What's up?

Got a call from Berthony to come down to the center of the campus.  I asked myself "What's up, now?".  Well, the tent is what's up now.  It is 40' x 60' and all set for a revival.  That's Ryan on the right along with a partial of Linda.

Everybody helped including Georges.

It's not a great location but we wanted to check it out and see if we could pull this off.  We learned a couple of lessons and will be able to tear it down quickly and set it up in about a half an hour.

The tent was brought to us by the SeaHunter but was temporarily stuck at Ile-a-Vache.  It's home now and will be put to good use.

Down time

After three days of organizing the transfer of ten 20' containers and their contents from the M/V SeaHunter to small boats and then to trucks for another unloading here at Castel-Pere, there's not a whole lot of energy around.  Now, we have to do inventory which is much easier said than done.  Lots of cardboard boxes got wet and many ripped open from all the handling.  A ton of clothing got soaked when the SeaHunter was out at sea and encountered two major storms.  We are in the process of drying out those things now.  I have been inundated with requests as the news of the SeaHunter was on the radio and TV down here.  The local political leaders are anxious to provide something for their constituents; priest and pastors want to help their communities; individual families need assistance.  But our kids come first.  After them are the children of the other orphanages in our network and then, maybe then, we'll see about all the others. 
Thank you for all your prayers and support over this past month.  We appreciate your concern.  Remember the crew of the SeaHunter as they set sail for Maine.  To our friends on the M/V SeaHunter-- fair winds and following seas!

Relief supplies

We started out early today...on the road by 5:30 AM.  United Nations Police and military came again to provide security and did a great job.  Managed to unpack six containers, transfer the supplies to small boats, unload the small boats onto trucks which drove them to Castel-Pere where we unloaded them one final time into one of three warehouse spaces.  Whew!  Thought I was tired yesterday! 
Looked like we were gonna lose the ten 20' containers but Nathalie came to the rescue.  She used her charm and convinced the contractor working on the new wharf to help us out.  He agreed for a modest sum so a crane was used to transfer the containers from the small boats to the flatbed truck you see in the previous post.
The journalist from the Portland Press Herald, Bill Nemitz, came ashore to interview me and see Castel-Pere up close.  That will be the Herald's story tomorrow morning. 

Relief supplies arrive

Jean D. unloading a box of clothing

A sample box of foodstuffs

Food being unloaded into the food depot

FINALLY !!!

I'll let the photos do the speaking as I'm too tired after spending the day on the wharf. The unloading has just begun. There are days of unloading ahead.

Proof of the existence of the M/V SeaHunter

No, this isn't the SeaHunter.  It's the Mini Me, the ship's tender.  Got to finally meet Greg, the ship's owner, Bill, the journalist, Vital the translator and Gary, the captain of the vessel.  Spent six wonderful hours with them on the wharf in Cayes under a hot sun while we waited for the local authorities to get their act together.  The latest is that the delegate (President's representative), the mayor, the Immigration Director, the head of police are all in favor that the SeaHunter offload it's cargo tomorrow.  One last hitch: the local Director of Customs requires guidance from PaP and is holding out.  We're hoping that this will be resolved by tomorrow morning and that we can start filling our warehouse space with humanitarian goodies.  If this does not happen tomorrow, the M/V SeaHunter will head north.  So, please, keep the prayers coming!

M/V SeaHunter

After a rough overnight trip to Les Cayes due to agitated seas, the M/V SeaHunter arrived and set anchor just off Ile-a-Vache, an island to our immediate south.  The rough seas continue so taking the tender ashore is too risky.  We have set a meet for tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM to discuss plans with all concerned parties.
Found out this morning that President Preval was made aware of our situation and that he intervened giving the SeaHunter permission to offload the ten containers at Miragoane.  Guess he saw how stupid and short-sighted customs was being.  Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case as Soledad O'Brien reported on CNN yesterday.  Too late, though, as the ship was already here.  They can now drop off two big units, a medical unit and a water purification system, at Miragoane on their way home.
I'll be real happy when this is over but probably not as happy as the crew of the SeaHunter who must be getting anxious to go home to Maine.  Stay tuned for another episode of the never-ending saga of the SeaHunter.

Better sit down for this.

