Mission Team Log 2014

2014 CUMC Mission Team Log

Jan 14 : Travel Day

Flight to Ft Lauderdale from TC via Detroit. Left TC at 1:30 pm arrived in Ft Lauderdale at 8:30pm. Stayed at the Hilton Airport Inn because it has a 24 hr shuttle. We were joined there by Irene Lundby and Paul Beckman from Minnesota who will fly to Haiti with us. The IBC plane leaves at 6:30 which means we have to be on the 4:00 am shuttle to the airport. Not much sleep tonight.

Jan 15: Our First day in Haiti

My Impressions as a 1st timer…. 

The beauty of sharp angled mountains rising out of Atlantic; 

The blast of humid air and curious smells when jet door opened; 

The passionate push and pull of humans pressing together; 

The fine tuned dance of near collisions on every road; 

The image of God on every child’s face; 

The spirited drumming and dancing at Pentecostal revival tent; 

Stench of river paired with enterprising coffin maker’s shop; 

Legions of goats strolling unimpressed by busy roads; 

Boy with Huck Finn adventure letting Mike clean his bloody knee; 

Another boy dancing buck naked full of joy at water pump; 

Giving and receiving respect across language barrier; 

Passion to serve in Joshue, Hanania, Gabo, Nana. 

By: Chris Lane

Jan 16: Thursday

Up at 6:00 a.m. First cup of coffee was great! Chris was not too familiar with the percolator but between us we figured it out. Staton was quiet and deep in thought at breakfast and broke the news that he may have been pick-pocketed while on a walk last evening. We are still hoping and praying he just put the money someplace for safe-keeping and will remember where soon.

After another fascinating drive through the heart of CapHaitien, and a couple stops at the Health Department and to buy bricks, we arrived at the clinic at 9:30 carrying 15 people in the truck. A busy day was spent on different tasks. The masons are finishing putting up the walls for the new room being added to the Clinic. Staton and Mike worked on the water system, diagnosing the problem and figuring out how to fix it. Many parts are needed and shopping for them takes longer than you think it should. I taught an English class for two hours. I had not been planning on doing that, but Juvenal, the regular teacher, talked me into it. The students said they liked my teaching because I laughed a lot. They are used to a more formal style of teaching. I think they are coming back for more tomorrow. Everything was pulled out of the storage room and sorted through, which was a big job!

Dinner was on the table when we arrived back home at 5:30. Nana made a Haitian style meal with chicken legs and beans in sauce over rice, fried breadfruit, mangos, tomatoes, and spicy coleslaw, which the Haitians call ‘picklee’--delicious. During devotions we discussed mentors, or people who have had an influence on our lives. Learn more about each other.

Time to shower off the dust and sweat, and get ready for another full day tomorrow.  We are going to start on the culvert and ditch project tomorrow, so that a bridge or ramp over the ditch can be built. Staton and Mike will work on the plumbing. 

By : Carla Roberts

Friday, Jan 17 Haiti Day 3

Our day starts at 6 am. We are ready for our car pool ‘truck’ by 8 am. We settle into our commute from Dorothy’s House to the clinic. The drive thru the city is always an adventure. There are no traffic lights! The one or two traffic lights that are still in place do not work or are shut off. Driving is more like a dance or rhythm. Thank God we have a great driver.

A couple of great memories already: Carla teaching the students. Their eagerness and energy to learn is refreshing. Chris was using the hand water pump to help a very young Haitian girl fill her water pails. In the background were two cows and a goat drinking the runoff. It is a blessing to work with these people. Everyone you meet is very kind. Blessings are certainly going both ways. 

By: Michael Conlan

Sat, Jan 18 Vacation Day

Since we had accomplished so much work yesterday….

· finished emptying the ash pile and hauling all trash to the dump 

· cutting the door into the new storeroom 

· cleaning and sorting the Lab 

· digging the caked dirt out of the culvert 

· building up the area on top of the culvert to prepare for a bridge/sidewalk 

· progress on the plumbing repairs

….we headed out to Comer Plage, a nice resort, restaurant and beach on the ocean. After a few stops 

for errands and to buy Dorothy a new phone, we drove over the mountain on a very steep road with 

many switch backs. Hanania and Joshue came with us. Beautiful views of CAP and of the ocean from the mountain roads. What a great improvement in the road since the last time I made this trip!  Staton and Chris went snorkeling in the ocean near a coral reef.  Beautiful weather.  Nice swim in the ocean.  Good food and friends.  God is good. 

By: Linda Poindexter

Jan 19, 2014 Day 5 Sunday

Even Sunday begins at 6 am. Chris is the first to rise at 5 and make the first of 2 pots of coffee. Another sunny day and pancakes with guava marmalade or syrup.

Mike is finally feeling like his real self, reporting a good night’s sleep, but Chris put in his order for a sleeping pill to overcome the din of dogs fighting over a chicken wing somewhere.

We left for church at 9am arriving just in time for us to hear the end of the male choir’s beautiful hymn. We were greeted warmly by the two pastors and listened to a vigorous 45 min sermon. The congregation was younger than I remembered from years past. When the young boys began leaving for the bathroom the pastor seemed to get the hint it was time to “wrap up” his sermon— preached with no notes.

Home again for lunch of Sloppy Joes, fruit cup and chips and then arranging chairs for perhaps 20 guests for pastor Chris’ leadership lesson which was to last 3 hours…and it did! Pumpkin soup, hot chocolate, banana bread, yellow cake and frosting, water and juice—a real Methodist meal for all.

Chris took his message from two books:  Jesus CEO by Laurie Beth-Jones, and Leading Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard.  He challenged everyone to pick an action to act on this week using one of the nine principles he discussed. Most everyone is planning to return next Saturday to share the results of their ‘action plan.’

Chris, Carla and Staton took a brief walk around the neighborhood in two directions as the sun began to set behind the mountain with some clouds giving a hint of the first rain in nearly 4 months. 

