House Collapse

As I opened the door of our house this afternoon I was shocked to see large amounts of water pooling in numerous places with water dripping from the ceiling. Torrential rain continued to pour down as I scrambled up onto our roof to throw some pieces of tin over the areas where the roof was leaking. Within seconds I was completely drenched, but continued to work away at temporarily fixing the leaks that had formed because of the earthquake. Suddenly I heard a loud rumbling sound, and the roof under my feet began to shake violently! My mind immediately flashed back to earthquake scenes, as I once again heard Anoud and Denise screaming and calling out to Jesus for protection. The noise grew louder and louder, until from my vantage point on the roof, I saw in slow motion the neighbors house completely collapse into a massive pile of rubble. I scrambled partway down the roof, and then jumped down the rest of the way as the ground shook and the surroundings turned dark gray with dust. Unsure of what to do next I punched in my Program Managers number into my cell phone. After talking to him for a moment, I realized that it wasn’t an earthquake that had occurred but rather the torrential rains that had caused the neighbor’s already structurally damaged home to collapse completely and caused our house to shake once again.
After hanging up, I carefully climbed over the wall separating our property with the neighbors house and yelled to see if anyone was around. Anoud followed me and from him I learned that no one was living in the actual house, but that there was a Haitian family who were caretakers of the place, living in an adjacent smaller building. I remembered hearing the generator running last night, so I knew that there was a good chance that someone was still living there! I went one way to circle the building and survey the ruins and Anoud went the opposite direction. As I reached the front of the building, or what was left of it, I heard Anoud yell out to me from the back. I ran over only to see him with a Haitian lady who was obviously in shock. She screamed as she pointed at the door of her living quarters that was blocked by over 6 feet of rubble. We began digging as fast as we could even as the rain continued to pour down! Four other Haitian men who had heard the noise and came to see if they could help joined us and together we continued to gradually move the bricks and debris away from the door. Soon more than a dozen men were working alongside me, all frantically pulling away the rubble. After almost 20 minutes we managed to clear it away, but to our disappointment we found that the door was jammed. One of the Haitians ran across the street to a jobsite to find an angle grinder so they could cut off the hinge to get the door open as I sprinted back over to my house to hook up an extension cord, and soon they were cutting away at the hinges. I went back over to check on the Haitian lady to see how she was doing when I heard cheers ring out by the gate. We both rushed to the front, and the lady let out a joyful cry when she saw her husband and young child standing by the gate! After talking with him, we learned that he had left several hours earlier to pick up his child from school, but when it began to rain, he stayed at the school to wait for the rain to let up. His wife was in the back of the property, taking wash off of the line when the house collapsed, and had thought that they had already returned. When the house collapsed and the rubble blocked their entrance way she was certain her husband and child were inside. How thankful she was to find out that they had waited out the rain at the school! Walking home exhausted and wet, I thanked God that He has graciously spared this family. I also wondered how many more structurally damaged homes would collapse and prayed silently for God to help the people of Haiti.

Goodbye Again

Ding dong. Still caught in the middle of my dreams, I only subconsciously register the sound. Suddenly a startled Jason sits bolt up right beside me and says; “It’s Dad! It’s late! Why didn’t the alarm go off?” Leaving the excitement of my dreams behind I slowly sit up. “What time is it?” I ask. The alarm clock glows illuminating the numbers: 5:38. Jason fumbles with the alarm clock for a second and then groans. “I set the alarm for p.m. not a.m.! I’ve never done that before!” He jumps out of bed and makes a dash for the bathroom. “Can you go let Dad in?” he asks. I glance for a moment at my ugly polka dot pajamas then shrug. Who cares if he sees me wear them? They should have been discarded long ago but over time the material has become so soft I can’t bear to part with them, much to Jason’s dismay. I stumble out of bed and then make my way downstairs. Still yawning and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes I open the door. “Have you been waiting long?” I question Dad. "About 10 minutes,” he replies. “I kept thinking Jason would be coming and I didn’t want to wake up Jayden by ringing the door bell.” “Well good thing you did”, I respond, “Since we were both still sound asleep!” I plod back up the stairs and then help Jason lift his suitcases down the stairs. Within minutes Jason is ready to leave for the airport and with a quick hug and kiss goodbye he’s out the door. Once he’s gone I slowly make my way back up the stairs and lay back down in the now empty bed. Several minutes later I hear Jayden start to rock in his crib, so I crawl out of bed again and carry him back to mine. Still half asleep he curls up as close as he can to me and in minutes is sound asleep once again. I close my eyes and try to go back to my exciting, adventurous dreams but nothing happens. Instead my mind drifts to the last two weeks spent with Jason. My brother’s wedding,

surprise birthday parties for Jason,

picnics, going for walks,

playing by the ocean,

skipping rocks at the river,

blowing bubbles,

eating pizza, studying and talking for hours. It’s really been great having Jason here with us, but time flies by so fast and now he’s gone again. My thoughts drift to Haiti and I try to remember my life there before the earthquake but the memories are fuzzy. Since there are so little similarities between life in Canada and life in Haiti, it’s hard for me to remember what it was like. Dozing off, I put my one arm around Jayden and wonder for a moment how I’m going to explain that his Daddy is gone again when he wakes up.

