Post #15, Check out Coach Shaw's blog on Haiti!

Another perspective on Haiti from one of my comrades.
http://wwwdennisshaw.blogspot.com

Post #14, Hannah's blog

Check out another excellent blog by someone living in Haiti and serving with OMS as a nurse.
www.haninhaiti.blogspot.com

Post # 13, Julie Briggs' blog.

Julie is a Missionary Nurse who lives on the OMS compound in Cap Haitien, Haiti.
Her blog is fantastic.  Check it out!
www.onemissionsociety.org.uk/channel.aspx?cnl=haiti-julie-briggs

Post # 12,How to leave a comment!

- At bottom of post - click on the word comment.
- write your comment in the box.
- click on down arrow on 'comment as'.
- click on anonymous.
- unscramble word.
- click submit.
- I'll view it and accept or reject it.  Thank you!

Post # 11, Jesus Christ and Haiti.

In 2004 Haiti broke their bondage to Satan and through prayer they chose Christ.  A common slogan is heard everywhere, "Haiti for Christ and Christ for Haiti".  Witch doctors are giving up their practices and burning their temples.
More than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs.  People live in abject poverty and many receive in a year what many North Americans receive in just a week's salary.  They live in densely populated communities.  They often have more than 8 people in a house that measures only 12' x 12'.
Although many Haitians are poor, they dress the best they can and take pride in what little they have.  They keep their homes spotlessly clean and are wonderful hosts to visitors.

Post # 10, Cholera Clinic & Haitian Voodoo.

This is Enel and Jonathan.  Jonathan wasn't with our team but he joined our team and work as he arrived here the same day we did.  He used to live in Haiti with his parents.  He speaks Creole.  Enel is putting himself through computer school by selling art work cards.  He is Bud and Jane's 'adopted' son.  Enel went with us when we had to travel by land east to the Dominican Republic.  It was a fiasco getting into and out of Haiti.  It took us about an hour to cross into the DR getting our passports stamped, filling out customs paperwork, paying our $10 fee each and, believe it or not, they made us wash our hands.  Then we chartered a bus, about $150 for the whole team, and we rode for 2 hrs. or so to Santiago and bought tickets on an American Airlines flight to Miami.  My carry on bag flunked  x-ray in Omaha, Miami, and back in Miami.  The first 2 times it was ok'd with a pair of scissors in it and I didn't even think about it.  I was just worried about my pocket knife.  It's amazing the difference between Haiti and the DR.  Haiti is black, speaks Creole and French, and has been dominated by Voodoo.  The DR is Hispanic, speaks Spanish, the country is cleaner and more like the US.  There is more prosperity.  We went into a grocery store as nice as any in this country.  Our credit cards worked at the check out.

The building on the left is the old guest house but was turned into the Cholera house.  The one on the right is the clinic.  It is a big L shaped building .  People came in the main gate behind me and to the right and down this path to these clinics including a dental clinic.

This is Dr. Sidak and Dr. Allison.  We were taking a tour of the English speaking or missionary kids school.  Notice everything is walled like this.

This is Emmanuel Felix, Jr.

I took this photo of him on his front porch.  I just walked up and introduced myself.  He lives on the compound 3 homes to the right of the house I was in.  This day, December 9, 2010, is his 78th birthday.  He was born in 1932.  He produces and delivers one of the Bible programs on 4VEH Radio station.  He has a very colorful Haitian history.  He wrote this book "Understanding Haitian Voodoo".  (next photo)  The book was published 2009 by Xulon Press.  See www.xulonpress.com

