A Busy Week

Well, it has over a week since I have posted anything! I am so sorry. But it has been a week busy with meetings and details. I spent 2 days getting letters out to 41 people as “passports” to see the Des Moines eye surgery team that is coming to Pignon Thursday. And, since last night, I have had a struggle to get photos to up load to the blog site, so, I will only be able to post two of the photos!


There were also many meetings during the week with the CRC – Community Leaders' Committee – and the young people. The CRC provided 133 families with a box, tote, bucket or bag of clothing, toiletries and other items yesterday from 6 locations. The distribution was very well organized. The committee had lists of families for each location and a representative of each family was invited to be present at a certain time. Each family had a card, and as their names were called, they came, presented their card and received their box.

The young people's meetings have been about mobilizing the youth of the area to help those around them. In the second meeting, there were over 120 youth present. There was a very moving moment when all the young people were asked to stand up who were in Port-au-Prince at the time of the earthquake. As you can see in the upper right part of the collage, it was about half the group of young people. The two photos of the young men, Pastor Jean Claude and Louine, are just 2 of those spared to us. At the third meeting, the youth committed to inviting people to a 3 day evangelistic crusade and to planning a VBS for the children. Some also volunteered to visit homes with refugees to pray with them. And they organized themselves by areas to motivate the young people in their area to become involved in the community activities to help others.

Met Claude, HAFF's Project Healthy Family coordinator has also been busy. Each time the HAFF generator is running, he gets out his wonderful machine, mixes salt and water and pours the salt water through the machine 7 times for the electrical charge to convert the salt water to a chlorine solution suitable for purifying water. He is making more of the solution than usual these days to provide for the increased needs of local families for clean drinking water for the additional people at their home. Met Claude said that a regular sized box of salt will make one gallon of solution which will be able to treat many many gallons of water.

And finally, on a light note, you have heard of farm fresh eggs, but have you ever heard of office fresh eggs? A couple of weeks ago, Colin walked into the office and found things on the desk to be in a bit of disarray. Then, as he was straightening things up, he discovered an egg on the desk! He brought it home for breakfast. A few days later, he was rummaging in the trash can looking for something he had mistakenly thrown away and found 3 eggs! I am not sure how many eggs the office chicken has laid at this point, but right now, she is sitting on 2 in the trash basket. Friday Colin and Greg and Met Telius and I were all working in the office and she was sitting on her eggs. Each time someone moved, or someone new walked in or Greg's dog got too close, she would squawk! We have had a good time and some lightened days with the office chicken.

Cape Coral Florida Shipments

There's been a whole lot of sorting going on at HAFF. And more will be done!

This photo collage shows three boxes of medical supplies being sent to doctors in Hinche and many boxes of clothing, shoes, toiletries and other items being readied by Gabi, Barb, Mme Destorel, Carla and Rachel with two of Rachel's friends. There were 41 boxes and counting when I was last at the depot! These supplies were sent in by small private plane yesterday directly to Pignon from Cape Coral Florida. They are the gift of at least 2 of HAFF's supporting churches in the area. And this was only half the shipment! The other half was given to Jean Jean and Kristie at UCI. The boxes will be made available to the families who have received refugees.


But wait! There's more! Another plane came in today. And another will come tomorrow. Colin was sorting boxes in the back of the truck while Carla and Rachel's friends Evens and Wilnot start sorting more medical supplies and toiletries.

These items will be a huge blessing to the refugees who have often come with a small back pack or even just the clothes on their back. This is the start of normalcy for so many. Thank you all who helped and thank you all who are helping in similar ways in other areas.

In the mean time I have been working on getting over 30 letters out to the people that we are sending to see the eye surgery team at the Pignon hospital in February. The letters will single out the people we have made prior arrangements for from the people who have just walked in that day. This is a great privilege the Des Moines eye team has given us and a great blessing to the people in the communities we serve.

Money for Market

Thank you everyone for your generosity. It is being put to good use and this is just the beginning!

Exciting things are again happening in Bohoc area. With the trucks that we have reports on, there are now over 1000 people who have been brought back from Port-au-Prince to the area. This morning and afternoon the 67 members of the HAFF ministry team each received 1000 gourdes ($28.57 US) as a small gift to give them a bit of money to take to market tomorrow to help their families. Two of the folks who received the money made a special effort to ask me to tell everyone who had helped, thank you. They are grateful. Their thanks were all out of proportion to the amount they received. For some people that 1000 gourdes was about the same as 2 weeks salary for them. For other people, it was 3 times their 2 weeks salary and for some of our teachers it was just about a quarter or fifth of their half month salaries. But they are thankful for the gesture. And Haitians can make 1000 gourdes go farther than we can!

Also, as of 5:30 this evening, cash is being distributed directly to the homes of those 263 families who have the 887 refugees staying with them. The community leaders themselves are taking the money to the homes. The money will be given directly to the woman of the house before all the members of the household, so that all is done with complete transparency. The families are receiving anywhere from 200 – 2500 gourdes ($5.00 – $71.00 US) depending on the number of people who have been received into the home. Pignon market will be busy tomorrow!

It's a Big Job

Yesterday I had 5 meetings. Barb had 6! So there was no time for blogging and precious little for email. But a lot of planning got done.