Happy 25th Birthday Jay!

Home Alone

I peer at the computer screen in front of me, all my energy and attention focused on my new project. I'm so absorbed in what I'm doing I don't even realize that the room gets darker and darker until my shoulders start to ache. I shift from my uncomfortable position on the floor and when my eyes adjust to the dark room I pull myself up. Better turn some lights on. I flip the switch and the room is instantly bathed in a cozy glow. Stretching to ease the pain in my shoulders I make my way to the fridge. Is there anything chocolate? After a thorough search of the fridge and pantry I come up empty except for a bottle of chocolate syrup. I pour myself a glass of milk, warm it up, add the syrup and then a squirt of whipping cream. Hmm.. perfect.Hearing some thumping noises, I put my cup down and make my way upstairs to Jayden's bedroom. I crack open the door and smile when I see his sweet face relaxed in sleep. I sure love that kid! I gently rub my finger over his soft freckled cheek. He doesn't even stir. All that mischief he got into today probably tired him out, and I can't help but laugh. He can be such a little monkey sometimes. Reassured that he's sleeping, I make my way back down stairs to the computer and this time focus my energy on writing. When was the last time I blogged anyway? I quickly check and see that the last time I posted an article was March 22. Wow, almost a month ago! What happened in those four weeks? I rack my brain and memories start to flood back. Picking up Jason at Vancouver International and having him home for two weeks! Staying up way too late working on math problems for his business course. Getting excited when we finally came up with the correct answers. Playing Monopoly Deal together and drinking hot chocolate. Fun times at the park with Jayden.

Eating out at our favorite restaurant. A special Easter dinner with family. My thoughts drift to our trip to see the snow and I have to smile.

Jayden on his sled saying "I likes the snow Mama, I likes the snow Mama" over an over again. Jason and Jayden together on the "ski board".

Catching snowflakes on our tongues and enjoying the beauty of a world clothed in a pretty white blanket.


Icy winds licking at the blue sky, dripping crystal icicles and snow covered Christmas trees.

Back home again more math problems and hot chocolate, and finally packing the suitcase and saying goodbye again. Hello and goodbye, hello and goodbye, hello and goodbye. I sigh, and then reassure myself that it won't be as long this time. Two and a half weeks is shorter then three. This allows Jason to be back just in time for my brothers' April 30th wedding. Feeling lethargic now I take a few minutes to add the pictures and click post. There, done!

A race to save lives

The UN and Haitian government are predicting that almost 40,000 people will die in floods if they cannot relocate them before the brunt of the rainy season.

SOURCE: Open Street Map | By Gene Thorp - The Washington Post - April 04, 2010

Interesting Documentaries on Haiti

Haiti Get Back Up

Dear Dada!

First of all I want to give you a big hug! That airplane that you are always on, if anyone asks, is sure keeping you away for a long, long time. Mama says you will come home soon, on Saturday I think, but I really don't know how long away that is! It seems like a long time though, but you probably miss us too, and Mama says it always helps if I send you some stories and pictures of us. Since you've been gone, we've been busy! Almost everyday we go to the park and that is my favorite thing to do, besides swimming of course, and we do that too!





Mama always lets me ride my little bike to the park and I love that! Halfway there I make her carry it because my legs get tired from pushing it, but I'm sure she doesn't mind. I haven't figured out how to push the peddles yet and I actually don't plan to either. I like just pushing with my feet, so what's wrong with that right? This whole week Auntie Esther has been staying with us as well, and that is very fun Dad! You should see all the candy she brought along from Holland! Dutch candy is the best! When no one is looking I carefully open her bedroom door and sneak a few into my pocket! Mommy always catches me, so now I've learned a new word because Mama says no "stealing!" On Friday when Mommy, Auntie Esther and I went to the park again, I learned some new tricks. See, there is this embankment with grass and if I take my bike straight down I go very fast!! It is so fun! I did fall off the bike a couple times, but it was worth it!










I can't wait to show you when you get back! Here is a picture of Mommy and Auntie Esther too, isn't it nice?



Finally, after all these pictures of me, I thought I would include one of Mommy especially for you Dad!



Can't wait to see you soon!

