Back in Haïti

 

April 24th, 2011

Home, sweet home. Believe it or not, the transition back into America is always more difficult than going back to Haïti. Our friends in Haiti always seem happy for us to be back and they make a point of telling us so. Sometimes I go on “social overload,” but it’s still great to feel so loved.

Church service this morning was extra special, after missing 3 weeks and today being Easter, to boot. I was the recipient of many hugs. I got to see Maestro’s wife, bursting at the seams, with the baby due any time now. Her feet are very swollen, so I told her that she really should keep them up when she’s sitting. Her response, “In the church??? Madame!!!!!” And she had a good laugh at my expense.  I got to see Esther Gabriel’s baby for the first time. Esther is Pastor Bauvais’ daughter, who offered his yard to us when we first started the church. Nearly everyone in Grand-Goâve will call on him when they face a great difficulty, as he is a man known for believing in the power of prayer.

Before I totally move onto Haïti updates, our family would like to thank Len and Cherylann Gengel for the incredible hospitality they extended to us during our time in the US. They wined and dined us to the point that we didn’t want to eat any more! We especially enjoyed our two-night stay at the log home that Len built in New Hampshire. Absolutely beautiful!

This home overlooks a lake with the White Mountains appearing in the distance!

I also want to say how thrilled I am to have gotten a new keyboard for my laptop, which enables me to once again type all those French letters … é è ë ï ò ç etc. Sometimes it just doesn’t take much to make my day. 

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A team from Forward in Health joined us this past week for a clinic at our school in Thozin. It’s always a blessing when we can bring health care to the community, so we are grateful for that.

A trio from Be Like Brit arrived on Thursday. Len Gengel, Brit’s dad and president of BLB, Chris Stoddard, excavation expert, and Patrick Kalagher, engineer, are here for one week. It’s an exciting time for BLB, as they prepare to start iron and cement work for the footings of their building.

MOHI has started demolition and excavation for the new school and auditorium in Thozin. We are replacing the quake-damaged buildings, as well as expanding to accommodate our growing student body. The more students we find sponsors for, the more students we can accept into our schools. So, please join us in spreading the word that MOHI does have a child sponsorship program that helps hundreds (over 800 right now) of children go to school, where they receive a hot, nutritious meal each day and one of the best educations available in the Grand-Goâve/Petit-Goâve school district.

Since BLB and MOHI are building large buildings at the same time, in very close proximity to one another, we have had the opportunity to share many resources with each other. With Patrick’s arrival this week, we now have an engineer on the ground to ensure that our new structure is solid, just as BLB’s will be.

At MOHI, we are all very excited about starting up on this huge project, knowing that God will be working with us and through us, to see it to completion. The end result being, children in a safe environment to learn, a space large enough to accommodate the MOHI church and, during dangerous times of flooding from tropical storms and hurricanes, a solid structure for the community to seek refuge in.

Not only do we want to speak the words the Lord would put in our hearts and in our mouths, but we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the people of Haiti. He said “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) We want to be able to say this to our neighbors in times of difficulty, too.

Our 3-month road construction/repair project has come to an end. It was a great success and we are so thrilled to have been a part of it. Thousands of people with no jobs were able to work and their communities have benefited greatly by new roads that were created, connecting their villages to the national road.

We are forever grateful to God for sending us many faithful friends and partners who support MOHI. We appreciate your prayers and financial support, as well as your willingness to share with your friends, families and business associates about what MOHI is accomplishing in Haïti today. I also want to encourage you to consider coming to visit us in Haïti. We have decent accommodations for about 20 people. Why not witness first hand and also physically have a part in helping Haïti? Write to me, Renée for more information! (Did you notice the é in my name???)

I hope you all have a great week. Be like Jesus … go around doing good!

Moving Forward

 

April 17th, 2011

The Edme family is all in Massachusetts right now. Lex is returning to Grand-Goave tomorrow. We’ve had a great time here, accomplished a lot and are ready to get back to our “normal” routine in Haiti. 

