Hello from hot Haiti, this is Carol.

We arrived yesterday and were overwhelmed at the airport by porters(at least 50)wanting to take our bags. Most of our group had not slept more than 3 hours, so we were exhausted. Jan had a sick stomach for a minute, but got talked over it. Liette was not allowed to carry the vaccine on the plane, so it had to be packed in the luggage. When we arrived at the airport, one of the bags was missing. We discovered on our arrival in Deschapelles that the vaccine was in the missing bag.

Outside the airport

This am, Barry and Roger are repairing the air conditioning and toilet. The ladies are unpacking and sorting the donations. The teens and children are helping with the children, and it is good to have them here as Tifi, the handicapped little girl is falling plus there are two babies who need a lot of attention.

Barry working on air conditioner

 

Heather with Jofky

It’s 8:15 pm and it’s Ariane here now.


After devotions this morning, we started sorting the donations and gifts. Even though I didn’t help (I was playing with the younger kids) it sounded like a confusing and difficult task. Following the sorting of the gifts and donations, we ate a delicious lunch made by the cook, Martha.

Carol,Penny, Jan, Nichole organizing what was brought down

During the afternoon, we took pictures of the preschool kids and the grade 9 class for their sponsors. The kids also wrote letters that will be translated and sent out.

Photos & Letters Grade 9 students

We also went out to paint the walls of the preschool kids class room. After hard work and probably a few pulled muscles we took a step back to admire our work. I hope the kids like the color!

Roger & Jan painting prescolaire classroom

The final good news of the day was that the suitcase was located in Port-au-Prince and brought back to Deschapelles with the vaccines still cool inside! At the end of the workday, all of the employees except the teachers got their first dose as well as all of the children. The kids drank it down like troopers, including the littlest ones! We are so happy that the medication made it here and so grateful for everyone who donated towards the cost of the vaccine. All of the people who got their vaccine were so happy and appreciative.
 

Missing suitcase with vaccine arrived

 

Wilson being vaccinated

 

Poppa Luckner take vaccine with Ti Luc & Karena

 

Ismyis & Leica taking vaccine

 

New Team Arrives..

It's Liette here. Our team from Calgary arrived in Deschapelles, Haiti safely early this afternoon. Our group consists of myself and my kids, Carol, Jan, Penny, Barry, Heather and Roger from Calgary plus Nichole from Texas were greeted with a beautiful welcome sign on the front gate of the mission and a gaggle of small happy children. After a VERY short night in Florida, we were up and at the airport at 4:30 am this morning. A delicious meal of pumpkin soup and bread nourished our bellies and lots of hugs nourished our souls.

We had the chance today to get a tour of all of the great things going on here at Hands Across the Sea and then we enjoyed a nice walk along the canal with the children.

We're all exhausted and are headed to bed to be ready for lots of work and new adventures tomorrow.

Liette

Cholera continues...

I am asking for prayer support for Liette, and her team, to be able to arrive in Haiti tomorrow with all the Cholera vaccine she is carrying intact and in good shape.   She was hoping to be able to get special permission to transport the $5000 worth of vaccine in her carry-on luggage.  We thank God she was able to find out, before arriving at the airport this morning, that she would not be able to do so.  She will be travelling with it in her checked luggage so we are asking for prayer that there will be no lost or delayed luggage.   Thank you for standing in prayer with us the safe arrival of the team and the vaccine.

The Cholera epidemic continues to get a lot worse.  There are more than 800 deaths from Cholera and almost 12,000 confirmed with the sickness. From where we stand, however, these numbers are much lower than reality.  These are what has been confirmed.  Bodies are lying on the ground in many areas.  People are scared to touch them to bury them.  It is reported that in some areas people are being buried in mass graves.  The projection is that over the next six months to a year 200,000 people could end up with the disease.

A major problem as I see it, In this area anyway, is that people have no way to get to a hospital in time.  Tap Taps and Moto Taxis, the public transportation system here, out of fear, refuse to transport the sick people to the hospital for help.  I am praying about what this mission might be able to do to help. I am wondering if there is any way we can find someone to hire, and pay, to be available to transport the sick to the hospital.  Even if we can, another problem presents itself.  The hospitals are full and most of them have tents set up outside for cholera patients, but these two are full.

Please continue to pray for some sort of solution to this problem that was inadvertently brought into Haiti, a country that already had more to deal with than it could handle.

