Days 141 – 143 (03/05 – 07)

Monday – We got our 2 local teams off to Croix de Mission and Du Plan and I settled into crunch time on getting the drafts of my Grant Proposal approved so I can get it to UMCOR in New York before the end of the week. The UMCOR Board of Directors has to approve all funding over $100K and they only meet twice a year – March and October. The emails were flying back and forth all day long, but by the end of the day I had the final copy ready for submittal.

In the late afternoon we welcomed I team back from La Tremblay and new arrivals from the states. We’ll have 4 teams at the Guest House tonight. Things are back to normal.

Tuesday – Today my special lady, Linda, is arriving for a week. Her flight arrives at 9:30 AM which means I have to leave the Guest House by 8:30 to get to the airport on time. Spana (photo), who is always on time, picks this morning to be an hour and fifteen minutes late. I was climbing the walls. Linda has been here before, so I wasn’t worried about her bags and getting through customs, but the airport in Port au Prince isn’t the greatest place to be waiting for someone. Spana arrived literally on the run – “Sorry boss, sorry.” “Spana”, I said. “Linda’s plane will be landing in 10 minutes”. “Don’t worry, boss. Don’t worry”. The trip to the airport usually takes, in the best of times, at least 45 minutes. Spana made it to the airport in 25 minutes flat. We flew over backstreets and shortcuts that I had never seen before. Naturally, the flight was a little late and we ended up waiting 30 minutes before One Armed Jackson, our special porter, escorted Linda out to us.

We had to hurry back to the Frere Campus because I was late for a Haiti Joint Leadership Team meeting in Pastor Paul’s office. The HJLT meetings are held every month so that the leadership of EMH, UMCOR and UMVIM can report on the progress of their various projects over the last month and their plans for the coming month. I gave a report on the final HHAP (Haiti Home Assistance Program) Grant Proposal and Pastor Paul approved and signed the document.

When I got back to the Guest House, Linda was engaged in conversation with the medical team that had returned from their day at the clinic in Du Plan and Sarah had returned from her R & R in the States. During my absence this morning Tom and Mario had sent 1 team to the airport and home; put 1 team on a boat to La Gonave, the large island in the Bay of Port au Prince and gotten our 2 local teams to their sites. This afternoon we received the returning team from Hinche - another busy day.

Wednesday – This morning we sent 2 teams to the airport leaving only our Du Plan medical team at the Guest House. For me, the meetings continue. This morning it was the EMH Housing Project Management Team meeting. This team is comprised of representatives of the 2 contractors, Engineers LaPlanche and Derly and Tom, Jim Gulley and I. We discussed the progress being made on the 20 houses being built in Mellier and the projected start-up dates for the 20 houses in Carre Four. We are also expecting bids from 2 more contractors for an additional 10 houses. This program has had a very arduous start-up process, but houses are going up and the process is accelerating.

My Grant Proposal was reviewed by the staff in New York and they sent it back for some additional wording that will better satisfy the Board’s requirements. I got it back to them by the 4:00 PM deadline. Time flies when you’re having fun.