By: Staton Lorenz

Monday, Jan 20 - Teachers Manifestation

The teachers were demonstrating in the streets of CAP by the bridge so we had back track and find another way to get around the city. Took at least another half hour for that and we found some very bad roads that were like I remembered from past trips. Bud, Iren and Paul came with us to the clinic. Irene helped Carla teach English class. Bud wired up the solar—now it works OK.

Samuel, an English student of Juvenal’s is a plumber and he volunteered to help us install a vent pipe on the chatadeau to allow proper water flow. He showed up with fittings, some tools and Make, Staton, and Bud all played a role in getting the plumbing fixes made.

In the afternoon, Chris, Carla, Dorothy, Paul, Juvenal, Jean Mary, Carlos and a few others went to Bor de Mer, where Christopher Columbus landed in Haiti. Nothing to mark the spot though. It is a fishing village and we watched some sailing boats come in and unload their catch. A man walking on the beach wanted to sell us octopus.

One of our jobs has been to dig out the ditch and culvert in front of the clinic. At first Chris worked alone, bur soon the elder of several 20-30 yr old men told him in broken English/Creole there was a problem that there are so many of his friends in need of work but no one was hiring.  Chris consulted Hanania who negotiated with the man.  Chris offered approx. $3 US dollars plus 

100 goudes. Somehow that was acceptable for 2 men to work an hour with Chris. It seems we’d shown them dignity by negotiating over their time, even though it was far less than wages in US (ie approx. $2 per hour) We moved much dirt. The hired men were thorough. We worked wordlessly alongside each other being equals as common laborers. 

By the group

Tuesday , Jan 21

Another ride out to the clinic after a stop at Staton’s favorite hardware store for some materials, including a very long 2 x 4 that we tied down for the ride. We also had a very large box with the 

incinerator in it, making it quite cozy in the back of the pickup. I enjoy it though. So many things to see and hear and smell as we travel through the heart of the city, across the bridge, and out in the countryside where the clinic is located.

Staton and Mike continue to fine-tune the plumbing. Mike built some frames for the window screens. The incinerator was installed and tested, and we played with the hoards of children.

The highlight of my day was the motorbike ride to different villages to deliver school supplies to the 

children in the school sponsorship program with Chris and Mirlene. Our ne the University I saw a dead cow on the side of the road. When we came back through, the cow was completely butchered, only the head was left.

At Tru du Nord it was market day and we circled through the marketplace a few times trying to locate the school. It did not appear there was enough space to ride a motorbike through it, but we did it, occasionally ducking under the tarps hanging quite low overhead. The motorbike drivers are very skilled. It turned out the school was closed because the teachers have not been paid, which seems to be an issue at many schools. 

By: Carla Roberts

Wed, Jan 22 Airport Day

We picked up Laura at the airport at 8:30 am and took her to Dorothy’s. After making school packs, we then took Chris and Carla to the airport at 11:30 to leave at 1:40pm. Staton, Mike and Mirlene took a tap-tap to Hanania’s house to meet Bud Dennington in order to scan the codes in the Ford truck parked there.

Hanania lives about 4 miles in the opposite direction of the city when leaving Dorothy’s road. Her home is very nice, single story with beautiful gardens in the front yard—tall plants of a great variety. 

The Ford truck has a flat tire and a flat spare and it started right up but it made a loud popping sound 

and would not reveal any codes for us. We looked at her roof which continues to leak on winddriven 

rainy days.

Returning to Dorothy’s we had lunch with Nana, Madam Ovian (Mirlene’s neighbor), Mirlene and 

Renaud—scrambled egg sandwiches on Haitian hamburger buns, oatmeal cookies, and fresh squeezed juice. Today Renaud packaged beans, rice and maize for the nutrition program.Once Chris and Carla were safely on their way, Linda, Laura and Dorothy returned home so we all could head right out to shop for building supplies—plywood, 2x4s, 1x4s, paint, brushes, roofing tin, and roofing screws—were obtained in 11/2 hr (a record) and just as the 16 ft lengths of lumber were loaded it began to sprinkle. Mike and Staton donned slickers and kept the load secure. We had to tip the men who felt they had played a role in securing our cargo—also a first.  We rode the 15 miles to the clinic at 25- 28 mph to avoid a cargo shift. Once there we checked on the mason’s progress, secured the new room and jumped in the truck just before it began to rain hard.  All in all-- a pretty good day.  Linda had devotions and most in bed by 9. 

By: Staton Lorenz

Thursday, Jan 23

It’s good to be back in Haiti, with this wonderful group of people on the Mission Team and Dorothy as our host. I (Laura) started the day at the clinic assisting with the English class of 7 students. It was a class of eager students who wanted to learn anything I wanted to teach. They asked very thoughtful questions and enjoyed practicing their proper pronunciation of words and sentences. Linda joined in the last half hour or so, as I was there longer than I anticipated (until about 12:15). 

In the morning we stopped at a number of places on the way to the clinic looking for a part for the 

chatedeau/cistern to no avail. The guys fixed the generator and got it working in the AM.

Staton and Mike worked on building the trusses for the new room. Linda and I also painted the 3 screen frames and attached the screen material to the frames so they are ready to install after the plaster/stucco dries on the new room walls and painting is done. The clinic staff saw a few patients today and distributed food and it was nutrition day (rice, beans, sugar, evaporated milk).

We got stuck in a traffic jam on the way home at the end of the day. The police were directing traffic. I added an extra half hour travel time. We had hot dogs, fried taro, tomatoes, Haitian potato salad with beets, and oatmeal cookies. Mike had devotions. 

By: Laura Larson

Friday, Jan 24

Light, fluffy pancakes for breakfast courtesy of Mike—yummy! Picked up some more lumber, a big white plastic barrel for trash and a water dispenser pump for the house on the way to the clinic.  Couldn’t find the right kind of screws for the roof, so Hanania had some at her house that we were able to buy from her, as installing the roof on the new room was a priority today. Mike said his day was a “lot of ups and downs”(the ladder)-- pun intended.

