Donations Received: $45,468.24 (Mar 11, 2010)
Needless to say, our financial needs as we try to help our people (and schools and churches) recover from this catastrophe are going to be enormous. Thankfully, I was at last able to get to Haiti at the end of February for services, visits, and to deliver some financial assistance. Fortunately, "normal" fund transfers into Haiti are once again possible, so I'm able to get funds as needed to Fr. Amboise and to St. Augustine's. Paschal visit scheduled for Tuesday after Bright Week.
The button below will take you to the Saint John of Kronstadt Press where you can make a donation using your credit card.
-or-
Monetary contributions may be sent by check or money order or credit card details (in US$ only, please, payable upon a US bank) to:
Haitian Orthodox Mission • 1180 Orthodox Way • Liberty TN 37095-4633
USA.
Please help our brothers and sisters in any way that you can!
More
Information
Our two mission communities in Haiti are located on opposite sides of the earthquake's epicenter; one in Port-Au-Prince in the other in Jacmel. Port-Au-Prince is home to The Chapel of St. Dorothy of Kashin, The School of St. Nicholas and The School of St. John Chrysostom. Jacmel is the home to The Parish of St. Augustine and The School of St. Augustine (ISOSA).
Pictures from the latest trip:
 Maison Mission fully intact in contrast to the other buildings. |  View next door, taken outside my front door; the remains of the cloture wall & the house next door. | |
 Tines's house, my landlord, right outside my front door. |  Andre's old house | |
 Andre's new house & rubble: the old mud house stood, next to it the remains
of the new house. |  Joseph's rubble & shack, the rubble is
what remains of home for a family of 4; the tin shack in the back is what
they're living in. | |
 The Parish of Saint Augustine in
Jacmel.
|  Saint Augustine sanctuary damage: some hints as to what we face in repairs.
| |
 More damage at Saint Augustine. |  Saint Augustine School damage. | |
 Saint
Nicholas School in what passes for 3 classrooms and is being used as
temporary sleeping quarters. |  Saint
Nicholas School Office, about 6x6 and intact. | |
 The fate of Mission Blue Coffee in Tombe Gateau.... |  |
Saint
Augustine's new foundation -- planning for the new building referred to in the latest
dispatch.
|  |
Monday, March 8, 2010 at 7:15 PM EST:
Blessings upon all! My apologies for not getting to this sooner; as usual, a deluge of work awaited me upon return from Haiti. As anticipated, I encountered a lot of fresh landslides on the mountain road from Jacmel to Port-au-Prince, but mercifully the rains had not been heavy enough to turn them to a sea of mud. Haitian-style, volunteer workers were out wielding whatever tools they could muster -- and a collection hat -- in order to keep at least one lane open. At only one point was backing up through the dirt canyon required. And we fret about construction zones!
Again, my personal thanks as well as on behalf of our struggling brethren for your generosity in responding to this dreadful situation. Since the earthquake (not including regular pledges) nearly $44,000 has been offered. In due course, I will prepare some kind of information/ thank-you letter for all the donors (at least those I can reach).
The most urgent need which we are in a position to meet is assistance for the schools. Even though none of the buildings were destroyed, only at St. Nicholas is the building actually usable under current conditions (and it is desperately in need of a roof replacement)
While "academic tent cities" may offer some short-term solution, they obviously will only last until the first big storm, if that long. My judgment is that this solution is poor economy. Slower, but more durable, would be to get solidly built walls up with well-built wood-and-metal roofs (kind of like we build in Tennessee!). To this end I have (a) disbursed some funds for rebuilding the roof at St. Nicholas School (the school can't currently be used in heavy rains because the roof is so leaky); (b) offered some assistance to St. John Chrysostom School for relocation; its present building while still standing cannot be used, and there is no space available on the premises for anything else; the headmaster, Jean, a reader at St. Dorothy's, is in the process of buying a piece of ground not too far distant, and the school will be relocated to temporary quarters there; (c) authorized construction of a new building at St. Augustine's on a mostly-finished foundation acquired along with a small piece of additional land in the fall of 2007; it is expected to be adequate for six classrooms; not enough, but better than nothing).