Our school continues to have more students out with cholera and we have had some deaths of family members of our students.  The father of one of our teachers is extremely ill with it at this time.  We are still operating but without our prescolaire classes at this time.

We continue to explain the precautions that people should be taking.  Luckner, especially, is teaching, teaching, teaching his people what to watch for and prevention methods to use.   Because construction is continuing here at the mission I mix 3-4 bottles of water with Clorox and have it circulating daily at the construction site.  Too, we encourage them to pour it over their hands every time they enter our compound.

Mixing javex and water for the workers hands

Speaking of construction, the work on the septic tank for the new Kid's home has finally been able to proceed, thanks to the fact that they reduced the water in the canal outside the mission to almost nothing for a day.

From This

To This

The Timbrmart House walls are going up, and the kids are starting to get excited that the house is finally looking like it will be completed soon.  It will be a happy day for all of us when we can separate the girls and boys and get them set up in different houses.  We will have Antoinette in one house and Magalie in the other.  We need additional help immediately and when the other house is completed we will need another helper.

Timbrmart House

Yesterday Leica and Ti Luc were assisting Martha to carefully checking over the cornmeal she had purchased before bagging it.   I use the term assisting a little loosely here.

Martha,Ti Luc & Leica checking the cornmeal

Martha's assistants, Leica and Ti Luc

On the last blog I asked for prayer for friend, John Chappelle, and family.  Yesterday John's battle was over.  He went to be with the Lord.   I ask for continued prayer support for my dear friend, Bev, who now has to deal with the grief and face life without her lifetime partner and friend.   Too, pray for their daughter, Shureen, who spent the past few months, away from her own family, to be with John and Bev, and being an awesome support to them both.  And for their son, Sean, as they all go through the grieving process of losing a loved one.

When the word of John's death came to me yesterday I called Luckner and gave him a little time alone to deal with it too.  We then called all students in our school from grades 4 - 9 together and gave them the news.  Many of them had been praying for and asking about John and Mme John regularly.   The whole assembly stood in thankfulness to all John and Bev have done for them, and for education in this Artibonite Valley.  Then they prayed for Bev, Shureen and Sean for their futures.   I wished I had taken my camera to the assembly so I could get a photo for Bev, but I doubt I would have been able to operate it properly or see well enough to get a decent photo anyway.  Tears were flowing.

John and Bev have made a big difference in the lives of many students and their families in this area.  They worked diligently for many years, putting the education of the needy Haitian students ahead of time for themselves.  Too, John served on the Canadian Board of Directors of this mission.   John will be missed by many people far and wide.  Personally, I will miss his teasing and Newfie jokes.

With Liette's arrival tomorrow I will take a short break from blogging.  It will be nice for you to hear from her.

Again, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your love and support.

God bless you all.

What's this? Karen blogging two days in a row.

Must be bad news, good news, or both.

It is both! First the bad news. Cholera is spreading rapidly. Yesterday I wrote about the increased danger of Cholera since the hurricane hit Haiti and that we are trying to educate our students. Today we know that several of our school students have it along with members of their families. It is all over the country now. Reports are coming in of lots of illness and deaths in Cap Haitian, Gonaives, and all over. More deaths today in St. Marc again. People are talking about nothing else now as it is not a good situation at all. It is no longer all around us, it is in the mission too now. Close to HATS, in Borel where Luckner lives, there are many people very ill with Cholera. Authorities from many countries predicted that if Hurricane Thomas hit Haiti the cholera epidemic would worsen quite quickly. Those were accurate predictions.

Today we decided to send all of our prescolaire students home until Monday at least. We will take another look tomorrow and we might send more of the younger students home, or even all of the elementary students. This morning Luckner and I gave our elementary teachers the good news that Liette and team will be arriving on Sunday with donations of Cholera vaccinations from caring people outside , and they will be on the receiving end. Wow. The relief and thankfulness was very evident.

Thank you to all who have donated towards the 60 vaccines that are coming down. Thank you for your continued prayer support for the people of Haiti.

Now the good news. Today another precious little one was added to our family. My family keeps increasing and we still don't have the second Children's Home up. This little guy is called Jofky, at least for now. He does not yet have a birth certificate so that might change. He is 1 1/2 and already a buddy for our little Karena.

