Days 42 & 43 (10/26 – 27)

Wednesday – Like every day in Haiti, the day stated early. Breakfast at 7:00 then final packing for the trip home. With an 11:55 flight to Miami we had to leave the Guest house in our fully packed van at 8:30. We arrived at the airport at 9:30 and everyone got in line for the American Airlines check-in. This is the time I’ve been dreading. I have to say goodbye to my friends and teammates. We’ve shared some wonderful experiences together and through them have become closer. Everyone will leave a little of themselves in Haiti but will go away filled with the sense of doing something good for others. I will no longer have to explain to them why I have returned to Haiti. They now understand.

The rest of my day was a reality check. I had work to do. There was a meeting scheduled with the EMH (Methodist Church of Haiti) Pilot Project team, of which I am now a member, and a couple of Haitian contractors who would like to build some of the houses. I asked a lot of questions about their structural design – horizontal rebar, concrete mix, etc. – and Roger LaPlanche, the EMH Head Engineer was nodding his head. He then said “We will require these things” I about fell out of my chair! Up until this time I had gotten no commitment from him that he was willing to change. I hope he means it. It will be a giant step forward.

We had fried goat for dinner again. I’m sorry the team missed it. I put in a late night catching up with all my emails.

Thursday – I woke up at 5:00 AM this morning with a list of things that I had to get done today. The first thing to do was to measure the KIA 4x4 so we can get a lumber rack built for it. It will be used by the contractors on the EMH Pilot Project. But, just as I got to it Eric got in it and drove away with a load of luggage bound for who knows where. Timing is everything.

After breakfast I had a meeting with Jim Gulley and Tom to discuss the progress of my projects. There is still much to do, but I think we’re on schedule. Jim was returning home, so I snagged a ride with him to the airport and stopped on the way back at MSC. MSC is the closest thing to a Home Depot in Haiti and I had to pick up some supplies for some work we’re going to do at the Guest House. On the way back, Spana, my driver, took me on some back roads that I’d never been on before and I thought I’d seen them all. If it wasn’t for 4 wheel drive I think I’d still be somewhere between Port Au Prince and Petionville. I got back to the Guest House just in time for lunch. Timing is everything.

The afternoon got busy with 2 teams returning – one from Hinche and one from Mellier. Tom and I put all the tools away and in the process decided that we really needed to reorganize the tool cabinet. We’ll try to get it done in the next couple of daysI finally got back to designing the lumber rack for the Kia and had it finished by dinner time. Timing is everything.

Days 40 & 41 (10/24 – 10/25)

Monday – We awoke this morning to a new surprise. Another truck load of block had been delivered. Oh, lucky us! Since this would be our last work day, we were determined to make the most of it. The mortar and block “conga line” and the road to site “block party” continued all day. But when the day ended, most of the walls were up to full height and they had poured most of the structural columns. And, best of all, the blocks had all been moved from the road. We were all tired, but proud of the amount of work that had been accomplished during our mission in Thomas.

Following showers and our last Lou Lou dinner we had a final gathering of all of our team and Haitian staff and representatives of the Thomas church. We had developed very special relationships with all of these people so there was a mixed feeling of warmth and sadness. Warmth because we were surrounded by our friends and sadness because we knew we would be leaving them tomorrow. Both James Lazarre and his father thanked us for our service and presented us with certificates of appreciation from the Methodist Church/School of Thomas Haiti. Then they broke out the Cokes and a beautiful cake baked by the teacher of the afterschool cooking class. And as you might expect with this group, there was quite a bit of singing going on in between.

Tuesday – We were all up early and, fortified by a couple of cups of coffee, started to pack-up. Then we shared our last great breakfast with Lou Lou and Ginette and continued with our packing. There was a lot of checking and cross checking going on to make sure that all of our tools and equipment that had to be returned to the Guest House was accounted for. We also had to sort through our belongings and make several piles of clothing and supplies that we were going to leave behind. But, by 8:30 we had everything stacked-up against the security wall in front of the school. Lazarre assembled all of the children in the sanctuary to give us a farewell. He and James again thanked us and asked Joel and I to say a few words. Then they sang us a song and all of the secondary children came up one by one to shake our hands. There was hardly a dry eye on the team.

