Haiti... how blessed are we?

Well, I can tell without doubt that two things are happening. Your prayers are being answered and God is blessing me.

Week 3 was a very good week even through a hurricane. Week 3 started off a very difficult week because of the uncertainty of the approaching storm. With all the rain and wind, the driver and workers on the truck said they would not be able to work. After much dialogue, mostly with hand gestures and some broken english and creole, (can you imagine, me speaking creole?) we agreed to at least attempt a run to St. Catherine's Hospital. You can not believe the joy and appreciation from Vincent, the director of St. Catherine's Doctors without Borders when we showed up. He was so relieved because he was very low on water and did not expect us. He expected many people coming for help but did not expect us. St. Catherine's delivers 20-40 babies each day... regardless of what storms might be approaching, the need for water is great. We were able to deliver 5 additional loads Monday but only one load Tuesday as the storm worsened. We were still able to deliver another load to the hospital before we lost electricity that powers the pumps that fill the truck. Wednesday as the storm passed, rain continued to drench the surrounding area... we were only able to deliver three loads to the hospitals in Cite Soleil before we were forced to quit.

By Thursday, we had filled most of the cisterns for the week and went to work delivering badly needed water bucket by bucket. I prayed, and so did others I can tell, to be able to manage the crowds and lines when delivering water to people who have been without for four days. I know God answers prayers, in everyday life, and again, He answered my prayers... crowds previously very aggressive and rowdy, seemed to line up and wait their turn... when I told people, "la line, la line" they understood I was saying "the line, the line" and most moved to the end of the line. There were still some who sought preferential treatment, but I was firm. I'm hoping that as weeks go by, they will learn coming to the front of the line no longer earns them a bucket full of water. For some, I am not a very popular person, for many, I think they appreciate someone sticking up for them and one person who actually speaks broken english came up to say thank you for "giving us respect and managing the lines for the people".

How does God bless me? Buy giving me the opportunity to serve others, by giving me a calling, by blessing me with the rewards found only in serving others... peace, satisfaction, compassion, and even the challenges in trying to answer God's call. It is amazing how putting God at the center of my life... and then others in need... can bring so much fulfillment... everybody is born with a God size hole in their heart... and it doesn't matter what we try to stuff in there... new cars, houses, career... it never fills that God size hole... I learned the hard way... there's only one thing that will fill that hole... it's God.

By coming to Haiti, it has helped me forget about all the "little" problems in my life that that I thought were important. When I've put others first, my problems seem to dissipate or even disappear. I have found there's absolutely no magic to getting rid of my problems... simply focus on the needs of others and my own problems seem to become very minor.

I've attached some new photos of the last week... mostly of the last few "bucket by bucket" days...

Oh, and one more revelation this week. I've done a great deal of walking... and it has helped me realize how difficult life is here... many roads are very difficult to walk and people have to do it every day... as I walk down roads, I realize how easy it would be to turn an ankle on the many stones that are in many of the roads here... there just seems to be no smooth path for these people... every path seems to be a rocky road... here are some pictures of the path I walked this week...

To me, this looks more like a river bed than a road... but this is from a road walked everyday by hundreds of people...






The UN Stops the Water Truck
Another highlight of the week was when the UN stopped us and asked us to help wash the floors of Ecole Nationale in Cite Soleil, a school about to be reopened in Haiti for the first time in three years. We filled the truck and poured 3500 gallons onto the floors of the school as many helpers "brushed" the concrete to clean the floors. Here is an article about the opening of the school after we helped prepare it for opening...

From no-go areas to 'Disneyland':
Haiti emerges from a nightmare...
UN troops have brought calm to one of the most dangerous places on earth. But some wonder how long it can last.
Tom Phillips in Port-au-Prince
Friday November 2, 2007
The Guardian

Children sing the Haitian national anthem during a ceremony to mark the reopening of the Ecole Nationale in the Cite Soleil shanty town, Port-au-Prince

It was one of the biggest slums in the northern hemisphere, the poorest area of the poorest country in the Americas, a seaside shantytown described by the UN as one of the most dangerous places on earth. Teenage gangsters armed with assault rifles would cruise the streets, picking off enemies in gun battles and kidnappings. Shootouts and murders were everyday fare. During the worst of the excesses, with Haiti still recovering from violent uprising, Cité Soleil was off limits to outsiders, even to the authorities.