These projects (including aid already granted) will doubtless consume the lion's share of our available funds. I hope there may be enough left to offer some personal assistance to several families which have demolished or badly damaged homes -- and in the case of Joseph and his family to get quickly into some better temporary shelter than the sticks-and-tarps-
To avoid overloading anyone's e-mail circuit, I'll reserve a few telling photos for the website, haitianorthodoxmiss
Truth department: Some of you may have seen claims made by Fr. Grégoire Legouté and others of the MP/ROCOR concerning the size of the Orthodox Church in Haiti which can most charitably be characterized as wild exaggerations. The earlier figure of 3,000 (in the MP, that is), has been downsized to 2,000 in more recent web postings. Even that figure is at least 1000% inflated -- counting everyone who has ever been baptized & still comes to church at least once in a while. A recent posting claimed that they (the MP, that is) had NO liturgical books, communion vessels, or church furnishings. At the time of their submission to the MP, there was a complete set of liturgical books (in French) at Fr. Grégoire's home, another complete set at the rented space in Les Cayes (where, we are reliably informed, there have been essentially no services since the submission), and a substantial part of another set in Fr. Jean's possession. There were complete sets of communion vessels at both Nativity and St. Moses the Black (Fr. Grégoire's house-chapel)
Many of you will have heard of the MP's ordination to the priesthood of my son Fr. Matthew. There are clear indications that part of the intent is to place him in head-on son-against-
God willing, I'll return to Haiti for a Paschal visit the week after Annunciation -- praying intently, as I hope you will, that our beleaguered people will suffer no further severe shocks, and that the Lord will spare them heavy storms at least for this year.
Again, I appeal to you all -- Don't forget! -- this nightmare is not going to get "fixed" in a few months. Obviously, massive projects (desperately needed) will have to be addressed by others, but we can do a lot to help stabilize life not only for our own faithful but also for the children in our schools (most of them not Orthodox) and their families. Already, the media attention has largely passed by but, thanks be to God, there are thousands of good-willed souls in the country struggling to help. Most of us can do little directly -- but can do enormous good through our prayers and generosity.
Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST:
Blessings! I seem to be doing much better at getting mail out than in, so hope this makes it. Trip into Haiti was tedious as expected, but otherwise uneventful. Arrived at Maision Mission mid-afternoon to find all in good order -- except that everything that had been in an open shelf was back in it albeit in a different order, and the contents of the locked cabinets were totally overturned and tossed. Witness to the violent shaking they had undergone -- as if all had been tossed into a washing machine, then put back!
Found my host family (Tines, wife Faltztel & two small boys) living in the classrooms on the premises (small wooden structures with metal roofs). Their home is a pile of block and rebar. The boys were unhurt; Faltztel suffered a broken wrist which is healing well; Tines was elsewhere at the time & OK.
Perhaps the most astonishing bit of news: Despite the violence of the event, the ikons of the Savior & Theotokos at MM were still on the wall just as left (as well as a photo of Matushka). Likewise at St. Dorothy's (a few miles away): the cloture wall went down almost entirely (already rebuilt), but the church suffered not a crack, and two large icons of the Savior and Theotokos on the iconostasis and of St. Dorothy on an icon-stand remained firmly in place. Likewise at Bill's home (the clinician, who treated 225 people the evening of the earthquake before they quit counting and ran out of supplies) -- two glass fronted icons stayed on the wall, though every dish in the house was broken; another, free-standing atop a cabinet, stayed in place while two photos in the same place smashed on the floor. I hope he's listening! Same at St. Augustine's (where the building damage is worse than I had thought) -- two hand-written icons on the iconostasis stayed in place, as did the icon of St. Augustine on its stand in the middle of the church.
Philippe is OK -- toe saved. He came to vigil & confession tonight (as did somewhat more than a dozen others).
Much work and much expense ahead at St. Augustine's. At least one wall, perhaps two, of the sanctuary will have to be demolished and rebuilt (to proper seismic standards!), but the roof and the nave are intact. The school, while apparently having sustained only limited damage, cannot be used (orders of the state) until major reconstruction takes place. For the immediate future, indeed, schools are forbidden to use ANY building with a concrete roof -- and required to re-open in a couple of week! Typical.
Fortunately, on the "new" ground purchased at St. Augustine's late in 2007, there is a foundation (originally intended for a house), large enough to provide space for six classrooms. Spent a good part of today going over plans for that with our folk here. It won't be cheap -- a LOT of steel required to make the walls earthquake-worthy, and it's very expensive here. Nevertheless, work will begin Monday, with hopes to have at least partial walls and support for a metal roof up within a couple of weeks. Other classes will have to squeeze into the nave of the church (acceptable, as it has no walls & thus can be evacuated in seconds).
