August 24, 2010:
All is well here in Jacmel, I’m enjoying my stay at the Little Angels of Jacmel Orphanage. The children are so happy, I love each one, I spend as much time as I can with them. They are teaching me French words and I teach them English. I wish I could speak it fluently, but I know love has no boundaries. One lesson I have learned is that I shouldn’t have brought all light clothes, they don’t stay white long when playing with the children. They love to climb and crawl all over me.
Pastor Placide and his wife are very kind and helpful, providing great meals for me. I love Haitian food!!! I had rice with bean sauce, Pastor says that makes me officially Haitian!!
I have had trouble obtaining my extra luggage and tools at the customs. We drove to Port-Au-Prince yesterday, going from one building to another, obtaining a broker, paying additional fees, ending up without my things in the end. A driver was sent again today to Port-Au-Prince, he is on his way back with them. Thank goodness!!
It’s a long drive to get to Port Au Prince from Jacmel, due to the mountain crossings and the poor road conditions. The devastation in Port-Au-Prince is too much to take in, it will require more trips to grasp it fully. The buildings are still lying in ruins, rubble everywhere, streets are a mess, it will take a long time and much effort and assistance to rebuild. The people for the most part are dressed very well, clean and well kept.
Pastor Placide, took me in the store where he was during the earthquake, along with Murray Moore, Myles and Rosemary Blair. I stood there trying to grasp what it must have been like and could only imagine the fear. Pastor Placide said the bottles broke all over the floor and he fell hard on them, not cutting himself, he said “Lord you protected me from getting cut, I know you will save me”. Just outside the door, a large piece of cement hit the ground at his heels.
Thank you so much for your prayers, thoughts and kind comments.
August 25, 2010:
I did manage to acquire my tools last night. Everything seems to be there. It did, however, cost me an additional 300 dollars, to appease the custom officials.
Today I am doing more measuring of the rooms and the cabinets that need to be built. The kids have to carry 5 gallon pails of water up three flights of stairs, due to their showers not being completed. They need the fixtures to finish the water supply. The pipes are there already. I hope to be able to finish them before I come home. The floors on the second floor need tiles laid and the house needs to be painted again, inside and out. Maybe some of you could come for a week? That would be so awesome!!!!
It’s very hot here again today. I don’t have much of an appetite but I manage to eat some. I drink so much to keep from dehydrating.