Article continues
Now, however, a year after police were able to enter Cité Soleil for the first time in three years, things seem to be on the turn. All the signs of conflict remain: the gaping holes gouged out of the area's concrete shacks by automatic gunfire, the cinder-block walls peppered with bullet holes. But for now at least the sound of shooting has receded, replaced by the hustle and bustle of a busy market and the screeches of boisterous children as they career from street to street on battered BMXs. Indeed, the only images of violence are the ones being touted on pirate copies of Massacre in Cité Soleil, a controversial film that serves as a chilling reminder of the slum's recent history.

Today the SUVs that race through the slum's dusty streets are driven by UN security chiefs and aid workers. A two-storey market that previously served as a hideout for local gangsters has been turned into a UN stronghold.

"Twelve months ago there were areas of Port-au-Prince where the government and its different representatives, including the Haitian police, were incapable of operating," said Luiz Carlos da Costa, the deputy special representative of the UN secretary general in Haiti. "We have a situation of greater stability at the moment but it is still very fragile. We need to remain alert to this."

One former UN military commander in the country said that compared with one year ago Haiti was now "Disneyland". Colonel Carlos Jorge, a representative of the Brazilian portion of the Minustah force, said that since June there had been only one murder registered in Cité Soleil, following a fight between two women. Not one shot had been fired there since February, he added, pointing out that the "strong presence" of the UN troops had temporarily scared the gangs into hiding.

But though the new president, René Préval, claims Haiti is bidding farewell to its status as a "failed state", the authorities face a massive challenge to rebuild a country that has been brought to its knees by decades of political squabbling, corruption and violence. Despite the apparent improvement in security the Caribbean country remains one of the poorest in the world.

Challenges
According to World Bank statistics, life expectancy is 57, compared with an average of 69 in Latin and Central America. More than 80% of the population live on less than £2 a day. Huge piles of litter, in which children play alongside goats and pigs, still line many of the city's thoroughfares, a constant reminder of the challenges facing Mr Préval and his government. Unemployment rates remain staggeringly high, as do levels of HIV infection and domestic violence.

Merlain Marc Guerrier, a 29-year-old resident of the La Saline slum, laughed off the idea that the calm would last. "There is still no real security," said Mr Guerrier, who works informally as a telephone attendant in a squalid portside market. "We need food, we need jobs. Out of 100 of my friends maybe three have work."

Finding people jobs, in a city where working as a gardener in a UN base for $5 a day is currently one of the more attractive options, will be no small task.

"We used to have tourists," complained Pierre Andrégené, a 52-year-old who works as a UN interpreter. "Now, as you can see, all we have is rubbish."

Mr Costa claimed Haiti was faced with a "job creation emergency". "Development is the biggest challenge," he said. "Fifty per cent of the population is under 20 years old. We need to create jobs for these youths. One generation lost the right to an education and we have to resolve this."

Others question whether the gangs really are a thing of the past. One UN military official said as soon as the UN pulled out the gangs were likely to return to the streets.

The burning roadblocks and gunfights may have been replaced by a fragile calm, but for Haitians such as Exil Marcel, a teacher at the Ecole Communautaire in the Cité Militaire shantytown, the uncertainty remains.

"To have security you need the military, of course," he said, looking around at his school's ramshackle corrugated roof. Outside, clusters of ducks waddled around the school's football pitch, a wasteland dotted with heaps of rubbish and pools of raw sewage.

"But if we don't educate our children we will never have real security."

Not far from the school's rickety door, a message had been daubed onto one wall in spindly red lettering. "What we need now?" it read in English. "Peace - Jobs - House."

and pictures of our work at Ecole Nationale...


Finally, some people have asked if I have a "blog" going with the emails I've sent. You can find the emails of my journey at "http://healing-haiti.blogspot.com".

We are all so blessed. My prayer tonight is for us to realize how blessed we truly are. May God continue to bless you and your family this coming week.
Blessings....

Jeffrey Gacek
Executive Director
www.buya.org
Connecting people who have much and need little...
to those who have little and need so much.

What Would (Fill-in the blank) Do?

I have to say, I'm not feeling too good about my week.

It started off with me getting ill, and missing a couple of days of work. It took me from a place of gaining confidence and momentum to a point of being weary from being up all night and not being able to rest. It took me from feeling like a routine was possible to constant interruption for just about every thought. During my "down time" I contemplated how I could do a better job running the truck. How we could be more effective and help more people... It seems after this week I have more questions than answers.

You see, when we go out into Cite Soleil and deliver water bucket by bucket, it is very difficult work. The lines start to form before we even get there. As we attempt to back up into a very narrow street, people push and shove to get into the line. I'm saddened when I see people drop their buckets at the beginning of the line in front of others who were there first. I see people come up to a person in line and stack 10-15 buckets inside their bucket so as to get "ahead" of others in the line. There doesn't seem to be any consideration for others that might have been there first... or who might have been waiting in line longer... and I become frustrated. For many, it's survival of the fittest. For others, they come to the front of the line and show me their pregnant stomach, others point to wounds or handicaps they may have while others are old and feeble and want to be let to the front of the line so they don't have to wait.

