MY APOLOGIES and UPDATE

Due to emotion drain and sleep deprivation I made a typo that originally linked this Chipin to a non-exsistent email/paypal account. If your payment was submitted before 10:30 am EST PLEASE CANCEL AND RESUBMIT!!! IT IS WORKING PERFECTLY NOW I PROMISE.





Quick Update
All the children are fine.

They and the night workers and e Tlucek clan stayed at the home of the Buxmans last night. They stayed in the yard due to the mant aftershocks that we had.

The main damage that we sustained was to the walls around the houses. The wall on allfour sides of the boys' house has collasped. There is significant damage to the wall on two sides of the girls' house and at the women's cenetr and at my house.

We. of course, have no city power and no water due to broken pipes.

The inside of all the houses are littered with broken glass, and whatever was on the shelves noe is on the floor.

This morning at 1:30 I accompanied Troy Livesay to Bring two of our medical people and some medical supplies to a friends place who had set up a clinic in the street to help the many, many who were injured due to falling cement blocks and debris.

Along the route so much seened normal and then we would hit stretches of severe damage and of houses and businesses completely destroyed. We saw car on the side of road crused by falling debris. The three story police station which is about three miles from our house is completely destroyed.

People were told not to sleep inside so the strrets were packed with people sleeping and sitting. It at times was difficlt to get by them.

We have started cleanup by piling up the falling walls to make some kind of security wall around the houses. I have hired some of the local guys to help with this.

Our plan is to at least get then girls' house secure and have all the kids stay there. But the nannies at this point are saying that they will not sleep inside. It is possible that all will spend another night in the Buxmans' yard.

We will work on securing food drinking water for the children.

Heartline and its people have been blessed to have sustained relatively minor damage, especially compared to others who have suffered the loss of homes and others who ave been injured and other who have lost loved and others their lives.

I understand that Port au Prince and the surrounding areas have in many places been destroyed. The picture of the damaged national palace perhaps is indicative of the condition of the country

Our greatest need is for money to rebuild the walls to secure the homes and to make various repairs. I know that this seems so minor compared to he loss that others have suffered.

Your prayer are greatly needed.

I will update later today when I have a chance to use the internet of others that work with us. Our internet is done.

John

Haiti Bucket Container Garden Update...

We received these pictures from Haiti today showing wonderful progress on the garden!!

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http://www.heartlineministries.org/
http://www.haitiancreations.com/
http://heartlineministries.org/Blog20.aspx

Haiti Container Garden Project

Some people have asked me to go further in depth regarding the container garden project that I contrived (with the help of google) and the outstanding group from Texas A&M executed with excellence. The idea started when Jen and I were visiting the boys. John mentioned that he would like to use the roof of the boys' house to plant a garden to improve the diversity of their nutrition (he would like me to let you know that they eat well, but this can only supplement the excellent care that they are already receiving). We tossed around a few ideas and concluded that it would be a bad idea to place soil on the roof due to drainage, mold, roof leak, and weight issues. Instead it was obvious that containers would be best and we thought that buckets may be our best bet. I took this a step further using the library...I mean, google, and found plans to make self watering bucket gardens. So, here is how it works, a resevoir for water is created in the bottom of the bucket and is filled with water through the 1" pipe. The 3 inch pipe and everything above the resevoir is soil. The soil in the 3" pipe is in contact with the water and will act as a wick bringing moisture up to the plants. Another 1" pipe with holed in the bottom of it passes completely through the middle of the bucket horizontally to provide aeration to the roots. The bucket's water resevoir needs to be topped off only once every few days and the soil will only uptake as much water as the plants need. I'll try to instruct and tell you why/how as we go:

Using a 5 gallon bucket with a lid, the lid is placed on the bucket and a 1.25" (hole towards a side) and a 3" hole (in the middle) are drilled using a hole saw drill bit. Then the lid is cut away from the rim of the lid using a reciprocating saw, or a Dremel with a 1/8" cutting bit (my preference), it is cut so that it will sit snugly inside of the bucket about 3" from the bottom.

