Another Tragic Death in our Village

Everyone Please pray!!! We just lost another young girl today! We took her to the hospital clinic yesterday and because they were having a village party the clinic was closed. So today Donald took her back to the hospital to Saint Mark and she was too low, and she died! My GOD, MY GOD!!! Please hear our cry to help us be able to do more to save these peoples lives!! This young girl was only 12 and she lost her life she was very weak and poor. You could see her ribs and bones everywhere. It shouldn't be, this shouldn't be. surely the Lord is going to help us to be more on top of things and be able to help more people quicker before this happens again, God Please direct us in your path so we can not have this happen again!!! Please pray that we're able to do our part in helping this awful situation.

Handing out the Kid's Against Hunger food

Today we were able to pass out some of the Kids Against Hunger food that we just received from the shipment that the US Navy brought us Monday. God was faithful once again to provide what we were in need of just in time. A man came to us today who has an orphanage in Port-au-Prince. He has 150 orphans and school is getting ready to begin and he will be feeding even more children! Praise God we just got that shipment of food in and we were able to help him feed his orphans for one month. We are so grateful for the Kids Against Hunger food that helps provide nourishment and nutrition for so many children who so desperately need it.

School Books

I think it’s safe to say that every school in America has school books and every child gets one whether they purchase them or loan them. School books are vital to learning and education. You use them in almost every class. Well here in Haiti school books are a privilege that most students aren’t able to partake in. Most schools don’t provide books and it’s up to you to travel to the market to find them for yourself. They are expensive and many families can’t afford purchasing them for their children. Even if you have enough money for books, that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll find the book you’re looking for. There aren’t really bookstores for students to go to. You go to the market and dig through all kinds of old books lying around in a pile, hoping you’ll find the one you need in decent condition. Many end up going through school without them. Imagine having to study or do homework without your book. Due to the earthquake students were in school an extended length of time and only had a short break. It is now time to begin again on Monday, October 4^th. Today Lifeline was able to get enough books so each child in our school can loan for the year. We traveled to Port-au-Prince to get them from a book dealer and came home with about ten boxes full of books for preschool through the sixth grade for the Lifeline La Digue School and the Lifeline Barbancourt School. We know that our students will greatly appreciate this privilege of having books!

Operation Handclasp and Kids Against Hunger

Today we are so grateful for the U.S. Navy’s humanitarian aid program called Operation Handclasp.

The HSV-2 SWIFT naval ship docked in Port-au-Prince today full of food and supplies for five different missions here in Haiti, including Children’s International Lifeline.

The food was provided by Kids Against Hunger out of Minnesota and Operation Handclasp arranged getting it all here. We arrived early, excited to be a part of such a great event. We traveled around Port at first making sure we had all the proper paperwork in line to get through customs. Once we had that all in line we waited until it was our turn to have our pallets unloaded off the ship. While we were waiting we were cordially invited aboard for a tour.

It was such a sight to see the 98 meter long ship. While on the tour, we found out the ship crew wasn’t only the Navy. It also included the Army, the Marines, the Air Force, and also civilian workers. We were also told that this deployment held the largest amount of help aid since the history of the HSV-2 SWIFT. What a blessing it was to join hands with the US Military to help provide food and help for the people of Haiti and to be a part of them making history for humanitarian aid.

Update on the storm

We just wanted to give you an update on the blog written yesterday about the flash tropical storm that hit Port-au-Prince. We have now been made aware that five earthquake survivors living in a tent city were killed in yesterday's storm. Please keep these precious people in your prayers!

Another Tragedy Strikes Port-au-Prince

You never know what is going to happen from moment to moment anywhere, especially in Haiti. Today started off like any normal beautiful, sunny day. We traveled to Port-au-Prince to take care of some business affairs, meeting with some important people about donating an ambulance and a fire engine to the police department. We arrived at our last meeting of the day looking forward to making a new contact with someone involved in the Haitian government. It was very hot and humid throughout the day so we were grateful to sit in an air conditioned office, even though the building was under construction. As our meeting progressed and we were having conversation with this important gentleman we noticed it started to get very dark outside, but thought nothing of it because it was getting along in the evening. Soon after that there were large gusts of winds that became very strong as they rattled the windows that we were sitting next to and soon the rains began to beat upon the window as well. Then in a matter of minutes, we gazed out the window and the gentleman said I believe this is a hurricane. In a moments notice, a large tower antenna came crashing down on a car right outside the window seeming looking as if it was going to come through window, bursting the window out of the car.

Due to the earthquake tragedy that we just experienced, everyone was on high alert and jumped up out of their seats to run out of the building. Patricia Curtis even said, “We need to get out of this building now!!” As the rain started leaking inside the building, with the gusts of winds, we stood close to the door, not sure whether we were safer inside or out, and not sure what our next step should be. The wind continued as the rain ferociously pounded down and the lightning lit up the darkened sky. Trees all over the area came down along with big signs, causing traffic to be even worse then a normal Port-au-Prince traffic jam. People were rushing to get a tap-tap, looking for a way to escape the chaos.

Eventually the rains and the wind started calming down, although it continued to drizzle. As we drove away, praising God for our safety, we saw that the streets were flooded and trees were down everywhere.

We saw many tents torn apart and destroyed. The streets earlier in the day had been filled with marketing supplies and after driving through that area we’re sure much damage was caused to their merchandise. We had planned to buy school books and we were so thankful that we didn’t already have them in the back of the truck because they would have been destroyed. All we can say at the end of this day is praise God for safety and for watching over us and allowing us to return back to the mission safe.

Baby Walley

Today we were able to see a miracle right in front of our eyes. Baby Walley first came to us weighing barely 3 ½ pounds. His mother was very sick when she was pregnant and had an emergency c-section at on only 6 ½ months. This precious child barely survived. His aunt brought him to us asking for help so that her nephew could live. This is what he looked like when he first came to us. The pictures were taken a few days apart.

We were able to help Walley with food so he could grow to be strong. They came back monthly to receive help and little by little he has recovered and has gained strength. Today Walley and his aunt came back to us and precious Walley weighed in at 11 pounds 5 ounces!!

He looks like a completely different child!! Praise God for the donors who supplied us with a vital necessity here in Haiti, baby formula, so little babies like Walley have a fighting chance at life in this tough world.