God's Heart for Haiti

This Update follows a meeting last month with the leadership of College St. Pierre, the Bishop of Haiti, and Dubois Eggleston (Head of School, Porter Gaud, Charleston, SC), Patrick Martin (English Professor, Porter Gaud), and Bishop Thomas Johnston

Dubois Eggleston and Patrick Martin

Leadership Team from the June Meeting

Accomplished to date:

+ All rubble and debris from the destruction of CSP has been removed from the school grounds

+ Temporary classrooms have been constructed and classes have resumed (535 students / 40+ faculty)

+ Administration and Faculty are preparing for national examinations

+ The Bishop of Haiti has had on-going meetings with the national leadership of Haiti in an attempt to secure additional land for College Ste. Pierre’s future

+ A preliminary report by the Bishop’s Task Force on assessing damage to Diocesan Structures has recently been completed and will be released in the near future

Short-term Needs to prepare CSP for the Fall

The first of October marks the beginning of a new school year for College St. Pierre and the beginning of a temporary season in the life of CSP (at least two years before a new facility is designed and constructed).  In preparation for a new start, the administration of the school has identified the following as priorities and needs for this next season.  [A certified engineer who is currently working with the School and the Diocese has provided the following estimates]:

+ 5 Laptop computers for administration use  (approximately 6,000 USD)

+ Photo copier for the School  (approximately 2,000+ USD)

+ Security is a significant problem for the School and there is an immediate need to repair portions of the security wall surrounding the campus.  The entire wall needs to be replaced at some point in the future; however, we can patch certain areas temporarily to meet this pressing security need.  [$42,000 USD for the entire security fence and iron gates and approximately $15,000+ to patch the portions that have been destroyed.]

Damage from a thunderstorm to one of the temporary classrooms

+ Construct a one-story administration building that would connect to the existing library.  They are currently using the library for administrative offices and this would return the library to its proper function.  This building would have seven offices and two restrooms, $78,000 USD.

+ Repair the existing computer / laboratory building.  The engineer has determined that this building (which was the newest one in the College Ste. Pierre complex) is structurally sound, but it is in need of repair before students can use it.  This building houses four large classrooms one of which is the computer-lab and functions as the main entrance to the School.  The computer lab is essential for accessing curriculum, online classes, and connecting the students and administration to emerging partnerships.  This is a very important piece of our short-term strategy of returning to academic excellence even as we are in a much longer-term building program ($18,000 USD).

Existing Building to be repaired

Computer Lab to be repaired

Demolition of CSP

The removal of the debris and remains of what was College Ste. Pierre (CSP) is well underway.  This is both a moment of hope as we look toward a new CSP and also a moment to remember those faculty and staff who died in the earthquake.  I thank God that he is a God of new beginnings — “³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” ⁵He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making all things new!” (Rev. 21:3-5).”

If you would like to be part of the new birth of College Ste. Pierre contact millie@stpetersmp.org or you can make a contribution above.  +TJ

Demolition of CSP

One of the images relating to the earthquake that Bishop Duracin used when we met with him was that of baptism and new life through Jesus.  It is the image of passing through death into life that he believes will be the enduring word coming out of the January 12^th earthquake.

That was also the tone of the first meeting that we had on March 10th with the leaders of the Diocesan Committee overseeing the reconstruction of the infrastructure of the Episcopal Church in Haiti, including College Ste. Pierre.  Even as Haiti continues to struggle with the immediate affects of the earthquake, many are praying for and working toward a life-giving future.  That certainly was the focus of our initial meeting regarding the future mission of College Ste. Pierre (CSP).  In the days ahead, I will share with you both the history of CSP and the emerging hopes and dreams for its future.

The challenge of re-building will be enormous, the hope and impact that the New CSP will have will be defining for a new generation of leadership in Haiti.  I am thankful for the privilege of being part of this effort and I invite you to join with me in building the New CSP.  +TJ

The soccer field at College Ste. Pierre

I saw people living under plastic, cloth, and canvass tents and shelters and, literally, hundreds of thousands of people living like that (everywhere). A thousand people grouped together in a tent community is called a sit (pronounced see-t and meaning at least 1000 people or more living together in tents).  You see tents and sits everywhere as they fill streets and any open area in which the multitudes of refugees can find a place to survive.  The impact of these tent communities is indescribable as they define a post January 12th Haitian landscape.

I stood beside the ruins of College Ste. Pierre with hundreds of people living on its soccer field, kids playing jump rope, a group of men and boys huddled around an outside TV watching soccer, and a young girl on a bed under a tree with a leg that has been operated on twice in the past three weeks.  I stood in prayer for the future of this high school with two Haitian priests, Millie, Mary Balfour, and Phil with the stench of death still emanating from the ruins; but I simply can’t describe what I was feeling and sensing at that moment – it was powerful and challenging.

Evening in P-au-P

As we left what used to be Holy Trinity School (the site has now been totally reduced to a sea of rubble that is being removed), Pere Val drove us toward the City Center and the waterfront.  The sun was setting and the orange glow produced an other-worldly effect as it filtered through the dust that hangs over the city.  The streets were filled with trash, fires slowly burning, people – everywhere people - and lined with buildings collapsed, crumbling, and just waiting to fall.  I have never seen anything like this and I simply can’t describe it, the pain of the people is palpable.

