Friends and Family,
Basically, Jim spent the majority of the day in the car as Marie had a driver and three other Haitian friends drive him and Shawn around. Jim said that Port-au-Prince feels like one big tent city - tents being made out of anything and everything. There were a few skeletons here and there that had been burned. He got out at the capital "palace" and walked around and most people are just resuming the life he was used to seeing at previous visits. Street markets are beginning to resurface. Lots of people carrying rubble and anything they can salvage from the wreckage. Many men trying to break the cement with small hammers everywhere - the rescue hope is over - the time to break up and salvage what you can in full swing. They are even using bigger bricks as "hammers" to break up smaller bricks. He said it is totally bizarre.
Marie has several sisters in Haiti - but Jim visited one in particular. She had a huge three story church that is leveled. There was a meeting of about 24 people at the church discussing a baptismal ceremony which was to take place at Marie's church the following day when the earthquake occurred. Six people were crushed.
Back at the orphanage...Jim called on the cellular phone while standing on the roof of the single floor school. He said to look at the orphanage sitting broken on top of the church was overwhelming and very sad. He said it is discouraging and a disaster area for the children. He said he knows now why Marie hasn't wanted the girls to be around there, nor sleep in the school rooms which are only about 30 feet away. The fear continues to sleep under a roof.
When I talked to Marie she sounded so weary. It made me so sad - but I encouraged her the best I could with all the positive outreach we are receiving from people wanting to help. She said that sleeping on the ground for two weeks, she isn't getting proper sleep - lots of night noises, etc. She says she tried sleeping in her car - but it's too small. There are two houses hooked together by a walk way/patio like area on the second floor. It is covered by a roof on only half of the area. Jim thought he had convinced Marie to let the children sleep there tonight - at least they are off the ground - not that a cement floor is much better. Jim did bring some food and "panties" with his today, but Marie hesitated to bring too much of it out all at once, so as not to jeopardize her safety.
Jim intends to have a more lengthy talk with her tomorrow of her thoughts about rebuilding, possibly buying other land - the options go on and on. But the priority is to get a better place for the girls. Can you image having the responsibility of all these girls from age 3 to 16 to feed, entertain, and provide a secure place to sleep?
I would like to say talking to Jim left me encouraged...HE is the optimist in the family, and I wasn't feeling that attitude coming through. Why would we think it would be anything but what he has described. CNN has pretty much told the story he has witnessed.
Tomorrow is a new day with new possibilities. My experience when I'm in Haiti that it starts out overwhelming for the first few days as you forget the level of poverty. Then after about 4-5 days it all starts to feel "normal". You almost get numbed by the disparity. I can't quite imagine what it is like now.
Please keep praying for his safety and all those in such despair. To top it off, Marie had a filling fall out and is miserable with an exposed nerve in her tooth!! No dental choices on a good day - let alone now!
Thanks for caring and your kind words.
Patty
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