January 20, 2010 - 2:12 PM
I saw a lot, heard a lot, and felt a lot while in Haiti. Many people have asked
me for specifics, but they are way too many to put in an email. Some want to
hear all the gore - they want to hear about the bodies, the smells, and the
like. Others want to hear about resiliency - how the Haitians are coping. I
heard today on the radio, "International rescue agencies have been responsible
for rescuing the lives of 172 Haitians." While that is all well and good, the
news media is failing to report that Haitians without shoes and million dollar
high tech equipment have probably managed to pull out 50 times that number. It
is too bad we don't have near as many doctors and nurses coming to Haiti as we
do news media.
There were two gardeners, both growing precious vegetables, and a drought came.
It was bad. The plants needed water now, or bad things would soon happen. The
nearest water hole was over a mile away, and neither gardener had a vehicle. The
first gardener grabbed two pails of water, filled them up, put them in the
wheelbarrow and away he went to make the mile long trek to water his garden. The
second gardener told him that two buckets would not save his acre-size garden.
No, the second gardener was a lot smarter. He called all of his friends. One of
his friends had a large water tank on a truck and trailer. The thought was to
fill up that tank, and water his entire garden at once. People came from miles
around to help. They camped out on the side of the river anxious to help, ready
to do anything, but the second gardener was just way too disorganized. The truck
arrived with the tank on it a day late. 5 of the neighbors, all self proclaimed
engineers,
argued about how best to get the water into the tank for another two days. 2
scientists showed up, trying to explain that the water from the river was just
too bad and wouldn't supply the garden with the right nutrients. No, the water
needed to be treated first before it could be put into the water tank. 3 more
days passed, while the first gardener - the one with only 2 small buckets, was
now on his 20th trip to and from the garden.
This is exactly what is going on in Haiti right now, I am sorry to say. The only
organizations we saw helping in Haiti over the first couple of days were small
organizations - ones like CSI - that could make an immediate difference. There
were literally thousands of people from all over the world with all kinds of
supplies camped out at the PAP airport. At first it was very refreshing to see
them! "Thanks goodness! The cavalry has arrived!" would be a logical thought.
But as the day went on, we slowly realized that the vast majority of these
people, who were all very anxious to help, were just hanging around their
campsite. Why? They were waiting on direction. Taxpayer dollars hard at work.
But in all fairness, how do you get a collective group of internationals to work
together? The Germans can't tell the French what to do, and India would never
let Pakistan tell them what to do. The Poles won't listen to the Czechs, and so
on. They were all simply
waiting for direction, and that came first hand from the Portuguese contingent
that we spoke with. I did see the US Military, the Russians, the Germans, and
the Swiss out on the street doing rescue operations, but maybe that is because
they weren't sitting back waiting to be told what to do.
A doctor from Philly came in last week and worked at a PAP hospital all day
long. When he came back to our clinic, he told us how bad and how unorganized
everything was. He said (and we have witnesses to verify this) that by 11:00 PM
he was running the hospital. He was telling Haitian and other international
staff what to do to run the hospital. He also complimented CSI in such a way
that I could never have been more proud of our team. We were fast enough and
agile enough to do work immediately to help the Haitians. That is what it is all
about. There is no bureaucracy. No red tape. We just do what we need to in order
to get the job done, and do it fast. And because of our structure, many Haitians
are receiving the relief that other organizations are still only planning on
giving.
For all you NASCAR fans out there, and my father-in-law will love to hear this,
I am now a die-hard Jeff Gordon fan. I've never been much into NASCAR, but I
have always cheered on Ryan Newman since he was a Purdue grad. Now it is the #24
car. Hendricks Motor Sports donated three planes, their staff, the pilots, and
all the fuel to fly missionaries, orphans, Americans, and Haitians, to and from
PAP at no cost. They have been doing this now for 5 days, and will probably keep
doing this for a few more. Yesterday, 35 of us flew home at Jeff's expense.
Other organizations could have done this. Other organizations were much more
capable. But Hendricks stepped up to the plate and got it done. (I am guessing
other organizations are still trying to get their plan together???)