It makes me ask the question, "What Would I Do? If I lived in dire poverty everyday, what would I do? If I believed that if I went to the end of the line, there might be no water for my family when I get to the front of the line, What Would I Do? If I were pregnant, or handicapped, would I stand in line or try to move to the front? How dire do the circumstances have to be before I loose consideration for others? If I were to lose hope for a better future... What Would I Do?

So my role, takes on more importance, again. I need to decide who gets preferential treatment (if anybody) and who doesn't. Do I let a woman who's a "little" pregnant in or just the ones that are "very" pregnant? How old is old enough? Where do you draw the line? It seems like the minute you give anybody preferential treatment, everybody expects it for themselves or their family.

In addition to the chaos surrounding bucket by bucket distribution, not knowing Creole or French is a bigger draw back than I imagined. Not only is it next to impossible to communicate with the lines of people, often times it's just as difficult communicating with the workers I'm responsible for. You see, the workers working on the truck live in Cite Soleil and have family and friends there. Often times, the family and friends "expect" preferential treatment because they "know" or are "related" to the workers. This puts the workers in a very difficult spot as well.

Thursday and Friday I decided I needed to "do the right thing". To stand up for those in line. As the workers setup the hoses, I expelled people from the line that were trying to cut in. For these people, they did not like it, they yelled and argued for their position and continued to reenter their preferred position even after being told to go to the back of the line. For the people in line, they cheered... I'm not sure anyone has stuck up for them before. Each time someone "cut in", people would yell for me to kick them out but each time I turned my back, people would jump at the opportunity to "cut in" again. It became very frustrating because while I tried to "do the right thing", many continued trying to sneak in and not get caught. For me it seemed like useless work, for many it became a "game". I felt like the "soup nazi" on Seinfeld... policing everyone in line and being the "bad guy" when I kicked people out. After two days, it's become obvious that i can not keep this up...

I came to Haiti to work on this water truck with the vision of "being the hands and feet of Jesus"... to serve the many in need. So, I ask myself, What Would Jesus Do? How would he do this job? I wonder to myself, if Jesus were here with me, what would he tell me to do... I know he would say "love", it's the greatest of all of these, but how do you love in this situation? What Would You Do?

"Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." Mark 11:24

Please keep Haiti, the water truck and those in need in your prayers.
Blessings....

Jeffrey Gacek
Executive Director
www.buya.org
Connecting people who have much and need little...
to those who have little and need so much.

God has a sense of humor....

Well, it's been 12 days now that I have been in Haiti. It is all going so fast. I've been able to settle into a pretty consistent routine. Getting up at 6AM every morning, grabbing some water and a piece of bread as I walk down to be picked up by the water truck. Because the truck only holds 3 people and there are 4 of us, we take turns riding on the outside of the truck through the streets of Porte-au-Prince and Cite Soleil. At first it was quite nerve wracking, trying to hold on to the mirror, making sure of my footing on the gas tank, not wanting to slip, but it's funny how now it's becoming somewhat comfortable. (I even took a short video clip to show you what it's like that I've linked below). I've been emailing with my wife and telling her how exhausted I am at the end of each day. My routine at night is pretty much the same. Get dropped off by the water truck, go to my room, change from my soaked t-shirt and shorts. Go up to the eating area with my computer. Access my emails. Eat a small dinner. Go back to my room. Download new photos to my camera onto my computer. Update the schedule and expenses for the truck. Go to bed.

The problem is, even though the routine seems pretty straight forward, I am often so tired at when I get home, I just don't have the gusto to always complete the days work. I think I can do it all, but sometimes I just can't. And then when I fall behind, I put extra pressure on myself to "catch up" and it just makes matters worse. God knows our limits and I think he used his sense of humor to teach me mine...

After falling asleep last night, I was abruptly awakened by "that feeling", you know the one, the gurgle in your stomach, the cramping, the one that tells you "you better get to the toilet..." and quick!!!!! Well, without going into anymore detail, let's just say I spent the night dealing with what is referred down here as "Haitian Happiness". It's anything but happy. I took Imodium that my wife so graciously packed for me, hoping that I would feel better by the time the truck came but to no avail, I had to tell the driver I was "sick" and couldn't work today. God knows my limits, better than me and after not listing to them for the last few days, God used his sense of humor to set me down, give me time to rest, give me time to catch up and give me time to write this email. And so I pray "Thank you Lord, for knowing me better than I know my self, for giving me rest... that I really needed... but please if it is your will, give me only one day of this. :)"

And so here is an update.
I've captured a few short video clips and have uploaded them to YouTube so that my email files would remain as small as possible. Please click on the links below to view them.