Even though WE have been gone, all the projects continue to move forward. Payroll for 1000 workers took place without us. What an accomplishment that was! We’re so proud of our staff for working together and managing the crowd control. The workers, of course, are thrilled to have earned some good money this month. We are so thrilled to see how well the road project went. It was definitely a win-win situation. The mountain villages now have access by vehicle and people who never knew how they would manage to feed their children have EARNED money.Children are being fed and parents have received a booster shot of self-esteem. The World Food Program has requested that we work on another project. Our staff is working on the proposal now. Your prayers are appreciated, as writing these projects is pretty intense. It’s all done in French, which means Renee is not a part of it. God continues to provide and open doors!!!

The first permanent structure ever constructed at MOHI was demolished last week. It was definitely a bitter-sweet moment. The chapel has survived many harsh hurricanes, but it was badly damaged during the earthquake. Its demolition seems to mark the end of one era and the beginning of a new one. The number of people attending church at MOHI has more than tripled over the past year and the chapel would no longer suffice to house our services. But the biggest news, is that we have received a significant grant, enabling us to begin construction of a new school building. The school will be housed on two levels, with a “community room” planned for a third level. This room is planned seat 2500 people and will be a multi-purpose room – school assemblies, church services, community events and a shelter during hurricanes and such.

While we are willing to do whatever our hands find to do, I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see the team of professionals that are working pro-bono on the school project: Paul Fallon, architect (Boston), and Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, an engineering firm (Boston), with Len Gengel 29-year builder and owner of C&S Construction (Worcester) on the ground in Haiti. I’ll tell you what, this new school will be built using the latest standards, designed to withstand earthquakes. It’s a new day for construction at MOHI.

We’re pleased to see the Hands and Feet Project progressing with plans to build an orphanage for the 31 children we have been caring for. The mountain land did not produce enough water to sustain an orphanage, so they have purchased another property. It’s located about 10 minutes up the main road from the Thozin school, so it will be convenient for the kids. A well has been drilled and is producing adequate water for the new orphanage.

The Be Like Brit orphanage also has a new well, which is producing enough water, too. All the trenches for footings have been dug and they are planning to start bending iron and pouring concrete in the next week or two. Again, it’s always wonderful to see organizations come to Grand-Goave and not only provide care for orphans, but also to provide jobs to people willing to work. Our city is blessed more and more, day by day.

The Political Climate in Haiti

Monday, April 4th, the CEP announced the preliminary results of the presidential and congressional elections.  The popular Haitian musician/performer Michel "Sweet Mickey" Martelly came out on top, defeating 70 year old, former first lady, Mme. Mirlande Manigat.  In general the population was very happy with the results, knowing that they had indeed overwhelmingly voted for him.  The country has stayed relatively calm.

In Grand-Goave, however, there have been difficulties.  The congressional race was very heated and very close all along.  The incumbent, Marcel Lumerent, lost to his opponent, the 2nd mayor of Grand-Goave, Franck Laporte.  This week has been marked with unrest in our little city.  Marcel Lumerent supporters blocked the only road that goes from the southern peninsula to the city of Port-au-Prince.  The UN, and CIMO (speacial police force from Port-au-Prince, with a reputation for beating any men they find in the street - sometimes women, too) came to unblock the street, only to find it blocked again at a different location.  They stayed to patrol the streets, which keeps people at home.

This kind of activity, obviously, interrupts daily life for the people in Grand-Goave.  Our office has been closed, schools closed, construction stopped, projects suspended and payrolls held up.  We are glad that we finished food distributions PRIOR to this announcement!

Please pray for our city and especially for the candidates, who have the ability to end these activities.  Pray for their hearts to be supple, so that they will listen to godly wisdom.  After a week in the US, Lex is scheduled to return to Haiti on Monday with a small group from Be Like Brit.  It is our desire that the work they have to do next week can move forward as planned.

Construction

The Be Like Brit organization, which is working in Haiti under the umbrella of MOHI, started digging the footings for their orphanage project this week after laying out the building over the weekend.  It's always great to see people working, knowing that their children will be eating better for the duration.  At least 66 children will one day call this beautiful, B-shaped building, home.