The results of the survey the young people did is in. As of Wednesday evening or Thursday morning, there were 887 people who had returned from Port-au-Prince to 263 households. Those households are in several communities from Grand Latanier 3 or 4 miles south of HAFF to LaPila about 2 or 3 miles north of HAFF. I don't know how far off National Route 3 the survey takers went. Of those communities, Bohoc had the largest influx with 320 people. And those numbers were not including the people coming in on the 5 trucks that were in Port-au-Prince picking people up yesterday.

Those trucks needed lots of prayer. I don't know the details, but our management team meeting was interrupted several times yesterday morning by Met Gabriel's voice sounding very stressed as he talked by cell phone to the men with the trucks in Port. Barb got a call from one of the men in charge of the truck we sent and he sounded pretty stressed too. But we did get a report last night that the truck we sent arrived safely with 61 people. That puts the number received in the area over 900. And that doesn't even count the other 4 trucks.

So, we are realizing we are facing a huge refugee population and many families who will be needing help, as they were already struggling to make ends meet even before this. When the community leaders' finance commission met yesterday to talk about distributing the cash already received at that time (not the pledges, just the actual cash on hand), it quickly became apparent that there was nowhere near enough to make any kind of a difference. And this is just the beginning.

Another area of need is the emotional and spiritual well being of the folks returning and of the people receiving them. Several of the survivors have mentioned that they still see the bodies they had to climb over to get out of their buildings and that they still hear the noise of the quake and the buildings falling. Some can't sleep unless they are between 3 or 4 other people. And others still start and want to run each time the wind shakes the metal roofing on the house.

The young people's meeting yesterday brought out an idea of possibly having a week long evangelistic crusade combined with a Vacation Bible School for the younger children. And this morning, the students and teachers of BTI gathered for a service of prayer and worship and then divided into 3 groups to go visit and encourage the families of our 3 former students lost in the quake. All these activities bring healing and comfort in these uncertain and difficult times.

We are excited about how the communities and missions are working together. Keep us all in prayer for unity and wisdom and transparency and that we would do what is best.

Good things are happening in the greater Bohoc LaJeune area. The photo below is of the group of young people who met at HAFF yesterday.



But community leaders have met and the heads of missions have met and folks from the rural areas have met with the folks from the town of Pignon. And we are working together hand in hand, Haitian with American, town with country to meet this crisis together.

The following things are being accomplished as I write this:

• The equivalent of 7 trucks are being sent to Port-au-Prince to get more people out of the city.
• Surveys are being done of each house in various areas to see what the needs are – how many people used to live there, how many more have come, what is needed in the way of food and medical care. (Just a note – HAFF's Young Leaders for God are heading up the survey teams!)
• Committees and commissions have been set up to compile the information and get the money or food or clothing out to the various families according to their needs.
  Funds and food have been pledged and will start being distributed tomorrow and Friday. An effort is being made to get money into the hands of the families so they can go to market on Saturday.
• All the other local missions are supporting Dr Germinal in the clinic at LaJeune with medicines on hand and making contacts for him for more meds. The community leaders' committee will make funds available to cover his costs for treating victims of the quake, even if they are not able to pay.

We are Fine

We are fine. The 6.1 “aftershock” this morning shook the house and rattled the roof agian, but not as badly as last week and for not as long. I had just decided to get up at 6:30 rather than 6:00 when I started feeling it. And I was just thinking I should get out of bed and stand in a door, when it subsided. Greg and Colin didn't feel it and thankfully, a couple of the survivors who are back in the area didn't feel it either.

I am sorry about being so late with this post, but I had eye clinic this morning and our internet service is very slow since we were sanctioned last night for no apparent reason – we did not have usage over the bandwidth that would normally cause the sanction. So please bear with us.

Yesterday I was all set to post some good news, but the day got busy. Monday, Fon Koze was able to change money for us, finally. Interestingly enough, the exchange rate is down from 42 gourdes to the US dollar to 30 gourdes to the dollar. We were still able to get enough money, so yesterday Colin and I prepared the pay for the teachers and the dorm cooks and then we paid those who came between 1 and 2 in the afternoon.

Then at 2 we had a meeting with several of the youth in the area. It was a good meeting about forming a committee to get the youth active in participating in the activities in the area to help the refugee situation. They will coordinate with the community leaders and the missions in the area for a unified response to this crisis.

All the meetings with community leaders and youth and other missions have come up with the same priority – get people out of Port-au-Prince. That has become even more critical now with the strong shock this morning. So, the Matthew 28 orphanage, HAFF and UCI are collaborating to get 3 big trucks to 2 predetermined locations in Port to pick up people who have been contacted to be in those places. Those trucks have also been offered to the HIM ministry in Pignon to help carry relief supplies down to Port-au-Prince.

It has also come to our attention that while it didn't seem that there was any damage to homes in this area, some damage is now becoming apparent. So the committees are talking about how best to assess the damage and then help people repair their homes. In all this, the community is taking the lead and the missions are coming along side to participate at the request of the community.

Please keep all these endeavors in prayer.