This morning security came to tell me that someone was at the gate asking for me. He said the person was blind and had a small child with him, and wanted me to take him. Luckner and I met with the man and got necessary information. He is the papa but he cannot take care of his child. During our meeting the father said he lived in Verrettes and he has been blind since 1995. His name is Joseph. Something was triggering a memory and I kept looking at him. Then I remembered during my first year here in 1995 I had gone to Verrettes with someone to visit a Christian family who was building a school. While there I heard about a young man who had recently gone blind. I went to see the young man, who was called Joseph, and prayed with him, in English of course at that time. I know this is the same Joseph who came to HATS today to ask us to take care of his precious boy because he cannot. It is interesting to see God at work.


We agreed to accept the little boy into this family and to do so today while he was here. The little guy was confused and crying in his papa's arms. Before the papa left him with me he knelt on the floor of our office, put his hand on his son's head and prayed, and prayed and prayed. I had called Antoinette to come up and meet the little guy. When she arrived she found me standing in the office doorway crying as I was listening to the father praying. Soon Antoinette too was crying. It was obvious the man knew Jesus and loved his son very much, but knew he could not take care of him. When the father finished praying the boy was very calm and relaxed.

Jofky with his papa praying for him

Jofky then came willingly into my arms (no fear of the blan lady at all) and cuddled into me and wanted to stay in my arms. He has accepted me and his new family readily and is already settling in nicely.

Mama Karen, Jofky, Karena and Ti Luc

He and Karena are friends already.

Jofky and Karena

All the children are happy to have another little brother and wanted a new photo which included him. All of these children are unique and special.

Each one unique and special

Please pray that I can find another lady to join HATS and work with Antoinette and Magalie and the children. There absolutely must be two people with them all the time. It is now becoming urgent.

Thanks again for all the support, all the love and acceptance.

IT TRULY IS ALL ABOUT THE CHILDREN.

Greetings everyone from 'once again' sunny Deschapelles.

After four days of no sunshine and rain almost all the time it was glorious today to have the sun back. The temperature and humidity were easily dealt with because we were all so happy to be rid of rain and cloud. Our school students seemed glad to be back at school today. All schools in Haiti had been closed Thursday and Friday due to the hurricane. I think they were glad to be able to be out and about in the sunshine again.

Many of you have been wondering how we made out during Hurricane Thomas. We give God thanks that we had no real problems. The storm affected all of Haiti but some areas much worse than others. We got a lot of rain, but not a lot of wind. Neither of our two compounds - our main one or school compound flooded. This was due to the fact that we had raised the level of both compounds by approx 3 feet in Aug/Sept. And because Luckner talked to 'the powers that be' who control the level of the canal in front of the HATS compounds. He suggested that they lower the level of the canal before the heavy rains came. They listened and they did. If they had not done so the canal surely would have flooded and would have run into both our yards. There was flooding throughout our area and I understand many families lost their belongings in the water, but it was not catastrophic near us. Haiti generally had a lot of flooding, lots of mudslides, and roads out, but this area did not have that kind of devastation.

During one of the days of heavy rain from Thomas Ti Luc wanted to go to Kid's Home so I bundled him up because he had been coughing, etc. He was quite the sight in his pink and white rubber boots, his blue superman rain cape and his yellow Newfie sou’wester rain hat.

Ti Luc ready for hurricane Thomas

On the last blog you saw that the work on enclosing our third piece of property was almost completed. It was finished shortly after that and the construction workers had a few days without any work due to the hurricane. Today everyone is back hard at work again. We have three workers cleaning up the newly enclosed property.

Enclosure walls completed - clean up started

 

Plus, on this main compound, work commenced today on the walls of the new Children's Home. It is being built with lots of rebar and cement. It will be done to enable a second level to be added at a later time if need be. Luckner kept running over from the school to check out the work. He saw one block not perfectly in alignment and made them do it over.

Walls started on new Kid's Home

Luckner pointing out one bloc not perfectly aligned

 

Many of you have not seen much of our second house mother - Magalie. Magalie works with the children along with Antoinette, and if one of the ladies has a day off the other one is here. We need another person to join them as there definitely needs to be two women here all the time. One person cannot handle the children and cook, etc. We have been coping by Germaine working there instead of at this house and if Germaine is not there I leave my work to help out. Having someone else on board has been a need for awhile. Many in the area need work but we are not willing to rush out and take someone without a lot of checking. It is not easy to keep going as we are, but we must wait and hope for the right person for the Kid's Home just as we continue to wait for the right couple to join me here. Magalie is seen here with our little Karena. Magalie is planning to be married late December but, like Antoinette, will continue to work here with the children, and also like Antoinette she will have two days a week with her husband. Both Antoinette and Magalie are very thankful for their jobs and we are very thankful for them.

