Haiti Trip #11 - March 26, 2012

Prayer Partners of the Day - Diana Grace, Emily Ronis & the Hogan Family

Shelby taking readings in Mirebalais.

My roomie, Lyla Jane, and I woke up with an incredible number of red bites all over us. It looks a bit like we have chicken pox! Though I've never had chicken pox...hmm....

Today, we split the team up a bit. Shelby, Ancy, Salien, Bob & I went off in one direction, while Mark, Valdes and the rest of the team stayed to finish the system in Montrouis. Our drive took us through market day in Cabaret, where the road goes down to one lane and the vendors cover the road with their fresh produce and goods. The drive then took us by the biggest tent city left in Haiti. Though I saw the tent city when it first popped up in 2010 days after the earthquake, it continues to amaze me there are so many people still living in "temporary" housing. There was much hope as we passed by many housing projects going up on both sides of the road. I believe this is the government's effort at moving the tenters into more permanent housing.

Salien & Ancy taking inventory.

The United Nations camp on the outskirts of Mirebalais was bustling with activity and heavy machinery. This is the same UN camp where cholera originated in Haiti last year. As we drove past, I said a little prayer in hopes cholera will not be as rampant this year. The Partners In Health new teaching hospital looks to be almost complete from the outside, and right across the road from the hospital is L'Ecole de Choix, the site of our January 2012 installation.

Shelby and Salien went to immediate work on installing the slo-blo switch, and I took a toothbrush to one of the filters and began flushing out some of the sand that had penetrated the holes. (Thanks, Jerry Goode!) It was a great reunion with our friends, Blondel, Papi, Michel Jerome, and Leonard. The principal was also on site, and we were able to sit down and talk a bit. A group from Intel was also on site, as they have provided all of the computers and technology for the campus. Yet another way to make connections on a small peninsula! By far, the most cheerful event of the day was going from classroom-to-classroom and seeing the children, who actually remembered my name AND the clean water song we had taught them in January! I was so proud of them!

With Shelby & the crew at Blanket

After our work at L'Ecole de Choix, we went across town to the Haiti Micah Project, where one of our other SUTS/LWW systems stands. The fellas changed out a gauge, completed the "snapshot" for Mark, and replaced a seal to fix a leak around the pump. It was here that we said goodbye to Salien, who went home to be with his pregnant wife! (She's due any day now!)

 Our trip "home" took us once again through Blanket, as we wanted to install a new fuse. We barely made it back to Montrouis by dark...only to find there was a rat loose in our room! Just another day in paradise!

With Salien, Ancy & Bob in front of the Haiti Micah Project in Mirebalais.