Haiti Update

Despite the devastation in Haiti the Haitians, resilient and resourceful, show signs of moving on. Life is returning to Port-au-Prince. Street vendors are slowly appearing selling fruits and vegetables and clothing new and used (likely salvaged from destroyed homes and shops). Even car horns and the roar of traffic have returned as fuel supplies stabilize—no more long lines.

Visit Bob Thorp's blog—Thoughts Twenty One Days Later—to read more about Haiti's ongoing metamorphosis. Bob has been on the ground in Haiti since shortly after the earthquake. Being a member of Compassion International's Complementary Interventions team, he assists the local Compassion staff in the daunting job of assessing damage to their partner churches and collecting information on Compassion sponsored children and their families. Because the Compassion office building shows signs of instability, the staff have been conducting business in the office parking lot. Many of the staff lost homes and family members in the quake.

We have discovered that our sponsored child, Jorkaeff, is safe and uninjured and the church where he receives instruction and support from Compassion through our sponsorship is intact. Montrois where Jorkaeff lives is about 35 miles north of Port-au-Prince along the seacoast. On our trip to Haiti in 2005, we helped build classrooms for the church in Montrois and met Jorkaeff during that time. He is now 7 years old.

Unfortunately the status of the partner church where Whatline, our sponsored child who was released from the program as an adult last year, is dire. Great damage and loss of lives. Whatline lived in the Delmas slum district of Port-au-Prince right in the middle of all the damage. We fear the worst, but must wait to inquire about her after currently sponsored children are accounted for—if that's even possible. Whatline aspired to be a nurse. Our hope remains that she survived and may be found working side-by-side with her fellow Haitians tending to the needs of the injured.

A picture of us and Whatline at the Compassion office in 2005 is shown at my blog post Horror in Haiti.

Please remember Haiti in your prayers and giving.

Ke Bondje beni Haiti (God bless Haiti)

Horror in Haiti

Children of Haiti

Watching the heart-wrenching pictures and videos of the tragedy in Haiti, it struck me. Reporters pointed out the dire living conditions the Haitians endure following the quake. No water, no electricity, families living in camps, cooking outdoors and the dangerous environment in general. Guess what? Pretty much that describes the conditions in Haiti BEFORE the quake.

Haiti is very near to our hearts. In 2005 my husband and I witnessed Haiti first-hand—a country in chaos. We went with 28 others to meet the children we sponsor through Compassion International and help build a school at one of their new church partners. Even though we studied-up on the country and its conditions, we were not prepared for what we experienced.

Poor does not describe how the Haitian people live. Barely surviving. The people of Haiti struggle each day to provide for themselves with few ways to make a living. Safe water is scarce except from wells provided mostly by humanitarian organizations. The environment sits decimated—hillsides scrapped and stripped of all material. You would not recognize Haiti as tropical except for the sweltering heat and humidity.

Though the Haitians live in very horrible conditions, they are

a resilient, kind and hard working people. We heard no complaints from them about their conditions. The children shined with an infectious joy and the adults showed a genuine gratefulness, so sweet to experience. Visiting a Haitian home in the small town where we served, we felt honored as the man of the home cut up coconuts and offered them to us. The family's home consisted of a single 9x9 space with outside kitchen similar to the one in the picture.

As the eyes of the world watch Haiti and contributions pour in to help the Haitians, possibly a brighter future awaits these beautiful people. With strict oversight and help from other countries, the government can rebuild a Haiti that could one day flourish.

Ke Bondje beni Haiti (God bless Haiti)