Everyone:
Through some people here in Canada I have been able to get daily reports from a missionary who runs an orphanage in Haiti. I asked for, and received permission, to post the e-mail up-dates on this site after being sanitized for the security of the people in the country. I have replaced the names and specific locations with â Å“XXXXâ ? for security reasons. This doesn't take away from the information but protects the individuals down there. We must remember that this missionary is not a soldier but rather someone trapped in an unpleasant situation. This person does a good job of reporting the situation and the mood of those down there.
February 28, 2004
This is a group letter to let everyone know what is happening in Haiti at XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXX (orphanage).
Friday was the first day we felt fear for Haiti. We don‘t fear for ourselves but a lot of people are downtown in the midst of the shooting, looting, and killing.
We received a call this morning from a young volunteer at an orphanage in
Port au Prince who stayed because she has a child she won‘t leave. She said she had wanted to try to go to the lawyer‘s office to get some papers that were needed. We told her to stay put and not put her life in danger for papers that she probably couldn‘t get even if she went! We feel if foreigners are hurt it will probably be because they did not use common sense and felt forced to act to do things that can wait to be done.
We all are doing our best but right now there is nothing we can do for adoptions. Do not write anymore to ask us. The situation is too intense to try and go anywhere at this time. So we sit and wait...
The President of Haiti was on the radio last night asking people to return to work on Monday and for schools to open. I don‘t know if that is realistic unless he stops the Chimere (the black masked supporters of Aristide) from shooting people and looting the stores. People here will not venture out in those conditions and especially not send their children to school!
We hope some government workers do go to work. There are papers that we have sitting in the Minister of Foreign Affairs office that we need out. We would like to get all original papers from the courts and Ministries that are holding them just in case someone decides to burn some buildings! We don‘t think that will happen but we want to be safe not sorry that we didn‘t try to get them.
Today is quieter in Petionville. We are not sure about Port au Prince. The
US Embassy staff said they would try to go get some documents in the US Consulate that we had given them on some adoptions. They are to call me and let me know if they were able to go today.
They have shredded all of their visa paper so no one can steal them and make visas for the US and sell them. But this also means that we cannot get visas for our children whose adoptions are finished and they are waiting to go to the US.
Spain is evacuating some children on Humanitarian visas. We should hear more about this in a few days.
I have no problems with children going out on humanitarian visas if the adoptions are finished here as soon as the IBESR opens again and is functioning.
The grocery stores are open again today. We are gauging the threat level according to if the stores open or not! We were also able to call the water truck for 3 truckloads of water. Eventually they will run out of diesel and not be able to bring us water. So we will start to conserve. All laundry will be washed by hand, baths every 3rd day, buckets of water by each toilet and no more automatic flushing, no changing of the children‘s clothing unless they are very, very dirty! Things are tight but not desperate.
We pray for a quick resolution to the problem but it sounds like Mr.
Phillipe the rebel leader will not try to take Port au Prince until he has played a mind game with the government and the people. So this might drag on a couple of weeks until he decides to take action. He did this with Cap
Haitian and it worked but it was hard on the people that lived there.
In the mean time, people are being shot, robbed, and beaten. We will stay indoors and behind our locked gates.
Again, do not worry about us and the children but do pray for us. God so far has kept us safe. We were caught in a demonstration on the 13th in Port au Prince and that was from foolishness on our parts. But it made us realize that things are not stable and we must not take risks. Nothing could replace any of our lives. The cost is too great.
The people still at the orphanage:
XXXXX and XXXX XXXXXX along with XXXXX, XXXX and XXXXX
XXXXXXX XXXXXXX - USA
XXXXX XXXXX - Canada
XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX - Canada
XXXXX XXXXX - Canada
XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX - USA
Plus 72 children and 39 workers.
I will say it again...this is not about bravery or not taking the situation seriously...it is about doing the job we have to do and putting the children‘s needs before our own. We all feel like we cannot leave the children.
The XXXXXX orphanage is still functioning as far as we know. It was ok
last week. They are so far off the beaten path that they should be ok and
out of danger. Their biggest problem will be food.
XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) run by XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX says they have enough food for 3 weeks. So they should be ok too. Keep them in your
prayers.
At this point, the pro-Aristide forces have not come XXXXXXX XXXXXXX (location). Pray that it stays that way.
