Feeling overwhelmed?

Anyone else feeling overwhelmed today?

We've had a busy few weeks here at H2H... repairing the wall in the compound, adding an extra classroom to the school, distributing Manna Packs, gathering supplies to send south and preparing for a medical team that arrives tomorrow. 

I've also had a lot going on personally.. homeschooling Hasannah (4), keeping Jelani (3) from trouble, moving our family into our newly expanded second floor, dealing with a constant pain in my foot, struggling to communicate as I've lost my voice, and my heart is aching for my Auntie Barbara who is in the hospital battling pancreatic cancer. Yesterday I was feeling so overwhelmed that I had to escape.  I went for a walk through the compound and this is what I found the kids doing...

     
                   

When we cleaned out the medical room we threw away an old box of gloves (that ripped when we put them on) - the girls, including Hasannah, filled them with water and made dolls out of them!  Some even had hair and clothes.

The Haitian people are an amazingly resilient community and I am so grateful for the things that I have learned from living among them.  In my 10 years here I have seen them face many hardships... earthquake, political unrest, rampant illness and most recently Hurricane Matthew.  One thing that they have shown me through these tough times is that "happiness" is a decision... not a feeling that results from good things happening in your life.

Despite the stress that people are feeling they are choosing to be happy and choosing to do something to help those who are worse off than they are.  This week the church members gathered together clothes, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, candles, matches, bleach, food, cooking oil and other items and we sent a truck full of supplies to Port Salut - a small town in southern Haiti that was hit hard by the Hurricane.

Seeing the kids find happiness in old gloves and the church members finding enough to share, when they themselves have so little, makes me realize that feeling overwhelmed is also a decision... and I choose not to be anymore!  I choose also to trust God to deal with those things that I can't control so that I can focus on what I can.

Tomorrow is a new day, with new opportunities - A medical team from Chilliwack is arriving and we will be doing 7 mobile medical clinics over 10 days.

Mountain community of Tetebef

Pastor Luc has a small church in the mountain community of Tetebef - about a 4 hour walk from H2H's compound in Grande Goave.  This is a special church for us as it is the original church that was planted when Pastor Luc was a still a junior pastor.  The church building was destroyed in the earthquake in 2010.  A foundation was built a few years ago along with a temporary church for them to hold services.  That temporary church was blown over during Hurricane Matthew and the road to Tetebef is still impassible by motorcycle.

Here is the church building BEFORE the hurricane - I don't have an after picture but I've been told that nothing is left but the foundation. We are estimating that it will take $4,000 US to rebuild the church. If you know of a church or group that would be interested in sponsoring this church please share this information with them.

Some of the community leaders brought donkeys down to H2H this week to get Mannapaks to share with the people who live around the church.

The immediate need for the people of Tetebef is food as they relied heavily on their gardens for their food and most gardens have been completely destroyed.  In addition to giving the people Mannapaks we are looking at ways to help them rebuild their gardens and restock their livestock, as many have also lost their goats, cows & chickens.

MannaPacks to Foche Church

Today I went to Pastor Luc's church in Foche, which is about 20 minutes east of our compound in Grande Goave.  It was a sobering drive there - this is what is left of a large banana field right on the main highway... the bananas used to grow right up to the road.

Once we reached the church I was happy to see that they had banded together to patch up the building and they were worshiping loudly as we drove up. 

After the service the Pastors distributed MannaPacks to the congregation, and those living near the church.  Most people received enough to feed their family for a couple of weeks.  Although things in our area are much better than most communities south of us there is a real food shortage and people are terrified of it getting worse.  Prices are skyrocketing in the local markets and there are slim pickings for fresh produce.  The people were very happy to receive the MannaPacks. 

I want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to everyone who has donated hurricane relief money to H2H - the people of Foche are very grateful for your generosity!

Arrived in Haiti - update from H2H compound

My family arrived in Haiti yesterday and safely made it home without incident!  Thanks to all who have asked!!

