Here we are posting news of our friends and loved ones that we know in Pignon, Port au Prince, and other Haitian locales. If you know of updates that should be shared here, please send them to bob@mooselakecovenant.com Thank you.
It continues to take longer than we hoped to get information out but this is due simply to the busyness of all the activities around us. First of all we wanted to go back and update you on some of the rebuilding projects going on near Port au Prince. As we stated previously, one of the greatest needs is to get schools up and running again. These images show the current conditions at Joyous Hearts Elementary School which was destroyed by the earthquake.
Teachers and students are making do the best they can in a nearby lean-to as you can see, but are looking forward to seeing walls built on these foundations which have been laid. Work has been ongoing on this project as well as others; we’ll try to get you more pictures soon!
In the capital as well as where we live, life is continuing on. The school year will finish at the end of this month and almost everyone is ready for a break from the rigors of school. We are scheduling a few outreaches for the children before break. This coming week of June 17th we are having a day camp at our school campus for all the elementary students. This is being led by a group of volunteers from Fellowship Bible Church of Memphis, TN. We’re hoping it’s a time of encouragement for all the students. This will be followed up by scheduled kid’s camps held later in July. Graduation is scheduled for July 25th for some classes; below you’ll see some of our kindergarten classes practicing for their activities. In some ways it seems strange to all of us for such scenes of life going on as normal in light of the great tragedy that just occurred here. But for those of us that are still alive, we must go on, celebrating the accomplishments and re-building and grieving at other times. One exciting thing going on now in Haiti is the World Cup Soccer Tournament. This is always a much anticipated event here even though we don’t have a team that makes it. Still area fans watch eagerly their favorite teams as well as the players who are of Haitian origin playing on others. It’s hard to explain to North Americans just how excited everyone becomes. One thing we’ve done with the generous donation of a friend is purchase a satellite dish system so that all the refugee camp residents can enjoy the tournament. When the dish was delivered and set up this week, the students and kids were literally dancing with joy! It’s a simple thing really, but something to enjoy in the midst of the loss we’ve all experienced.
Once the school year really finishes by mid-July we’ll be helping to re-settle our refugee residents to their families in the South. Caleb has been working with various leaders of the groups to find out what people want to do, etc. The majority of the 250 camp residents at this point are students (elementary and up) who were sent by their families to enjoy the stability here and finish the school year. Now that their families have had time to stabilize, they are anticipating the return of their children. Rest assured that we are looking at all the situations and trying to help as much as possible to make the move as easy as possible. Some kids will be staying here with us in the newly refurbished guest house/foster home. We have four children already placed with a house mother who have been at the camp the last few months. It will be good though to get them settled in a more permanent home setting in town. We’ll let you know the final numbers and who stays at the end of July.
In the meantime the camp is being prepared once these folks depart, to returning to its use for the various camps already scheduled. The annual summer women’s camp will start June 26th and later we have two kid’s camps and one youth camp scheduled. It looks to be a busy time so we would appreciate your prayers as these outreaches continue. One other note, we’re anticipating getting a physical therapy/rehab clinic set up on the camp grounds for the rehabilitation of amputees and the wounded post—earthquake. So be looking for future updates for status reports. The outreaches are continuing!
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a month since we posted an update and for that we apologize. This has been an extremely busy time in both our personal lives and in the various outreaches ongoing in Haiti. As planned, our family reunited in early May to take a trip together for Rotary International’s District Conference in Kingston, Jamaica. It was a busy time for Caleb as taught at training sessions but relaxing for the family. While there, Caleb showed me several images from outreaches in the past month which focused on strengthening the fragile economic state of those in our community. First, HIM has distributed several large boxes of seed for area farmers to use to plant in their gardens. In our rural section of the country, everyone has some level of garden which they use to provide for their family. As the rainy season starts in earnest here on the central plateau, we want the donors from “The Seed Program” to know their gifts were gratefully received. Please remember that most of these area farmers struggle to feed their families anyway, and now have taken in thousands of extended family members who have escaped the rubble of Port au Prince to our community. These seeds are providing hope for the future.
