Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Psalms 55:17 7 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.


It is calm as the Eastern sky begins to brighten; the expression of a handful of birds the only hint of activity, the air is quiet, the temperature hardly noticeable. The coffee will be done soon and time spent reading on the patio will again start the day.

It is difficult to place into words the emptiness felt when one compares life in the USA in even the least of conditions to that experienced each and every morning by our Haitian friends and acquaintances.

The day starts hours earlier, well before dawn, with a cacophony of roosters calling to those still sleeping. Listen carefully and you can hear the livestock rustling through the brush looking for sustenance, a difficult ordeal in a land where nothing of value is discarded.

This morning in Dessalines will be similar to most; a neighbor will be butchering and perhaps a morsel shared; more than likely the average child will settle for a mango plucked from a “common property” tree or perhaps a tomato from the market yesterday. The temperature will rise with the sun as will the humidity of this Caribbean nation; there will be no withdrawal to an air-conditioned home or office. It has been a little less than three weeks since our return; as I have started each day I cannot help but pray that on this day God might find favor with those left behind.

I pray that somewhere in His resources might be found the donor that will provide the hospital with the 100,000 USD needed to provide renewable solar energy equipment; the 30,000 USD needed to staff a full time pediatrician. Somewhere out there are the 15,000 USD needed to fill the diesel reservoir and assure the hospital of both electricity and water for a season; the 10,000 USD needed to renovate the remaining physician and nurse quarters.

God has a plan and a purpose for each of us; we need to carefully and cautiously pursue that plan. One need not look only across the courtyard in Dessalines, past the iron entry gate beyond the witch doctor’s hut to see that He has shined mercifully on each of us. To be graciously accommodated in a country where beautiful homes, electricity and clean water are taken for granted is a privilege.

I pray this morning and each morning that God would use me and mine to find a ray of hope for at least a portion of this community, our “second home”, somewhere something I have done or will do has or will make a difference in the lives of a few in the streets of Dessalines today. I pray that someone today will find a way to share what He already owns with those whom He has brought us.

I declare it no accident that we have served from a distance these last few years; through our own local trials we have been called of Him and through Him have accomplished much yet much remains to be completed. I would ask that you pray with us today; pray that God will open the floodgates of Heaven and meet the needs of the needy, that the miracles of the New Testament might proclaim themselves once again.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

"...Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.” Joel 2:28

And such it is with each visit we make to this Caribbean nation, forgotten by some, many never really aware of its existence. We leave with a sense of fulfillment and yet clearly aware of what has yet to be done;
a challenge that the Lord places before us all in some fashion. We think often of our focus “Bringing True Love to a Real World” and it forces thinking of how we fashion our everyday lives; what we believe to be “required” on a daily basis, what is essential and what would God have us release to His use elsewhere.

As we face yet another departure it becomes acutely obvious that we leave behind those whom we have assisted in one way or another by God’s mercy and provision. To some it was perhaps a meal, a few dollars to purchase a new pair of shoes; to others it was life itself, making every effort to reclaim a remote hospital located in one of the most desolate places in the Caribbean. Because of your generosity there are many families freed from the debt of hospital expenses too costly to pay; because the debt was reconciled there are funds to purchase diesel fuel for the generators and electric power to run the hospital.

“It is almost 5AM in a rural hospital in Dessalines, Haiti, only a few hundred miles from Miami, Florida, and the activity of the coming day is about to begin in earnest. By evening no one will remember the Caesarian operation performed by the light of cell phone displays that saved both the mother and child; few can recount the details that saved the little boy literally “skinned alive” as the frightened steer attempted to flee the bus coming from Port au Prince, dragging the boy helplessly tangled in the rope tied to its horns. Most will never recognize the man brought in after being fished from a lake with a broken leg; an act of kindness and God’s provision after being run over by a large truck in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne.

Who, over a period of twenty years, will recall the doctors, nurses and volunteers both domestic and international that have made the Dessalines Rural Hospital an outpost of hope in a land all but forgotten by the “1st World” on a global scale? Today we celebrate life; a life that in many instances would not exist were it not for the cadre of professionals and those giving of their personal assets and time in not uncommon ways to be certain someone else has the opportunity to make a difference in their world.