Construction on the Forward in Health medical clinic, near les Cayes, has started up again.  Woohoo!!!  Construction had halted after the earthquake last year, as resources and energies were focused on relief efforts.  Forward in Health had a surgical team in Haiti a week after the quake struck and a second one shortly after that.  They have sent teams in since then, one of them was a special trip to repair a leg fracture for Andre.  He and his wife's twins were born while they were living at the Mission of Hope, having lost their home in the quake.  Andre is walking once again, thanks to FIH going the extra mile for their patient.

I'm all excited about Drex and Jo "moving in."  :)  Drex and Jo work with the Hands and Feet Project  and directed their orphange in Jacmel for several (maybe 5?) years.  Papa Drex and Mama Jo are truly some of the most kind hearted people I know.  They will be spending the next 6 months or so overseeing construction of the new Hands and Feet orphanage in Icondo, Grand-Goâve.  The 31 kids that we've been caring for over the past 2 years will have a beautiful new home up there.

After spending the better part of the past 25 years working in Haiti, it almost goes without saying that Drex knows how to do almost everything!  I wouldn't call him a handyman, but rather a MASTER handyman!  He oversaw all of the construction in Jacmel and they have a very beautiful campus there now.

For me, I like that when I bring up any "Haitian" situation, Drex and Jo already understand most of the implications, without me having to explain anything.  There is a camaraderie and understanding amongst us.

Together with Mission of Hope International, The Hands and Feet Project, Forward in Health and Be Like Brit will bring many more jobs to this country now and in the future.  I truly believe that change for the better is inevitable.  The best is yet to come!!!

HAITI 1942

Interesting look at Haiti pre-Duvalier Regime.

Anniversary Over (Phew!)

Yesterday I figured I was expected to share my thoughts about January 12th, 2010 and what we went through that day.  I struggled with it all day and into the night, right up until I went to bed.  And then I went to bed and said goodnight to the Anniversary without having shared anything about it.

No, I choose not to dwell on the horrors of that day.  We’ve all seen our fill of video footage and still shots from the earthquake in Haiti.  I’ve cried enough tears and felt enough heartache to last for years to come.  There was so much damage done to this country that I can’t imagine it being cleaned up and repaired any time soon.  I will, instead, share a little about where we went from there. 

I know there is still so much work to be done, but I can testify to the fact that there HAS been work going on here in Grand-Goâve.  Besides the “regular” work that we do here at Mission of Hope (educating about 900 students, feeding them, caring for 31 orphans, farming projects, mobile medical clinics, church services, training and outreaches…) we have participated in the following relief activities:

• Distribution of 500 metric tons of rice, beans and oil.  Every family in the city of Grand-Goâve received food from these distributions.
• Distribution of a shipping container of Kids Against Hunger food.
• Distribution of 2 ½ shipping containers of clothing and household items.
• Distribution of 2000 tarps
• Distribution of 300 tents
• Distribution of 500 sanitation kits
• Distribution of 600 kitchen kits
• Demolition of 10 rooms at the school/orphanage
• Demolition of wall at school/orphanage
• Demolition of 2 visitor’s buildings, all walls and pavilion at missionary compound
• Reconstruction of 3 rooms at the school
• Walls reconstructed at school/orphanage
• 3 large room wooden transitional structure built for orphans
• Walls reconstructed at the missionary compound
• Bath house constructed at missionary compound
• Visitor housing constructed at missionary compound
• Pavilion constructed at missionary compound
• Storage building constructed at the school in St. Etienne

Church attendance has increased by 300% in the past year at Mission of Hope.  We have also provided jobs to hundreds of individuals.  We have just started a road project that will provide jobs (money and food) to over 900 people.  The Hands and Feet Project has started building the orphanage that will house the 31 children in our care.  Besides taking care of the needs of these children, this has already provided close to 100 people with employment and will provide much more before the building is done.  The Be Like Brit organization has started another orphanage which is also providing hundreds of people with jobs during construction, and a good number of permanent positions in the long term.

You may already realize this, but most of the problems in Haiti would be eliminated, or at least curbed, if there were not an unemployment rate of over 70%.  Imagine the economic impact of an additional 50% employment...

Think about Jean, as an example.  He is married with 5 children, ages 2 months - 10 years.  He has a small plot of land that he farms.  His wife, Lili, helps in the garden and takes care of the children.  When he was courting Lili he promised her the moon and the stars.  Now, he avoids her altogether, because all she  seems to do is complain that she needs money.  

