Vashon United Methodist Church - Mission to Haiti

Day 7 - Last Day in Petit-Goave

2011-03-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

Day 7, March 1, 2011

Last Day in Petit-Goave

Today is the 7^th day of our mission to Haiti and our last day here in Petit-Goave. This morning Sandy and Vonnie stayed at Pastor Admirable’s guest house to clean up some sand and rubble from a previous repair. The rest of the team went to Pastor Maude’s again and discussed some additional projects for the day.

Meeting with Pastor Maude

Bob Dixon and Bob Webster took measurements for making window screen frames for some guest house windows and helped the caretaker start a chicken coop. Nancy helped sift sand for the plaster crew. During our breaks and down-time throughout the week we were here we had an opportunity to play with and meet many of the local kids who came by the worksite. It was such a joy to see their faces as we played games with them and engaged them in talking. They are eager to meet people and crave the attention we gave them.

Working with Oragami Paper Crafts

Bruce, Mary Margaret and Steve spent the morning estimating material and tool needs for projects for future teams. This was Bruce’s idea and it would have been a big help to us if we had some of this kind of advance information to get started on some new projects when our work got a little slow. Reverend Tom came out to meet with Pastor Maude and he liked Bruce’s idea so much he is going to ask other returning crews to start identifying additional job needs and making tool and materials recommendations. Some of the project ideas we came up with included repairing the rock wall and security along the frontage road of Pastor Maude’s compound, finishing off the shower and hand washing station that another group had started, improving the safety of the well house, and rebuilding the benches at Pastor Maude’s guest house.

Damaged Rock Wall

Shower and Hand Washing Building

Well House

Since work was getting a little slow we decided that seeing a little more of Petit Goave would be a good way to spend out last afternoon here. After lunch the entire crew and our interpreters Ricardo and Jackie walked down the road until we found a good place to get to the beach. After deciding not to pay $2 each to get to the shore, Ricardo talked to a local girl who showed us another way. It was also through private property, but they did not want to charge us. The landowner operated a small open air restaurant so we all bought a soda to show our appreciation. We sat at small tables by the shore, watched the waves and looked at the view of the shoreline and island out in the bay, just like tourists.

Canoes Carved from Mango Tree

Creole Pigs on the Beach

Old Rock Wall and Ferns Along Beach

After the soda we walked back along the beach until we found a new concrete road that lead back up to town. There were very many dugout canoes all along the beach, and of course lots and lots of trash. There were many Haitian people walking along the beach, a few swimming and many just seeming to relax. The pace seemed a lot slower than on the streets. We got back to the guest house just before dinner and Bruce talked Steve into writing something for the blog. We are now sitting around relaxing and visiting and waiting for the water to come back on so we can wash up since the staff is starting to set up for dinner.

We have had a lot of experiences in our week here, and have seen a lot of things to make us ponder how our Church’s programs might be more effective in delivering aid to the people, and how all of the organizations and governments could make things work better. The Haitian people have so many challenges to overcome and all the efforts seem to just be scratching the surface. We have had many conversations on whether we would come back, what we might like to do and what options there are for future service, but we will all need time to process all of our experiences and thoughts. The problems facing the people go way beyond rebuilding buildings and improving their economy. Pastor Maude sleeps in a tent behind her house, even though the house is safe. We have heard of schools classes being held outside safe school buildings and congregations meeting outside safe church buildings. We learned today that our interpreter Jackie, who studied English in college, worked in a call center for a medical supply company on the eighth floor of an office building in the Dominican Republic before the quake. He was home in Port au Prince for Christmas when the quake happened and was afraid to go back to work in the tall building, so now he is working an interpreter for UMVIMs teams coming to Haiti.

- Steve Meacham and Bruce Stirling

Day 7 - Last Day in Petit-Goave

2011-03-02T19:27:00.000-08:00

Day 7, March 1, 2011

Last Day in Petit-Goave

This has been a fantastic experience. There have been many opportunities for service – offering a cool drink of water on a hot day, interacting with eager, beautiful children as they give us a smile or teach us a song about serving the Lord in Creole, sifting sand, moving furniture, picking up garbage. It has felt spiritual being in the moment, ready to respond when called.

I want all of you who have supported us with time, prayers and financial support to know that we are grateful to you for being with us on this mission. Every evening at our spiritual gathering and debriefing time we have used the journals prepared by Deb Taylor, Pastor Darryn and our prayer partners. A number of times Darryn, what you have written was right on where we were for that day.

There will be much to consider for a long period of time. Haiti is more complex and varied than I expected. I have heard the stories and dreams of some Haitians. Some live in their untouched homes, drink treated water and move on as they best can. Others live with destruction wondering how to rebuild. There are children and youth educations to support , churches to support, communities to rebuilt, jobs to be created, you name it.

We are eager to share our photographs and experiences and new found information with you. See you soon.

- Nancy Vanderpool

Eglise-Methodist De Nabosse Church

2011-03-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

Day 5

Visit to Eglise-Methodist De Nabosse Church

Today was day five of our mission here in Haiti. It was a memorable day because we got to see a part of Haiti that many people don’t think about when they think of Haiti. We took a trip with Pastor Maude to visit the Eglise-Methodist De Nabosse Church up in the hills to the south east of Petit-Goave. Our trip began early at 630AM with a breakfast at Pastor Admirable’s house. Our two drivers arrived with Pastor Maude a little after 730AM.

Group Picture Waiting for Past Maude

I was amazed at the amount of activity going on here for Sunday, out in front of the house at 7AM; people were everywhere. It was exciting to be out in the town again and see the daily lives of people outside of the big City of Port-au-Prince. Many people were dressed in their Sunday clothing and looked very nice. Here are a couple pictures of the activity on the road outside the house and at a local market along the highway.

Activities Outside Pastor Admirable’s House

Local Sunday Market

Our drive up to De Nabosse was quite an expedition with some 4-wheel driving and several stops along the way including getting gas (like crowding around the drinking fountain in grade school), fixing a tire at a roadside auto mechanic that looked more like a homeless camp and adding oil to both vehicles that were in desperate need of engine overhauls. The exhaust looked more black than white and seemed like each used a quart of oil each getting up to De Nabosse.

Getting Gas

Fixing the Spare Tire

Roadside Mechanic

The number of motorcycles here in Haiti is incredible but as a cheaper alternative to buying a vehicle it makes sense. More than 99% of the riders do not wear helmets although I got a picture of one who was actually wearing a helmet.

Motorcycle Rider

As in Port-au-Prince, the amount of roadside garbage is mind boggling. The ditches act like garbage dumps and during heavy rains I’m sure carry the garbage to the sea. In this particular roadside ditch there were goats, chickens and pigs looking for food.

Pigs Along Roadway

Roadside Garbage

As we made our way off of the highway and into the rural undeveloped roads that would eventually take us up to De Nabosse, the landscape was obviously tropical with banana trees and other shrubs . We saw many farm animals scattered throughout the hills. There was much less trash and houses were built like huts with grass or tin roofs and mud and rock walls. Once we left the main highway it looked like there was no electrical power to any of the homes.