Before I give you an update about H2H I want to say that what's happening in southern Haiti is weighing heavily on my heart.  They're reporting that the death toll from the hurricane is over 1000... that is bad enough in itself but they're also reporting that people are starving to death and cholera is spreading.  Please continue to pray for those areas in the south that are in desperate need; Jeremie, Dame Marie and many others.

Our family was supposed to arrive in Haiti the day of the Hurricane and part of me had been disappointed that we weren't here to help people understand the magnitude of it and better prepare.  While that disappointment is still there, I am also very relieved that Hasannah and Jelani didn't have to experience the fear that so many of the kids did.  There are no windows in our houses so wind & rain were whipping through the homes and the people were terrified that buildings would fall like they did in the earthquake.  

Pastor Luc and the kids have done a great job at cleaning up the compound!  School has resumed, fallen trees have been chopped up (to be used for firewood), the roof of the school & church have had minor repairs, razor wire has been put up to temporarily secure the wall that fell down, and they have already distributed Mannapaks (rice/soy food packages) to the community.

Here are some pictures around the compound this morning..

This is what is left of the garden... it's a good thing banana trees always have a young tree growing beside the mature tree because those young ones are the only ones left!

This is the wall that has fallen down - the house you see is outside the compound.

This is how big trunks become small wooden planks in Haiti!

I saved these two pictures for last because I wanted to end on a positive note because despite all the misery good things are happening at H2H, thanks to our generous donors!  

Our H2H school reopened on Monday and both Pastor Luc & the kids are happy to see blue skies and to be getting back into a routine.

Our solar panels/inverter power system made it through the hurricane and now that the sun is out again they are providing H2H with power!  Power means lights but it also means water can be pumped from our well & can be filtered for drinking.  This is a huge blessing as there hasn't been power in Grande Goave since the Hurricane.  Power lines are damaged all over town and it doesn't look like it's going to be back on anytime soon.

While the majority of the clean up on the compound is done, Pastor Luc's job of providing food to the community has just started.  People are hungry and food is scarce and expensive.  I was surprised today to find some of my favourite food at the market in Grande Goave but was told that the fresh beans and passion fruit were harvested before the storm and today was likely the last time I will see them for awhile.  The meat that I bought was 3x more expensive and there was no wild spinach or leafy greens. We are incredibly grateful for the container of Mannapaks that we have as they are a complete meal in themselves.  H2H's main focus now will be raising funds to purchase more Mannapaks so we can continue to share with our community and the communities around Pastor Luc's churches (Foche, Lavanj, Tetebef, Mount Joumou, Grande Savande, Bouva & more).   Thank you to all who have given so generously and please continue to share the need with others.

As you continue to pray for Haiti please pray specifically against the spread of cholera, the rebuilding of gardens, the upcoming elections and those so desperately affected in southern Haiti.

Message from Pastor Luc

Pastor Luc asked me to share this message with all of H2H's friends, family & supporters:

"Hello everybody I am very happy to talking to you but also very sad because that hurricane or that storm really broke my heart that hurricane broke down all bananas so many mangoes lots of coconuts if you coming to heart to heart valley now you may not recognize that place because it turn up side down some mangoes gone bananas gone that's really make us worry because in 6 years we have two big troubles as you know Haiti is a poorest country in the world so we really need your prayers and your helps after that storm so all of YOU my friends I calling out to YOU be ready to see us through may GOD bless YOU watch over YOU LOVE YOU protect YOU much LOVE and blessings from pastor Luc Honorat"

Pastor Luc has a great burden to provide for not only the H2H kids, but also his church members and the people who live in the community surrounding H2H.  He is a respected leader and so many people are coming to him for help.  H2H board of directors are collecting financial donations to provide Luc with resources to help those living at H2H and the community around it.  Any donations made to H2H will be used to repair the damage done to H2H compound, increase the security of the compound and provide relief food for those desperately in need.

A great benefit of supporting H2H is allowing the local Haitians (led by Pastor Luc) to determine the needs and provide aid directly to their community members - helping those in need and the economy at the same time.