• Pray that we would be able to get people out of Port safely – we hear the situation is getting quite dangerous there now.
• Pray that the community leaders and the missions and the committees can remain unified and present an efficient,, wise, Godly and calm help to the people in need.
• Pray for security in Port-au-Prince as well as in the provinces, since some folks who are from Port-au-Prince and have no where else to go are following neighbors back to areas they have never been and some folks are just getting on any truck they can to get out of town. With the prisoners from the destroyed prison and other people who are not law abiding moving out into the provinces, that raises security issues for everyone. Our area has always been proactive about security and the leaders are already aware of the potential problems.
  

Once again, thank you all for your prayers and concern and desire to help. You are precious to us and your encouragement means the world to us.

Send your tax-deductible gift to:
HAFF
P.O. Box 3421
North Fort Myers, FL 33918 (mark your check “Use Where Most Urgently Needed”)

Or go to the DONATE NOW page of the HAFF website:
https://www.eservicepayments.com/cgi-bin/specialwebapp.vps?appid=40a27221f816144b21e9f2e0d81891b8a68820b814b79fc6caf83c6a4fcf06b22f288aa4a34fa442a76b20a4eb1041b06ddf55143812b2d24b732bb1061ec667

Haitian American Friendship Foundation
P.O. Box 3421 North Fort Myers, Florida 33918-3421
Haiti cell 011.509.3726.2017 email: USOffice@HAFF.org www.HAFF.org
La Fondation de l’Amitie Haitiano-Americaine






18 January, 2010 HAFF Haiti Earthquake Response Plan


Dear friends of HAFF,
So many of you have emailed or called us over the past few days, expressing your sadness for Haiti’s situation and your prayers for the people here. This has been such an encouragement to all of us and to our Haitian friends and neighbors. Thank you for reaching out and enveloping us with your support.

Many of you have also asked us how specifically you can help with the situation down here. We apologize for being so late in getting back to you, but because so many of our community’s young people were in Port-au-Prince at the time of the earthquake, our primary focus was finding them and getting them back home. We also have been focusing on helping the local community find information about the situation in Port-au-Prince and the status of their loved ones, as well as helping them grieve during this initial shock.

We are now prayerfully considering, as a staff, which specific course of action HAFF should next take as an organization in the coming days, weeks, and months. There is so much need and so much devastation that we want to help in the wisest way possible – in the way that God wants us to respond. After discussing and praying together, we feel that we should focus our efforts on our local community, in helping the refugees and displaced victims who will be moving here from the city. There are many relief and aid agencies that are better equipped to address the needs in Port-au-Prince. And while the majority of the devastation happened in Port-au-Prince, this is profoundly impacting people and communities all over the country – include our own community. There is in progress a steady stream of refugees who are leaving Port-au-Prince and returning home to their families in the provinces. Many of our Haitian colleagues, for example, have multiple displaced family members coming to stay with them, since their houses in Port-au-Prince were destroyed. And it is only beginning. Many native Port-au-Prince residents don’t have anywhere else to go, and many could eventually begin coming to our area looking to start a new life. With this new influx of people to our community, many local people are going to be facing more financial challenges, when they didn’t have enough funds to begin with, at a time when food and gas prices are soaring as a result of the quake. We feel strongly that God is leading us to help our local community members as they open their arms to those who have been displaced.

When a disaster strikes a nation, relief is done so that there can be rehabilitation, and then eventually development. While there are many, many areas of Haiti that desperately need pure relief, we feel that our community is in a unique position. It has been actively developing for years, and this means that our period of relief can be shorter than other areas of Haiti might need. It will be applied within the context of a community that has been growing stronger and more stable throughout the years. HAFF’s long-term goal has always been to train up leaders for tomorrow’s Haiti, and we know that God has been preparing and equipping this generation to rise up and help their fellow Haitians. We believe that in this time of immense crisis and need, God is calling HAFF to stand alongside and support our Haitian community.

HAFF has spent over 25 years in the Bohoc/La Jeune community, playing a role in its development and the equipping of its local leaders. Over the past few months, several of us on the HAFF staff have remarked to each other how truly special this community is compared to many other Haitian rural communities. There is much poverty to be sure, but there is a certain stability and together-ness here that is not seen in many other places. God is clearly and visibly at work in this area. Over the past few days of this crisis, the community has demonstrated that they are strong enough to survive this hardship. Many, many families have personally affected by the earthquake (having friends and relatives unaccounted for in Port-au-Prince), yet they have banded together to support each other – in both spiritual and practical ways – and it has been beautiful to see. And many community members – young and old – have taken the initiative by beginning to organize themselves to act. Just this afternoon, for example, two of our former students approached some of the staff with an idea for starting a disaster-response committee, the majority of which would be composed of young university students from our area. And this is just one example of the leadership within our community.

We have been so encouraged by this, and feel that as HAFF responds to this crisis, we do it in a way that gives the community ownership from the very beginning. In the next day or so, we hope to sit down with wise and respected community members, both young and old, to ask them how we as a community can respond and the role that HAFF can play. We hope to follow their lead and support them in tangible, practical ways. For example, as funds become available, we would like to help local families host refugees by providing resources such as bags of food, tarps and blankets, gallons of kerosene, and other much-needed supplies. We also would like to supplement our employees’ salaries to help cover the added costs that they will incur by housing these refugees. We also foresee that there may be a need to transport refugees into the community. When the immediate crisis is over, Haiti is facing months and even years of recovery. We know that relief money doesn’t always last as long as the need is there. But long after this earthquake disappears from the news, the country will be fighting to recover. We hope that by trusting and empowering our Haitian neighbors to rally together and help their countrymen, we will be establishing a good foundation for long-term, sustainable progress in this area.

