Another container has arrived!

The latest container had school supplies, food, mattresses, presents for the kids and much more - here are a few shots of it being unloaded:

Convention

It's been 3 days since the Convention finished and we're still getting caught up on sleep - and few more days of R&R, then we'll start the clean up!

Several churches backed out at the last minute due to cholera concerns and riots in Cap Haitien but the attendance was in the thousands for sure. The 5 day conference was a real blessing for those who came and for those who hosted - I was stuck in the kitchen for most of it but I did manage to take a few pictures.

Pastor Luc:



The Church:





One of 3 temporary kitchens:



It was a busy week, not only because of the conference, but because one of our girls, Carol, was very sick with typhoid fever. We took her to several hospitals but no one was willing to admit her due to the cholera outbreak - either hospitals are full or scared to take in anyone that has cholera like symptoms... typhoid doesn't have many but enough to make people nervous. We finally got accepted into a hospital in Ti-Goave run by the Red Cross... luckily there were some Canadian staff that literally let me in the back door. We've had some very close calls in the past week with Carol but she is now responding well to the medicine and drinking juice and soup - getting stronger every day.

Between seeing Carol fight for her life and the constant threat of cholera I am realizing once again how out of control we really are. I'll be honest - I go in a circle between fear, peace and then sadness. Fear because I know my choices put me at risk physically. Peace because I know this world is only temporary and I have something much better waiting for me. Sadness because I know so many of my friends & family back home don't share that same peace and are missing out on so much.

10 months

Since returning to Haiti there have been several aftershocks... the first one was at 3am the first week I was here & was strong enough to move my bed several inches. It was a nasty welcome home... especially since my house already felt empty without Renel. Yesterday we were hit with a 4.4 aftershock - I was standing beside the new kitchen/dining room/depot and watched the pillars shake. There was no substantial damage but some students at a local high school were hurt in a mini stampeed. It's exactly 10 months since the earthquake started.

This morning I woke to news of bodies being discovered in "port-a-potties" in Port-au-Prince... last nights victims of the spreading cholera.

On a much more positive note, our H2H school was able to send each of our students home with a sack of rice, beans & oil this week. Students lined up to get their sack & were excited to pass it over to their expecting parents.

Normal...

The river has gone back to normal...



The kids are playing as normal...



The kids are sneaking charcoal for their personal BBQs as normal....



The work continues as normal...

The focus has returned to getting the yard ready for the big Convention. The new (still in-process) kitchen/dining room/depot is being covered to create a temporary dining hall for the pastors & musicians.



The rubble of the old kitchen/dining room/depot is being cleared to create a temporary something... I can't keep up with the changing plans!!!!



The rubble is being put on the soccer field where it is being crushed and then used to smooth out the gravel road leading up to the highway.



It's good to see everyone working so hard & looking forward to something so much.

Cholera

Cholera has spread to Grand Goave - one of the men in our church is sick with it. We are all being careful but could definitely use your prayers.

Hurricane Tomas

I'm using a generator that is almost out of gas so I'm going to be quick... just wanted to let you know that the storm has passed us now and we (in Grand Goave) weren't hit too badly.

The river that runs by our compound was raging...







And the compound flooded...



But all is well and the rains & winds have calmed down. I haven't heard news about the tent cities or other areas of Haiti yet.

It's on it's way

The rains started yesterday and this morning the winds picked up. Every time I check the status on the internet it changes between a hurricane & a tropical storm... either way... it's looks like Hurricane Tomas really is on it's way. The Ministry of Education sent out a request this morning to close all schools until further notice.

Here's a helpful website to track it:
http://stormadvisory.org/map/atlantic/

Pastor Luc and his church are hosting a convention later this month (Nov 17-21) and they are expecting 3000+ people to come to Heart to Heart Valley from across Haiti and the US. They have been anticipating this event for years and have started the preparation in the yard.

The yard is being cleaned, water tanks included, by the kids:



A temporary structure is being built which will cover the entire school yard:



A stage and sound booth are in the works:



The structures are being covered by sheets made of coconut palms:



As you already know, our compound was hit hard by the earthquake on January 12 and we are still in the process of cleaning up and rebuilding. This event alone would cause most Pastors to cancel a convention of this size but Pastor Luc and his congregation are determined not to let anything slow them down. Help us pray that the effects of the cholera outbreak (which hasn't hit us here yet) and hurricane Tomas will be minimal - for the sake of Pastor's Luc's convention and more importantly, for those who are so vulnerable in the tent cities and shacks.

Food distribution

We had a big food distribution today... the kids had so much fun putting the food in piles and getting everything ready!!

Pictures

Here are some pictures of what's happening around the compound:

New food depot & offices:



New showers & toilets:



Our temporary church has received a face lift:



Here's what the school looks like at the moment... the top story has been removed completely and the bottom story has been repaired.



This may not look like much progress but it impressed me!! Most of the rumble has been removed and we're almost at ground level... all done by hand!!!!!



And here are some pictures of the kids...

Eliyou washing clothes:



Samuel just hanging out



This is our newest (& youngest!) boy... Ti-Ne (Little Nose)... I love him but would like him a whole lot more if we could get him to use the toilet!!!



Mackenson... he followed me around the yard begging for his picture to be taken:

Welcome Back!

The kids at H2H have spent the week welcoming me back to Haiti so I think it’s time I welcome you back to my blog!

While I had a busy summer, the change of scenery & responsibility was nice and I was able to return to Haiti in good shape. I was so excited to arrive and see my welcome party waiting for me… then reality hit as we pulled away from the airport. I snapped 2 pictures, my excitement quickly faded and my eyes welled up… I had been away for ~3 months and instead of getting better things seem to have deteriorated further. The tent cities are still everywhere and the storm season has taken a toll on them.

I took a deep breath, put my camera away and turned to face the comrades who had come to pick me up. Their excitement to see me quickly charged me up again and I soaked in the updates they gave me. In contrast to the staleness of Port-au-Prince, everyone at H2H has been working hard and so much has happened; the kids have finally moved back inside, 5 new kids have arrived, 3 containers of food & supplies have arrived, our school has expanded to include grade 7, multiple food distributions have happened, the new food depot & offices are almost complete and a new school for the deaf has opened in PauP and our Samantha is finally back in school!!

Most of these things deserve an entry to themselves but for now you’ll have to be satisfied with seeing some pictures of the containers arriving & the food distributions (photos courtesy of Paulka).

While most developments at H2H have been positive our internet satellite isn’t working at the moment so my access to internet is limited… as I have to go to an internet café across town. I hope to have it fixed quickly but have patience with me in the mean time.

The containers:

The giveaways:

Also, as many of you already know, I have returned to Haiti without Renel – he is staying in Canada until December to practice his English and get to know my family better. We are both grateful for this opportunity for him but we will miss each other. I recently sent out a personal newsletter which gave some background info about Renel & I and our summer experience in Canada – if you didn’t receive it I don’t have your email address! If you’d like to see the newsletter please send me your email and I’ll forward it to you.

Here’s a sneak peak…