. Coming back late in the afternoon we passed by Little Children of Jesus and Grace Mission. Both Gladys and Marie were so happy to see Ron and we had short, but pleasant visits with each of them.

Tomorrow I will see Ron off....boy did those days fly by.....then it will be errand and computer time for me.

Along the way today we saw crews busily working away preparing several large tracks of land which I presume are going to be used for more "permanent" temporary housing. They were being laid out pretty nicely with gravel being put down and provisions for water distribution, sanitation and showers. I know they cannot be finished soon enough for all of those who will have to be moved into these sites. That in itself will be an interesting process.

and on that word, I will say good night......it's time to go and get some "beauty rest"

Debbie

Good evening: A very productive day is about to come to a conclusion, once I finish typing this brief update. Most of it has been spent in discussions with Ron covering all aspects of the Lazarus Project/Village of Hope Inc. We feel good about the items we have tackled and know that the next two Board meetings with be full and very interesting. I took a two hour break to attend the partner coord. meeting with the Dr in charge of our UCS (unite communautaire de sante). Although we are not actively doing anything since the school is closed and we do not yet have the health center it is good to attend to keep abreast of what is going on and it also helps with networking. Today a fellow came representinga an org'n called Mipros who are working in Ganthier in community health. One of their projects is building communal latrines. They will be working in the areas that a lot of our students comes from. I said we would be happy to collaborate in any way we can, and would welcome any health teaching for our students etc. You never know where some of these brief contacts can take you. I have made some donations of drugs and supplies I managed to get my hands on, to the coord. office for their maternity center and other sites. It is good PR for us and shows we are ready to work in collaboration with the Ministry which will stand us in good stead as we move ahead with the health center.

Clovis joined us for lunch and following that had discussions with him about the school..where we are today and future activities. No official word yet on when school will start...still rumored to be April 5.

Faithful readers, that is it for the day..I'm keeping it short and sweet.

Have a good night,
Debbie

Mar 7 & 8 Hi All: Yesterday was a relatively peaceful day. We woke to cloudy skies again but by the late afternoon the sun was shining and there was a cloudless blue sky above. After dropping Wilner off at point of debarkation for the Artibonite Valley buses, I joined the church service at Marie’s Grace Mission church. The minister gave quite a rousing sermon and with the speakers on top of his voice, there was no way anyone would even have a little nap even if they wanted to. Patty Meyer was there as well along with 2 newcomers to Haiti that had accompanied her. They helped ensure that the girls were all settled in their new rooms at the orphanage and that all was in order for them. I am sure they are happy to get back to sleeping in their own beds and have their “space” once again.
But back to Sunday….after a little chat at Marie’s I took the ladies on an excursion to the metal workers shops in Croix des Bouquets. I lucked out in one shop as I got a free gift for bringing in the business to one of the shop owners where two of them bought a number of articles. They sure enjoyed their stroll around.
Once back at Hope House, I tended to some odd jobs but also found time to read a little and watch a video in the evening. I had intended to do some correspondence but the powers that be prevented that as the Internet was down, so I was really “forced” to take some time off.
This morning passed quickly taking care of some paper work and also checking up on the two crews working in the yard….one on the back wall and the other on the depot. I met with the folks in the donated Food for the Poor houses at Santo 2 about rebuilding their brick wall which fell down in the earthquake. I received some discretionary funds to help with earthquake related work, outside of our project and I thought helping this group with their security wall was a good choice. They selected the person to co-ordinate things and went off with the first portion of payment to start getting the necessary materials. I also gave each of them one of the last pieces of plastic sheeting we had available, as I did for several of the neighborhood families that Margaret had befriended.
Before I knew it , the time came to go to collect Ron from the airport. It was the least crazy it has been since it re-opened. I actually found a parking spot pretty close to the exit and just rolled right into it with no hassle at all. Of course I arrived well ahead of the plane’s arrival time but enjoyed reading several chapters of the book I have delved into while I waited.
Ron and I have had a good chat before and after dinner and got some of the items checked off of our lists.
That pretty much brings you up to date. Haven’t heard anything on the news the last two days, so can’t even share that with you.
Until next time I wish you all a fond farewell.Regards,Debbie

Hello all: It has been another gray and overcast day and for some of us with tropical blood..even a little chilly. It also has been a relatively quiet one since seeing The 'D" team (les disributeurs extraordinaires) off at the airport mid morning. Wilner arrived just before they were leaving so at least he got to see everyone and they him. I got last minute information from some of the gents about tools, breaker panels and even a quick lesson on power point.