So here is how you can get involved: if you feel led to donate, please mark your gift to be used as it is most urgently needed, both to meet immediate needs in the community and also to continue to help HAFF support the community in the future. Funds will be used to assist the community’s own efforts to help refugees and those who have lost loved ones, and to continue to invest in the development of the community in the future. Bohoc/La Jeune will still exist long after the relief and aid agencies pull out. We’ve been so encouraged this week as we’ve seen how this community is determined and capable of taking action to help those who have been most affected by the earthquake by welcoming them with the love of Christ. We want to help them do that and hope to support them in whatever ways we can. We hope that you will catch this same vision.

Finally, many of you have expressed the desire to come down to HAFF and help. We are so appreciative of your willingness to drop everything and serve. However, we all feel strongly that, for the moment, in these first few weeks, it is critical that our Haitian brothers and sisters feel empowered to take the lead. Once they have figured out how they as a community want to respond – knowing that we are there to help – there may be some tangible ways that some of you can be of assistance on the ground. And we will let you know when we sense that it is the right time for that. But until that time, please PRAY and GIVE as you are able, to allow us to have resources to pull from as we help the community through this crisis.

Thank you again for your outpouring of love, support, and prayers. We all feel truly blessed by your encouragement, and are passing your encouragement on to everyone that we see.
God bless you,

The HAFF staff
Bohoc, Haiti, W.I.

Refugees

Thank you so much everyone who has been writing in and wanting to help. We are doing fine and keeping busy. We hope to be posting some information to the blogs and to the website and sending it out to churches and supporters about what our game plan is going to be. In the mean time, just please know that we are well and meeting with other missions in the area and with community leaders to find out what the needs are and where we can help.

Also, so far, in our area, the refugees returning are coming to family. We understand that Pignon is getting some folks who are not from this area, but so far that has not been a need in the Bohoc LaJeune area. That might change, or it might not.

Please, right now, continue to pray as we meet and figure out strategies for collaboration and combined efforts. We will be in touch as soon as we have plans in place.

Thanks for your concern and eagerness to help. We want to direct that concern and help in the most helpful ways.

Sunday Service

There was a memorial service today at church. It was for all 7 of the people lost this week in the earth quake, but mostly for the three young men, Romon, Jocelyn and Fabnot. It was hard. All of us from HAFF were asked to sit with the families of the boys – something that is quite unusual. That made the service harder. I think I cried more during this service than I had the whole rest of the time since the earthquake. Most of the time I sat with Mme Telius who was quiet. Fabnot's sisters and some other folks were having a harder time. And during some of the congregational singing there was a lot of wailing and several people were overcome.

Fr Lanyo spoke about Romon, since Romon lived often with him. Romon's mother was too weak to come to church. And Fr Lanyo offered his counsel to any young person who wanted to walk seriously with the Lord. Met Telius spoke about Jocelyn, and encouraged people to keep Jocelyn's vision of young people training for trades and contributing to the community alive.

Then Met Telius asked Lenes and Louine to get up to speak. They had all the young people in the church who are in University or further post secondary studies come up on the platform. There had to be a good 25 or 30 young men and women who went and stood with the 2 young men. And I said to Greg and Gabi who were sitting behind me, “Look at all the ones we didn't loose” And it really is a miracle. From Bohoc and LaJeune, only 7 lost. From Cercady, none lost. The other side of the Bohoc River, only 2 lost. Lamar, where a teacher and his brother, one of our students, live, no one lost. What a miracle. We could have lost so many more.

Barb spoke about all three boys and about their time in Port and how God's hand had been so apparent in everything. Fr Fabius spoke about Fabnot and asked Zach and Tonpi to speak as well. Tonpi told the story of how he got out and the others didn't. Fabius then assured everyone that though the boys are gone and the is sorrow in everyone's hearts, ministry must go on and that he would be in the street tomorrow morning at 3:30 with the accordion to wake everyone up for the manna service.

Two of our next steps will be to plan with the other missions in the area and with community leaders to see what is available, what is already being done and what the needs are now and will be long term. Please pray for wisdom, direction and a spirit of unity to be present during those meetings and that the Body of Christ can shine in this dark time.

Prayer Vital to the Future

Greg and Barb slept most of the day, thankfully. They still need rest. When we were all available this afternoon we sat down and spent almost 3 hours sharing information – what they had been through and thinking and what we had been hearing and thinking. We have started to formulate a game plan and hope to have something to post soon. Please pray for us as we think and talk and make plans. Your prayers for our wisdom and guidance and direction are crucial right now. Please pray.

One of our former students who is a university scholarship recipient has been working tirelessly taking news to families as we would receive it from Barb and Greg and bringing us news from families as he would hear about people. He has been running hither and thither for 4 days around Bohoc and LaJeune and today decided he needed to go over to Lapila and see how things are over there. By his estimate, with the news we had this afternoon, it seems that the Bohoc LaJeune area only lost 7 people in this tragedy. That is a miracle and that leaves us with many bright young people ready and able and trained to help Haiti and this community recover from this catastrophe. Please pray for them that the Lord would raise up from the ranks of our former students, former Young Leaders, former Godly Women, men and women who can lead this community and this nation into the future.