We hugged and said goodbye to all of our Haitian friends and promised to return. It was especially hard on Loni and Linda who had developed a close relationship with several of the children.

We loaded all of our gear on the truck and climbed aboard the van for a day of sightseeing in Port Au Prince. Johnny, our driver took us downtown where the team got to see the ruins of the Catholic Cathederal, the Presidential Palace and other government buildings. Then we drove up into the mountains to the Baptist Mission where we had lunch – a hot dog for me – and did some shopping at the vendors around the mission. The next stop was at the Overlook where you have a spectacular view of the entire Port Au Prince area, where 3 million people live.

We got back to the Guest House in time for dinner (naturally) and then had a debriefing with Tom, John and Sarah (the UMVIM staff). Everyone had a chance to summarize their experience and it was wonderful to hear the heartfelt comments. The staff later told me that it was one of the best debriefings they had ever had and they wished that all of the teams that came to Haiti could have as good an experience as we had. Everyone went on line to check their emails (I had 264) and then went to bed.

Days 38 & 39 (10/22 – 10/23)

Saturday – This morning I watched another sunrise. The rain we got last night cooled things off a little and it was truly beautiful. Lou Lou always has coffee ready by 6:00. A beautiful morning and a great cup of coffee – it just doesn’t get better than that. Breakfast at 7:00 and working by 8:00 - the start of another busy day.

Our first project was to get the food prep counter built in the newly cleaned out area. Then we continued with our regular routine of moving blocks and mortar to the second story. The Haitian work crew only works a half day on Saturdays so we took advantage of the time off and   spent the afternoon exploring some of the village of Thomas. I’m glad that the team had the opportunity to see some typical rural Haitian homes and interact with some of the people. At one point a half dozen women came out to the road to show us their babies. The children are always very curious and want to interact with you. One boy was very intent on practicing his English with us. We also saw an authentic VooDoo temple – a first for me. Our after dinner devotional and discussion was full of our impressions of the afternoon.

Sunday – We all have been looking forward to attending church service with our Haitian friends. Sunday school starts at 7:00 AM and church service starts at 8:00. Of course, that’s Haitian time so we sat around for 20 minutes before the service actually started. I had told the team to expect a lot of singing and we were not disappointed. James Lazar led the service and did a great job. Our very own Pastor Allen hit a home run with his sermon that was full of his usual humor and innovative use of props. At the end of his sermon he invited our team up to sing “We are Walking in the Light of God” with the Creole lyrics Lou Lou had taught us. Lou Lou took charge and by end of the song the whole congregation was on its feet and literally dancing in the aisles. It was a service to be remembered.

The service ended at 10:00 and we changed clothes, had a quick lunch and squeezed into a rented tap tap to go up the coast for an afternoon of R & R at Club Indigo – an ex-Club Med. With our Haitian staff, there were 17 people crammed into the little tap tap for the 45 minute trip. After 5 days of camping out, Club Indigo was a real Shangri La – a beautiful beach, beautiful pool and a spectacular buffet. We even rented a room so everyone had an opportunity to take a real shower. On the beach at sunset, Pastor Allen conducted a truly memorable communion service. After dark we all piled into the tap tap and rode back to Thomas. What a great day!

Days 36 & 37 (10/20 -21)

Thursday – We awoke early this morning to the sound of ripping cloth and a body hitting the ground. Steve’s cot gave up the fight and just quit. I’m sure that the fact that he’s 6’5” and over 300 lbs. had nothing to do with it. Since I had the only other “heavy duty” cot, I gave Steve mine and took the extra one that we had brought. Naturally, when I set it up it had a broken leg in the middle and I had to prop it up with a cement block. This pushes the center bar up just enough to turn it into a rocking chair making sleep problematic. But what the heck – I’m the team leader. I finally gave up and got up to watch the sun rise.