The team did not let down at all the name of the church they represented.which was Joyful Spirit Lutheran Church. For the returning members of the group, they sure demonstrated their joy of returning to Haiti and the people they have come to know love. The newcomers showed it in the manner they took to everything here and especially the bonds they made with the children at Little Children of Jesus. To me it was simply a "joy" to be with them for the week.

The afternoon was spent getting the depot straightened out, watching as the two vets that came to see Hopie did their work and making sure the dump truck put his load in the right spot of the yard. A load of rocks arrived today as a beginning step to getting work started on completing the new depot which has been on standstill since November. Back to Hopie for a minute as I know so will be wondering.....she is the Hope House dog and we called my friendly vet Dr Keith to come and have a look at her as she has been coughing, off her food and lost some weight. Keith was busy so sent two lovely ladies in his stead to take care of her. Luckily it is nothing serious..a mild cold and have some medicines I have to give her over the next few days.

For the last hour and a half I have actually been stretched out on the couch getting my nose into one of the books that the team so graciously provided for me. Wilner is snoozing away and Joel in his room listening to music.

I am going to take tomorrow "off" from reporting so my next communique will come Monday evening after I pick up Pastor Ron at the airport. I look forward to my meetings and time with him. We both made up "to talk about" lists and it was pretty amazing the number of items we have in common on our lists.

Wishing you all a good weekend.

Joyful Spirit group

People will do anything to get a good photo..that's Jaimie up the ladder taking a shot of his group
Blessings to one and all
Debbie

Hello all: A dull gray cloudy day all day today with rain drizzling down from time to time. I just wanted to stay snuggled in bed..but alas the active team I am with did not make that possible.

The morning was filled with various activities and before I knew it the time to head to LCJ to pick up the crew working there was upon us. It took a while to leave as Lori it seemed bade a personal good bye to all of the kids and the staff. She, Julie and the others sure connected with the kids and you could tell they were sad to see them go.

I took the team on a short circular tour of a section of PAP so the newcomers could get a sense of the city and also to see the impact of the earthquake first hand. Luckily the rains held off and we only got a little spray from time to time. We enjoyed lunch at the Epi Dor bakery/fast food place. It is still going strong.

On the way home we returned to LCJ as Gladys has a little gift for everyone..she said I whisked them away too quickly in the morning. She was most appreciative of all of the work the team did and even forgave them for the shocking pink dining area!

Someone asked about school opening. The latest projection is for April 5.......this is yet to be confirmed. I will let you know when I get any more information. Clovis and I talked about the pros and cons of using tents, the trauma the teachers are experiencing and their instilling fear into the kids who have been less affected, plans for safety/evacuation-emergency planning to share with the kids and teachers.....in the meantime we wait.

The internet was down all day due to the overcast skies and I was thinking I may get a night off from writing. However I said I would go and try it one last time and wouldn't you know it ....up popped the page. But I am going to keep it short tonight.

The team is off tomorrow AM and I will welcome Wilner for the weekend. He is hoping to arrive early so he can meet the gang before we take them to the airport.

That's all for this evening..have a good weekend one and all,

Debbie

Hello once again: Another day has flown by with much accomplished.

