HATS-Haiti PayPal Donations
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Donations
We've finally been able to set ourselves up to accept online donations via PayPal. Anyone interested in donating to support HATS-Haiti and our work (especially damage repair and local relief ministries in the current situation) can now donate online via the following link:
HATS-Haiti PayPal Donations
HATS-Haiti PayPal Donations
Thursday, January 14, 2010
January 13, 2010
**Photos will follow as soon as we can get them up**
Hello from the HATS-Haiti Mission in Deschapelles, Haiti.
Thank you to all who have e-mailed and to all who have been trying to get through by telephone due to the horrific devastation you are hearing and seeing about Haiti. You have been asking how we are, what we experienced, and what repairs we might be needing to do here.
Since the arrival of the workteam a blog has been done daily. It is a different address than the HATS regular blogspot. It is now reporting what we know, and have seen and heard about the quake. Check it out at: http://www.haititeam2010.blogspot.com
We will be trying in the next day or so to get the same information posted on both blogs so that it will be easier for you to follow how we are.
On January 5th a 14 person workteam arrived here from Canada (13 from NS and 1 from BC) to work on construction of housing for support missionaries. I have been in need of help for a long time. The construction work has been progressing beautifully with three other smaller projects also happening at the same time.
Yesterday, Tuesday, Jan. 12th, we drove one of the team members to PaP to return home to NS as he was not feeling well. We took him downtown PaP and showed him the Palace before dropping him at the airport. I am thanking God that our being in that area was in the morning and not late afternoon. I saw that our friend checked in at the airport with Air Canada to return home and we returned to the mission site.
Late afternoon most of the group were relaxing in the living room after a hot and tiring day of work. The Haitian workers were doing a little finishing work before they quit. I had gone to shower when my bathroom started to shake and sway. Lots of things were falling on the cement floor including a fan. Glass was breaking as photos were falling off my bedroom walls. I thought that due to the weight of the four 1000 gallon water tanks on top of the building which is also my house, that it was no longer structurally sound and my house was falling down. As I was frantically trying to dress I ran into the living room yelling for everyone to get outside, only to find my house already empty. They had quickly vacated and were standing in the yard. The Haitian workers were lying or sitting on the ground. They had quickly run down the stairs to the yard from the second level where they had been still working. I joined the group from Canada and we watched the top level of this building swaying back and forth like big waves upon the sea. Too, the high cement block fence with razor wire on top, which makes the enclosure for our compound, was swaying about 2 feet back and forth. We are amazed and extremely thankful that everything is still standing.
The damage, and the loss of life, in this country is horrific. I cannot write about it without crying. I will instead try to answer some of your questions about how we are faring.
The group, myself and my 4-yr-old son, Alex (Ti Luc) stayed outside in the yard last night. None of us felt we could take a chance on sleeping inside. Most of the team had been sleeping in mosquito tents on the unfinished second level. Tim, Heidi and children had been sleeping upstairs also, but inside. The mosquito tents were moved down to the yard, some doubling up was done, and we spent the night that way. Very little sleeping was done.
tents on lawn
Some students turned up for school this morning and most of them sat in the middle of the school yard until a meal could be prepared for them. Then they were sent back home. They were told to return on Monday to see if we were ready for school to reopen. Today we did a thorough check of the property - everything on the school compound and also on this compound. Lots of damage repairs necessary. The front wall of the secondary school needs to come down and be redone. Gerry has the taking down already started and necessary supplies are being ordered.
The Children's Home that had been used for storage was emptied out by the group yesterday to prepare it for our orphan boys. This house has a lot of cracks in walls and ceilings. It is going to need some major work now before it will be ready for habitation. The Children's Home that is in use seems to have done okay. This building, which has my house and two offices on the ground floor, needs work before I will be comfortable having anyone sleep in it again. We have seen a lot of cracks. There are some big ones on the support pillars on level three that hold up those four water tanks. The pillars need repair work and cement block walls need to be done on level two and perhaps also on level three. Having the walls done will give extra support for the weight that is above us.
Gerry Rhyno from Yarmouth, NS, leader of the workteam, and also the Chairman of the Canadian HATS Board of Directors gave me an estimate of $10,000 to do the necessary repairs here. It may sound like a lot of money, but money is nothing compared to the loss of life and devastation around us. I believe that God will provide the funds for the repairs to be done so the mission can continue to be a light in this area of Haiti.