Lou Lou fixed her usual magnificent breakfast and we started to work with very full stomachs. The morning was pretty much the same as yesterday except for a wonderful surprise – they had delivered another truck load of cement blocks.L Since they weren’t going to move by themselves, we started the hauling process all over again – interrupted again by the occasional “conga line” and recess. An interesting side note – the floor plan that Gabriel had started to build looked a little strange to me and I asked him where the drawings were. He smiled and pointed to his head. A few minutes later Director Lazarr came up and started asking questions and pointing at walls and was clearly upset. Since I don’t know enough Creole to be able to follow the conversation I didn’t know exactly what was going on, but had a pretty good idea. Gabriel argued back and Lazarr left in a huff. About 10 minutes later, Lou Lou came up and started pointing at walls and pointing at Gabriel and giving him what for. Five minutes later walls started coming down. Never underestimate the power of a large Haitian woman. Who, by the way, had lunch ready right on time and a smile on her face.

The afternoon slowed down a little while Gabriel rebuilt the interior walls. However, that didn’t spare us from continuing the “block party”. By the time 4:00 rolled around, everyone was pretty well used up. Linda, our resident “medic”, was busy treating children’s cuts, scraps and blisters. Once the band-aids come out, everyone wants one. Lou Lou’s dinner was wonderful, as usual and Lazarr, James, Noel, Gabriel, Lou Lou and Ginette joined us in a lengthy discussion of how things were progressing in Thomas and what other things needed to be done and what the UMVIM/UMCOR role might be. With Mark-Anny, James and Joel interpreting it went very smoothly and a lot of insight was gained on both sides. It was fun to watch Lazarr with Joel – he was constantly putting his hand on his shoulder and rubbing his head. A real bond has developed here. 9:00 PM – generator off –lights out.

Friday – After another night on the rocking cot, I woke up early and watched the sun come up again. I think this is my favorite time of the day in Haiti. You can listen to the sounds of the countryside waking up and enjoy the coolest part of the day. Several cups of Lou Lou’s coffee and a stellar breakfast and I was ready for another day. Since Gabriel was still moving walls we decided to clear out the piles of rubble between the new kitchen and the school to create more room for the Hot Lunch preparation. The cooks were thrilled. Linda and Loni spent the morning working with a couple of classes of kids doing craft things and teaching English. Judging by the occasional peals of laughter and excited chatter coming from the classroom, they were a huge hit. Ze, our Cape Verde soccer star, got a game going with some of the boys. He breathlessly exclaimed later that “Those Haitian boys are pretty good.” It’s good to be on the good side of the cooks because lunch was especially great today.

We finished our clean-up project and got the last remnants of sand and block in from the road and happily quit at 3:00. Showers and dinner followed in quick succession and then we had our after dinner devotional and discussion of our day. I always ask each one what the high point of their day was and although we could all agree on certain things as being outstanding, everyone had their own special memory.

Days 34 & 35 (10/18 – 10/19)

Tuesday – At 8:00 AM we loaded up the Kia tap-tap with all of our luggage and equipment and piled into the Nissan van. There are 10 of us headed to Thomas – 8 team members, our interpreter, Mark- Anny and our head cook Lou Lou. The main roads were very crowded so Danielle, the van driver, took us on one of his famous short cuts. The vans shock absorbers and our bodies took a beating, but the scenery was extraordinary. We finally reconnected with Highway 1and the traffic near the airport. The remainder of the 40 km trip took us by several tent city camps and through the towns of Cabaret and Archaie – sights that that the team was seeing for the first time.

An hour and a half later we arrived in Thomas to find that the contractor had repaired the flood damaged walkway to the school and church. We now had a very nice concrete walk from the road to the gate. After unloading all of our gear, we set up our cots and mosquito nets in the 2 class rooms they gave us as dorms and went out to meet the site boss. I discovered that the site boss was Gabriel, the same boss that was here in February. I also saw Stephen and Noel and Ginette and James and Lazarr and many others that I recognized but could not remember names. They greeted me like a long lost brother and I was glad to be back.

