We just received the news that some arrests were made in the robberies of religious houses. There have been at least 28 attacks across Haiti on religious women\’s communities. We hope this stops the reign of terror.
Greetings to all, We are back in the States. We should be back in Tennessee late on the 24th. We are looking forward to seeing everyone. I know our post have been spotty this time, but I have been spending more time on Creole lessons, and less on blogging. It is starting to work. Mèsi anpil, Bob
Sunday after church Johnny and I went to Buchan Richard. As we pulled up, people were just leaving church services there. We pulled into the church yard and parked the truck under the shade of two large trees. We got out and walked up to the church, peering in we could see a few people still busy at the front of the church preparing to leave. It was dim, there are no lights in the church, and the only light coming from open doors on both sides and ventilation blocks. We entered through one of the three sets of tall …
We will be returning to the States the end of this month to start packing for the shipping container. Thank all of you for your continuing support and interest, The people of Riviere Mancelle and of course, Bob and Denise. Our annual shipping container is a collaborative program with other churches that have twin churches in Haiti, working through the Parish Twinning Program. It is the easiest way to ship into Haiti. We deliver our items to a central warehouse in Lebanon TN, and then share container space. All of the cost involved is broken down into a cubic …
2/27/15 Yesterday we traveled up to Kalabat. First we met with Frankie, a volunteer at the Sisters house who has agreed to help me write for a grant to further develop our Agricultural Center. I am hoping to find a grant that will allow us to work for the next few years without having to worry about how we will continue the following year. Frankie is very bright and her degree is in community development, she is giving me the confidence to pursue a larger grant. The meeting was just discussing preliminary steps. We will meet again next week. …
The deeper we are immersed in Haitian culture the more we see the unintended and destructive consequences of well intentioned NGO and missionary “hand out” programs. Even things given at great sacrifice, if they are received without cost, are perceived as having little value. Worse yet, the act of giving is corrupted by a spirit of entitlement. Once entrenched in a relationship, this spirit of entitlement undermines all efforts to self sustainability. This problem is not unique to Haiti. This problem is universal and predictable. It crosses all age, cultural, race and political barriers. It has no regard for poverty …
2/22/15 Finally after a year of trying we opened a mobile clinic here in Garcin, last Tuesday we had our first day of clinic. It was very successful, we saw fifty-five people. One of them had TB, a very important find. How patiently the people wait to be seen and are so thankful for the help. It is truly a pleasure to serve these people. We are giving a discounted rate and for the visit and the medications. Pregnant women are seen for the equivalent of an American dollar. I am so sad about the women we took to the …
2/11/15 It is hard for me to believe how much time has already gone by. We have stayed very busy. The truck of course makes us more mobile and enables us to do many more things. I know Bob talked about the meeting we attended last week setting up the agricultural meeting and the new mobile clinic. Sr. Julia came last Saturday and we chose a place to hold the clinic and looked through the medicines I have set aside for the clinic. It was determined I had a good start but we will need to buy some more medications. …
Slang for truck or car in Haiti is \”machine\” Changes the new truck brings We have made a few changes here to accommodate our truck. Paul, who is Fr. Gracias cousin and works on this side of the parish as school director etc., had me pick up two bags of cement. He then rounded up some help and filled in a depression outside of our gate that was making it difficult to get in through the gate. Yesterday five of the boys that hang out here cleared a parking space for the truck next to our apartment. They had to …
Please excuse any redundancy in post. I have been informed that some people who received the post didn\’t receive the correct post to go with it. So here goes again. Our last several blogs have been dark. I have not meant to sound negative or discouraged; rather I hoped to give you a sense of being immersed in the daily struggles here, to make real the despair that our hearts have become hardened to amid the bombardment of sensationalized media. I hope it gives you, our partners, an insight into why Denise and I share such a passion for being …
