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The team was based out of Jimani, DR. THey slept on the floor of an Episcopalian church each night. There was only one bathroom & shower [men showered in shorts outside/ladies lined up] .They ate only cookies & water during day [only in vehicles & out of sight]
Night dinner was sausage & crackers, some canned items and some rice. Doctors wouldn’t allow any team members to consume anything in Haiti for fear of infections. DR government had everyone take 2 vaccinations at the border.
They visited predominantly Baptist believers because their guides were Baptist brethren. All medical staff dressed in uniforms as respect would be & was shown to them on the streets. Several translators on the team had family members in Port au Prince. They found all their relatives and not one of the Christians families was missing. Reason?
Those visited were so poor they lived in wooden and mud houses which fell but didn’t kill those inside. [Pro 19:4 Wealth makes many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbor.]
Some of their observations from the trip: In the city Jimani, DR there are no hotels available, food is double what it costs in Santo Domingo. Most groups working in Haiti were commuting to Jimani unless they were at the airport in Port au Prince 1½ hour out of Port au Prince there was only scattered damage to concrete homes.
In Ganchier, there were people living under tarps. Some had seen a doctor but two in particular were in need of attention, no doctors were in the area In Port au Prince the buildings with the least damage were made of wood & mud [The poorest] Thousands of people are living in fields around the airport and through the city. Many have nothing more that a sheet tied at all 4 corners for shelter .
It was shocking to see so many countries present to help. Many small countries too. [e.g. Uruguay] Each country had their flag flying high but there seemed to be little or no cooperation between them. Food and supplies seemed to be stuck at the airport and port. Extremely disappointed with what appeared to be a total lack of unity amoungst the countries as to working with each other. It seemed there was more concern about who would get the credit than who was being helped.
People were seen bathing in the streets with no regard as to their nudity. Baptist pastors seem to have power almost at a military level [Due to tribal mentality]. The Baptist pastors were very impressed with the quality, quantity, organization and abilities of the team. They were very shocked that they do this all the time [in the DR] for free and all were volunteers yet were so professional.
Most wealthy Haitians appear to now be in the DR. There is food on the street for sale but it is expensive in Port au Prince There are sections of the capital city that are not destroyed [The poorest]. When visiting hospitals the medical team members did their work while the other team members went from bed to bed presenting the Gospel and praying with the patients. This was mostly at the hospital in Jimani, DR. Many Haitians have come there for attention and the hospital is full and overflowing.
The most shocking aspect of the trip to the team was the total acceptance of the situation. One of the Haitian doctors on the team pointed out that in the Voodoo religion you party when you die and weep when you are born. The entering to the after-life is a pleasurable thing and not be mourned about. Therefore they seem almost careless about death.
In Jimani, DR they met with the Minister of Health for Norway. She and her assistant were very impressed with the team and she is to recommend them for funds from Norway. She was most impressed with the total volunteer aspect of the team and yet the quality of surgeons, cardiologists, and doctors. There were 2 serious quakes while they were there and they found it most frightening.
Commentary – This coming Saturday January 30th there will be a meeting of the brethren in Santo Domingo. They are going to discuss what the next approach should be as to the projects to be undertaken. All who were team members from Santo Domingo will be there so their different input can be taken into account. Juan Manuel’s personal opinion was that the government of Haiti is moving to help its people. However, it is doing it in somewhat of an unpredictable way. They are taking land “at will” to establish settlements of victims which will become tent cities. [The writer heard this a.m. on NPR/Radio that Haiti has requested 300,000 tents from any and all countries of the world.]
It is Juan’s strong feeling that to undertake any type of construction projects at this time would not be wise as it could all very well be confiscated or expropriated. He also thinks that there is another issue that we need to study. Who should we help?
While the Baptist brethren were most helpful in guiding them through the country, Juan feels that we should take on projects that will benefit the assemblies both short-term and long-term. He doesn’t feel that the brethren who send money from other countries are sending it to just help other denominational groups but rather to reach the lost, establish testimonies of believers who meet as we do and help folk who need some serious humanitarian assistance.
I indicated to him that we have groups of up to 25 who are willing to help with construction of houses and at the same time have meetings and do visitation. I told him too of individuals who want to come and are willing to do anything. [Ed. Note: It has been most rewarding for me to talk to some of you and I admire your sacrificial desire.] His comment was that it very much moved him to know that brethren are willing to come and work. However, he feels that until the medical aspect is out of the way, the construction side of things should wait.
Construction should wait for several reasons:
One of the brethren offered a high Haitian government official in Port au Prince, the use of our clinic [Ouanaminthe/Juana Mendez] and also medical teams to assist when and if they are needed. He was told that the Haitian government wants to keep the people within a radius of 40 kilometers of Port au Prince. So, those of you who are reading this and wish I had a more concise answer as to if you should go or when you could go, I can only say that we will advise you as soon as we hear how the Saturday meeting goes.
Please be in prayer that the Lord will give them much wisdom on Saturday. I know some of us want to head right down there but I am quite sure the Lord will direct us and it will be so much better when we move in His time. I know too that some of us want our monies to work immediately. We will do our best to make it work the quickest but believe me there is a great bottle-neck that all organizations seem to be experiencing. We believe our brethren will spend it as careful as is possible.
One elder who went as part of the team made a comment to Juan while they were driving home. He said: “You know Juan we have Haitians in the DR who are every bit as poor as some of these folk. In fact in and around Barahona [where our 9 Haitian assemblies are] we have some folks who aren’t eating as they should. Let’s keep our priorities straight!” Juan agrees.
Regarding food and clothing, it might be good for the writer to mention that these items can be purchased in the DR cheaper than what it would cost to ship them from the USA. Therefore, the immediate future plans are to scale back on the number in a team. They found that 3-4 translators is more than enough. Additionally, 3 doctors and 2 nurses is all that is needed to make up a team. [Total of 8-9 on a team]
The updated plan because of lessons learned after this first visit, is to send in a group of 20-25 medical persons that are divided into 4 or 5 teams. The Dominican brethren will be writing letters to the hospitals, universities, doctor practices and government departments, requesting that the release the believers who are doctors and nurses in their establishments for a 3-5 day medical mission into Haiti. Juan believes they will get a good response.
The brethren on Saturday, are going to present the idea of contacting different international organizations that they know are working in Haiti but do not present the Gospel. Because they are credible they would give the Dominican brethren a foothold in a given area of Haiti. This would be very good if it meshed with our possible Haitian family contacts of believers that live in the DR. Some brethren [CMML, FL & ON] will be going to the Dominican Republic during February to visit the brethren for a 2-3 days visit to assure the DR brethren they are appreciated for what they have done and are doing. They will also let them know we are going to support them to the best of our ability. It will also add a sense of accountability that is so important when it comes to the Lord’s funds.
Photos were taken on this first trip and as of this writing we have not received them. We know that some were anxious for an update so we are sending this out without them. I shall forward photos as soon as we receive them. I suspect the images the national media has already provided you are better examples than what we will receive.
Again in no way is this intended to be a solicitation for funds. It is intended to maintain believers informed as to the movements and work that we are supporting through the Dominican brethren who are so capable and familiar with the Haitian people. You will find there are five different addresses where one can help financially if they so wish.