Our work project for this week was to put the second story on the Kitchen/ Dining room building that our teams built earlier this year. The second story would become 2 sleeping rooms, a bathroom and a storage room. So – we put on our work shoes and gloves and went to work. Our first task was to move the huge pile of sand and several hundred cement blocks from the road to the work site behind the school. The team soon discovered the joys of manual labor in the tropics. It wasn’t long before everyone was soaking wet. Shovels and wheelbarrows were flying until about 4:00 PM when we mutually agreed that it was time to quit. We were pleased to see that we had made a pretty good dent in the sand and block pile.

The first people in the shower line were surprised to find that the showers actually worked and that water was actually coming out of pipe on the wall.  But, since the water level in the gravity tanks was low, those of us in the end of the line had to revert to “bucket showers” - dipping a cup in the bucket and pouring it over our heads. Regardless of the method, we were all glad to be clean and were more than ready for the first of many wonderful “Lou Lou” meals.

After dinner Pastor Allen led is in a devotional. Then Director Lazarr joined us and officially welcomed us to Thomas. All of the Haitians were very curious about the fact that we had two African American men on our team and when Lazarr discovered that Joel also spoke fluent French, he found a brother for life. We chatted with Lazarr for quite a while, but by 9:00 everyone was on their cots and fast asleep.

Wednesday – The days start early in Haiti and the sounds of Thomas waking up start about 4:30 AM. Everyone woke at different intervals, but everyone was up and ready for some of Lou Lou’s coffee by 6:00. Breakfast was at 7:00 and the school children started arriving soon after that. They had their flag raising ceremony and sang the national anthem at 8:00. Then they started school and we started work.

Our morning was a continuation of material moving from road to work site interrupted by intervals of “conga line” moving of blocks and mortar from the ground to the 2^nd story and a 10:30 recess of the school. The children are beautiful and very excited to have us in their midst. So – we had to take a break and spend some time with them. I think that was the best part of everyone’s day. After recess it was back to work until lunch and naps for some. I was totally amazed that people could fall dead asleep in the midst of 150 noisy school kids.

The afternoon work routine was pretty much the same as the morning. The team is really working well together and sharing the work load. They are giving each other constant reminders to hydrate and rest in the shade. I’m very pleased to see that some of the construction techniques are improving – the mortar is much better quality and the rebar work has improved. But, there is still much improvement to be made. However, there is only so much I can suggest without becoming the “Ugly American”. The change has to come from within. That’s why I’m working with the Engineers in Port Au Prince.

Lou Lou’s dinner was wonderful, as usual and Lazarr, James, Noel, Gabriel, Lou Lou and Ginette joined us in a lengthy discussion of how things were progressing in Thomas and what other things needed to be done and what the UMVIM/UMCOR role might be. With Mark-Anny, James and Joel interpreting it went very smoothly and a lot of insight was gained on both sides. It was fun to watch Lazarr with Joel – he was constantly putting his hand on his shoulder and rubbing his head. A real bond has developed here. 9:00 PM – generator off –lights out.

After dinner we all shared our experiences of the day and talked about how it was affecting us. The team is beginning to understand what I meant when I told them this experience could be life changing. Lazarr, Madam Lazarr, Lou Lou, Stephen, Noel and Ginette joined us for a while and – with Lou Lou around, song broke out. Lou Lou taught us several verses of “We are Marching in the Light of God” in Creole and we decided we had to sing it at church on Sunday. Another end to a perfect day.

My apologies for not posting for the last week or so, but my team was working in Thomas where there is no internet access. I’ll try to catch up over the next 3 or 4 days.

Days 32 & 33 (10/16 – 17)

Sunday – Today turned out to be a complete day of rest. We stayed “home” and attended church on campus. With no teams here, we planned to work on the area where some of the Haitian staff stay at the Guest House, but discovered that the building supply place was closed on Sunday. (I just don’t understand it. Home Depot never closes in Sacramento. J) So – there was nothing left to do but put our feet up and catch-up on our reading - all in all, a welcome change of pace.

