OK. Not only does it take more than three months to get packages, but those that do come will have things taken out of them. Tina's parents sent three packages to us and they took a couple things out of them. Out of 6 packages that we have gotten, two have had things stolen out of them. My parents sent a box and I think that they missed some of the items because they were wrapped in junk rags for the shop.
Do not send anything to us! We're fine - we have everything that we need. We don't want to give the folks at customs any more. Speaking of which, our driver came back today with a list of drugs that the guy at customs needs because of his recent accident - he wants me to pay for them or give him money or something. That is one bribe that is so far from happening it's not even imaginable.
I shouldn't write any more when I am angry and frustrated.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Illness, Customs, Stove, Temperature
Kayla was sick Monday with a stomach ache and little fever. It lasted all day by she woke up yesterday feeling fine. Such is life here. It seems that we all have these stomach aches every so often. Praise God that we haven't gotten an illness that has really torn us down!
Customs
Yesterday, Carter and I went with Jeff - one of our drivers - to customs in Port-au-Prince by the airport. They needed a couple receipts for car parts that I ordered for the Mission. I got to see most of my boxes that have not gone through customs yet. I also got to pick up two of my packages. One was a box that my parents sent in the middle of August. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) The rice crispie treats inside were still good enough for Carter and me to eat (but not Tina and Kayla, so there will be more for me and Carter - we didn't try to give any to Lou). We didn't get the boxes because I went with and am a smooth talker. They were just ready to be picked up. The box contains three pairs of mechanix gloves that I ordered and had sent to my parents. I am looking forward to giving one pair to Anes who helps me out in the shop and used to do most of the mechanic work.
While we were there, Jeff was talking to the customs guy who was in a car accident and was still feeling pain. He told Jeff to tell me that he could use money for pills. I told Jeff that it sounded like a bribe and that I could not give him any money. I hope that doesn't cause negative impact as opposed to just remaining neutral. Had I paid him, it MAY have helped to get my boxes out faster. It makes no sense to promote the corruption. I think I expected the guy to come out and say "If you pay me, I'll get your boxes through." But instead he did it this way and I am thankful to God that my "Minnesota Nice" brain caught it as a bribe instead of another person asking for money.
Stove
There is a worker here named Frank. Frank has talked with me in the past and knows a little English. He has tried to teach me some Creole and most of what he has tried to teach me are Christian sayings/verses.
He gave me a little cooking stove to try to fix. In the bottom of it is a spot for kerosene and that spot had a hole worn through the metal which was leaking. I tried to fix it with two of our welders, but the welders were too hot for the thin metal and it melted it away making it worse. I kind of thought that would happen and was more than willing to buy him a new one if it did. While we were out yesterday going to customs, I asked Jeff where we could buy one of these things. So we found a place on the street in downtown Port where someone was selling the exact same stove. I had to buy the whole thing and not just the piece that was broken. I was so blessed by the boots and pants that Gerbin gave me, that I was more than willing to pass the blessing along. I would have done it even if I didn't get the pants and boots.
When we got back, Jeff told me that I should leave it in the truck and that he would tell him that it was there. I didn't see Frank the rest of the day, but when Carter and I took one of the vehicles out for a test drive we saw him on the way back and so I stopped to talk with him. He was so very happy and had a huge smile on his face. I told him, "Give God the praise for the stove and not me." This is the good stuff - this is one of the many reasons I like being here!
Carter went with me and Jeff to look around at what was for sale on the street after Jeff went to buy the stove (if I had gone with him, they would have charged a lot more for the stove). In hindsight, I probably should not have done that there in Port. We looked for a couple minutes and then things started feeling uncomfortable and Jeff said that he noticed a couple guys following us. We headed back for the truck and left. There are better, safer places to look around at the things for sale.
Boring car stuff...
Yesterday since I was on the road most of the day, all I got done was to put new shocks on the formerly-caged Landcruiser (the truck we used to go to customs). The shock mount that I had to fabricate and mount because the stock one busted off worked real well after testing it in on the road. The other front shock was leaking fluid so we replaced it. Today I will continue to work on the cage for the new Landcruiser.
Temperature for the last two weeks (which I frequently forget to post)
Max temp - 77.5
Min temp - 64.4
Max humidity - 90
Min humidity - 67
Customs
Yesterday, Carter and I went with Jeff - one of our drivers - to customs in Port-au-Prince by the airport. They needed a couple receipts for car parts that I ordered for the Mission. I got to see most of my boxes that have not gone through customs yet. I also got to pick up two of my packages. One was a box that my parents sent in the middle of August. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) The rice crispie treats inside were still good enough for Carter and me to eat (but not Tina and Kayla, so there will be more for me and Carter - we didn't try to give any to Lou). We didn't get the boxes because I went with and am a smooth talker. They were just ready to be picked up. The box contains three pairs of mechanix gloves that I ordered and had sent to my parents. I am looking forward to giving one pair to Anes who helps me out in the shop and used to do most of the mechanic work.
While we were there, Jeff was talking to the customs guy who was in a car accident and was still feeling pain. He told Jeff to tell me that he could use money for pills. I told Jeff that it sounded like a bribe and that I could not give him any money. I hope that doesn't cause negative impact as opposed to just remaining neutral. Had I paid him, it MAY have helped to get my boxes out faster. It makes no sense to promote the corruption. I think I expected the guy to come out and say "If you pay me, I'll get your boxes through." But instead he did it this way and I am thankful to God that my "Minnesota Nice" brain caught it as a bribe instead of another person asking for money.
Stove
There is a worker here named Frank. Frank has talked with me in the past and knows a little English. He has tried to teach me some Creole and most of what he has tried to teach me are Christian sayings/verses.
He gave me a little cooking stove to try to fix. In the bottom of it is a spot for kerosene and that spot had a hole worn through the metal which was leaking. I tried to fix it with two of our welders, but the welders were too hot for the thin metal and it melted it away making it worse. I kind of thought that would happen and was more than willing to buy him a new one if it did. While we were out yesterday going to customs, I asked Jeff where we could buy one of these things. So we found a place on the street in downtown Port where someone was selling the exact same stove. I had to buy the whole thing and not just the piece that was broken. I was so blessed by the boots and pants that Gerbin gave me, that I was more than willing to pass the blessing along. I would have done it even if I didn't get the pants and boots.
When we got back, Jeff told me that I should leave it in the truck and that he would tell him that it was there. I didn't see Frank the rest of the day, but when Carter and I took one of the vehicles out for a test drive we saw him on the way back and so I stopped to talk with him. He was so very happy and had a huge smile on his face. I told him, "Give God the praise for the stove and not me." This is the good stuff - this is one of the many reasons I like being here!
Carter went with me and Jeff to look around at what was for sale on the street after Jeff went to buy the stove (if I had gone with him, they would have charged a lot more for the stove). In hindsight, I probably should not have done that there in Port. We looked for a couple minutes and then things started feeling uncomfortable and Jeff said that he noticed a couple guys following us. We headed back for the truck and left. There are better, safer places to look around at the things for sale.
Boring car stuff...
Yesterday since I was on the road most of the day, all I got done was to put new shocks on the formerly-caged Landcruiser (the truck we used to go to customs). The shock mount that I had to fabricate and mount because the stock one busted off worked real well after testing it in on the road. The other front shock was leaking fluid so we replaced it. Today I will continue to work on the cage for the new Landcruiser.
Temperature for the last two weeks (which I frequently forget to post)
Max temp - 77.5
Min temp - 64.4
Max humidity - 90
Min humidity - 67
Monday, October 27, 2008
Paster Rob is Back, New Cage Wrecked, The Week
At our usual Sunday evening gathering for praise, worship, and Bible study, Pastor Rob lead the evening. He got back safe Saturday night. He told of a couple stories during the trip where the Lord was obviously there watching over them. I mentioned the ride on the mule and horse, but there was another where if a little boy wasn't walking down the middle of the road and he told them the road was out, they would have wound up going a long way and having to turn back. Turning back would have meant not knowing where to go if this little boy didn't show them the way down narrow side "roads." When they got to where they knew the rest of the way, the little boy jump out happy and a little richer because they paid him for his help and time.
New Cage Wrecked
Saturday Morning I went to work in the shop with Carter - doing whatever he wanted to do. That never works so well. I ended up spending about 2-3 hours helping everyone get ready for the day (I should know better by now). After that, I worked a little with Carter. The kicker that morning was taking a look at the new blue Isuzu truck - it had a load of heavy metal roofing material and wood on the top of the rack. The bumps were too much for it and it collapsed. The broken/bent pieces are circled in yellow.