Linda and I took measurements of the new room to plan for shelving. We cut 9 shelves, sanded, painted, all with the help of many darling children onlookers, full of curiosity. I think it’s part of the fun and meaning of coming to Haiti—the children. It seems like they know more English than last time I was here 4 years ago. Many say ‘good morning’ and ‘good job’, among other things, that always brings a smile to my face. Sometimes they surprise you on what they know. They surprise you on what they know. The railing was ordered for the porch, estimates for the sidewalk extension and posts for the new gate were received, workers were paid. Linda’s doing a nice job keeping it all straight. Staton’s also doing a wonderful job keeping it all moving along!

Pasta & meat casserole, mango, tomato, banana bread, and cherry pie for dinner. The team said I had 

better write about the “pie incident”, so here goes: Towards the end of dinner, Mike passed me the pie and said I have the honors, meaning I should cut the pie. So while I was cutting the pie with a 

sharp knife, Dorothy started saying that she hoped I didn’t need a buzz saw to cut through the crust as Nana’s crust are always so hard. So we all started giggling and passed the pie around to get our slices, making silly jokes. When I started to eat my pie and got to the crust I used the edge of my fork to try to cut through but a big chunk of pie slipped off the plate, and somehow shot under my arm and behind me and landed on Dorothy’s recliner. Mike said all he heard was me saying ‘oh, oops’ and then Dorothy laughing louder than he had ever heard her.  Everyone was almost on the floor laughing so hard.  Luckily the cherry pie didn’t stain the recliner and no one was injured in the “cherry pie crust incident.”  Oh, the memories on trips like these!  All in good fun!  I led devotions. 

By: Laura Larson

PS: We improvised and made washers for the roof screws out of an old rubber blood pressure cuff 

bladder. Linda cut little squares and we poked holes in the middle and put one through each screw. 

Ingenious!

Saturday, Jan 25 Sight Seeing Day

A bright sunny morning. Dorothy saw the sunrise and commented on it. We decided yesterday that if work went well those who wanted to could go to the Citadel (castle/fort) high atop a 970 meter mountain near the village of Milot. Linda’s ankle was swollen so she chose to stay home with Dorothy. She sorted dozens of boxes of stuff that arrived in Oct –shoes, clothes, pillowcase dresses and school supplies—down to a ‘fine sort’ in order to find items easily. Dorothy did some laundry.

Juvenal and Joshue arrived at 8:30 am as promised and Laura, Mike and Staton joined them for the ride to the Citadel—Haiti’s most famous tourist attraction. The road is paved then dirt then flat cobblestone for the intense climb to midway point where we parked the truck and were immediately besieged by vendors selling hats, flutes, wooden boxes, beads, artwork, some t shirts and horseback rides to the top.

The King’s palace ruins and a historic domed church were at this location as well. We paid the $15 entry fee for ourselves and the $5 fee for our Haitian friends and were assigned a guide who was quite good and apparently only receives income from tips according to him but not Juvenal. The palace was also the home of Christoph’s wife who has a Carraia marble bust of herself looking up the pristine valley toward the Citadel and away from a very old tree that was used for hanging.

The young men who tended the horses were quite sure that at least Laura would need a ride before long and one followed us half way (22minutes) before deciding to ride ahead and look for a more desperate person. The ride by truck to the parking lot was a series of severe switchbacks, all cobblestones that was cemented in place in the late 1980s. The mountains were covered with banana palm trees and very thick—homes were built on the slimmest of parcels perched on very steep carveouts.  Laundry was hung on nearly every cactus bush and rock to dry.

A look backwards revealed a serpentine river that wound its way to the sea-the “Grand River”—the very same one we get our mortar sand from near Limonade. Another smaller river, the Artibonne was also visible. The view was magnificent—reminding me of the Smokey Mountains but with more 

mountains visible behind mountains, hence the title of Dr Paul Farmer’s book, ‘Mountains Beyond 

Mountains.’ The climb was steep but not impossible and the occasional vender would pop up selling very heavy drums and/or bamboo tubes that made a deep sound—the music stopped the minute the prospects declined to buy—a tough life for sure. A lady breezed past us—our guide said she was housekeeper at the Citadel and lived in Milot and walked the trail every day to work.

We were all amazed at the scale of everything about the Citadel. French cannon, weighing tons were 

displayed near portals pointed to the sea—capable of reaching ships anchored there though several miles away. Cannonballs remained stacked in pyramid formation. Molasses and the blood of animals were used to mix the mortar at times when water was scarce—the entire castle was made of stone, concrete, brick and the lives of over 10,000 slaves who died in the construction years. Truly a marvel of engineering—vaulted ceilings, cisterns, latrine, living quarters for Christoph and is wife— cooking, baking, and vast storage for black powder required great thought and planning.

The Citadel was built on no foundation and only one major crack exists due to an earthquake long ago. The view is spectacular, mountain ranges, rivers, small villages, Labadie, Cap Haitien and the route to the interior of Haiti. Above all it’s beautiful and worth seeing sooner rather than later if you visit. The trip down followed a ‘shortcut’ that Mike and the guide took on the way up—a goat trail of loose stone and rocks set in wet clay that made for potential twisted ankles. We were very careful and no injuries resulted.

The same folks who greeted us at the starting point were thoroughly disappointed that we didn’t buy from them on our return—they are polite, firm, friendly but the merchandise is mostly of not of much use. Staton bought 2 flutes for his grandsons near the midpoint though.

Now we were hungry—ate some power bars—headed back to the clinic to pick up some wood, check 

on the masons’ progress on our gate posts—a surprise for Dorothy—and then a quick visit to the new 

school so Laura could see it before heading to CAP to pump soccer balls up, buy roofing screws, a 

starter rope and fuel line for the generator and a snack at the Boulangerie (bakery).