Brother Felix said, "Voodoo isn't a cultural tradition it is a religion.  Voodoo means god".  He listed a chronology of events that has shaped Haiti as a nation.
1492     Columbus lands on this island and names it Hispaniola claiming it for Spain.
1500's   First Africans taken to Hispaniola for labor.
1625     The French settle on the northwest part of the island.
1697     Spain gives the west part of the island to France; it becomes Haiti, Land of Mountains.
1751     Slaves rebel in the north led by a Voodoo priest.  He was captured by the French in 1758 and           publicly executed.
1791     August 14, A Voodoo ceremony was held dedicating the nation to Voodoo gods in return for victory against the French.
1801     Former black slave Louverture leads a rebellion, conquering Haiti and freeing slaves all over Hispaniola.
1804     Haiti gains independence from France, becoming the world's first black republic and only successful slave rebellion.
1915     US invades Haiti following internal conflict, occupies until 1934, continues fiscal control until 1947.
1956     Voodoo doctor Duvalier becomes dictator by military coup.  When he dies his son Jean-Claude follows as self-declared president for life.
1986     Jean-Claude flees Haiti amid mounting discontent.
1990     Jean-Bertrand Aristide, former Catholic priest is elected President, By 1991, he is ousted by a military coup.
2003     Voodoo is recognized as a national religion, under Aristide's second term government.
2004     Amid celebrations of Haiti's bicentenary, violent political opposition to Aristide forces him into exile.
2010     (my entry) Jan.12 earthquake devastates Port-au-Prince, hurricane sweeps over the Island, cholera strikes.

Post # 9, Septic Tank Project, old 4VEH building, vanity project.

This is Jr., Lane and Floyd mixing concrete in the bucket of the New Holland loader tractor and pouring two septic tank lids to replace this metal one at Holiday House and a rotten plywood one at Bud and Jane's house.

This is the lid for the Holiday House septic tank.  It has a 3/4" key way to keep it over the hole.  I thought I would grace it with a shamrock, being from O'Neill and all.  Plus I gave it the Van Horn brand, since Lane helped with the project (VH), plus the date.  While I was finishing it two Haitian girls came by, 15 & 16, and we visited a little bit.  I told them I was a truck driver, which they say chauffeur, and they must have come back by and drew the car on there.

This is Amigo, with the hammer, and Jr..  Amigo made this bookshelf from scratch and painted it the same day.  This woodworking shop is in the old 4VEH building on the main compound.  That's an Estwing hammer he is holding.  Many of the power tools are Sears Craftsman.  Materials and tools and repairs are hard to come by.  MAF flies in supplies at cost which is $1.60 a # from Florida plus the cost of the item plus customs.  Notice how thin Jr. is.  He is 16 yrs. old.   I paid him a US dollar for helping me with the septic lid project and I gave him 2 more dollars and asked him to give them to Amigo as a Christmas present.  Later Amigo found me and thanked me for the gift and told me he gave his friend, not Jr., one of the dollars.  It shocked me he gave away part of what he couldn't afford to loose.  Those who hurt the most understand compassion the best.

This is looking out the front door from the back of the shop.

This is a plumbing supply room in the back.

This is the vanity in mine and Lyle's room. The top had rotted through and sagged.  It turned out the cure was going to be worse than the problem, long story.  So I braced up the sink underneath and re-caulked the corners, except my caulk was clear instead of white.  Doesn't look real snappy but it doesn't let water in now anyway.  This is the 'before' photo.  Didn't put up the 'after' photo.

I was attempting to install this Corian top but it is only 43" wide and the hole was 49" wide.  Plus the sink needed to be off-set to the right to not hit the drawer in the vanity, and there were no shut-offs on the water lines.  When I shut the water off to the house the handle broke off, it had rusted in-two.  Technically, due to water rot and termite eating, I wanted to tear out the whole vanity and start over.  That is what needs to happen.  I needed the right top, lumber ready, and a key so I could get in and out of the shop without looking for Bud.  It was too much.  I opted for the temporary fix.  Bud is still stuck with the problem.  I saw a ton of maintenance needs on the compound.  Roof leaks, fascia boards rotting off, razor wire down and broken, electrical nightmares, old plumbing valves with no handles, leaky faucets, trees that need trimmed and removed, trash that needs raked up and burned...anybody want to volunteer to go help these folks out?  This was the spare bed in my room.  My bed is to the left with the mosquito net hanging over it.  I was bitten by mosquitoes several times that week.   We've all been taking malaria and typhoid pills.