We will try to write every day to let people know what is going on. As
supplies dwindle, we are sure prices will rise. They already have on the
street. Pray that we can find money to purchase things that are needed. We
purchased rice and beans, formula for the babies and other food to store and
this cost us a lot of our ready cash.
We rest assured that we are safe where we are.
Blessings,
March 1, 2004
The men on the water truck tells us that there are some private cars on the
road but no public transportation. They said the police have put back on
their uniforms and are doing security checks on the vehicles that are on the
road.
They saw no roads blocked this morning.
We just saw the Fox News and they did have a short section about Haiti and
said the French had arrived early this morning. They said that 52% of the
Haitian population supported Aristide. We find that hard to believe because
not one of our staff supported him. They haven‘t for a long time. He lost
a lot of support when he called for the Embargo back in 1991 until 1994.
Haiti suffered because of that and many children starved during that time.
They knew he did that to them.
The news also reports he won the election with 92% of the vote! That may be
true but very few people voted! In 1990 and 1995, record numbers of
Haitians voted but not 1 of my staff voted in 2000 because they said their
vote didn‘t matter. It didn‘t change anything and the hope they had had for
a change was lost.
We have heard from other missionaries and all seem to be ok. XXXXX and
XXXXX XXXXX with XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) at XXXXXXXXXX (location) wrote and said they were ok. We had been worried because we could not reach them by phone. XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX wrote yesterday and were ok. The staff at the XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) are ok. XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX with XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) are ok. XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX with XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) are ok. The XXXXX and XXXXX with the XXXXX of XXXXX
XXXXX (orphanage), just up the road from us, was ok the last we talked to them. XXXXX XXXXX with XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) was ok on Saturday.
We have been very fortunate and God has protected us so far.
To all adoptive parents: XXXXX is taking photos today and you will receive
a photo today of your child. This will maybe help you feel a little better
about their safety. She will not have time to write an update...but you
will receive the photo.
Two of our staff just came and said they only saw police on the roads today
and private cars. They again walked...one from Fort Jacques and one from
Carre Four! They said there was a lot of policemen in Black riot gear at
different road stops.
March 1, 2004
All is quiet. My nurses from Petionville were able to get here tonight so
that is a big relief. Hopefully, the head nurse will be able to find
transportation tomorrow so XXXXX can get her days off this week. I won‘t
let her leave until one of the day nurses can come!
We hear all kinds of news and don‘t know which is true. Some sources have
said that it‘s quiet downtown and people have gone back to work in some
shops. Others say there are still pockets of fighting and burning. Just to
be on the safe side, we will stay home for a few more days!
Since I won‘t be able to leave for a few days, XXXXX and I will work on a
short newsletter to inform everyone of what is going on here besides the
coup d‘etat.
Pray that Cap Haitian airport will open up soon. XXXXX at XXXXX XXXXX(orphanage) has twins that need to go to Belgium. We need them in Port au Prince soon. More importantly, he has a little 1 month old baby that is
very sick. I try to advise him over Instant Messenger what to do but it‘s
difficult when I can‘t see the baby. But we are doing all we can together.
They say the rebels along with the police are guarding the police station at
Thomassin 25 which is XXXXX XXXXX (location). They are making every car
stop is what we have heard.
Spain and Canada are still working on plans to get the adopted children out
of Haiti. We are hindered by the paperwork being downtown. We hope that
one of the workers are able to go down and retrieve it tomorrow.
We have worked around the house today since we can‘t leave. XXXXX and XXXXX,
our son in law, welded a frame and put up clothes line at the XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) so they can dry clothes. XXXXX took photos of all of the children today. I‘ve worked on emails (I have 90 in my in box down from 246 this morning!) and taken care of the children.
We‘ll give updates again tomorrow morning. We are very thankful that
everything has been peaceful today in our area.
Tuesday, March 2, 2004
Last night, we heard gunfire until about midnight and then it became very
quiet. I don‘t know if it‘s just the stress or what, but I can‘t sleep. I
keep listening for gunfire and voices in the night. My nerves are shot and
we are all kind of on edge now.
Our driver came today. He said that Delmas Road was quiet and tap taps were
running. It‘s not normal traffic but people can get about. He said in
Petionville, shops are not open and only a few grocery stores. Our
son-in-law went down with him to the market and he said there are burned out
cars in places and there was a mattress burning in the middle of the road
close to the market.