We did all this in time to arrive at Dorothy’s 4 pm Saturday Leadership class which was attended by 10 men who stayed just past 7 and had a variety of interesting questions about the lesson and then discussed Pastor Chris’s two challenges he laid out for them last week.

We ate chili on spaghetti or macaroni, pickled beets, banana bread, mango, juice, and sliced tomatoes. Devotions and shower put this writer to bed at 10:30—latest night yet. 

By: Staton Lorenz 

Sunday, Jan 26

We arrived at church (Methodist) earlier than last week—9:15—but found out that they started at 8— 

so we were late again. Did not have any choirs this week or we missed them. We were out at 10:30 then headed for the village of Vodray (spelled Vaudreille in French) for lunch at Villa Cana, a resort and restaurant south of CAP. An hour and 1/2 later we got the food we ordered! The food was good and the resort was really lovely and a surprise at this location. The waiter did not speak any English. 

Then we went to Hanania’s house (turn left at the ASAP sign). We met her whole family—3yr old 

Hanisha (who seems to be getting over her malaria quite quickly), Hulda-- her sister, Hanania’s mother and dad, 3 step children ( 2 boys and 1 girl), and 4 nieces and nephews.

Staton and Mike went to work trying to analyze the Red truck problems. They spoke on the phone with the mechanic in Mass. Finally they decided on a plan of action for the truck involving the Haitian mechanic.

Hanania brought us fresh coconuts with a hole cut in one end. We drank the coconut water and the scraped out the soft coconut from the inside with a spoon and ate it. Very good—my first fresh coconut! We sat and relaxed in the shade of her beautiful trees and talked. Carol, Dorothy’s friend from high school, was there too visiting.

After driving home, Staton and Mike started sawing wood for the gate. We ate the stew Nana had made for us yesterday. Then the guys went to work putting the clinic gate together. They stayed up late working as the rest of us went to bed.

P.S. We did find out about the Living Water well drilling program. Samuel, who was related to the lady in white at the Methodist Church, is involved in this. It is different than the Life Water International program where Edrick works as a driller. Many water drilling programs are needed here. 

By: Linda Poindexter

Monday, Jan 27

Our second to last day of our mission work. I am not sure we will be able to complete all our tasks? Our commute was uneventful. I am still thankful for our former tap-tap driver, Joshue. On our ride out we had 17 people in the back of the truck—a record. We had some students hitch a ride for a while as the teachers are on strike-- “some teachers have not been paid for 6 years.”

Laura and Linda spent time painting the six 1”x 10”x 16 ft shelving boards which are to be used for the new room. Then they painted the interior of the new room—2 coats for both projects. Staton was busy working with everyone to make sure things continue to move along smoothly. He was able to wire the plugs and a light today.

The masons’ worked on the new sidewalk to the dirt road. I was able to finish the tin on the roof and side walls.

In the evening after dinner Staton and I continued to work on the gate “new”. We will try to hang it 

tomorrow if we can find the correct hardware—always a challenge.

I am happy to have the chance to meet the people of Haiti and work with them. I pray that they will be able to provide for themselves. They want to learn and work. 

By: Mike Conlan 

Tuesday, Jan 28 Last workday!

Shopped for cement screws and padlock with a long neck—couldn’t find either one. Gave up after 5 tries at different stores. Sent Joshue back for the screws after we got to the clinic—late as usual. A few patients were still waiting—3 small children and their moms. One baby was only a few weeks old.

We resumed our work. Laura and I painted the old storeroom walls and about 1 1/2 sides of the outside walls—the sun was so hot on the outside today. We also finished painting the window blocks. Used almost all of a 5 gallon pail of paint. Left the other 5 gal. pail for the staff to finish the outside walls.

Staton and Mike worked on installing the gate. We took pictures outside the new beautiful gate and sidewalk over the ditch. We paid the masons and arranged to have them come Thursday to finish a sidewalk widening project around the gate.

Staton and Mike fixed problems with the wiring in the storeroom and installed the screens and many of the shelves. The rest will be left to Joshue to finish.

I taught Joshue how to use the incinerator properly. He is to burn trash daily and empty the ash into the barrel the next day before burning a new batch. The incinerator is a great improvement over the old burn barrel—it is hot enough to burn needles up or into a clump with plastic. I am so happy with the incinerator.

I also installed the second doorknob set and made sure Joshue knew how to do the other 2 sets. He is very eager to learn anything and is going to be a great handyman for Dorothy as he gets more experience.

Staton finished the tool rack in the depot and closed off access from the guard’s room. We finished all but 1 1/2 items on the TO DO list before leaving for Dorothy’s for supper. We are all tired but are glad we were able to get most of our tasks done. Everyone has worked so hard. We gave away a lot of toys and balls today just before leaving. So long clinic!! 

By: Linda Poindexter

Wed, Jan 29 Good bye, Haiti!!

We are all packed and ready to go. Left for the airport at 10:30—too early… Went through check in 

procedures and paid our exit fees of $60 US. Their airport security is much better than in previous years—but still not as stick as in US. Had nearly 2 hours before our flight. Surprise they decided to leave early by about 1/2 hour. We even got a soda and a bag of chips on the plane—that’s new! Customs in Ft Lauderdale was totally empty when we arrived—was a breeze. Had to walk to the Delta building for our next flight home. Found out that Atlanta was having ice problems and all flights there were cancelled. Irene and Paul had tickets with a stop at Atlanta-- so they changed their tickets to our flight to Detroit. We left them in Detroit to wait for their flight while we went to our other gate for Traverse City only 1/2 hr. between flights. All was well and we made it home at 10:40pm. Later I found out that Irene and Paul spent the night in the Detroit airport -- their connecter to Minneapolis did not fly because they did not have a crew--probably stuck in Atlanta. They flew out in the morning. It was a big shock to go from 88 degrees in Haiti to 0 degrees in TC! But we are glad to be home.

