I miss my normal...

This is personal tonight. This is just me & the thoughts rattling around in my head. I am embarrassed even to be writing this but I’m hoping by expressing my feelings it will help to alleviate some of the mounting tension within…

I miss my normal… I miss my house. I miss my bed. I miss my pillow. I miss my sheets. I miss waking up next to my husband. I miss drinking coffee in the morning. I miss eating at a table. I miss drinking cold water. I miss my usual energy level. I miss my usual drive. I miss my usual strength. I miss my usual cheerfulness.

However…

I am thankful for my life. I am thankful for the food on my plate. I am thankful for the charcoal that cooks my food. I am thankful for the plastic over my head when it rains. I am thankful for the carpet I sleep on. I am thankful for the laughter of the kids. I am thankful for their unconditional love and their endless supply of joy. I am thankful for my husband’s wisdom and faith. I am thankful for the neighbors that have banded together. I am thankful for the love and support of my friends & family back in Canada. I am thankful for the laughter of the kids. I am thankful to know this life is just temporary. I am thankful to know my Lord has already prepared a place in His Kingdom for me… one that has a very comfortable bed ☺

Some technical information

Here is some information that is posted on the USGS website....

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Summary:

According to official estimates, 222,517 people killed, 300,000 injured, 1.1 million displaced, 97,294 houses destroyed and188,383 damaged in the Port-au-Prince area and in much of southern Haiti.

Aftershock Report:

In the time period since the earthquake's origin at 2010-01-12 21:53 to 2010-02-23 17:00 UTC, the USGS NEIC has located 59 aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or greater. Sixteen of these aftershocks have magnitudes of 5.0 or greater. The two largest aftershocks were magnitude 6.0 and 5.9. The M 6.0 aftershock occurred 7 minutes after the mainshock on January 12 and the M 5.9 event occurred at 11:03 UTC on January 20.

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Here is a map showing where the earthquakes are hitting... Grand Goave (location of H2H compound) is buried under the red dots!!

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/aftershocks/?event=2010rja6&network=us

Last night I was talking to my parents on Skype (video phone) when an aftershock hit us. It was dark so they couldn't see much but they heard the computer shake on the table and saw/heard the kids scream and run behind me. Here are parts of the email they sent me shortly after...

"...everyone was running... it was surreal to hear the effects of an earthquake happening - the panic in the voices, the rattling of the shelters... it made it easier to understand what it must have been like when the ground shook so much harder and the buildings fell. The panic of those moments came back instantly to the kids as the shaking started again..."

I am tired of earthquakes!!

Last night I was brave enough to sleep in my house... although I was the only brave one & slept by myself :)

The aftershocks are still happening on a daily basis but they have been so mild the past few days that we hardly notice them... until today. I was woken up at 2am to the bed shaking. I just managed to get back to sleep when another one hit at 4am... this one was much more severe and I slid off the bed to take advantage of the "earthquake triangle". I knew I would get a "I told you so" if I crawled back to the tent because I was scared so after the bed stopped moving I climbed back on and pulled up the sheet... but there was no sleeping after that!

I just looked on line and the second quake (at 4am ish) was 4.7!

Here's a good website: http://earthquake.usgs.gov

Clowns without borders

A group of clowns is traveling with Doctors without Borders... "Clowns without Borders". They have already performed in Port-au-Prince and they visited us today and did a show for our kids. It was great!























It was so great to see the kids laugh... and their joy lasted long past the show... many of them are crowded around my computer now as I post the pictures!!







Some of them were a bit confused with the magic tricks... especially Wilkenson :)

Around the yard

We have had several days of rain this week and our shelter on the soccer field was not doing much to keep the rain off us so we've built a new, but still temporary, shelter in the school yard. We've moved the kid's bunk beds outside too. The shelter will be used as the Children's Home as well as a church.





We've also 'roofed' our new kitchen... fancy, eh?



Today was a busy work day for the boys - we started tearing apart the guesthouse/dining room complex to salvage some of the materials. H2H Canada is still working on getting some heavy machinery here but in the meantime the boys are burning off some steam.