The M/V SeaHunter was just off shore at Miragoane today, ready to transfer the ten 20' containers with relief supplies to the dock but was not allowed to.  The inept and narrow-minded bureaucrats who work in customs pulled the same stuff they always do, wanting more and more paperwork and documentation proving that we are a valid non-profit, that we pay our taxes.  It's a ploy they use to get as much out of people as they can.  They could care less that this is for the poor and displaced.  Just another example of why Haiti has been and will continue to be at the bottom of the heap when it comes to countries in the western hemisphere.  The assistant director of customs suggested that if some of the humanitarian goods were for Miragoane that a way could be found to facilitate this transfer.
It was decided to pull away and head for Les Cayes.  Here, the mayor, the President's representative, the mayor of Ile-a-Vache will welcome the ship with open arms.  We will get the contents of the ten containers and the vultures political leaders will get the rest.  And we were so looking forward to using those containers on our property at Castel-Pere!  I feel bad for the captain and crew of the SeaHunter.  They sacrificed time (lots of it) and themselves to do something noble for our unfortunate sisters and brothers and this is what happens. 
Pray that things go smoothly tomorrow.

Here we go...

The M/V SeaHunter is in port at Miragoane.  Berthony Piard went there this morning to assure that all go smoothly.  But this is Haiti so he's now in PaP trying to get the General Director of Customs to call the Director of Customs at Miragoane and authorize the off loading of the containers.  Seems that the reams of paperwork do not suffice.  Wonder what the next obstacle will be? 

M/V SeaHunter

Received an email from the Portland Press Herald's embedded journalist, Bill Nemitz, telling me that they are scheduled to arrive in Miragoane this evening (in about an hour). It will probably take the better part of the day tomorrow to have the containers inspected and then offloaded. The ship will then head back out to sea and set her sights for here. So we are looking at Saturday to offload the rest of the ship's humanitarian relief cargo. Boy, oh boy. Can't wait!

Good news !

Yes, we are beyond elated to hear that the M/V SeaHunter will be finally heading here.  We aren't the only ones who will be benefiting from her cargo.  There's a place in town for abandoned infants, there's Mother Theresa's place, there's Sr. Flora's small orphanage, thirteen other orphanages, several small clinics, poor families and the St Vincent de Paul Society here in town.   Some of our employees who have lost loved ones and have become host families to the survivors will be getting something.  The families in the tent cities will get their share.  So, you see, there's a whole lotta folk who are happy to hear that our ship will finally be coming in!

M/V SeaHunter

Several of you have asked so here's an update.  We will know tomorrow morning if the SeaHunter will set sail for Haiti.  You can read the article by Bill Nemitz if you google Portland Press Herald today and get the latest info on the ups and downs of the ship bringing in relief supplies.  Rub a rabbit's foot, cross your fingers, throw a penny in a well...

Update M/V Sea Hunter

As far as I know, the Sea Hunter is still in Miami but should be getting underway very soon. Thank goodness! I know nothing (almost nothing) about maritime regs and requirements but things have been sorted out and she will be headed southeast to Miragoane to offload several containers and then on to Les Cayes to transfer the rest of its cargo to smaller boats to the wharf in town.
I've started getting requests from other small NGOs whose supplies have been depleted in their efforts to assist the hurt and displaced from PaP. Our children will be the first beneficiaries, followed by the orphanages in our network and then the NGOs we usually work with. The big boys (large NGOs) are still getting their act together-- at least down here in the south.

M/V SeaHunter

Disheartening news about the ship that is carrying tons and tons of food and humanitarian supplies for us, eighteen smaller orphanages and hungry families. Her arrival in southern Florida was delayed due to two major storms on the east coast and when she finally arrived there the Coast Guard cited her for not having all her paperwork in order and refuse to let her continue on her mission. Negotiations are underway (but she isn't!) so join me in praying that this can be worked out for the benefit of the thousands of poor waiting for help. This is a tremendous disappointment for the members of the crew of the M/V SeaHunter who have made huge sacrifices to help their unfortunate sisters and brothers in Haiti. It is disheartening for us as the ship carries not just food and supplies but the love of many, many caring people. A symbol of solidarity and hope is stuck in Miami. Agh!!

Containers to warehouse

We are adapting the containers we have so that they can accommodate more stock. Will post a photo of them when we are done.
Why are we doing this? There's a ship coming in to Les Cayes next week. It originated in Maine where hundreds of Mainers provided it with humanitarian stuff: food, blankets, clothing, tents.. It then went to Boston for some prep work for the trip down here. Well, the Haitian community and others in the area heard about it and brought more humanitarian stuff. The ship will be in the Miami area early next week and will pick up tons of food, clothing, medical supplies through the generosity of Cross International. It is scheduled to arrive here in Les Cayes next Wednesday. We will be receiving the bulk of it which we will sort out and then distribute to 18 orphanages in the south as well as other non-profits. The vessel's name: M/S SeaHunter and the courageous captain's name is Greg Brooks of SubSeaResearch. Google this for more info.