Monday – I started the day with a meeting of the EMH (the Methodist Church of Haiti) Haitian Home Project principals. We finalized the contract between the EMH and World Hand Alliance – the contractor that will build 30 of the 40 houses in the pilot project. Among the things discussed – like schedule, budget, logistics – was my appointment as interim UMCOR consultant for the project. I’m going to have to get bigger business card.

The best part of my day, by far, was seeing my team from Sacramento come through the baggage claim/customs door at PAP airport. It was great to see friends from home. We got everybody loaded into the blue tap tap, fondly referred to as “the prison bus”, and headed back to the Guest House. It was fun to watch everyone’s excitement and reaction to their first glimpse of Haiti. I loved being a tour guide. After getting everyone settled at the Guest House, we went up to Epidor’s for lunch. With full stomachs and exhausted bodies from an all-night “red eye” flight, everybody crashed for a few hours before dinner. I, of course, went back to the office for a few hours of work.

Everybody loved their first traditional Haitian dinner of salad, red beans and rice, a baked pork dish, fried plantains, rolls and butter and a fruit dish. Tom, Sarah and John did a great welcome and orientation session with numerous jokes at my expense. But, I think I gave as well as I received. Almost everyone was still a little sleep deprived, so it was early to bed.

Days 29, 30 & 31(10/13 – 15)

Thursday – Today we had 1 team leaving for the states and 2 teams arriving. With a 4^th team working in Du Plan and staying at the Guest house, it’s a busy place this week. We (Tom, John, Sarah and I) were able to get away for a quick lunch with Beth Guy who leaves to return to school tomorrow. It’s nice to get away from the hustle and bustle once in a while and sample some different cuisine. I returned to continue working on my projects while the rest of the staff greeted the new arrivals. Since the Du Plan team is leaving tomorrow, they invited us out to dinner to thank us for our hospitality during their stay here. Since we hardly ever turn down a free meal and since they have been a great bunch of people to interact with for the past week we readily accepted. We went up the hill behind Petionville to a hotel/restaurant called Ebolele’. It’s a very nice place with a beautiful view of Port au Prince and the bay. We sat out on the patio and enjoyed the view, a nice dinner and warm company. Two external dining experiences in one day – a new record. But, then it was back to work – well into the night.

Friday – More hectic team activity. We got one team out to Arcahaie,; one out to Turback; one in from Mellier and one in from Hinch. Then Jim Gulley , the Global Ministries and UMCOR Coordinator for Haiti, arrived for his monthly, two week tour. We always look forward to Jim’s arrival not only because he’s a great guy, but because he has the ability to accomplish many things that we can’t. However, Jim’s a bit of a night owl and I knew it was going to be a late work night for me. I wasn’t disappointed. We worked on the contract for 10 of the houses being built under the pilot project. I finally begged off around 10:30 and went to bed. 

Saturday – 3 teams off to the airport this morning and no more arrivals until my team from Sacramento comes in Monday. It still amazes me how well Tom, John and Sarah coordinate all of this team activity. The logistics are mind boggling.

Jim, Tom and I had a Skype call this morning with Doug Ahlfeld, with Homes for Haiti, who will be building 10 of the pilot project houses in Mellier. We finalized the contract details and worked on schedule and other construction related items. This project is another logistical nightmare. Nothing in Haiti is easy. Material has to be shipped in and then transported to the work sites. Haitian labor has to be hired and trained. Living and site security issues have to be planned – and on and on. But hey – that’s what I do. You couldn’t ask for a more challenging or rewarding job.

Days 27 & 28 (10/11 – 12)

Tuesday – This is the start of another busy week for the VIM staff with 5 teams coming and going. John returned from his week with his family in Florida, so we’re back to full strength. But, scheduling a vehicle and driver for my site visits gets a bit problematic with this much activity. So – I finished up the inspection and evaluation of the last couple of rooms at the Guest House. Phase 1 is now complete (or will be when I finish entering everything into my computer).