Rural Goats

Rural Roadway

Haitian Boy and Horse

Rural Hut

Countryside

Both this boy, riding his mule back from town with a load of flour, and this man, who road to church on his mule, were typical of the people who lived here and either walked or used farm animals to get to town or church. We were told some of the families at church walked from several miles away over the steep hills to get there. Something that is very typical for the rural churches of Haiti.

Haitian Boy and Mule

Haitian Man and Mule

Before coming here, my vision of Haiti wasn’t about how rural it would but of the poverty and squalor in the big cities but it was obvious that rural Haiti is very pretty and many of the people still live without the use of vehicles or electricity including the village at De Nabosse .

Along the road to De Nabosse, it seemed like people get there water from central water systems that may have been installed by the IMC. Many of the Haitians were carrying large containers of water from these locations using their heads or strapped to mules or horses.

IMC Water Supply Well

Rural Haitian Hut

As we climbed steeper into the hills we were treated with a view of Lake Le Tang de Miragoane and the coastline looking back to Petit-Goave.

Lake Le Tang de Miragoane

We arrived at De Nabosse and greeted the church members. They honored us as their guests by having us sit up in front of the congregation. I think we were all somewhat nervous, not knowing what the typical customs were, and especially when we were each asked to introduce ourselves individually in front of the church.

Arriving at De Nabosse

De Nabosse Church

Although not knowing much if any Creole we all got a sense of what a church service was like in Haiti. In addition to Ricardo, there was another church member who spoke very good English and was able interpret some of the sermon with us. We sang several popular songs including Amazing Grace during the service. I think we were all very moved by the service and the hospitality these people showed to us. After the service we served lunch (PB&J sandwiches) and sodas to everyone and then brought out many of the crafts and games we brought for the children. As it turned out many of the adults were just as eager to participate as the children were. Sandy did an amazing job managing the crafts, the kids and even the adults all in a small space at the back of the church!

Sandie After Children's Crafts

Pastor Maude and De Bosse Church

After church the Vashon group posed for a photograph with Pastor Maude at the front of the church.

Vashon United Methodists and Pastor Maude

Ricardo and Bruce

We were then invited for wonderful lunch with Pastor Maude and the church trustees at one of the nearby huts near the De Nabosse. The road getting to this spot was even more treacherous and steep then the one that we drove to get up to the church. At one spot we all contemplated as the car started to roll over we all contemplated getting out and walking the rest of the way. The lunch was a wonderful hone cooked local meal of fried chicken and onions in a Creole sauce, beans and rice, plantain, and bread fruit. The house had some of the most amazing trim work Bob Dixon had ever seen so he had me take a picture of it.

Church Trustees Invite us for Lunch

Eating Lunch Together

After lunch we headed back down the mountain more cautiously than we came up. On the way back and close to home here in Petit-Goave we stopped off to the see the new church being constructed at Fond-Doux. It’s similar in size to the one at De Nabosse with bathrooms off of the back. Within minutes of arriving we attracted a crowd of more than 25 children who were as curious about us as we were about them. Nancy engaged them in conversation and took some photographs with them. Everyone was friendly and wanted to know more about us and why we were there.

Fond-Doux Church Interior Construction

Bruce and Exterior of Fond-Doux Church

Haitian Children at Fond-Doux

Nancy at Fond-Doux

I had seen several UN vehicles here as well as Haitian police but hadn’t noticed a Haitian fire truch or ambulance until this one which I took a picture of this one.

Haitian Ambulance

This was a day of memorable sights and sounds and I’m sure one that we will all remember for quite some time. I know I will.

- Bruce Stirling

2nd Day Working in Petit-Goave

2011-02-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

Day 4

2^nd Day Working in Petit-Goave

Today is day four of our mission here in Haiti and the 2^nd day of work at the Petit-Goave site. We did not do any work of consequence today although we spent a lot of time playing with the kids and watching the Haitian men apply plaster to the outside of the church activity center. They are expert at applying wet, soft mud (mortar mix) to the side of the building in a rapid and exact fashion at the right thickness.

Applying Mortar Coating Inside

We helped the masonry team by mixing mortar and concrete as they apply it to the inside of the activity center today. Although there wasn’t enough work for the 8 of us to participate we worked as a team and took turns shoveling and sifting. The highlight though of today was a surprise visit by four youths and other several other smaller Haitian kids who came by to see what we were doing and to see what the “blanc” (white) people were doing. We played soccer and Frisbee in the afternoon and learned more about them as they learned more about us.

Haitian Kids at the Work Site

As one might expect, they are all good soccer players. One young man of about 15 years, had exceptional command of English and was also well versed in the Methodist religion. Nancy thought he could easily be trained in ministry or as a teacher. All the people here and especially the youth and children are very friendly and affectionate. Many of the younger children held our hands as we walked around the site and stroked our heads. It’s something that I think is pretty common when they don’t see many people like us here.

We have all agreed we are a team of individuals that have come together to do a job in Haiti, but we are having a hard time understanding what that job looks like and how it is to be accomplished. At about 3PM we came home and had a long discussion amongst the group regarding how we can be more productive with our time here since it is limited; tomorrow is Sunday we only have 2 work days left. We all wish that there wasn’t such a lack of meaningful work . We did not make any world changing conclusions but believe we must pursue most of our questions and concerns in some official manner with the UMVIM/UMCOR non-governmental organization (NGO) that arranged most of our accommodations and partially funded our project here. Steve and I calculated that UMVIM with the UMCOR matching fund is bringing about $1.5 million dollars a year into the Haitian economy assuming that there are at least 3 teams a week down here for most of the year. Of the $43 million that UMCOR has been given for Haiti relief efforts, about 10% of that is being used to match UMVIM volunteer dollars for each project. There is about $3 million more remaining in the fund which was just released for projects in October of last year.

Later that evening we had an informative discussion with Pastor Admirable about the Methodist church her e in Haiti. He said Haiti has 13 Methodist districts which each have a district superintendent. Pastor Maude is the Petit-Goave district superintendent. She and Pasto Admirable have 24 churches each that they have to attend to in this district; it takes them 6 months to see each of them (one every Sunday). There are approximately 45 lay preachers in the Petit-Goave district. There are about 7,000 to 8,000 Methodists in Haiti and about 184 schools are sponsored by the Methodists here.

Pastor Admirable’s House

Front Yard of Pastor Admirable’s House

The weather has been warm, close to 80 degrees, but it is not too humid so we can handle the heat during the day. Although it’s been fairly hot at night, each of our rooms has a fan. Unfortunately, Pastor Admirable’s house is located directly adjacent to a disco which plays very loud dance, rap, reggae and Haitian music late into the night. Most of us have been averaging 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night. They love music here as every night a truck or van drives down the road in front of our house advertising loudly that there are more dance places in Petit-Goave.

