I have so much jumbled in my mind right now that I want to say so I apologize if this seems a bit muddled. This is the first time I have been able to sit down to write an update.
Our hearts break. I am sure yours is too. Aren’t the pictures gut-wrenching? Bull-dozing bodies into dump trucks to mass graves?! I cannot imagine. We have a praise report though so I’ll start with that.
Adam’s Dad heard from the pastors on late Friday~Yay!!! Six of the seven are all accounted for (including their families). Pastor Corvil and his family actually lived in downtown Port-au-Prince and no one has been able to locate him so we fear they have perished. All of the other pastors and families are healthy-their homes are gone but they are alive! Again…Yay!
The orphanage….another story. Nothing has been heard.The gentleman from Florida that Adam’s Dad works with for the orphanage has not heard anything either. We have been told that where it was is essentially “gone”. We fear the children most likely perished but we will still pray.
Another sadness….I have been trying to get to Haiti with Michael for two years now to do medical care. The hospital here in Tecumseh has been wonderful and gives me all of their supplies when they expire (can you believe that tongue blades expire?!) and I collect all of the drug samples as they expire. Michael had made a contact with an American doctor and his wife who work at a hospital in Port-au-Prince and all of my supplies I collect go to them. I am ashamed to even type that I have been trying to get to Haiti for two years and haven’t made it…what is up with that?! Why has it taken two years? One thing after another. Time….essentially. The time I had allotted the first year to go to Haiti ended up being used for taking care of my Dad when he became ill and last year ditto with my Nana. The point is, I never made it. I had hoped to go and meet this Doctor. Maybe help someone. But you see, I didn’t and I am crying right now because no one can find he and his wife. They were in the main hospital. It was flattened. They are probably gone. I guess that is what you call a missed opportunity.
If you do not know it I am on the Medical Reserve Corps, a part of FEMA. FEMA was created for disasters on our soil, ie: 9/11, Katrina, etc. I got an email from my director on Wednesday last week saying not to expect any deployment requests, etc from the MRC because the US has different organizations better equipped to deal with international disasters. Surprising everyone, a mere 48 hours later, four FEMA units were deployed to Haiti. An unprecedented move displaying the pure magnitude of the situation; that they are dipping into our homeland reserve already.
Adam’s Dad is already saying he wants/needs to get to Haiti as soon as it is safe~thinking maybe March. I, however cannot imagine that the airspace will be open to commercial flights by then. If it is though Adam and I already talked tonite about our concerns. He is an insulin dependent diabetic. It doesn’t matter how much insulin we send with him if a looter steals his meds. Adam always says, though “if my Dad were to die in Haiti, at least I know he died doing what he loved”.
Money. The pastors need some money. It is amazing that even through all of this there is some store-like areas still up and going around Port-au-Prince and out in surrounding cities but of course, the prices have inflated crazily. The aid is there that we are all reading about but they aren’t getting it dispersed the best. They are trying but the infrastructure in Haiti sucked (lets be honest, folks) before the earthquake and so now there are even fewer roads that can be traversed by vehicles to get water, food, medicine to these people. Michael’s mission has always sent their money via western union as you can’t mail anything safely to Haiti as the government is likely to steal it. But, there is no way to western union into the entire country right now and they do need money. A couple of the pastors left tonite to drive to the Dominican Republic, a long drive in a normal environment to pick up some money that Adam and I sent via western union. They will get it tomorrow we hope and will be able to get water and food (fuel too) for their families and communities.
Pray. Pray for their safety as they are commuting to the Dominican Republic. Pray that they are safe from looters as that is really picking up now. Pray for their health, that they do not catch anything from the water as it is now contaminated. Pray for the aid workers to be strong. God be with them. I cannot even begin to imagine what they must be going through. The sights, the smells, the sounds…the agony.
Adam and his mom got a brief update posted onto their website tonite. They have no means of getting pictures. The pastors communicate with Michael with cell phones that they can purchase a few minutes at a time for. http://www.opendoormissions.com/
On a lighter note, Adam and I went to Kearney this weekend to see my sister and her family and have some funny things to tell. Great trip as always.
Love & blessings. XOXO