You've seen enough disaster photos -- and I had no stomach for taking any, though I saw plenty on the trip from PaP here. Most notable, perhaps, was a mile-long line of huts made of anything available in the median of a 4-line road -- about 6x10' each, hundreds of them. Tent cities are everywhere.
Again, astonishingly, Philippe's toe was the only significant injury amongst our people; other injuries were very minor. Don't know for sure yet, but will likely return to PaP tomorrow -- a much easier trip on Sunday than during the week (unless the rain which just started turns the mountain highway to a series of mudslicks from landslides!)
Saturday, February 21, 2010 at 10:00 PM EST:
Blessings! Quickly -- late preparing for departure. I leave tomorrow midday, overnight in Miami, arrive PaP midday Tuesday. Rather a "flying blind" trip, as I have no confirmed information about much of anything. I think Maison Mission is habitable. There may or may not be cars available for rental (if advised), but not by advance reservation. Please keep me and our brethren there in your prayers. Back, God willing, 5 March. Will try to post some information while there, but access to internet also uncertain. Possible, but perhaps not practical.
Saturday, February 9, 2010 at 5:22 PM EST:
Blessings! Again, heartfelt thanks for your generosity. Much to do, and much will be needed, not just this month or year but for years to come.
Finally heard again from Bill (of the orphanage & clinic) who is temporarily in the states trying to raise some funds. He expects to return to Haiti as soon as commercial service resumes.
From Nicolas at St. Augustine's:
Good
afternoon, Father! I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We continue to live here under the mercy of God; the times are very
difficult, but the good Lord knows all.
I got the transfer last week and have distributed the funds as foreseen. Fr. Amboise decided to take $200 for the parishioners at LaPlaine, and $300 has been distributed to the faithful at St. Augustine's under the direction of the parish council. We gave $50 to Philippe to help a little with his needs, and the rest to other faithful of the parish, except me; I decided to take nothing; the faithful have too many needs. Everybody needs help at the moment; almost all activity is totally blocked.
Concerning the school, last week I participated in a meeting organized by the private school sector, having as its representative the Catholic bishop of Jacmel. It was a day of reflection, of exchange of ideas to consider the possible conditions which might permit the eventual resumption of classes. That day much was discussed; we took the occasion to draft a document to be submitted to the government, which gave no thought to non-public schools in its reconstruction plan. We talked about the possibility of receiving other schools onto the grounds of those which have large enough courtyards to install tents; the students won't be at ease or well disposed to continue their studies in concrete classrooms. There are numerous schools completely fallen or badly cracked, and we talked even about the possibility of receiving children who come from Port-au-Prince. We talked about a lot of things, but up till now the State has said nothing -- just that it decreed the re-opening of classes on 1 March.
I have some photos with me of the damages at the school and church, but it's going to be difficult to send them because the signal isn't stable.
Your son, Nicolas
I got the transfer last week and have distributed the funds as foreseen. Fr. Amboise decided to take $200 for the parishioners at LaPlaine, and $300 has been distributed to the faithful at St. Augustine's under the direction of the parish council. We gave $50 to Philippe to help a little with his needs, and the rest to other faithful of the parish, except me; I decided to take nothing; the faithful have too many needs. Everybody needs help at the moment; almost all activity is totally blocked.
Concerning the school, last week I participated in a meeting organized by the private school sector, having as its representative the Catholic bishop of Jacmel. It was a day of reflection, of exchange of ideas to consider the possible conditions which might permit the eventual resumption of classes. That day much was discussed; we took the occasion to draft a document to be submitted to the government, which gave no thought to non-public schools in its reconstruction plan. We talked about the possibility of receiving other schools onto the grounds of those which have large enough courtyards to install tents; the students won't be at ease or well disposed to continue their studies in concrete classrooms. There are numerous schools completely fallen or badly cracked, and we talked even about the possibility of receiving children who come from Port-au-Prince. We talked about a lot of things, but up till now the State has said nothing -- just that it decreed the re-opening of classes on 1 March.
I have some photos with me of the damages at the school and church, but it's going to be difficult to send them because the signal isn't stable.
Your son, Nicolas
He did indeed succeed in sending some photos, of which a few below (not to overload your mailboxes, I hope!). As you can see, the damages are relatively minor -- the worst to the apartment under construction (not sending those; pretty much looked like a rubble pile before, worse now!).
Later, again from Nicolas:
Concerning
Philippe, he went to see some foreign doctors at the hospital at Magaronne
(east of Cyvadier). After an X-ray, they asked to amputate his toe,
infected as a result of his injuries, but he refused to do it that day.
