The O'Neill's in Haiti 2010

Home.

2010-08-21T13:52:00.002-05:00

Hello all,

Well, we've made it. It's hard to believe that our journey has come to an end. We had a long day yesterday and were happy to sleep in the comfort of our own bed last night.

I guess that we'd like to thank everyone one last time for thinking of us and praying for us over the last five weeks. We had an amazing time and will always remember this precious journey that we took as a family. It will take some time for us to get settled back into our home and also to digest everything that occurred while we were in Haiti. We are so happy that we stepped out in faith and took this trip; God certainly had his hand upon us.

So, signing off for the last time:

Chad, Kelly, and Dublin O'Neill.

Safe in Montreal.

2010-08-20T08:25:00.002-05:00

Hello all,

Well, after a rather tearful goodbye to the friends we have made in Haiti we headed into Port Au Prince yesterday. We made our flight in excellent time and actually had a couple of hours to wait once we'd checked in and gone through security. Our check-in went really smoothly which we actually weren't expecting. We thought we'd be waiting in the heat for at least an hour, but it only took us about 20 minutes to get through. We were very thankful!

Our flight went well. Dublin slept for most of it so that was a real blessing for us. We landed quite late last night but got through customs rather quickly. We got to the hotel at around 2:00am. We're all a little tired this morning. We're going to go out and find some breakfast and enjoy a bit of the day before heading to the airport for the last leg of our journey.

Anyway, looking forward to getting home this evening. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Chad, Kelly, and Dublin.

Heading home...

2010-08-20T08:24:00.001-05:00

Hello,

Well, it’s so difficult to believe that our time in Haiti has almost come to an end. The last few days have been somewhat stressful as Dublin has been a little bit ill and Chad and I have also been fighting colds. We haven’t slept very well. Today, Chad took Dublin to the doctor and was able to get a couple of prescriptions. We’re praying that he sleeps well tonight and that our flight
to Montreal tomorrow goes smoothly.

Despite the fact that he hasn’t slept very much, Chad has been working with Gord on getting a section of the wall up. Finally, today they finished the first section. It looks great! I cannot begin to describe how difficult it has been for Chad to get the wall started. It seems as though there has been constant interruption. However, now that first section is up the excitement level seems to have gone up and today several Haitians were hired to help poor concrete slabs – they poured 40! So, hopefully, the progress with the wall will continue after we leave…slowly but surely.
I’ve not been too busy in the last few days. Robin and I spent some time yesterday morning sorting through the many items that the team that left behind this earlier week – school supplies, medical supplies, bedding, clothing, towels, etc. We actually were not able to finish sorting everything but I’m sure everything will get put in its proper spot sooner or later.
This morning, Robin and I went into Petit Goave with Lisa, Mark Ettie, and Rebecca (who’s here for a year with her husband Chris) to look for material for the school uniforms for the children who will be attending the elementary school here on the compound. Our search was successful and we were able to purchase a large amount of material. We then spent some time wandering around the market.

Tonight we went for our last neighbourhood walk. It has been a lovely afternoon and evening with the Caribbean breeze providing some reprieve from the heat. As we walked I tried to take in every person, every palm tree, every little Haitian home, every animal – everything. As I’ve mentioned before, although Chad and I will be happy to be home in Canada, we will miss Haiti, and the friends that we have made here, very much.

So, our adventure in Haiti is coming to an end. Our flight out of Port Au Prince is at around 6:00 tomorrow evening. Please be praying for us that our trip goes smoothly. We are a little bit nervous about travelling with Dublin when he’s not feeling all that well.

Sending lots of love home,

Chad, Kelly, & Dublin.

Ps) I wrote the above blog a couple of nights ago but wasn’t able to post it.

Happy Birthday Dublin & Grandma Webber!

2010-08-15T20:17:00.005-05:00

Well, this has been a trip of firsts for Dublin. This is his first international trip to help people in need, while we’ve been here he had his first minor head wound, he took his first few steps, he received his first kiss from a young lady (who is actually 6 months older – way to go son!), and today he had his first birthday! Of course he didn’t realize the significance of the day but I was determined to have a cake to celebrate the occasion. We made one this afternoon and it turned our pretty well. It was great to hear the team from Nelson, several employees from Haiti Arise, and of course, mommy and daddy, sing happy birthday! We were able to catch it on video and Gord took a bunch of pictures so don’t worry family members – we will be sure to show you guys when we get home.

