Days 83 – 85 (12/06 – 12/08)

Tuesday – No teams out this morning, just 1 team returning from Arcahaie. The crowd is beginning to thin - we will only have 3 teams at the Guest House tonight.

I met with the EMH Head Engineer, Roger LaPlanche this morning to go over my plans for resolving the ongoing issues we’re having with gray water sewage and rain water run-off. It involves building some curb walls and ramps in the back parking area; building a catchment basin and running a line to a gravel percolation bed on the lower end of the property. Roger liked the ideas and will draw-up a plan and estimate. I hope to be able to get the work scheduled before I leave next week. Roger also had completed the estimate for the 8 unit Guest House addition and presented it to Pastor Paul, the EMH President for his review and approval. It would be great to have everything in place to start when I return after the Holidays. The Guest House could be a real construction zone in January.

Wednesday – We sent 2 teams off to the airport this morning to fly home. This leaves us with just 1 team working locally and staying at the Guest House. Tom and Sarah left for a site visit to Leveque leaving Mario and I minding the fort – not a big deal with no one here until tonight.

Today was my day to deal with some issues with the EMH Pilot Project. The contractor for 8 of the houses in Mellier is a U.S. based non-profit called Homes 4 Haitians. We’re finding it extremely difficult to coordinate with out of country businesses. There are all kinds of hurdles to overcome that not everyone was aware of. You need a patent, which is like a business license. You need a NIF number, which is like a tax number. Both of which cost money and take time. You have problems with exorbitant customs fees (up to 35% of value) and import fees (10% of value). By the time you add in shipping and handling fees, the cost of materials can more than double. H4H started 2 houses without any of these things in place and now they’re scrambling, long distance, to try and take care of everything. Since I am in-country and on the EMH Pilot Project management team, a lot of it is falling in my lap. So, part of my job, in an effort to keep projects moving forward, is trying to find solutions and smoothing ruffled feathers. It makes life interesting.

Thursday – This morning Tom and I once again attacked the tools and supplies storage issue. Things seem to gravitate to our office and every few weeks we find ourselves walking around boxes, bins and suitcases. I think the only answer is to build an additional cabinet in the carport area (and get rid of some of the junk).You seldom have to throw anything away down here. You just leave it out and it disappears. Nothing goes to waste. So – design and material procurement are going to be my tasks for today. We seldom lack for things to do.

I got handed another assignment just before lunch. I had to go look at a church on Delmas 33 (not too far from the Guest House) that suffered some earthquake damage. One of the EMH Engineers did a cost estimate on the repairs and I needed to evaluate whether it is a site that we can send teams to do some of the work. It happened to be the church that Madame Lou Lou attends. Lou Lou is one of our cooks and was the cook for my team in Thomas. Lou Lou met Oge and I at the church and gave us the tour. (Slideshow #21)

Days 80 – 82 (12/03 – 12/05)

Saturday – This morning we sent 2 teams off to the airport and picked up 2 new ones flying in. With the 2 teams that are staying at the Guest House and working at local sites, we continue to have 4 teams here every night. This always keeps the staff very busy.

I only have 10 or 11 days left before I leave for home and a Christmas holiday. I’m really looking forward to seeing friends and family, but starting to feel a little pressure about work yet to be done. I really would like to have several things in place before I leave so that I can hit the ground running when I return in January. Most of these things require feedback from other people, so the emails are flying. But – most of these people are under the same (self-imposed) time constraints as I am.

My pre-Christmas goals are:

1.      An orientation meeting with all of the Engineers and Site Bosses to explain the new construction practices.

2.      Grant submittal to UMCOR for Phase 1 of the Haiti Home Assistance Program.

3.      EMH approval of the Guest House/Staff Housing addition.

4.      Final approval for some Guest House maintenance items that need to be addressed before the Renovation Project and require some equipment imported from the States – which requires coordination with some containers coming down for the EMH Pilot Project.

Sunday – As every other day, the first priority each day is getting our teams to their various destinations. So – 1 team to Petit Goave; 1 team to Mellier and our 2 local teams off to church in Duplan and an afternoon of sightseeing. Taking advantage of the quiet, Mario and Sarah took off to visit friends and Tom left for the gym. I found a shady spot and caught up on my reading. Have I mentioned that the weather in Haiti in December is spectacular? – low to mid 80’s.