And finally... this picture is for those of you who are complaining that you're not seeing enough pictures of me :)

My birthday Party

Today is my birthday and my sister-in-law surprised me by making a special dinner for Renel & I. We even sat at the table for about 5 minutes... until a truck drove by & the sound scared us enough to take our plates outside ;)

The anticipated update

Several days have passed since Roger & Albert were here and there is a lot to update you on!

- We have shocked the well and are now drinking it.

- We have made good connections with Samaritan's Purse and are hopefully getting their help to clear the rubble on our property and bring down the rest of the kitchen/guesthouse complex.

- All of Haiti spent 3 days praying and fasting. The fasting was from 6am - 12pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I went to PauP on Friday morning and it was spooky to drive through streets that were almost deserted. We passed several large churches that were overflowing into the streets. This earthquake has really shaken the spiritual lives of Haitians and it is undermining the Voodoo sectors.

- On the way home from dropping Roger & Albert off at the DR border we stopped in PauP at a hospital set up in the PauP Airport parking lot. They generously let me raid their supply room. Our kids don't have any serious injuries but we have lots of cuts & are starting to see malaria/typhoid.

- I visited the Grand Goave Hospital yesterday (with one of our malaria patients) and had a good visit with the Cuban staff that recently renovated the hospital and are now running it. Despite having lost about half the hospital to damage from the initial earthquake they are now fully staffed and fully functional!

- City power (EDH) is only on for an hour or so every night. We were excited when it was turned on initially but it hasn't been much help. I'm not complaining though, it's only supposed to be activated in the streets (for security) but somehow a cluster of homes were activated too. Mine happens to be one of them! So I sneak into my house & drink cold water from the water cool every night just before midnight... don't tell Renel :)

- We are building a temporary structure in the school yard. This will replace our sleeping quarters shortly (as we have blocked the entrance to our compound and it is difficult for trucks to enter), provide us with a place to hold church services and hopefully allow us to start school next month.

- The aftershocks are slowing down and are much less severe but yesterday we had several strong ones. This, combined with the rumor that "the big one is still coming", destroyed the confidence that was mounting.

- I am working on Renel's visa so he can come home with me this summer for a quick visit - please pray that the process will go smoothly.

The H2H Board has also created a blog and are providing regular updates on it - http://heartohearthaiti.blogspot.com. Check it regularly to see what is happening behind the scene back in Canada.

To my family

I was planning to give you an update on all that has happened since Albert and Roger were here but I just read an email from my parents which gave me a link of this news article about my sister's school.

Maybe I'm just tired, maybe I'm just emotional... but reading the article was overwhelming. I have been so focused on our day-to-day struggles that I haven't spent much time thinking about how this is affecting people 'back home'.

Sorry but the update will have to wait until tomorrow - today please read this article.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/peacearchnews/community/84169347.html

Please know that tonight I am thinking about you guys... you who are praying for us, you who are supporting us, you who are following this blog. Thank you for all you are doing.

I want to say a special thank you to my family - I take for granted the sacrifices you make to allow me to be in Haiti... I am not there at family dinners. I am not there for birthday parties. I am not there when my nieces & nephews are born. I am not there for 'cousin bonding'. I am not there for Christmas... I know how much you miss me. I know how much you love me. Thank you for making room in your life for the kids at H2H. Thank you especially for accepting my decision to stay in Haiti during this time. I love you very much.

Stay tuned for the update tomorrow...

Re-enforcements have arrived!

Roger and Albert (board-members for H2H) arrived today and we are so happy to see them! Not only did they bring some much needed supplies but they lifted our spirits like only they could have :)

Unloading the truck last night:



Today they spent most of the day assessing the damage to our buildings but of course they also spent lots of time with the kids.





They were also able to meet my US Marine friends as they dropped off another supplies this afternoon:





We also had a huge breakthrough yesterday... city power has been restored to our zone!!! We've only had a few hours of power but it has still been a huge relief to know some level of "normal" is on its way.

We have received a substantial amount of aid already, and I am incredibly thankful to all those who are supporting us, but these last 3 weeks have taken a toil on the kids and I am praying that we'll be able to get them sleeping inside soon. Here are some pictures I took this morning of the kids around the yard.