I was not really done with it - I had plans to put support in the middle because the span was long. But after the people from the Netherlands were here and using the truck, we just kept using it. Now I will have to figure out what is usable and what will have to be re-done. At least we didn't waste any paint on it yet.
Boring car stuff...
I have plenty of things to do this week, as usual. I will be taking the differential apart on the Canter to see if we can just buy the parts that are broke vs. buying a used one. We have two differentials that have the same problem, so I'll probably take them both apart and we may decide to fix them both and hang on to one as a back-up or sell it. We'll see what happens.
I would like to finish up the cage on the new Landcruiser this week as well as fix the cage on the new blue one. I have to replace both front shocks on the old formerly-caged Landcruiser and replace the shock and the shock mount on the big stakebed (a big job).
New Cage Wrecked
Saturday Morning I went to work in the shop with Carter - doing whatever he wanted to do. That never works so well. I ended up spending about 2-3 hours helping everyone get ready for the day (I should know better by now). After that, I worked a little with Carter. The kicker that morning was taking a look at the new blue Isuzu truck - it had a load of heavy metal roofing material and wood on the top of the rack. The bumps were too much for it and it collapsed. The broken/bent pieces are circled in yellow.
I was not really done with it - I had plans to put support in the middle because the span was long. But after the people from the Netherlands were here and using the truck, we just kept using it. Now I will have to figure out what is usable and what will have to be re-done. At least we didn't waste any paint on it yet.
Boring car stuff...
I have plenty of things to do this week, as usual. I will be taking the differential apart on the Canter to see if we can just buy the parts that are broke vs. buying a used one. We have two differentials that have the same problem, so I'll probably take them both apart and we may decide to fix them both and hang on to one as a back-up or sell it. We'll see what happens.
I would like to finish up the cage on the new Landcruiser this week as well as fix the cage on the new blue one. I have to replace both front shocks on the old formerly-caged Landcruiser and replace the shock and the shock mount on the big stakebed (a big job).
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Reik, Rob, Cage, Canter
The lady who was sick (her name is Reik) and her husband took off yesterday for the Dominican Republic (DR). They took a plane whereas the others took a bus. Apparently she is going to the DR for more tests and then hopefully heading home if all is OK. She could continue to use your prayers.
Pastor Rob is planning to come home today after being gone since Monday morning. Patti said that he was walking to one of the schools/churches that you cannot use a vehicle to get to and his knee started to really bother him. Just about that time a donkey and a horse came by and so they borrowed them for the rest of the trip (which I think was 6-8 hours after already walking 2).
Boring car stuff...
I have spent most of the last two days working on the cage for the new Landcruiser pickup. Most of that time has been spent kneeling on the concrete. Yesterday I did a lot of drilling and riveting. I'll be posting pictures when it is complete. I am pretty sore and tired and don't plan to do much work today - I plan to spend time with Carter in the shop doing what he wants to do (after I clean up the place because I have been neglecting it).
The canter was dragged home two days ago. It appeared that it was the transmission or the rear differential that I recently sealed up. I looked at it and found out that it was the rear differential and took it out. Sure enough it ran dry and messed up the ring and pinion gears as well as the pinion bearing. It's cheaper to buy a whole new differential so we sent someone for it yesterday. I hope to have it fixed Monday.
People have been dropping a whole bunch of stuff off for me to fix. I have a battery charger to repair, a cooking stove, and a couple other things. They get last priority usually because the Mission stuff comes first. I am not sure when I will get to some of those things. Anyone interested in coming to help out for a month or so?
Pastor Rob is planning to come home today after being gone since Monday morning. Patti said that he was walking to one of the schools/churches that you cannot use a vehicle to get to and his knee started to really bother him. Just about that time a donkey and a horse came by and so they borrowed them for the rest of the trip (which I think was 6-8 hours after already walking 2).
Boring car stuff...
I have spent most of the last two days working on the cage for the new Landcruiser pickup. Most of that time has been spent kneeling on the concrete. Yesterday I did a lot of drilling and riveting. I'll be posting pictures when it is complete. I am pretty sore and tired and don't plan to do much work today - I plan to spend time with Carter in the shop doing what he wants to do (after I clean up the place because I have been neglecting it).
The canter was dragged home two days ago. It appeared that it was the transmission or the rear differential that I recently sealed up. I looked at it and found out that it was the rear differential and took it out. Sure enough it ran dry and messed up the ring and pinion gears as well as the pinion bearing. It's cheaper to buy a whole new differential so we sent someone for it yesterday. I hope to have it fixed Monday.
People have been dropping a whole bunch of stuff off for me to fix. I have a battery charger to repair, a cooking stove, and a couple other things. They get last priority usually because the Mission stuff comes first. I am not sure when I will get to some of those things. Anyone interested in coming to help out for a month or so?
Friday, October 24, 2008
Water Filter Struggles: SOLVED!!
I have been in contact with a great guy at Water Missions International and so have the Samaritan's Purse folks. They have recently diagnosed the system in Bassin Bleu and got it working again. They provided additional training to the operators and ensured that the system will be operational. It is very good to know that this system will be functioning for months (if not years) in the future.
The filter system and all included components were of great quality and the whole system was designed very well. There are numbered levers and included instructions with photographs. There was obviously a lot of thought put into designing the system and all included components. It is great to know that it will not be a lost investment!
Thank you very much Water Missions International!
The filter system and all included components were of great quality and the whole system was designed very well. There are numbered levers and included instructions with photographs. There was obviously a lot of thought put into designing the system and all included components. It is great to know that it will not be a lost investment!
Thank you very much Water Missions International!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Praise: My Mom's OK, Amazing Blessing, Frog
I talked to my dad last night and my mom is doing good - thank you for your prayers. Now the recovery...
Amazing Blessing
The World Servant people from the Netherlands took off this morning at 6AM. There is one lady who has been sick for a little while was occasionally passing out and the home base in the Netherlands told her not to travel so she will be staying at the mission with her husband until they can resolve the issue. It seems a little ironic that she would be told to stay because most people leave Haiti when they get sick, not stay.
The "Amazing Blessing" came in last night when Gerbin, the leader of the World Servant group that just left, walked into the house and gave me two great pair of pants (which I really need) and his boots (which I really, REALLY need). Gerbin is about 6-8 inches taller than me but his boots fit perfectly - I have been wearing them all morning. I had been wondering what I was going to do for boots because mine are wearing faster than I expected. I have holes in them and was anticipating what I would have to do - wait until we visited the US again or try to find a pair here. When Kris came early this week, I was tempted to ask her to get boots, but they would have to fit very good for them to be any benefit. God certainly looked out for me in this need and the pants.
Last night we also had a get together for their final evening with us. They gave us a small bag of goodies (a couple shirts, paper, markers, and a bunch of other nice stuff). I will miss them all, especially Gerbin. He was a great member of the BHM team while he was here for two months. I hope he comes back long term!
Frog
We had a frog on our porch last night (high resolution):
Boring Car Stuff...
We took the cage off the caged Landcruiser yesterday - that thing must have weighed close to a half-ton which is not good for the truck, transmission, or engine. The transmission keeps popping out of 1st gear so I will be taking a look at that and possibly rebuilding the transmission soon. Yesterday, and continuing today, I have been building the cage on the new Landcrusier. I should be done, Lord willing, in a few days. This takes priority over fixing the other one since we will not be putting that cage back on any time soon. The new cage should be, at most, half of the weight of the other one.
Amazing Blessing
The World Servant people from the Netherlands took off this morning at 6AM. There is one lady who has been sick for a little while was occasionally passing out and the home base in the Netherlands told her not to travel so she will be staying at the mission with her husband until they can resolve the issue. It seems a little ironic that she would be told to stay because most people leave Haiti when they get sick, not stay.
The "Amazing Blessing" came in last night when Gerbin, the leader of the World Servant group that just left, walked into the house and gave me two great pair of pants (which I really need) and his boots (which I really, REALLY need). Gerbin is about 6-8 inches taller than me but his boots fit perfectly - I have been wearing them all morning. I had been wondering what I was going to do for boots because mine are wearing faster than I expected. I have holes in them and was anticipating what I would have to do - wait until we visited the US again or try to find a pair here. When Kris came early this week, I was tempted to ask her to get boots, but they would have to fit very good for them to be any benefit. God certainly looked out for me in this need and the pants.