Also, happy birthday to my mom! I love you mom and I hope that you have had a great day today! Looking forward to seeing you soon. Dublin say’s hello and he can’t wait to have lots of hugs and kisses from his grandma!

Today was a rather typical Sunday morning around the compound – very restful. We spent time chatting with our buddies Gord and Robin, and this afternoon took a long walk through the community. Chad and I never grow weary of the enthusiasm and joy of the people that we meet along the way. It is overwhelming and humbling to see such joy in the midst of such poverty. Today we visited the home of an elderly couple. It was no more than an 8 x 10 thatch hut with a dirt floor but still they were thankful.

As I sit here tonight and type this blog the team from Nelson (and Chad) is busy bagging rice for the food distribution that is going to take place tomorrow morning. It is expected that many, many people will come for the rice that will be handed out. I will admit that I have mixed feelings about rice distributions...but I won't get into it here. I pray that there is enough to feed everyone. It is heartbreaking to see people turned away.

Anyway, signing off once again. Sending much love home as usual. Thank you to everyone who has kept us in their prayers.

Chad, Kelly, and Dublin.

Port Au Prince + Kia Dealership = stress.

2010-08-14T20:01:00.003-05:00

Hello :)

Before I say anything else I must wish my brother-in-law Chris a Happy belated birthday! I had started a blog on the 12th and was going to wish you happy birthday in it but never did manage to get it posted (I know what you’re saying…excuses, excuses…). I hope that you had a great day!

So, the team that arrived on Tuesday has settled in and had a busy week. They’ve been working on playground equipment for the elementary school and did a children’s program on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon. Gord has been instrumental in helping get the swing-set for the elementary school together (with his lovely assistant Chad) and Robin has been instrumental in getting the children’s program set up and running.

This week has been kind of weird for me. Leading up to the team’s arrival we were doing so much to prepare for their visit. When they finally did arrive, everything sort of came to a standstill for me. Lisa has given me different tasks to do and I’ve tried to make myself available to help the team out.

Today I went with the team up to the market. It was a great experience – but so HOT! This afternoon we were able to go to the beach for a few hours and enjoy the warm water and beautiful Haitian scenery.

Chad and Gord went into Port Au Prince today. They needed to find some parts for the bobcat which seems to be on the fritz right now. They were also looking for some parts for one of the Haiti Arise vehicles. They left at 6:00 this morning and arrived home while we were out at the beach. I understand that it was a little overwhelming trying to locate the parts that were needed but they were successful in the end. Chad and Gord say “don’t ask about the Kia dealership experience” (I’m thinking it was a “growing” experience).

I’m sure that this evening will be an early evening. Everyone is rather tired and some are a tad sun-burnt. Tomorrow we have church, and I believe a rice distribution is planned either for tomorrow or Monday.

Anyway, we will keep you posted as to our activities in our last few days of our trip. Sending lots of love.

Chad, Kelly, and Dublin.

Odds and Ends.

2010-08-10T20:45:00.004-05:00

Hello all,

The team has arrived….and they brought M&M’s!!! Woot Woot!!! Probably not what I should be snacking on prior to sleeping but whatever! We are so happy to have Robin and Gord here with us! We’ll take good care of them Christine!

So, there’s really not too much that’s all that exciting to blog about this evening (other than the team arriving) so I thought that we would write all the things that we’ve meant to tell you about before but have forgotten.

First, Chad forgotten to mention in his blog about his day with Christoph and his family that in the middle of the day he was offered a shower (a bucket with a bar of soap). The whole family participated…don’t worry, not at the same time! Everyone’s dignity was protected :) Chad said it was one of the highlights of an awesome day. I would have been nervous about peepers…but not Chad, nothing like a shower in the great outdoors!

Second, we forgot to tell you about the goat and the cement mixer. Chad was out with some of the guys watching them while they were trying to get the cement mixer up and running. Apparently the cement mixer has a pull cord like what you’d see on a lawn mower. Unfortunately the pull cord was missing and the guys were in need of some type of rope. Thankfully, there happened to be a goat, attached to a rope nearby. The boys went and fetched the rope…AND the goat, and attached them to the cement mixer. One can only imagine the whiplash that the poor goat endured as the rope was pulled to start the cement mixer. By the third tug, I’m sure the goat was in need of some intense message therapy! Anyway, the cement mixer is still not working. Hopefully while Gord is here he can get it up and running.