Tomorrow we are going to attend church service with Pastor Maude outside of Fond-Doux in the mountains at the Eglis-Methodiste De Nabosse church and are going to get an early start with wake-up at 6AM, breakfast at 6:30AM and to commence our journey after 7AM. That’s all for now.

- Bruce Stirling and Bob Dixon

Day 3 - Working in Petit-Goave

2011-02-26T06:29:00.000-08:00

Day 3 – February 25, 2011

Working in Petit-Goave

Today is Friday and after a good breakfast we walked back to the work site and were quickly assigned to several tasks that involved moving building stones, bricks and other earthquake debris out of the building. Our project is at Pastor Maude’s complex

The Arkansas UMVIM team helped by sifting limestone rock through wire mesh which was used for mixing mortar that went on the building and helping to cut metal pieces with a chop saw for reconstructing windows.

Sifting Limestone for Making Mortar

Some of the UMVIM Team from Arkansas; Bubba and Mike

Haitian metal workers also spot welded metal into decorate covers for the windows. The major metal work project was a beautiful door that I understood was going on the new church being built in Fond-Doux. I had no idea that metal fabrication down here was such an important skill.

Fabricating Metal for Windows and Doors

Seeing this project and how the people here get by with so little, I can’t help but admire them and how resourceful they are with having so little to work with. They try and make the most of what they have and much of the useable materials get recycled. It makes me think why I need all the things I do when they complete essentially the same tasks with a fraction of the supplies and resources. Like Steve commented, “when you don’t have a Home Depot or Lowes down the street, projects become a major challenge.”

Our primary task was to clean up the inside of the church activity building while the Haitians worked on the mortar and plaster. I think the goal is to rebuild the exterior and interior walls and replace the windows and doors and then paint everything. This was physical labor and the conditions were hot and dusty but everyone in our group was right there lending a hand and helping each other as best they could. Everyone was smiling and happy despite how hot and dusty the conditions were. While we worked, 2 UMCOR administrators visited our site to check on our progress at Pastor Maud’s as well as other sites in the Petit-Goave region. Nancy, Steve, Mary Margaret and Ricardo discussed with them some of our concerns regarding funding, organization and project understanding. Only a few children came to the work site today. I think there will be more as they find out that we are here. No matter where we go, it seems like we attract a lot of attention. Almost like you are a movie star back home.

Here are a few pictures of our first day working at Petit-Goave.

Cleaning Rubble from Inside

Plastering the Walls with Mortar

Ricardo Speaks with UMCOR Representatives

- Bruce Stirling

Day 2 - Petionville to Petit-Goave

2011-02-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

Day 2 – February 24, 2011

Petionville to Petit-Goave

Today we travelled from the Petionville guest house to our job site in Petit-Goave where we will be for the next 6 days. The Petit-Goave site is in a more remote area and we are told less reliable for internet service so our posts and emails made be delayed be a few days. I'll try and upload these photos as we have more time.

This day started with a great breakfast at 7AM with a number of UMVIM groups from Washington D.C., Texas and New Hampshire. We then packed and then left for Petit-Goave. There were the 8 of us from Vashon and Gail, our driver Axel plus our 27 year old interpreter, Ricardo. Gail was meeting another UMVIM group in Petit-Goave. All UMVIM groups in Haiti are assigned an interpreter who is hired by UMVIM to assist in language barriers at the work site and throughout out stay here.

Leaving Petionville Guest House

Our 11 Passenger Van

Our luggage was transported in one van while we left in an 11 passenger Kia. Seeing the streets of Petionville again and on through to Port au Prince and into the countryside to the southwest of Port au Prince was more interesting today than it was yesterday. The colorful Tap Taps (Haitian Taxis) were packed with people and we saw them on almost every street.

Colorful Tap Taps

Typical Street Vendors

The earthquake damage was more evident now as we traveled through some of the steeper parts of Petionville and back down into Port au Prince. We also noticed several “tent” camps where crowds of people were living in stressed conditions. Ricardo told us that many Haitians were still living in tents because of the fear of another earthquake and didn’t want to move back to their homes. We also saw many homes being repaired along the way.

Evidence of the Earthquake

Repairing the Damage

After a short time we came to an area that had some of the worst living conditions we had seen yet. We all were not sure what to expect once getting here but this may have been more like my vision of what Haiti was going to look like. It’s difficult for us to understand the way Haitians can live with garbage littering the streets. Sometimes the smell of burning garbage, food and dirty water were difficult to take along the drive. Dirt and dust from the roads mixed together with uncontrolled surface water runoff combined for what I would consider unhealthy living conditions. Although it’s a stark contrast to where we live, the unsanitary conditions (on the surface) don’t seem to affect the people here as they go about their daily lives like we would on a typical Thursday morning in Tacoma, Seattle or Vashon.

Garbage Everywhere

One of the most shocking sights to me was this garbage landfill and an example of how poor some of the people are here. We saw burning piles of garbage and kids sifting through the trash in the midst of the all the smoke and ash. I wondered what kind of respiratory stress these conditions must have on them.

Burning Garbage at a Roadside Landfill

As we left the crowded street of the city, the road opened up and the bay appeared on our right. There we saw vegetation typical to a tropical area; banana trees, sugar cane, mangos. There were quite a few less people as we made our way further into the countryside. We could also see some of the mountains surrounding the bay above Port au Prince.

Mountains Overlooking Port au Prince

The driving, which was generally crazy and uncontrolled in the City, now became a bit more dangerous as the road opened up and rate of speed become significantly greater. It reminded me of driving in Mexico where road hazards were common and cars and trucks all raced each other down the highway to be first. It didn’t seem to matter who or what might be in the way; it was drive faster than the person in front of you.

We encountered some significant road damage and had to slow down at these places and where some speed bumps or Topes were. There were also several damaged bridges that we saw along the way. This particular bridge had a by-pass where we drove right through the river.

By-Pass for Damaged Bridge

After about 2 hours we arrived at Petit-Goave and met with Pastor Maude, a soft spoken woman with a strong accent who spoke fairly good English. After some discussion with Nancy about doing some children’s activities, she arranged for us to attend church with her somewhere “up in the mountains” on Sunday where we could be closer to some of the children. She said that although we could go to the local children’s school, they had over 200 students and that unless we gave gifts to all the children, it made things awkward if a someone didn’t receive something .

Meeting Pastor Maude in Petit-Goave

Pastor Maud then took us to look at the project we’d be working on and discussed with the local foreman what we’d be doing the next day. The project consisted of repairing a meeting center on the property that was damaged in the earthquake. Local Haitians were plastering the exterior of the building with stucco that day.

Plaster on the Meeting Center Exterior

We left Pastor Maud’s place and walked down to a house that is owned by Pastor Admirable who is also part of the Methodist church and UMCOR/UMVIM support efforts in the region. Pastor Admirable lives about a ½ mile down the street from Pastor Maude. We are staying at his house for lodging and food while we go back and forth to Pastor Maud’s to work. We took a leisure walk down to the beach with Ricardo and relaxed until dinner time.