The kids run around naked and always seem to be screaming and crying.  Jean knows they get sick a lot because they are so malnourished, but he doesn't bring in enough money to feed them well enough to be healthy.  Lili wants the kids to go to school, but he doesn't have money to buy notebooks, pencils, sneakers, uniforms and everything else required to go to school...never mind the money the school charges itself.  He realizes that he can't do this for even one of his kids.  How will he ever send 5 kids to school?   It's hopeless.

Jean prefers to hang out with the guys down at the corner of their street.  It keeps him from having to face the pain of his loved ones all the time.  Besides, he enjoys playing dominos with Jojo, Jacques and Louis.  None of them have anything better to do, because none of them have jobs.  While they play dominoes they talk.  There are only two things they ever talk about beyond the local gossip, politics and soccer.  

These days the political discussion revolves around the earthquake and wondering where the president was after it happened.  They hear about all this money being sent to help them, but they don't see it.  It's just not right.  Where's it all going?  Why isn't the president doing something about this.  After a while, they leave the dominoes to talk with the other men in the area about what they should do.  Certainly there has to be justice and since they aren't accustomed to finding justice in a court of law, they decide it's up to them to provide it.  They are, after all, still men.  It's up to them to do something to change the system.  Right?

We wake up to hear the news that Haiti is rioting again.  We wonder, "Why can't they do the things the way WE do???  WE don't have rioting all the time!"

In the meantime, Lili is terrified.  She doesn't know where her husband is.  She may be mad at him for not taking good care of her and the children, but at least he comes home at night..

Using some common sense and considering this brief glimpse into Jean's life, I could say that providing jobs has the potential to positively affect virtually every aspect of the average Haitian's life...political stability, health and relationships of family units, and a tax system could be implemented so that the government could build an infrastructure for the country (clean water, waste management, roads, electricity...)

This was a very long way of saying... At Mission of Hope, we are working to promote our communities in order to bring jobs to those who can work.  We have about 900 children and youth in our schools right now. What will they do with the education they are receiving?  Will they sit home, refusing to work in the garden or sell wares because it's below their education level?  Or will they find that Grand-Goâve and Leogane are areas with many opportunities to work in companies and organizations that are helping to make a new Haiti?

Yes, I choose to see HOPE for a bright future for the kids growing up at Mission of Hope!

Work, Work, Work

Cheryl "CHEL" Finn has been here with a medical team (they call themselves G3) for almost a week now.  They have conducted several clinics at the mission in Thozin and two in the mountains of St. Etienne.  They helped people with small problems and chronic illnesses alike.  They even did an eyeglass clinic.  Just awesome!  I've seen people just fall apart because they can't see well.  So many people were helped that would not have gotten the chance to go to the hospital.  Yesterday the medical team had the opportunity to do some village ministry nearby the guest house.  They gave things away to grown ups and were mobbed by kids!  Such fun!  Today they are heading to Port-au-Prince to head back home.  Praying the snow will take its time getting into New York City.

Chris Youell uploaded a video he put together of his trip to Haiti last week.  I'm amazed.  It captures so much of what is experienced in a trip to Mission of Hope International.  Click here to watch for yourself.

Woody Pierre is definitely fun-loving!

Len, Bernie, Ross, Chrissy, Susan and Alexa took their leave of us yesterday.  They were here long enough (18 days) and spent enough time in my office that their absence will be noticed.  I especially enjoyed observing Len and relating to Bernie and I will miss both.  Ross...we told him he is a missionary.  He just seemed like a natural, swinging kids around and ready to do whatever needed to be done.  Len came up with a term.  He says he's a Britionary (he's in Haiti working for Brit).

The Be Like Brit team left Gama here with us.  It'll be really nice to have him around again.  We are hoping to get the rest of his family down for a visit in a couple of months.

