Thanks and Pictures/Video

I am on my third day back home and my mind still swims in the memories of Haiti and the Dominican Republic as I start to think about planning for another trip as soon as I can make it back. Mission team members are already starting to flood Facebook with pictures from the trip and I thought I would share those with everyone as a way to say thank you for the support that was provided.

If you have questions or would like to talk about the mission trip please feel free to contact me. I would be happy to discuss it at any depth you would like.

Video Snapshots @ YouTube
Photo Snapshots @ Facebook

You can also find additional photos from others on the trip at

• Haiti
• La Romana March 15, 2011
• Friday in Haiti
• Leaving Haiti, DR Monday
• La Republica Dominicana Numero cuatro!
• La Republica Dominicana Numero cuatro 2!
• La Romana: Spring 2011
• La Romana: Spring 2011 Part 2
• Dangly Fever 2011: Gozo, Paz, y Alegria en La Romana
• La Romana Mission Trip 2011
• La Romana 2011

Leaving Hispanola

In case you are not aware, Hispaniola is the name of the island that is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Today is the day that I leave the island after spending a week in Haiti and a week in the Dominican Republic. As expected I have mixed feelings about leaving. I miss my family greatly and can't think my wife enough for her support, but I also feel that so much has been left undone, especially in Haiti.

The plane is in the air now and I can see the mountains to the west. Over those mountains is Haiti. The peacefulness of the world at 10,000 feet hides the trouble at ground level. How long will it be until Haiti heals?

When I think or Haiti I think of all the things c that could be done to support the Haitian people and help the country to regain it's glory as the "Pearl or the Caribean" as it was one called by France. But much has to change both in the international community and in Haiti for Haiti to rebuild.

The constant donations to Haiti have help to cripple their economy. The local businesses have to be support and aid money need to flow through them as opposed to foreign contractors. At the same time the quality and performance of those local businesses needs improve to the standards that can be achieved by foreign contractors.

Corruption in government and business can no longer be tolerated. Those that perpetuate it must be brought to justice.

Education must be prioritized for all Haitians. Through education the next generation can learn about Haiti's history and prepare the country for both local business initiatives and for branches of international companies.

Simple things like perpetuating he habit of throwing trash in receptacles must also be enforced. Bringing security and cleanliness to the county will help bring tourists, which can infuse money and jobs into the economy.

And there is much more that needs to be done. My hope is I can continue to play a small part in the rebirth of Haiti.

... Over the ocean with Hispaniola no longer in view ... God bless and see you soon ...

Location:Delta 494, Santa Domingo Airport @ gate, 12:21

Last Work Day

Today was the last work day in the DR. Like yesterday I worked on moving air-conditioners at the hospital. While we didn't complete everything we would have liked we did get a lot done and had an important meeting with the hospital director.

There was a bit of excitement yesterday when we couldn't discover which breaker was governing a circuit to an air-conditioning unit. It was decided that we should short out he 220v power source and see which breaker tripped. A loud bang and sparks later nothing tripped. We eventually found it, but nothing like a short circuit to wake you up.

We also had people start cutting rebar over out head with little warning yesterday. So move sparks followed by hot iron falling. Safety standards are a little more flexible here.

The meeting we had today with the hospital today was important because he has stated that he wants the hospital electrics to be in line with US electrical code for hospitals. Right now they are far bellow. Two guys from out team who know a bit about the code explained to the director and his construction team what needs to be changed and the standards that must be followed going forward. There was a lively discussion covering everything from cost, expediency, tradition, and practicality; but in the end it was agreed that going forward the hospital would be built to code.

Tomorrow is a down day which is used to reflect on the trip and work on readjusting to life in the US. I miss the family a lot and it will be great to seem them all. I do feel as though this will be my last trip to the DR as I would like to focus on Haiti. I would come back if my children or wife want to come down, but not likely solo. Haiti calls me much stronger than the DR.