Walking to the Beach

Beach in Petit-Goave

Discussing Our Expectations During Lunch

After that we had some engaging discussion about our thoughts and expectations so far on the trip. We discussed whether the UMCOR/UMVIN organization needed a local manager to oversee all the projects under their combined efforts. Someone to identify each project’s specific needs prior to groups coming to Haiti. For the 8 months leading up to this trip including the first days we spent with Pastor Tom, nobody could tell us what we were going to be helping with. Without knowing in advance what we were doing it became evident that some or all of the tools we brought may be obsolete. It seemed to some of us that knowing what each project would be in advance of our trip would have helped in our preparation. Steve told us again, as he did before our trip, to keep our expectations low and to be flexible. Our roles would be much clearer as to what types of work we’d be doing very soon. Some of the things that concerned me were: why 2 teams at one location; what would we do; what was our purpose; do they need us here; do they have the skills to successfully organize and run more than one work site. Each of us hopes that our questions will soon be answered tomorrow.

- Bruce Stirling

Vashon, Washington to Port au Prince, Haiti

2011-02-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

Our group of 8 arrives safely at the Petionville Guest House after nearly 24 hours of travel. We are introduced to Pastor Tom Vencus and Dena, another UMVIM member from Minnesota who is volunteering here in Petionville for 3 months. Things appeared a bit tenious at first when Bob Dixon wasn't sure he'd be able to go as a standby on a 99% full flight but our hearts and spirits were lifted as we he walked down the row to his seat as the plane doors were closing. The only tradegy on the flight was the chain saw which Alaska Airlines wouldn't allow because, although new and still in the box, contained gas vapors. We hope that another UMVIM group can bring it down here.

Bob W. and Bob D. along with Vonnie, Sandie and Bruce traveled together from Seattle and met up with Nancy and Mary (who left early from Seattle) in the Miami Airport. The airport seemed to be bustling with foreigners from all over the carribean. We posed for a group photo in the Miami Airport before bording our flight to Port au Prince. There was a mix of amerians and haitians on the plane.

Group Photo in Miami: standing L to R, Mary, Vonnie, Nancy, Bob D., Sandie, Bruce, Bob W., and Steve

Upon arrival, the atmosphere surrounding the Port au Prince Airport was busy and festive. A live creole band greated us as we were transported to customs. Here's some video of entering customs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlQLcIPTmu0

I took a few photos of our entry into the country and customs area and of the craziness at the customs and baggage claim and of Jackson (the one arm baggage director) and his cadre of plaid shirt and red hat assitants.

Entering Port au Prince Immigration

Bus Ride from Gate to Customs Terminal

All of a sudden it seemed like everyone at the baggage area was wearing plaid shirts and red hats as they argued over who would take our bags. Steve put it nicely in a prior post, "it was like running the baggage gaunlet!"

Jackson's Cadre and Running the Baggage Gaunlet

Driving in the front seat of a passenger truck in a third world country like Haiti is an experience I think everyone should consider taking on. The smells, sights and sounds of Port au Prince and what poverty in a third world county is really like came home to me during the hour and a half drive from the airport to Petionville (a distance of not more than 5 or 6 miles). Here are a couple links to some video I took during the drive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaCYhAtf00s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RyyIJcWbHg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsU8bHtOQwE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t71TepOCCrQ

There was some evidence of the earthquake in form of rubble from damaged structures but much of that has been cleaned up in the Port au Prince area. Some of the areas we may see tomorrow may have more evidence of the damage as we go closer to the epicenter and futher away from Port au Prince. The road up here to the guest house was so overly crowded it didn't seem possible to move. Men, women and children spilled onto the streets where sidewalks didn't exist and dust, diesel and smoky exhaust from vehicles was everywhere. The roads suffered severe damage and it was evident. I didn't see any form of traffic control and there were many near misses with motorcycles and bicycles. Our driver wouldn't stop honking his horn...I wasn't sure if he was saying "hi or get out of my way".

Vendors and their shelters were almost continuous along the streets up to the guest house with their goods littering every busy intersection. There is a definate lack of sanitation with everday garbage everywhere mixed in with roadside ditches running with water.

Despite the perceived chaos it seems like people here exist in this community in a way that we would probably say couldn't be possible. From the Haitians whom I talked with, everyone seemed to be friendly and able to get along. It's clear though that many are poor and lack basic needs like a healthy diet.

We'll that's all for today. Tomorrow we leave for Petiteguave where we'll be for the remainder of the trip. It may take up to 3 hours to get there. We were told that the guest house there has internet access but the reliability of the system is questionable. We hope to post more details tomorrow. I hope those that view these updates post comments or questions. It's hard to put down in words everything that is happening here.

Bruce Stirling, February 23, 2011

2011-02-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

Sunday we were commissioned by the Vashon United Methodist Church for our VIM work in Haiti. That service, the journals we received from the Care Committee and support from family and friends definitely give us the feeling of being surrounded by the love of our communies.

Monday, it feels like a quiet time of preparation and centering on the work ahead. Our suitcases and bins of tools, power saw, childrens activity materials, and soap pockets are all packed. Tuesday, February 22 later in the day we will fly out of Sea Tac airport and arrive the next morning in Port-au-Prince airport. After an orientation and a night's rest we will travel in vans to our work site and Methodist guest house in Petit Goave.

Nancy Vanderpool

February 8th Email from Steve

2011-02-09T00:15:00.001-08:00

Hi all,

This will be the last report from Haiti this trip. We fly home tomorrow and I will be coming back with the Vashon Island United Methodist Church team in two weeks.

Today we took a teeth rattling, bone shaking and bladder splitting ride up to the the village of Furcy. Furcy is just below the top of a mountain that lies two ridges south of us here. It is about 5,000 feet in elevation. The village consists of a clinic, a church a school and some small farm huts. We took a very bumpy road up the 12 miles from here, a few hundred feet above sea level, to the top of the first ridge, and through a saddle that connected to the next ridge.

The road up was steep, bumpy and crowded for the first half the distance or so. As we climbed in elevation the soil changed from the chalky white rock that is around Port au Prince to very red volcanic soil. When we got to the top of the second ridge, we parked the van and walked about 3/8 mile down a steep trail to Furcy. Furcy is an agricultural area and the mountains are terraced from the tops, over 5,000 feet to the bottom. The terrain looks a lot like the steep portions of Hawaii with the long, steep, narrow, parallel vertical draws that run top to bottom, except it is almost all cleared and terraced.   At Furcy the mountain top has pine trees, banana trees and bamboo where it has not been cleared and terraced. There are also black raspberries that look just like ours at home. The farm plots are fairlyy small and they grow all kinds of produce. When we were there they were harvesting cabbage. We were told that because of the poor roads and infrastructure about 60% of the produce they grow goes bad by the time they can get it down to marked. The view from Furcy is beautiful, but you can see some serious erosion in various places. The crops looked good, but there were lots of areas you could tell had been farmed but were not any more. We were told that the last hurricane pretty much destroyed the entire local farm "industry" but that seed and fertilizer had been brought back in and production is picking up again.

