March 11, 2010

Kym Meehan just returned from Haiti.  Here is her report:

I returned from Haiti Tuesday afternoon.  I am safe, tired, sad at the horrific state of the country, and moving forward with some ideas for the future.

 Haiti has the opportunity, post earthquake, to create a better Haiti.  All eyes of the world have been focused on the country - not only with hands out in relief and medical care but working for sustainable changes consistent with Hope's Mission.  It at first seemed overwhelming as I was driven around the country to visit the 9 destroyed orphanage and schools we worked in. Probably 2/3 of the buildings in the major cities have collapsed and those displaced either sleep in the streets,  have made make shift tents or relocated to "tent cities". The feeling of utter despair is overwhelming. But many are also participating in the removal efforts, rebuilding, and getting on with life in Haiti. Yes, there is laughter, singing, and smiles!

Moving forward, we should begin with the rebuilding of Coq Chante school and medical clinic. It could for now serve the hilltop region. All the kids from Belloc and Coq Chante have been relocated to Carmatin which was where we stayed as a team. Food and supplies are expensive but attainable from Jacmal 25 minutes down the hill. We have good water at Carmatin and teams can easily be housed there. For those of you who have traveled with me, Carmatin is a Hilton next to Belloc.  Sirewall in conjunction with Kim Watkin (Sunrise Rotary in Park City) has begun plans to move forward on this site. I meet with Brad Mimlitz on Friday to show him site pictures before and after so he may begin his plans for rebuilding utilizing recycling and reclamation of waste of rubble consistent with the Sirewall model.

In conjunction with Globus Relief, we have begun talk of shipping a container within the next 4-6 months.  Included in this container would be building materials as specified by Sirewall, medical goods for the opening of a clinic at Carmatin (and Coq Chante if we have moved forward with construction enough to consider this), and possible goods for the school and orphanage. Our alliance with Whitestone out of Knoxville TN ( the 3 men I traveled with in-country) would like us to include water filtration units, (they have modeled this and the cost would be about $23 per household). We can buy the parts here and assemble and distribute in Haiti.

Once the container is in-country, I plan to return to follow up with our distribution plan and then have a team join me at Carmatin. I dream of the distribution of water filtration kits to the households in need, some construction work as requested by Sirewall, medical clinic and education in this area, and some painting and hands on work in the school. The kids do not have another place to move to so they are well under foot and eager to join in and love to be loved. Probably an additional 100 orphans may be relocated from P-A-P as early as mid summer if funds to feed them can be raised. School continues until mid-April but as the number of kids grow, the need for additional teachers will increase.

Thanks to each of you for your support and encouragement.  Please don't forget the earthquake victims of Haiti, the media may, but we have work to do.

The Park Record featured an article on The Hope Alliance's programs in Haiti.  To view the article, click here.

January 22nd, 2010 Update

Brian reports, "The last few days have been really chaotic.  Tuesday was spent preparing for our team to arrive and procuring more clean water and food, some for the Coq Chante orphans and some of which we took to distribute in the hard hit community of Belloc.  Our first team arrived Wednesday and we spent the day receiving them and our team of docs started right away treating the injured.  We spent the day yesterday in Leogane working with some great docs from Iowa and Minnesota.  We partnered with them and the teams provided amputations, took care of lots of broken bones, dislocated pelvis, major lacerations, etc.

The damage in Leogane is indescribable.  I don't know if loss of life was as bad as PaP, but destruction is the worst of any places I've been- PaP, Carrefour, Jacmel, etc.  I'd estimate 90% of the buildings are destroyed.  It was devastating. 

Today, I'm leaving and I'm so torn.  My heart is here and wants to help but in many ways, I feel so inadequate to try and meet the needs.  I feel as if I'm trying to put a band-aid on a severed limb.  The only thing that makes me feel a peace about leaving is I have the honor and privilege of escorting 6 Haitian children to their parents who are anxiously waiting in Ft. Lauderdale.  These 6 children have been in the process of being adopted.  Due to the disaster, the State Deparment has sped up the paperwork and is allowing these beautiful kids to come to loving families in Tennessee.  None of these 6 angels will ever have to be hungry, they'll never have to cry because their bellies ache from emptiness, they'll never have to carry a 5 gallon bucket of water on their head for 2 miles if they want a drink of water, and they'll never have to see dead bodies that lay piled in heaps on the sidewalk for days. 

I pray as I go back to the states, that we'll find generous people who desire to continue helping, long term, the children of Haiti.  We can't bring them all the states, but we can help participate in rebuilding a better Haiti, a safer Haiti, a Haiti where every child can get an education, a Haiti where children dying day of starvation and malnutrition isn't common place, a Haiti where a child can get access to a doctor when they're sick, a Haiti where God is exalted in their communities.  That's the Haiti I dream for. 

