The trio has returned to the US

The lack of updates indicates that all members of this group of three are back in the U.S. After a long wait in PAP on the tarmac (a mere 14 hours) all day Thursday, followed by some travel troubles stateside on Friday, John finally made it home late in the day/evening on Friday.

Steve somehow managed to hitch a ride via chopper to the DR on Friday, and took a 4:00 am flight from Santa Domingo into Boston early Saturday morning. He was up bright and early on Friday morning (2:00 am) to greet the World Vision truck that arrived early for the second food distribution, which was to take place on Friday. He then left Port-au-Prince and headed for the DR.

It's nice to know that the trio is back in the U.S. however, there is still a great deal to be done in Haiti and my thoughts and prayers continue to be with those that are there, living in tents, searching for their next meal and struggling to determine next steps...

World Vision Arrived!

Just in: The World Vision truck arrived around 9:00 am this morning!!!

They were able to distribute food to 1,700 people today and plan to do the same on both Friday and Saturday. Each person received a 50lb bag of rice!

Thursday Morning Update - Day 10

Yesterday Steve spent part of the day walking the area with some of the local young men and they told him stories of what has happened to various people. He saw one building that had collapsed on a young child. He could see the body was still there, half under the rubble. As you can imagine, he was deeply affected by this walk.

Steve was also able to purchase food yesterday for the people who are living at the "tent city" at Rigaud's mother's compound. Today they will prepare some of this food for them in one large meal. The area by the orphanage is also receiving food regularly, sharing what was purchased for the orphanage.

John is planning to come home today... but the details aren't finalized.

Grandma's Tent City

For those of you that have traveled to Haiti - you have probably met Pastor Rigaud's mother... Grandma is nothing short of inspiring, she's a matriarch, an incredible prayer warrior and all around powerful presence in the church and neighborhood.

Her role following the earthquake has been nothing short of what you would expect from such a woman. Grandma and Pastor Rigaud's sister live in the area to the left of the church and following the earthquake have created a tent city in the enclosed space in front of their homes. The area is approximately the size of two basketball courts and each night approximately 1,000 people sleep there. They have opened their area to those in need as a safe place to sleep and store what items they have left.

One of Steve's current projects is searching for an additional source of food for the people living there.

Photos 2 - Tents set up outside the orphanage (view from the roof). The boys playing a game. Pastor Rigaud and the kids.

Photos - The school with limited damage! John working the water filtration system. Meeting with World Vision.

Tuesday Update - One full week in Haiti

Lots has happened recently - many apologies for the lack of updates. Judy came home to the US on Sunday night late in the evening via a military flight into Orlando. She spent the night in the Orlando airport and arrived in Boston Monday morning. It was a whirlwind trip - expect photos soon.

Steve has been in touch with both his wife Heidi and Judy, and while lots has happened, the details change quickly. Pastor Rigaud is still working hard at the adoption process. He's been meeting with the Judge frequently and rushing all over town between consulates, embassies, etc...

They did a large water distribution at the church yesterday, this was sort of a trial for the big food distribution that World Vision is going to do later this week. They will be using the church and school as a staging area for this. The meeting with World Vision went well and they have been collecting names from the neighborhood so that families can then receive this food distribution. They expect to feed 5,000 families with a box of food that should last them a month.

On Sunday, they had church at 6:30 AM. There was just one service and there were about 1,000 people in attendance - compared to the usual 3,000 people. Steve preached and as usual enjoyed it. He wanted to continue the message of hope.

Saturday Update - Filled with Good News!

Just got off the phone with Judy, they have been very busy! She said the moon was rising there and she had to get off the phone because dinner was about ready. Every night they cook a large pot of rice and whatever else they have at the house and anyone from the neighborhood can come by to eat.

Yesterday she and Steve "pounded the pavement" over at the airport. They decided to walk in like they were supposed to be there and went about their merry way. First they went to a medical clinic and got some medical supplies and diapers. They brought that load back to the car and then they were able to get some water. They returned and got more water and were talking with some of the military guys. Telling them about their needs for blankets, they directed them to an "unclaimed pallet" that they were allowed to take what they needed from. This was the jackpot! They got lots of blankets, food and toiletries. They loaded up the Montero (an SUV they use to get around) three times filled with stuff. It was a successful trip! They don't feel like they have really good contacts yet, but are still working at it.

John and Judy went to the hospital later in the day yesterday and got meds for conjunctivitis, many of the kids have it. They said it was nice not to need a prescription, they just went in, said what they needed and away they went.