Today was clinic day and there were a number of Haitians waiting for the doctor and nurse. They come to the clinic one day three weeks a month. Although Furcy itself is quite small the school and clinic serve a population of thousands. We were told people will walk 10 miles to the clinic from further out in the mountains. Unlike around Port au Prince, most of the homes were not concrete block, but were either hand split lapped wood siding over bamboo frames or mud and stick waddle. The homes were about 15 feet plus or minus on a side and most were one or two rooms. There are some concrete block homes, but they did not seem to be the majority like down in the city. Some of the buildings have electricity. They run it up from further down the mountain using barbed wire. It is strange looking up and seeing barbed wire run through the trees. Insulators are anything that won't conduct electricity. One was a plastic dish soap type bottle stuck on a cut off limb. The wire was run through the loop formed between the handle of the bottle.

We also visited the school. We packed in school supplies for the kids, along with a few toys.   The kids and principal were very happy to have visitors. As I told you before all the schools operated in Haiti are fund by churches and other NGO's. The kids all wear school uniforms that identify which denomination's school they attend. As you go around in Haiti you see kids in all kinds of different colored school uniforms. At Furcy there was a real contrast between the bright clean school uniforms the kids wore and the clothes the older people were wearing around the farms. Even though the schools are sponsored by churches and non-profits families still have to pay some tuition for their kids to go to school. Only about 55% can attend, even with scholarship programs to help. Many poor families put a very large percentage of their income for the kids to attend. One of the outcomes of the quake is that the Haitians are even poorer than they were due to the loss of work and the local churches are not getting the revenue from their own members they were, so their having an even harder time supporting the schools and clinics.

When we got to Furcy, we only met older women, other than the people we met at the medical clinic and school. The children were at school and the men were at work. One very elderly woman was weaving large baskets out of strips of bamboo that were about 20 feet long. Some our members bought some baskets, and she showed us how to push the bottom of the basked up to form sort of a hat shape in the bottom to make it easier to carry on your head. We visited a number of the homes. As we started walking back to the van we met some of the men coming home and other kids who were wearing different school uniforms because their school is sponsored by a different denomination. If I remember correctly, the Methodist Church sponsors over 100 schools in Haiti.

One of our members will be bringing a team back to Furcy in April to start construction on a guest house, so outsiders will have a place to stay when they visit.   This is important for not only medical and construction aid workers, but also for services such as agricultural education for the farmers.   In addition to packing in the school supplies our visit gave our team member a chancee to see where she would be bringing her team before they actually get there. Furcy would be a pretty rustic place to just show up at if you didn't have a little advance knowledge. If you would like to see the Furcy area and some of the Methodist Church's work there you can check out this youtube link for Mountains of Hope for Haiti. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br5LklsXueA

Today is the day the President is supposed to step down, but he did not because the legislature had extended his term until May after the earthquake. There was a little unrest and we saw lots of police and UN forces on our trip back from Furcy, but we did not witness any problems.

Well I guess that about finishes things up for now. I will forward some photos after I get home and have a chance to get them from the camera to the PC.

Steve

February 7th Email from Steve

2011-02-08T00:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

This morning our group split up and attended two different churches here. Two of the three pastor team members from our team were guest preachers at the two churches we attended. A small group of us attended the big Methodist Church in downtown Port au Prince. It is right beside the national prison where all the prisoners escaped the day of the earth quake. I don't think they are still hanging around. The service was in French and Creole. Our team member Genie Fairhart tried to interpret, but I still didn't get much. I knew almost all the tunes but the lyrics were different, even translated. I didn't understand very many words, but could hum along with most of the songs. The Church is a large concrete building, but the only major damage was the steeple fell over. Sunday in Haiti in some respects is a little like Sunday was at home back in the 50's; families are all dressed up, little girls in nice dresses, little boys in shirts and ties, women in high heels and men in suits.

Haiti in general seems a little like what medieval Europe must have been like. The government is for those in power and not the people. The churches provide the schools, medical clinics, vocational schools and the churches and other NGO's provide the social safety net. Buildings of any substance are surrounded by walls. The common people just do the best they can.

After Church we picked up the rest of the team back at the Guest house and went out for lunch at the same place we had lunch on the first day. The inside guard, the one with the revolver let me take his picture. The outside guard, with the shot gun didn't want me to.

After lunch we went back down town so everyone could see the collapsed presidential palace and much of the damage we all saw on TV. It was just amazing again the number of people on the streets. I don't know how many pictures one can take of collapse buildings, but they are everywhere. We also saw many tent camps. We also visited the site of the Hotel Montana where a number of the Methodist Church's mission staff were trapped during the quake, and a couple were killed. Tomorrow night we will meet with one of the survivors who was trapped for 55 hours. It will be interesting to hear from him. Also he is managing some sustainable agriculture programs here and I am anxious to hear about them.

Tomorrow will be our last full day here, for this trip. We are scheduled to go to one of the outlying project areas to get a little exposure to Haiti away from Port au Prince. From what we hear the poverty is worse, but the countryside is nicer.

Two of the many lasting impression I will have of this place are how nice the people are, in spite of all their hardships and how much rubble and trash there is eveywhere. The people are so friendly and patient it is hard to believe. Many of the people we have worked with who come to work every morning cheerful and friendly, go home to a tent slum after work. Today when we were down time, I started to realize there is no wonder there is so much of a trash problem. The tents are wall to wall. The houses are wall to wall. The businesses are wall to wall. If I lived in a 12X12 space with my entire family and my tent touched the tent on three sides of me, I don't know where my trash would go. The are private cars and trucks, but not a lot. Most of the people either walk or ride Tap Taps, the little passanger trucks. I told someone today, that if somebody could bring some front end loaders and just go down the hills scooping up trash and rubble. They could power a larger power plant and build a causeway to Florida.

By the way, If you wonder whey I haven't also been contributing to the blog, there are a lot of people sharing this computer. Everyone has to work with others hovering by asking when are you going to be done, not to mention that this PC is really difficult to use. The mouse has a mind of its own. The space bar is in a weird place and there is also the missing key.

So long for now. I'll try to write again tomorrow and send some pictures when I get home.

Steve

February 6th Email from Steve

2011-02-08T00:07:00.000-08:00

Vashon Team,

Just so I don't forget, it would be a good idea to bring extra TP even though we will be staying at the Petit-Goave guest house. The guesthouse here supplies it, but just not often enough. I brought eight rolls, just in case and have handed them all out to restock the sleeping area bathrooms.

Also, I thought I would pass on that the guest house here has hand sanitizer in the bathrooms and the dining room. I brought six of the pocket size bottles and will go through three of them. I figure I will bring about a half dozen again when I come back.

Everything is going fine and I don't think we are going to have any problems.