Underneath the 3" hole, a 3" piece of 3" PVC pipe with small holes drilled in it will be placed using zip ties. This "cup" is where the soil will touch the water and wick it towards the roots. Through the 1.25" hole, a 18" long piece of 1" PVC will be pushed through, this will be the tube through which the resevoir is filled as needed:

The set will then be placed inside the bucket. On the sides of the bucket, two more 1.25" holes are drilled opposite of eachother and a 1" piece of PVC that has small holes drilled lengthwise on one side is pushed through and the holes turned facing down so soil doesn't come through.

A small hole is drilled in the side of the bucket just below where the lid sits to act as an overflow spout to know when the bucket is filling and to allow extra water to drain in case it rains. The bucket is then filled with soil. After the bucket is full, remove the lid rim, place plastic over the bucket and use the rim to hold it in place. Then poke a hole in the plastic, stick your finger in the dirt, and plant a seed, covering it with soil. For the first week or so, water the bucket from the top to make sure the soil stays extra moist for the seed to germinate, then just keep the resevoir filled. If you have access to fertilizer, you can add about 4 oz of 7-7-7 and 4 oz. of Dolomite to the top of the soil, it will slowly release during the course of your plant's life. We didn't have this, so we used compost that had been made from the food scraps of the two children's homes with mango leaves, etc. In only 3 days we had about 30-40% of the 231 buckets that we made germinating and showing signs of life!

Hopefully this explains it a little better for you, we learned and adjusted as we went, set up a pretty efficient assembly line using about 10 people and were able to construct all 231 buckets in one full day, then filled and planted on the second day. These results could not be accomplished with just any group, we had a SUPER group that worked with determination and intelligence even though they had never constructed one of these before, and I had only made one myself. Special credit also goes to David Cole who by default became our agriculture expert and made a huge difference in our level of success by using his knowledge and experience with planting.

Questions?

Beef Jerky and Glow Sticks...

Each night we've been trying to have a devotion time, and last night's made me laugh and cringe at the same time. On monday the group had gone to a seaside village to see a more rural area of Haiti. Their task was to distribute 'de-worming' medication to the children and adults of the community. The also brought beef jerky and glow sticks. In the chaos of it all, one member of the group realized that the kids were going crazy for the jerky and glow sticks while the thing that they really needed was to not have worms in their stomach stealing their nutrients. They could have cared less about taking a pill that would make them healthier, yet they were in a tizzy for a salty snack and a party favor. The experience brought out the conflict of chasing what we want that will satisfy us temporarily and putting off what we need to make us healthy and whole. It's true in kids, and it's true in us.

New Pictures up on Facebook...

Here are some pictures from today. I had a good reunion with the boys, the looks of "is he really here or is this a dream" were priceless, and they both came straight to me. I'll write more when I have more. In the mean time, click here for pictures.

F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-freeeeeeezzzzziiiinnnnngggggg...

Not what you expected for my first Haiti blog??? Then you don't know Ft. Lauderdale Airport at 2am. Apparently they want to discourage people from sleeping overnight, or they want to sell more hotel rooms at a cool $139 to borrow a bed for 8 hours. So, I nodded off a couple of times, woke up every 5 minutes as the P.A. system reminded me to recycle, the current security threat level (it's orange in case you were wondering), and to report any suspicious baggage that I may see. I should probably appreciate it now while I can, since I'll be sweating for the rest of the week. Updates to come.

Haitian Funky Mouth Disease (HFMD)

It's a cruel world when a lollipop can carry the Haitian Funky Mouth Disease. What was supposed to be an act of bonding between me and the boys turned into a week of misery. You may ask, "What is Haitian Funky Mouth Disease"? It is essentially a mouth infection that causes your gums to swell and become tender (like right after the dentist's 'hook'), and multiple canker sores on your gums and tongue. Apparently, it is rare in adults, and lasts 7 to 10 days.

I have learned many lessons through all of this, here are a few:

-New Rule: One lollipop, one mouth.

-A moment of bonding can lead to a week of pain.

-Nothing is innocent.

-Listen to your mother.

-Only eating things that you don't chew will help you lose 15 pounds in one week (is that what a liquid diet is supposed to be?).