The main roads like Canape Vert and Lalue, I was told, are not completely
cleared yet. They may be by this afternoon.
We have had no electricity from the city since Mardi Gras. Our fuel tanks
are in but they were to deliver diesel late last week and were never able to
bring it. We called today and were told "we‘re on the list for when things
open up". We have three babies in incubators. One is just 3 lbs. We hope
that we find fuel before what we have runs out.
There is no bread to be bought. Maybe tomorrow the bakery says. Very
little flour in the open markets. They say much of the flour was stolen.
The curfew makes it hard for my day nurses. To arrive by 7 AM, they must
leave their homes by 5 AM. They leave here at 4 PM and one doesn‘t arrive
home until after 6 PM. This is extremely hard for them but they need to
work.
We still do not feel it‘s safe to go downtown yet. Maybe tomorrow, we will
be able to get about but I am not going to try unless it‘s absolutely
necessary and I hear it is safe.
We received an 8 day old baby boy today from way up in the mountains. I
said it was a good reminder to us that life goes on even in the worse of
times!
It seems no longer urgent to get children out of the country and several
countries have backed off in their plans to take children out of Haiti
without their passports. We can pray that when things get back to
normal...things will function just a little bit better and passports will
finally be issued? Passports taking 12 months is crazy!
The radio may have been wrong about Mrs. XXXXX being caught at the Dominican
border. It seems at the present time she is in Haiti. Someone has spoken
to her on the telephone.
We hear that the US Embassy is having some charter flights out of Haiti for
US Citizens who have not been able to go via commercial airlines. We will
check on this information for our daughter and her husband. American
Airlines keeps changing the date they will start service again. They have 3
children at home and jobs to return to. They need to go home....
XXXXX and XXXXX, our 8 year old sons, will start school again on March 8.
But the hours will be shortened to 8 AM to 2 PM. They NEED to go back soon.
They are very tired of being cooped up in the house!
Until tomorrow,
March 5, 2004
We‘re sad that American Airlines has again cancelled flights to Haiti until
March 9. Our daughter and her husband have patiently waited to go home but
are starting to feel pressure to return to their jobs and children. Our
other daughter, XXXXX, is watching their 3 young children and she of
course, would like XXXXX and XXXXX to come home...yesterday! We will work on
finding a flight to the Dominican or via the US Embassy if they are still
doing charter flights. This is a desperate prayer need!
The trip downtown went well. Not a lot of people on the road but more cars
were out the longer we were in the city. There were a few gas stations open
but there were LONG lines waiting to get gas. Our driver let us off at a
hotel for lunch and went and sat in line for over an hour to get some for my
car. I only had 1/4 of a tank of gas so we were very thankful we found some
gas.
Many gas stations were burned and closed. We saw some pump attendants
sitting but they said they had no gas. They were waiting for a delivery of
gas maybe today...maybe tomorrow....
We still didn‘t get diesel but they promise early tomorrow...of course they
have been promising this for several days. But maybe since we did see gas
trucks out that tomorrow they actually will come!
XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX, a Canadian Missionary, worked on the generator
and it seems to be running. We had called a mechanic but he couldn‘t come
today and we needed something done today! We also called the US Embassy but
they said the marines really couldn‘t help nor did they have a generator
that we could use. So it was a very good thing that they think they have
fixed it. It was the oil pressure sensor...now let‘s pray the generator
doesn‘t BLOW because it‘s unhooked now! As someone just told me...in
Haiti...it‘s fix...fix...fix...fix...BLOW! We could use that to describe
the political system here too!
)
We heard from another orphanage director today who said he was further down
in the city than we went and he said things are still not great. He ran
into 4 roadblocks yesterday and had guns pointed at him.
The news is making it sound like things are getting back to normal. But
there is still lots of tension and problems in the streets. A lot of
Haitians won‘t go out yet. Petionville seems to be ok. The main street to
the Palace seems to be ok. But further down...there are problems still.
There is still fighting in the night.
A birth father in Cite Soleil called again yesterday. He said there were
still gangs shooting and stealing in his area. He and his family are still
staying in and he told me not to come down and meet him like we had planned.