Last night we also had a get together for their final evening with us. They gave us a small bag of goodies (a couple shirts, paper, markers, and a bunch of other nice stuff). I will miss them all, especially Gerbin. He was a great member of the BHM team while he was here for two months. I hope he comes back long term!
Frog
We had a frog on our porch last night (high resolution):
Boring Car Stuff...
We took the cage off the caged Landcruiser yesterday - that thing must have weighed close to a half-ton which is not good for the truck, transmission, or engine. The transmission keeps popping out of 1st gear so I will be taking a look at that and possibly rebuilding the transmission soon. Yesterday, and continuing today, I have been building the cage on the new Landcrusier. I should be done, Lord willing, in a few days. This takes priority over fixing the other one since we will not be putting that cage back on any time soon. The new cage should be, at most, half of the weight of the other one.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Prayers, Latest BHM Newsletter, Lou, Shopping, BHM Update
We would appreciate your prayers today for my mom who is having surgery on her back today to remove some calcium deposits near her spine that is causing pain down her leg. We pray that the doctors have had a good night's sleep and that the Lord will guide their hands as they solve the problem. We're thinking about you Mom!
Newsletter
The latest Baptist Haiti Mission newsletter went out recently and it contains information on the back page about the packing that we did for those affected by the weather. Our daughter Kayla is pictured with Abigail at a table of cooking oil and metal cups. (Thanks Dad for the scanned image!)
Lou
Lou's face is getting better. The doctor told us that he thought it was a type of fungus on his face. He did prescribe medicine and gave us a package of some cream, but we have been solving it with some non-medicinal things. In a couple more days it should be completely gone. We're a little adverse to medicine if we can do without, but we realize that it is sometimes necessary.
Shopping
Our friend Kris B. came yesterday and brought us a number of things that we requested. (Thank you so much Kris!!) The one thing that I am most thankful for is the new bed sheets. The ones that she bought are so soft, smooth, and comfortable - it's a great treat and I know we slept better last night because of it.
BHM Updates
Pastor Rob took off for the northern part of Haiti Monday morning. He is expecting to be gone for most of the week.
Today is the last day that the World Servants folks will be here. It will seem almost too quiet around here when they are gone (Kyrk and his family may welcome the break from activities). Today is also the last day that I will not have many vehicles here to work on.
We have had some interesting things happen with the four-wheeler. It appears as if one of the workers of the organization that owns it but left it for dead now wants it back. We're working on negotiating whether they pay us for the work or let us keep it. This makes for interesting situations...
Newsletter
The latest Baptist Haiti Mission newsletter went out recently and it contains information on the back page about the packing that we did for those affected by the weather. Our daughter Kayla is pictured with Abigail at a table of cooking oil and metal cups. (Thanks Dad for the scanned image!)
Lou
Lou's face is getting better. The doctor told us that he thought it was a type of fungus on his face. He did prescribe medicine and gave us a package of some cream, but we have been solving it with some non-medicinal things. In a couple more days it should be completely gone. We're a little adverse to medicine if we can do without, but we realize that it is sometimes necessary.
Shopping
Our friend Kris B. came yesterday and brought us a number of things that we requested. (Thank you so much Kris!!) The one thing that I am most thankful for is the new bed sheets. The ones that she bought are so soft, smooth, and comfortable - it's a great treat and I know we slept better last night because of it.
BHM Updates
Pastor Rob took off for the northern part of Haiti Monday morning. He is expecting to be gone for most of the week.
Today is the last day that the World Servants folks will be here. It will seem almost too quiet around here when they are gone (Kyrk and his family may welcome the break from activities). Today is also the last day that I will not have many vehicles here to work on.
We have had some interesting things happen with the four-wheeler. It appears as if one of the workers of the organization that owns it but left it for dead now wants it back. We're working on negotiating whether they pay us for the work or let us keep it. This makes for interesting situations...
Monday, October 20, 2008
Today's Activities
Most vehicles have been gone the last few days (weeks) since the World Servants people have been here. They have all been out and about getting sand, block and shipping people around to the three houses that they are rebuilding for those who were most in need after the hurricanes. So today I got a chance to do the lesser things that have sitting around.
I fixed an angle grinder (this was a Haitian workers personal tool) - he was so happy that I fixed it that I heard him telling a number of other people that I fixed it for him. I don't think that I am that smart at these things - it's thanks to God that I know how to do some of these things and that I just happen to run across the problems when I take them apart. I enjoy being able to help people this way.
I am not always successful. Today someone brought their car into because they were in an accident and the driver's side door wouldn't open. I could get at the inside of the door to look at the mechanism and I couldn't pull the door open no matter how hard I tried. I didn't want to break anything and I didn't know who she was, so I just ended up telling her that I couldn't fix it.
Today, Tina went to learn a few things about administering the master class information because the people who normally manage this will be out in December during one of the classes. She is only helping out while they are gone and will be turning the responsibility back over. During this time today, Kayla helped out BIG TIME. She made lunch (ramen and mac & cheese), she got and folded the laundry, swept the kitchen, did her homework and a couple other things that I can't think of. She did this in the span of about 2.5 hours. It really helped Mom out a lot - which helps us all out.
I fixed an angle grinder (this was a Haitian workers personal tool) - he was so happy that I fixed it that I heard him telling a number of other people that I fixed it for him. I don't think that I am that smart at these things - it's thanks to God that I know how to do some of these things and that I just happen to run across the problems when I take them apart. I enjoy being able to help people this way.
I am not always successful. Today someone brought their car into because they were in an accident and the driver's side door wouldn't open. I could get at the inside of the door to look at the mechanism and I couldn't pull the door open no matter how hard I tried. I didn't want to break anything and I didn't know who she was, so I just ended up telling her that I couldn't fix it.
Today, Tina went to learn a few things about administering the master class information because the people who normally manage this will be out in December during one of the classes. She is only helping out while they are gone and will be turning the responsibility back over. During this time today, Kayla helped out BIG TIME. She made lunch (ramen and mac & cheese), she got and folded the laundry, swept the kitchen, did her homework and a couple other things that I can't think of. She did this in the span of about 2.5 hours. It really helped Mom out a lot - which helps us all out.
Lou, The Week
Lou has some sort of problem with the skin around his mouth. It started as a cold sore and grew into something larger. We're probably going to have him see the Dr. today. If you have any idea what this is, let me know.
It feels like it has been such a long time since we have gotten a good night's sleep. Last night was the best that I think I (and we) have ever had. Two out of the last three nights, we had a cat howling for hours outside our house. I finally tried to quiet it down around 2-3 AM by opening the door and making a hissing sound. It worked. The cat actually belongs to Chris and Kelli upstairs and the cat didn't show up all day - I am not sure if it was because I scared it or not. It finally came home at bedtime and they put it in their house.
Our friend Kris B. is coming tomorrow with a team of people. She asked if there was anything that we wanted her to bring. We have her a list of things and are excited to see her and excited to get the things we requested. The team of people that she is bringing is going to help the Netherland folks out with rebuilding a home - they had asked if there was anything that they could do.
The folks from the Netherlands are leaving on Thursday then we'll be left with three Samaritan's Purse people. I am not sure when they are leaving - perhaps a couple more weeks. They are working with to secure non-food items for the people affected by the hurricanes.
It feels like it has been such a long time since we have gotten a good night's sleep. Last night was the best that I think I (and we) have ever had. Two out of the last three nights, we had a cat howling for hours outside our house. I finally tried to quiet it down around 2-3 AM by opening the door and making a hissing sound. It worked. The cat actually belongs to Chris and Kelli upstairs and the cat didn't show up all day - I am not sure if it was because I scared it or not. It finally came home at bedtime and they put it in their house.
Our friend Kris B. is coming tomorrow with a team of people. She asked if there was anything that we wanted her to bring. We have her a list of things and are excited to see her and excited to get the things we requested. The team of people that she is bringing is going to help the Netherland folks out with rebuilding a home - they had asked if there was anything that they could do.
The folks from the Netherlands are leaving on Thursday then we'll be left with three Samaritan's Purse people. I am not sure when they are leaving - perhaps a couple more weeks. They are working with to secure non-food items for the people affected by the hurricanes.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friends
Carter found a friend last night:
Greg G. - this one's for you! This is a great guy that works at the Mission.
Troy S. - this one's for you. Does it look familiar? It's owned by a friend - the former mechanic of the mission.
Greg G. - this one's for you! This is a great guy that works at the Mission.