Naiderson:



Hollandaisse:



Fritson:



Eliyou:



Louison & Fritson

My home town of Surrey, BC

I am not only a proud Canadian today... I am a proud resident of Surrey, British Columbia!!

My home town, Surrey, issued a Press Release yesterday saying that they are partnering with H2H to assist the city of Grande Goave.

Here is the press release:

http://www.surrey.ca/Whats+New/News+Releases/City+of+Surrey+Partners+to+Send+Aid+to+Haiti.htm

Here is a video of the Mayor and my dad being interviewed about her announcement:

http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/surreyleader/?current=5259#video

My dad did a great job explaining the importance of this commitment from Surrey - immediate aid relief will come but the rebuilding of H2H, Grande Goave and all of Haiti is a long term need... one that will require a lot of hands.

We had a very busy day today as we hosted a medical clinic here today. It was a long and hot day but lots of people were treated and it was definitely worth the effort!

Day 23... I think?

Everyone is working hard back "home" to support us... here is part of an email the H2H board sent to their supporters this morning:

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Here at home, the food collection is still in full swing.

· The Abbotsford Police and Fire Department have a little competition going on to see who can bring in the most rice, and so far we have received a total of 250 bags of rice! – suffice to say, that the Fire Dept. needs to step it up a little if they hope to win this competition!

· Raft River Elementary school from Clearwater, B.C. donated 200 lbs. of rice, and $840 through a bake sale and twoonie drive.

· Lotus Light Charity Society from Vancouver has given us 20,000 lbs. of rice.

· The communities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam are coming together on February 20 and 21 at the Coquitlam Centre mall to fill a 40 foot shipping container with basic baby supplies. With the support of local businesses and residents, local Mom’s Julie Rogers and Jacqueline Goring are on a mission to fill a container with diapers, powdered formula, children’s vitamins, children’s Tylenol and other baby supplies to be shipped directly to several Haitian orphanages.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned tomorrow for exciting news from the city of Surrey and Pacific Community Church.

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As for us here in Haiti, we are working hard too. We have almost finished rebuilding the exterior walls that collapsed in the initial earthquake. We have connected with Doctor's without Borders to provide us with a temporary source of drinking water until we can clean our well. We have had engineers examine our standing buildings. We are hosting a medical clinic at our compound tomorrow.

Personally speaking, I had a few low days this week physically but am feeling stronger today. I had almost convinced Renel to move back into our house (so I could get some sleep) but we had a substantial aftershock last night, at midnight, and that pretty much ended the conversation :)

When I was recovering from malaria & typhoid last year I remember thinking how resilient Haitians are. I gained a new respect for their ability to endure their lifestyle and still raise their hands to praise the Lord. My respected for them has grown. Everyone here is working so hard and they have already adapted to much of their new situation... and they are still waking every 4 hours to thank God for His grace and plead for mercy.

On another topic... this blog gained some new followers and some people are asking me for more information on H2H and my decision to come here. I don't have the internet time at the moment to respond to everyone but here is where you can find more info:

Regarding H2H:
- Heart to Heart website, www.hearttohearthaiti.org. This will give you the details on the organization as well as the status of their fund-raising efforts.
- My blog post on June 14, 2008, "An overdue update". This will give you a bit of background on Pastor Luc and his heart for the kids at H2H.

Regarding me:
- My blog post on April 16th, "Want to know who I am and what I'm doing in Haiti?"

Hope this helps!

Thank you from Kakina

Kakina is one of the older girls who live at H2H. She asked me today if I could pass her thanks on to everyone who is helping us. I agreed... only if she agreed to say thank you to the camera :)

Here she is:



"I want to say thank you to God for all He did for me because in this earthquake I was in this building. I had just finished eating and when it started I can't explain what it was like. I also want to say thank you for everyone who is helping us. After the earthquake we went for 3 days without finding food. But God helped us find help. We say thank you to everyone who is helping us and we say thank you to everyone who is thinking of us.