Monday – Our 2 local teams are pretty well trained by now and don’t have to take equipment and food with them, so they don’t need a lot of assistance in the morning. This allowed me to get an early start in the office. First order of business – check my email and Facebook. Second – get our Construction Standards meeting organized. I’d hoped that the Haitians were going to take the lead in doing this, but it has become obvious that this isn’t going to happen. Third – I finally got some feedback from UMCOR on the draft proposal for the Haiti Home Assistance Program. Because of the funding required, it requires Board approval and the next Board meeting isn’t until February. So – in an attempt to move ahead, I’m going to break it up into 3 phases so I can hopefully get the funding approved locally. Busy day.

Days 78 & 79 (12/01 – 12/02)

Thursday – The first of December. It hardly seems possible with the sun shining brightly and the temperature around 80* at 7 in the morning that Christmas is just around the corner.

This morning we got our 1 team off to Arcahaie and then Tom and I left with Lauren James, the UMCOR – EMH Liaison, for Mellier and Carre Four for meetings on the EMH Pilot Project.

Our first meeting in Mellier was with the employees to explain the shift from the assessment phase to the construction phase of the program. There was a change in job assignments and responsibilities as well as compensation in some cases. Although it was explained from the very beginning that these changes were imminent, we expected a few people to be upset that their jobs had ended. However, we were pleasantly surprised and the meeting went very well.

Our second meeting was with the community representatives and home recipients. We again explained the communities’ and beneficiaries’ roles in the construction phase and the areas of responsibility and lines of communication. Everyone was given an opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns. All in all, it was a very good meeting.

After the Mellier meeting, we took a quick tour of the 2 sites that have started. It was very exciting to see footings, stem walls and slabs in place for 2 houses. It has taken 7 months of planning and coordination to get to this point. Now that it has started, the remaining 38 houses should follow along quickly. We’re hoping to have them all completed by May 2012.

We got back to the Guest House in time to greet our 2 new teams arriving from the states. We were all pretty tired. The distance from Petionville to Mellier is only 32 miles but the round trip travel time is over 4 hours. Dinner – team orientations – bed.

Friday – This morning we got 1 team off to La Tremblay; had 1 team returning from Mellier; another team returning from La Tremblay and a new team arriving from the states. With the team that is staying at the Guest House and working in Duplan, we will have 4 teams here tonight. It’s the last minute rush before Christmas break.

I guess it’s official announcement time. I have been asked to extend my tour in Haiti for another 3 to 6 months and I have agreed. UMCOR/GBGM/EMH have offered to fully fund the position and want me to continue moving forward with the programs I have started. I truly miss my friends and loved ones at home and hope you all know that I continue to be sustained by your love and prayers. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to continue serving in this way. I will be home for Christmas!

Days 76 & 77 (11/29 – 11/30)

Tuesday – Today is John’s last day. People were coming in to the office all day to say their goodbyes. He’s made a lot of friends in his 7 months in Haiti. In between the goodbyes he was desperately trying to teach Mario everything he knew.  

In the afternoon Tom and I went with Johnny Cherubin, one of our drivers, to look at his home site. Johnny’s home in Port-au-Prince was completely destroyed in the earthquake and he and his wife and 3 children lived in a tent for over a year until they were able to find a small rental house. In the interim the City decided that they were going to build a road right through his property and bought the lot from him. Johnny took the money and bought a lot up on the mountain behind Petionville. However, he has no money to rebuild. That’s where my program will step in. The lot is very small (see slide show #19), as are most lots in and around Port-au-Prince, but is a diamond in the rough. When the house is finished he will have a beautiful view of the city.

Madame Ruth, the Guest House Manager, went all out with a farewell dinner for John. It was an incredible spread complete with a cake (see slide show). There were no teams here, so it was just our Guest House family – a fitting goodbye.

Wednesday – Today is the official end of Hurricane Season. Haiti was lucky this year. There was just one hurricane that came over the island, but it was rather benign as hurricanes go. It did, however, create havoc on the East Coast of the U.S.

We bid Bon Voyage to John and welcomed Alina Saltedo, the GBGM (General Board of Global Ministry) auditor, who has come down for a few days to help train Mario in his new job. We also welcomed our first team in three days and Sarah back from her R & R in the Dominican. Life at the Guest House is returning to normal.