My last full day in Haiti

It hardly seems possible but today is my last full day in Haiti. Yesterday we thought we were going to be going to the school where there was the mud-slide but instead we ended up doing another training session with 60 more people. Many of them were traumatized and scared. One lady told me that she did not know what to do because she was so frightened to send her children today becausesomething could happen to them while they were at school and she was at work. She just wants to keep them close to her at all times. This is a country full of scared and grieving people.

I can hardly imagine how hard it is going to be this morning in the schools across this city who are opening their doors for the first time in several weeks. Many children and many mothers will be facing separation anxiety. It seems like one of their major fears is that a tsunami will hit their region. As I looked out onto the bay and the ocean yesterday I could only imagine how fearful it might be to live in this area with that concern. All I could do yesterday is to try to reassure these people - none of us can know what today or tomorrow holds, all we can do is trust God with our lives and live with confidence for today.

Last evening we had dinner with a missionary couple who have been in Haiti for over 25 years. Dana, the wife, told me about their life here, raising their children in Haiti (they have three children who are all at university now in United States), the loneliness that they have faced, but also the depth of love and devotion they have for the Haitian people. A few years ago she and her husband were kidnapped and her husband was held for ranson. They had demanded $350,000 for him. They let her go to gather the money - but they held on to him. She had to negotiate with the kidnappers over the cell phone on several occassions. She told me how people around the world had heard about the situation and began praying. Two days later they accepted $5,000 and released her husband. It was a miracle. What an amazing woman of faith. She actually was able to tell her kidnappers after this all happened that she forgave them and that she wanted to know about her faith in Jesus Christ. WOW!!!

Today, I am going to a town called Limbé where there is a small university. We will be doing another training day with students, many of whom are now in Limbé but had been in Port-au-Prince on January 12th. Many of them are trying to recover from their shock and grief.

Yesterday I went back to Bethany - the housing project with Jacinthe and Josianne and we gave out soap, toothbrushes, shampoo and crayons for the children. It started out quite calm - but it turned into quite a mob scene and Pastor Voltaire had to step in and calm down the crowd. Desperate people all around.

Today, we hope to stop at an orphange on our way back from Limbé to distribute more of the supplies we have brought with us. All the medicine and bandages will be given to a hospital in Limbé that has received lots of people from Port-au-Prince but none of the supplies from the various NGOs working further south. Interesting how the people can get through on the roads from Port-au-Prince but the supplies are being blocked by the government that wants kick-backs!