1. Sent the various teams off to their work sites.....Little Children of Jesus and the school.
2. Showed the school team the cracks in the walls that needed repairing and escorted Rebecca to my office where she cleaned and re-stocked shelves.
3. Caught up with the Mayor of Ganthier and now hold the signed letter authorizing our building for the health center in my hands. He was very pleased with the donation of rice and plastic sheeting that I delivered yesterday. I pray it will be given to those in need.
4. Returned to the school to meet up with Clovis to discuss various school related items
5. Met up with Dr Randy Smith (from Pittman Park Methodist church in Statesboro Ga) and his team at the Hotel Concorde where they had been staying while working at Hopital Eben Ezer. Despite a few hiccoughs along the way, they had a good week and saw over 700 patients in the 3 1/2 days they held clinics.
6. Gave the team a tour of Little Children of Jesus and ended up running a mini clinic for their staff. It was Glady's first day back (she looks like a new person.....the rest obvioulsy did her good) and we created quite a stir for her but she was so grateful for the care provided to her staff.
7. Made a quick visit to Marie's .......they have had a police escort all week (their Haitian friend felt it would be good to have the extra security) and this fellow was very nervous having them roam our neighbourhood and he wanted them to get a move on. To us it was no different than normal but we cut it short and got everyone moving. News at Marie's.....she has moved the girls to their new sleeping quarters she has created at the back of the churchyard. She had all new showers and Latrines built for them. The yard is still quite the mess but now at least there is no danger of the ruined building falling on them.
8. Stopped at Hope House to recieve the large donation of drugs and supplies that Randy and crew were leaving behind for me to divide between VOH and any other organizations that could use it. I managed to help them as they needed some Cipro of which I had a small supply left behind by the last team.
9. Booked Randy's return to VOH with his team for a medical clinic in October
10. Heated and served up dinner...a delicious Haitian boullion (stew) filled with plantain, yams, potatoes, carrot, militon and other good stuff.
11. Did a laundry
12. Participated in devotion time with the team...perfectly timed as the rain started coming down just as we finished......I am so happy thinking that our staff and their families were staying a little drier thanks to the generosity of so many back home.
13. Sold some greeting cards and book marks
14. Finally..sending off this missive to you.

One of the team highlights for today was music time with Jorel. While cleaning up the depot the other day, I found a bag with various percussion type instruments in it....tambourines, triangles and sticks, marachies and other. I thought the kids would love having them to shake, rattle and clang as Jorel played the accordian. The crew took the bag along with them today and sure enought the kids LOVED it. Apparently it was quite a lively session. We will have to wait for the team pictures in order to see them in action as unfortunately I was elsewhere when they had music hour.

Instead I attach a picture of Dr Randy and team unloading the generous gift of drugs and supplies left for us.....how Blessed we are.

and with that...I bid you a fond goodnight.
Debbie

Hello all.....welcome to March 3 the second time around....it seems I got dates mixed up and gave yesterday's report as March 3 instead of the 2. ....kinda like ground hog day except my activities for March 3 the second, are different than March 3 the first.....are you totally confused??

Highlights of the day for the newcomers on the team was their visit to Food for the Poor. Despite all of the inconveniences the staff are facing due to repair work going on they have still been gracious and welcoming. The wharehouse is full and getting fuller...normally they empty about 40 - 40' containers a week but this week they are expecting approx. 66 containers to come.....but still as fast as it comes in a lot of it goes out just as quickly. Those fellows sure have their work cut out for them. We had a quick visit to the medical clinic and then we went to the feeding center. They continue to provide meals for approx 1,200 families (average 5 people) that means 6,000 people per day. They were just getting started to serve as we were going through, so Rebecca, Cheryl and Eric jumped in and helped to serve for a while. Rebecca and Cheryl couldn't believe how tiring it was on their arm muscle scooping the rice. Today they got beans sauce with the rice.

Food in preparation to be served to the 1200 families

Rebecca and Cheryl serving up for the grateful recipients.

I asked it they had more people coming as a result of the earthquake. Mme Daudier said it was up and down...as people hear about dry food distributions going on they will run to take advantage of those but when that food runs out they come back. Some have migrated out of the city or to areas further away that make it difficult for them to come by. Never the less there are still plenty waiting to be served.

While we did that the others got to work at Hope House and at the orphanage....the peach coloured dining room at the LCJ is now a vibrant like neon pink.....and they even had the original can of paint with them when they went to purchase it. However the folks at the orphanage are happy and it sure brightens up the place. The crew at Hope House led by Christophe is making good progress with the wall or at least with getting the new base made for it. The poles are already installed...thanks to the assembly line they got going to prepare the re-bar.