Magalie & Karena

 

Speaking of cholera. The danger of this has increased due to the hurricane and the flood waters. The Artibonite River and the Canal in front of HATS is contaminated, along with much more of Haiti's water. We are doing the best we can to teach our school students about the danger of cholera. This morning in devotions a teacher took the time to tell our students again about the danger, and the increased danger, of this disease. Students from prescolaire to grade 9 were told to wash their hands many times a day, to not eat certain foods that grow near the water, to not eat food cooked and sold on the street, and to stay away from water sources, canal, rivers, etc. and drink only what their parents feel is safe water.

An episode at school last week showed me clearly that the teaching I've been doing with my kids had gotten through. A young student apparently took Ti Luc's hand and tried to give him a bite of food. Karma grabbed Ti Luc's hand and yanked it away and asked the student if he wanted Ti Luc to get cholera. Yikes. Have I been drilling it in too much? I don't want my kids to be rude but I do want them to be careful. Haitians tend to 'believe what they can see'. If it hasn't happened to them or their loved ones then it is not real. It is better to have people scared and careful than to be a statistic.

One of our construction workers recently had both his mother and sister quite ill with cholera. They were able to get to the hospital in time for the necessary help. A few days later his neice ended up at the hospital with it also. Anyone planning to come to HATS must now be vaccinated against Cholera.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Liette and team on Sunday, along with my precious grandchildren. They have all been recently vaccinated against cholera. Due to the generosity of people in Canada they are bringing vaccine with them for Luckner, myself, the children, and employees. Thank you, God.

They will be helping in various ways, including painting at the school and the Children's Home. The biggest and most important help for me, however, is that Liette is going to undertake getting the photos done of all students in our sponsoring program, and getting their yearly letters written. Then there is the big job of getting it all sent out to our many sponsors. I wish to say thank you for your financial support for a student(s) which enables them to attend school. Thank you, too, to the new sponsors for your continued patience while awaiting the name and grade of your student. Students and sponsors have all been matched up, but I have not yet been able to get the information to you all. It is coming!!!!

Our dear friend, John Chappelle, continues to struggle with his health. Please continue to pray for John, and for Bev, and for their daughter Shureen, as they walk through this together. John and Bev have been dear friends of mine for many years and they are very important to me and also to HATS in many ways. The employees and students here have been asking me about 'Pastor John' for a long time and when he is going to come back. Now they are praying for him and his family.

If you don't hear from me for a short time feel free to drop me an email to see how we are doing. I will respond as quickly as I can. Too, it will remind me that I need to blog again.

You are loved. You are appreciated greatly. May God bless you all.
Karen

Never a dull moment at HATS

The workteam, under the direction of Gerry Rhyno,  left here on Tuesday and arrived safely at their homes on Wednesday.  We were scheduled to leave the mission at 6:00 a.m.  The trip to Port au Prince actually started with the big van sitting on the mission compound needing a tire change before we could proceed.  We were still off by 6:30 a.m.   A good start to a long day.

Good start to six am departure for airport

A lot was accomplished in the week they were with us for which I am extremely thankful.  They worked hard in the hot sun and high humidity but they also enjoyed time with my kids and, of course, my kids enjoyed attention and fun with the group.  They took advantage of a very necessary break from the sun and heat at noon time to regain their strength as you will see from the photo of the four sleeping beauties.  Judel joined them one day he decided he needed to get his rest too.  Sofa or chair he did not need.  Thank you to each and every one of the team members.  God bless you all.

Noon break. Sleeping beauties

 

Judel. Who needs a bed to be comfortable

 

The Haitian workers are continuing with the work on the enclosure for our land located behind our school.  As of yesterday there was a small section left to complete that job.   Then on to another project.

Working on last section of enclosure

 

Yesterday Martha delivered two sacks of rice to me on her horse.  The kids loved seeing a horse on the compound.  Ti Luc was not feeling well, but Martha took him outside and allowed him to sit on the horse.  Wow, he loved it and kept telling it to go, go.  I don't think he needs a big stroller anymore when we have our walks along the canal.  He just needs his own horse.