The next day, he went the the St. Michael hospital at Jacmel. The
doctors saw him, examined the X-rays, and went right on to do a surgery.
Now he's already gone through two re-bandagings after the surgery.
They say the toe is broken [I've got a couple of those myself!], but that
doesn't necessarily mean it's necessary to amputate it. I'm sorry I
didn't take any photos for you [we can probably get along without those!].
For the school, papa, it's best to hunt for some tents in the US to be set up in the courtyard so we can continue the academic year -- big tents which could hold around 100 students.
Your son, Nicolas
For the school, papa, it's best to hunt for some tents in the US to be set up in the courtyard so we can continue the academic year -- big tents which could hold around 100 students.
Your son, Nicolas
Big tents are probably a good short-term solution, but I can't see any way to get them into Haiti (ourselves) in the near future. Problem of course is that they would only serve till the next big storm comes along (hurricane or not), at which time they would simply blow away in shreds. Open to all ideas!
And a couple of photos; this first of the crack in the altar wall of the church:
And of the school stairway which to my astonishment survived, except for balusters on one side:
Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 10:40 AM EST:
Blessings! After an uncomfortably long silence, I've gotten
reassurance that the funds transfers made to Fr. Amboise and to Nicolas at St.
Augustine's went through normally, if a little slowly (perhaps you saw photos
of "banks" set up in tents in open plazas -- Haitians are very
resilient!). So at least it's possible to get monetary relief and funds
for rebuilding through. As it now stands, I'm still scheduled to fly down
on 2/22, but I tend to regard that as tentative, after two reschedules already.
To
all of you (and many others not on this list, a profound thanks for your
contributions, which have now reached just under $30,000 (not counting regular
pledges received in the past month). Much more will be needed in the long
run; please prayerfully consider an ongoing pledge to help the poorest of your
poor brethren.
From
Fr. Amboise yesterday (2/5):
Christ
is in our midst! Most everything is in good order, except for the cost of
living which is rapidly rising in Haiti. We have received the transfers,
and I'm doing my best to get started with the work to rebuild the cloture wall
at St. Dorothy's. We'll have special services for St. Dorothy tomorrow,
and liturgy as usual Sunday. In the aftermath of the earthquake I was
really in a difficult situation for getting aid to the victims. Now, no
means of transportation -- no tap-taps in the streets. The 14th I had to
lease a tap-tap in order to get about to get some food and water to the
victims. In such a fashion our mission was able to aid directly.
The tap-tap cost US$50; more to buy water; some cash to help some people
get out of the city and into the countryside. Next week I'll go to Jacmel
to bless the homes of the faithful there and inspect the damages from the
earthquake. I suppose you've heard from Bill [I haven't]; his is OK.
May God protect your life.
Communications are still very irregular. I've tried several times to reach Fr. Amboise by phone without success, other than the one time last week. E-mail gets through eventually, but only when a cybercafé with a working generator (fuel is in very short supply and very expensive) and a satellite connection can be found.
Please keep us all in your prayers!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 8:30 PM EST:
Good evening, papa! I greet you in the name of our Savior. Now, yesterday and today, no vibrations here at Cyvadier, but it continues at PaP. Philippe is a little better now; he can get around, but still has injuries. Matthew saw him, and there was a doctor with him who treated him.
Concerning the church and the school, there is some damage. I hope to be able to take some pictures and send them to you by e-mail before your arrival.
We've distributed about 90 boxes of food [each contains 36 packages sufficient for a meal for four] to several families in the area, as well as clean water [from the well at the church], even as far away as Cayes-Jacmel [about 7 miles further east]. The people are truly in need; we are in a very difficult situation.
Concerning M. Hoche [the notary public, a good friend], I don't have any news, but he has not figured in the lists of dead at Jacmel, so I assume he's alive.
The hotel is functioning, but the building where you normally stay is completely destroyed; happily at the time of the earthquake there was no one there.
I beg your prayers for all the faithful!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 6:30 PM EST:
Blessings! I was on the verge of writing a letter asking for special prayers, as I had had no contact or word from Fr. Amboise or anyone else in PaP since Saturday before Theophany. Just moments ago, on about the 200th try, I actually got through by phone to Fr. Amboise -- with a perfectly respectable connection.
We spoke for several minutes. He assures me that all the Mission people in LaPlaine (as well as those who live at some remove) are well, though of course experiencing enormous difficulties in the aftermath of the earthquake. Contact with Nicolas and others at Jacmel is sporadic, but steady. Philippe is doing all right, on the road to recovery.
