It’s time to leave Haiti and it’s kind of like leaving a family. All the remaining team will be up in the morning at 5:00 a.m. and we will be on our way back to Dominican Republic. It will be at least a 10-hour journey and we’ll probably all sleep a lot! Our final day has been busy, as we had clinic here at the mission house, seeing last minute patients, following up on some wound care. Then one other trip to the tent village where most of the church people we know are living. We gave out bread, rice, beans, and oil. We visited the “home” of Junior, who is a fine young man about 20 years old. He and his family had a home nearby, but it is now gone. They are living under a tarp, with some cardboard on the ground, and some blankets. He had asked for a tent and we are leaving behind all that we have. However, Pastor Jean Claude is going to distribute the tents to the people with the most need. So we cannot promise Junior that he will get a tent. Something that seems so simple to provide but we just don’t have enough for everyone.

We hope once we are back in the U.S. we can contact some tent companies and get more tents donated. This will help relieve some of the housing issues for now, until more permanent structures can be built. We are talking with Pastor Jean Claude and others to determine the best way to help out with the housing issue. Most of the people do not own property, land is very expensive here, and thus it is difficult to know how best to provide housing, even on a temporary basis. Possibly simply building larger shelters/roofs over the tents, that will provide protection during the rainy season, which is coming in March and April. Many of the people are still afraid to stay inside block homes, even those which did not receive any damage. Most everyone we meet lost family or friends in the earthquake, and they still have fears about living inside walls that may come crumbling down around them.

As we leave this country, with plans to return in 3 weeks (during this 3 weeks we will be in Venezuela for several days doing a ministry project that we had committed to and gathering supplies during the other few days, Yes we keep a busy schedule), we want to say “thank you” to all those who have prayed for us, donated supplies, and have given money to help the people of Haiti. It is a devastated country, but a place where people still have the joy of Christ in their lives. Our prayer is that God will continue to provide the resources for us to come and work here, helping with medical care, providing food and water, and helping to build houses for the people. We will have teams coming to Haiti over the next several months and we ask that you continue to support this ministry with your prayers and finances. We are grateful to you for your support and it is our joy to work with you for the kingdom of God.

Richard and Brenda