Troy S. - this one's for you. Does it look familiar? It's owned by a friend - the former mechanic of the mission.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Do Not Eat Packets
Please send us all of your Do Not Eat packets from your shoe purchases and whatever else you buy. The mold that grows around here does not sleep. We have mold on our backpacks, mold in our drawers and closets, mold on Carter and Lou's dresser on the outside, mold on things that hang on the wall (like our hats and curtains), our luggage has mold, I think that mold grows under our feet as we walk across the floor. We just cleaned today and it feels like we can never get it clean.
As I type this I started to think about all the people here with mud floors and corrugated metal roofs. Why am I complaining? We haven't had any related obvious health affects of the mold, so it sure could be worse than what we have experienced.
Dog
We are having a BLAST training our dog. We're spreading around our main living area and calling her name. She gets a treat when she comes to us and sits. The best part of all of this training is the cat. She takes advantage of the dog being distracted by the treats and makes kamikaze attacks as she runs back and forth. Last night was the best one yet, she literally plowed her over onto her side. I don't think that I have laughed that hard in a long time. These animals are proving to be an extremely good mental break from the activities of the days. I wish I could post a video. Someday I'll get a short video on the blog.
Boring car stuff...
Today, I was planning to not work much unless something major came up. Guess what...something major came up. The cantor wouldn't start. So I swapped out one of the two batteries (it's a 24 volt system) because the terminal was loose on it. That didn't work. So I checked the other battery. Neither one of them held a very good charge so I swapped the stakebed's batteries out (another 24 volt system). The canter still did not start. So we checked the starter and it appeared that it wasn't working. We tried to push start it, but the ground in all directions was too flat. So we used the dump truck to pull start it. I was driving the dump truck and didn't even notice that it was pulling the canter because it's got so much grunt. The canter jump started, thankfully. The cage that is on the back of the canter prevents the cab from tilting forward to have good access to the engine. If the engine isn't running, the bed doesn't tilt to tilt the cab. I am thinking about modifying the cage so we can tilt the cab... This took most of the morning then I helped Tina clean the house. And that's where I sit now. Time to eat lunch.
As I type this I started to think about all the people here with mud floors and corrugated metal roofs. Why am I complaining? We haven't had any related obvious health affects of the mold, so it sure could be worse than what we have experienced.
Dog
We are having a BLAST training our dog. We're spreading around our main living area and calling her name. She gets a treat when she comes to us and sits. The best part of all of this training is the cat. She takes advantage of the dog being distracted by the treats and makes kamikaze attacks as she runs back and forth. Last night was the best one yet, she literally plowed her over onto her side. I don't think that I have laughed that hard in a long time. These animals are proving to be an extremely good mental break from the activities of the days. I wish I could post a video. Someday I'll get a short video on the blog.
Boring car stuff...
Today, I was planning to not work much unless something major came up. Guess what...something major came up. The cantor wouldn't start. So I swapped out one of the two batteries (it's a 24 volt system) because the terminal was loose on it. That didn't work. So I checked the other battery. Neither one of them held a very good charge so I swapped the stakebed's batteries out (another 24 volt system). The canter still did not start. So we checked the starter and it appeared that it wasn't working. We tried to push start it, but the ground in all directions was too flat. So we used the dump truck to pull start it. I was driving the dump truck and didn't even notice that it was pulling the canter because it's got so much grunt. The canter jump started, thankfully. The cage that is on the back of the canter prevents the cab from tilting forward to have good access to the engine. If the engine isn't running, the bed doesn't tilt to tilt the cab. I am thinking about modifying the cage so we can tilt the cab... This took most of the morning then I helped Tina clean the house. And that's where I sit now. Time to eat lunch.
Water Filter Struggles
I found out a couple days ago that the water filter that was set up was basically non-functional after two days. The system was donated from Water Missions International they requested that Samaritan's Purse set it up in Bassin Bleu. We did just that. The problem is that we don't have anyone close to us (one of our pastors or otherwise) who can help to solve issues. The water system is about 8-10 hours drive away, so it isn't the greatest idea for us to be running out there every time there is a problem.
I am really struggling with this because it is a big fancy system and will work great for the people there, but the fact of the matter is that training is required and a couple hours of it with no "technical support" will just not do it. The people will just revert back to what they used to do without the filter running and after storms or heavy rains, their usual places will be contaminated. What we at the Mission (Kyrk) were pushing for was to put it near one of our churches so that we could better manage it. Had we paid for it or had any expense into it, we would have required that. But as it were, Samaritan's Purse and Water Missions International were the two organizations that were putting this all together. I am so sad that I think it will just go to waste.
The Boys
Here is a picture of the boys with their hoods. Lou just happen to get a hooded shirt on and as he came to sit on the couch with Carter and I, he had to put his hood on first. He loves to copy!
I am really struggling with this because it is a big fancy system and will work great for the people there, but the fact of the matter is that training is required and a couple hours of it with no "technical support" will just not do it. The people will just revert back to what they used to do without the filter running and after storms or heavy rains, their usual places will be contaminated. What we at the Mission (Kyrk) were pushing for was to put it near one of our churches so that we could better manage it. Had we paid for it or had any expense into it, we would have required that. But as it were, Samaritan's Purse and Water Missions International were the two organizations that were putting this all together. I am so sad that I think it will just go to waste.
The Boys
Here is a picture of the boys with their hoods. Lou just happen to get a hooded shirt on and as he came to sit on the couch with Carter and I, he had to put his hood on first. He loves to copy!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
It's Been A While
Life has been lub-dubbing along here. Not too much going on. Lou will surprise us by being real on top of his game and then the next moment he has nothing but blank stares. This is one of the harder things we have to get used to. It's difficult to know when he is on and when he is not. He had us cracking up last night because we put a head light on him (thank you Auntie Becky and Uncley Ron!) and he was following where ever the light went. He almost ran into a door outside and into the table inside.
Kayla and Carter are doing good in their studies. Tina had taken a day or two off to get caught up in things. Life here is still not easy. We continue to try to find our place here and not get too overwhelmed with things to do that we forget our priorities like our family. This is a struggle here I believe. There is so much to do. The goofy dog helps to keep spirits up.
Customs appears to be taking a break from working. Have I told you lately how much I dislike the methodology of customs? It has been far too long for some things (most things). I am at a point where I don't think that I want to bother having stuff sent here. Forget about Christmas gifts...
I have had three different people ask me for money this week. I haven't given anyone anything yet, because I prefer to give to the church and then point them to the church to get money. The pastor should know the people better than we do and know when it is a legitimate need.
Yesterday I had one of the workers ask me if I would cut his hair. I hesitated a little and then thought that it would be a good idea and a nice thing to do. He finished what he was doing and then came to the house. I cut his hair and he was very happy. I think that he wanted it shaved like mine but I put a #1 spacer on the trimmer to cut it. I didn't want to go without because I didn't know if his head was good and round where it wouldn't cut him. I haven't had anyone else come for a haircut, so he must have kept a secret so far.
I have another radio sitting on my workbench to fix. When I opened it up, it too had bugs all over the inside. This is the third radio like that - 100% bug success rate. I'll spare you the pictures.
Boring car stuff...
I have been doing lots of car stuff lately (go figure). Today I finished up replacing the water pump in the Nissan Pathfinder. Just like my "racecar", the water pump is buried deep on the front of the engine. I had to remove the radiator, shroud, and fan assembly and remove the timing belt. We replaced the timing belt since I was so far into the engine it only made sense. I looked up how to set the timing on the internet and found a great resource (I am so thankful for the internet!).
The canter rear differential is leaking again. I thought I slopped on enough RTV to seal it up, but it is still leaking. I looked closely at the mating surfaces before I put it on and it all looked OK. I'll give it another try. The mechanism on the canter to switch in and out of 4x4 is broke and so we messed with that today and locked it in 4x4 because they have to go to some hard to get places tomorrow. We just put four new tires on it. It also has a bad battery post so we have to fix that too.
I have been working on replacing the lower shock mount on the caged landcruiser, but the World Servant people have been using it and I haven't gotten a chance to put weld it on (my welding skills are improving finally).
The lower shock mount on the big stakebed broke today - that'll be a huge job.
There is more but that is all I can come up with right now.
Kayla and Carter are doing good in their studies. Tina had taken a day or two off to get caught up in things. Life here is still not easy. We continue to try to find our place here and not get too overwhelmed with things to do that we forget our priorities like our family. This is a struggle here I believe. There is so much to do. The goofy dog helps to keep spirits up.
Customs appears to be taking a break from working. Have I told you lately how much I dislike the methodology of customs? It has been far too long for some things (most things). I am at a point where I don't think that I want to bother having stuff sent here. Forget about Christmas gifts...