Rebecca joined me for the rest of the morning after we dropped folks off at Little Children of Jesus after our tour of FFTP. We delivered some rice, and plastic sheeting to the Mayor in Ganthier, well actually to his asst. He had an "emergency" and couldn't wait for the appointed time for my arrival....that was a bit of a frustration. So back I go tomorrow morning to hopefully get the letter signed. We passed by the Ministry health center so I could show Rebecca and I learned that the nurse I had worked so well with is no longer working there...apparently some money they recieved for her salary was no longer available. I met the new nurse today. I'll be anxious to see how it goes with her once we get going again with our services at the school.

We dropped by the school to pick up some vitamins for the Randy Smith crew. They were still as busy as ever when we stopped by to drop off the pills. They are pleased with how the week has gone thus far......that's a relief for me as it was a bit of an experiment setting them up at Hospital Eben Ezer. Tomorrow I will pick them up and take them to LCJ and to Marie's. We'll have fun juggling vehicles and chaufffeurs but it should all work out.

Didn't hear much on the news today other than AA airlines celebrating 30 years of flying to Haiti and that the airport is supposedly back to normal operations...I guess I 'll see when I take the crew there on Sat. Air France is now flying in and Air Canada is supposed to start next week.

and there you have it for March the 3rd #2.

have a restful night all
Debbie

Greetings:

Another busy but fruitful day filled with the following activities:
. one part of the team stayed behind at Hope House and helped Christophe begin work on repair to the section of wall by the workshop area......they used their saws to cut the old blocks so that came down pretty easy. Next they found out most of the base rocks were loose so that was all pulled apart. Holes were dug for the news posts and Christophe started crafting the posts themselves. Other tasks accomplished....a new toilet purchased and installed; shopped for water heaters...we will order one from the US and ship via FFTP...they were more than twice what it could be purchased for in the US; Filters were cleaned for the AC units.
. the team taken to LCJ helped feed the children, washed dishes, had craft time and physiotherapy also took place. The fellows in the group painted, cleaned walls and tried to fix door knobs. I left them there in Jorel's good hands.
. I proceeded to deliver vitamins to the Dr Randy Smith team who are doing clinics at Hopital Eben Ezer just outside of Croix des Bouquets. That group has things down pat and they were working away like a well oiled machine when I got there. It was so good to see Randy, Lin, Lois, Nancy, Maria, Eldonna and to meet several new members they had with them. I will be taking them to LCJ and Marie's on Thursday so will have more time to visit with them then. Following that I dropped off some medical supplies and I was able to scrounge for the MSPP maternite center in Croix des Bouquets. From there I attended a UCS coordinating meeting led by our Dept Director Dr Vital Herne.
I was glad to be there to get the lay of the land. They are working hard to try and get all of the aid agencies working in our UCS organized and coordinated so that folks are not overlapping services or that health initiatives are being carried out in a unified and organized manner....such as vaccination campaigns they are carrying out in the camps.
I learned there are 116 camps but not all of them "official" as many of them are family or neighbourhood groupings. There are 37 of the official camps and that is where many of their efforts are going. Ganthier is in a bit of a no man's land at the moment as far as all of the earthquake relief efforts are going. Action is in Croix des Bouquets not only for the damage done in the area, but also that so many people have migrated from the City Center to the areas in CdB. On the other side, efforts are going on in Fond Parisien and Malpasse which are the two areas closest to the border. They have the camp set up at Love a Child for the repatriation of injured people from the DR.
. I did put in a word though for support for us re psychological care for the students and teachers at the school and note was taken of that by Dr VH. He is expecting some physicians from the US and/or can request some help from others within Haiti. Plan International has done training of young people in CdB and were willing to consider doing some training for a number of our students....once they have things settled in CdB......we'll see what happens but I will keep checking from time to time. I was really glad I went and will try to go each week as they have planned to meet each Tues from 10-12.
. Just before leaving the meeting I grabbed Dr VH and just gave him a heads up that we were still planning the clinic and got the go ahead from the Mayor. He is interested in coming out to visit us once things have settled down. He didn't have anything to add when I asked about any reorganizing of health care services following the earthquake. He is still supportive of us going ahead.
.Then it was back to Hope House for a late lunch and a little computer work before heading out to pick up the team and take them to the metal workers shops in CdB. Once again I managed to drop a few gourdes as I walked around with the gang (folks in Hamilton...some of it is for next year's silent auction).