I think that’s it for forgotten “stuff.”

Now that I think of it, there was a rather interesting event this evening. Tonight was church. Chad went while I stayed back in our room and played with Dublin. We’ve found that it’s easier if we take turns going to service. Dublin is far too wiggly to hold for an entire service. While Dublin and I were playing we had an incident – we’re both safe and neither of us are injured, and I know that it is because people are praying.

What happened - The city power came on and the generator turned off meaning that I had to restart our air conditioner. As I was putting it to the correct setting I was suddenly surrounded by sparks – our air conditioner is now out of commission. The reason that this whole incident was rather scary is that we have a re-bar shelving unit that is sitting right next to the air-conditioner. It was an exposed wire from the air-conditioner that touched the re-bar and caused the unit to blow. Had Dublin been playing by the shelving unit, or touching it he might have been electrocuted. He also may have been hit by flying sparks. So, we thank you again for your prayers.

Anyway, I think I’ll sign off. We’re going to head off to bed in the next few minutes. Dublin and Chad both seem to be fighting colds so please remember to pray for them.

Lots of love.

Kelly.

I can't think of a title...again.

2010-08-09T16:01:00.003-05:00

Hello all,

Another great weekend has come and gone. On Saturday while Chad was off at Christoph’s I went with the ladies into Petit Goave to help do a gigantic shop for the team that will be arriving tomorrow. It took hours! It’s not like home, where you can walk into the local grocery store and get everything in one place. I love going to the market and seeing all the different items that vendors are selling and hearing all the calling back and forth. It’s quite an experience.

Yesterday Chad and I both had an opportunity to share in church. We both talked about how God has worked in our lives. As per tradition I started crying. It’s still not easy sharing about a much loved nephew who went to be with God at a very young age and a sister and brother-in-law who have had so much faith in the will of God. I know that God can use this small child’s life, and the example of my family to bring people closer to himself.

Chad talked about his life and challenged the people in the church to watch how they are acting and what they are saying when with friends or in the workplace. People are watching their behaviour. Unfortunately Christians often don’t present the best example – we don’t live out our beliefs (Chad and I are as guilty as anyone of this). As one individual put it, “The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Christ with their lips, and then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle” (Brennan Manning). Surprisingly Chad didn’t cry which was rather interesting as we both tend to be big crybabies.

Today the compound has been in a flurry of activity as everyone has been running around preparing for the team that will be arriving tomorrow. Chad and I are feeling really blessed that our friends, Gord and Robin Houghton will be arriving with the team. We are thrilled that they will be here for our last week….is it our last week already? I get emotional thinking about it! My heart is very much with the Haitian people. I can speak for Chad when I say that his heart is also with the Haitian people. While we miss home and will be happy to see everyone, this is like a second home. Haiti will always be a part of our lives.

Chad has been working on “the wall” with his helper Edsa. It’s been an incredibly slow process, and a little frustrating at times but he seems to be making progress. The posts that he poured a couple of days ago turned out great and I think he’s trying to get them into the ground either today or tomorrow.

It’s been really hot today. I think it’s one of the hottest days that we’ve had since we arrived. Dublin has a bit of heat rash – more than he’s had so far. It doesn’t seem to be bothering him or affecting his mood. He’s his usually happy self. We gave him a bath to cool him down and he had a lovely time. I think his heat rash may be bothering Chad and I more than it is bothering Dublin!

Anyway, we’ll post a new update soon. Missing everyone back home. Much love to you all.
Thank you for your continued prayers. Please pray that we’ll remain healthy and finish the last days of our trip well.

Chad, Kelly, & Dublin.

PS) SAC – We NEED to get a team down here in November! There is much to be done!

A day with Christoph and his Family.

2010-08-08T16:12:00.002-05:00

I was heading to the market today (Saturday) until Christoph showed up to get me to come to his home for the day. In Haiti you roll with the punches, so I said goodbye to my wife and son and was off. The walk was quite nice. You feel you are in a large campground except this is actually where many Haitians live, and there is every animal you can think of making noise and crossing in front or behind you. The sun was hot and the trees and mountains were great. It is actually an awesome way to live until the bad weather comes. I can’t imagine the torrential rains that come here so often.

When I was near Christophs I was greeted by 6-7 kids who seemed to know I was coming for the day. I tried a little brown fuzzy fruit called saptille. It was small but nice and sweet. I was then offered a cold coffee with lots of condensed milk.