Another outreach has taken place with the help of fellow Rotarian Joanna Bartrony who works with Sow a Seed. Caleb saw that she had received a number of small igloos/coolers in the transport of relief supplies. He suggested that the excess igloos be used to give to local townspeople to help them create a cash income by selling cold drinks. While the idea is very simple, it has helped a lot of area women greatly increase their income. These merchants will be held accountable to return a small portion of their revenue back to HIM staff in a few months and then continue the project. Some of the recipients have proven to be very good salesman and are now creating competition for larger “restaurants”. Instead of drive-through, we know have “walk-through” cold drinks available in our community. Way to go, ladies!
We finally arrived back in Haiti on the morning of May 11. As to be expected, it was fairly chaotic as the main International Airport building remains unusable. We were taken to clear immigration and customs in a warehouse set up to receive the many international flights bringing in travelers. I was grateful to see our faithful staff members waiting in the ministry car to receive our family. Haiti definitely remains a place where you need to know where you are going and hopefully that you are meeting specific trusted contacts with whom to work.
A couple of things stuck out to me on the return trip “in”. As we finished a few errands near the airport businesses, we stopped by a gas station to pick up some sandwiches for the trip home and get fuel. As we waited for Caleb in the car, a young boy of probably 12 years started dusting the windows without being asked. Many youngsters make their “living” this way by picking up a few coins for passers-by. Anyone who lives in an impoverished overseas city knows this experience. When I got out of the car we started chatting. What was different post-earthquake was that he didn’t just ask me for a few coins, he wanted to go home with us! Looking at the blue tarped tent city across the street, I thought about what kind of desperation that must motivate this youngster to plead for a ride to “anywhere”. Our driver gave him some coins, and my daughters and I gave him a portion of our lunches that Caleb had just brought. As I shared with Caleb what the boy had said, he told me that even if we took him, he wouldn’t stay, which I believe is true. Still, this new level of cries for help was a striking difference to the previous 17 years I’ve lived in Haiti.
We then turned to go up and over two mountain ranges toward our home in Pignon. It took us 3.5 hours to travel the 90 miles and it was good to get back. As Caleb went out to the progress of different projects, I had fun reuniting with friends and family after our trip of 5 weeks. It was especially fun to see the kids at the camp who are working hard to finish the school year and remain joyous in spite of all that has gone on in their lives. It was good to see that they remain healthy for the most part and also to see the progress that has been done on improving their living spaces around the camp.
This week we have a group of volunteers from Rock Church of Indianapolis, IN who brought some master electricians and builders to re-wire the camp facilities. This will provide even better lighting for camp residents. Another team from ST. Mark’s Baptist Church of Little Rock, AR is here to build bunk beds and cabinets to fill up the new rooms recently completed. All of this work will be a blessing to all current and future campers. The camp refugees are enjoying having some new friends and co-workers here for the week. Another volunteer that is here for the whole summer is Pearlie Lubin of Dallas, TX at
present. Pearlie is a Dallas Theological Seminary graduate student who is doing an internship with Caleb this summer. Pearlie is of Haitian origin so already speaks fluent Kreyol and has a great interest in ministering to the young women at the camp and in the community. She has already made some great friends this week and will be serving in a variety of teaching and leadership capacities as the summer goes on.
Over the next month, several projects are moving forward, including refurbishing the Children’s Home run by Hosean Int’l. The guest house top level was finally vacated (smile) by the Caleb Lucien family. This allowed major roofing repairs to be started this week. A group from Grace Immanuel Bible Church of Jupiter, FL is arriving next week to continuing re-wiring and re-painting work to prepare the home for the permanent re-settlement of the orphans/foster kids we’re taking in post-earthquake.
All in all, it’s been a busy two weeks and just promises to get busier as the summer and outreaches continue. Caleb flew to Orlando, FL this weekend to speak at a Haitian church revival service there and will return on Tuesday. In the next update, I’ll include images of one of the schools and homes he is going to get rebuilt in the next few weeks in Port au Prince. Don’t hesitate to write us for any questions.
Blessings from Haiti, Debbie for all