Throughout this day and as I am writing this I continue to receive word of many deaths of people from our area. Most of the families throughout the Artibonite Valley have loved ones living in Port au Prince, many of them students. A lot have received word that family members died in the quake or cannot be found. Many seriously injured have been brought back to this area and are presently in the hospital here in Deschapelles. Too, many who died in the quake were brought back to families around us today. People in our area have been seen today walking around with dead loved ones in their arms crying uncontrolably as they don't know what to do now or where to turn. The level of grief and pain of the people around us is unimaginable. I know that a lot of the poor people in this area who have to bury loved ones, pay hospital bills, or fix a home that has been damaged will come to the compound and ask to see me. Funds to repair the damage to the HATS property is necessary but I know that I am also going to need funds to use in the HATS Mercy Ministry, as I call it. Someone has already come to ask for financial help at the request of a young man from this area who attends school in PaP. He was brought home to the hospital here today with a 'smashed' leg as they put it and he has no money to pay for x-rays or meds, or for food. I have been receiving donations for schooling for this young man for a few years. A lot of requests will be made of me for help in the near future.
Aftershocks are continuing. When things start to tremble we all quickly evacuate the buildings. The Haitian radio stations are announcing that we should be prepared for the possibility of another quake to hit on Friday. Please pray this does not happen.
People are walking around. People are trying to keep going. But I can honestly say that both inside our compound and outside in the community we are all feeling dead inside.
Some of you have offered to send funds and some have asked about sending items. Financial help is what is needed at this time. Donations should be sent to the address in Yarmouth given at the bottom of this letter. Please remember to make cheques payable to Hands Across The Sea Association.
Thank you again for all the help last year and now for the help for the people of Haiti due to this disaster.
Thank you, once again, for EVERYTHING from all of us.
**Photos will follow as soon as we can get them up**
Hello from the HATS-Haiti Mission in Deschapelles, Haiti.
Thank you to all who have e-mailed and to all who have been trying to get through by telephone due to the horrific devastation you are hearing and seeing about Haiti. You have been asking how we are, what we experienced, and what repairs we might be needing to do here.
Since the arrival of the workteam a blog has been done daily. It is a different address than the HATS regular blogspot. It is now reporting what we know, and have seen and heard about the quake. Check it out at: http://www.haititeam2010.blogspot.com
We will be trying in the next day or so to get the same information posted on both blogs so that it will be easier for you to follow how we are.
On January 5th a 14 person workteam arrived here from Canada (13 from NS and 1 from BC) to work on construction of housing for support missionaries. I have been in need of help for a long time. The construction work has been progressing beautifully with three other smaller projects also happening at the same time.
Yesterday, Tuesday, Jan. 12th, we drove one of the team members to PaP to return home to NS as he was not feeling well. We took him downtown PaP and showed him the Palace before dropping him at the airport. I am thanking God that our being in that area was in the morning and not late afternoon. I saw that our friend checked in at the airport with Air Canada to return home and we returned to the mission site.
Late afternoon most of the group were relaxing in the living room after a hot and tiring day of work. The Haitian workers were doing a little finishing work before they quit. I had gone to shower when my bathroom started to shake and sway. Lots of things were falling on the cement floor including a fan. Glass was breaking as photos were falling off my bedroom walls. I thought that due to the weight of the four 1000 gallon water tanks on top of the building which is also my house, that it was no longer structurally sound and my house was falling down. As I was frantically trying to dress I ran into the living room yelling for everyone to get outside, only to find my house already empty. They had quickly vacated and were standing in the yard. The Haitian workers were lying or sitting on the ground. They had quickly run down the stairs to the yard from the second level where they had been still working. I joined the group from Canada and we watched the top level of this building swaying back and forth like big waves upon the sea. Too, the high cement block fence with razor wire on top, which makes the enclosure for our compound, was swaying about 2 feet back and forth. We are amazed and extremely thankful that everything is still standing.
The damage, and the loss of life, in this country is horrific. I cannot write about it without crying. I will instead try to answer some of your questions about how we are faring.
The group, myself and my 4-yr-old son, Alex (Ti Luc) stayed outside in the yard last night. None of us felt we could take a chance on sleeping inside. Most of the team had been sleeping in mosquito tents on the unfinished second level. Tim, Heidi and children had been sleeping upstairs also, but inside. The mosquito tents were moved down to the yard, some doubling up was done, and we spent the night that way. Very little sleeping was done.
tents on lawn
Some students turned up for school this morning and most of them sat in the middle of the school yard until a meal could be prepared for them. Then they were sent back home. They were told to return on Monday to see if we were ready for school to reopen. Today we did a thorough check of the property - everything on the school compound and also on this compound. Lots of damage repairs necessary. The front wall of the secondary school needs to come down and be redone. Gerry has the taking down already started and necessary supplies are being ordered.