We celebrate the greatness and mercy of a loving God making it possible for an infant to live; a child to grow; a young adult to mature. We celebrate the reality of what God has provided and pray as did Jabez to be given much that we might give abundantly to witness the lives of hundreds of others moving forward. We celebrate the generosity and kindness of those who have caught the vision of what God intends for Dessalines, Haiti.”

We trust as you review this chapter of our Haitian adventure that you recognize, as do we, that this simply would not be possible without the prayers of many and the provision of God. We seek His will humbly and cautiously extend ourselves as He leads to attempt in our own small way to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. We leave you now with your own thoughts on what God has for you; how would you contribute to making this world a better place for those less fortunate.

Monday, May 19, 2008

The Fields Are Ripe For Harvest



It has been four days since arriving in Marchand Dessalines and the weather remains very much as when we left in 2007. It was quite warm last evening (90F) well into the early hours although much quieter than the previous night. Even the rooster elected to sleep in until almost 3:30AM!

We awake this morning to a lack of both water for showering and electricity as there is no fuel currently to run the generator. Fuel prices here in Haiti are similar to that found in the States currently with a gallon of diesel selling in the $4.00/USD. Pricing is a bit unusual in that whether it is purchased in single gallon or 2000 gallon increments it is the same cost. The hospital has a 2500 gallon tank that has not been filled completely for many years.

Projects at the hospital are again well under way. Our newest volunteer has created much value in a short period of time; replacing a sink in the maternity/delivery. When finished at the hospital we took time to arrange for a similar installation in one of the apartments here on the compound that is presently vacant.

A second team unassociated with the hospital will be arriving tomorrow to work a small clinic in one of the market towns roughly an hour’s drive from Dessalines. This will be an interesting team to provide feedback on their experiences as they are staying here at the apartments and are used to more luxurious accommodation staying at one of the beach resorts in previous years.

We are on to building window screens for a new office being created to house the official Government statistician for the hospital. This individual is charged with collecting status on patient numbers, types of medical events, etc. and indirectly controls to some degree the amount of payment received from the government by the hospital – a very important individual.

Yesterday, though Sunday, was a day spent sealing a crack in the roof of the apartments we are occupying. Although rain has not been a part of our experience this trip, a series of significant faults in the roof have created a sort of waterfall event similar to what we would see in a mall back in the States – here it was occurring in the bedroom.

The structure is made of concrete and we have attempted repairs using a blowtorch that has not been operated for 15 years; a tank of propane gas used for cooking; roofing tar and felt paper left on the roof the last time the blowtorch was active. Not having a lot of hot pitch roofing background we are hoping for rain to determine whether the experience was fruitful or needing more attention. It ended up a draining experience that left all pretty well finished for the day as temperatures on the roof approached 120F.

It is 6:06AM here and all are up and moving for the day, water or no water, electricity or not there is work to be accomplished. We will be working the hospital again today hoping to finish off the hanging of a door; constructing “baby warmers” (it is over 80F according to the thermometer as I write) for maternity and investigating a leak in the plumbing of one of the buildings.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

First Things First


At first glance one would see little difference in the streets were it not for our familiarity with the lifestyles of the people; life looks pretty much the same. People are moving about in the city with their normal routines; children are being escorted from one place to another and mothers are shopping to find the essentials.

Deeper down into the story there are those on the streets not found there in previous trips; those hawking various wares, fruits and vegetables that are not a normal part of the vendor culture so common to the streets of Haiti. These are those of the 80+ percentage of the population currently unemployed; those for whom simply existing until tomorrow morning is a priority.

Many will sit the entire day in anticipation of the sale of their offering and in the end walk away with enough to purchase a small portion of rice and a few mangoes to slice up for the evening meal. Many will repeat the same exercise and return home hungry. Even for the accomplished traveler the sight of so many attempting to sell something; so many children begging for anything is overwhelming.