We are all thankful this evening for divine intervention which had Brien being taken to the hospital in Ft Lauderdale instead of traveling on with the team. It seems he has had a heart attack and word we got today was that his heart was functioning at 35% capacity and he was headed for some special tests / treatment tomorrow. I would not want to have had to take care of all of that in Haiti. I am sorry he is sick and pray for a speedy recovery but if he had to be sick I am doubly thankful that he is in the US and not here.

I've reorganized our schedule for the next two days in order for the team to be able to accomplish it's goals...which is helping me!

I feel a bit tuckerd out this evening, so I will quit here for tonight and will head for be bed ...once the breakfast items are organized.

all the best,
Debbie

Howdy:

It has been a whirlwind day for me and felt my head spinning by the end of it. I was happy to be able to come and "hide out" in the office and enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet. Today was pay day and distribution of the tarps and other supplies for the staff. I was busy with medical calls while Helene handed out the pays and the team passed out the other items. They said the staff seemed pleased with their goodie bags...especially the tarps. We had a very brief meeting before hand. The teachers are still very concerned about going back into the buildings if school opens. One suggested that we look at adding a second staircase to faciliate quick exit from the second floor if necessary....I thought it was a rather reasonable request and will add it to items to discuss with Ron next week. Another was for psychological preparation for both the teachers and the students. I responded that we were trying to find resources and also share the observation that the kids at the school did not seem to be as traumatized as kids in PAP seem to be or maybe in a different way. We will also have to plan for "safety/evacuation lessons for staff and students....something to discuss with Clovis.

The men "saved me" this AM. I walked into the small depot and heard water running where it wasn't supposed to be. I quickly called one of the gents to come have a look see and I ran and turned off the generator as it has the pump going full force. They also turned off the valve to the main water pipe. After the goodies were handed out they fixed the pvc pipe which had broken in two spots...maybe hit by one of the boxes that was being stored in the shower stall. Of course this caused more work because all of the soaking wet cartons had to be removed and the rice packets put into new boxes...of which we had plenty from handing out the gallons of water that had been boxed.

Then is was more plumbing duty fixing a clogged toilet bowl and checking out others that had shifed with the earth tremors. The ladies re-organized the depot as once again it was in dissarray after things were moved to take down the damaged wall.

All of this......before lunch. Needless to say my morning flew by as I was called in many different directions. This afternoon we visited Little Children of Jesue and Maire's. A number of duffel bags containing supplies for LCJ were dropped off and the team will unpack them tomorrow. The "returnees" were so impressed with the compound as they were seeing the new orphange for the first time. It really is a step or two above the house they used to rent. I was impressed by seeing the reaction of the kids to seeing Julie and her team mates arrive. They are obviously well remembered and loved. The radiant smiles and beaming faces of the kids was so heartwarming. They may be handicapped and not able to express themselves as we do but they sure were able to share their message of happiness at seeing Julie and the others in their own way.

We got the work plan for tomorrow organized at LCJ and then headed off for a visit to Marie's. She met us on the road so we pulled into the church yard and she showed us the work going on there...new latrines and showers built, removal of the old building continuing and preparation of the temporary sleeping quarters for the girls...former depot/sewing room and kindergarden classroom. Then we walked over to the house and had a wee visit with the girls.

Back at Hope House the team was anxious to "get to work" so I had them clean up the rubble from our downed wall from our next door neighbour's bean field. All of the potholes within one or two city blocks distance from Hope House are now filled.

For several fellows on the team this is their 9 year visiting VOH and they have been the handymen doing many tasks around the House and at the school. I am like a sponge soaking up all of what they are telling me....about plumbing, water heaters and all sorts of other little details that are good to know.

Marie France Elien and Jn Robert Gossin both primary school teachers receiving their donation of water.

The last remnants of Grace Mission Church

with that I will bid you goodnight.
Debbie