Ti Luc saying - Let's go

 

Today has been just another nice quiet normal Sunday at HATS.  Ti Luc was not well Friday night, yesterday, and was worse last night.  He was coughing a lot and having breathing problems again.  He was with me all night so I could give him ventalin as needed.  I was more tired when we got up this morning than when we lay on the bed last night.    Antoinette left 6:30 a.m. for the service at her church and planned to be back here for our service at 9:00 a.m.   Due to the cholera and to the fact one my kids has measles, and looks like others might be starting, I had decided to have Antoinette do the service at the school, and I would help her.   Magalie would do a service here with my kids only.  The best laid plans of mice and men . . . .    Antoinette took a moto taxi to her church and paid him in advance to pick her back up at 8:50.    Antoinette arrived home to find her husband ill, with fever and vomiting and she needed to look after him.   Since the moto did not return for her she could not come back for an hour for church and then return to her husband.   I was so very drained and tired from being awake with Ti Luc all night, and Ti Luc was still ill, so I did not even dress for church.   I could hear kids at the school for church and I could hear Magalie and my kids worshipping here onsite.  What to do now?   So, I interupted their little service here and sent Magalie to the school to look after that service.  I put Vladimy in charge of the service here.  And I looked after Ti Luc.  All is well.  Yeah, right!   Moise left that service and came in to tell me Josie and Ismyis were jumping up and down on the benches and not listening to Vladimy.   I put in a quick appearance, which I knew would settle the mischievous kids down, but grabbed my camera on the way out.   Glad I did.   Josie and Ismyis saw me standing in the door and they quickly became the quietest and best behaved of my children.   And I was able to take a photo of them all sitting and behaving nicely with Karena peeking out of JJ's arms and laughing.

Vladimy leading ti servis on site

 

All was okay on the surface there so I decided to get back to Ti Luc but Karena chased me crying to come with me.  She was happy to join Ti Luc inside and he loves to have her around.

Cute or what

 

Antoinette had to take the whole day to help her hubby and Magalie survived but not without several 'dezod'  occasions by the children that I helped her deal with.   At 1:00 p.m. I was informed we were out of water.  Okay, no problem.  I will turn on the pump.  No water came.  Needs to be primed.  With Vladimy and the wrench and 5 gal of water off to the pump itself we went.   We finally got the pump to pull the water, but before we could get one drop in the tanks the water pressure separated the pipe where it was joined and all the water went into the air and over me, with none in the tank.   Nothing I did could fix it.   No problem.  We only have thirteen kids desperately in need of a shower, two sweaty adults, toilets to flush and dishes to wash with  no water.   Because the canal is contaminated we could not bring that in to flush toilets as we could in the past.   Fun and games.   Called the only person I trust here to touch this plumbing system, Luckner, but did not reach him.   Eventually we did connect and by 6:30 the pipe was fixed and the tanks are now being filled.

I promised the children a video this afernoon.   One way to give Magalie a chance to get something done I thought.   So, turn on the generator first right.  Can't.  No oil.  Did anyone tell me we were out of oil.  Of course not!   Called someone outside the compound to purchase oil for me as I did not feel well enough to go.  Eventually a gallon of diesel oil arrived.  Okay.  On with the generator and turn on TV and DVD player and in with the disc.  Problem.  The image was so dark the kids could hardly see anything.  Couldn't figure out the problem as I could find nothing in English.  Had to rush back home to check on my sick boy who was here by himself.  Judel, Dieunel, and Ismyis were cying when I left as I did not give them the promised video.  I was a mean mama!    Back down to the Kid's Home again and this time I unplugged and replugged everything I could find.   Okay.  It worked.  All the kids jumped up and down and hugged and kissed me because I had just made their day.  I was the wonderful mama!

We all have days like that, where nothing seems to go right and we wonder how we manage to get through it all.  And the days often come when we are overtired or ill.   I know that I get through quieter days like today, or the days that are much more challenging, because I am learning to stay calm and ask God to take care of it.  I am his.  My kids are his.  This work is his and he cares about it all.  I am still learning and working on keeping Karen out of the way and asking him to take control of the various situations that constantly arise.  For 15 1/2 years I have been saying "Never a dull moment at HATS".   For 15 1/2 years I have been asking for some 'dull' moments.  I would still like to have some.  Please continue to pray for the "right missionary couple" to join me and help me with the load.  Just maybe the day will come when there will be a couple of 'dull' moments here.  O Happy Day!!

Whether there comes a quiet and dull time or not,  it has been,  it is, and  it always will be
"All About The Children".

Blessings everyone.   Karen

Home Safe

Just a quick update to let everyone know that the NS contingent just landed safely in Halifax and are on their way home now...