I have had three different people ask me for money this week. I haven't given anyone anything yet, because I prefer to give to the church and then point them to the church to get money. The pastor should know the people better than we do and know when it is a legitimate need.
Yesterday I had one of the workers ask me if I would cut his hair. I hesitated a little and then thought that it would be a good idea and a nice thing to do. He finished what he was doing and then came to the house. I cut his hair and he was very happy. I think that he wanted it shaved like mine but I put a #1 spacer on the trimmer to cut it. I didn't want to go without because I didn't know if his head was good and round where it wouldn't cut him. I haven't had anyone else come for a haircut, so he must have kept a secret so far.
I have another radio sitting on my workbench to fix. When I opened it up, it too had bugs all over the inside. This is the third radio like that - 100% bug success rate. I'll spare you the pictures.
Boring car stuff...
I have been doing lots of car stuff lately (go figure). Today I finished up replacing the water pump in the Nissan Pathfinder. Just like my "racecar", the water pump is buried deep on the front of the engine. I had to remove the radiator, shroud, and fan assembly and remove the timing belt. We replaced the timing belt since I was so far into the engine it only made sense. I looked up how to set the timing on the internet and found a great resource (I am so thankful for the internet!).
The canter rear differential is leaking again. I thought I slopped on enough RTV to seal it up, but it is still leaking. I looked closely at the mating surfaces before I put it on and it all looked OK. I'll give it another try. The mechanism on the canter to switch in and out of 4x4 is broke and so we messed with that today and locked it in 4x4 because they have to go to some hard to get places tomorrow. We just put four new tires on it. It also has a bad battery post so we have to fix that too.
I have been working on replacing the lower shock mount on the caged landcruiser, but the World Servant people have been using it and I haven't gotten a chance to put weld it on (my welding skills are improving finally).
The lower shock mount on the big stakebed broke today - that'll be a huge job.
There is more but that is all I can come up with right now.
Monday, October 13, 2008
I Am Guilty
This came from our church's blog (through desiringgod.org). It was great to see our church in the background. I am guilty of doing this many times - the church game face is not a good thing. Our families should get the same treatment as we give to other people - church people or not (and vice versa).
End of the Illness
Kayla and Lou are completely over the illness and the rest of the humans didn't get it. The night before last, the dog got so sick we didn't think she was going to make it. She was vomiting and had the squirts (all over the floor). We didn't get much sleep the night before last. We didn't get much sleep last night either because she spent all of yesterday sleeping and is obviously feeling much better now - she wouldn't leave us alone. We are operating on little sleep.
Things are very busy here because there are about 50 people from the Netherlands here. It doesn't affect me a whole lot except for to help getting the vehicles ready and helping for those who are helping the Netherlanders and cannot do their regular tasks.
I am pretty much just a mechanic and like it that way. There are things that I want to work on with my family and feel like I don't get enough time to do them as it is without having more responsibility at this time. I still have to work on a newsletter that I wanted to send out - it is about 50% finished. I think that it'll end up being a Christmas newsletter that we send out to friends and family.
Pastor Rob, the mission director, and his wife Patti just got back on Friday after being gone for a number of weeks. They are getting settled back in here.
I am still (not so patiently) waiting for customs to be finished using the things that have been sent to me so I can use them. I am thinking that there should be something that we can do - somebody has to be able to do something to get the boxes out. I ordered a pair of work pants - JUST PANTS - at the beginning of August that still are not here. I am beginning to see how and why people will bribe customs - they virtually drive you to it. Corruption is so corrupt.
Things are very busy here because there are about 50 people from the Netherlands here. It doesn't affect me a whole lot except for to help getting the vehicles ready and helping for those who are helping the Netherlanders and cannot do their regular tasks.
I am pretty much just a mechanic and like it that way. There are things that I want to work on with my family and feel like I don't get enough time to do them as it is without having more responsibility at this time. I still have to work on a newsletter that I wanted to send out - it is about 50% finished. I think that it'll end up being a Christmas newsletter that we send out to friends and family.
Pastor Rob, the mission director, and his wife Patti just got back on Friday after being gone for a number of weeks. They are getting settled back in here.
I am still (not so patiently) waiting for customs to be finished using the things that have been sent to me so I can use them. I am thinking that there should be something that we can do - somebody has to be able to do something to get the boxes out. I ordered a pair of work pants - JUST PANTS - at the beginning of August that still are not here. I am beginning to see how and why people will bribe customs - they virtually drive you to it. Corruption is so corrupt.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Decompression
After I have had a few days to decompress from the trip (and my muscles have mostly recovered), I wanted to put a few thoughts out here.
The water system is a little complicated for operation. There is an initial flow rate to set up, then you have to adjust an alum level. After which, you have to adjust another flow rate and then adjust the chlorine level based on results from putting a test strip in the outflow of water. Once you have those set, the filter can run on its own until it is empty of alum (which will happen first) and then chlorine. The alum looked like it would last for roughly 10,000 liters of drinking water and the chlorine would last for more than double that before you would have to refill either one of them.
Then there is the matter of back flushing which has to be done daily - it appeared - because the water going in was pretty dirty with silt. If a better silt pond were built you could back flush the filters less frequently (we did build one using rocks in the river, but with the limited resources the one we built will not do much good).
There was one gentleman from the church who seemed to be really paying attention and so we took him in as the local expert and operator. There was another guy there that we trained as backup. My personal concern is two-fold: 1) that the two guys that we trained in will not recall the details of what to do and how to run it (or troubleshoot it) and 2) that after the supply of alum and chlorine run out, it will just sit there.
That I know of, no one was told where to get alum or chlorine after the supply is used up in 6 months. That combined with the cost of obtaining those two things and the diesel fuel for the generator makes me wonder how long it will be in operation there. I have a few questions to ask of the Samaritan's Purse leader to find out how that will all work, but I wouldn't mind making occasional trips to there to make sure that it is working for the community.
I fear that once the supplies are used up, that the people in the town will revert back to the way they did things before the filter got there. The church that we worked with in Bassin Bleu was not one of ours. We (the Baptist Haiti Mission) wanted it to be closer to one of our churches so we could manage the maintenance and future needs of it, but Samaritan's Purse had reasons to go to Bassin Bleu including a greater need there.
I really feel strongly about not letting the supplies get used up and no one purchases new ones. The filter system will sit there unused while people drink, and get sick from, the river water. It would be a large waste of donated money, supplies, and labor. The filter would get used for someone's personal money-making business or broken apart for parts... I just don't want to see that happen.
We'll see how this will all play out in the next couple days and weeks.
___________
The people really appreciated the water. They were gathering around waiting patiently. The one thing that surprised me is that in the States, people would generally form a line. That doesn't seem to happen here whether it is at the water filter or the airport. People just get as close as they can forming a large mob with no order as to who was first or last. I think it is this type of disorder that leads to arguments and chaos. Fortunately that didn't happen.
The Samaritan's Purse leader did a great job trying to include the pastor(s) as the primary coordinator and then the mayor as secondary so the whole community was involved and aware not just the church members. They gathered people who brought five gallon pails and various other containers.
It was so nice to be a part of this blessing to people in need. The money for the filter came through the Samaritan's Purse organization. (correction...I found out that the filter was donated by WMI and they worked with Samaritan's Purse to get it implemented). I want to figure out a way to make sure they have funds to continue to run the filter if that is something that we (the Baptist Haiti Mission) end up doing or if the community/church will do it.
I may have more decompression later...
The water system is a little complicated for operation. There is an initial flow rate to set up, then you have to adjust an alum level. After which, you have to adjust another flow rate and then adjust the chlorine level based on results from putting a test strip in the outflow of water. Once you have those set, the filter can run on its own until it is empty of alum (which will happen first) and then chlorine. The alum looked like it would last for roughly 10,000 liters of drinking water and the chlorine would last for more than double that before you would have to refill either one of them.
Then there is the matter of back flushing which has to be done daily - it appeared - because the water going in was pretty dirty with silt. If a better silt pond were built you could back flush the filters less frequently (we did build one using rocks in the river, but with the limited resources the one we built will not do much good).
There was one gentleman from the church who seemed to be really paying attention and so we took him in as the local expert and operator. There was another guy there that we trained as backup. My personal concern is two-fold: 1) that the two guys that we trained in will not recall the details of what to do and how to run it (or troubleshoot it) and 2) that after the supply of alum and chlorine run out, it will just sit there.
