General

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 …

Shipping Container Read More »

  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. …

Coming and Goings Read More »

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 …

Sustainability Read More »

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 …

New Clinic Open! Read More »

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. …

A little insight….. Read More »

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 …

Using our \”machine\” (truck) Read More »

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 …

Sustainability Read More »

As I write this it is after 9:00 Thursday night. We just got back from picking up Robert, our engineer team member from Port au Prince. Denise drove the part from here to Gonaives and same on the return trip. I did all the driving to, from and in Port au Prince. You would not believe what it is like. Nobody pays attention to any of the few traffic lights, no passing zones, lanes, stop signs, speed limits etc. The horn is one of the most essential parts of your vehicle.  Many vehicles do not have working lights. Motos are …

Maiden Voyage Read More »

  We had planned on going Gonaives today. Like so many plans in Haiti, not meant to be. The price of gas and diesel here has not followed the world market prices. In response people took to the streets of the major cities by erecting barricades and burning tires. The following is a news article published Reuters yesterday evening: Reuters February 02, 2015 7:07 PM PORT-AU-PRINCE— Traffic was minimal in the normally clogged streets of Haiti\’s capital on Monday, after a key minibus drivers union called a two-day general strike to protest high fuel prices. “The price of gasoline has …

Life is difficult, more than we can imagine. Read More »

This is a post by our friend Anita. She is the nurse that took Denise and the pregnant women who died  to the hospital.   Anita Martin January 25 at 12:23pm · I only knew her for a few hours yesterday……. A mother expecting her 2nd baby, from the remote mountains of Haiti. She started bleeding yesterday morning. Her family loaded her on a stretcher & brought her to my friend Denise\’s house. And this is how God works….. Denise & Bob do not have a truck, but she had called me about an hour before as she had a lady there …

Another perspective:   Read More »