Today Judy spent a good portion of the day getting the baby from the orphanage (mentioned before) checked out of the hospital. He's now at "home!" I say "home" because they continue to sleep outside. She said that the Church of Scientology was in the neighborhood today handing out meals, which is great!

The other incredibly exciting news is that World Vision is going to use Pastor Rigaud's church and school to hand out food to 5,000 people in the area! They have boxes prepared that are packed with enough food to feed someone for a month and they are going to distribute 5,000 of these which is such great news!

Pastor Riguad has been working with a judge all day today to facilitate adoptions, which is also exciting news! I don't have any details, but it's great to hear that there is a process and that he's working with a judge to make it happen!

Friday Morning Update - Day 4

Heard from Judy via text message this morning at 5:15 am. It's packed with information (for someone that wasn't a big texter before this, she's packing a lot in each message!) so I will just copy it here for you:

Tonight I walked over to the school with Jacnel (Jacnel works for Pastor Rigaud doing a number of different things, he is often the one that transports mission teams from place to place when they are there), usually at this time the streets are crowded, not tonight. It was a ghost town, no one was on the street, it was empty. Still people aren't sleeping in homes that appear safe. There are makeshift cities everywhere but few are lucky enough to have real tents, most are made from sheets. The kids and staff continue to sleep outside and seem to manage amazingly well. The staff is unbelievable with how they are handling things. Everywhere we go people are praising God for saving them. So many have no idea what the future holds for them, no home, no job, nothing.

Thursday Night News

The ride to the DR border and back took basically all day. Apparently once you arrive at the border there is a market set up there. They were able to purchase enough food there to feed the orphanage for a few weeks! Ricot was excited to get more food for less money as the prices in Haiti have been astronomical. They estimate that they saved hundreds of dollars on food by driving to the border.

Karl and Ann Olsson (missionaries that have been living in PaP for many years) brought over some food and drink mixes today.

The Amidon's got great news from John last night. Pastor Rigaud made it back to Haiti yesterday and he was able to bring the generator with him. According to John, they already have it powering portions of the house and tomorrow they are going to use it to run the water filtration system! John has had much experience with this system, so this should greatly help their support effort by providing more water.

Steve was able to get water and a generator donated from the US Army, now they have two generators, so one can focus on water filtration while the other powers essential other needs. These generators will be a tremendous help. Steve is going to continue to work at getting additional aid on Friday.

Update from the DR Border

Just got a text from my mom. They are at the DR border buying food and supplies and exchanging money. She said it is very busy there because it's market day. Her and John have to stay and wait in the car while Ricot goes and gets the food because the color of their skin will drive up the cost.

Day 3 Update

Just got off the phone with Judy this morning. From the sounds of it, they have been incredibly busy since their arrival Tuesday night and today won't be any different.

Judy said that despite the incredible destruction and that buildings are in shambles, life continues to go on. She didn't want to use the word normal, but basically she said that people are doing what they can to go about life and the things that need to be done... pushing forward.

The kids and everyone from the house continue to sleep outside. They now have tents to sleep in, both the ones that the trio brought with them and some that the US Army was able to give them. However Steve, Judy and John have been sleeping on the roof**.

Yesterday one of the babies from the orphanage was sick, clearly from dehydration. Ed Amos (for those of you that don't know Ed, he lives in Haiti full-time and runs medical clinics throughout the area on a regular basis) tried to put an IV in and was unsuccessful and suggested that the baby be taken to the hospital. He needed to go to the hospital overnight, since the women that care for the children were scared to spend the night inside at the hospital Judy went and spent the night there instead. There he was treated with an IV by a Jamaican doctor. There was also Jamaica military maintaining order at the hospital.

Today Ricot, Judy and John are headed to the DR today to buy food. The current food situation is this. They have limited food and the only food that they have they have purchased. So to those of you that donated funds - THANK YOU! They are using this food to feed the children. Also - know that whatever food they do purchase they are doing their best to share with the entire neighborhood (not just the school, church and orphanage) as Cite Militaire and Village Solidarity have not seen any aid in terms of food. The US Army was able to help with tents and water at the orphanage, but not with food. Thus the number one goal continues to be: FOOD!

The food is much cheaper in the DR, so they are headed there today to purchase as much as they can. While they are there, Steve has a busy day planned in Port-au-Prince. This morning he is headed back to the airport to try and see what he can do there in terms of getting food, then he plans to go to Cite Solei where he heard the UN World Food Programme (I believe this is what she was talking about - but don't quote me) is handing out food to try to make some connections there and help bring them to the neighborhood.