January 18^th, 2010 Update

Kym reports, "Although the girls are doing well and everyone seems to be okay, the situation is very dangerous.  There is not much food and even less water.  Supplies to the area are needed desperately.  I would love to go and buy cases and cases of water to send, but getting it there is near impossible. It seems that even the purchase of goods and water is diminishing. Coq Chante is where we built the second floor, cistern and medical clinic on the side. Agathe is living there with Roland and her 2 kids for those of you who travelled to Belloc."

Brian reports, "Got here about 2 hrs ago. Digicell not working. And my iPhone was out of charge but...u ready for this?  The solar panels still work at Coq Chante.  So I could charge my phone!

All girls are good.  Odette and her parents actually walked the whole way from City of God (in Port au Prince) to Coq Chante. Left Tuesday night and got home Wednesday afternoon. She is staying with her parents.  Jayla and Christianie and Madestine are staying with their parents too, but they came by to visit and looked well.  All the rest are being themselves acting silly and playing and giving each other a hard time.  They are reading books and singing.  Islande is sick with a headache and fever, but not too bad, she is still playing some.

I just can't explain the damage at Coq Chante. The majority of Coq Chante is still standing but it will have to come all the way down and start all over because not safe. The kitchen is okay but that's it.  No one would go inside so they had nothing except what they were wearing. Me and Jean Luc went in and quickly got a few of the hospital mattresses a bunch of sheets and blankets and a couple armfuls of clothes.  The store building next door seems okay and they'll go in it during day but won't sleep in it because they are scared. Even the people living in shacks are sleeping outside because they are afraid and there are STILL aftershocks, even just a few minutes ago.  It feels like your on a cruise ship. I can't fathom what the real thing was like.

Agathe is holding up well.  She is a strong woman.  If she wasn't here I think we would have lost many more than Atanie.  She said she got everyone out fast but Marie Michille, Saintemon (we know her as Ya-Ya), Merline, and Christianie were still in the kitchen standing at the doorway at the top of stairs screaming.  Agathe said "the whole house was jumping up and down and knocking them down".  She said she screamed "please God make it stop" and it immediately did, she got them down the stairs, then it started again for about another 20 seconds. That is the time when the front of the building collapsed.  Agathe was screaming for them all to get away and she started counting and couldn't find Atanie and all the others immediately started looking and they found her right where the front door would be.  Agathe saw her come down so she says she must have gotten confused or thinks she went back for something maybe.  They buried her the next day... and now she is with Jesus.

If we can't get the girls out somewhere else, then first order is to get a huge tent, like a revival tent.  And we need more hospital mattresses and lots of tarps.  I'm still praying the building at Camatin isn't as bad as they say.  We'll see.

Wousami is good but didn't see them. His grandmother was hit by a block so they took her to a Dr. somewhere but Beualljere said they were all fine and the house looked fine, no damage except maybe some damage to the slab.

We brought enough water for a day or 2 when we walked into Coq Chante. They have been drinking lots of strait shaddock juice so they are all happy about that (kind of like when you are out of milk so you let the kids drink coke).  The cisterns are all empty. Tomorrow after church we’ll go to Camatin and Jacmel and survey things there.

The road from Leogande is a nightmare. Forget coming in that way by truck for at least 3 months.  Major, major rock and dirt slides. It was bad.  Lots of people buried in it. The only way in will probably be Jacmel. 

Original plan was for the kids to sleep in the back of the truck and adults around the outside of the truck.  When it started raining I tried to get them all in the building next door and they ALL looked at me like I was crazy.  With what they experienced, it's understandable they don't want to sleep in a building made of concrete.  I asked if the lady next door was home and they said she Port au Prince so I said "good, we'll sleep there.  They're not afraid of shacks; only scared of concrete buildings, walls, and mausoleums.  So now all the girls and Gaspards are sleeping in that shack. They are happy and laughing. They act like it's a slumber party. Me, Lozama, Hippolite, Jean Luc, and Alfred are in the back of the truck; it is cozy and we all stink and it is raining.  Agathe is in front of the truck.  Edwing is sleeping at some old ladies house nearby.

I'm spent so I'm going to sleep now. It's only 7:30 but I feel like it's midnight. Not much sleep last few nights.  Plus, I have to wake early to prepare to preach.  I asked Pastor Gaspard what time church started and he looked at me like I was crazy and said "you want to have church?"  And I told him "Heck, yeah, I want to have church."

