In Haiti Again...

Another team has journeyed to Haiti in order to assist with some projects and continue to build relationships with the Holy Bible Church and the surrounding community. Jeremy is on this trip, as well as several other men, most of them mission trip "veterans". I don't have all of their names, but when they return I'm sure Jeremy will be able to fill in any missing information for you.

The original purpose of this trip was to assist with the construction of a new roof for the church in Petite Rivierre, since the existing roof was on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, they were able to hire a local contractor to do much of the work, and have therefore had less construction and more relationship building opportunities. I have very few details about what exactly they have done so far, but I know that they did assist with some of the roof construction one day, painted the school, helped bury some pipe that had become exposed, and I think Jeremy preached at least once.

One of the major projects has been water filtration. You may remember that back in September, Raymond Schackleford, who had been thoroughly trained by Living Water International, installed a large water filtration system that was capable of producing three hundred gallons per minute of clean water. The timing of that installation turned out to indeed be providential. Shortly after we left Haiti a terrible outbreak of cholera occurred, killing thousands of people in the country. Although there were a few deaths in Petite Rivierre and neighboring Souvenance, that water filter likely saved hundreds of lives. This week the team has done some maintenance on that filtration system, ensuring that it will continue to provide fresh, clean, safe drinking water to the thousands of people in the area. I know that everyone who was on that trip will remember the contributions that dear Raymond made that week. He passed away just a few weeks ago, after using his wonderful talents to glorify God for so many years. He taught my own son, Sam, so much that week, and I know that anyone who came in contact with Raymond could say the same thing. He was a brilliant man, yet gave God the glory for anything he did.

The other water filtration project is primarily being done by Richard Bradley and some other members of Rotary who are also spending the week in Petite Rivierre. They are installing several sand and gravel filters which are more suited for use by individual families. This will be tremendously helpful for the community, since these water filters last a long time and require little to no maintence. The people will still have to walk to get their water like they do now, but rather than drinking dirty water, or using their precious cooking wood to boil the water (which is very rarely done there), they can filter it right in their home! This is very exciting and should significantly decrease the incidence of water borne illness in the area.

Some of you may remember the orphanage in Petite Rivierre that we visited in September. From what I remember, there were nearly one hundred children in the orphanage at the time. Please remember that I use the term "orphanage" quite loosely. We wouldn't recognize it as such. There's no "house" to speak of. No beds. No toys. No swimming pools to play in. No food. No clean water. The conditions are horrendous; they are all sleeping on the dirt floor in a couple of tiny mud huts, drinking dirty water, and basically starving to death. No one is going to adopt these sweet children; they will probably never have a "forever family". If there was ever a group that fit the definition of "the least", this would be it. And no one is coming to rescue them. While I know this sounds dramatic, let me assure you that I am in no way exaggerating the conditions in which these children exist. At the same time I realize the dangers of thinking that we can somehow come in and be heroes by providing for their every need. The last thing we want to do is cause them to be dependent on Americans. This is a long, difficult, confusing road to travel, and I know that with God's guidance, those in charge will figure out the best way to move forward.
On our previous trip to Haiti, some food was getting to the orphanage, but not enough to adequately feed everyone. Now it seems that most of their food supply has been cut off, for reasons that I don't know yet. I'm anxious to hear about this development when the team returns to the states, but the small amount of information that I do have just breaks my heart. Half of the children had to be sent away (Where? I'm not sure), because the orphanage could no longer take care of them. The conditions are the same; a few of the children have mats for sleeping, and some of them are able to sleep on a concrete floor instead of dirt. The food situation is dire. Based on Jeremy's descriptions of the children today, it appears that all of the children show multiple signs of severe malnourishment. Fortunately the team was able to get enough food to them that should last about a month, as well as some hygiene supplies. Please join me in prayer for this situation, for the health of the children and caregivers, and clear guidance for our church to know how to handle this. Also, please pray for the emotional well-being of the team members. That may sound like a strange request, but with the recent tornado devastation in our area, many of these guys have been working very hard over the last three weeks, helping people dig out their belongings, cutting trees off of cars and houses, distributing supplies to the hard hit areas, or just being a shoulder to cry on for those who have lost everything. Even the toughest guys can have a difficult time handling the sheer amount of devastation and sadness they've seen here in their hometown, and then in Haiti this past week.

Jeremy will be able to fill in all the gaps, and show lots of pictures when he gets home.

Thanks for keeping the team (and their families back home) in your prayers!


Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes... Proverbs 3:5-7a