Haiti Travel Preparations

Shawn and I and sever others are running around today to get together the items we will bring to Haiti. We have requests from our friends for batteries, food, hacksaw blades, coffee, and various other items for immediate use. We are also bringing plastic tarps for shelter from the sun and rain.

Patty spoke to Marie today and Marie said there were a lot of naked butts running around and asked if we would bring "panties" for he orphan girls. I sent Patty out on that purchase run and if there is room Shawn and I will allow these to be added to our stuff. We will bring clothes to the girls since they are wearing what they had on when the earthquake hit. Everyone is still afraid to go inside any buildings as the aftershocks keep coming. Thankfully it has not rained yet.

Marie opened up the gate at the former orphanage to allow the neighbors to use her well which is a hand punp water well. Otherwise they would have to walk quite a ways to the "public" well to get their water. They are cooking meals for the 33 girls on charcoal on the side of the street. They have food for now and we will get more when we are there.

Shawn and I have stayed in touch throughout the last few days as we think through what we need and try to pack as much as we can of whatever is needed. We had a request for a cell phone charger from our friend in Haiti because someone took hers and traded it for something--now she doesn't have a charger. I found the charger this morning at a resale shop--the phone is rather old based on our standards so it was hard to find. It is the simple things we take for granted here.

Things are coming together--more to follow.