I'd like to comment about something else too.  H2H is incredibly relieved to walk away from this hurricane with the minimal damage that we have.  There are communities that have reported complete devastation - the pictures in the media are heart breaking.  It does not make sense for H2H to get involved in helping other communities as we have no connections there and the people around us have substantial needs... even if they can not be compared to those in the south.  If anyone would like to donate to an organization who is planning to provide relief work to those most affected in the south please be diligent in choosing an organization - one that has minimal administration costs, buys supplies locally & ALREADY has people on the ground with relationships with local people.  Email me if you are interested and I can provide you with a list of grass root organization in those areas.

If you would like to donate to H2H there are 3 ways to do so:

1. If you are on automatic debit already, you can simply email our treasurer, Colleen Sandberg (wcsandberg@shaw.ca) saying you give H2H permission to do a one-time withdrawal of $____.  H2H will then withdraw the amount you say from your account and send the money to Haiti.

2. You can mail a cheque to Colleen with a note attached saying it is for the hurricane relief.  Colleen's address is 35138 Page Road, Abbotsford, BC, V3G 1N8.

3. You can go to H2H's website (www.hearttohearthaiti.com) and click on "Ways to Give" at the top, and then "Donate".  You can the use your credit card via PayPal to donate to H2H.

The aftermath of Matthew begins

I've been putting this update off all day because to be honest I'm not really sure what to write.  I'm overwhelmed by the information I've been getting & I'm a mixed ball of emotions...

I'm relieved that Pastor Luc and the kids are safe and the damage done to the compound is repairable.

I'm sad to see footage of the devastation done to southern Haiti.

I'm sickened to think about how the country's entire agriculture seems to be wiped out in a singe day (I hope I'm wrong on this!).

I'm frustrated to think about how much "hurricane relief" money will be ill spent by the government and big organizations (not all, but some for sure).

I'm scared to realize that a new level of desperation has arrived in Haiti and it will mean increased crime, violence, kidnapping, etc.

I'm worried about exposing Hasannah (4) and Jelani (3) to water born illness such as cholera.

I'm encouraged by the support shown by H2H supporters, friends, family & even strangers!

I'm excited to see how God will use the terrible disaster to His glory! (ok, this one is a bit of a stretch... I'm hoping to feel it soon!)

And last but not least... my eyes hurt and my fingers are sore from texting on my phone so much ;)

I've received many videos from Grande Goave today but I'm only going to share one.  It is a video of one of our older boys, Roodly, standing on the bridge over the raging river in Grande Goave yesterday.  Despite being scared himself he went out to make the video for me and seeing his face in the middle of the storm quiets all the emotions I wrote about above and covers them with love... love for Roodly, love for Pastor Luc & the kids at H2H and above all, love for God who created them.  Thank you Roodly for that reminder!

And now for a real update about how things are going!  The weather was just mildly stormy today and people started to venture out and check on neighbours and friends.  Grande Goave has areas that are flooded and lots of damage to houses and gardens.  Food supply is going to be a serious problem, both short term and long term.  The election that was supposed to happen on Sunday has been postponed (will announce the new date next week).  A major bridge in Petit Goave has been wiped out which will be inconvenient for us (we do banking there and get supplies), and more urgently, getting relief aid to southern Haiti will be much more difficult as it is the main route to southern Haiti.  Health providers are worried about cholera becoming an epidemic again because of the flooding.  I spoke with Pastor Luc this evening and he will begin cleaning & securing the H2H compound tomorrow... a big job!

Thank you for your prayers and your words of support!!

Pictures of the damage from Hurricane Matthew

I finally got some pictures of the compound and a few from around town... thanks Ti-Moise for braving the storm to take them for me!

The main river in Grande Goave...