The Children's Home that had been used for storage was emptied out by the group yesterday to prepare it for our orphan boys. This house has a lot of cracks in walls and ceilings. It is going to need some major work now before it will be ready for habitation. The Children's Home that is in use seems to have done okay. This building, which has my house and two offices on the ground floor, needs work before I will be comfortable having anyone sleep in it again. We have seen a lot of cracks. There are some big ones on the support pillars on level three that hold up those four water tanks. The pillars need repair work and cement block walls need to be done on level two and perhaps also on level three. Having the walls done will give extra support for the weight that is above us.
Gerry Rhyno from Yarmouth, NS, leader of the workteam, and also the Chairman of the Canadian HATS Board of Directors gave me an estimate of $10,000 to do the necessary repairs here. It may sound like a lot of money, but money is nothing compared to the loss of life and devastation around us. I believe that God will provide the funds for the repairs to be done so the mission can continue to be a light in this area of Haiti.
Throughout this day and as I am writing this I continue to receive word of many deaths of people from our area. Most of the families throughout the Artibonite Valley have loved ones living in Port au Prince, many of them students. A lot have received word that family members died in the quake or cannot be found. Many seriously injured have been brought back to this area and are presently in the hospital here in Deschapelles. Too, many who died in the quake were brought back to families around us today. People in our area have been seen today walking around with dead loved ones in their arms crying uncontrolably as they don't know what to do now or where to turn. The level of grief and pain of the people around us is unimaginable. I know that a lot of the poor people in this area who have to bury loved ones, pay hospital bills, or fix a home that has been damaged will come to the compound and ask to see me. Funds to repair the damage to the HATS property is necessary but I know that I am also going to need funds to use in the HATS Mercy Ministry, as I call it. Someone has already come to ask for financial help at the request of a young man from this area who attends school in PaP. He was brought home to the hospital here today with a 'smashed' leg as they put it and he has no money to pay for x-rays or meds, or for food. I have been receiving donations for schooling for this young man for a few years. A lot of requests will be made of me for help in the near future.
Aftershocks are continuing. When things start to tremble we all quickly evacuate the buildings. The Haitian radio stations are announcing that we should be prepared for the possibility of another quake to hit on Friday. Please pray this does not happen.
People are walking around. People are trying to keep going. But I can honestly say that both inside our compound and outside in the community we are all feeling dead inside.
Some of you have offered to send funds and some have asked about sending items. Financial help is what is needed at this time. Donations should be sent to the address in Yarmouth given at the bottom of this letter. Please remember to make cheques payable to Hands Across The Sea Association.
Thank you again for all the help last year and now for the help for the people of Haiti due to this disaster.
Thank you, once again, for EVERYTHING from all of us.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Earthquake update blog
http://haititeam2010.blogspot.com/
The above link will take you to the blog of the mission team currently at the compound building onto the orphanage. They are posting regular updates so that Mom can run around and do all the things she needs to do. Dana
The above link will take you to the blog of the mission team currently at the compound building onto the orphanage. They are posting regular updates so that Mom can run around and do all the things she needs to do. Dana
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Earthquake
Dana here. Got an email from Mom. She and everyone on the compound are scared but ok. There is damage to the property and Mom is not sleeping in her house until the cracks can be inspected. She has giant and extremely heavy water tanks on her roof that supply water to the whole compound, so extra precautions need to be taken with that building. This earthquake is extremely devastating to an already impoverished country so I ask you to consider making a donation of whatever you can afford so Mom can help as many people as possible in the area!
She post when she can. Please keep everyone in your prayers.
She post when she can. Please keep everyone in your prayers.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year from Hands Across the Sea
Our school students, teachers and administration are now enjoying a break. In December before school closed the students and teachers were blessed with a special Christmas meal and gift compliments of Bob and Linda Comeau of Yarmouth, NS. Bob and Linda came down and spent a busy week with us. They helped prepare the meal of rice and beans, Creole sauce, fried chicken, and salad. They also served the meals, complete with cold drinks, and gave everyone a gift bag.
Ti Luc all dressed up!
Our school students, teachers and administration are now enjoying a break. In December before school closed the students and teachers were blessed with a special Christmas meal and gift compliments of Bob and Linda Comeau of Yarmouth, NS. Bob and Linda came down and spent a busy week with us. They helped prepare the meal of rice and beans, Creole sauce, fried chicken, and salad. They also served the meals, complete with cold drinks, and gave everyone a gift bag.
That day there was a large amount of food, drinks and gifts to be transported from one compound to the other. Too much to do by hand. Thus, we filled the truck inside and out and I drove it next door to the school compound. When I drove into the school yard with coolers, and boxes of gifts, etc you can imagine the excitement of the children. The elementary students jumped up and down in joy shouting and singing. A happy day indeed for them.