Not trying to sound sarcastic, but a little water would go a long way right now.
"The smallest deed is bigger than the grandest intention."
Most of the Haitians coming to the hospitals with injuries now are simply too
late. Gang greene is there, and it isn't going away. And all this time there are
thousands of people wanting to help, but don't know how.
There are some other organizations out there besides CSI that have done a
tremendous job. I have been very impressed! I was especially impressed with one
missionary group. Everywhere I went, they had someone from that group there. It
wasn't until the last day that I realized that group has their own media wing.
The people I ran in to were taking pics with orphans, showing doctors doing
amputations, etc. The majority was publicity. My heart sank.
Still, all in all, what I am most happy with is the behavior of the Haitian
people. They are the true heroes in this. They were the first on the scene. They
are the ones singing worship songs all hours of the day. They are the ones
praising God for all of His blessings. They are the ones still working hard to
dig out their loved ones with picks, and hammers, and hands. And they are the
ones that could care less about the media. They just want their life back.
Please continue to pray for Haiti, for the CSI missionaries, and for the many
other small organizations out there that are actually doing some good work. Go
#24!
Jon
Friday, May 7, 2010
Haiti Update #3
Monday, January 18, 2010 - 6:20 PM
Sorry I didn't get the chance to write yesterday.
Everything is going as good as one could expect. Last night there was about 1/3
less Haitians camped out on our street. That could be good or bad. A lot of them
are heading to the provinces to live with extended family. That is good. A lot
of them are moving back into the ravine and that is clearly not safe. Every time
I look, there is another house down back there. And if the right one would fall,
it could easily take out 3-4 more. Tim Heath has a good camera, and took
pictures of a family hanging their laundry out on a line. They were on the
rooftop, and the roof is leaning at a 35 degree angle!!
Many of the Haitians living on our street were using the restroom in part of our
neighbors property. Several would use a shovel and cover it up, but others
weren't. We dug a hole for them and Tim built them a privy. They seem to
appreciate it!
As bad as everything is here - there are still bodies on the street, some
buildings have a smell emanating from them, and many, many homes have been
destroyed - the Haitians in our area are doing what they can as fast as they can
to have life return to normal or near-normal. The Haitians are a proud people,
and very clean. Every morning, by 6 at the latest, the Haitians that we gave
permission to live on CSI property are up sweeping the driveway, sidewalks, etc.
Cleaning every little thing they can, even though there is a block wall laying
in the yard. They all take baths the moment they have some water. Where do they
go? Right over on our property. We keep telling the Heaths that they are running
a day spa. It doesn't matter who is watching - they just want to be clean. They
also brush their teeth as frequently as possible. The street vendors are out
selling whatever they can, and traffic is moving, even though gas is $12 a
gallon now, but the problem
is finding it. I saw a line at the station that had at least 200 Haitians in
it, standing single file, each trying to fill up their little gas can. Stations
close down early every day, and cars park their for the night so they are first
in line. But, life is going forward.
Today we secured 100 bags of Portland cement, and we were busy picking them up
and delivering them to the orphanage. We also picked up a doctor from Philly who
has been on many CSI med teams in the past. Tony worked at a hospital downtown
for 24 hours as said it was a madhouse. For many patients that he saw, there was
literally nothing he could do. They would be dead and stacked up within a couple
of days. Gang green set in on many patients, and so there was a doc there with a
bone saw. The only problem is there will be no doctors or nurses there to care
for them after the surgery. They will still get infections, and most of them
will die as well.
Still, with all the sadness, there is joy. There is hope. As I walk the streets
and make eye contact with the Haitians, the moment I say, "Bon jo" or "Bon swa"
or "Commo ye?" the Haitians immediately light up, smile ear to ear, and wonder
what in the world this "Blanc" with the ugly yellow hair and ugly blue eyes is
doing in Haiti. But there is no doubt they appreciate what we are doing here.
The kids especially love to see us, and I had the chance to throw a football
with several of them today. Playing a modified game of keep-a-way, the kids were
entertained for quite some time, and if nothing else, it took their mind away
from all the death and destruction if only for a brief period.
