It's a hot one!

Bonjour,

Koman ou ye?

It's been a few days since I've been able to update you all. Our internet connection has been rather inconsistent but seems to be up and running in a more consistent manner now.

I'm trying to remember all that's been going on since I last wrote. Chad and I have been working away. I've been helping out with employee ID cards for the Haiti ARISE employees, and Chad has been been helping out with the elementary school. Yesterday we both spent a couple of hours helping paint some of the rooms in the compound.

I've spent a lot of time sorting through a room that is full of "stuff." It's been a sweaty, dirty job...lot's of dirt, and dust...and even a rotting mouse (not sure what's up with the rodent encounters thus far!). In the aftermath of the quake, the compound was lent out by Haiti ARISE to another relief organization to use as their headquarters for a time. Unfortunately when they left, they left a bit of a mess. This is why I'm cleaning up this room. There are hundreds of books ranging from everything from classic English literature, commentaries, children's books, reading/writing books, Bibles, and Dictionaries. I love books, so once I was able to get past the dirt and such, I had a great time sorting everything into lovely orderly piles...yes, I'm a geek.

Chad's been trying to get going on the panels for "Eldon's wall." Yes Eldon...it is YOUR wall :)
As I write this he's outside mixing cement to pour his first panel. I hope it all works out for him. I wish I could write more about what he's doing, but frankly I don't understand it. I'll have to get him to type one of these blogs so that he can give you more detail.

I will say this - the heat is very draining. It has been a total adjustment getting used to the slower pace of things here. We're used to going "full-speed ahead" but its just not possible in this heat. Also, items/tools are harder to get in order to get through various tasks which also slows things down.

Perhaps the highlight of the last few days was a walk into the village on Tuesday. We met and talked to (or at least tried to talk to) all kinds of people. I had my camera and they were all very eager to show us their homes and have their pictures taken in front of them. Some homes were completely flattened, others had large cracks running up the walls, and in some the ceiling had fallen in. While some homes sustained little damage, people are still staying in tents because they are afraid to return to their homes. I don't blame them. Even after being here for a few weeks, it's hard to imagine what it must have been like for these people to endure that earthquake. We saw one home that now looks as flat as a pancake that a woman was actually pulled alive from. It's difficult to explain so I'll post a picture so you have an idea. To think that someone survived in this pile of rubble is unbelievable.

One of the workers at Haiti ARISE named Carlysle was in in Port Au Prince when the earthquake happened. He was trying to get on the back of a tap-tap (Haitian truck-taxi) but it was full and no-one would give him a space to sit. Just as he decided to jump off the back and find another tap-tap the earthquake happened. He was thrown to the ground and couldn't see anything for all the dust. When the dust finally did settle he saw that the tap-tap he had just jumped off of was crushed under a building that fell. Everyone on that tap-tap died. Carlysle say's that he knew at that moment that God had spared him for a reason - God has plans for his life. Quite a story.

While the pictures and stories can be overwhelming I think that it's important not to be discouraged. Good things are happening in Haiti. People are slowly starting to rebuild (if they can afford to) and despite the bureaucratic red tape that often holds things up, people are starting to rebuild their lives. In Grand Goave new wells are being drilled and plans to start rebuilding homes in the community are underway. Things are moving slowly...but at least they are moving.

Anyway, I've prattled on once again. Thank you all once again for your prayers. I realize that we thank you everytime we post a blog but we truly mean it. You're prayers mean everything to us.

Will write again soon,

Chad, Kelly, & Dublin