In other news, last I heard Pastor Rigaud is trying to return to Haiti today. With him he will bring a generator that the Amidon's from VT (who supplied the first generator that's stuck in Boston) were able to get purchased and picked up by Rigaud in Miami. This new generator will be able to power a small appliance, charge batteries and run the water filtration system that John brought - all at the same time.

Rick, thank you for mentioning prayer requests, here's a list for today:

-safe travel for the trio and Ricot as they travel to DR and throughout PaP

-the baby sick from dehydration remains in the hospital (hopefully the IV will do the trick soon and he'll go home at some point today)

-safe travel for Pastor Rigaud as he returns to PaP and that the new generator makes it on the plane with no hassle

-strength and energy for Ricot (Pastor Rigaud's son) as he has been running things in his father's absence and continues to be called to help in many directions

-that is doesn't rain!

-that aid in the form of food reaches that area as soon as possible.

** for those of you that have never been to Rigaud's house before, the roof is flat and there is an area there that is often used to sit and have social time as missionaries and when it's really hot, missionaries often sleep out there for some relief from the heat.

Update from Steve in Haiti (via Heidi) - Wednesday, Jan 27th

Last night when Steve called he sounded very exhausted and said that things that they thought were going to be standing are not and they continue to be surprised at some of the things that are still standing. They desperately need the tents the Kevin got for us. (Kevin was able to get a large number of heavy duty tents donated, 4 of which they took with them and the rest that he's working hard to get there through other methods) He's going to try and do something about that. People have made make-shift tents made with sheets and things but these won't hold up when it rains.

Though it is not strong around where they slept, the stench of bodies still remains. Today Steve will go with Ricot (Pastor Rigaud's son) to the airport and to try and find food. The military helped the orphanage with a few tents and a little water but they still don't have food. That is the main goal right now.

They weren't able take the generator on the plane. So they really don't have much to work with in regards to power.

When Steve called this morning he said that he was starting to get the "no caffeine" headache. When he came downstairs, Marta had already made coffee for him! Bless her heart!

Pastor Rigaud is still in Miami - as he had to travel with the four boys that came to the US from the orphanage last Friday. We are praying that he is able to get back soon. Karen Gilbert is leaving Haiti on Friday and is trying to get 2 more visa's for the children from Heartline Ministries that she plans to bring with her. The laws have changed.

Got the following text around 7pm tonight: Made it to the house around 6. They are making the best of it. Many/most of the houses on the walk to church are destroyed. The army is now helping. Still looking for food.

Sounds like the bus trip must have been a long one. The Kingdom Kids Orphanage where mission teams stay and the kids live is just short of a mile from the church and school. It sounds like most of the homes along this route are destroyed. They were mostly built of rebar and cement blocks with metal roofs. The picture below is of that route.

It is great news that the army is now helping! However from the sounds of it, the search for food continues.

I can't say that I am surprised to hear that they are making the best of it - I'd say that's the Haitian way...

What they brought...

Just to give you an idea of what they brought, they each had a backpack carry-on (as large as the airline would let them get away with) packed to the hilt and 6 checked bags.

In these, they had the following: 4 heavy duty tents (they weighed approx. 30 lbs), a mini generator, a water purifier, medical supplies, baby formula (at least 6 canisters), some diapers, lots of food (everything from peanut butter to granola bars to bags of tuna - if it was light and packed a punch of calories and protein, they had it!). They are also carrying many donations - so thank you! The latest information was that while they haven't received any aid in the form of food yet, but they have been able to purchase some food - so these dollars will fill bellies.

On their way...

Steve, Judy and John left from Logan Airport last night. From there they went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where they had a tight connection and caught another flight (booked at the very last minute) to Santiago in the Dominican Republic.

As of 8:00 this morning they were on a bus from Santiago to Port-au-Prince. This is a 5 - 8 hours bus ride - if you've been to Haiti before you understand why it could be 5 hours long or 8 hours long...

They didn't arrive in the DR until 3:02 am, so it was likely a long night for the them.

Flight Number: NK615/NK633 on 25, 2010

Departing: BOS Arriving: FLL Scheduled Departure: 7:15 PM Scheduled Arrival: 10:30 PM Estimated Departure: 7:15 PM Estimated Arrival: 11:15 PM Actual Departure: 7:29 PM Actual Arrival: 11:07 PM Departing: FLL Arriving: STI Scheduled Departure: 11:59 PM Scheduled Arrival: 3:00 AM Estimated Departure: 11:59 PM Estimated Arrival: 2:56 AM Actual Departure: 11:59 PM Actual Arrival: 3:02 AM