Everyone wants to know about security guards. Do we have them? Is it safe?
Because of our reputation in the community, the Haitians themselves are our
security guards. Tuesday night, after the quake, a Haitan went to our gate and
tried to break in. He starting yelling and pulling the doors. The other Haitians
quickly grabbed him and took care of the problem. Just like the Haitians who
helped to rebuild the wall at the clinic, we take care of them, so they take
care of us. Having an armed guard could potentially send the wrong signals. That
is not what our ministry in Haiti is about.
If all goes well, I will be flying back to the States tomorrow. I should make it
back to Indiana late tomorrow night or early Wednesday.
Please keep praying for Haiti, and also pray for our missionaries down here.
With all the money going to relief, it is also important that the missionaries
still get support or there will be no way to provide them with the relief.
Specifically, I'd like to ask everyone to consider sending support to Tim and
Carol Heath. They are doing a fabulous job in Haiti, but are in need of both
your spiritual and financial support.
Jon
Sorry I didn't get the chance to write yesterday.
Everything is going as good as one could expect. Last night there was about 1/3
less Haitians camped out on our street. That could be good or bad. A lot of them
are heading to the provinces to live with extended family. That is good. A lot
of them are moving back into the ravine and that is clearly not safe. Every time
I look, there is another house down back there. And if the right one would fall,
it could easily take out 3-4 more. Tim Heath has a good camera, and took
pictures of a family hanging their laundry out on a line. They were on the
rooftop, and the roof is leaning at a 35 degree angle!!
Many of the Haitians living on our street were using the restroom in part of our
neighbors property. Several would use a shovel and cover it up, but others
weren't. We dug a hole for them and Tim built them a privy. They seem to
appreciate it!
As bad as everything is here - there are still bodies on the street, some
buildings have a smell emanating from them, and many, many homes have been
destroyed - the Haitians in our area are doing what they can as fast as they can
to have life return to normal or near-normal. The Haitians are a proud people,
and very clean. Every morning, by 6 at the latest, the Haitians that we gave
permission to live on CSI property are up sweeping the driveway, sidewalks, etc.
Cleaning every little thing they can, even though there is a block wall laying
in the yard. They all take baths the moment they have some water. Where do they
go? Right over on our property. We keep telling the Heaths that they are running
a day spa. It doesn't matter who is watching - they just want to be clean. They
also brush their teeth as frequently as possible. The street vendors are out
selling whatever they can, and traffic is moving, even though gas is $12 a
gallon now, but the problem
is finding it. I saw a line at the station that had at least 200 Haitians in
it, standing single file, each trying to fill up their little gas can. Stations
close down early every day, and cars park their for the night so they are first
in line. But, life is going forward.
Today we secured 100 bags of Portland cement, and we were busy picking them up
and delivering them to the orphanage. We also picked up a doctor from Philly who
has been on many CSI med teams in the past. Tony worked at a hospital downtown
for 24 hours as said it was a madhouse. For many patients that he saw, there was
literally nothing he could do. They would be dead and stacked up within a couple
of days. Gang green set in on many patients, and so there was a doc there with a
bone saw. The only problem is there will be no doctors or nurses there to care
for them after the surgery. They will still get infections, and most of them
will die as well.
Still, with all the sadness, there is joy. There is hope. As I walk the streets
and make eye contact with the Haitians, the moment I say, "Bon jo" or "Bon swa"
or "Commo ye?" the Haitians immediately light up, smile ear to ear, and wonder
what in the world this "Blanc" with the ugly yellow hair and ugly blue eyes is
doing in Haiti. But there is no doubt they appreciate what we are doing here.
The kids especially love to see us, and I had the chance to throw a football
with several of them today. Playing a modified game of keep-a-way, the kids were
entertained for quite some time, and if nothing else, it took their mind away
from all the death and destruction if only for a brief period.
Everyone wants to know about security guards. Do we have them? Is it safe?