January 17^th update

Brian reports, "It was a long night - lots of gunfire and yelling all around us where we slept in Delmas 75.  Things settled down about 4 AM.  Late last night we learned that merje church and school are destroyed too. Pastor villas and his family are okay.  Petit Harpon (pronunced ti-apo) church and school are destroyed. Pastor Avandre and his family are okay.  So out of our 22 locations we work in we have visited or confirmed 7 of the 9 we've seen are destroyed.  Trying to stay positive but it's obviously discouraging.  We learned that pastor serge, the head pastor at city of god, his home was destroyed. He is living in a makeshift refugee camp downtown at the Champ de Mars Park."

"Now for some good news...we just heard a report that the road from Coq Chante to Jacmel has been repaired. If this is true, we can take our big flatbed (which was stranded at Coq Chante) to Jacmel and get supplies.  Me, Hippolite, and Lozama are about to leave to make our way up. My plan is once we get there, we’ll check on immediate condition of orphans, then take the truck to Jacmel and pray we can find someplace to purchase some water and blankets. If we confirm this road is passable by truck and If we confirm Jacmel airstrip is open and usable then that will be a huge blessing because we can let the relief supplies and people start rolling into Jacmel asap. I'll update as soon as we know."

January 16^th update

Brian reports, "I just got off the phone with Agathe, the head caretaker for the Coq Chante girls orphanage. I told her that me and Ricot and Hippolite would be hiking in to them tomorrow (unless god gives us a helicopter) and asked what she needs and she said blankets and pants because they are all cold at night. And water because the cisterns are totally destroyed so they don't have anything to drink.  She said there is still part of the building standing but it is "only hanging in the air so we can't go in to get our clothes or blankets".

I asked Agathe if she needed anything for herself and she just said "please come and help these little girls".

Also Bebe, one of our workers (and Ricot's cousin) was in the same school collapse that killed Beremy Valme. Bebe survived but had serious injuries to both her legs. Ricot can't find her; he is praying someone took her to a hospital.

PS while I was talking to Agathe I could hear the orphans singing in the background...

Rachel reports, "Nicoles store - rubble. Church and school and elderly housing at Savane Pistache - rubble.  At least 2 children were in bldg and dead but can't get to bodies yet. Church and school and clinic and elderly housing at City of God - rubble.  We think only one girl dead there but again, impossible to get to body.

Visited Pastor Ronnigues house got there as they were removing body. I can't explain the horror. Me and his sons could only stand and weep together as they took the horrible corpses of Ronnigue and his wife out from the rubble. Can't explain in words how horrible it was.   Visited Menes. He needs his insulin.

Throughout City of God, Savane Pistache, Petionville, downtown airport road, everywhere decaying bodies along the road.  Some have sheets over them others a piece of cardboard.   Thousands more still trapped in the rubble. A Haitian looking for his dad today in a heap of rubble and I asked how he knew to dig and he answered because this is where all the flies are going. The stench in the city is unexplainable. Everyone is wearing bandanas or rubbing mentholyptus under nose because of stench of death.

Good news is that the school and church at Ti Marche are okay.  It has been reported, but not confirmed that school and church at Fonde Parisian are okay. Pastor Beaullire at Belloc we think is ok through 4th hand info.  David, our translator, is okay.  Pastor Evans (Mary Flos husband) is missing and presuming the worst.  Pastor Ernst and his mom and dad are okay.  Ricot trying to get Mona and his kids out through Dom Rep tomorrow or Saturday so he can focus on relief.

Ricot and I will travel as close as we can to Coq Chante/Belloc tomorrow then walk or ride motorcycles from there so we can get to orphans at Coq Chante.  More reports are Camatin is not safe and damage worse than initially thought. Not sure where we'll take orphans when we get to them.

 As relief people coming in it's just getting crazier and busier and tensions getting high. People are getting hungrier and more frustrated.  I just can't explain what PaP is like.

January 15th 2010 Update

Brian reports, "It is Friday, 2 ish AM...Thursday at 4 AM (when I woke up last) seems like an awfully long time ago. Here is a recap of the events of the day. 

An extremely rough start to find out at 6 am that Pastor Ronnigue Guiellere, my friend, my brother, and a man I respect like no other, is dead. His small concrete home collapsed in the quake crushing him. Pastor Ronnigue was the leader of the churches I work with. He was a man full of wisdom, grace, discernment, and compassion.  Everything he said oozed Jesus - when he spoke he made me feel like a kindergarten kid sitting on the floor in front of their teacher while they were being read a good story. Ronnigue shared and lived the gospel with tremendous passion -  he lived out what he preached.  Ronnigue led many many people to know the Lord. I've spent much of the day weeping uncontrollably as images of pastor Ronnigue come to my mind. I love you brother...I miss you so much already.  