As I looked around I saw meals being made and kids playing around at nearby tents. Christoph disappeared to go and buy our meal. He returned a while later with two good size fish for our lunch. Shortly after, madam Christoph came in from the market carrying some goods on her head. QDDX4EAZS (Sorry that was Dublin's input to the Blog). Madam Christoph had her daughter and friend help her prepare the meal. They cleaned the fish and then put lime all throughout the meat to kill bacteria. The meat was then cut to let the seasoning and marinade soak in. Soak in they did. This was quite an experience. I can say it is not too often a Canadian gets to share a meal in a Haitian village with a family.

The thoughts that went through my mind were that Christoph and his wife had happily spent money that they don’t have on me. Christoph offered me a 7-Up which I declined because I realize that 7-Up is a luxury. Christoph ignored me and bought them any ways. His son ran off and soon returned with four 7-Ups. We split them amongst 9 of us and all enjoyed them under the hot sun.

Dinner was great; I sat across from Christoph and his daughter. We did not have much conversation, only due to the language barrier. I wish I could speak Creole.

During the day we would walk a ways to different locations around Christoph’s house and he would check on his chickens and 4 new chickens that came from the market. We ended our time together doing something I have loved for many years. We went down to the field about 5 min. away and we walked his two horses, and even better, his two colts, to the watering hole. What a way to end my adventure. As I walked down the trails I looked around. You can see so much beauty in a very poor country. The time we had was good. Thank you God for what you have blessed me with. I can’t help but feel reminded to use wisely what God has given me.

Chad.

A week of ups and downs.

2010-08-07T16:00:00.002-05:00

Hello again,

Well, this has been a week of ups and downs. Dublin had a little accident on Wednesday night which has resulted in a rug-burn like injury on his head. While I don’t want to get into the details, I will say that it was completely my fault. I’ve spent the last several days trying to overcome the guilt that has ensued after I accidentally hurt my baby boy. He’s doing totally fine and is his usual happy self, but I wanted to mention it because the injury will likely show up in pictures. I’ve had one of those moments where I feel like a terrible mother; it’s a horrible feeling.

Although Dublin’s little injury occurred on Wednesday night he was rarin’ to go on Thursday morning. Chad and I had planned on going into Port Au Prince for the day on Thursday and were uncertain after Dublin got hurt whether we would actually go. Because he was so chipper when we woke up we made the decision to leave him in the capable hands of his baby-sitter, Carmita and went into the city with Marc, about 12 other people, and a live turkey.

The drive was really interesting for me. When we arrived in Haiti just over three weeks ago it was after dark so I didn’t see anything on the ride to Grand Goave. All the way into the city the roadsides were dotted with communities of tents. When we actually did get into Port Au Prince there were even more tents. While I admit that I was surprised at the amount of rubble that has been cleared away, the buildings that are still left to be demolished are incredibly sobering to look at. Immediately one can’t help but think of the souls that were in those buildings as they collapsed.

As the Presidential elections are taking place in November, campaigning is in full swing for various parties. We ran into several rallies that were taking place in support of one candidate or another. Marc told me that currently there are around 70 people running for the Presidency and by the time the election actually takes place there could be around 125. We ran into one massive group of political supporters, mostly young people, all wearing t-shirts that read “fas a fas” (face to face). There were literally hundreds of them, broken up into groups of about 100-200 in different areas of the city. We had no clue which candidate they were supporting until one gentleman stopped beside our vehicle, looked right at us, raised his arms, and yelled “WYCLEF!” We then immediately knew who these people want to be the next President in Haiti. We asked Marc what would happen if any of these groups, supporting different political parties ran into each other. He answered that “it would not be good.”

Our day in Port Au Prince was quite long and we were happy to get back to Dublin. He was happy to see us too!

Anyway, no internet again tonight so I will post this in the morning. Much love to you all.

Chad, Kelly, and Dublin.

Ps) I wrote the above post on Friday night (yesterday). Today Chad is spending the day at the home of Christoph, the gardener at Haiti Arise. We’ll be sure to blog about his adventure in the next few days!

The rooster that no longer crows.

2010-08-04T10:40:00.001-05:00

Written yesterday. Posted today. Internet was down.

Hello all. We hope that all of you lovely people that are reading this are doing well. Things continue to go great for us here in Haiti. I’m sitting outside as I write this. It’s after nightfall and I just realized that tonight is the first night that I’ve taken the time to look up into the Haitian skies and see the multitude of stars. It’s spectacular.