AROUND THE HEART TO HEART COMPOUND....

damage in garden - banana trees & large tree:



external wall blown down:





tree down between soccer field & church (2 pictures):





large tree in front of church blown down (2 pictures):





tree down on top of internet wires:




OUTSIDE MY HOUSE.... (they had to open all my window to avoid them breaking so I don't want to see pictures of the inside!)

looking out my front door, to the left:



looking out my front door, to the right:



down the street, looking back at my house:



PASTOR LUC'S CHURCH IN FOCHE:

on the way:



the Foche church:



Please continue to pray for Haiti - it is still raining in many areas and there are still serious threats of mud slides and flooding.  As upset as I am to see the damage done to our compound (& to hear the scared voices of the kids), I know we are very lucky considering the damage that was anticipated and compared to the damage done in southern Haiti.

I just talked to Pastor Luc again - things are getting worse, far worse.

Our yard is flooded, three big trees have fallen in the compound and one of our external walls has blown over.  They have already had a group of "thugs" enter the yard - demanding & threatening... they eventually left without harming anyone.

I will share pictures of the compound as soon as I get them but we need to immediately pray for protection over the compound and kids at H2H!

Finally connected with Renel's Dad

I was finally able to get through to my father-in-law, Rechel, this morning.  They are in a small mountain community called Bouva (close to Gonaives).  It was so good to talk to him & my mother-in-law!  They described the weather as "heavy rain and severe wind" and said that their gardens (mostly banana trees) have been completely destroyed already.  Their house is standing but shaking in the wind.

They were not happy when I said it was likely going to get a lot worse this afternoon / evening.  Please pray for their safety and the safety of their surrounding community.  Many kids at H2H have family in Bouva as it is Pastor Luc's home town... Rechel is his older brother.

Here is a picture of Rechel's house (which is similar, if not better, than many homes in the area):

And here is proud Rechel showing off his garden to my husband, Renel:

Word from Pastor Luc

I talked to several people in Grande Goave throughout the night & this morning... some trees are down, some roofs have been blown off, lots of wind & rain. Things are expected to get worse throughout the day. Grande Goave is getting hit lightly compared to communities on the southwest.

Just talked to Pastor Luc - he appreciates everyone praying and wants you to continue throughout the day. He says everything is fine in the compound and they are keeping everyone inside the building. Lots of wind & rain and the kids are scared but they will be able to ride it out. He is aware that this afternoon is anticipated to be even worse.

slow moving Matthew

It's becoming hard to sort through the info on the internet & social media - the predictions are constantly changing and pictures are being posted without clear indication of where they were taken.

From talking to people on the ground in Haiti and from the satellite images it appears that the outskirt of the storm will be hitting the southwest corner of Haiti any minute.  It is only moving 5mph so it will not clear Haiti quickly.  

It has been a struggle getting locals to believe the magnitude of this hurricane and because it's arriving later than anticipated many believe that they were right in thinking that it has been exaggerated.  I pray they are right...

The storm is rolling in

News and updates are popping up so quickly on the news and social media that it's hard to keep up... none of them are encouraging.

Here is a video that give a good overview:  http://www.local10.com/weather/hurricane/hurricane-matthew-remains-powerful-category-4-storm-sustained-winds-at-145-mph

The hurricane has already taken lives in Haiti and it hasn't even arrived.  Towns in southern Haiti have started to flood and people in Cayes are literally watching the hurricane approach land.  It is only moved at 5mph so they are estimating that it will take more than 24 hours to pass over Haiti. 

Pastor Luc and the kids at H2H have already taken shelter in the home and are ready to wait it out.  

This is a view from Cayes this afternoon (don't know who took the picture... sorry for not giving credit!)

UPDATE: apparently the source who published this picture made a mistake - this is Hurricane Matthew approaching Jamaica, not Haiti.  I was relieved when I first heard this... and then I realized that the Hurricane is passing closer to Haiti than Jamaica :( Sorry for being part of the confusion!

Hurricane Matthew is on it's way

Hurricane Matthew (currently Category 4 but was a Category 5 last night) is headed towards Haiti and will be the most intense on Monday afternoon.  They are anticipating up to 40" of rain which would wipe out many gardens and could case flash floods that could do major damage.


Tracking Hurricane Matthew

Please join us in praying for the safety of our friends & family in Haiti.

Our family was scheduled to fly to Haiti on Monday but our flight has been postponed to Friday.