Electric - Day 2

I spent the day at the hospital today working on the electrical team. Specifically what we are doing is moving air-conditioning condensers from the forth floor to the roof. Why are they on the forth floor as opposed to the roof in the first place you might wonder.

The reason they are on the forth floor is because the hospital is being built floor by floor and at one point what is now the forth floor was the roof. But, now that the forth floor is being walled in all the units have to be moved. This means trapping all the freon in the condenser, disconnecting it from power (with the 220 v wires hot), carrying the unit to the roof, the extending the wiring, copper tubing , etc. to the new location. Then repeat until all units are done.

It is not as physically demanding as the work last week, but it is needed to keep the hospital expanding and the patients comfortable.

Oh, and an update on C who chipped a tooth yesterday. He got it repaired today at the hospital for A grand total of $20US. That isn't the co-pay that is the total cash price with no billing to the insurance company.

The New Steve

Yesterday Steve, who was part of the 3 man team doing electrical work at the hospital, decided to severely sprain his ankle and so had to retire from the electrical team to the task of handing out de-worming medicine in the bateys. As a consequence I was promoted to the team. I have to tell you there was a little fear in accepting the position as everyday someone from that team has been injured.

The day went well and we spent it pulling wire for air-conditioning units. The longest part of the day was spent search for a pipe that terminated either on the first or second floor (which are finished, operational floors with patients). After searching, counting columns, looking at plans, and finally using a tape measure; we found the pipe in the ceiling of the ER on the first floor, right in the one curtained area with a patient.

So, in the spirit of the DR, the workaround was to locate the pipe on the second floor in an unoccupied room and cut out a section there and work from the middle.

Oh and as for the team that always comes home with an injury, the curse is not lifted. As the newest member of the team I was sure I was doomed, but Chris, one of the youth on the trip, decided to help out the team a bit making him the newest member.

As Chris was jumping off the bus at the dormitory with a coke in his hand he hit his tooth on the bottle and took a big chunk of his tooth out. He will survive and both his parents on the trip, so he is well cared for.

Las Colinas

Today I was part of the medical team that put on a clinic as Las Colinas. The village had a relatively nice school and we treated not only the students but also people from the community.

The medical team consisted of general medical, dentistry, optometry, and women's care. The children also received de-worming medicine, which by their expressions tasted quite awful; but it didn't stop them from finding their friends and making sure that they had to go through the same experience.

As I and others from the team did not have medical experience we were charged with moving boxes and entertaining the children as the waits can be quite long. We colored, played with balls, flew kites, and blew bubbles. The boys were very talented kite flyers and were able to get the kite up even though their was very little wind. And all the kids enjoyed chasing and popping bubbles.

On the bus ride back I spoke with Stanley who worked as a translator today. He is a Haitian and came to the DR shortly after the quake last year. He said at first he was able to communicate with his family, but said he hasn't heard from them in about six months and has no idea where and how they are. You could see the pain in his face as he spoke about Haiti and his family. He wants to go back, but with no jobs he thinks it will be quite a long time before this happens. He mentioned that he wanted to study medicine, but qt this point does not know when/if that will happen. I fear that Stanley's story is not unique.

Location:18.467101,-69.273169

Thinking of Haiti

While I am no longer physically in Haiti, I find my mind still is in Haiti and I am already wondering how soon I can get back. It is a strange feeling be called to q place and still not completely know why. I do wish and pray for so much good to come to Haiti and I hope to help in some way the Haitians raise their country to what it can be.

And while I am happy to help in the Dominican Republic I have to admit I just don't feel the same calling to it. That too I can't explain.

For now I will have to satisfy myself with the notion that I will try to get back. And while PaP was a small amount improved over last year it is still full of need and a resilient population that can pull Haiti back to it's position as the "Pearl of the Caribbean".