The first one is a video I took of some children. You will see, I tried to capture my special friend, the one I spoke about earlier that had the burns on his face and hands. He has definitely take a soft spot in my heart. If you listen, you will hear the children saying "Hey you", Hey you", "Jeff", "Jeff", "Jeff", "Jeff"... it's like this at every stop. Each one just wants to be me to look at them... The last frame of the video is of my special friend and makes me sad.


The next video is a short clip of delivering water bucket by bucket. Listen to the people, it is almost deafening in real life... At some stops, the lines are orderly and at others, especially when there has been no rain, they are very chaotic... everyone knows there's not enough water for everyone, so they attempt to push and shove their way to the front.


The next video was actually shot when Alyn was here in July. It just gives you a wider angle of bucket by bucket from the top of the truck.


The last video is my first attempt to video from the outside of the truck. We have just left Cite Soleil and are headed back to the well to get more water. You can see many buildings with holes from gunshot and many that have been destroyed by fighting between the gangs and the UN. Notice the children at the end of the clip on a homemade cart carrying a 5 gallon bucket of water.


Sunday was my day off. I got up at 6:30AM and went to investigate a small orphanage that Alyn and I have found... or should I say that found us. It's kind of a long story how we met Jackson, but Alyn and I both believe it could be a "God Thing". Since finding out about each other, Jackson (the orphanage director) and I have been emailing and talking to each other for the last 4 months. He told me that a hurricane came through their small village in 2004, wiping out many of the tin roofed shacks with high winds and flash floods. Maranatha is a small, very poor village with poorly constructed concrete wall houses with tin or thatched roofs. It is located aprox 60 minutes north of Porte-au-Prince off Hwy 1.

Jackson is a follower of Christ and because of his faith, he and a friend took in 30 children who had lost their parents and siblings. In 2005, his friend became suddenly ill and died during surgery. Jackson was devastated. He did not want to go on. He did not think he could continue by himself. He wanted to quit. But as he said, "God had other plans for me". He knew he could not turn the children out because there was no one else to care for them. Jackson is only in his late 20's but has the maturity of someone much older. He believes that God's Will will provide and he steps out in faith every day to serve God and God's children.

Jackson was a school teacher in Porte-au-Prince but quit his job to take care of the children. His pastor rents him a two bedroom house he calls "Maranatha House". All 15 girls live in one bedroom, All 15 boys live in the other. Each bedroom holds 10 bunk beds which means that 5 of the children have to double up in each room. The only source of income for Maranatha House is gifts from donors.

I am attaching some photos of my visit.
All 30 children with "Jackson" in the yellow shirt to my left.

Twin Girls...

We brought down 30 pairs of "Crocs" for the children. They were very excited to get new shoes.







The house does not have an eating area for the children so they must eat on the floor of their bedroom. The rooms do not have light in the room so they eat in the complete dark. The only reason this photo is light is because of my flash. Girls room.

Each child has a backpack that doubles as a dresser for all the clothes they own in this world and for school.

Boys room... can you imagine, they all have to eat and sleep in this tiny room?

Jackson (left) and my friend Jean stand by a mattress that has been hung out to dry after one of the children wet it during the night. Jackson told me about the need for new mattresses for the children. Most of their mattresses are stained, torn and falling apart.

Alyn and I will visit Maranatha House when she comes to Haiti around Thanksgiving. We don't know what God has planned for us, or for Maranatha House, but He has put it heavy on our hearts. Please pray that God will reveal to us the role He has planned for us and pray for Jackson, that through him, God will fulfill the needs of the Children of Maranatha House. We are all so very blessed. When you see first hand children who have lost it all and one person, who is making a difference in their lives, it answers the question "What can one person do?" With God, all things are possible, even if you are just one person.
Blessings....

Jeffrey Gacek
Executive Director
www.buya.org
Connecting people who have much and need little...
to those who have little and need so much.

Update from Haiti...

Ok... so I'm feeling a little vulnerable tonight...
My wife emailed and said she was canceling her plans for this evening so that we could chat about my difficult day. Please know, that I'm OK.

I spend a lot of time in solitude at night, listening to my favorite "God Songs" and trying to focus my energies and efforts for the next day. Last night I went to bed early and listened to my favorites. One song really took on significance by the lyrics and I listened to it over and over. I think it set my whole mindset for today. The song played over and over in my head all day. The song is "The Blessing" by John Waller. Here are the lyrics...