That I know of, no one was told where to get alum or chlorine after the supply is used up in 6 months. That combined with the cost of obtaining those two things and the diesel fuel for the generator makes me wonder how long it will be in operation there. I have a few questions to ask of the Samaritan's Purse leader to find out how that will all work, but I wouldn't mind making occasional trips to there to make sure that it is working for the community.
I fear that once the supplies are used up, that the people in the town will revert back to the way they did things before the filter got there. The church that we worked with in Bassin Bleu was not one of ours. We (the Baptist Haiti Mission) wanted it to be closer to one of our churches so we could manage the maintenance and future needs of it, but Samaritan's Purse had reasons to go to Bassin Bleu including a greater need there.
I really feel strongly about not letting the supplies get used up and no one purchases new ones. The filter system will sit there unused while people drink, and get sick from, the river water. It would be a large waste of donated money, supplies, and labor. The filter would get used for someone's personal money-making business or broken apart for parts... I just don't want to see that happen.
We'll see how this will all play out in the next couple days and weeks.
___________
The people really appreciated the water. They were gathering around waiting patiently. The one thing that surprised me is that in the States, people would generally form a line. That doesn't seem to happen here whether it is at the water filter or the airport. People just get as close as they can forming a large mob with no order as to who was first or last. I think it is this type of disorder that leads to arguments and chaos. Fortunately that didn't happen.
The Samaritan's Purse leader did a great job trying to include the pastor(s) as the primary coordinator and then the mayor as secondary so the whole community was involved and aware not just the church members. They gathered people who brought five gallon pails and various other containers.
It was so nice to be a part of this blessing to people in need. The money for the filter came through the Samaritan's Purse organization. (correction...I found out that the filter was donated by WMI and they worked with Samaritan's Purse to get it implemented). I want to figure out a way to make sure they have funds to continue to run the filter if that is something that we (the Baptist Haiti Mission) end up doing or if the community/church will do it.
I may have more decompression later...
Friday, October 10, 2008
Water System: Installed
I am back and the people of Bassin Bleu have a new water filter from Water Missions International through Samaritan's Purse giving them clean filtered water from the river.
Wednesday started out at 6AM and we drove to the airport, got on the helicopter and headed to Gonaives. On the helicopter, there were five of us in our group including myself and our translator and two others in another group from the World Food Program. This was the helicopter - it was Ukranian and so was the crew:
Once we landed, we had a hired driver take us to the church where the water filter was delivered to from Port-au-Prince. We had to load it into the truck and head up to Bassin Bleu. There was a little trouble getting out of the UN in order to get back in - we had to schedule our rearrival for our departure (does that make sense?). But we did eventually get out.
We had to load the filter equipment into the truck. Two of the four containers were light because they were just 1000 liter water containers, but the other two were very heavy. One contained the diesel generator and the other contained two 250 pound filters and other heavy stuff. One weighed 700 pounds and the other 800 pounds. One of the Samaritan's Purse guys asked if they were going to bring a forklift out to load the truck because there was no way we could lift those containers - it was apparent that he hadn't been in Haiti long. We lifted it with no problems (although it was heavy - yes I took a picture of one of them being loaded showing that I didn't lift that one, but I helped with the heaviest two). The vertically challaneged guy in the picture was solid muscle!.
There was child playing with a homemade toy on a string made out of plastic bottle parts:
It was an amazingly rough ride there and back in the truck. I was in the back for 3/4 of the total trip. Three of us were in the back and two rode in the cab. In the back of the truck on the way there we could stand on the containers and get fresh air (and lots of sun). On the way back home, there was little reprive from anything.
When we got there, we ate a hole in the wall restaurant with the typical one room seating and about 10 chairs at one table. I feel like I really put myself in the Lord's hands when I eat at places like this - prayer before meals like this seem extra special.
After we ate, it took a while to figure out where we would install it because the system came with 20 feet of hose and it needed to be locked up. After checking out a few places, we found a hospital that was being finished that was close enough and installed most of it that first day. Because it got dark and we were running out of flashlights, we quit until morning.
From the river:
To the pump on the other side of the wall:
We found a hotel (the only one in town) and we were the only ones staying in it. There was no electricity and no running water. There was a toilet and a tub/shower, but again... no running water or even toilet paper. The beds were decent, but the rooms were very hot. I was one of two people who took a room. The rest asked for the beds to be brought to a patio portion of the second floor by the rooms. The mosquitoes didn't come out until about 10PM if I remember right. I am not sure that I slept at all. There were a couple major dog fights throughout the night and every once in a while a large truck would come barelling down the road (right next to our rooms and the patio area). They would blare their horns and it felt like they were going to run in to the building. I went to sleep on the cool concrete in the patio area for about a half hour and got uncomfortable - go figure that concrete isn't soft (again this Blogger rotated the first picture on me).
We started at 6AM on Thursday and finished the pump at around 10AM when we headed back. The battery on my camera ran out right before we started to pump water (I know Dad - I said that I never ran out of battery on this camera, but this was the first time).
Again, the ride back was pure torture. I likened it to being a professional bull rider only instead of riding for 8 seconds, it was three hours. We started the ride back all in the cab and I didn't think it was going to work, but they convinced me to get in. After about a quarter mile, the driver said that the guy near the shifter would have to move because he couldn't shift. At that point I said that I would go in back. I had to choose between barely being able to hang on up top and in front or stay in the back of the truck and get blasted by dust. I chose to do both switching it up. About half way, one of the Samaritan's Purse guys offered to switch - I think he saved my life. It really was hard to be back there.
When we got to Gonaives at the UN facilities, on guard told us to go in, another said to pull up a little ways and stop. We kept going and really angered them. Security personel came to get us and took our translator, the head Samaritan's Purse guy (who was in the back when we got there and didn't hear anything - he doesn't speak Creole anyway), and they chased down the driver. After about a half hour of intimidating by the muscle at the UN, they let us go just in time to catch the helicopter ride...but for one problem - they old had three of our five names on the flight list. This flight was packed. Two would have to find another ride home. I was fortunate my name was on the list (thank you Lord)!
There are many other stories to tell about this trip (such as arguing over the price to take the filters up north from Gonaives, such as the large truck that tipped over in the middle of the one lane "road" and lost its load, such as the kids who liked the candy that I passed out), but I'll save that for another time perhaps or in person sometime.
Wednesday started out at 6AM and we drove to the airport, got on the helicopter and headed to Gonaives. On the helicopter, there were five of us in our group including myself and our translator and two others in another group from the World Food Program. This was the helicopter - it was Ukranian and so was the crew:
Once we landed, we had a hired driver take us to the church where the water filter was delivered to from Port-au-Prince. We had to load it into the truck and head up to Bassin Bleu. There was a little trouble getting out of the UN in order to get back in - we had to schedule our rearrival for our departure (does that make sense?). But we did eventually get out.
We had to load the filter equipment into the truck. Two of the four containers were light because they were just 1000 liter water containers, but the other two were very heavy. One contained the diesel generator and the other contained two 250 pound filters and other heavy stuff. One weighed 700 pounds and the other 800 pounds. One of the Samaritan's Purse guys asked if they were going to bring a forklift out to load the truck because there was no way we could lift those containers - it was apparent that he hadn't been in Haiti long. We lifted it with no problems (although it was heavy - yes I took a picture of one of them being loaded showing that I didn't lift that one, but I helped with the heaviest two). The vertically challaneged guy in the picture was solid muscle!.
There was child playing with a homemade toy on a string made out of plastic bottle parts:
It was an amazingly rough ride there and back in the truck. I was in the back for 3/4 of the total trip. Three of us were in the back and two rode in the cab. In the back of the truck on the way there we could stand on the containers and get fresh air (and lots of sun). On the way back home, there was little reprive from anything.
When we got there, we ate a hole in the wall restaurant with the typical one room seating and about 10 chairs at one table. I feel like I really put myself in the Lord's hands when I eat at places like this - prayer before meals like this seem extra special.
After we ate, it took a while to figure out where we would install it because the system came with 20 feet of hose and it needed to be locked up. After checking out a few places, we found a hospital that was being finished that was close enough and installed most of it that first day. Because it got dark and we were running out of flashlights, we quit until morning.