More Survivor Stories

Here several more photos and stories from survivors who have arrived back home in the last day or two. Some of them are folks you have been praying for by name.



Met Phanes is the headmaster of HAFF's school, Bohoc Training Institute. His three oldest children, Tatiana, Rose Gardie and Ralph, were living in the Canape Vert section of Port. It was in-accessible by vehicle, so Met Phanes, who went to Port with Greg and Barb, left them to go find his family. Here they are, yesterday, home safe and sound. Rose Gardie was doing her home work in the yard of her school, Quisquea University, when the quake hit. The building came down before her eyes, but she was thankfully not hurt. Praise God with us that this family, who recently lost their mother, has not suffered more loss. The fourth photo in the collage is of the young people getting off the truck in front of their father's house here at HAFF. The other people in the truck are other former HAFF students returning home as well.



Marie Noel and Eladie Accilien lived near the Caribbean Market which collapsed. Their house also collapsed, but thankfully they both escaped. Their father told me today that they are both sore today, and shocked, but otherwise fine.



Clockwise starting at the top left corner are former students Jedlain Geffrard, Petersen Theragen, Guerson Derizard, Edwine Victor. Petersen was with Fabnot, Romon, Lolo, Tonpi and the others in the house! While they were together in the house Romon was doing his usual comedy routine. When Lolo got up to go home, Fabnot got up to walk her home, but Romon held them both and, in his silly way, asked them to stay a while. That was when they started feeling the earthquake. Tonpi and Petersen got out first since they were more vigilant and quick on their feet. Petersen said there was a door that prevented Fabnot and the others from getting out. Guerson was saved by God. He was standing under a cement cover for a walkway. While he was trying to save a child, the cover fell, just missing Guerson.



Jonas Mompremier is one of our night guards. This is his family who were all in Port at the time of the quake. Jones, with the bandage is Jonas' son. Loriston and Carline (former students) in the center are his niece and nephew and Josie (another former student) on the right is his daughter. The little one on Carline's lap is her brother's son. Her brother had to stay behind. The little one on Josie's lap is Jones' son.

We also learned that Mme Garnier who lives closer to the Bohoc river lost 3 of her grandchildren in Port. So, as far as we know, there were only 7 deaths of people from Bohoc LaJeune. What a miracle.

Giving a life for a life

Here is an old photo of Fabnot and Zach. Gabi just asked me to post some information about how Fabnot came to die.

We had heard that he had turned back to get his laptop. When Gabi told her mother that, Barb cut her off and said, “That's nonsense!” Lolo had told them, before she died that Fabnot had pushed her so she could get out first. So, he died giving his life for her. That is our Fabnot

Zach and Tonpi are on their way now to Hinche to try to find some food to purchase to be used during home visitations so people have something to offer when people visit. And for their own needs as well. Please pray that they find something and that they will be safe on the 4 wheeler on the road. Greg and Barb are still sleeping.

Rumors and Home Safely

It was a quiet evening. No wailing, just the men's choir from the Maranatha Church of Bohoc singing at their leader Fabius' house. Fabnot had played the accordion for the group when he was home growing up. The sweet sounds of the men's voices reached us at my house. Some one else in the community was quietly playing classical music.

Then, about 10:30 the phone rang. It was Jeremie letting us know that “they” were saying that everyone needed to be out of their houses and in the streets because there would be “an event” at 11:00! “What kind of an event?” I asked as the call was cut. I tried to call him back, but couldn't get through.

I got on the internet to see if there was some information about some event at 11 that everyone needed to know about. There was nothing. While I was looking, Justin called. He told me the same thing Jeremie did. He said “they” were not saying what kind of an event, but everyone was out in the road. He said he called me because he knew he could get good information here. I explained to him that no one could so exactly predict an earthquake. That while I could not say there would not be another earthquake at 11, no one could say there would be either. I did tell him to counsel people to plan ahead where to go in the event of another big earthquake that would damage buildings here. And then I gave him the US Embassy's counsel of where those safe places would be. I asked him to let Jeremie know and he said he would spread the news. Carla was here and she took the information up to the gate to be spread around.

A few minutes later, Wilnot and Whidson came by to ask the same thing for the same reason as Justin! I told them what I told Justin and they said they would spread the news. Then Heriveaux called and finally my cook! Needless to say, 11:00 passed with no event.

I went to bed about midnight. Then I heard the Land Cruiser stop at Met Telius' house. I knew they would be delivering people up and down the road and wouldn't be in to their house right away. So, I decided to rest till they got in. I fell asleep and never heard them come in! I did wake up just before 3 and heard Gabi get the last of her things from the house – she had been staying with me – and close the door. I hear Gabi's voice now. I hope Barb and Greg are still sleeping. Zach and Tonpi, who slept at Fabius' house, are here showering at my house now.

As we meet and make decisions, we will let everyone know what we will be doing and how you can help. Keep checking this blog for the latest updates. And keep praying. The rescue efforts continue in Port-au-Prince. Jean Jean and Kristie Mompremier (jeankris@starband.net) have sent a big truck load of charcoal to Port and are hoping to go to the Carrefour area of town to get some folks who want to come home. Clean up has not even begun and it is way too early to think about rebuilding. And people are still mourning and sorrowing. Thank you and bless you for your prayers and support and the emails and comments on the blog. Each one is precious to us and not a bother.