I want to encourage you today to consider visiting Mission of Hope International, in Grand-Goâve, Haïti.  There are so many people to help, projects to work on, music to be sung and children to be hugged.  AND, there's warm sunshine and NO SNOW!!! :-)

We will be starting a joint project with the World Food Program on Thursday.  We will be repairing 15 km of road going up into the mountains of Icondo where the Hands and Feet Project is building an orphanage for the 31 children in our care.  Over 900 jobs will be created by this project, giving people an opportunity to earn both food and money to care for their families.  Working also builds self esteem, as opposed to begging which tears it down.  We're very excited about this project.  We received delivery of tools earlier today, hundreds of rakes, wheelbarrows, picks...  There's going to be a LOT of work getting done!

This morning the Sturbridge Worship Center team is at the school having some piñata fun with the preschool  and lower grade classes.  This afternoon they should be helping to start on some more transitional shelters for our neighbors in Thozin.  They are scheduled to leave tomorrow, again, if the weather allows it.

Approaching Anniversary

As January 12th approaches, I am noticing many reminders of last year.  A week ago I was heading to Port-au-Prince and passed by a place on the side of the road where they sell furniture.  I've been by there many times over the past year, but for some reason this time it was a deja vous moment.  Maike, Will, Stuart and a group from Sturbridge Worship Center were arriving that day.  The same date they'd arrived the previous year.  I recalled that I bought furniture to put under the "choukoun" (a grass roofed, round pavilion that is central to our missionary compound) that same day last year.  While Maike, Will and Stuart were here, the earthquake struck.

For me, December 31st brought with it the beginning of the one year anniversary of the most terrifying moment in my life.  This past week, we survivors have been reliving those days through little memories that we share...sometimes laughing and sometimes shaking our heads in disbelief.  We talk about the difficulties we've had since.  I'd never realized how much airports shake until after the earthquake.  Yesterday a loud truck was approaching the office and I was ready to run out the door.  Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that my mind and body are still conditioned to run for tremors.  I must admit, it was comforting to talk with Maike and hear her talking about similar moments in her own life.  I wonder if that day is now a permanent part of who I am.  It can be far removed from my mind for weeks and return in full and living color by a simple sound or vibration.

This morning Alexis was telling Len about the interview we found online a few weeks ago on Fox News.  I was being interviewed a few days after the quake.  In the middle of the interview I disappeared.  Alexis falls over laughing about it.  I had such a reputation among the people in the office for running for EVERY tremor.

You have to understand, I was on my computer in the yard the day after the quake and everyone that passed by wanted to either talk or use the computer.  I was getting about 300 emails a day and trying to figure out which end was up.  So, 2 days after the quake I returned to my office.  At that time we were still experiencing at least 10 tremors per hour and I was very aware that buildings were still falling down all over the place.  When a tremor begins, it sounds like a distant thunder that grows louder and louder and then it hits.  You never know if it will be sustained or if it will be just a little one.  Consequently, as soon as I heard the noise, I would always run out the door - FAST!!!

Pastor Kevin Groder made several trips to be with us after the earthquake.  I wonder if we would have survived without him.  Our desks were set up in such a way that there was just one small space to pass through between the desks.  He often would sit in a manner that blocked part of that space.  A tremor hit and I was plowing into/through him.  Now, for those of you who don't know Pastor Kevin, he is six something and "Buff" (as Paula puts it) - he's very muscular.  I realized after that I could have hurt him or myself, but worse than that, he kept me from being able to get out of the building.  I rearranged my office that night and put his desk on the other side of the room, leaving a wide path to reach the door of escape.

Yesterday we had a meeting with some folks on the second floor of the guest house.  Maike let me know that she'd determined her route of escape on her way up the stairs.  She would either jump onto the metal roof of the bath house or onto a nearby palm tree.  After the meeting she looked at the roof and said, "Hmmm.  It's a little farther than I thought." I think that everyone who survived the earthquake plans their route of escape when entering a building for the first time.

The media will be talking a lot about Haiti next week.  This country is in a big mess right now.  I pray that God would reveal the solutions to the problems to people that have influence in this country and who will help us to move into a new era.  A time of redeveloping a country with a plan...to build an infrastructure to support the almost 10 million people living here...to provide a way out of the desolation so many have been trapped in...that God would open the eyes of our understanding.  Sometimes people trust in their own abilities so much that simple things elude us.  One little insight from heaven can change this whole nation.  If I depend on my own reasoning, I would ask "Where is the hope?"  The hope is not in mankind alone, but in God working through mankind.  "Lord, here am I.  Send me."

