Gauvreau en Haiti

Saturday, September 25

I did not write a lot during the last two weeks. I was tired and I got a virus (gastro), but now I am fine. Many of the volunteers and members of the staff, at the orphanage, had this virus. It lasted between 24 to 72 hours.

During the last two weeks, at the orphanage at Fort-Jacques, we (Georges, Jocelyne and volunteers) had done around 600 bags for the distribution in the surrounding communities plus 200+ for the families of children that are sponsored for school by GLA. After this, we cleaned the office, garage and warehouse. The first distribution was at Calebasse on Thursday September 23.

Yesterday, we had a kind of tornado at Port-au-Prince and surroundings. It happened so fast. We had water in the apartment especially in our bedroom and the kitchen. The wind was pushing the rain under the doors and the water entered by the windows even if they were closed. It is true that all is not waterproof in this house. (See photos beginning October) The caretaker came to see what happened but I still do not know when he will come to do the repairs necessary to stop the water from coming in. It is too simple to give a date. Supposedly that he is missing a tool to do the repair that the owner has asked him to do.

So, Locita and me (MOPPED) during an hour to pick up the water, especially in the kitchen where the water was about to reach the batteries. Now we have been 26 hours without electricity from the power company. Our generator is not strong enough to handle the new inverter, the batteries are not charging completely. But I can tell you that we are better off than the ones living in the tents. 7000 tents were tear down, roofs ripped off, houses crumbled, trees uprooted and broken, etc. With the wind, all the clothes that Locita had washed were dripping and many pieces fell on the floor and down the balcony. We washed them again, but we put the batteries at a critical level, 40%.

After the rain, we had an invasion of flying insects that the light attracted. They come in with their wings on and then they get rid of them. The insect is like an ant and a worm. It is now very appealing. After, we must sweep the wings and wash the whole counter in the kitchen.

Yesterday Bas, a Dutch volunteer at the orphanage, came to our house for the weekend. Even with all the work that Locita and I had done, we made a delicious spaghetti sauce. Bas made a cabbage salad that is a new style for me. Cabbage cut in pieces, add raisins and walnuts, salad dressing, mayonnaise, olive oil, salt and pepper. It was delicious.

This morning, Georges and Bas went to buy shoes for Bas. His shoes are finished after the rain we had yesterday. Here when it rains, we often have water to the ankles. Locita went to a prayer meeting at her church.

I am at home with the dog and Nadine is cleaning. I am happy that she did not come yesterday, because I would have to clean it all myself. When it is windy, especially like yesterday, there are leafs, dust, feather, etc., that enter by the open windows and doors. Before we could close them all many unwanted things come in.

Today, the weather is not so good, the sun is not there and nothing dries.

This Saturday afternoon, we went in another part of the ravines where Locita’s uncle normally lives to see Locita’s mother. Her brother lives there at the moment with his young son. To be able to walk at certain places, we must be like goats that walk on the narrow edge of a wall. We must climb stairs without protection and I get dizzy, I must hold someone’s arm to walk there. We left without seeing her mother because it started raining and the water runs at the bottom of the ravine with all the garbage and we would not have been able to go home.

Monday, September 27

Saturday evening, the owner of the house came to install a marble plate to stop the water coming in our bedroom. Thank you Lord it was fast.

The result for the mini-tornado last Friday (it is not a tornado, but a very strong wind coming down the mountain and turned into a funnel): there are 5 deaths, 57 injured and 7000 tents in 60 sites that had some sort of damage or were completely destroy. We will be without electricity from the power company for a long time as a tower for electricity fell during the storm last Friday. We try to help two of the youth we know of. We discover that they live in tents with 4 or 5 other people. Yesterday, we went on the site and it is sad to see human beings living in tents that are torn and full of holes.

I thank the Lord for what we have; even if we are poor compare to Canada, here we are rich. When I see all those things, it hurts me, but I know God has placed us in Haiti to help the person He places on our path.

9:45am, I am writing an eventful moment of our life because I need to vent somewhere. We would like to wash our clothes by hands, because we cannot use the washing machine and the batteries of the inverter are too low. We need water but there is no more water in the thank so we should pump water. But we cannot pump water until the batteries are fully charged. We wanted to go to the big reservoir and fetch water directly from it, but when the owner left, he locked the padlock at the bottom of the outside stairs. Only Georges and he have the key for it. So, Locita and I are locked in the apartment and we are waiting for Georges to come back from the garage where he went to have a piece for the air conditioning changed. We never know what will happen to us. I am glad that I can tell God all my problems. I am learning patience and to count only on Jesus.

Wednesday, September 29

We are still without electricity from the power company; it is our 6th day. Our generator died, he was not strong enough to handle the new inverter. Georges bought another one more powerful. Today, Georges is searching for a good extension cord, a real one. The one we have is made in China and even by doubling it, the electric current is not passing through correctly, we are losing power from the generator to the inverter. The time to charge the batteries is very very long and they never charged completely. At last, Georges found all he needed and now the generator is charging the batteries 100%.

Saturday, October 2

Finally, the power is back. Someone came to connect us on the street light that is connected on another circuit. Our downstairs neighbours had the electricity but not the others. They phoned someone they know who works for the company and a technician came to connect us and our other neighbours on this light. Don’t ask us how this works, we have no idea. This is Haiti.

After two weeks of waiting, we received our long term visas and each year we must have the visa stamped, this costs 500 gourdes (around $13US). Now we must report to the police station to certify that we are the one that owned the visa. So, Wadson will go for us and will do all that is needed.

Sunday, October 3

Yesterday, we went to our house church in Thomassin and when we were going up the road we saw a big truck that carried an excavator. It catched the electric wires when driving (in Haiti the wires are too low), and all of Fort-Jacques, Fermathe, Thomassin and Kenscoff were without power. (See photos beginning October) In the afternoon, when we went to Fort-Jacques for a BBQ at the orphanage, they were repairing the broken lines and help the truck to get out of them.

The BBQ went very well, we were around 40 people. We inaugurated the new site for campfire. It was cool compare to where we live, but when they lighted the fire we were fine. (See photos beginning October)

We added new photos, please see the section « Animals » and « Vegetation ».

This is a more to the heart matter. It is for everyone and especially Christians, including myself. Are we really doing what God wants us to do? Are we too busy to look at the real truth that is suffering, children neglected and abused, dirty faces, sick people in dirty houses? I am not asking you to cry over it but to do something, to spend less on yourselves and go for a while in Haiti or another third world country. To see for yourself what reality is for billion of people who are human beings just like you. Created by God who loves them, they are the ones who can show us some lessons about life, about sharing!

Once our eyes are opened, we can’t pretend we don’t know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know and holds us responsible to act… Proverbs 24:12 

“Can I just suggest that maybe God wants to use your life to write a bigger, more beautiful story than the one you’re living right now?  It might be a story filled with drastic life change, or suffering, or sacrifice, but it will be a lovely story of rescue, love, sanctification, redemption, and ultimately God’s glory.

We all know those are the best stories, don’t we?  Those are the stories that will be told over and over in heaven.” (These two last paragraphs, I have borrowed it from the blog of Tom Vanderwell of GLA. "More from Heather Hendrick" - This is the web site:  http://godslittlestangelsinhaiti.org/)

Much love!

Jocelyne et Georges