-Taking vitamin C and Zinc gives you bad B.O. that smells like Parmesian Goldfish.

-HFMD is bad for intimacy with your wife.

-Even with all of our doctors and medicines, some things just have to run thier course.

I'm now on day 8, my mouth is starting to feel better, and I am hoping that it will stay on this course without any lingering effects.

Joseline and Compassion International

The shy little girl, whose picture we picked from about 100 others 10 years ago at a Christian Music Festial in New Hampshire. She was now driving down the road toward me. I wasn't sure what to expect as they pulled up and got out of the green truck. The shy little 8 year old stepped out, but now she was a shy 18 year old, as unsure as I, not knowing how this relationship was to be played out. We were connected only by letters and pictures until now, and only a few times per year at that. For the price of $28 (now $32) per month, we were able to pay for her education, some food, and occasionaly provide practical gifts. I suppose we are some sort of parental figures to her though only knowing her through letters. But here we were, face to face. We smiled, gave a hug, and went inside. For five hours we played with the kids, shared pictures with her, went out to lunch, took her to the women's ministry while I taught a first aid/CPR type class, gave her gifts, and sent her on her way back to the island of Gonaves. At the end of it, we were mutually happy to have physical proof that the other was a real person, and mutually confused at how we could be connected in tangible ways from so far without ever meeting. I have high respect for Compassion International and their mission to connect people that otherwise would never be connected, to make a difference in the lives of the sponsor and the sponsored. I'm sure I'll have more to reflect on this experience, but for now I need to enjoy our last day here.

The days are going by much to quickly. The first two seem a blur to me (Jen). We arrived to find Sammy Gino sick and not quite thrilled to see us. Gino saw Tim and promptly found a nanny to hide behind. Gino waited until Tim was a safe distant away and made a break for me. He was happy to see me but even happier to sleep. For the next 24 hours he was content to sleep in my arms every chance he got but not playful or cheery at all. Sammy was running the same fever but acting much like himself. Always ready for play and daddy's lil man. He has such an affection for Tim and i love it! Gino's fever finally broke. And this morning he was all smiles and giggles. It was so good to see him feeling well again. He was quite talkative and even wanted to play with Papi (that is what the boys call Tim...which i suppose is less confusing than having a "daddy" when you have a sister named Addie).

Zoe and Addie have found their rolls as big sisters to the boys very fulfilling and make the most of the morning activities at the boys house. Zoe had this sweet moment with Gino during playdough station this morning.

Addie loves to try and engage Sammy in everything she is doing. She must have said "Sammy" 100 times today. She succeeded in getting him to swing with her.

We are trying our best to live in the moment while realizing the need to capture some to share and some for posterity's sake. But this is a difficult task. Truly being in the moment requires all of you and no camera in my opinion. Even more difficult is the task of putting words to those experiences. So, here are some fun things that didn't get denied our full attention and i haven't any words to describe... jumping on the trampoline, introducing woffle ball to the boys (and the nannies) at the boys house, glow sticks in the pitch black night of Haiti, Zoe and Addie lovin on their brothers, holding your son while he sleeps, listening to their laughter, and hearing them call you Manmi and Papi and seeing the tears in their eyes when it's time to say goodnight.

I'm at a loss for what to share next, the ants are biting me, and we meet our Compassion child tomorrow so i should try to get some sleep. Good night form Haiti! Love to you all! -J

So Happy Together...

Just 2 more day!!!!

I can't sleep. I can't think. I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to be together with our boys!!!

Land of the Free by Andrew Peterson

Jen's friend passed a song along to her, it resonates with us and where we're at, here's a snippet:

"Well, I’m weary of the spoils of my ambition and I’m shackled by the comfort of my couch. I wish I had the courage to deny these of myself and start to store my treasure in the clouds ‘cause this is not my home...and I’m just a little jealous of the freedom that you have, unfettered by the wealth of a world that we pretend is gonna last. They say God blessed us with plenty, I say you’re blessed with poverty ‘cause you never stop to wonder whether earth is just a little better than the Land of the Free." -Land of the Free by Andrew Peterson

Haiti on my mind...