One thing I wanted to mention on tools. The tool supply here is a matter of chasing the curve. They staff tries to predict what tools the crews will need, but often the crews will identify additional tools that are needed. Of course they don't have access to those tools, but future crews doing the same king of work will. So, there is a good chance that we won't personally use all the to tools we bring and will find we could use some we didn't bring, but that's just how it works.

Steve

February 5th Email from Steve

2011-02-07T23:57:00.001-08:00

Everyday here makes a lasting impression that will stay the rest of my life, the sights, the sounds, the people, the smells. Today it was two men bathing in the gutter. We had a short work day as we reached our main work objectives for the week so we were able to visit the kids at the Children's Home again.

As we stepped outside the gate in the high wall that surrounds the home, we saw two men bathing in the gutter. They had a plastic water glass and a bar of soap in a soap dish. They would dip some water with the glass, pour it on their heads and lather up. The roads and ditches here are full of garbage and trash and open sewer lines run into the them. The water was about the color of skim milk. Just as you start to think that the people here may no longer have homes and may not have many material possessions, but they don't look like they are starving and aren't wearing rags you see something like this and realize just how desperate things are here. At home we might see someone down on their luck who really needs a bath and a change of clothes, but we don't witness people trying so desperately to maintain some kind of normality under such difficult conditions. On a sad note, we found out today they may have to close the Children's Home due to funding. There are 38 kids there from toddlers to teenagers who have no parents or whose parents can't take care of them. The home is about half little , all of whom were taken in after the quake.

Today was a great reminder of how true it is when they tell disaster response volunteers how important it is to be flexible. This morning I thought the team I am coming back with later in February was going to work here in this compound again. Before dinner, I was told we would be staying here, but working on housing a little way from here. Tonight I found out we are going to Petit-Goave and will be staying in a guest house there and working on some project in that small community. Right now we are a little ways south of Port au Prince. Petit-Goave is about another hour west of here on the south shore of the large bay that makes up the west end of the island. It is supposed to be a prettier area and in a place where it is safer. The guest house like here is inside a walled area. It seems just about everything here is. There are so many variables, so many teams staging though, so many things that need to be done and so many different skill sets, it really keeps the staff here jumping to stay on top of everything and to keep everyone safe and productive, you just can not know for certain what job you will do until you actually do it.

Today we had our first vehicles drive up our new road into the back of the Guest House compound. It is at about the stage that we would call a sub-grade if we were building a forest road. Not much gravel on it yet, it still is not smooth and there are still some cobbles and roots sticking up. However, after driving to the Children's Home today, we realized it is smoother and wider than about 2/3rds of the roads in this area.

The staff here are happy to have the additional access and it will provide safer access in the event of future problems. The existing access would best be called an alley at home. It's just wide enough for a car to drive down. There are car bodies, rubble, scrap piles of steel, welding shops and all kinds of things, not to mention its rough, bumpy and dead ends at the Guest House. The new access opens onto a main wide road. When Tom, the manager here told some of the team members we were going to turn the area into a road and they just couldn't see how. Now after less than we week, it looks more like a road than anything else. Think of building a logging road at home through a grove of trees with no bull dozers, no excavators, not even horses, just 25 men and two women with 3 picks, 5 shovels, 6 machetes, one ax, one hundred feet cheap rope and one pulley.
The plaster removal on the residence is done enough that the engineer came to check it out today. He will develop the plan for making structural corrections, so there was no more for us to do until that is done. They have already started delivering materials so it shows that we are contributing to more than just making more rubble, but we really did make a big pile.

Some of you have asked for the blog address again so here it is http://www.heartsforh8i.blogspot.com/

That's it for now,
Steve

February 4th Email from Steve

2011-02-07T23:50:00.001-08:00

Today our road is starting to look more like a road than a wooded courtyard. We got the last two trees down and three stumps dug up.

The crew working on the residence continued to knock off the plaster to expose the underlying wall.

Yesterday we had eight Haitian men working on the road project. Today we had twenty four. When the word gets out, people just keep showing up until Pastor Tom, who runs this place tells the interpreter no more. But even then they continue to drift in and just start working. When we have all the workers we need, their names are written down in a book and at the end of the day, if their name is not in the book there is no pay. Usually after being told a couple of time we have all we can pay they leave.

Today I learned the Creole word for rock "roch", pronounced rosh. And soil "tar" as in terra, pronounced like tear. I could gesture with my hands to show the size of the roch and point where I wanted them, or point outside the road area and say tar and inside the road area and say roch. It is a very humbling experience. Some of our workers are university educated and speak three or four languages. Some speak only Creole. It is very difficult to try to communicate very simply with simple words and gestures without insulting some of the workers. Thankfully they have a good sense of humor and I apologize for being so dumb. Some of our workers are school language teachers, who finally gave up after not being paid for months and months, so now they are happy to do pick up manual labor. Our workers worked from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM today and got $10 US, about three times the going rate for unskilled labor. Don't let anyone tell you these people are poor because they are lazy or lack initiative. We are starting to build a relationship as I learn more about each other and the work is really getting to be fun.

I've come to some conclusions about what to bring and not to bring, or send, to Haiti. Yesterday when we had to cut the pipe we broke to patch it, we used three hack saws before we got though the 1" pipe. So I've decided that good old tools and good new tools are very useful, but cheap stuff just doesn't cut it (so to speak). The other thing I've concluded is if we are going to bring or send something, it should be something that will be used for a long time or something that is going to get used up. There is so much trash here and it really doesn't make sense to send stuff the has a very short useful life but is not going to disappear.

Another thing I have learned is that they don't need old shoes and clothes. The people are actually dressed pretty well and the streets are lined with vendors selling shoes and clothes, used and new. There is a big emphasis on hiring people to do work so they can buy their own rather than just passing out things in order not to undercut others who are trying to make a living.

This afternoon we drove up above the city to see where one of our interpreter drivers lives and to meet his brothers. They are both building homes as they can afford materials, one is educated as an engineer and both are college educated language teachers. It was a steep drive up a very steep bumpy road and then a long walk up a steep driveway that could best be described as a jeep trail on a dry day. The homes they are building up there were surprisingly nice.

We also visited a medical clinic in their community that was just dedicated. It was built by Methodist volunteers. The churches here provide the services such as medical and primary-secondary schooling. Many church's are community centers, schools, medical clinics and schools.

We'll the dinner bell just rang so I had better go.

Steve

Blog Site - Oregon/Idaho Conference Haiti Team

2011-02-07T23:27:00.000-08:00

Vashon Teammates

Here is the blog site for the Oregon / Idaho Conference Haiti Team being led by Brenda St. Clair from Idaho Falls. We will be leaving Monday January 31.

Also FYI, we are supposed to have computer access at the Methodist Guest House in Petonville where we will be staying. I am planning on sending a daily personal update that will be forwarded to all of you.

Steve

blog = http://www.heartsforh8i.blogspot.com/
email = heartsforh8i@gmail.com
twitter = @heartsforh8i

February 3 Post from Steve Meacham

2011-02-07T23:24:00.001-08:00

From: Steven Meacham [mailto:sahomefield@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2011 4:19 PM
To: Steven and Dee Ann Meacham
Subject: Thursday in Haiti

Hello from Haiti,

I can't believe it's already Thursday.