On another note, the Navy wrote this article on Joe...

http://www.military.com/news/stories/navy-news.html

...and their photographers sent me this picture:



Finally, thank you so much for your emails and for all you are doing to help us. I'm sorry I am not able to respond to all my emails and facebook comments... my time on the internet is scarce and I've been focused on "working". Please keep emailing me, I really do appreciate it.

Things are starting to get out of "survival mode" as aid comes in but we're still struggling. I am so tired. I'm not sleeping at all outside and I'm praying that the aftershocks will slow down enough for us to start sleeping inside again... the Children's Home is the only building on our compound that didn't fall & I'm praying it will be okay to re-enter with a bit of repairs.

Interview with the Marines

I have done several interviews the past week but I wanted to share this one with you as it probably won't be published for us "non military folks".

Before that, let me quickly update you on a few things:

- Chantal and baby Joe are doing great! They had a good night sleep in their tent and Chantal has started to get milk so both are happy.

- H2H Canada is working around the clock to help us on the ground here. Roger and Albert (boardmembers) land in the DR today and will be coming to GG, Haiti later this week.

- The US Navy has tested our water well and it has tested positive for e-coli. This is a serious situation for us as the well is the sole source of drinking water for H2H as well as the community around us. I am working to get a filtration system in place but in the meantime we have advised everyone to boil the water before drinking... which is difficult as we are cooking with charcoal and the supplies are limited.

Here is the interview I did with the US Marines:

1) What was your thought when you first saw the Marines coming to ask for you by name?

The first Marine asking for me walked up the river bank asking kids for a white girl named Rebecca... luckily that description only applied to me!! The kids reached me before the Marine and were yelling... the white guys have come to take you home!! I was overwhelmed to say the least. It had been a difficult few days and having my hand shaken by someone who promised to help me through this gave me the strength I needed to continue pushing on. I didn't realize until later that night (until I had checked my emails) that the Marines had found me through my blog and had been sent to find me.

2) Did you know that the information in your blog was being watched by the Marine Corps?

No, I never even thought of the possibility.

3) How many people do you care for at your organization?

We have 110 children in our Children's Home. We have 450 children attending our School (which also had a feeding program). We have approximately 600 people sleeping/living in our yard since the earthquake.

5) How does it feel to know that you were the first person to receive aid using a new system utilized by the Marines to focus on social media to gain information for the location and type of care needed?

I actually didn't know that until now! I have always realized the importance of my blog in connecting North American with the reality of what is happening in Haiti and the opportunities to help but I never imagined my audience would be so large.

6) When the Marines arrived how was their attitude? Were the eager to help?

Absolutely!! They have been willing to do anything within their power to help us. In my opinion they have gone above and beyond to connect with the people. They are not just in Haiti to do a job; they are in Haiti to help people they care about - there is a big difference between the two.

7) What kind of relief did you receive? ie. Food, water, medical attention.

The Marines have given us food, they set up temporary fencing where our exterior walls colapsed, they brought down some of our buildings that were a danger to the kids, they broke into our buried food depot to recover some food, they climbed our buildings to recover our water tanks, they arranged to have our water source tested to ensure it is still drinkable and they have connected us with medical assistance. They also took every opportunity to connect with the kids on our compound and have really lifted their spirits.

8) How long have you been in Haiti?

Almost 3 years now.

9) What is the name and location of your organization?

Heart to Heart Children's Home, Grand Goave, Haiti

10) What does your organization do?

In summary, H2H takes in children that are orphans or in a situation where they are not being looked after appropriately. They are brought up in a family environment and are educated through a college or trade school level. Once they are able to support themselves we help them get re-established in the community. They will become the mechanics, masons and educators of our community. For us, this is the best way to improve the future of Haiti. We have 15 teachers at our school and most of them passed through our program and are providing great hope to the children currently living with us.
(www.hearttohearthaiti.com)

11) Is there anything you would like to add

Major aid organizations were critical in the early stages of this disaster and will continue to play a major role in the foreseeable future. In the long run however it is the smaller established programs like H2H that will connect and help to rebuild the communities of Haiti. We thank you so much for all you have done to help and encourage us!