I can't sleep...and sleep is something that usually comes quite naturally to me. So, I decided to write, not for you, but for me...and if I publish this, you will get to listen to me ramble and test my thougts.
In 1999, Haiti changed Jen and me...we knew we would be back, not sure when, or how, but we knew. Now we've been back twice, and each time our hearts tug a little more, it feels a little more common, more like a second home. We look past the dirt, heat, sweat, smell, and begin to see people, faces, stories, opportunities. We've been given such a gift by visiting, the gift of perspective. But the gift is also a curse. Everything that we thought we knew, we realized we don't. Everything we took for granted now stares us in the face. It's not guilt that is bothering me, I'm over that, it's an urge to see the proof in my pudding, see my rubber meet the road, to have my nose on the grindstone...that sounded weird, but oh well, you get the point.
This evening I read that America has 4.5% of the world's population, yet uses 40% or more of the world's resources. That is staggering. I try to justify it, deny it, ignore it...but I can't. It's not THE issue, just evidence of deeper issues. We (as Americans) don't think outside of ourselves, and our worldview is so narrow and surreal, that we have fooled ourselves and numbed our minds to reality.
As usual, I digress. I'm not awake because I'm thinking about what America, nor Americans should do. I'm awake wondering what this American should do. Beyond that, what should this American Christian do? It's one thing to be an atheist American who lives for himself out of a belief system of being fit to flourish, it's another thing to believe what Jesus had to say and somehow try to reconcile it to our American culture. I used to think that this country was rich, but we did a lot of good with our riches. America contributes less than 0.4% of our federal budget to poor countries. We are second to last of the 22 industrialized nations. Again, I digress...probably because it's easier to talk about the faceless 'system' than it is to talk about this mug of mine.
So, Jen and I are asking big questions, wondering if there is a place in Haiti for us. Wondering if we have a role to play other than living in comfort while ignoring the rest of the world. Curious if there is more to life than earning a paycheck, paying the mortgage, planning for retirement, and staying entertained.
The nice part of it all is that while we are shifting in our seats, we're not in any rush. We're stable, and comfortable, waiting to see where God takes us on this adventure of life. We are open to the idea of working in or for Haiti, but not without wisdom, calling, and sober judgement.
Any thoughts?

Day Six, final day...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICTURES

Today was our last day, and before we knew it, we were saying 'see you later' to the boys. We started off by going to an English speaking church that is begrudgingly led by John McHoul (he is praying for a replacement so he can focus on his multiple ministries). It is fun to see him in his pastoral role, the same as he is every day, no pretense, no show, genuine as can be, he is who he is. The message was about listening to God, he used a quote that said if you are going to pray for two hours, the first hour and 55 minutes should be spent listening, and the last 5 minutes can be used for talking. Often we go to God in prayer with either our script in hand, or our wants at the forefront. We want to check prayer off of our list of things to do, or things we think we should do, and get on with our day and our lives. God often speaks in quiet whispers, and the clamour of our days drowns it out. I'd like to make time to listen, that's what I got out of it (thanks John). The worship was led by an Austrailian, many Haitians and a couple of Americans. The congregation was mostly Haitians, many who come to practice their english while also going to church. It was neat to see Missionaries coming together to worship and fellowship, I guess I think of how a lot of ministries and churches form thier clique and avoid eachother for a multitude of foolish reasons. The boys came with us, wide eyed during the entire car ride there and back (thankfully they didn't get car sick like the other boy yesterday). They both slept through the service and were well behaved for the part they were awake for. Then we came back to the McHoul's for a celebration lunch of ham, mashed potatoes, beans, rice/beans, and fruit. They hosted close to 40 people, a feat in itself. We were able to meet a few of the missionaries, their families, and others. We celebrated one girl who will get her visa on Monday to be home with her family on Tuesday in Orlando, and two birthdays. About half way through, Gino zonked out again, and I (Tim) took advantage of an opportunity to nap. It was sweet. After our nap, we went to the boys house, played for a little while, let them eat dinner, then broke out the glow sticks again. We sang the ABC's, Old McDonald, and whatever other song I knew half of the words to, and enjoyed ourselves. Unexpectedly our ride back to our house arrived, and we knew it was time to say 'see you later'. We kept the fanfare to a minimum, kissed them goodnight, and gave them over to a nanny. It is hard to be loving them and knowing that this process is out of our hands and out of the hands of the home, and in the hands of God and the government. We have been encouraged to hear that the process has picked up speed from where it was at the beginning of the year, but our hopes are for much sooner than the projected time of 12 months or more. We are sad to leave the boys, but are itching to be back with our girls, we miss them deeply, and can't wait to snuggle with them tomorrow night. For now we say bon nuit, we look forward to seeing you all soon.