Love Jayden

Big hugs XOXO

Rebuilding the Wall

Jason called yesterday to let me know that the crumbled wall surrounding our property has been rebuilt! Although it doesn't look quite the same as it did before the earthquake, it looks much better then right after and we are very thankful! Especially since this is one of the requirements that needs to be met before Jayden and I can return to Haiti. Here are the before and after photos.

Before the earthquake.



After the earthquake.





Now.

I Will Sing of His Love Forever

People continue to ask how I am doing after the traumatic earthquake we experienced in Haiti and all the upheaval in our lives since then and I want to take a little time now and share with you my heart.

What I write now flows from within. I can’t help but write this. I can’t stop from praising God. I have a Father in Heaven who holds my hand, who supplies every need before I even remember to ask, who lovingly tells me to cast my burden upon Him, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

I am really a private person, but for some reason whenever I write, starting from the day we arrived in Haiti, I was never able to keep my thoughts, feeling and emotions out of my writing. So when I found out after the earthquake, through google analytics, that there were 5,000 people a day reading the blog in 90 countries around the world, I had mixed feelings. Half of me started to feel proud, I was famous wasn’t I? And the other part of me felt exposed, as if somehow, at the click of a button, the whole world had peaked into my heart.

Since then God has taught me so much! Like I said, God knows what we need before we even ask or when we don’t even know ourselves exactly what we need. To start out with, I needed a good dosage of humbleness. Several weeks scrubbing toilets and bathrooms at school was just the right prescription to put my feet back on the ground. A celebrity to a janitor all in a matter of days. Now that I am humble, He wants me to praise Him, so that the whole world, at a click of a button, can see how great He truly is.

That is my true purpose.

How can I praise Him? By telling you about what He has done in my life moment by moment and day by day. The day I knew my job was done at the school a flicker of worry ignited in my heart. What now? Would there be something else I could do to help supplement our income, fill the time that Jason was away, and that would allow me to have Jayden with me? Not even 10 minutes later the phone rang and I was offered a babysitting job, three days a week where I was able take Jayden with me. I hadn’t even thought of praying yet, but as soon as the phone rang I knew that He had provided. That’s how loving a God we serve. He knows better than we do what we need. He provides before we even think of asking. He loves us when we don’t deserve to be loved. He tells us time and again to give Him our worries, our sorrows, our uncertainties and in exchange he gives us peace, joy and hope. God didn’t stop after giving us the greatest gift of all, His Son on the cross to die for our sins, no, He continues to provide for us day by day and moment by moment.

Is it really possible that we would have a home completely furnished with everything we need in a couple of days? Yes, because everything was provided by God through people around us. Someone asked me today “Is there anything you still need? And I could honestly answer “No”. God has truly provided everything far beyond what I could hope or imagine! You know why? Because with God nothing is impossible.
He even turns what looks like bad things in our lives into good. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose". Humanly speaking it’s not a good situation having Jason gone three weeks at a time, and having very little communication with him while he is away. It could easily feel like we are living two separate lives and that this would make us grow apart. But God has used this to increase our love, respect and value for each other, and to treasure the times we have. He has used this to make our relationship with each other stronger and to teach us more about Himself. With God, I never feel lonely, even though I am alone.
When I first became a Christian, I didn’t want to tell anyone because I was afraid I couldn’t live without the love and approval of everyone around me. Since then I’ve come to learn that that the only One I can’t live without is God and I will sing of His love forever.

Time Really Does Fly!

I pull my socks off and rub my feet gently across the carpeted floor. It feels amazing! So nice in fact I can’t help but sit and then all resistance crumbles and I lower myself down and stretch out. Seeing this a giggling Jayden comes running towards me and launches himself at me. I put my arms out just in time as he lands on top of me with a muffled thump. I hug him close and we have a tickle war. A few minutes later, the burst of energy fades and holding his little, not so white anymore blanket close, he snuggles besides me on the carpet close to the fireplace. “Mama go to sleep,” he says and obligingly I close my eyes. The friendly warmth of the fire wraps around me and with Jayden’s little hand tucked in mine sleep doesn’t seem so improbable after all. My thoughts wander to the last two weeks and I still can’t believe they’ve flown by so fast. It’s 8:00 p.m. and we’ve just returned home from dropping Jason off at the Bellingham airport. Was it really two weeks ago already that I had picked him up there? Snapshots of memories made flash through my mind. Moving to our own place and making it feel homey,

swimming at the Leisure Centre,

a special weekend with Jason in Victoria,

Reading books to Jayden, snuggling on the couch, eating dinner at our own table, talking for hours, and just enjoying the time we had together as a family.

Joy and thankfulness at God’s goodness fills my heart as I stare into the flickering flames of the fireplace. All thoughts and worries about the unknown future are gone. He cares for us, why should I worry?