From the river:
To the pump on the other side of the wall:
We found a hotel (the only one in town) and we were the only ones staying in it. There was no electricity and no running water. There was a toilet and a tub/shower, but again... no running water or even toilet paper. The beds were decent, but the rooms were very hot. I was one of two people who took a room. The rest asked for the beds to be brought to a patio portion of the second floor by the rooms. The mosquitoes didn't come out until about 10PM if I remember right. I am not sure that I slept at all. There were a couple major dog fights throughout the night and every once in a while a large truck would come barelling down the road (right next to our rooms and the patio area). They would blare their horns and it felt like they were going to run in to the building. I went to sleep on the cool concrete in the patio area for about a half hour and got uncomfortable - go figure that concrete isn't soft (again this Blogger rotated the first picture on me).
We started at 6AM on Thursday and finished the pump at around 10AM when we headed back. The battery on my camera ran out right before we started to pump water (I know Dad - I said that I never ran out of battery on this camera, but this was the first time).
Again, the ride back was pure torture. I likened it to being a professional bull rider only instead of riding for 8 seconds, it was three hours. We started the ride back all in the cab and I didn't think it was going to work, but they convinced me to get in. After about a quarter mile, the driver said that the guy near the shifter would have to move because he couldn't shift. At that point I said that I would go in back. I had to choose between barely being able to hang on up top and in front or stay in the back of the truck and get blasted by dust. I chose to do both switching it up. About half way, one of the Samaritan's Purse guys offered to switch - I think he saved my life. It really was hard to be back there.
When we got to Gonaives at the UN facilities, on guard told us to go in, another said to pull up a little ways and stop. We kept going and really angered them. Security personel came to get us and took our translator, the head Samaritan's Purse guy (who was in the back when we got there and didn't hear anything - he doesn't speak Creole anyway), and they chased down the driver. After about a half hour of intimidating by the muscle at the UN, they let us go just in time to catch the helicopter ride...but for one problem - they old had three of our five names on the flight list. This flight was packed. Two would have to find another ride home. I was fortunate my name was on the list (thank you Lord)!
There are many other stories to tell about this trip (such as arguing over the price to take the filters up north from Gonaives, such as the large truck that tipped over in the middle of the one lane "road" and lost its load, such as the kids who liked the candy that I passed out), but I'll save that for another time perhaps or in person sometime.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Chopper
The current plan (as I found out today) is for me to take a helicopter ride to Basin Bleu up north tomorrow to install and become the resident "expert" on a water filtration system. I will be going with at least one Samaritan's Purse person at 6AM. More to follow on Thursday!
The One Package That Did, Lou, Reminder of Risk, Temperature
Just about every night, I am starting to fall asleep before I hit the pillow. I don't want to imply that I am better or different than anyone else. I am simply working as hard as I can and have nothing left at the end of the day. The mechanic work is so different from my past desk job - and I love it! I am sore and tired, but God's graces are upon me. In spite of being sore in the morning, by the time I get involved in my work I am no longer sore. When I get home, I am sore. As I sleep and wake, I am sore. But when I am working, I can no longer feel it.
Regardless of how tired I am, Tina and I have been waking up at around 4 to 4:30 AM to read and pray together. This morning, I woke up somewhere around 3 AM and started to feel like a real sinner. I am getting too caught up in the fact that our packages haven't arrived - I am not trusting that God will provide what I need and that my wants should not determine my mood. I failed to express my appreciation for the one package that did come:
Grandma and Grandpa Schilling - I am sorry that I did not express my appreciation for the package that you sent that arrived yesterday. I am listening to the music that you sent right now and am looking forward to wearing the shirt that you sent. Carter loves his hat and I think he wore it to bed. Kayla has already started to write in the journal that you sent and Tina already made and drank some of the coffee that you sent. Blessings like these keep our spirits up!
Lou
Lou is feeling better this morning - no temperature. Thank you for your prayers!
Reminder of Risk
This post reminded me of one of the books that I read that encouraged me to take a risk and come here. God was with us every step of the way (and still is).
Temperature for last week
78.0 - Max Temp
65.6 - Min Temp
90 - Max Humidity
65 - Min Humidity
Regardless of how tired I am, Tina and I have been waking up at around 4 to 4:30 AM to read and pray together. This morning, I woke up somewhere around 3 AM and started to feel like a real sinner. I am getting too caught up in the fact that our packages haven't arrived - I am not trusting that God will provide what I need and that my wants should not determine my mood. I failed to express my appreciation for the one package that did come:
Grandma and Grandpa Schilling - I am sorry that I did not express my appreciation for the package that you sent that arrived yesterday. I am listening to the music that you sent right now and am looking forward to wearing the shirt that you sent. Carter loves his hat and I think he wore it to bed. Kayla has already started to write in the journal that you sent and Tina already made and drank some of the coffee that you sent. Blessings like these keep our spirits up!
Lou
Lou is feeling better this morning - no temperature. Thank you for your prayers!
Reminder of Risk
This post reminded me of one of the books that I read that encouraged me to take a risk and come here. God was with us every step of the way (and still is).
Temperature for last week
78.0 - Max Temp
65.6 - Min Temp
90 - Max Humidity
65 - Min Humidity
Monday, October 6, 2008
More Insects, Not Enough Boxes, Tiring Day
We found a Christian bug on our ledge this evening (that's Mr. Chris's joke from upstairs). It's a praying mantis (I know it's preying mantis, but I am going to carry the joke too far just like a true Schlorf would).
This other picture is of a moth that was about 8 inches in width/wingspan. These next two are high resolution.
Not Enough Boxes
Our driver went to customs today and only picked up one box for us. Three weeks ago, we were told that we had 2-3 boxes out of customs, but customs lost them and were trying to find them. I am pretty upset that we only got one box and I am trying to get over it. A couple boxes have been in customs for over two months.
Tiring Day
We got up at 4AM because of the dog and Lou being sick. His temperature was up, but not as bad. He is still sick but seems to be getting better slowly. He was tossing cookies a little this afternoon, yet kept his supper down. Everyone else seems to be doing well.
I worked hard all day and almost finished welding the cage on the new truck. We put it on to drive about 5-10 miles away to drop off a big ladder and pick people up (the Dutch). Kyrk had me drive (I love to drive!). I am the first person to take it out - not including the initial trip to the mission. It will be going out again tomorrow and I hope I get to drive again, but I don't think that it will be me driving.
I have more things to say, but I need sleepy and need sleepy now.
This other picture is of a moth that was about 8 inches in width/wingspan. These next two are high resolution.
Not Enough Boxes
Our driver went to customs today and only picked up one box for us. Three weeks ago, we were told that we had 2-3 boxes out of customs, but customs lost them and were trying to find them. I am pretty upset that we only got one box and I am trying to get over it. A couple boxes have been in customs for over two months.
Tiring Day
We got up at 4AM because of the dog and Lou being sick. His temperature was up, but not as bad. He is still sick but seems to be getting better slowly. He was tossing cookies a little this afternoon, yet kept his supper down. Everyone else seems to be doing well.
I worked hard all day and almost finished welding the cage on the new truck. We put it on to drive about 5-10 miles away to drop off a big ladder and pick people up (the Dutch). Kyrk had me drive (I love to drive!). I am the first person to take it out - not including the initial trip to the mission. It will be going out again tomorrow and I hope I get to drive again, but I don't think that it will be me driving.
I have more things to say, but I need sleepy and need sleepy now.
Sick, Hollanders, Packages, Bird, Sore
There has been an illness floating around here. It hadn't affected our family until a couple days ago. It is like a cold with a cough and includes a decent-sized fever. Lou is the first (and only so far) to get it from our family. His highest temperature was 104 with the digital thermometer in the armpit which you are supposed to add a degree to get the right temp. A little children's Tylenol brought the fever down. He slept all day yesterday and all night.
We are watching Kayla and Carter fairly closely. The illness went through 6 of 7 people upstairs and has gone through 2 of 6 people in Kyrk's household. We pray that it all stops where it is!
Hollanders
On Saturday evening (in the pouring rain) a group of about 35 people from Holland (working through World Servants) arrived. They are here to help rebuild homes of Haitian affected by the hurricanes. They are here for two weeks. Next weekend there is another group of about 15 coming for two weeks so there will be about 50 people here during the middle week (next week). This place is going to be hopping!
Packages
We were told that today we will be sending a driver to customs to get a number of our boxes. We are so excited to get our stuff and we hope that nothing is stolen!
Bird
This bird took off right as I took the picture. It was about 10-12 inches tall and was chasing a lizard up the tree until it saw me and took off. It was some sort of red-headed woodpecker.
Boring car stuff...