The last few days we’ve been busy at work as usual. Chad especially has been hard at work. He arranged to have the moulds for the pre-fab posts adjusted by four feet. They picked them up today and they look great. Mr. P and Chris, if you’re reading this, Chad would have loved you here to do some metal work…welding perhaps. You would have saved some money! Today he and a helper also poured several more concrete wall inserts, five I think. He was hoping to use the cement mixer that is down here but apparently it may not be working…and it’s out of gas. He mixed by hand – strong man that he is, and I must say, although I am no concrete expert, the panels look great. The vibrating table that was rigged up on a previous trip really works – no air bubbles in these panels! Even I’m excited to see how they turn out. It will be great once the posts can go up and the first part of the wall is started.

This afternoon Chad and I had our second Creole lesson. Yes, we are taking Creole. Thankfully our teacher, David is very patient with us and is a great teacher. I think that we’re both starting to pick up a few more words and phrases that we will be able to use during our trip. We learned how to ask if a store has cookies….which is very important, especially after our last attempt to purchase some.

I finally had a chance to put on the old soccer boots for a little game of pick up this evening. It was against a 6 year old and a 9 year old, and they are really quite good! We tied. It was a great time, with Chad joining in the fun as well. He played in his crocs which I think was quite spectacular. Thankfully, despite the rather rough terrain, there were no twisted ankles. I was totally exhausted afterwards. I am unbelievably out of shape…but it was worth it. I hope that Chad and I will have a chance to boot the ball around again at some point with some young Haitians.

So, you may be wondering about the title of this blog. Yesterday an interesting “event” happened. Chad was sitting outside watching Christoph the gardner and a young child, perhaps 10, chasing around a rooster that we often see wandering around the compound. He thought they were just having a good time…until he saw them hand it to Luciana, our beloved compound cook. Luciana then proceeded to dispose of said rooster. I happened to walk outside just as Luciana was putting the poor rooster out of its misery. Chad warned me that I might not want to look but I couldn’t help myself. I should have listened to him. Anyway, we had rooster for dinner last night. This morning, the compound yard was very quiet. The rooster that has woken us up for pretty much every morning since we’ve arrived has crowed his last.

We also came across a huge tarantula yesterday. Actually there were 3 found during the day, and thankfully they were all disposed of very quickly. I have never been so grossed out in my life – they are enormous!

For those of you who are wondering, Dublin is doing great. He has adjusted very well to the heat of this country and he loves his baby-sitter. He’s very, very close to taking his first steps on his own, which is very exciting. Chad and I had a hard time when we first arrived, mainly due to our protective nature, but Dublin has done great and is now quite happy to sit and be held by whoever happens to pick him up. He truly is loved.

Anyway, I should wrap this up. Once again I’ve rambled on. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. Much love to you all.

Chad, Kelly and Dublin.

Sometimes computers make me angry.

2010-07-31T20:59:00.002-05:00

Hello all,

Ok, so I was just about to wrap up a post and lost it…love technology. Anyway, here is the attempted re-write.

Last time we wrote was Thursday. We had a pretty bad sleep that night. Dublin decided to stay up and party. We think that he’s realized that mommy and daddy are sleeping in the same room as him; that must mean that it’s time to get up and play right? Needless to say, we were rather tired on Friday.

Despite our sleepiness we had a really productive day. Chad spent the morning looking for a steel worker who could extend the pre-fab fence posts by four feet. It was a good experience for him. He then spent the afternoon on landscaping duty. He did a big clean-up of the area in front of and around the elementary school, which is nearing completion.

I spent the morning carrying books up to the second floor of the main building which will house the library. It was quite a good workout! The afternoon was spent undertaking more organizing. There is a lot to be organized around here. In the aftermath of the quake, everyone scrambled to get everything out of the technical school building as quickly as possible (which is very understandable). Now we are working at putting things back in order.

This morning Chad helped out installing an air conditioner in one of the offices on the main floor and also checked out his test concrete slabs that he had poured. They turned out quite well. I spent the morning trying to work on employee ID cards. The printer wouldn’t cooperate so I eventually had to just walk away (see blog title). I will try again on Monday.