Found

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. There have been odd bits of information coming in during the day, but there was nothing definitive from Barb and Greg. We had presumed they are still in Port and still digging for Fabnot, since we had not heard anything else.

What we have heard is the following:

• Prices of everything are rising. Congo peas were up from 25 to 35 gourdes per measure today and flour and sugar were hard to find yesterday
• Hinche is out of fuel
• Pignon is getting low on food for sale
• The situation in Port is deteriorating as people's desperation kicks in. A missionary from Pignon just got back from Port this afternoon and reported that it is getting ugly and scary there.
• Several missions are sending trucks to Port to get people. Hein Vingerling of Matthew 28 Orphanage next door to HAFF is sending 2 trucks. Kristie and Jean Jean of United Christians International in concert with one of our teachers who is a church leader from the Haitian Missionary Church Association and a former student who has his own development organization are trying to find a driver for our former student's Deuce and a half. If they find a good driver, our driver Elizert might go along to help drive. He said, “If I were in this situation I would want others to help. I have a heart to help. I want to help.”
• Digicel is now working. I tried Barb's and Greg's phones, but Greg's was not in service and I got a busy signal for Barb.
• Met Phanes just called and had heard from Barb. Fabnot was found around noon. He has been buried in Port. Barb and Greg are leaving Port soon and will be home sometime tonight.
• I have sent for Jean Jean to let him know and Jeremie, another friend of Fabnot's, who has been informing families of the dead. Jean Jean is Fabnot's family's pastor and we also want to talk to him about a memorial service for the 4 dead who are not coming home.

Please keep us all in prayer as we work with the community through this hard time. And as we figure out what are the next steps.

Barb Van Schoyck Call

Barb just called via Voila cell phone. They are still in Port. They have buried Jocelyn and Romon there as the bodies were deteriorating too quickly. This is an extra sorrow for the families here as they don't have the closure of a funeral. I think I will suggest that when things calm down a bit and all is known, that there be memorial services held for those who had to be buried in Port.

They are still looking for Fabnot.

A returning survivor said he had word from the young man who first called Zach Tuesday evening with the news of the house collapsing. Tonpi reportedly said that when the quake hit, he left his laptop and ran out. Fabnot turned back to grab his laptop. Please keep praying.

Jacmel News

Good news from Jacmel. Myrlene just wrote to tell me that her sister Louloune called this morning at 10. She is safe, but needs prayer for her high blood pressure.

Fon Koze was not able to cash our checks this morning, since they can not contact Port to see what the exchange rate is. That means we can't pay our teachers or the cooks today – we don't have enough cash on hand to pay them all. Pray that we get word soon that Fon Koze can help.

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Morning News

The wailing started again this morning about 5:20. I thought the bodies had arrived, but then realized I had heard no vehicle arriving. I guess it was just people waking up and remembering.

There is still no definitive news. Reading between the lines of a New Press posting this morning at 7:08, Fabnot's body has still not been found, but Zach and Fabius, Fabnot's dad, are not giving up. It was not clear if Barb and Greg had left yet with the bodies of Jocelyn and Romon. As of a little after 8 this morning, Voila phone contact with Pastor Iliobert Berçon in Hinche is that Greg and Barb had not gotten there yet, but the caskets were being made and the person to prepare the bodies was standing by. HAFF driver, Elizert left for Hinche this morning at 4 to meet them.

For others, life goes on. Colin just left for the alternative bank, Fon Koze to cash checks and we pay the teachers today. I also hope to prepare the list to pay the cooks for their work in the dorm for the team from Grand Rapids that just left Monday. So I will do what I can to answer emails while still getting much needed money into the community. Keep the prayers coming.

First Funerals

Barb just wrote about an hour ago that they have found the bodies of Romon and Jocelyn, but not Fabnot. It seems from the email that Greg and Barb are going to come to Hinche tonight so the bodies they have can be prepared for burial and they can come on home tomorrow for the funerals. We are sending messages to the families and making arrangements in Hinche for the preparation of the bodies. Please keep them in prayer as they travel with the bodies and for the families as they prepare for the funerals.

There is a photo of Zach digging for Fabnot on the News Press website. Here is the link. http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A4&Dato=20100114&Kategori=HAITI&Lopenr=1140815&Ref=PH&Item=2

Survivor Stories

Here are some photos of survivors who are coming home.


Mme Jacnel is the daughter whose reunion with her mother Carla witnessed. This is her and her two sons. The one boy was injured in the quake. She leaves her husband in Port-au-Prince, though he is fine.



And this is the brother of Mme Edwayen, the uncle of Mme Jacnel. He is being greeted by his daughter on his return from Port.

These are the two daughters of Fr Limanes Auguste of LaJeune. They were at school in Port-au-Prince and their father went down to find them. They arrived home today.

Our headmaster, Phanes Charles has returned with his family. They are all well. His second daughter, Rose Gardie was at school doing homework when the quake hit. She was not in the building, but in the yard and watched the building collapse before her. She was not hurt, but they were all traumatized. Rejoice with us at these people saved.