Location:On the road to Santa Damingo

Leaving Haiti

Technically I guess I am no longer in Haiti, but then technically I don't think I am in the Dominican Republic either. It started out as such a simple plan: take a bus service, much like Greyhound, from Haiti to the DR. We bought tickets for the 9am bus out of Haiti and arrived in plenty of time to get bags checked etc.

The first "surprise" was paying for our tickets was not enough. When we handed our tickets over to the clerk we were told that we would have to pay $30US in taxes per ticket, cash only. Luckily we had enough but no sooner had we paid that then we were told we owed another $50 Haitian for who knows what, but they would also take $4US.

That done and our cash greatly depleted we next attempted to board a bus. After going back and forth for a while attempting to determine which of the six unlabeled large busses we where meant to be on and loading our luggage on the white one, we were directed not onto that bus but on to a nearby minibus. Here we sat.

Eventually at about 12:30 the 9:00am bus actually departed and we were on our way. It was a simple enough ride for a couple of hours until we hit the border. Getting past the Haitian guards was easy enough and we didn't even have to get out of the van.

The DR side was/is a different story. We were first told to get off the bus and stand in line for immigration only to be told when we finally go there that we needed our passport which the bus company took from us when we handed them out tickets at about 8:30 in the morning.

After a little talking we discovered that the bus company was to take care of integration and we only need to sit and wait on the bus. So here we sit. The original predicted time of 30 minutes has passed about 3 or 4 times over and still no word.

So maybe sometime we will get through this limbo of a border and find ourselves in La Romana.

Well, it is now 6pm and we just got our stamped passports back, so in theory it is time to drive on.

Location:Haitian / Dominican Border (4:00pm)

The Curse Returns

Today was the day the whole mission team visited a very poor orphanage (GPS: 18.615754,-72.238716). But before we visited the orphanage we were to stop at the church so that the school children could sing for us and say goodbye. We also left additional supplies with the school for the children to use.

After the children sang we loaded back onto the truck and we headed off to the orphanage. To get there we had to head through the center of PaP, past the actual port, which is a not so safe part of the city (don't worry everyone is fine and nothing "bad" happened).

Anyway, this is when the curse hit. The cause of the curse is under debate as K says it is my fault and I say it is his. The origins of the curse are from last years trip and my theory is that every time I ride in a truck with K it breaks down. Today we got a flat.

We all piled out of the truck and the driver, translators, and M made quick work of replacing the tire win the spare. And off we went.



The orphanage was destitute. There is really no other way to put it. It is housed in a building that really should be condemned base on the damage from the quake. It consists of roughly to buildings and houses about 60 children.

There looks to be separate sleeping quarters for boys and girls. The beds are wood framed without mattresses or pillows and are large enough to sleep about 15 adults in each of the two areas. I suspect the kids double or triple up and some seem to sleep on the floor. There are some blankets sparsely distributed in the rooms and not nearly enough for all. and to add to all this, while there are 3 cement walls and a roof, the 4th wall is open and just covered with a tarp.

Across from the sleeping quarters is the eating area. This consists of a cooking area, large bowls for cooking over an open wood flame; and the tables where the children eat which are a mishmash of metal chairs and makeshift tables. Base on our observations and conversations with the kids it looks like there is not enough room for the children to eat all at once and it may be that not every child gets to eat every day because of lack of food.

The orphanage is run by a pastor with help by others and their work must be unbelievably hard. Truly great people for what they do.

We provided vitamins and medical check ups for the children as well as some toys. Those of us that lack medical talents spent the day playing with the children and showering them with love and affections.



We finally had to leave and the children sang and prayed for us as a way to thank us; not to mentions lots of hugs on the way out.

On the way back to the compound we hit carnival traffic as Haiti celebrates carnival his week. After sitting in the back of the truck for about an hour without moving it was decided that some of us would walk the last bit of the trip with the translators while some who preferred to stay in the truck stayed with other translators and E, a man of Haitian decent now living in the DR who is the goto guy for everything. So we got out of the truck and marched roughly single file through the mean streets or PaP after dark, during carnival.