Linda 

Haiti Summary - 2014

We had no rain delays this trip but experienced two days of no gasoline in Cap-Haitien but we were prepared. Sunny and pleasant except for the final two days of 95 degree weather that soaked my clothes with sweat so thoroughly that Dorothy actually thought I had "peed my pants".

We accomplished all of our goals and managed to squeeze in two side trips for various team members. Chris, Carla and Merlene (our Haitian pharmacist) visited the landing spot of Columbus, a small fishing village north and east of the clinic, they also delivered school supplies to orphans living nearby that Dorothy supports. Laura, Mike and I joined our driver, Josue', and Jovenel Thomas (Dorothy's English instructor at the clinic) for a long-overdue trip to the Citadel (castle/fort) built at the cost of 10,000 slave's lives, and who knows what else, completed in 1813 to keep the newly independent nation of Haiti free from French incursions. A remarkable feat, an engineering marvel of its day and Haiti's largest tourist attraction....set on top of a 3,000 foot mountain where you can see 50 miles in any direction on a clear day...a beautiful sight, reminded me of the Smokey Mountains. Dr. Paul Farmer wrote the book, "Mountains Beyond Mountains" and that view clearly shows what he meant, in addition to the mountains of obstacles that Haiti faces daily.

Dorothy was more like her old self, I think because she didn't have to any driving (she hired a very capable driver and handyman in Josue') and she didn't have to ration funds since we pretty much managed that.

Mike Conlan and I roomed together and he proved to be a wonderful team addition.  Together with many skills and no need for supervision, he took the initiative on several projects which really helped, since there were times I was being pulled in five different directions. We got the solar working nicely only to have an internal breaker in the Inverter go out when we tried to run the shop vac on the solar. Bad idea. The new addition was begun by the mason we hired that I worked with last year at the orphanage.  We sent money ahead so that 300 cement blocks could be made and the 9' x 12' slab could be poured and waiting for our arrival (it was and so were the four corner post rebar structures).  The building went up according to plan, one head mason and two or three tenders, Mike and I cut a door through the south wall of the old building leading into the new one so that no new exterior door would be required. We took a masonry blade for that job and it went well but it was very dirty.

A parge coat of finish cement was applied to the inside and outside walls and after two days Linda and Laura began painting two coats of paint, cutting shelves, making 4 window screens and putting up shelves.  I wired the room and the old storeroom for electric lights and plugs, together with Mike we made roof trusses, installed the purlins for the tin roofing material to rest on and Mike pretty much installed the metal roofing with the aid of a Haitian or two.  Josue and Jean Marie (one of the guards) helped us daily. The room looks fantastic.

The first week pastor Chris was assigned the job of cleaning out the old burning pit, hauling away the unburned ashes and debris and installing the stainless steel incinerator which had to be tethered by a cable to an eye bolt that he imbedded in a hole filled with concrete, same for the lid. It works great!  Temps reach 1800 degrees.  Josue and the guards were trained in its use.

Carla, Linda, Laura and Chris all took turns teaching English on Mondays and Thursdays in the morning. The water system hadn't worked in some time.  This was one of my first projects along with Mike and an English student named Samuel, we reworked a good portion of the system and water now rushes into each room instead of dribbling or not at all.  It was a big project that took parts of four days.

The early part of the days at the clinic involved sorting many boxes of "stuff" that had to be either burned or salvaged for the new storeroom.  We also cleaned out the storage depot, a separate building that will ultimately house the guards in one half and tools in the other half. We secured the two sections as one will be storage and the other used to house the guards.

Dorothy put a high priority on having a sidewalk from the road to the gate,  having a new gate to replace the fragile and cumbersome corrugated contraption in place at the time. The culvert that allows rain runoff to surge along the road and under the path to the gate was completely plugged with clay...hardened by four months of no rain until we arrived (we had three modest showers in the evening on several nights). Mike, Chris and numerous Haitians were recruited for this interesting job that gave both of them a great opportunity to interact with both adults and children for most of one afternoon.

Dorothy wanted a steel railing put up around the porch so children wouldn't tip the benches over and fall about 3' to the ground while waiting for the doctor.  We paid to have them made and they arrived the afternoon of our departure. We couldn't buy treated timbers in Haiti so I decided to have the mason make two concrete posts...8" square and 6' tall and 45" apart...these posts would accommodate a wood gate that Mike and I built after dinner and devotions on two evenings.  The quality of lumber there is quite good but you have to be a tenacious shopper to find most everything else in a timely manner. The gate went in just as we planned and we kept Dorothy off the property for three days prior to our final day when we were able to reveal the new 30' sidewalk, reinforced with rebar, that lead to the new gate.  She was VERY surprised and grateful.  She then saw the new room, observed a fire in the incinerator, made note of the working toilet, washed her hands with running water, saw the new railing and checked out the new storeroom, new roof and metal enclosure securing it, a great way to conclude the trip.

The first Saturday we went to Comer Plage (resort near Labadie) for a swim and lunch.  Chris talked me into going snorkeling with him and that proved to be a near fatal mistake, for me.  We returned to Dorothy's for the Leadership Class and about 15 young men and a couple women were there.  Chris observed and told everyone he'd be doing the class on Sunday afternoon, which he did and it was excellent and well received.  We attended church both Sundays and the second Sunday we all went to lunch near Hanania's home at a very beautiful resort called Villa Cana where a wedding reception was about to take place, however, it took 2 hours to get fed. We then met Hanania's family, all 13 of them, and Mike and I did follow-up work on the Ford truck (we had gone there another day with Bud Dennington) took some video of the way it ran, making very scary sounds, and Hanania brought fresh coconut milk to us while we were doing some testing.  Dorothy, Linda, Laura, Mike and I were there and enjoyed an hour with Hanitia, (Hanania's 3 year old daughter) entertaining us.  She is recovering from Malaria and is a real sweetheart.

I haven't mentioned Linda much but she is the best team leader you could ever ask for.  She split organizational tasks, she handled all the money and receipts, booked all the airline tickets and hotel rooms, built shelves, screens, did tremendous work with medical records and supplies, worked closely with Carla, Chris, Laura and some of the staff while Mike and I focused on the heavier construction.