Survivors Returning

Survivors are starting to arrive back in the area. Carla just witnessed the reunion of our team market lady and her daughter as the daughter got back from Port. People came running down the street with their arms open wide to receive her and rejoice with Madame Edwayen.

Some of the survivors have brought back news of people being fine and that there is not a single university which is still standing. Again, these are stories, and it is not certain how true they are.

There is still no word on Jacmel and my friend, Myrlene in the States wrote me to ask if I had news. They have not heard from her sister who works at the hospital. The hospital collapsed and Louloune was to go on duty at 6 pm. Please pray for Louloune Joseph's family and for Louloune herself and the people she serves in Jacmel.

There was news on the radio that they are working to get the Digicel cell phone network up and running again. In the mean time, the Voila phones at the front gate have allowed many people to get in touch with loved ones. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Prices of items and News Press Articles

There is some more information available. The gas Elizert was able to buy in Pignon was $11.98 US per gallon! He is also going to try to fill the tank of the truck he took to Hinche with diesel when he gets to Hinche. We have a good supply of diesel on hand, but don't know how readily it will be available after this. We are hearing that food prices are soaring as well. Fon Koze the alternative bank we use will be able to change money for us tomorrow. That is a praise.

Zach made it across the border from the Dominican with the journalists. Check the following link to the Fort Myers News Press to see Zach at the border. http://www.news-press.com/article/20100114/HAITI/100114008/1075/Dispatches-from-Haiti-Massive-truckloads-of-food-at-border. Those articles might be your best way to keep up to date.

Port-au-Prince Yesterday

In our email from Barb and Greg last night, Barb described the situation in Port-au-Prince during the day yesterday. They were in several parts of the city looking for our loved ones but they spent most of the time in the area near Haiti Tractor, off the road leading to the airport trying to dig the three young men out of the house that collapsed. Here is what Barb wrote after a night with no sleep, a long drive and a horrific hunt for survivors. The parenthetical comments are mine.

“We can't get them out (the boys). The house is completely caved in. We also lost a girl from our area named Lolo (my cook's goddaughter) who was there visiting. People tried all day to get them out. They got Lolo out this afternoon. I and various people gave her first aid and it appeared she would make it but she didn't. We still haven't been able to get the boys out. We don't know where in the house they are. It is a complete disaster. The house and the city. Dead bodies everywhere. Buildings crazed net (Kreyol for broken completely). Unbelievable. A catastrophe of epic proportions. People are just walking. Very very few police, hardly any UN workers, no aid workers that I can see.”

Port-au-Prince Yesterday

In our email from Barb and Greg last night, Barb described the situation in Port-au-Prince during the day yesterday. They were in several parts of the city looking for our loved ones but they spent most of the time in the area near Haiti Tractor, off the road leading to the airport trying to dig the three young men out of the house that collapsed. Here is what Barb wrote after a night with no sleep, a long drive and a horrific hunt for survivors. The parenthetical comments are mine.

“We can't get them out (the boys). The house is completely caved in. We also lost a girl from our area named Lolo (my cook's goddaughter) who was there visiting. People tried all day to get them out. They got Lolo out this afternoon. I and various people gave her first aid and it appeared she would make it but she didn't. We still haven't been able to get the boys out. We don't know where in the house they are. It is a complete disaster. The house and the city. Dead bodies everywhere. Buildings crazed net (Kreyol for broken completely). Unbelievable. A catastrophe of epic proportions. People are just walking. Very very few police, hardly any UN workers, no aid workers that I can see.”

Refugee Transport

Our Chauffer Elizert was just able to buy some gasoline in Pignon, so we can at least run the motorcycles and small generators, if we run out of diesel and can't get more. Elizert is now on the way to Hinche to meet people who have arrived on foot from Port and have no way to get any further. Jean Jean Mompremier from UCI also sent a truck. Some of the people need medical attention and Elizert said that the Hospital in Pignon is receiving wounded people for free. And thank the Lord, there is a surgical team from North Dakota at the Pignon Hospital!

My cook just found out that the girl who died after being rescued yesterday was a goddaughter she loved like a daughter. She is grieving, but working and serving. Her grief made me realize that some Scripture at the front gate might be of comfort. So I had our gate guard take my Kreyol Bible up and write out John 10:27-30 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 as reminders that those who are in Christ can not be taken from the Father's hand and that those who die in Christ are not lost – they will be raised with us when He comes. Please pray for the grieving families.

HAFF's Benevolence committee is also getting clothing ready to help those who arrive in the area with nothing. And they are talking about the need to prepare for the potential influx of refugees who may need housing, food and other necessities. Pray for them as they make these plans.

Some Cell Phones Working!

We got news this morning that the Voila cell phone system is working. However, there was only one Voila phone card available in the community! So, since, thankfully, Voila can be topped up on line, we are topping up a few phones on line and making them available at the front gate for people to try to call folks to see how they are. But we are having trouble connecting with the website. Probably a busy issue. Pray that we can get through.

Colin and Carla also have a chalkboard at the front gate where they are posting the names of those who have been confirmed alive and well.