Day Six...

Sorry for the delayed update, last night the internet wasn't working for a while, and we were busy entertiaining two little V.I.P. guests. I'll start from the beginning of the day...if I can remember it. In the AM we went to the boys' house and played with them until lunch/nap time when we drove into the hills of PaP to a tourist trap type market to look for trinkets and play the bargaining game (which Jen didn't like this time). We got a pencil holder for the homeschool room (don't tell Zoe ;) The twin boys who are being adopted came with us on the trip (our boys were sleeping), it was one of their first long car trips, and we learned that one of them gets car sick...so we showed up to market with a naked kid and clean up in progress. On the way back we had a bucket just in case, but made it home without incident. We returned in time to wake the boys from their nap, then brought them home to the McHoul's for dinner and toys. As with every new experience for them, it took a while to adjust and relax, but it didn't take long before they were playing with their firefighter helmets, cars, and a spoon...making car soup. Gino fell asleep with Jen first while Sammy and I stayed up. We layed Sammy in bed and he just stayed there awake, not moving a whole lot (something we aren't used to). At some point he fell asleep, there wasn't much change from when he was awake. Something that we are used to is not having any room in a bed for us to sleep in. The boys were between us, kicking eachother and us all night. They slept well, except for when we were awoken by Sammy crying. In the pitch black night we were feeling around for him and only found his lower half at the top of the bed! Somehow he had made his way between the wall and the headboard! Tim moved the bed away from the wall and we were able to extricate him, he went back to sleep within thirty seconds. This morning they were disoriented at first, but quickly were comforted to see us. They have been happy, playing and eating. It's fun to have them alone to spoil them and watch them become comfortable and act natural around us...but now we are encroaching on Day 7 business, so we'll keep that for tonight. Today is church...do we bring them?

Day Four...

Today we took the boys to a pool for the first time in their life...and boy could we tell. Not only have they never been to a pool, we don't think they have ever had a full bathtub! When you have 10 little bodies to bathe in Haiti, it is an assembly line proceedure of using a bucket of water to wet them, then soap, then a bucket of water to rinse, then off to drying, then to clothing. I attempted to put a cloth diaper on Sammy...it wasn't pretty (Jen's was a little better, but not professional), I passed mine off to a nanny. So needless to say, the pool was a little overwhelming at first, and cold to them (extra refreshing for us!). Gino clinged to us for most of the time, Sammy was the first to let go and stand on the step, but at the end (as you can see in the video) they relaxed a little and had some fun. In the afternoon, we watched the women sew bags (Jen bought two more for a total of 5, yeeeesh), and also saw a woman use some fabric we brought to make the sling design she came up with. We also saw their child birth education class. In the evening we went to a Haitian Bible study of about 20 people, it was interesting as they did it all in English, not for our sake, but for them to be able to practice what they learn in school. The study was on the book of James, 'rejoice in suffering', it was strange to see that what we see as their suffering is the only life they know. Keep Haiti in your prayers. Love to you all...good night!

Day Three...

