I started today in typical Haitian style. Marie sent Fedinare and I out to get some cement. He backed up his truck into the rocky road and I noticed he had a flat front tire. He got out and grabbed his hand pump, a standard item in any Haitian vehicle (spare tires are not). He pumped that tire for about half an hour and it was flatter than a pancake. We took Marie’s car instead (whole other story not for today). Had to make two trips because her car is not made to haul 1000 lbs of concrete even though the concrete dealer said “no problem”. We took 500 lbs at a time. This killed an hour and half and the concrete store is less than a mile from Marie’s.
Several people are making their way to Marie’s to check on her and update her on their lives. One of her school teachers came by and three died in his home but I did not know if they were his family or who they were. I only get the highlights from Marie through translation. Another person came by and said his home was gone but no one died—praise God. I talked to Patty via satellite phone and she told me that friend we know here died last night, Marie Amazon, a good friend of Bob Ryan’s and ours died in a tent city last night. She was a beautiful young woman. They are so many stories and you do not have to go far to get them.
Patty told me Shawn made it to Orlando and was making his way home from there. He will have to share the details but as I understand it he did not leave until midnight (we dropped him off at 10 AM). About 100 Americans were sleeping on the tarmac and then they were quickly shuttled onto a military aircraft and flown into a military base near Orlando. I’m sure he is glad to be on American soil, hot shower, bed with no bugs, no dogs barking all night, etc. He left his beef jerky which was my lunch today.
A good part of the day was spent a Marie’s home. She is getting more comfortable going inside now—three weeks after the devastating earthquake that changed everyone’s lives in Haiti. She was a bit nervous but she did help with some cleanup efforts. Her friend Anouse, Jeanna, and I went to work on putting things back in place. Cabinets, beds, dressers had all moved significantly out of their original places. Everything is covered with dust. It usually is but this is not the kind of dust we are used to. This is grit, dirt, almost sand—and it is not just from the earthquake because it is often this way. It is thicker than usual because of the quake and because of the demolition of the orphanage nearby.
The workers at the orphanage site were hard at work again today. They are pounding their hammers on the floor of the orphanage which was the roof of the church. It is much thicker, heavier construction, and requires twice the amount of pounding if not more to break it up. They are not giving up. They are glad to have the job and are working hard at it.
All in all it was a good day. I am happy that Marie is feeling more and more comfortable being inside. I hope that the others who are need are getting relief supplies. This will be a long haul for Haiti. The government buildings have collapsed, 90% of the schools in PAP have been destroyed, I don’t know how many families are homeless but I know there must be a million or so. Keep your prayers coming for the people here; they will need every one of them.
2.02.2010
Here is a photo of Marie at the end of our workday today. The orphanage rubble and rebar is behind her.
Marie by Grace House of Hope orphanage after earthquake.
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