Because of our reputation in the community, the Haitians themselves are our
security guards. Tuesday night, after the quake, a Haitan went to our gate and
tried to break in. He starting yelling and pulling the doors. The other Haitians
quickly grabbed him and took care of the problem. Just like the Haitians who
helped to rebuild the wall at the clinic, we take care of them, so they take
care of us. Having an armed guard could potentially send the wrong signals. That
is not what our ministry in Haiti is about.
If all goes well, I will be flying back to the States tomorrow. I should make it
back to Indiana late tomorrow night or early Wednesday.
Please keep praying for Haiti, and also pray for our missionaries down here.
With all the money going to relief, it is also important that the missionaries
still get support or there will be no way to provide them with the relief.
Specifically, I'd like to ask everyone to consider sending support to Tim and
Carol Heath. They are doing a fabulous job in Haiti, but are in need of both
your spiritual and financial support.
Jon
Haiti Update #2
Saturday, January 16, 2010 - 9:05 PM
It was a rough day at the office. We decided to begin moving all of our CSI
operations on a permanent basis out to Croix de Bouquets. That is an area right
outside PAP that was also hit very hard, but it is where the clinic and
orphanage are. The orphanage may or may not be salvageable, but there is room to
build another brick building to hold the girls. The 20 girls, their Haitian
nannys and the directors are all living in a 3 bedroom apartment right now...
More importantly, however, is that the clinic and orphanage have a well. That
means fresh water, and that is hard to come by right now. The Guesthouse in PAP
is about to fall down at any minute. It could be 2 years, or it could be 2 hours
- no one knows, but it can not be used. We emptied out all the stuff we could,
going in 2 at a time, keeping watch for tremors and helicopters - both tend to
shake the building causing more damage. Everything is out now that has any
importance - no one will be going back in. It is just too dangerous, but CSI and
the Bensons lost a lot of memories in that building. We are guessing it will
cost around $300K to rebuild, but that is pre-earthquake money. Hard to tell how
much it will cost now. A tremor came by and shook everything. I told someone
that it was a "big" tremor. The missionaries all reminded me that it was nothing
compared to 4:58 PM on Tuesday.
Outside the Guesthouse are even more people than last night. There were probably
500 on the street by 3:00, and there are many more than that on the street now.
Nearly every inch of pavement is covered with blankets spread and kids fast
asleep. At 4:30 this morning came a bunch of singing from the street - the
Haitians decided to have a worship service. Clapping, singing, etc. I recognized
the word "Jezi" and at least knew it was Christian worship.
We built a "house" today for our chief mason. He is a 58 year old that runs the
brick laying crews for CSI. Anytime something needs to get built, he does it.
His home was at the epicenter, and lost one of his kids in the quake. His house
now consists of a canvas roof, a blue tarp on one end for privacy, and a few
cushions of a sofa that will no longer be used. You can not believe how grateful
he and his family is for these accommodations!! Greg Benson has a picture of
this on his facebook page. Maybe we can get it moved to the CSI Ministries
Facebook page tomorrow.
On of our Haitians had to run downtown to try to find out if one of our
employees was alive or dead. When he came back, he told us how bad it was. Piles
of bodies are everywhere. People are just stacking them up. There is nothing
else to do with them. There are tire fires everywhere - it is hot enough to
burn the bodies and smelly enough to help cover up the stink. Fan Fan - the
Haitian - said that bodies are swelling up, creating even more problems. Don't
worry - we are not going to the downtown area, although we have also seen
bodies, and there are plenty of tires burning in the Ravine - right behind our
house.
Cathie Benson made a birthday cake for me tonight which was very nice, and we
all agreed that this would be a birthday I would never forget.
The most positive thing that I can say about the entire experience is that it is
amazing how happy the Haitians are. The ones that we see by our house - the ones
that previously lived in the Ravine - are used to next to nothing. Now that they
still find themselves in that predicament, they are dealing with it very well.
We will greet them, shake their hands, they smile and gives us the one-two
English words in English that they know, and I respond with my 1-2 words of
Creole. Still, they smile, and that it a sign that some of them still have some
hope.