Finally, there has been news on the radio that people with trucks are supposed to converge on Port-au-Prince to bring people back to their home areas since people are hungry and thirsty and there is nothing with which to feed them or give them drink. I foresee a huge traffic jam leading into Port from all directions, unless someone is directing this. Please pray for us as we consider if we should send a vehicle. We only have one reliable vehicle here (Since Greg and Barb have the other one in Port already) that is large enough to do any good. And this area needs to brace for the refugees. Please keep all these things in prayer.

Thank you so so much to everyone who is writing in with encouragement and prayers and offers of help. Gabi and I are trying to get to the emails as fast as we can, but they are coming in faster than we can answer them! Thanks for your love and prayers and encouragement. We will get an answer to you all just as quickly as we can. Keep checking here.

News from Greg and Barb

We heard from Barb and Greg via email from Port-au-Prince. They are fine and staying with an MAF pilot. They are fairly certain that Fabnot, Jocelyn and Romon are dead, but, after spending all day trying to find them, they have still not found the bodies. Please pray they do and pray for their families.

They also found a girl from our area in the same collapsed house who died as she was receiving first aid from Barb and others. Thankfully too, they found many of our folks from our area who are alive and well. They still have not heard from Wood-Ky and Edwine, but are pretty sure they are fine. Please pray for Barb and Greg as they have had no sleep and have had a horrible experience.

Zach has landed in the Dominican and will be making his way to the border tomorrow with a friend and some journalists from Fort Myers, FL. Barb will meet them on the Haitian side. The border is currently closed, please pray they get across.

Please pray for Gabi and me as we are exhausted – Gabi had 15 minutes sleep last night and a 2 hour nap today. I had 1 hour and 15 minutes last night and no nap today. We have been fielding emails and skype calls and posting to the blog all through the night and all day. Colin and Carla have cared for the staff and community people and coordinated information being distributed to the community. We had a precious time of worship and prayer with 16 Haitian staff this afternoon at 1. Please keep us all in prayer. Good night.

News bites

I am just going to put down some random things we are hearing. I am getting a bit tired and I probably need to eat supper. But here is what we are hearing. I do not vouch for the accuracy of any of this.

• A lab tech who works at the Clinic in LaJeune said that he heard that the town of Jacmel south of Port-au-Prince has major damage and that people are being buried in a mass grave. Pray for Haitian friends of mine in the US who have family in Jacmel.
• Cap Haitien is not having trouble with earthquake damage, but with flooding -- too much rain was already a problem when I flew in there last Thursday and they have had more rain since.
• I was premature in saying that our former student Louine was home or coming home. We don't know that. He might be or he might be with his mother and siblings in Port. We just know that he got out of the school ok.

People are asking how they can help. The HAFF board of directors are working on our response now. In the mean time, I will personally recommend that the following organizations would use any donated funds wisely:

• World Vision. The Haiti Director Frank Williams was a HAFF staff member when I came to Haiti 24 years ago. We went through a lot then and I know his integrity and honor and wisdom.
• Missionary Flights International www.missionaryflights.com is the airline that brings us, our cargo and mail to Haiti. They are already making flights of relief supplies.

I have heard, but don't know for sure, that these organizations are also on the ground in Haiti working:

• Samaritans Purse
• Doctors without Borders

Lastly, we have not heard from Barb and Greg yet. But we did not expect to yet. There is still no cell phone service. We understood that they planned to look for and help as many people as they could find during the day today. We hope to hear something from them this evening if they can find a place to base where they have access to the internet. They took a generator and some fuel, so that should help.

Please pray for our mourning community. And keep checking this blog as I will update it as often as I can and as often as I have anything to report.

News

We have some news. Fabnot Jean, Jocelyn Bercon and Romon Victor are all dead in the house that collapsed. People who were in the area brought the news. I taught all those boys and Fabnot was Zach's best friend and like a son to Barb and Greg and a brother to Gabi. Thankfully they all knew the Lord. But there is wailing in the street and tears in our eyes and our hearts. Please keep the Fabius, Telius and Orina families in your prayers. And us as we deal with our own grief and try to help the community.

We got some good news of Louine, a former student and nephew of Jean Jean and Kristie who was trapped in his school all night and was able to get out. He is either home now or on his way. We are still waiting to hear news of others -- Edwine, Marie Noel, Wood-Ky, our headmaster Phanes' family and our teacher Gabriel's family among so many others. Please keep praying. Thanks.

Pray for Earthquake Victims

Just a quick post to let everyone know that we here at HAFF are all well and safe after this evening's strong earthquake in Haiti. There was no damage here. But we are all concerned and grieving as we are unable to contact loved ones in Port-au-Prince since the phone system is down.

We were able to get news in a round-about way that Fabnot Jean, a former student at University in Port and Zach Van Schoyck's best friend, is trapped in a collapsed building and feared dead. Friends are trying to dig him out. Another former student, Marie Noel Accilien who has a HAFF scholarship for University in Port lives in an area where a big supermarket collapsed. And another HAFF university scholarship student Wood-Ky Cadet went to Port Sunday to visit his mother and we have no news of him. Please please please pray for these and the families of our employees and neighbors who are dealing with continuing aftershocks.

Barb and Greg are preparing to leave about 4 am to go to Port and Zach is flying in from the States to the Dominican and then making his way to Haiti somehow. They hope to meet and find a way to help our loved ones. Please keep them in prayer as they travel and seek to help. Thanks.