Category: News (Page 57 of 100)

There isn’t a lot we can share with you that you haven’t seen on the news. It’s very bad…about as bad as it gets in the southern part of Haiti. For those in Missouri and Arkansas and especially those of us who had kids go to college there, it reminds us a lot of Joplin. It’s just gone.

All of our workers are okay with the exception of damaged roofs, water and mud damage, and lost animals; none were hurt and “our” kids are OK. The schools survived as well, although they are being used to house people whose homes are beyond repair.

USA Today had an excellent article  that showed just where all the damage is, how many people are affected in each area of the country, and how many are known dead as of today. But, like the earthquake, the real number will never be known.

If you look at this article , the area all of our schools are in is the Ouest (West) and is just to the right of the word Ouest. This graphic shows over two hundred thousand people in the area we work are in need of humanitarian aid.

As we mentioned before, this is very unlike the earthquake. There just isn’t any food to be found and when there is, it will be far out of the price range of the average person. Add to that is the re-emergence of cholera, and people are already dying of that.

To date we have received $2,250 for food. The day after receiving the first $500, we sent it to Haiti to start a food program in Bayelle and we sent more as soon as it came in. Steve is still trying to find reasonable prices to go, but we won’t pay inflated prices just so we can say he went. We feel it makes better use of the money to send it for beans and rice, and we think you will agree.

Thank you to all who have sent. Thank you to all who have said you will, and for all who keep this country and those affected in your daily prayers.

Steve & Terry

Hi everyone,

October is a very important month in Haiti, just as November is here. After a year of haggling in Haiti, another presidential election is scheduled for October 9th . In the last election in 2015 wide-spread fraud was declared and all the votes were thrown out. This caused the country to be ruled for a time by the outgoing president, then a committee, then a government figure appointed by the committee. Finally, all those involved are satisfied with new safeguards and rules in place, and they say this one will be different. The United States, Canada and France paid for the first election, but will not pay for this one.

There are two main candidates, Jude Celestin and Jovenel Moise. All of the people we know and work with say Moise would be the best man for the job. He came from a lower middle class family; when he was almost to his teen years he moved to Port Au Prince so he could attend school there. After high school he went through college and then began his career, with little money, working to bring clean water to areas in the north. He also worked in the agriculture sector; through his banana crops (he is called the banana man) he created 3,000 new direct jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs.

If you wonder why this month’s post is devoted to this person, realize that each of you has invested, financially as well as spiritually, in Haiti. All of us need to pray the right person is elected their president, just as we have a very important choice to make in another month. Haiti needs someone stable who will bring jobs and change to that country. They deserve a chance to succeed.

Medical Update: Terry is doing really well; in fact, she says she feels better than at any time over the past two years. She still has the tiredness but it isn’t the fatigue she previously felt. There is a difference!

Thank you for all your prayers for her and for helping our friends in Haiti.

Serving HIM,

Steve and Terry