On the ride home we skirted an enormous slum called Cite Soleil. First the sights, the sounds, the smells, the hardship and suffering, the masses of people and then came the feelings that welled-up within me (and also in those who were with me).  As we drove home thinking about the day, Pere Val’s refrain, “oh my God – oh my God”, echoed through the Land Rover and our hearts.  Then he said: “I never expected to see anything like this in my life and in my country.”  I don’t think I can describe what I was thinking or feeling at that moment.  +TJ

Rebuilding the wall at St. Simeon School

The schools that are structurally safe and have the capacity to function are tentatively set to re-open in April.  Pere Val and Carmel’s main school (within their network of churches – parish) in Croix-des-Bouquets has been undergoing repair with the help of the funds that have been given through St. Peter’s Church and the Anglican Mission.  Yesterday, I had an opportunity to see the work at St. Simeon and it is 80% complete and there will be no problem opening the school by April.  This school / church also has a water project and supplies water to significant portion of the local community.

One of the challenges that all the schools that Pere Val oversees (and this will be true throughout Haiti in the foreseeable future) is the need to greatly expand their capacity to accept new students.  For instance, the number of displaced people who have moved into the Croix-des-Bouquets area has doubled the number of people we see in our medical clinic on a daily basis.  The same effect will be seen in the schools.

Thank you for your prayers and support.  +TJ

Today we focused on the work of Lespwa Timoun (Hope for Children).  We had an amazing day, we started at the Lespwa Timoun clinic in Croix-des-Bouquet that was filled with a variety of health issues and went from there to the village of Thomazeau.

The nutrition workers associated  with Lespwa Timon were conducting their monthly follow-up with the parent’s and children in the nutrition program in the Thomazeau area.  The children are monitored on a monthly basis and given vaccines, vitamins and food supplements like plumpy nut and AK1000.  They stay in this program from three to six months depending on how they respond.  Today 58 children were monitored and treated at Thomazeau (which is one of  six monitoring stations – with more being planned).

The results are incredible but the need remains staggering.  Toward the end of today’s clinic, Carmel sent the driver to check on a mother who had not been following up with the program.  He brought both mom and child back with him.  The child is very sick and extremely malnourished.  She is two years old, weighs 12 pounds and can neither walk nor talk.  Although extreme, this was not the only child at risk.  Of the 58 who were seen today at Thomazeau least 30 were identified as significantly malnourished.

The work of Lespwa Timoun has been going on for seven years and each year has brought an expansion to the scope of this work both in terms of numbers treated and geographical area covered.  The Haitian government has asked Carmel to oversee basic health care for children in another five villages.  At the present time we are focusing on completing the “base camp” for this ministry.  We have purchased three+ acres of land and are in the process of constructing an expanded clinic.  Donations can be made by using the tab at the top of this page.

Tomorrow we will review plans for construction of the clinic and then go down town Port-au-Prince to meet with the Haitian leadership of College Ste. Pierre.  +TJ

Pere Val, Carmel, Phil Black, Millie Powell, +TJ

I met with the Episcopal Bishop of Haiti (Bishop Zache Duracin) today along with Millie Powell of St. Peter’s Church (Mt. Pleasant, SC) and Mary Balfour VanZandt and Philip Black of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church (Birmingham, AL).  Our time in Haiti will be focused on furthering the medical work of Lespwa Timoun and laying the ground work for re-building the Episcopal High School (College St. Pierre).

I will post an update with pictures tomorrow, but tonight we are thankful for the hospitality of Father Fritz Valdema and his wife, Carmel.  Among the four of us, the image that stands out among the many that we have seen is the countless thousands of people continuing to live in tents and very minimal and temporary shelters.  Lord, have mercy.  +TJ

There is a Haitian proverb that goes like this:  A goat with too many masters dies in the sun.

My blog entries have been few the past couple of days because I have been concentrating on hearing from and working with my friends (local leaders in Haiti) to set projects and opportunities to work on in partnership in the days ahead.  My heart is to be in these partnerships for the long haul and to allow the Lord to use those local leaders, who have a heart for Him and for the people of Haiti, to set the pace.  There are a number of partnership opportunities that are coming together.  I will share them with you over the course of the next couple of days.

You should know that the Anglican Mission’s Haiti fund continues to receive donations as does the fund we have set up at St. Peter’s Church.  The Lord is going before us and preparing resources for the days ahead.  You should also begin to pray for a medical team that will be heading to Haiti from the Diocese of Alabama (Dave Drachlis (leader) dave@stthomashuntsville.org ) around Feb. 15th.  The folks from the Myrtle Beach / Conway SC team are also preparing their third shipment of medical supplies.

TJ

The past 48 hours have been very encouraging as I have talked with a number of Haiti Partners from across the US.  I have also made contact with Laura Stanley who is the point person helping the Bishop of Haiti implement his response plan ( merelaurens@gmail.com ).  I have also briefly touched base with Bishop Duracin – please continue to pray for his wife’s healing (broken leg and multiple surgeries).

I hope to get a very focused disaster management web tool up and running to help us coordinate relief efforts with one another.  It will allow real time information to all those partnering with us in our earthquake response.  A friend has done some research for us and designed this tool with the help of some Asian brothers and sisters who brought it on line after the Tsunami.  This will help those of us partnering with Pere Val and the Crox-des-Bouqet parish, as well as staying in touch with the response to the refugees at, and the rebuilding of, College St. Pierre in Port-au-Prince.

As I am able to pull this information together and share it with you, you are going to be as encouraged as I am.

TJ

TJ returned from his week in Haiti with many insights and plans from the Episcopal Bishop of Haiti, Zache Duracin, and Pere Fritz Valdema.  For his notes prepared for a meeting to discuss ways to move forward, please open the attachment, Reflections on Haiti (pdf, 76kb).