Safety First: After much anticipation they announced the runoff candidates for the presidency. The second and third place finishers will be in the runoff and number 1 it out. Based on polling and popular support it was pretty widely felt that the the first place finisher's vote was rigged and that is what all the protests have been about. The second place finishers are popular with the Haitian people so things are looking up here.

Today we continued on clearing the road route and knocking plaster off the residence. We had some more Haitian helpers and it is something to see them cut down a 12" tree with a machete. They are pretty good at getting them down, but not so good at directional falling so we had some lessons on how to do undercuts and back cuts. I've put the arm on some folks to see if we can't bring back some tools more suitable for the work.

One of the workers put a pick through a water pipe so thee of us from our team and our interpreter got to walk down the market street and try to find a coupling and some other tools. As I said there are vendors all along the street and the stores are more like old fashion bank teller windows than what we are used. We had some success and were able to find what we could make do with, but to know what to ask for you have to know the name of the part in English and Creole, and of course a lot of parts and tool names aren't in the interpreter's vocabulary so they don't know what to call it in Creole. We finally found a store we could actually go in and look at the inventor. Walking down the street is a thrill. If there are sidewalks the vendors are blocking them. They gutters are full of trash and the vehicles are zooming by, so you have to watch out all the time. In spite of everything the people look fit and happy. Of course I'd look a lot more fit if I only had one meal of beans and rice a day also.

This afternoon we visited the children's home. We did crafts and played games with the kids. At the end they sang some songs for us and we thought we'd teach the the Hookie Pookie, but they already knew it. It was a lot of fun and the kids were great.

A team from New York arrived this afternoon and two semi trailer loads of relief supplies arrived at a building at the back of the compound that is being used by another NGO. They had everything from medical buckets and health buckets, like we send to UMCOR all the way to a medical examining table.

Tomorrow we are going to continue of the road and the residence and I am going to look at some project work for the Vashon Island Team when we come on the 22nd.

Check out the blog again for some photos.

There is a line behind me waiting for the computer so so long for now.

Steve

Message from Steve (February 3, 2011)

2011-02-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hello all.

The first thing I want to tell you is that we are all well. They are still awaiting the official announcement of the Presidential election runoff candidates and there have been some localized protests, but nothing near here. The guest house checked with the teams out in the field and there is nothing going on where they are either. UMCOR met with the other NGO's and Agencies in Port au Prince and so we are getting briefings here on the status of things.

Actually we are in Petion-Ville which is about 12 miles from downtown Port au Prince.

Today we started knocking the plaster off of the residence so the engineers could look at the wall structure. The construction is red brick pillers on the corners and either side of doors and windows, filled in between with rocks and rubble mortared together. There is no evidence of reinforcing and it looks like the residence has racked to one side. There are some large cracks, and the building has settled a little bit and with a slight shift to one side. Most of the damage looks recent as very few of the cracks have been painted over, but they feel this house is repairable. I'm not so sure it would be at home, but there is so much to do and they need to keep everything they can that may still be usable.

Half of the team worked on preparing for the new drive way. The first thing they had them do was to haul a lot of rocks away in buckets. We worked out a new plan with the coordinator here that rather than hauling the rocks off, we are going to use them to start to build a road bed for the driveway so they won't have to dig as much or need to bring in as much gravel when they are done. We are using some basic logging road construction methods, filling in and covering larger rocks with smaller rocks to make a firmer road that will hold up better and need less surfacing.

Most of the team spent this afternoon putting together health kits for the people around here. They are also going to put together some food packages. Two of us kept working on the road project this afternoon. We relocated some plants and dug up a small tree that is in the way. As we dug the trench to relocate the plants, all the ground we dug up was old rubble. Everything seems to be made of rubble built in rubble. Two of the Haitian workers are working on taking down a couple of larger trees that will need to go. They are doing everything with dull axes and could really use a chain saw so some of us who are going to return as team leaders are going to see if we can't come up with one. Tomorrow we will start rearranging the rocks to begin the road bed. This is all hand work, picks, shovels, buckets and one wheel barrow. Think of Cool Hand Luke. There is no heavy equipment available. The remainder of the Team will continue knocking plaster off the house wall. We will also be working some other site visits in while we are here.

Food has been great. They are feeding us three meals a day and it is very good, and lots of it. The Methodist Guest house here used to be a commercial guest house. It's almost like being at a small hotel, except we only have a dribble of cold water for showering and we have to remember to be careful not to drink the water or rinse out tooth brushes in it, and to wash our hands with soap then hand sanitizer, A LOT.

Some of us were a little disappointed when we first learned that we would be working primarily at the main guest house and school compound and not one of the outlying areas, but we have lots of contact with the Haitian people who work here or come to sell their art and the kids. One of our members speaks French and is learning Creole very quickly and that is a big help. Everywhere a person can go here there is so much to be done and we have to start somewhere, so it might as well be here, since the folks here are the coordination center for the projects at the outlying areas, and provide employment and schooling for so many.

Even the remote areas that were not damaged by the earthquake have suffered from all the displaced people who have left the Port au Prince area, so even if the earthquake didn't damage buildingsacross the whole country, the aftermath impacted everything.

For all the folks who have heard most of the money has not been spent, that is correct. BUT, there is so little infrastructure here that the aid agencies want to make sure that the efforts beyond the initial emergency sheltering and feeding result in sustainable improvements, and that is going to take a very long time.

We'll I had better go for now, it's time for lights out.

If you want to see some photos and get some more poetic descriptions, clock onto the blog link I sent out.

Steve

Update to all February Haiti UMVIM teams (January 28, 2011)

2011-02-03T12:41:00.001-08:00

Good morning, UMVIM friends.

We have received emails and calls from several teams regarding the latest US State Department travel advisory for Haiti published last week. The Haiti Response Plan staff is carefully monitoring the situation relative to our UMVIM teams. Greg Forrester, Northeast Jurisdiction UMVIM Coordinator (who was in Haiti for the two weeks around the anniversary of the earthquake), notes that Haiti has been in turmoil since he began serving in 1995. As with any area of the world, including the US, we cannot guarantee the safety of our teams but we will always keep their safety in the forefront of our planning. We advise that if teams are not comfortable going to serve in Haiti at this time, then they should not.

The attached document summarizes the emergency contingency plans that are (and have been) in place to do whatever we can to ensure the safety of teams. We are sending it to you today to share with your team members and their families and churches. While we cannot predict the future, we certainly will postpone teams if security issues become apparent. In the meantime, if team members have reservations about coming under these circumstances, they should consider staying home and rescheduling their mission experience to another time when there is less possibility for turmoil.

I urge you to go to the web site http://www.umvimhaiti.org/ and read the wonderful pastoral reflection by Tom Vencuss, written and posted today, where he celebrates the return of our full team schedule.