Of course, I had no intentions of going down in that area! It‘s bad in
peaceful times!
The government offices such as courts, IBESR, and Immigration are shut down.
Embassies are dealing with citizens trying to get out of the country and
trying to find fuel, water, and food themselves! Adoptive parents must
understand that adoptions are a priority but day to day living is very
difficult right now and getting papers and things we need for children are
impossible this week. All parents need to know we are all doing the best we
can and hopefully by next week we will be able to get some papers to get
some of the children home to their adoptive families.
For American families: the US Consulate is hoping to issue some visas next
week for children to travel whose adoptions are done and the children have
passports. They do NOT want American families coming to Haiti at this time
to pick up children. So we will escort all children out of Haiti for now.
For Spanish Families: We spoke to Ms. XXXXX today and we have a list of
everything we need for the children to leave Haiti. She said we need to
give her the documents along with any documentation that we feel the
government should have and she will turn it into your Foreign Affairs office
and they will decide if the children can travel. So pray we can get the
things we need for each child. The list is not long and we will work hard
to get everything. Most of the children have the documents in their files.
We will escort the children to the DR and you can pick them up there. I‘m
kind of sad that the times won‘t let us escort the children to Spain...I
would have LOVED to visit Spain!
For French Families: Your government is talking of doing something much like
the Spanish are doing. We are also working on getting everything together.
For Canadian Families: I have the paperwork for the children who are
finished but without passports. We will turn them into the Canadian Embassy
so that they can leave as soon as Immigration decides what can be done for
them. At least as soon as the Embassy is open and functioning....
Catholic Relief Services finally made up to our house today. I wasn‘t here
but XXXXX spoke with them and filled out the necessary paperwork. They
said they would issue us a check on Monday. I am so thankful for my staff.
I don‘t know what I would do without them all. XXXXX especially is my
right hand and functions very well when I‘m not here. Our 8 year old sons,
XXXXX and XXXXX, say that when I‘m old that they will run the orphanage and
XXXXX can run the nursery! I pray that they really mean this...
Lots of people carrying guns around. Private citizens have a gun strapped
to their hip and walking into the grocery stores! I guess the "NO GUNS
INSIDE" rule doesn‘t apply anymore!
XXXXX in Cap Haitian at XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX orphanage says they still
don‘t have fuel up North. We hope the military opens up the roads so that
they can get some supplies. The planes also are not flying yet except to
bring soldiers. No commercial flights yet.
Banks did open today...at least a few of them....but there were long lines.
We finally got some funds to pay the staff. It was due the 1st of March but
we couldn‘t find any money. The staff will be very happy that they can buy
supplies for their own families.
Another day over...
I love Haiti. The people bounce back so quickly. Our daughter went with me
down to the Spanish Embassy today and we stopped to buy some souvenirs along
the street from some vendors that I know. Only in Haiti would vendors be
out selling souvenirs in the middle of a conflict! But...the vendors said
to me....
Haiti may have fallen...but we Haitians will rise again. We are strong!
How can they have such hope when they have lived with such poverty and
misery in their lives for so long? They ARE strong! If they could only
break the cycle of poverty and political injustice, they could prosper. But
democracy is NOT enough, they need adequate health care, clean water and
food for everyone, and affordable education for all children. Without
those, Haiti will not change....
March 5, 2004
Just wanted everyone to know that we heard a honk and big airbrakes outside
and we all let out a cheer and went running. Even the nannies came to see
what was going on. The fuel truck had arrived!
We couldn‘t believe it because we figured when the curfew had passed...we
would have to wait another day. But they said fuel, water, and emergency
services could work late and so they came knowing we were running low on
diesel.
I‘m sure they thought we were crazy outside taking photos of them loading
diesel into our new tanks. They didn‘t say anything but they probably
wondered if we had never seen fuel delivered before!
We are so thankful and thank everyone who contributed to the fund to
purchase the tanks and have them filled. We now have excess funds and will
use them to keep the tanks filled.
On a sad note, the baby at XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage) that was so sick, died
last night. He had put up a good fight for 5 weeks but just couldn‘t
survive this last bout of sickness. Please pray for all of the staff at
XXXXX XXXXX (orphanage). They are cut off from the rest of Haiti right now.
We hope that the airport opens soon.
Blessings,