This afternoon we spent some time as a family and took a walk down to the beach that is near the compound. Unfortunately the water isn’t all that suitable for swimming but the scenic walk more than makes up for that fact. It’s fun walking past the heavy brush and hearing a cow bellow or a pig squeal. You can’t actually see them but you know that they’re there!

We’re off to bed in the next few minutes. Church tomorrow.

Will write again soon,

Chad, Kelly, & Dublin.

It's a hot one!

2010-07-29T11:07:00.005-05:00

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

Today I had an encounter with a large rodent - not cool.

2010-07-26T08:46:00.003-05:00

Hello all,

I tried to post this last night but the internet was just not cooperating. Anyway's here's the latest update...it's a long one!

Well, another weekend has passed and it was a busy one. Yesterday morning we went into Petit Goave to make a stop at the bank. It was interesting walking into the bank and getting looked over by three rather large security guards…a little different than our usual banking experience to say the least!

While we were in Petit Goave we had a chance to take a walk through the local market. The market had vendors selling pretty much anything you could imagine. It was quite a sight watching people rushing all over the place and listening to the chatter back and forth between vendors and potential buyers. We had an interesting time trying to stay out of the way! Perhaps the most interesting part of the market was the “produce section.” Chad bought some key limes, some passion fruit, and some beans. Lisa was able to interpret for us which was obviously very helpful. The meat section of the market was a sight to see as well. There were a lot of little piggies who had definitely seen better days! It was slightly intimidating to walk past one meat vendor as he hacked away at the meat with his machete.

After the market in the morning we made our way back home to the compound and spent the afternoon working away once again. I was helping out with the ed. fund cards once again. They had to be completed for today as they will be going back to Canada tomorrow with Alice, who has been down here helping out while we’ve been here. It was very hectic trying to get everything organized, and difficult to get everything done as it seems that there are always so many interruptions - but lo and behold we made it through! Tomorrow begins a new project.

Chad spent the afternoon doing various tasks and took a walk with Marc to see the property where the new wall is going to be built. He looked at the pre-manufactured wall forms to try an idea of how to proceed. He’s feeling a little overwhelmed and needs Eldon’s help….so if you’re reading this Eldon – HELP!

This morning we had church. Again it was an amazing experience. I couldn’t help but feel humbled as people were thanking God for all that they have, even in the wake of a devastating earthquake in which many lost homes and loved ones. The music in the service is incredible and even though I often don’t understand much of what is being said, or sung you can really see that these people love God and certainly are not afraid to show it.

This afternoon was an afternoon of rest. It was really hot today and it took its toll on us. After lunch Chad and Dublin took a walk down to the beach; on their way home they ran into a friend that Chad made on his last trip down to Haiti. His name is Jean Philippe, and Chad was very happy to have run into him and had the opportunity to say hi and see how things are going. They didn’t understand much of what the other was saying, but they smiled and hugged.

Perhaps the highlight of the afternoon/evening though, was taking a walk with Marc and Lisa over to the property that will one day contain the goat farm (these plans are on hold now because other things have taken priority because of the earthquake). On our walk we ran into all kinds of people and were able to talk with them a bit and see the tents that they are living in. We went to visit an elderly lady who is living in an 8 x 10 hut with a bed, a few dishes, and a small oil candle. She hurt her back a few days ago and is in a lot of pain. While Dublin and I stood outside the door, Chad, Marc and Lisa prayed for this little old lady, that her back would get better. Seeing the four of them praying in this tiny hut with only the flicker of a small candle is an image that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

As it was getting dark, we had to make our way back to the compound. It’s been a great weekend and we’re really looking forward to the days and weeks ahead. We’re hoping to get out into the community more as we are starting to recognize more faces…and they are also starting to recognize us :)

Sorry for the long blog, but we didn’t want to leave anything out. We hope that all those who are reading this are well. We thank you as always for your thoughts and prayers.

God bless,

Chad, Kelly, and Dublin.

ps) I really did encounter a rodent. Chad was downstairs and heard me shriek...he thought I'd injured myself. I'm not a bit fan of rodents....and this one was a biggin!

Week 1 has already come and gone.