A Thank You Letter

For those faithful blog readers who have been with us right from the start you will remember Anse Rouge, a town in North Western Haiti, but to those who are new to our stories here, you can check back and read the blog entries on December 11, 2009 "Help for Anse Rouge" and January 8, 2010, simply titled "Anse Rouge". Although not affected by the earthquake itself, this desert like town is suffering from a severe drought. With permission from the author, I would like to share a letter and pictures she recently emailed us about MAF's work there.

Dear Jason and MAF administration,

Last week, Manis went to the “maka” a large hole for catching rain water. A group of about 15 men were hard at work, doing the entire thing by hand. When he came back he said, “Gigi, this waterhole is going to be the most important thing we do. It will serve the entire community, but we need to pray. I only have food for the rest of this week.”
Around 1:00 Manis went for a rest and Judy and I were working in the office. Suddenly we heard the sound of an airplane. I went outside to find the Kodiak, making a circle overhead. Soon Jason and Harry were on the ground with a huge surprise for us, tons of buckets for filtering water and FOOD. The very same food that we use in the food-for-work program. The next day the Kodiak returned, this time with more food. A third time the plane returned. The blessing they brought was food, water and medical supplies.
As the men digging the maka gathered to get their bucket and food, Manis told them that we never asked the plane to come and in fact had no idea that Jason had received these supplies. Before Manis could go on one of the men said, “Manis, God has sent a blessing.” Manis was able to share how God cared about this maka and about each of them personally. The food will enable the work to go on for several more weeks.
This morning I took some of the Lemuel staff and went up to the local clinic. I told the nurse that God had blessed us and we wanted to share that blessing with her. As I unpacked the boxes, her excitement was evidenced in huge smiles and teary eyes. She said, “Oh, I will be able to help so many people”.
For years, we have expressed to you our deep thanks for our Haiti MAF pilots. But they have gone above and beyond during this present crisis. We would also like to extend a huge thank you to Harry and David who have come in to fly the Kodiak.
Jason as you receive this to send on to your home office, I want to express to you our deepest thanks for remembering the needs of the plateau and for the special care boxes that brought smiles to a group of tired people ministering here. It warmed my heart to see Manis’ smile when he saw the Doritos. A small gift, but huge blessing. Thank you so much.
We have enclosed some pictures for you to see the joy that God has brought to the plateau through the faithful servants at MAF.
Thank you so much
Ginger Muchmore

Another Busy Day

Well, its been another extremely busy day at the MAF Hanger in Port au Prince, Haiti! Since I arrived here almost 2 weeks ago, I have been working tirelessly 7 days a week! My role here has been coordinating the distribution of food and medical supplies throughout Haiti to the various organizations we work with. I have been making contact with close to a hundred organizations throughout Haiti, trying to determine what their immediate needs are. MAF now has several large tents with pallets of food, water and medical supplies, but I need to make sure that they get to the right people. Additionally, I have been making many of the flights to deliver the supplies as well as doctors, and medical teams into the hard-to-reach areas!























Earlier this week, a pilot flew in 50 large pizzas from Little Caesars for us, and together with some of the military guys, we watched the super bowl game on the side of a transport trailer via a large projector. It was a great time to take a step back and relax for a few hours!

















Today I started with organizing a doctor to fly to Ouanaminthe so he could perform several quick surgeries, and then I headed out to Fond des Blanc (a new airstrip we just opened up earlier this week) This 1900 foot long strip is currently our most difficult airstrip in Haiti, so it was a good challenge practicing some take offs and landings there! The west end of the strip has approximately a 6 % slope, and then it goes to a 3 % slope back up the east end - making it a bowl! It is surrounded by high terrain and very tall trees, making it even more difficult to access! This area has also been very cut off, and desperately in need of food and water filtration systems!



Fond Des Blanc Airstrip








Unloading 100 water filtration systems in Anse Rouge









This afternoon I hung out and chatted with Michael W Smith for a while in our MAF hanger! One of our Kodiaks picked him up in Puerto Plata, DR., and flew him to PAP. He spent a bunch of time talking to all of us individually, expressing his interest in the work that we are doing in Haiti.








At the end of the day I had a meeting at the UN headquarters with the WFP to try and get more food delivered to our warehouse facility. We have been noticing tonnes of food and supplies just sitting on pallets for weeks, and we learned that part of the reason is because they do not know exactly who to all give it to. Since MAF has been in Haiti for over 24 years, we have developed great relationships with the organizations and people we serve. I explained that we have more requests by these organizations than we can handle, and that we could definitely assist in distributing the food to organizations we knew and trusted. The WFP has agreed to start by giving us 40,000 lbs of food to distribute - that's close to 25 loads in the Kodiak!! I now have my work cut out for me!!!