Beth Guy, who was the Haiti Assistant Site/Team Coordinator before Sarah, is visiting for a week during a break from Divinity school. She is the one that organized the “Bracelet Boys” – the boys who live around the Guest House and make the bracelets from salvaged telephone wire that many of you have seen. She had the boys come this afternoon to show us how they make the bracelets. We had about a dozen boys – and a couple of girls – making the bracelets and it was fascinating to watch. Took a bunch of pictures and will post some.

In the evening we were invited to the house where the UMCOR staff reside for a going away dinner for one of the staff members returning home to India. It was a gourmet Indian dinner and I made a pig of myself. It was an International group with America, India, Cambodia and Albania represented - another fun evening.

Wednesday – Spent the day catching up on my computer work and now have all my site evaluations up to date. I had some time to do a little research, also. I heard that there was a manual on Haitian building standards. I know that that sounds like an oxymoron, but I had to look. Guess what? I found it!! It’s called “Guide de Bonnes Practiques Pour la Construction de Cetits Batiments en Maconnerie Chainee en Haiti”. The good news – it exists. The bad news – it’s voluntary and no one knows about it. Even though it is in French, it had enough pictures and diagrams that I could understand it – and it’s full of really good stuff. Now, if I can just get the EMH engineers to agree to adopt these standards without getting thrown out of the country, it will be a real step forward.

Days 25 &26 (10/9 – 10/10)

Sunday – Today we got a team off to Hinche and then went to a church in Duplan another community in the hills above Petionville. It is a very nice small church and VIM teams have built a clinic there. The services in Haiti are long by US standards. They last for 2 or 2 ½ hours. But the music is fun and the worship is enthusiastic. Duplan actually has a very good choir – the first I’ve seen or heard in Haiti. They even sang a song in English in honor of our being there. I shot some video and will try to post it – still having difficulties with that. Maybe I can post just the audio portion. I’ll keep trying.

 After the church service we were invited to a birthday party at Reverend Gessner Paul’s house. Pastor Paul is the President of the EMH (Englise Methodiste d’Haiti – The Haitian Methodist Church) and it was his 60^th birthday. It was a great birthday lunch replete with traditional Haitian food, champagne and birthday cake. We celebrated with members of his family and some of his staff and arrived back at the Guest House just in time for dinner – I don’t think I’m going to lose any weight this trip. Sarah, Tom and I then went upstairs to the office and caught up on some paper work and emails and then watched a couple of old episodes of “The Office” – not my favorite, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Monday – This was a very productive day. I finished my inspection and evaluation of the Swiss House – one of the buildings in the Guest House complex. I’ve got two more rooms to finish in the Guest House itself and I’ll be done with that phase of the project. Next is the costing phase and then the actual writing of the grant proposal. Still a lot of work to do, but I’m making progress.

I’m still doing site visits on the Haiti Home Assistance part of my job. This takes a little more time because I have to schedule transportation and coordinate with the “home” owner. And as I’ve mentioned before a short trip can take several hours. But, I’m managing to get 4 or 5 a week done. I’m already into the costing phase on some of the sites I’ve already visited – so I’m making progress on this project also.

Tonight the VIM staff (Tom, John, Sarah and I) went out to Hangs – a sports bar/restaurant not too far away and had a hamburger (the best I’ve had in Haiti to date). It was great to get away for a little while and unwind. When we got back my brother called on Skype and we were able talk for a little while. It’s nice to hear from home.

My Sacramento team arrives in a week and I’m really looking forward to sharing this experience with my friends. Can’t believe that I’ve been here almost a month.

Days 23 & 24 (10/07 – 08)

Friday – Today I got to look at 3 more home sites. All of them were in the hills behind Petionville. The first one belonged to Oge who is our main Driver and also the work site liason. We went way up the mountain – past ex- president Preval’s home past Baby Doc’s home and then put the truck in 4 wheel drive and got serious. Amazingly, even on this bad rural road there were some huge estate-like homes. The disparity between the rich and the poor in Haiti is huge. Oge has got a foundation in place for a nice house in the middle of some farm land. But, like everyone else, it seems, doesn’t have the money to go any further.