We did have many light moments, enlightening rides in the truck (up to 17 persons in the back at one time), wonderful interaction with old friends and made new ones.  We did some souvenir shopping and the ladies were able to visit some homes and schools of the students Dorothy helps.  The poverty they saw was worse than previously witnessed in a couple of cases. On the brighter side, the leadership class displayed NO negative feelings about the future which was a sharp contrast to years past, testimony from the young leaders was hopeful and they each shared something about the leaders that affected their lives growing up to this point in their lives.  Parents were mentioned many times, a little unusual since some don't have both parents living at home or at all.

This was a very strong team.  No issues, lots of joy, laughs, good food, no flat tires, pretty good sleeping weather and Dorothy was happy and looking forward to the arrival of Jim and Diana Huckle, Kathy Gray  and the MSU medical team.

Thank you for your interest,

Staton

Potholes in an otherwise productive day

Sunday
We voted to miss church to work a long day as clinic was closed. Did no shopping, tiling first priority. However, with seven of us and Edrick driving, and within two miles of the clinic, the gradual vibration turned into a massive tire failure. Our third in as many days.

Immediately a pickup truck stopped and offered help for a fee, which we were happy to pay, and took all but Edrick to the clinic. Edrick went with the good Samaritan to buy a used tire...no small feat on Sunday in Haiti.

Meanwhile, after some personal instruction, Linda and Laura were given the lab room to layout and tile. Sybil painted. Elena ran for anything anyone needed. Bob cut tile with a finicky saw, and Carla and myself tackled the hallway. We kept three Haitians busy mixing mud and observing so they can help this week too.

We celebrated Laura's birthday. Hanaia brought a beautiful cake from town. It rained hard. We slept right through it. All were tired.

Monday
It rained all night, maybe four inches. It was amazing. I don't know where it all goes. Linda, Edrick and I ran errands, the others took a tap tap with staff to the clinic. Errands included buying four new tires (hopefully for Wednesday installation) picking up Edrick's drivers license, paying for auto assurance (that's what they call it here, not insurance), buying 2x4s and paneling for a ceiling in the pharmacy, a chisel, 5 gallons of paint, two kinds of nails, a glass cutter and picked up remaining tile...and it only took 5 hours. Maddeningly slow procedures everywhere. Crew at the clinic discovered we had their lunch with us...that's Haiti.

They grouted two rooms and half the hallway which was laid on Sunday, cut off and re-hung the doors...a big job. Our team is getting into a rhythm. We even know where the tools are and who used what last. Only 11 patients today, that helped.

School started in some areas and students are reluctant to enter large buildings. Some schools started, but not many. We can tell by watching to see who's running around town in their uniforms.

A freshman college student in P.A.P. hitched a ride with us yesterday. He's been watching us work. He lived with his 24-year-old sister who was killed in the earthquake. He had left her for just a minute to go out and buy something prior to the event. He was at a total loss. His life turned upside down at age 20. He is staying with a friend in CAP, not with his parents who are too poor. His college was destroyed. He was an economics major and loved math. We asked to take his photo. "No, no, don't want photo on T.V." We thought maybe he believed in Voo Doo, so we asked if he was a Christian. And he said he was. But he had a fear of his picture being on the internet. A fine young man. We discussed English pronunciation, he taught us some creole words. He returned today to see photos of my family. We hoped to show him that photos were nothing to fear, and are important to us.

We have devotions every night. It brings the days experiences of each of us into focus. It's been a blessing that AT&T and other phone companies have made all calls to and from Haiti free until February 28th.

Answers to Your Questions
Aaron asks, "how much electricity will be produced by the new solar cells?" It's a 500 watt system and we're using it ourselves to light the rooms we're working in. It accommodates one light in every room, one or two outlets in each of 8 rooms plus the hallway (but they can't all be on at once.) We operate a microscope, two centrifuges, doctor's instruments, two small fans and a maze of cell phone chargers being used at any one time.

The purpose of the solar cells is to eliminate the need for the generator for those tasks. It eliminates the fuel expense for the generator and the excessive noise; which is particularly difficult when the doctor is trying to talk to the patients.

The people are very excited by the project. They take a lot of pride in ownership of it. On Friday we're planning a dedication ceremony for the solar system and the new water well that the MN team established. It's amazing how much use that gets.

General color
The dust has turned to mud. And still the most lasting impression is the amount of garbage everywhere. The closer you get to the water the worse the trash is. The worst neighborhoods are on the shore. Surprising the smell isn't notable.

The most memorable aspect is how wonderful the people are. The children come up to us and want to talk. They've been watching us work and are curious and friendly at the end of the day. They smile from ear to ear. The men don't pay much attention to the children. They're starved for that type of affection. They're fascinated by blue eyes and blond hair.

It's amazing how some things are more affordable and of similar quality here, and others are outrageous. We can't imagine how people afford to buy them.

You can't imagine how bad the potholes are here. It's like jumping down stair steps. You might only be traveling one mile per hour. It's almost like someone dropped bombs all over the road, leaving craters 15' wide and 8' deep.

Linda's been working really hard. She has to keep track of all the finances for the clinic, and for us, she manages the staff and she's very good at it. She's been here 5 times, and this time for a 4-week stretch - 2 weeks before we arrived, and she'll leave when we do.

And Bob, he's been a God-send. I don't know what we'd have done without such a skilled electrician.

It's raining again. Time to call it a night.
-Staton (via phone)

Haiti Adventure Continues - 2010

Friday
While shopping for parts Edrick, our driver, was given a ticket while parked. But the ticket said, "for speeding". There was a U.N. Convoy of buses trying to get through and called the police. So Edrick lost his license. Very upsetting.