As I think about my life and ask "Why am I here?"  I am reminded of a passage from Mark 8.  I encourage you to look at your life through different eyes today.  "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."  That's from the Bible in Mark 8:35-38.  I can't save my own life and neither can you.  I do believe though, that when I "lose" my life, it is then that I find it.

Waka Waka and Group Activities

Yesterday was the grand finale for our annual Christian Leadership Academy.  It was a great time of worship, healing, teaching, encouragement and hearing from God.


Chris Youell took some video footage while he was here last week.  He posted the girls from the orphanage doing a fun dance at the New Year's Eve Celebration.  We call it the Waka Waka Dance.  Follow this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZBtqr0FDgg to watch it on YouTube.  The big girl is our daughter Alexis - their coach. :-)  Chris, Joy, Kyle, Danielle and Dave worked on painting the dorm rooms each morning and then often conducted fun activities for the orphans in the afternoons.  Here's a picture they took of the project.

The Hands and Feet Project has dug trenches for the new building for "our" kids here in Grand-Goâve.  We are anticipating the arrival of our friends, Drex and Jo Stuart, who will be overseeing the construction site later this month.  We look forward to working together with them.  Until the foundation construction begins, the kids are enjoying playing in the trenches, as you see here.

 I'm so pleased to see the progress that the Be Like Brit organization   is making.  They have leveled their lot and cut a long driveway to get to the orphanage.  The view is beautiful up there!  Here's a picture they took of Duke at the end of his long work day.

After breakfast this morning we will meet with our German connection, Maike Kraft, our Board member Dan Lee, the president of Be Like Brit, Len Gengel, and Architect Paul Fallon, who has been designing some incredible buildings for Forward in Health, Forward in Hope, Be Like Brit and Mission of Hope International.  We will be focusing on plans to reconstruct the Mission's schools, but I suspect we'll come away from the meeting with many insights and ideas for moving forward.


Today is a day off for our teams.  Normally we would go to a beach in Jacmel or Port Salut, but as Lex and I talked about it we decided we need to "stay home."  Cholera is rampant in both those areas and without having any control over the sanitary conditions in the kitchens we don't want to chance the health of the team members. So, it looks like a beach day at Mission of Hope with some boat rides to the island.  It will still be a fun filled day for everyone.

Electricity, Christian Leadership Academy and BLB

We had electricity 24/7 for like 4 days.  It was awesome!  Yesterday we were without electricity again at 1PM.  I was hoping that they'd decided to give it all the time again, like before the earthquake.  Nevertheless, I am so grateful for having electricity for at least 80% of every day.  I remember how we used to cheer (the whole city did, actually) every time they gave electricity.  Sometimes we would go months with NO electricity.  What a treat it was to be able to go to bed with a fan on.

We are embarking on a new project with our friends at Sirona Cares.  We will be bringing electricity for lights and charging cell phones to people in remote areas where there is currently no public electricity available.  It is a sustainable plan and we will be starting soon with 6 pilot projects.  Lex and I are really excited about how this can transform neighborhoods all over the country...no more having to buy kerosene for the lamp or walking hours to charge a cell phone.  Business opportunities will spring up, as well, which is critical for the development of this country.

Yesterday our annual Christian Leadership Academy began.  It runs through Wednesday.  We have a lot of really cool speakers: Dan Lee, Scott Lee, Stuart Rankin, Jason, Maike...

I translated a few new songs for the event.  The worship team learned one of them, "Revelation Song."  This is such an awesome song.  Alexis taught the group and they sang it last night and tonight.  So pretty!  I was very involved in the music ministry prior to the earthquake, after which my other responsibilities increased and I never got back to being on the team.  What's really cool though, is that Alexis stepped up her commitment and has become the anchor that I once was.  I'm very proud of her, not only for her ability, but for her strong sense of commitment.  A couple of weeks ago, she gave up going to a concert in order to be at a rehearsal.  She knew most of the people wouldn't show up for rehearsal, but she wanted to make sure she wasn't at fault.