Susan Meister
US-based Calendaring Coordinator
haitivolunteers@yahoo.com
Find us on the web at http://www.umvimhaiti.org/

Message from Steve Meacham in Haiti (February 1, 2011)

2011-02-02T19:23:00.001-08:00

Hello friends, family and Haiti supporters.

The flight to Miami yesterday went without any hangups. We transferred in Chicago and left just as a light snow started falling. We left Miami at 10:05 this morning and arrived just after noon.

Getting our baggage loaded on the Tap Tap was a little hectic with lots of people wanting to help so we would pay them but we found the gentleman and his crew sent to help us and got all loaded just fine. There was a little intense negotiating and we ended up paying a little extra for his "friends" who also helped.

The ride out the the Methodist Guest House took about an hour. There were lots of signs of the earth quake, but also some new construction. They say only about 5% of the rubble has been cleared, but it looked better than that where we were.

We saw at least 5 UN armored cars with soldiers around them and a couple of UN guard houses. The streets were very busy and there were lots of vendors set up all along the streets selling all kinds of food and goods. There were lots of people on the street.

The Methodist Guest House compound is a little like an old hotel. It's very basic, but has everything we need. There is a pool here which seems kind of fancy, but was the only source of water after the earth quake, and served as a giant bath tub for teams that got pulled back in during the unrest in January.

The guest house compound is within a larger 10 acre compound which also includes a school, children's home, some staff housing, shop, laundry facilities and a church. The school is much larger than I expected. It has a number of wings and is three stories, about the size of a small high school. The kids are all real cute in their school uniforms and love the attention of the Mission Team.

We had lunch in a mall style food court but ordering and getting the food was a very different experience from what we are used to. Dinner at the Guest House was very good.

This afternoon we toured the larger compound area, looking at the damage, meeting the staff and looking at some of the work we may do. These could include starting a new driveway out of the back to provide a second way in and out. The main entrance is off of a very narrow alley which was full of rubble after the earthquake and blocked during the riots, so the volunteers and staff had no way in and out for awhile. We also looked at damage to one of the larger residences which was damaged but did not collapse. There are lots of cracks and loose plaster and we are going to knock off as much of the loose plaster as we can so the engineers can tell what all needs to be done.

The team will also be doing health screenings for the kids and helping with a food handout on Saturday, similar to our food banks.

You would not know from being around them, but some of the staff that work here go home to tent camps at night. One sign of the progress since Brenda, our team leader was here in May is that the area of the larger compound behind the guest house was a tent camp in May, but that's all gone now and the kids are back in school. You can tell where some of the walls have been repaired or rebuilt, but there is still a lot to do just right here.

The Methodist Church is averaging three teams a week in Haiti, but we are the only team at the Guest House today. We are supposed to stay here for our full time but other teams are cycling in and out from the outlying project areas. We are all assigned by our skill levels, current work needs and the social situation.

Well I'll guess I'll go for now. The computer is like going back to the eighties. Even I can type faster than it can so there are lots of mistakes. Also lots of people want to use it.

I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Fides,
Steve

Message from Steve Meacham (January 31, 2001)

2011-02-01T10:47:00.001-08:00

Hello friends and family,

It is 8:40 Sunday night. The bags are all packed and loaded in the truck. I leave home at 4:00 in the morning.

I will be driving to Des Moines, (near Seattle) to meet teammate David Zaske and then on to SeaTac to fly to Miami by way of Chicago. David says there is supposed to be a snow storm in Chicago so we are hoping and praying that our plans don’t go astray. We are scheduled to meet up with the rest of the team in Miami tomorrow night. We will finally all get to meet each other and then will all fly to Haiti on Tuesday morning.

David and I are bringing the tools for the team, two chests full. Thanks to all the generous donations from you all, we are taking our required tool compliment as well as some additional tools and supplies that were requested by the Haiti staff.

We will also be taking to suit cases full of medical and health supplies. One of our team members had to cancel at the last minute. She was kind enough to drive her supplies up to Tumwater from Newport, Oregon so the team could still take them even though she is not going to be able to go.

At this time it looks like we will be working in the compound at the main Methodist Guest House in Port au Prince. This is our third assignment in about as many weeks. Originally we were scheduled to go to one of the more outlying areas, but due to the recent civil unrest we will be staying and working where it will be a little more safe.

As we understand it we will be working on repairing a roof on a building used for a school and church, of course we are told to be flexible, as situations can change daily, and our assignment depends not only on the overall situation in Haiti, but also on what previous crews accomplished before us. In addition to working on the roof, the nurses in our group are hoping to provide some medical and health services for the children while we are there.

Well, that’s about all for now. I’m sure I’ll have a lot more interesting news to share in a few days.

Fides,
Steven

Soap Pockets for Haitian Children

2011-01-18T00:44:00.000-08:00

Edee Eggert gave able leadership to creating the model and leading a group of VUMC
women in making 50 soap pockets for Haitian children. Those involved were Barbara
Garrison, Jackie Van Gilder, Marlyce Dixon, Vonnie Feyen, Carol Butler, Judith
Comstock, Miyoko Matsuda and Nancy Vanderpool. These brightly colored “pockets”
contain soap for hand washing. The Haiti Team plans to teach the song, “Wash, wash,
wash your hands”

January 6, 2011 - Haiti Mission Meeting, Vashon Island

2011-01-06T22:42:00.000-08:00

We had a very productive meeting tonight. I think we can all sense that our trip is getting closer and the energy is coming together for the group. We discussed our fears and concerns about the current health crisis and political unrest in Hati and we are all committed to staying the course and going down there. It was reassuring to hear that others in the group are also expressing concerns but we're going to support each other in every way. Several individual tasks were discussed tonight with much of the conversation centered around what personal and team gear and construction equipment and first aid supplies we will be brining with us. Sandy and Mary had some great ideas on games to bring for the children. Nancy covered some of the remaining financial deatils for the group and airline baggage limits including number of bags and weight limits were also discussed. Steve and Bob shared some inspiring passages with the group that they felt especially moved by. Steve departs on his first trip to Hati with the UMVIM Oregon/Idaho group on January 31, 2011. Our next meeting is scheduled for February 15, 2011 shortly after his return. We hope to have many of our questions answered at that time. A special Haiti focused church service will be held this Sunday at VUMC by Cindy Stirling with guest speaker Lee Durston who will talk about his experiences working with the Haitian people.

- Bruce

VUMC Mission to Haiti Team Meeting - October 28, 2010

2010-12-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

Nancy Vanderpool (photo)

Clockwise from right: Vonnie Feyen, Sandie Ellingson, Bruce Stirling, Deb Taylor, Bob Dixon, Mary-Margaret Pearson, Steve Meacham (not pictured, Nancy Vanderpool and Bob Webster).

Creating the Blog

2010-10-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

This is a test see how to upload photos and text to the internet for people to see what we are doing in Haiti through this blog. With access to the internet we will be able to let people back home see what we are doing and keep up on our progress while supporting the Haitian people.