We took the Minnesota team to the airport and looped back into town to try and get the license back. Meanwhile, the nurses had taken a tap tap (taxi) to the clinic. Elena, Sybil and Amanda helped teach English with Yzes; the gardener and english teacher. Then they finished painting the food storage building.

Dave and Bob finished the solar panel and about 40 people worked to erect the panels on the tower, pour 4' of concrete in the hole and secured it with guidewires. Goal #1 accomplished. Dave and Amanda had their last day in Haiti. Amanda wanted to stay longer.

We all met Hanaia's husband and 2 month old baby daughter. Nine friends and relatives from P.A.P. are living with them.

Saturday
Hanaia braided Amanda's hair in cornrow braids. She has long hair and it looks beautiful. But she complained that it was pretty tight. Then she took them souvenier shopping before going to the airport.

Carla and Laura arrived on time with their luggage. Amazing. We went shopping for more tile and cement and gardening tools with money donated by Haitian people from Ft. Lauderdale and a MN team member. We bought a wheelbarrow, rake and a watering can. We're teaching people how to garden. They're learning quite rapidly. It will help make a better life for them here in Haiti.

Carla missed a connection, barely made it to FL, arrived with one hour of sleep. But we put them both to work immediately. Clinic is closed on Saturday and Sunday, so everyone worked on preparation for tiling. I laid tile, completed the doctor's office and one quarter of the hallway. The children began to learn the song, "Jesus loves me." We were hearing music all night in town. They played it to help the people form P.A.P. feel more relaxed.

Mid afternoon we got word that Dave and Amanda were bumped from their flight, so they're staying another day. Bob tested the solar system, fixed a generator and everyone else worked on the tiling project. One way or another. We have to get the tile project done when the clinic is closed. There's just too many people in the clinic. Haitians are working side by side with us on the tile. They're hard workers.

Sunday is Laura's birthday. We're planning to buy a special cake for her. Carla did devotions from the new CUMC lenten book. Another good day.

-Staton (via phone)

First Report from Haiti

Sunday
We flew in to the Bahamas to get gas because there's no airplane fuel in Cap-Haitien. We made it safe and sound, but our luggage did not arrive. Big disappointment.


Monday
11 people for breakfast. Seven from Michigan, four from Minnesota. Still no luggage. Bummer. Clinic busy. 44 patients from 9 different villages. Cap-Haitien is bustling, people are friendly. We had a flat tire halfway to the clinic, which took 3 hours to fix. Long story. We started the wiring on the clinic but had to work around the patients. A little hectic.


Tuesday
Luggage arrived, except Elena's. All solar parts accounted for. No customs (no security check before we took off either). Minnesota team: one nurse, 3 professionals who are drilling and rebuilding water wells. Drilling wells for 18 years in Haiti. 22 patients only at the clinic today. Meals are excellent and plentiful.

Wednesday
Clinic closed. Market day. Full steam ahead on solar. Installed most lights and wall plugs and control panel. Began tile project in doctor's exam room. Rained really hard overnight. Linda, Elena, Sybil (Lansing) and Irene (MN) assist in the clinic each day. Anemia, malnutrition, pain and parasites are the main maladies. Thankfully Elena's luggage arrived today.

Today
44 patients. Lots of children came to visit and play games with Amanda. Dave completed the solar frame. We completed the wiring indoors and the outdoor underground wiring. Very long, but productive day. Drillers fixed three wells. Hand pump wells just wear out. Tonight, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, fried tomatoes and cake for dessert. The ladies issued rice rations to patients also. Two and a half small bowls of rice apiece.

Tomorrow the plan is to mount the solar array. It's 53" x 99", bigger than a sheet of plywood. And it has to be raised on a 20' steel pole, with 4' buried in the ground. It's going to be a huge job. Hopefully there will be no wind.


General update
The team is working well together. Calls out of Haiti are free, thanks to AT&T. Several phone companies are doing the same, so it pays to check. But there's no internet.

Not too many people speak English. Half the group is traveling to the wells and the other half to the clinic, so it's been more difficult traveling separately. The people are very proud and clean, despite the fact that dust is everywhere. You get used to the feel of dirt on your hands. So far the folks we've met have no family or direct connections with the people in Port au Prince. You couldn't tell there was a tragedy here. Except for the traffic. Anything with wheels on it has people hanging off it like a Christmas tree. And we've noticed a lot of cement being moved around.

Temperature has been tolerable, typically in the 80s. Today was 100. But generally pleasant. My roommate is Bob. We've had electricity every night from 6pm to Midnight. It really helps a lot. Last trip we only had it for one hour each week. What a difference.

Haitians can go over to the Dominican Republic on Mondays and Fridays without a passport. So they travel 50 miles to cross the border and buy food and supplies to consume or sell.

Bananas in Haiti take year to grow. In Dominican they produce them in 4 months using fertilizers. But Haitian bananas are much sweeter and are treasured. Gasoline right now is readily available. Diesel is $3.00/gallon and gas is $4.00. It's coming from Dominican Republic now. Last year, when we were here the costs were $8.00 and $10.00 respectively. So that's an improvement.


Everyone at home is on our minds. We've had so much support and are glad to be able to give you all some feedback. So far, as they say in Haiti, 'No problems'. Except, can't locate a rim for our spare tire. (Thus the long story with regards to the flat tire).

-Staton (transcribed by Brandy via phone conversation with Staton)

Editors note: The internet service they had was provided by a tower in Port au Prince. So while calls can come in and out, email and blogging won't be possible. I'll post info when I hear from Staton by phone.

E-mail from Linda today...

Linda visited a cyber cafe downtown CAP as the earthquake disabled the internet service at Dorothy's home. She reported that the solar panels arrived yesterday...good news, they were early and that the airpot is really congested (it was before) with relief workers entering there and busing down to PAP.

They have been working on drilling wells and at the clinic. Weather is good, life is pretty much normal except for the extra people everywhere who are seeking out their relatives for shelter.