Let it be said of us
while we walked among the living
let it be said of us
by the ones we leave behind
let it be said of us
that we lived to be a blessing for life

let it be said of us
that we gave to reach the dying
let it be said of us
by the fruit we leave behind
let it be said of us that our legacy
is blessing for life

this day
you set life, you set death right before us,
this day
every blessing and curse is a choice now
and we will
choose to be a blessing for life

let it be said of us
that our hearts belonged to Jesus
let it be said of us
that we spoke the words of life
let it be said of us
that our heritage is blessing for life

for your Kingdom
for our Children
for the sake of every nation

I realize, I am living this song, and my job just gets that much more important. We missed three bucket by bucket deliveries yesterday and when I asked Alain what we do about it, he said we just go to the next day's schedule. I wonder about the people we missed...

At one stop, I hopped off the truck to clear the way as it backed up. The roads are extremely narrow with houses one foot off the curbs. We were trying to back around a three foot garbage pile and people were just pushing and shoving to get to the back of the truck with their buckets. I am always concerned about a child falling under the truck. A little girl about three, with only a shirt on, was pushed or fell as she was trying to climb over the garbage. She landed flat on her face. Everyone just ran by as she laid there and cried. I went over and picked her up. As she spun around to hug me, she was very surprise to see me but after only a second, wrapped her arms around my neck, put her head on my shoulder and just cried. She would not let go. I sat down and hugged her and comforted her. I am surprised no one ever came for her. It made me very sad.

I think God is really opening my "feelings", and letting me feel the pain of others. It is good. I am OK. I just wish I could do more.
Please pray for the poor.
Blessings....

Jeffrey Gacek
Executive Director
www.buya.org
Connecting people who have much and need little...
to those who have little and need so much.

My Dearest Friends...

My Dearest Friends...

My wife sent this to me today. After a very difficult day, I could not stop crying...



Please watch.
Blessings....

Jeffrey Gacek
Executive Director
www.buya.org
Connecting people who have much and need little...
to those who have little and need so much.

Thank you from Haiti

I was planning on only sending out an update once a week but I just have to tell you about my day today. I had a very strong day. You must have prayed really hard for me because I felt very good all day long. This is a real contrast from last Friday and Saturday. I felt like a "2" last week and today like an "8"... Thank you for your prayers.

We delivered six loads of 3500 gallons of water. One to a hospital, St. Catherine's run by Doctors without Borders, one to another hospital and one to a Christian school. The other three loads were directly to the people in the streets of Cite Soleil. These three loads are unloaded bucket by bucket, 5 gallons at a time. The kids are so amazing, they pinch me and touch my arms and literally hang on me as I help with the water. All they want is to be noticed, a smile, a pat on the head... some sort of acknowledgment... it brings the biggest smile to their faces. I'm faced with the challenge of delivering water while at the same time trying give them all some sort of touch that they dearly desire.

I saw another little girl, about 6 with severe burn scars all over her face and forehead. Her lips were bloated and cracked, but she had the most beautiful smile. Please pray for her, that God will heal her and remove any pain she is going through. I wonder how these children become so burned...

We ran the water truck delivering water bucket by bucket on the last load until 5:30. It was just getting dark in Cite Soleil. By the time we got all our hoses put away, it was dark. It is amazing, being in a neighborhood with over 200,000 people, with not electricity... many small fires were burning, you could smell the charcoal in the air. My eyes began to burn. As we drove off, the only real light was from our truck. The roads are only 10 feet wide and with our truck being over 8 feet wide, it is a very very difficult challenge to weave our way out of Cite Soleil. About two blocks from our last stop, the lights on our truck started to flicker, they'd go off, then come on and then go off and come on. Eventually, we lost our headlights altogether. We had to stop and spent 1/2 hour trying to figure out in the dark, what the problem was. Not having any lights, or tools, we resigned ourselves to drive out by the light from our flashers.

I do believe this was God's gift to me. He was showing me, what it is to live without any light... something these people live without every night... we are all so blessed.... I would show you some pictures of today, but Keynol took my camera home by mistake. I guess it's only fitting that in this very dark night, I have no photos.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Please pray for the people of Haiti, the hungry, the thirsty, the burn victims... these are many of the people I've met in my first few days. To me, they have a face, to me, they have a voice, please know that they are real.
Blessings....

Jeffrey Gacek
Executive Director
www.buya.org
Connecting people who have much and need little...
to those who have little and need so much.