One of the highschool students, when leaving the school afterwards, was overheard saying "Heaven came down at our school today." That sums it up beautifully!! This was a special treat - a little big of heaven - for the students. Our thanks go to Bob and Linda for making Christmas special for them! The night prior Bob and Linda spent many hot and sweaty hours in my room preparing 220 gift bags. They both made comments about this being special for them too, and that this was what Christmas was all about. Their hearts were filled by being here and helping touch the lives of those who have little.
This year I enjoyed a different and special Christmas. This was my fifteenth Christmas since coming to Haiti. My daughters decided it was time for me to spend Christmas in Canada with them. We were all together in Calgary and it was a blessed and special time.
On January 1st, the orphanage children and I had a wonderful party together. We shared snacks and a meal, chocolate for everyone and gifts brought from my time in Canada.
The kids with their new clothes
Mirlande with her new dolly
Dieunel is very proud of his new outfit.
This year I enjoyed a different and special Christmas. This was my fifteenth Christmas since coming to Haiti. My daughters decided it was time for me to spend Christmas in Canada with them. We were all together in Calgary and it was a blessed and special time.
On January 1st, the orphanage children and I had a wonderful party together. We shared snacks and a meal, chocolate for everyone and gifts brought from my time in Canada.
The kids with their new clothes
Mirlande with her new dolly
Dieunel is very proud of his new outfit.
Ti Luc all dressed up!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Brenda's Last Blog
Beautiful Things in Haiti
View from on top of Karen's house
These are especially beautiful!!
Little Josie and Mirlande
Vladimy
Sabine and Serlande
Final evening sitting together
Final kiss goodbye. :((
On this day Dieunel came running up to me "naked as a jay bird" arms open wide wanting to be held.
After church last Sunday enjoying some food at mama Karen's
A common site on the compound
A common site outside the compound
Not so common site "on or off" the compound!!
View from on top of Karen's house
These are especially beautiful!!
Little Josie and Mirlande
Vladimy
Sabine and Serlande
Final evening sitting together
Final kiss goodbye. :((
On this day Dieunel came running up to me "naked as a jay bird" arms open wide wanting to be held.
After church last Sunday enjoying some food at mama Karen's
A common site on the compound
A common site outside the compound
Not so common site "on or off" the compound!!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Morning at the Market in Verrettes
Our day began with Ti Luckner taking on the job of Assistant Security with Ti wo wo. He was very happy to don a RCMP cap and take his post at the gate. He liked the idea of protecting the compound while we were gone to the market in Verrettes. Ti-Luckner is a special needs kid that Karen has had since he was 6 weeks old and is now in the process of adopting him. He has not had a proper diagnosis but we feel he has symptoms of Cerebral Palsy. He has amazing ability to do all kinds of things with his feet, but he is very limited with his arms. He takes great pleasure in trying to do anything others can do. He learns quickly and you can just see him processing information. He has the brightest smile of any child that I have seen and has certainly won my heart!!
Time to open the gate to let us out.
I like this picture of Odner on the left laughing at Ti-Luckner's zeal at opening the gate. Odner went with us for protection at the market.
Martha ready to shop!!
One of the nicer tables there.
As we were walking through the market we were the focal point; being that we were blanc. I said to Karen, "I kinda feel like Angelina Jolie on trip to Africa." My moment of fame. :) In saying that, I was scared to move one inch from Odner or Karen as men would come and stand right beside us, staring and not wanting to go away.
This lady didn't want me to take her picture, as I immediately found out. After I took the shot she glared at me and told me I'd better pay her for that.
I didn't get a lot of great shots as they do not like blancs taking their pictures. At least most of them don't
Two little piggies went to market and got sold to this lady! I bet the other was glad that he stayed home :)
Market Place Parking Lot!!!
Goats taken in to be sold.
Karen and I showing that we can carry on our heads just like them.
Time to open the gate to let us out.
I like this picture of Odner on the left laughing at Ti-Luckner's zeal at opening the gate. Odner went with us for protection at the market.
Martha ready to shop!!
One of the nicer tables there.
As we were walking through the market we were the focal point; being that we were blanc. I said to Karen, "I kinda feel like Angelina Jolie on trip to Africa." My moment of fame. :) In saying that, I was scared to move one inch from Odner or Karen as men would come and stand right beside us, staring and not wanting to go away.
This lady wanted me to take her picture and to give it to her.
This lady didn't want me to take her picture, as I immediately found out. After I took the shot she glared at me and told me I'd better pay her for that.
I didn't get a lot of great shots as they do not like blancs taking their pictures. At least most of them don't
Two little piggies went to market and got sold to this lady! I bet the other was glad that he stayed home :)
Market Place Parking Lot!!!
Goats taken in to be sold.
Karen and I showing that we can carry on our heads just like them.
Ti-Luckner happy to open the gate for us when we returned.
And we were happy to arrive home safely after a hot day at the Market!
And we were happy to arrive home safely after a hot day at the Market!
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