Our "Be Like Brit" friends started bull dozing their driveway yesterday.  It was a very exciting moment, as they have been anticipating beginning construction up there since September.  Today they are working on the land itself.  It's such a beautiful spot.  Len brought me up there today on the "mule."  A very appropriate name for this little 4WD ATV with a mini truck bed in the back. It's really neat to watch all this going on here in our town.  I'm really excited about all the jobs that this project will create, too.  I'll be thrilled to see the people of Grand-Goâve too busy to sit around playing dominoes and planning political demonstrations.  :)

My Sunday and the Politics I Don't Get Involved In

This morning I had the privilege of translating for Dan Lee at church.  I so did not want to do it.  It's a lot of work and I was feeling lazy.  I asked our nephew Gamaniel to do it and said "I think you can do it, Mom."  Thanks, Gama.  :) After just a few minutes, I was so pumped and happy to be doing it.  Amazing.  It was hardly work at all today.  Great message, too!


We had lots of people for lunch today at the guest house.  I would say at least 50.  Len grilled burgers for us and OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH were they good!!!


My husband loves to take people out on the boat.  He usually with take a short spin just to make sure everything is functioning properly.  Well, in his excitement, he forgot to check the gas and had to row all the way back in.  Oops!


Four folks came in to be with BLB today, just in time to start using the bulldozer tomorrow!  Chel came with a group of 8 women who will be running medical clinics throughout the next week.  Most of these women were here serving the community after the earthquake.  It's great to have them back!


Jason from IHOP in Kansas City, MO spoke this evening at church.  There was a time for personal ministry to everyone at the end.  


The guest house is full tonight.  The PA team heads home tomorrow.  What a great group of folks they are!  We're so glad they were here with us.


I read an interesting, short article today in the Agence France-Presse:  "Haitian President Rene Preval warned Saturday that a political impasse over a disputed presidential elections has put his quake-hit Caribbean nation on a "dangerous" course.

"This is a dangerous road we are on. In addition to natural disasters, we are in a political crisis following the Nov. 28, 2010, elections," Preval said on television from the northern city of Gonaives as the country marked 207 years of independence from France.

International monitors have started a verification process aimed at breaking the political impasse in Haiti following the disputed election.

A 10-strong OAS team made up of statisticians and electoral and legal experts from the United States, Chile, Canada, France and Jamaica began their verification work on Thursday."  I do wonder what that means - "verification work."  Certainly it doesn't mean just recounting ballots, which might be less than helpful since many of those ballots are not legit.  One thing I am relatively certain of:  if Preval is still in office on Feb. 8th or if Celestin wins the election, this country will return to demonstrations and violent riots in a heart beat.  

Dan Lee and I were talking over lunch today and he said something that really rang true with me.  He said a new future is hovering over Haiti.  I think that we are reaching for that new future right now for Grand-Goave.  Please join us in prayer for a transformation.

We have had electricity nonstop for about 3 days now!  We thought we were doing really great because we had it for 12-18 hours per day.  I do prefer 24/7 myself.  

Time for bed.  Talk with you all again soon!

Another Day in Haiti

I awoke to Papè telling a story VERY loudly in the yard.  I immediately thought, "WHY is he being loud so early in the morning?!"  In reality, it was almost 8 o'clock.  Ah, I remembered, New Year's Eve.  I didn't get to bed until after 3AM.  8 o'clock certainly came quickly.  What a great night it was, though.  The girls from the orphanage danced their "Waka Waka" song, several Americans had the opportunity to encourage the assembly and everyone had a great time of praise and worship.  At midnight everyone cheered and went to prayer.  Then the McDonald's Quarter Pounders began being served.


I stood at the front of the line, to tell people when they could go get their food. Those who had a smart alec remark for me stood in line a little while longer, as I let others go around.  I would let the shock set in and then let the kid go eat.  Sometimes they forget if I speak Creole.  LOL.  