The walk was fast paces and the translators did a great job of keeping an eye on us as we weaves in and out of PaP traffic and back to the compound where our hosts keep dinner waiting. After arriving the translators got a quick drink of water and head back to the truck, which arrived about 1 hour later. So, in the end, everyone got home safe and sound.

Pale ak Pastè a

As was suspected, the stone that was dumped at the end of the day yesterday had to find it's way to from the front of the church to the back where the building site. It did so through the use of shovel, wheelbarrow, and some muscle.

The work seemed a little slower pace for most of the day as the material was getting to the building site faster than it could be used. As such there were more rest periods. During this time we spoke with the translators and others. It turns out that one of these times was just as the school let out and so we were instantly surrounded by children and they spent some time touch our hair and arms out of curiosity. K and I were both also given a kiss by a very young (kindergartner I think) girl. Not exactly sure why, but it was cute.


After dinner tonight the pastor of the church that runs the school spent some time talking with us about Haiti. Topics were from politics, economics, religion, and Haiti's future. It was a very interesting conversation and some of it was recorded on video which I will share when I can.

Two things from this conversation that stuck out for me were the importance of education as a driver to help Haiti recover and the Pastor's belief that it important for people to come to Haiti and not just send money. I guess three things actually stood out as the Pastor also stated that Haiti's recovery will not come from the government, which is largely corrupt and not likely to be less so after the elections; nor will it come from organizations such as the UN, which are largely seen as ineffective by the Haitians. Instead the Pastor believed that Haiti's recovery will come from God working through Christians and the church as we care for each other and respect each other.

One in Front and Two in Back

We moved more dirt today and I can honestly say that my body is the worse for wear and I am physically exhausted. But, for the most part it was more of the same. Shovel dirt into a wheelbarrow and then haul it out to the street and dump it. The pile is getting quite large out front, but the dirt is basically all removed.

The highlights of the day, for me, where when T and I visited each of the classrooms in the school and took a picture and some video. We were a bit disrupting in all the classrooms but one. In the classroom with the youngest children (there are two kindergarten classes and this was the class with the youngest children) we entered the room with the administrator of the school and the teacher didn't stop as in the other classes. She had about 8 students completely captivated, teaching them how to write numbers and wasn't about to lose their focus because the admin and two people with cameras came in. This was fine with us and we were able to observe how they were being taught which was going throughout the numbers 10 to 20, repeating the phrasing, "How do you write 12, a 1 in front and a 2 in back" in French. It was perfect and quite funny.

The second thing that stood out was our second meeting with the "Easy English Club". This group is really dedicated and they have a really great time. During this meeting, T taught some songs in English, K taught some idioms, and I participated in a role playing exercise.

So while the work is repetitive and my feet are very sore, it was a good day overall. Even if after we thought we had accomplished something by removing all the edit they dumped a truck load of rocks just as the day was ending. Guess what we will be doing tomorrow.

Walkabout

Another construction day for half the team, while the other half put on a medical clinic to serve about 130 people.

At the construction site we move more ruble from the building site to the street to make room for construction. Again, all with shovels and wheelbarrows (brouèt ak pèl in Creole). The twist in the plan today was that we were not allowed to walk back with an empty wheelbarrow. Instead, two truckloads of gravel for concrete were dumped in the front so we had a full load both ways.




We did get to look about Port-au-Prince in two ways today. The first was Ken and I going for a walkabout with the translators. We walk from the construction site through their neighborhood and to the sea. They showed us where they lived and we got a better feel for how they lived.

The second chance to look around was after the workday when the whole group took a drive through the heart of Port-au-Prince. We where able to see a lot of the city including the Presidential Palace, National Cathedral, and the market area.

So, today was busy in several ways and tomorrow looks to be just as busy.