2010-07-23T16:52:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone,

The last couple of days have been rather uneventful. Yesterday seemed kind of slow around the compound. It was one of those days when you want to get things done, and you try to get things done, but at the end of the day you look back and say "I didn't get anything done!" We're having to adjust to the pace of life here and are learning to expect delays from time to time. The key is patience :)

Today felt far more productive. Chad was in and out of town several times for different items that he needed...new wheels for the wheelbarrows, plumbing supplies for the water tank, and propane to be used in the kitchen. Although he's helped out with the new elementary school, he's also been doing different tasks around the compound - hanging up new tile racks and shower heads, and fixing different things - such as the wheelbarrows and the water pump. I should mention that the elementary school is a temporary building - everyone is eager to see the kids back in school and learning so this is a quick, short-term solution. It's a basic three classroom building made out of wood with a tin roof.

I spent my day in front of the computer, still working away at the student information cards that are needing to be completed. The city power was discontinued at the end of the day so the last while was spent working in the dark.

We were hoping to go for a walk in the village this evening but we ran out of time. While Chad has been able to get out and about I've only left the compound a couple of times since we arrived. I'm hoping that I can get out more. I want to see more of the community and meet some new people. It sounds like we will be heading to the market in Petit Goave tomorrow morning so I'm looking forward to that.

It's so hard to believe that a week has already passed. We continue to be healthy. My stomach was a bit off last night but I was better today. Please continue to pray for health and safety - especially for Dublin.

Thanks for you messages everyone. Kim - I think I answered your question about the construction above. Chad say's that Andrew would be awesome down here helping out with that. Gord - there's something wrong with the generator...but I think you already know that. Maybe you'll be here to fix it in the near future????? If the rumors are correct that is! :)

Okay, time to sign off once more. Thanks again for all your support and prayers. Will write again soon.

Chad, Kelly & Dublin.

Thinking of titles for these things is really hard....

2010-07-21T14:42:00.002-05:00

Hello again,

Hope that all you folks who are reading this are doing well. We would just like to say that we can tell that people are reading because we added a counter to the blog BUT we sure would like to hear from you :) We understand that you need to set up an account to comment, which we realize can be somewhat annoying....but please do it! Your comments would really mean a lot to us! We love hearing from you!

Things are great here. Yesterday was spent working on construction and admin. tasks once again. In the later afternoon it started to rain rather hard. The thunder was incredibly loud. Thankfully the storm didn't scare Dublin, rather, it made him laugh! While the rain storms since we've been here have been relatively short, this one was not. It lasted until quite late into the evening. We couldn't help but think of all the people trying to stay dry in their tents and tarps. It's overwhelming to consider how difficult it must be to stay dry in such torrential rain.

We lost city power in the early afternoon and didn't get it back until this morning, and then our inverter ran out...needless to say, it was a very warm night. All three of us spent it tossing and turning and we finally decided to get up at 5:00 this morning. Again though, we couldn't help but think of those who are trying to dry their shelters today; it certainly makes our "rough night" seem a little less rough.

I should mention that we've seen some "wild life" since we've been here....3 cockroaches, 2 giant bat-like butterflies that I ran away from, many chickens and roosters, several goats, some cows, horses, and a bunch of dead fish...which tasted very good (Chad ate a fish head - gross). We had goat for dinner tonight but I've been informed that it wasn't one of the goats that resides at Haiti Arise!

Most of the day today was spent working away but late this afternoon we headed down to the beach for a couple of hours. We hadn't been down to the beach since we've been here so it was a nice treat, and the water provided a great reprieve from the heat. While it was clouded over, the water was really warm and Dublin LOVED it. On our drive we saw some of the homes that were destroyed by the earthquake in the Grand Goave region. I'll post some pics tonight.

Anyway, I guess that's about it. Things continue to go great down here and we are still feeling healthy. Thanks again for all your encouragement and prayers!

Chad, Kelly & Dublin

Two great days!

2010-07-19T18:56:00.000-05:00

Hello all,

Yesterday was church. For those of you who have never experienced a Haiti church service - they rock! People are totally engaged...it's great to be a part of. I'm happy we'll get to be at a few more services while we're here.

We had a really great day today. Chad is totally exhausted though! He was out working with the guys on the new primary school building and cleaning up rubble from the technical school that was demolished after the earthquake. It is understandable that he is very tired after working in the heat all day. He's upstairs with Dublin right now in the comfort of our air-conditioned room...I will be following shortly!

I spent the day helping update the information cards for students who are currently sponsored through the Haiti ARISE education fund. These cards are then sent out to sponsors each year so that they have updates on how their student is doing. We are also creating cards for kids who are needing sponsors. It can be somewhat tedious at times but we're slowly working our way through.