Tonight, after the Won. Wed. meal, The Tile Doctor...Hank Visser...gave our team a brief lesson on laying out a room for a quality tile job. He had a few tips for leveling a difficult floor, which we have in places, and how to get the moisture content of the "thinset cement" just right. We learned to work in 24" grids and how to work as a team if space allows several bodies in the same area.

Dorothy reported that her doctor has cleared her to return to Haiti on Feb. 23rd and she'll go there with her daughter. Dorothy feels strong but gets tired pretty fast...needs to work on that.

As the song says..."our bags are packed...we're ready to go" and we are grateful for your genuine support and prayers.
Staton

Lots of news today...

When calling into Haiti...don't give up. After dozens of attempts to reach Linda from TC, it happened today! Very good to hear her cheerful voice and to share news both directions. She was at the airport waiting for whatever might come in, the ambient noise was fierce at first but she found an isolated spot. Since all calls are cutoff at some unknown length of time...we talked fast and we did get cut off after a generous 5 minutes.

The most interesting and heartening news, was that the tiny "Clinique Medicale Soaring de Pister", that CUMC and so many others have had a hand in, is serving the injured from Port au Prince. The mayor of Pister made arrangements to bus in overflow patients from Cap-Haitien to the remote clinic...CAP is FULL but managing the influx. Our first day at the clinic in '08 found us listening/observing the animated mayor giving a speech on the porch to the workers, Dorothy and the four of us. He promised to grade the road to the clinic..."next week", he was making a promise that even Dorothy thought would never be kept...two months after we left, the road was graded...3' deep trenches were filled in. "It looked like a four-lane highway," said Dorothy who had to admit she had misread the mayor's intentions. Good things happen when you trust in the Lord. The mayor is proud of the clinic and the staff!

I told Linda to expect the 500 feet of romex wire and the solar panels on the Thursday plane from MFI and our reservations were confirmed for Sunday for the six of us on the plane to Haiti. You may recall that Linda and several MN team members were delayed. Linda will obtain 3 batteries, even better quality than we expected, and the steel pole. To keep the pole secure, which will stand 16' tall, in strong winds we decided to attach guy wires/cables to it. Sounds like a small thing but it's not cheap. Jason, the manager (owner?) at Maxbauer Ace Hardware on Front St took a real interest in our project and made sure we had the best of everything. Best of all he ran the $117 tab through his account and Soaring Unlimited's Solar Project paid $17. Praise the Lord...people care and this is just one example, support is everywhere it seems.

There's plenty of food and fruit in CAP, the new well is working, there is more electricity in CAP than Linda has ever experienced but there is no Benadryl (I think we can handle that)and while banks aren't taking checks the normal money changers seem to have ample funds for conversion. Haitian dollars are ONLY used in Haiti.

Three of the MN men may stay over for a few days when we arrive, "It's going to be a little crowded but I think you'll find the men pretty interesting," according to Linda. OK! For some reason there doesn't seem to be very many tools lying around the house...hopefully they have been secured at Edrick's home as we'll need a variety of things that we're not taking...expecting them to be there.

Because there is so much cargo for even the passenger planes...when visitors check in with their luggage they are "sized-up", literally, to see how much they themselves weigh as well as their baggage. For this reason some luggage and cargo is "bumped" to the next flight or the next. We are counting heavily on our checked baggage to make it with us as we are each carrying important components for the jobs at hand...something else to pray about.

Speaking personally and for other team members who have shared with me...the sincere best wishes expressed by friends, families and strangers (see above), proves that the Holy Spirit is alive and working in and around us.
Staton

Linda checked in with Dorothy 3:30pm today

Linda was able to reach Dorothy today by phone, until her calling card minutes ran out, and ALL IS WELL! Cap-Haitien even has electricity sometimes and they have it at the house, occassionally.

The banks are closed so they've had to be resourceful since the money changers don't take checks. They have been working at the clinic plastering and painting the food storage building, painting doors and tomorrow the MN team will drill a second well on the property. That well will have a hand pump on it for locals to obtain water for FREE.

There were no specific problems mentioned, a blessing, and the MN men were able to get the transmission for the 2nd truck installed. Some miising parts are on the way.

Yesterday Hanania and Bryan (MN team) went to the Dominican Republic and were able to bring back over 100 gallons of fuel for the truck and generators.

Our own Health Ministries Team raised more than they expected at their Wonderful Wednesday meal last night and this morning donated $150 to needs of the Soaring Unlimited Clinic. Thanks to all the preparers and attendees. Turkey meatloaf never tasted sooo good.

Email is not working at Dorothy's home, the tower that serves her company is located in PAP...Cyber Cafes have internet service but they haven't had time for such things. Their luggage did arrive yesterday so clothing and supplies that were packed with clothes are there.

The solar panels arrived at MFI yesterday so the project is coming together. No mention was made of the impact from an influx of Haitians migrating north to be with relatives or otherwise.
Staton

Apparently luggage was lost...

The wife of one of the Minnesota team members, who Linda is working with, has been contacted by her husband and it sounds like most, if not all, the luggage didn't get put on their plane...cargo must have taken precedent. Four women went into CAP with Linda so they have been sharing and they all stayed at Dorothy's home on Sunday, perhaps longer.

Gasoline is $10/gallon when available, the rain has continued for over 24 days, there is flooding here and there and a noticeable increase in the population of the city.

The MN men have been busy working on getting another truck operational since their objective, well drilling, has been stymied by an argument over who really now owns the well drilling unit that they donated in the first place. They also have no drilling pipe.

Tomorrow I'll check with MFI to see if they suggest we send our inverters, control panel and solar panel framework to them (things we were planning to carry with us in checked baggage). Florida Coastal Airways may have lost the luggage of just one flight (Linda's) or might be under orders to take medical supplies etc. first...then luggage.

Dorothy says..."that's life in Haiti" under normal circumstances so you have to expect something else in the worst of times.

FYI The Funk website has been updated www.funk4.com (Our Bolivian missionaries' assignment has changed).
Staton