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
Jon
Donate: www.csiministries.org
It was a rough day at the office. We decided to begin moving all of our CSI
operations on a permanent basis out to Croix de Bouquets. That is an area right
outside PAP that was also hit very hard, but it is where the clinic and
orphanage are. The orphanage may or may not be salvageable, but there is room to
build another brick building to hold the girls. The 20 girls, their Haitian
nannys and the directors are all living in a 3 bedroom apartment right now...
More importantly, however, is that the clinic and orphanage have a well. That
means fresh water, and that is hard to come by right now. The Guesthouse in PAP
is about to fall down at any minute. It could be 2 years, or it could be 2 hours
- no one knows, but it can not be used. We emptied out all the stuff we could,
going in 2 at a time, keeping watch for tremors and helicopters - both tend to
shake the building causing more damage. Everything is out now that has any
importance - no one will be going back in. It is just too dangerous, but CSI and
the Bensons lost a lot of memories in that building. We are guessing it will
cost around $300K to rebuild, but that is pre-earthquake money. Hard to tell how
much it will cost now. A tremor came by and shook everything. I told someone
that it was a "big" tremor. The missionaries all reminded me that it was nothing
compared to 4:58 PM on Tuesday.
Outside the Guesthouse are even more people than last night. There were probably
500 on the street by 3:00, and there are many more than that on the street now.
Nearly every inch of pavement is covered with blankets spread and kids fast
asleep. At 4:30 this morning came a bunch of singing from the street - the
Haitians decided to have a worship service. Clapping, singing, etc. I recognized
the word "Jezi" and at least knew it was Christian worship.
We built a "house" today for our chief mason. He is a 58 year old that runs the
brick laying crews for CSI. Anytime something needs to get built, he does it.
His home was at the epicenter, and lost one of his kids in the quake. His house
now consists of a canvas roof, a blue tarp on one end for privacy, and a few
cushions of a sofa that will no longer be used. You can not believe how grateful
he and his family is for these accommodations!! Greg Benson has a picture of
this on his facebook page. Maybe we can get it moved to the CSI Ministries
Facebook page tomorrow.
On of our Haitians had to run downtown to try to find out if one of our
employees was alive or dead. When he came back, he told us how bad it was. Piles
of bodies are everywhere. People are just stacking them up. There is nothing
else to do with them. There are tire fires everywhere - it is hot enough to
burn the bodies and smelly enough to help cover up the stink. Fan Fan - the
Haitian - said that bodies are swelling up, creating even more problems. Don't
worry - we are not going to the downtown area, although we have also seen
bodies, and there are plenty of tires burning in the Ravine - right behind our
house.
Cathie Benson made a birthday cake for me tonight which was very nice, and we
all agreed that this would be a birthday I would never forget.
The most positive thing that I can say about the entire experience is that it is
amazing how happy the Haitians are. The ones that we see by our house - the ones
that previously lived in the Ravine - are used to next to nothing. Now that they
still find themselves in that predicament, they are dealing with it very well.
We will greet them, shake their hands, they smile and gives us the one-two
English words in English that they know, and I respond with my 1-2 words of
Creole. Still, they smile, and that it a sign that some of them still have some
hope.
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
Jon
Donate: www.csiministries.org
Haiti Update #1
I know that this is slightly out of date, but I went to Haiti immediately following the earthquake with CSI Ministries. It took two full days to get there, and I tried to send several updates back to the States while I was there. Although the posts may be out of date, I am putting on the blog just to remember the feelings, the emotions, and the struggles. Now, only a few short months after the devastation, the media has already forgotten about the entire episode.
I will put all of the posts up on Clark's Thoughts.
Below is #1. Please enjoy, and please pray for the people and the country of Haiti.
Friday, January 15, 2010 7:45 PM
Finally arrived in PAP after a long journey. Spent last night in the Turks and
Caicos Islands in Provo. The Rotary picked us all up at the airport and divided
us up in their homes, then took us to a restaurant and bought everyone's dinner.
(There were about 25 of us on the MFI flight). Special thanks to the Rotary for
helping us out.
Landed this morning in Cap Haiten. That was frustrating because we weren't sure
how or when we would get to PAP. Several people made several calls to
connections and we were finally allowed to land the DC3 at the smaller airport.