This afternoon Chad, Dublin and I took our first walk through the village. Dublin was definitely the center of attention. Kids throughout the village took an interest in him as we were walking along and many were asking his name. There are tents and temporary shelters scattered in various areas of the village, and we saw several games of pick-up soccer going on, though not always with an actual soccer ball. We're looking forward to taking many more walks through the village and hope that we can get to know some people. As we become more comfortable and people start to see us more we'll take our camera out and get some pics.

So that's the last two days in a nut-shell. Tomorrow we'll both be working on the same projects that we worked on today. There is a lot to be done here. I hope that SAC is able to get a team together to come down this fall. There is something for everyone to do - I know that sometimes people wonder how they can be used down here but really, it just comes down to having a willing heart (not to sound totally cheesy); but it's true...we can all be used.

Anyhow, now that I've rambled on I'll sign off. Will post a new update in the next few days.

Chad, Kelly, and Dublin.

ps) Gerrard's if you are reading this - we are working on our Creole. Even Chad's is coming along nicely!

Day Two

2010-07-17T21:16:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

Well, day two has come and gone. All three of us slept much better last night and felt more energized today. This morning we had a chance to go and see some of the village and Marc and Lisa's house. It was good to get outside the compound walls and see what surrounds us. It is so strange to see how some homes seem to survived the earthquake with little or no damage while others have been reduced to rubble.

This afternoon Chad got to work helping out with the construction of the primary school that is being built. The hope is to have it up and running by this September for grades 1 through 4. I took some pictures of Chad hard at work and will post them in the next day or two. I spent some time this afternoon working on some admin. tasks. Dublin spent the afternoon looking cute and hanging out with his new friend Carmita. She is helping watch Dublin while we are down here so that I can help out with some different things that need to get done.

Tonight we had the opportunity to attend our first Haitian wedding. We were told it would start somewhere between 2:00 and 4:30 pm. I'm not actually sure when it did finally start, but it was fun to be there. It was certainly different than our typically quiet North American wedding ceremonies. It was...lively - lot's of cheering and celebrating...I guess you could call it an "audience participation wedding." It was a great experience.

So, that's day two. We're off to bed in the next few minutes. Tomorrow's church.

Please be praying that we'll all stay healthy. We've all been doing well so far. We especially want little Dublin to be well while we're here. He's already adjusting quite well to the heat and has been drinking a lot of fluids, and eating regularly which is really great. We hope that this will continue.

Anyhow, thanks to you all once again for your prayers and support.

Chad, Kelly & Dublin.

We've Arrived!

2010-07-16T09:58:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone,

We've arrived safe and sound. Our flights went pretty well and we were happy to touch down in Port Au Prince last night. I'll admit that the airport was rather packed and slightly overwhelming but we made it through customs and Chad was able to find all of our luggage rather easily....getting through the crowds to actually retrieve the luggage was slightly more difficult though :)

We drove through Port Au Prince after dark which was interesting. Even in the darkness we could see the crumbled buildings and piles of rubble. It is overwhelming to consider what the people of this country have endured in the last months.

We arrived safely at Haiti Arise and are now settling in. Everyone here has been so great and have really made us feel at home. Last night we had a rough night's sleep and are hoping that tonight we will sleep better. Dublin is doing well but is tired today. I imagine the sudden change of climate is impacting him as well. We're hoping that we will adjust to the heat sooner than later.

Anyway, thanks to all of you for your prayers because we know that you are praying. We'll write again soon....

Chad, Kelly & Dublin.

One week to go.

2010-07-07T11:42:00.000-05:00

So, this would be my first real blog experience so I beg your indulgence....I don't know what to write. Hopefully as the weeks go by this will get a little easier. I'm sure that Chad and I will have a lot to share during our time in Haiti.

The last weeks have consisted of hockey bag packing, passport getting, vaccine taking and A LOT of prayer. The O'Neill's (including Dublin) are headed to Haiti in one week. We'll be down for five weeks working with an organization called Haiti Arise, located in Grand Goave in the south-western region of the country. While Chad will be assisting with rebuilding efforts, I will be helping out on the administrative end of things. Basically, we're hoping to be of service in whatever way we can.

I guess that's about it for now....we will keep the updates coming though in the days and weeks ahead. Oh, and all prayers are very much appreciated...for health and safety (for Chad and Kelly..but especially for Dublin), and of course that we might make even a small difference.

Talk to you soon,

Kelly (and Chad)