 The good news that came with the same call at 6 am was to learn that the Camatin church, school, mission house is still standing and only sustained minimal damage. Unfortunately we also learned that the mountain road leading there is completely destroyed in several places and covered with rock and dirt from retaining wall collapses, making it impossible to pass. This means impossible for the 1000's of relief workers soon heading into pap wont be able to reach this area by vehicle. This area, as well as Jacmel which was very hard hit is completely shut off because this is the only road in or out.

 It was confirmed that both buildings of our Belloc church, school, and orphanage (no orphans were living there) are complete losses. We still do not know about the status of pastor Jocelyn Beaulliere, his wife, and 4 children, who all lived in an upstairs room of the church. 

 Mid morning brought more upsetting news that Beremy Valme, the youngest daughter of pastor Menes Valme, was confirmed dead. She was in school when the quake hit, and the entire building became rubble. Pastor Menes is heartbroken over the loss of his little girl, who made straight A's and wanted to study medicine after she graduated high school. 

 Mid morning did however bring us some glorious news about Odette Coleman. Odette is being adopted by my good friends Andy and Allyson Coleman. She was in PaP for an appointment for the final stages of the adoption when the quake hit. No one had been able to reach her birth father who she was with so we had no idea if she was okay...until this morning we learned they are safe and were meeting up with Ricot to stay in his home for now.

 We also received joyous news that many of our workers, including Hippolite, Estimine, Mary Flo, Lozama, Jabet, and Santela are safe and uninjured.  For some of you, these are just names - for others of you these are very special people you know and love so we celebrate that they were spared.

 I arrived in the Dominican border town of Jimani to the Jimani Project Hospital at about 11 pm and wow...I'm not a military guy but it is what I'd assume a battle field hospital looks like.  Lots of blood, cuts, broken bones, crying, and a team of almost 40 doctors, nurses, and medical professionals frantically working to care for the hurting people. Dom Republic and US military helicopters are bringing some of the worst wounded from pap to this clinic to be cared for. A recently finished orphanage next door to the hospital is being turned into the hospital annex.  Daylight will bring hundreds more coming to be treated for horrible wounds.   

What tomorrow might bring for me:  I feel it is important to get to the Camatin area to:

1 - assess what "minor damage" to the Camatin facility really is
2 - to determine if we can safely move the Coq Chante orphans to Camatin (about a 3 hr walk between the 2 places)
3 - find out firsthand about friends at Belloc (about a 3 hr walk from Coq Chante) including pastor Beaulliere, Wousami bates, a little boy being adopted by our friends Mike and Karen Bates, and many others we know and love in Belloc
4 - determine if Camatin can be used as a hub to bring aid into from Jacmel so we can minister to these hard hit areas that are not accessible due to the damaged roads.

 Since the roads are not passable, the only way I can get there is in the air. I had a couple leads on small charter planes and helicopters out of the DR but they have not worked out. But a couple hours ago I spoke with a guy who thinks he can work with the US military (who are carrying the wounded to the Jimani hospital) to allow me to hitch a ride to Camatin. If this is God's plan, please pray that the Lord works it out for me to be on one of those helicopters. 

 The letters are running together, my thumbs are tired (from typing) and 5 AM is only a few hours away so that's all for now. 

January 13, 2010
The Hope Alliance projects are among many that have been destroyed.  Our Haiti project coordinator, Kym Meehan, has been in touch via satellite phone.  "It just seems to be getting worse.  Most seem to be personal members of the team or the group, but the devastation is horrific."  The following information was given to her by Brian Lloyd, Harvest Field Ministries.

Brian Lloyd reports, "As we hear more about the devastation of the earthquake, "catastrophic" doesn't do justice to the horrors we are learning. 



The coq chante orphanage, where we have 18 little girls, collapsed in the quake.  All the girls made it out except for our youngest, Atanie, age 5.  The building collapsed on her as she was making her way down the stairs.  They recovered her body this morning at dawn.  The building is a total loss.

Belloc, another mountain village near coq chante, is said to have completely collapsed, but we do not have first hand reports of this.  We have not been able to contact Pastor Beaulliere, who lives in the church with his wife and 4 children.  We have also not been able to contact anyone at camatin or any of the other churches/villages we work with.

Ricot Louis-Juste and his family, who is the head of the orphanages and schools, made it out okay but their home in Delmas was severely damaged and is not safe to go back in.  Pastor Menes is okay, but his daughter was in school and there are reports of that school collapsing.  He has not been able to find her or make contact with her. 

The rest of our friends, pastors and helpers have not made contact yet, as communications continue to be a struggle.  As the light breaks this morning, I believe we will continue to see even worse devastation.  Please pray for miracles. 

To make disaster relief donations to help rebuild the destroyed schools and orphanages that we support, click here