I am not a car, but this topic is here because of cars (trucks). My right arm is very sore. I think it was from wrenching on the front suspension of the big stakebed Saturday AM. I was trying to align the front wheels because they are so out of alignment that the tires are feathering pretty bad and wearing prematurely. I got it to be more in alignment, but it wasn't as far as I wanted it (the good doctor needed to leave and the truck was blocking his way - I already made him wait about a half hour). I was cranking on some pretty large tools to get it to move and my biceps feel destroyed. I must have done something to my thumb too because it hurts to pull socks on my feet. I was hoping that one day of Sunday rest would do it... but it didn't.
We are watching Kayla and Carter fairly closely. The illness went through 6 of 7 people upstairs and has gone through 2 of 6 people in Kyrk's household. We pray that it all stops where it is!
Hollanders
On Saturday evening (in the pouring rain) a group of about 35 people from Holland (working through World Servants) arrived. They are here to help rebuild homes of Haitian affected by the hurricanes. They are here for two weeks. Next weekend there is another group of about 15 coming for two weeks so there will be about 50 people here during the middle week (next week). This place is going to be hopping!
Packages
We were told that today we will be sending a driver to customs to get a number of our boxes. We are so excited to get our stuff and we hope that nothing is stolen!
Bird
This bird took off right as I took the picture. It was about 10-12 inches tall and was chasing a lizard up the tree until it saw me and took off. It was some sort of red-headed woodpecker.
Boring car stuff...
I am not a car, but this topic is here because of cars (trucks). My right arm is very sore. I think it was from wrenching on the front suspension of the big stakebed Saturday AM. I was trying to align the front wheels because they are so out of alignment that the tires are feathering pretty bad and wearing prematurely. I got it to be more in alignment, but it wasn't as far as I wanted it (the good doctor needed to leave and the truck was blocking his way - I already made him wait about a half hour). I was cranking on some pretty large tools to get it to move and my biceps feel destroyed. I must have done something to my thumb too because it hurts to pull socks on my feet. I was hoping that one day of Sunday rest would do it... but it didn't.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Hijacked, Sand, Tarantula, Rides, Dumped On, Leafy Bug
Hijacked
A couple days ago, one of the shipments that we sent out was hijacked and stolen. It wasn't one of our trucks or drivers. It was a load of food and non-food items that was headed up north. Please pray that this type of thing does not happen any more and that those who are in need get what they need.
Sand
On Thursday, we sent for a load of sand and I went with to go pick it up since it wouldn't take but a few hours. On the way there, a bunch of guys jumped onto the dump truck while we were moving. They jumped on to help load up the sand. We drove into a sand pit and backed up. The sand was almost over our heads. Apparently, the set off some explosions to get the sand to fall when they want it to instead of it falling on people. It was a little nerve-wracking to be there thinking that it could fall any time.
They started to shovel the sand it by hand. It was neat to watch them do this. The sand would come off their shovels in the shape of the shovel.
Tarantula
We finally caught a lizard to feed to the tarantula, but it was not interested in eating for some reason. So we let them both out of the cage and Christopher stepped on the tarantula - it's something that you definitely notice under your foot.
Rides
Yesterday, I had to bring a generator powered welder to one of our churches that was about two blocks away to fix their gate. We used the four-wheeler with trailer to bring it there. As the welders and metal workers were repairing the gate, there were a bunch of kids that I was interacting with. Since the four-wheeler was just sitting there unused, I thought that I would make a little Disneyland right here in Haiti. I pulled four-wheeler around and invited the kids to get in. I drove them up and down the back roads. They were having an absolute blast as you can see!
Dumped On
I got dumped on (really discouraged) yesterday - one thing after the other. Things were not going right, I knew it, and everyone was pointing it all out to me. The most weighty to me was the cage for the new truck. It's very easy to look at something after it is built and say what should have been done differently, but to start from scratch is something different. I know what I would do differently and it would be nice to be able to go back and redo it, but I cannot. My welding ability needs to improve and I don't have much time to practice. Plus, not having the right tools makes the job even harder. If the angles are not right because it is very difficult to cut them, it's harder to weld. I have lots to learn. I pray that what I do is beneficial to the Mission and to the Haitian people.
Leafy Bug
Here is a neat bug that we saw on our window "jail bars" this morning. It was about 4-5 inches long.
A couple days ago, one of the shipments that we sent out was hijacked and stolen. It wasn't one of our trucks or drivers. It was a load of food and non-food items that was headed up north. Please pray that this type of thing does not happen any more and that those who are in need get what they need.
Sand
On Thursday, we sent for a load of sand and I went with to go pick it up since it wouldn't take but a few hours. On the way there, a bunch of guys jumped onto the dump truck while we were moving. They jumped on to help load up the sand. We drove into a sand pit and backed up. The sand was almost over our heads. Apparently, the set off some explosions to get the sand to fall when they want it to instead of it falling on people. It was a little nerve-wracking to be there thinking that it could fall any time.
They started to shovel the sand it by hand. It was neat to watch them do this. The sand would come off their shovels in the shape of the shovel.
Tarantula
We finally caught a lizard to feed to the tarantula, but it was not interested in eating for some reason. So we let them both out of the cage and Christopher stepped on the tarantula - it's something that you definitely notice under your foot.
Rides
Yesterday, I had to bring a generator powered welder to one of our churches that was about two blocks away to fix their gate. We used the four-wheeler with trailer to bring it there. As the welders and metal workers were repairing the gate, there were a bunch of kids that I was interacting with. Since the four-wheeler was just sitting there unused, I thought that I would make a little Disneyland right here in Haiti. I pulled four-wheeler around and invited the kids to get in. I drove them up and down the back roads. They were having an absolute blast as you can see!
Dumped On
I got dumped on (really discouraged) yesterday - one thing after the other. Things were not going right, I knew it, and everyone was pointing it all out to me. The most weighty to me was the cage for the new truck. It's very easy to look at something after it is built and say what should have been done differently, but to start from scratch is something different. I know what I would do differently and it would be nice to be able to go back and redo it, but I cannot. My welding ability needs to improve and I don't have much time to practice. Plus, not having the right tools makes the job even harder. If the angles are not right because it is very difficult to cut them, it's harder to weld. I have lots to learn. I pray that what I do is beneficial to the Mission and to the Haitian people.
Leafy Bug
Here is a neat bug that we saw on our window "jail bars" this morning. It was about 4-5 inches long.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Tarantula, Shirt, Differential
I started out the day cutting and measuring for the cage for the new blue truck and Kyrk called me up near his office after about 30 minutes. He called me to show me this:
So I called the kids to bring a bug catcher. They were surprised to see it. I brought it home for mom to see, but she wasn't so happy. She wasn't as pleased as she looked (if you think she looked pleased). We are hanging on to it until we catch a lizard to feed it.
Shirt
The doctor decided to get me a gift for helping him by replacing the clutch in his car. It's a very nice shirt (and I need clothes)!
Boring car stuff...
The Canter was leaking from the rear differential, the transfer case, and the front differential. I stopped working on the cage for the new truck and worked all day (on the concrete again) on the Canter. I have most of it done, but there are more parts that are broken besides seals (I always find more than I planned to fix). Here is a shot of the rear differential removed (it was really heavy). I had to replace the seal of the output shaft and make a new gasket with RTV - both were leaking.
The parts for the stakebed came in today, too, so I will be working on that probably first tomorrow, then the Canter, then the cage. There is no shortage of things to do here! One or more of these trucks will be used to pick up 27 people who are coming from the Netherlands/Holland. They are with World Servants and will be helping to rebuild here after the hurricanes.
So I called the kids to bring a bug catcher. They were surprised to see it. I brought it home for mom to see, but she wasn't so happy. She wasn't as pleased as she looked (if you think she looked pleased). We are hanging on to it until we catch a lizard to feed it.
Shirt
The doctor decided to get me a gift for helping him by replacing the clutch in his car. It's a very nice shirt (and I need clothes)!
Boring car stuff...
The Canter was leaking from the rear differential, the transfer case, and the front differential. I stopped working on the cage for the new truck and worked all day (on the concrete again) on the Canter. I have most of it done, but there are more parts that are broken besides seals (I always find more than I planned to fix). Here is a shot of the rear differential removed (it was really heavy). I had to replace the seal of the output shaft and make a new gasket with RTV - both were leaking.
The parts for the stakebed came in today, too, so I will be working on that probably first tomorrow, then the Canter, then the cage. There is no shortage of things to do here! One or more of these trucks will be used to pick up 27 people who are coming from the Netherlands/Holland. They are with World Servants and will be helping to rebuild here after the hurricanes.
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