Dickie
Luckner and I went to Gonaives yesterday to see a Government Offical in regards to HATS related business. The road from Pont Sonde to Gonaives is very rough and dusty, it took us 2 hours approximately each way. We passed some of the largest rice fields I have ever seen. They went on for miles. Rice is grown here one rotation after another . From the rice fields we crossed over a mountain pass into the plain where Gonaives is. The pass is a desert with not much of anything growing except thousands and thousands of cactus. The City of Gonaives was devastated by hurricanes and floods dating back to 2004. There is very little evidence of rebuilding. Hundreds of vehicles remain where they were destroyed. The Government Office we went to still has not been repaired. They have nothing in the building except a couple of chairs and one desk. Most of their business is conducted on the front porch. The official showed me the water mark on their building. It is approximately 14 feet above the ground. He said Gonaives is a flat plain between the mountains and the sea. Over 60,000 people were washed away.
Ken, Don and Jim left at 4:30 yesterday morning, with Karen, Luckner and police escort, to head back to Canada. It was sad to see them go. We got a lot of work done and had a lot of fun together. We teased Ken about losing his hearing aid battery and how deaf he was. Since yesterday morning my ear has been plugged solid and I can not hear anything on that side. I now know what he went through. I put 5 pounds of brick in Don’s carry-on last night but he found it. Ken volunteered to take it to Canada, except he does not know yet. Jim, Don and I are on the Board for HATS. We conducted several meetings here to try and solve some problems. Over the past 2 weeks we did a lot of jobs. Some examples are: fixed dozens of water leaks in pipes, unplug the septic system, build and bug juice a cabinet and a vanity, build benches for the school and devotion room, repairs to school desks and tables, move the depot, inventory of food supplies, new base for the water pump, repairs to doors and screens, etc, etc. The biggest and best job was playing with and visiting the children. I wonder if anyone checked to see if they are still all here. We also enjoyed watching the Olympics together in the evening between naps.
~Dickie
Karen
We left early yesterday, 4:30 a.m., in hopes of being able to show Ken, Don and Jim some of the devastated areas of PaP. We arrived with time to drive them around so they could see the horrendous damage to the city. I have seen it several times now but once again, tears poured. I don’t see how anybody could see it and not cry. I saw some equipment trying to remove some of the cement debris but I also saw even more buildings down. This country is going to continue to need a lot of help over a very long time period to make any headway. We left the three musketeers at the airport at 7:50 a.m. I hope they will do a blog from Canada and give their travel experience back. Dickie and Carol are still with me for a short while. The group from Texas, and Kathy from BC, are scheduled to arrive on the 27th. They will be working on various things but especially on electrical and plumbing in the new house.
Work is continuing onsite on the water tower building and on the interior of the new accommodations for support missionary staff to help Karen. The compound has lots of men coming and going every which way from 7:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Work Inside New Accommodations
People continue to come to the compound asking for food and asking for Karen to take their children. Too, they come for money to take themselves and their sick children to the hospital. We do our best to help with the needs of the people around us. So many hungry people, so many sick and injured people. So very many needs. A huge thank you to all who have donated towards the needs of the poor and desperate people. God bless you all.
~Karen
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