The second site belonged to Eric and Lise. Eric is a Driver and head mechanic and maintenance man at the Guest House and has worked there for 40 years. His wife Lise is the dishwasher and has worked there 23 years. Their home is among a warren of homes built on a steep hillside. You have to walk down very narrow steps and alleyways to get there. It was a 2 story house until the earthquake completely demolished the top floor. Eric salvaged what useable blocks he could from the rubble, but doesn’t have the money to rebuild.

The 3^rd house belonged to Renette the Head Cook and a 31 year employee of the Guest House. It happens to be right next door to Eric and Lise. Her house is very small and although not structurally damaged did suffer some minor damage. The biggest problem is the roof. The tin roof has more holes than tin and is covered in tarps. I’m going to try to get her a new roof under this program.

It has been an incredible experience, so far, to be able to visit some of these sites that not many non-Haitians have the opportunity to see. It also has been incredible to get to know some of these amazing people.

Saturday – Shopping in and around Port Au Prince is not a simple task. With 5 teams in the field this week, we were running out of equipment and needed to restock - cots, ice chests, gas cans, shovels, etc. etc. We found a pretty decent building supply store down by the American Embassy – not quite a Home Depot, but pretty well stocked for Haiti. But, naturally, they didn’t have everything we needed. So, it was off to another store a couple of miles away. In Haiti that translates to an hour of driving. A shopping trip that would have taken an hour in the States took 4 ½ hours.

We got back to the Guest House just in time to welcome 2 new teams. Just another day in Paradise. J

Days 21 &22 (10/05 – 06)

Wednesday – Today was one of those scheduling nightmare days. John was leaving for 5 days of R & R with his family in Florida. Sarah was returning from her weeks vacation. A VIM team was arriving from the Midwest. A Baptist team was returning from their mission in Binique (yes, they actually do allow Baptists to stay at the Methodist Guest House). And – I had to get to a meeting with another NGO. Now I know how a soccer mom must feel. But – we were able to get enough vehicles and drivers together to get everybody to where they needed to be.

My meeting was with PID (Partners in Development). They are primarily a medical assistance organization, but also do a lot of community development work. They recently have started a multi-faceted housing program that is very interesting. It’s probably not a model that we can use, but some parts of it may work for us. First they provide training for families to help them start and run a small business. Then they provide them with a small house (about 200 sq. ft.). Then they give them an interest free, 25 year micro-mortgage to purchase the home. If  the purchasers make their mortgage payments for 2 years, they can then borrow back the full amount paid to pay for maintenance or improvements on their house and the amount is tacked onto the end of the loan. I love the concept and the intent, but we’ll have to wait and see how well the program is going to work. I was able to see several of their completed houses and duplexes. They are very small and basic, but the new owners are thrilled to have them.

Thursday – The beginning of week #4. Today I made a site visit to Danielle’s (a Driver at the Guest House for 14 years) home site in Carre Four Fe. This is in the hills above Carre Four- the hardest hit area in Haiti. His lot is a small lot, as are most in that area, about 16’ x 20’. The view from the site of Port Au Prince and the bay is spectacular. If it was in the US, it would be surrounded by million dollar homes – definitely not the case in Haiti. He had a 2 story house that completely collapsed in the earthquake. His son and daughter were both upstairs when the earthquake hit and they rode the house down to the ground without being hurt. Had they been downstairs, they would have been crushed. Danielle has cleared the lot, put in the footings and started the stem walls and vertical rebar – then ran out of money. He definitely will be one we help. I love my job.

Days 19 & 20 (10/03 – 04)

Monday – Another road trip today. We (Tom, Oge, Ysemeus – one of the Guest House staff, and I) went north, first to Thomas and then on to St. Marcs (about 100 km). We stopped in Thomas to talk with Director Lazarre and see the work site at the Thomas church and school where my Sacramento team will be working in 2 weeks. We also wanted to see and assess some of the damage caused by the flood last week.