Will started out grilling the burgers and then Lex and Dave took over.  Maike, Danielle, Silke and Ronda filled each plate with a burger on a roll with ketchup, macaroni salad, baked beans...Jerrica was the cookie girl.  We also gave them a cup of juice.  When the line was done, I went down to the serving area and discovered the french fries were still by where they were being cooked. Oops!  We gave the cooked ones out to the dozens of children still hanging around.  The ones that were not yet cooked were conserved for lunch today.  


The Rav4 broke down last night, was fixed this morning, was broken down again and then miraculously worked again.  The little school bus broke down this morning.  We blew the Clutch and had to park it to await repairs.  The good news?  SWC came with a mechanic, Mike, who is eager to get started.  The NOT so good news?  Mike was not able to start, as he did not drink sufficient fluids on his way into Haiti and his first night here.  He became very dehydrated, but nurse Korey looked after him and re-hydrated him quickly.  This evening he was smiling and had some color in him again.


The teams slept in this morning, after being up until 2AM+.  After breakfast they wrapped presents.  In the afternoon they took part in the children's Sunday School program.  The kids were rewarded with prizes for saying memory verses and such.  We have some great "kid players" on these teams!  


Late in the day, they brought the orphans up to the mountain where their new home is being built.  People were touched by how much the children enjoyed being up there.  There's just sooooo much room to play.  There are mountains and valleys of adventures to be had up there.  A great moment to consider Matthew 18:3, "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."


Under the choukoun was looking pretty full as Dan, Don, Scott and Jason arrived last night.  It ends up that Dave from the PA team is from the place where Dan and Scott were born.  They were able to share stories about it.  Small world!  


Be Like Brit's bulldozer arrived, but it seems it was invisible!  Ended up that they delivered it to a different location.  This is part of the inauguration into Haiti.  Simple things oft times become quite complicated.


I'm looking forward to a great service in the morning.  Our Christian Leadership Academy starts on Monday, but our speakers begin at church on Sunday.  It's sure to be a great time.


Thank you for taking a moment to hear about another day in Haiti.  God bless you!

New Year's Eve

There's just never a dull moment in Haiti.  :-)  This morning I (Renee) went to Port-au-Prince to buy some barrels (so that we can have running water on the second floor of the guest house!), fruits and veggies, and to go grocery shopping at a real grocery store.  I needed to buy some items for the New Year's Eve celebration tonight, as well as some important ingredients (like mozzarella cheese!) for our pizza tomorrow.  It was a long day, bouncing along "crater" (bigger than a pot hole) roads in the big red pick up truck, which would be a great truck in New England right now, with all the heat it throws into the cab. :-)


Lex was late getting to the bank yesterday, so he went this morning to get money to pay all our workers - teachers, construction workers, orphanage workers, guest house workers... there are a bunch of them and they ALL need money for the holiday.  New Year's in Haiti is just about as big a deal as Christmas is.  Everyone stays up all night.  The women start cooking soup (traditional pumpkin soup) around 3AM.  Everyone hits the streets on January 1st, to visit their relatives and god parents.  And all those relatives and god parents need to have some money on hand to give these young people.


The bank director greeted Lex warmly and asked what she could do for him.  He told her and she said, "well, I can give you..."  It was about 1/3 of what he had intended to take out.  The bank was, in fact, just about out of money.  How often does THAT happen in Gardner, MA?  I've NEVER seen it happen, myself.  But I HAVE seen it happen here and the timing was pretty bad.  Nevertheless, somehow Lex was able to make most everyone happy.  (PHEW!!!)


We will be grilling McDonald's Quarter Pounders for somewhere between 700 and 1200 people tonight.  Our PA friends have been peeling and cutting potatoes for French Fries for the past 4 hours!  The Sturbridge Worship Center team arrived this evening and have been helping with the macaroni salad and baked beans.  Len, Bernie and Ross are getting ready to start grilling soon.  I'm ready for bed, myself.  ;-)


Alexis has been working with the girls at the orphanage on a dance for about 2 months and tonight is the night that they will be performing it.  I'm looking forward to watching it.


Tomorrow is the beginning of a new year and for us, the beginning of our new operation as Mission of Hope International, Inc.  We have a great new website in the works that should be published in the next week or so.  We are confident that 2011 will be better than 2010.  From all of us here in Haiti, we wish you a healthy and prosperous new year!