Scripture tells us that we are to “be anxious for nothing” and we therefore move on with that for which we have come once again to this beautiful island in the Caribbean. Our newest traveler to the region has proved invaluable within the first few hours of arrival, assisting Gail in setting up a computer brought in for the Administrator at the Dessalines Hospital. The sun comes early in the tropics; we were on the roof by 5:30 AM and by lunch had applied multiple coats of a rubberized sealer to ward off the impacts of tropical storms over the years.
Down on the ground Gregg has found it necessary for a bit of generator repair to provide the much-needed electricity often unavailable through the normal city channels. Routine distribution provides perhaps 3-5 hours a day of city-generated electricity and timing of the arrival is varied so alternative sources are a must.

Life runs on a timetable in the tropics with the majority of effort extended well before the lunch hour to avoid the heat and sunshine of the later hours. Afternoons are spent generally running errands and preparation for the following day; a quick nap is available if one can find a quiet corner.

Morning of the second day finds much of the same for those of us bringing “True Love to a Real World” in our own unique way. Back on the roof, it is time for the third and final coat of paint; finished by noon, we have accomplished planned activity number one and tossed in a few additional including repairs to the sprinkling system; transplanting a 20 foot palm tree and a dozen or so potted plants purchased to replace those destined to neglect as the work in Dessalines took priority. The afternoon has proved welcome if not overly productive; the heat of the tropics quickly saps what remains of our strength and it is time to retreat indoors for a few hours.


We will be packing to head to the hospital on Thursday assuming we can locate enough diesel fuel. Along with food pricing, gasoline and diesel are skyrocketing in price and availability and we need to be cautious of commodities as once you have “crossed over” a point in the journey there is no heading back into town.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Preparation Time 2008!!


"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27

This scripture rings more truely to my heart with each passing visit; each new acquaintance encountered; each project completed. We are returning once again to the culture, the beauty and the people of Haiti for the month of May. We are very excited about our upcoming adventure and believe God to have prepared the way for us.

Since our last posting in July of 2007 the "house built by faith" has been accomplished; the widow for whom it was built has moved in and the faithfulness of those contributing to the project is being shared among the villagers. Neither Jane nor I have seen the completed work since we had to leave prior to it being finished, we are most excited to see the results. I have included a couple of pictures sent to us from our friends to preview the work completed.

Macine Joeseph is a true gift from God and how He has provided for her is a remarkable story!

We know only limited bits of information about Macine; she is a widow of some years; exists solely on what she can garner out of the mountains each day; up until Jane came across her path, she lived in a mud hut just down the path from the mission facility. It is truly a blessing to be a part of something so special!

The Haitian people are in great need as we prepare this posting; the scarcity of food in the country has created an alarming need. People are expressing their discomfort through protesting against the government. To the typical US citizen this appears alarming; to those of us having spent a good deal of time looking this poverty in the face each day over the last decade it has become more of a routine experience that one does not easily forget.

Mothers are feeding their children "dirt cookies" once again in an effort to appease their suffering. I have experienced this only once before in my travels - at that time they were consuming the bark of mango trees to stay alive. One not need spend a good deal of time thinking about this before reality hits home - the Haitian expression is "we are down to Clorox and battery acid" which translates loosely to "we are prepared to die". A bitter reality in a country so barren of resources that the remainder of the world has forgotten its' obligation.

We will be bringing finances to continue our work in supporting our hospital project (see older blogs for details) in hopes of continuing to provide a heightened level of medical care to the people of Marchand Dessalines and the surrounding villages and communities. Our goal is to completely refurbish a 50-bed hospital, the single source of medical care for an area covering many miles and a population of over 200,000 men, women and children.

Ours is a challenging effort, we are praised by several however joined by few. We are attempting what we feel God has led us to attempt; it is a daunting reality that millions throughout the world will be born, live and die without ever once recognizing much of what we in the United States take for granted.

Please pray with us for the sustenance needed for these people; share with us financially if you are able to do so. This hospital is a breath of fresh air in a land laboring intensely for each day's existence. God has a plan, it is up to each of us individually to discover what that entails.