Okay, Day Three has come to a close, another busy day in the bag. We woke up at 6 this morning, got ourselves together and headed over to Sheila's house (where the womens and sewing programs take place) to help set up for a medical clinic by HALOS. There were about 200 patients that were seen by a family practitioner, a OB/Gyn, and a pediatrician (depending on need)...also on site was a pharmacy and a lab to test for malaria, HIV/AIDS, worms, fungus, HbG, etc. Unfortunately they had to inform a family of five that they are indeed infected with HIV...they will follow up with them to help them get into a program. I got to play doctor, interviewing patients then turning to the real doctor for confirmation/correction to my diagnosis. Jen got to play nurse while the boys were napping, taking in patients and getting vital signs. Jen worked her usual mojo with the boys, had them laughing and giggling, and she made an amazing discovery...she figured out why Sammy is always making this face:

She got him laughing and discovered that he is part chipmunk, storing food away for later times...he still had bread and beans balled up in his mouth from 2 hours prior! The first day I had given him peanuts, and we found those an hour or two later as well...we just hadn't put two and two together. Maybe it's the old orphanage story of putting children to bed with bread in their pocket, or maybe he just really likes super soggy bread in his mouth...who knows...it's cute. Jen will be responsible for any broken arms that are suffered on the trampoline in the coming weeks...she gave a gymnastics demonstration to the little ones, teaching them that it is really easy to do massive flips with twists (at least she made it look easy). Later we had a nice dinner at Byron and Shelly's (who have 7 kids, 5 adopted), along with another adoptive mother who is visiting, and another couple who were missionaries here, now back to visit (she is actually the one who brought Sammy to Heartline from Desalines, and is the one who named him!). Aye, we also met Junior who is the main man running paperwork all over the island to make adoptions happen...he has an office on wheels, lending staplers, pens, and glue to the government agencies so they can complete paperwork (he has some amazing stories, we told him he should write a book about why adoptions take so long in Haiti). Junior told us that our paperwork is out of first legalization and is now in IBESR as of Tuesday (one step closer, many more to go, keep praying/fasting!). Also we have sold 7 bags that will support the women's program (maybe 8, I just got another email). Now it's bedtime, we're thinking we may take the boys swimming tomorrow in Shelly's pool. Love you all, especially Zoe and Addie...we hope they aren't having too much fun without us.

More photos of Day Three RIGHT HERE

Haiti deforested...

On our way in we were reminded of the deforestation in Haiti and its effects. We had just passed the city of Gonaives (just out of frame to the left of the picture), the place that had the worst of the mudslides and flooding (they are still digging their way out)...and the culprit was still there. This island, once called Eden by Columbus, now resembles Afghanastan...when we fly into the Dominican Republic we are reminded what the island should look like. The people cut down trees to make charcoal, operating out of survival mode. Now the island is only 1.5% forested (last I heard). Haiti has a saying 'mountains beyond mountains' which essentially means 'problems beyond problems'. It will take a huge effort of grace and love to bring this island to a level of dignified poverty. Pray for Haiti.

Packing trials...

SUPRISE!! Your flight to Haiti only allows for 1 checked bag per person, because like in so many things, the rules are different for Haiti. So, we scrambled, and think we have it figured out. We will be using UPS to ship two boxes to a shipping company in Ft. Lauderdale that will then put them on a boat to Port-au-Prince and deliver them to the orphanage in 14 days. HA! So we're going on faith and a prayer that they will in fact make their way to the destination intact. We're stuffing each of our suitcases with donated goods, and packing our carry ons with our clothes in minimalist fashion. What an adventure! Lovin' it.

12 Days and Counting

It seems surreal that we will meet our sons, Sammy (left) and Gino (right) , in 12 days! How do you prepare for something like this? How do you show them you love them and assure them you are coming back for them? Will the moments we share and the the memories we make comfort them until they are able to come home to us? Will they understand why mommy and daddy had to leave them? These are just some of the questions that this short visit raises for me. And honestly, I don't have the answers. This is such uncharted territory for me that I can't even begin to pretend I know what I am doing. Luckily, I find that I am not overwhelmed by my fears and doubts. Rather they give rise to a faith and a hope that I can trust God will do what I can not! I only have the ability to love them while I am with them but God has the ability to reassure them of my (and His) love when I am not in their presence. This is my comfort and my peace. Praying daily for wisdom and understanding...
J

Status Report on Haiti's Bout with '08 Hurricanes/Storms