They made a special exception for us since we were human aid, but otherwise the
DC3 is too large to land there, and PAP was for military flights only.
Toby Banks and Roberta Anderson picked us up and took us to the clinic. That is
where most people are staying right now. The orphanage is out of commission, and
so is the guesthouse. We are at the guesthouse now, but sitting outside and will
stay across the street at the Mesmin house. After 5 pm, you can drive anywhere.
People literally line the streets and sleep on the road. They have nowhere else
to go. You get in by 5, or you don't get in, and you can't leave once your
there.
We saw tons of buildings collapsed, and more are collapsing every day with
follow-up tremors on already weakened structures. We saw several bodies on the
roadside, and at one place they were burning them by tossing tires on top. And
keep in mind, we are not downtown where everything is much, much worse.
The saddest story I have heard to date is a mother that was collecting urine
from her male children in a bottle and then using it to bath them. They were
dirty and bloody, and there was nothing else to use to clean them up. They have
no water and no food, and not much hope.
A real tear jerker was hearing that the clinic wall fell down. The Haitians
nearby, who had lost there homes, several lost the lives of family members, but
several of them showed up to the clinic. Not to loot and plunder, but to help
rebuild the wall. They know what the clinic means to the community. Maybe there
is some hope after all.
I'm sure some of you are tired of hearing about Haiti. But the story comes to
mind right now of the boy on the beach with 100,000 starfish that were washed up
on the shore. The boy picked them up one at a time and tossed them into the
ocean. A guy walked up and told him that he could never make a difference -
there are just too many. The boy said, "I made a difference for that one, didn't
I?"
Please keep praying for Haiti and our missionaries serving faithfully here.
Jon
I will put all of the posts up on Clark's Thoughts.
Below is #1. Please enjoy, and please pray for the people and the country of Haiti.
Friday, January 15, 2010 7:45 PM
Finally arrived in PAP after a long journey. Spent last night in the Turks and
Caicos Islands in Provo. The Rotary picked us all up at the airport and divided
us up in their homes, then took us to a restaurant and bought everyone's dinner.
(There were about 25 of us on the MFI flight). Special thanks to the Rotary for
helping us out.
Landed this morning in Cap Haiten. That was frustrating because we weren't sure
how or when we would get to PAP. Several people made several calls to
connections and we were finally allowed to land the DC3 at the smaller airport.
They made a special exception for us since we were human aid, but otherwise the
DC3 is too large to land there, and PAP was for military flights only.
Toby Banks and Roberta Anderson picked us up and took us to the clinic. That is
where most people are staying right now. The orphanage is out of commission, and
so is the guesthouse. We are at the guesthouse now, but sitting outside and will
stay across the street at the Mesmin house. After 5 pm, you can drive anywhere.
People literally line the streets and sleep on the road. They have nowhere else
to go. You get in by 5, or you don't get in, and you can't leave once your
there.
We saw tons of buildings collapsed, and more are collapsing every day with
follow-up tremors on already weakened structures. We saw several bodies on the
roadside, and at one place they were burning them by tossing tires on top. And
keep in mind, we are not downtown where everything is much, much worse.
The saddest story I have heard to date is a mother that was collecting urine
from her male children in a bottle and then using it to bath them. They were
dirty and bloody, and there was nothing else to use to clean them up. They have
no water and no food, and not much hope.
A real tear jerker was hearing that the clinic wall fell down. The Haitians
nearby, who had lost there homes, several lost the lives of family members, but
several of them showed up to the clinic. Not to loot and plunder, but to help
rebuild the wall. They know what the clinic means to the community. Maybe there
is some hope after all.
I'm sure some of you are tired of hearing about Haiti. But the story comes to
mind right now of the boy on the beach with 100,000 starfish that were washed up
on the shore. The boy picked them up one at a time and tossed them into the
ocean. A guy walked up and told him that he could never make a difference -
there are just too many. The boy said, "I made a difference for that one, didn't
I?"
Please keep praying for Haiti and our missionaries serving faithfully here.
Jon
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