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September 18, 2008 - Hurricane Aftermath Hope this finds its readers well and seeking for more. Sorry to have not sent out a letter sooner informing every one of our still being alive. Getting on the Internet is no easy task here. Throw in a few hurricanes and washed out roads and for me to get from here to there can be quite a task. So for a bit of news, I am thankful to say that we are still here. Many huts, gardens, goats, chickens, roofs, and roads are not still here however. In the last few weeks, we were hit by Fay, Gustav, Hannah, and Ike. Gustav was by far the worst in our area. Hannah and Ike left some towns in the north submerged. As I am typing this, I do not know much of what has happened in America the last week or so. I think some of the hurricanes that slammed us went on to the States. I will be finding out if I get online to send this out. As to news here, it's very mixed. Here are a few things: Dealing with the Aftermath For us at the moment the hurricanes are gone but the damage will have long term effects. Schools normally open by the second week of September. Due to the chaos left in the wake of the hurricanes, school has been postponed nationally till the second week of October, if it starts then. Already we know that many folks lost all that they had and will not be able to put their kids in school. With so many gardens wiped out, and livestock lost, not to mention homes, many folks have lost their only means of sustaining themselves. In the town next to us, Grand Goave, about 20 homes were wiped out all together in one spot. There are many rivers and creeks that have been created in the aftermath. We have been helping several families to at least have food and water. A couple of families were staying in the clinic till they got their huts recovered. We took 10 families from Manno's church and are giving them financial aid. There are several other families that we have been giving to as well. It would be impossible to give out rice or care packages without starting a riot so we are just meeting privately with them and giving them money. I am hoping to give regularly to these families for the next few weeks until they get stable. They have been VERY VERY appreciative. They are our family in Christ and we cannot stand by. The hurricanes gave me a nice refresher course about what's important. These people are my neighbors and I want to love them as I love myself. We all could have lost everything, some of us did, but it's awesome when we bind together and say, the only way one goes down, is if we all go down. If I have food, you have food. If I have a place to sleep, you have a place to sleep. I believe this is church. None of us should be going hungry. I don't want to just give away our leftovers, I want us to sit down at the table together. When the rain was pouring and the trees were falling and the wind was assaulting all of our worldly structures, I couldn't help imagining water 6 feet deep going through our house. There would go my computer, my clothes, all that I have. What would be left? What would anyone be able to do for me if that would have happened? The only sure thing I have in this life is Jesus. I don't just want to believe in Him. I want to follow Him. We've been around visiting several families and huts over the past couple of weeks. So many people are walking around in the streets like zombies. Some with no place to go. They feel they have been disconnected from the land of the living, and now they walk among us like ghosts scavenging for any little nugget of life. Most of the huts we visited were in real bad shape before the hurricanes, now many have been squashed under the weight of fallen trees. One 70 year old man told me that he had never seen anything like this during his lifetime. Some folks are living in huts with half the roof gone, some have only 3 walls standing. Many have no idea how they will be able to stay alive over the next couple of weeks. Franswaz shared how the wind took the tin off of the back half of their hut and then the water came in knee deep. The family crowded into one corner and watched as the water carried off all that they could not hang on to. Faline lost it. She was screaming and crying uncontrollably. Shoes and clothes and chairs were taken in a swift current running through their hut. There are a few moments of attention that the world can spare for the 4 storms that passed through, but soon there will be other tragedies and scandals and our moments in the news will be over and everyone that was not affected will forget. We may be off the radar by the time this newsletter gets out. I look at Mapou, which I have written about in the past. In 2004, a huge flood wiped out most of the village and took close to three thousand lives. It was in the news for a little time. Much aid was promised, precious little ever arrived. Now, 4 years later, hundreds are still living under rotting Red Cross tarps wrapped around sticks. There are still no new roads or major construction of anything to try to prevent a repeat of this tragedy. They have been forgotten but their suffering is not even close to over. A few people have asked me how to help so I will tell you the 2 most practical ways as far as we go. First, pray seriously. Join with the hurting people here - our neighbors, many our brothers and sisters in Christ. Feel with them. Second, the best material help is just money. We are giving families that we know and trust the money to use the way they need it most. I am not giving huge sums all in one chunk. We are giving measured amounts that will buy food for a couple of weeks and we are giving for some hut repairs. We sang in a little nursing home facility here in Ti Goave the other day. I won't even begin to get into the horrid conditions there. Several folks were supposed to come from the church and meet us, to sing with the old and abandoned folks. The sky began to darken and soon it was sprinkling. These folks would have to walk nearly 2 miles to get there and with the rain, we figured they would just cancel. It was time to start and they weren't there so we started without them. After a few songs, much to our surprise, they showed up. There were several of the families we have been helping. They came in wet but jumped right in to the service. Soon all heaven broke loose. Some of the old folks were dancing as the singing and praise filled the room we were in. During all of this, I thought about the folks that had lost their homes and how they were able to put that aside and come to bring joy to the hearts of these old folks. They were singing with great zeal and joy. To look at them, you would have no idea what they were going through. For a little while though, we were all feeling the same Hand. It was church. So, I'll wind this up by saying, anyone that wants to help out can send checks made payable to "Missionary Ventures International," with a note on it that it is for Haiti Benevolence Fund [or HFM - Relief]. Also let me know that the check was sent via e-mail. The address to mail checks to is: Missionary Ventures International P.O. Box 593550 Orlando, FL 32859-3550 You can also donate online; be sure to designate your gift as above. Happy House We have started moving into the new house and hope to be completely in by the weekend. It's taken a looooong time to get to this place but the more it sinks in the happier we get. So far we've had a lot of help moving. I'm really glad to see so many of the kids that eat here pitching in. Also, Dafne got baptized last Sunday. Gregoire is getting baptized this Sunday. Gonna go for now. Please keep us in your prayers. Keep praying for the Happy House Center that we want to build. I'll probably be heading back to the States for a visit by early October and hope to get to see a lot of the folks that read this. Thank you to those who took time to read this and to those who pray for and support the work here. Take care and Bon Dieu beni nou. Until we get Home, fre Ed