The work site has changed considerably since I was there in February. The first floor of the kitchen/depot building has been finished and is awaiting the second floor – which we will probably be starting in 2 weeks. There are several other projects that need attention such as enlarging the cistern and repairing the entry walk way damaged in the flood. I was surprised by the extent of the flood damage and also by the fact that it was in the area immediately in front of the church and also just across the road. You can see by the pictures in Slideshow #6 that the water level on the side of the houses was 3 or 4 feet high. The 4 or 5 houses that we looked at had only been mildly damaged in the earthquake but the force of the flood waters had created further damage to a couple of them to the point of being unsafe. The families lost almost all of their belongings. Clothing and bedding and mattresses were strewn about everywhere. It was sad to see. Director Lazarre gave us a list of 18 church families that suffered flood damage. District Superintendent, Pastor Claude, returns from vacation tomorrow and we will meet with him to determine what the proper response should be.

We went to St. Marcs to look at Ysemeus’s house. Ysemeus works at the Guest House washing the vehicles and cleaning-up around the grounds. His house is on a small family farm (corn) a couple of miles out of St. Marcs off of a 4 wheel drive road. There are about 10 family homes on the farm. The house that he and his wife and 4 of his 6 children live in is very small - about 10’ x 16’. It has 2 rooms and is very primitively built. The walls are made of tree branches and stacked rocks covered on the interior and exterior by plaster. They cook outside under a tarp and use a community latrine. Needless to say, the cracks caused by the earthquake are not repairable and the house will have to come down. Yesemus will be one of the first recipients of a new home under the Haiti Home Assistance Program. I love my job.

Tuesday – Today is my son’s birthday. He can’t be as old as he claims to be because I’m not that old. Happy Birthday Bill, Jr.

Today is a day of catch-up in the office – writing up the reports of the site visits and scheduling more visits for the end of the week. We also welcomed our first team in more than a week, arriving from the Pacific Northwest (boy, are they in for a weather shock). We’ll have a total of 4 arriving this week. So – there will once again be lots of people coming and going at the Guest House.

Days 17 & 18 (10/01 – 02)

Saturday – After a full day out of the office yesterday, today was a catch-up day inside. Time to decipher and transcribe my notes on the site visits; download, label and organize the pictures; and make a list of the things I want to talk about with the EMH engineers. I also did an inspection and evaluation of the Swiss House – one of the buildings at the Guest House complex that will be part of the Renovation Project. (Did I mention that the Guest House complex used to be the Swiss Embassy compound in Haiti?) I’m looking forward to church tomorrow morning and an R & R afternoon.

Sunday – This morning we (Tom, John, Eric, our driver, and Natalie and Jessica, the daughter and niece of one of the cooks at the Guest House) went up into the hills above Petionville to the little community of Thomasin. The church there does not have an ordained minister so Pastor Tom goes up once a month and does the communion service. Tom enlisted me to sing a couple of songs with him – which I was happy to do.

We came back to the Guest House, changed into cooler clothes and went to the Sugar Cane Park near the airport where they were having a food fair. The park has a museum and historical displays of equipment used in the early days of the sugar cane industry. It was very interesting to see. The food fair was showcasing products made and produced in Haiti and although the public was invited, it was primarily for people in the hospitality industry and relief organizations. We had a great lunch at one of the booths and looked at all the food and beverage items currently being produced in Haiti. Rum and coffee were prominent. I was surprised to learn that Guiness has a bottling plant in Haiti. You never know where you’re going to run into an Irishman.

I tried to buy a T shirt at the Prestige (Haitian Beer) booth, but they weren’t for sale. Darn! Guess I’ll have to make a field trip to the brewery some time – for educational purposes only, you understand. We got back to the Guest House just in time for dinner. For some reason we just weren’t that hungry.

All in all it was a very fun and relaxing day. Tomorrow I’m on the road again heading to Thomas and St. Marcs. The lull is over. We have 4 teams coming in this week.