St. Dorothy's was untouched by the quake -- not even a crack, but the cloture wall around the Foyer of St. Mary of Egypt (within which the chapel is located) is in complete ruins.
Travel to PaP is now suspended until (maybe) the 19th, the end of Clean Week. I've rebooked for the following weeks -- unless I can find some reasonable way to get into Haiti earlier. There is and will be no commercial air traffic until that date. I considered flying into the Dominican, trying to go overland -- but even that seems not only extremely difficult (figure two days each way), but very likely to be completely unsuccessful, as "special permission" is needed from the Haitian government (where?! how?!) to cross the border. So the only realistic option (still being explored) is to hitch a ride on a relief flight.
Limited banking functions have been restored, so I should be able to get some relief assistance money into Fr. Amboise's care within a few days, as well as funds for the staff at St. Augustine's and the faithful there in most immediate need of assistance.
And a moment of thanksgiving for the many of you (and many others not on this list) who have sent funds to assist. Again, a heartfelt reminder -- this is going to be a very long-term matter, and the Mission will be in need of more than ordinary ongoing support for a long time to come. Please consider making a pledge for at least the remainder of this year, whether by check, or credit card (just let me know & I'll take care of the recurring charges) or payroll deduction direct to the Mission bank account.
And above all, keep us all in your prayers!
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 1:30
PM EST:
From
Mikael:
Good-day,
papa. May God bless
you. Papa, I saw Matthew, Fr. Grégoire, as well as Fr. Jean
(all MP) at
Jacmel, accompanied by two or three doctors, for some aid for the
faithful as
well as several people at Jacmel who were injured during the
earthquake.
From Luc:
Good-day,
papa. May God bless
you now and ever and unto the ages of ages! Thank you,
papa. We're
waiting for you with much patience. The country is in truly
grave
condition. Our hope now, no other, is in international
aid. I saw
several strangers who came from the other church (MP) to help,
particularly
Matthew. There were doctors with them, to give care for the
faithful who
were victims of this catastrophe. We're waiting attentively
for you, we
the faithful of St. Augustine's. We aren't troubled, papa, we
just pray
to God. Thank you for your understanding, papa.
From Nicolas:
Good
afternoon, papa! I'm
really under pressure here with the vibration of the earth which
continues. The internet works, but too much pressure made me
forget to
write you. Yesterday, there was another earthquake which
struck us at
6:02 in the morning, just at dawn. Yesterday evening the
vibration
continued. Nevertheless, we continue in prayer, our only
solace. I
beg your prayers.
Concerning
[Philippe, I suppose; name
missing in the e-mail], he still has injuries but he's doing a bit
better
now. This morning, I saw Matthew, Fr. Jean, Fr.
Grégoire, Augustin
and some other faithful on the street at Cyvadier giving medical care
to people
in the community. Even now they continue their medical aid in
the
streets. They're doing something which merits many
thanks. My papa,
I'm leaving because the times are difficult; even at this moment the
vibration
continues very strong. I don't dare stay [at the cyber-café].
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 3:30 PM EST:
Blessings! First -- a word in from Luc, parishioner at St. Augustine's, just minutes ago, after this morning's umpteenth hit (first word had the epicenter at Jacmel, but that turned out to be false; it was actually at Petit-Goâve (site of the infamous gunbattle I got in the midst of some years ago), perhaps 30 miles NNW on the gulf coast):
Good
afternoon, papa! I greet you in the name of God.
Thanks be to God
we are very well at Jacmel, although my family's house is completely
broken,
and we have nothing with which to rebuild it. Thank you, papa
— your son,
Luc.
This is of course one of many cases in which we'll have to do our best to help. We have very few families which are entirely Orthodox, but especially at Cyvadier lots of young men who have been faithful over many years.
Just this morning I conferred with American Airlines. All flights have been canceled until a week from Friday (the 29th), so I won't be able to go down as planned next Tuesday. I've rebooked for Tues. 2 Feb., returning end of Cheesefare Week, but am also exploring the possibility of hitching a ride on a relief charter flight in the event commercial service is not restored as anticipated.
I must take the opportunity to thank the many of you who have sent financial support -- and also to beg you to remember that this is not a "one-off" situation: LOTS of help is going to be needed for a LONG time!
Please also suggest to your friends that they sign on to this mailing list (an e-mail to haitianorthodoxmiss
Anything I know will be sent out over this list within minutes after I get it (but I won't bother you with repeating public news information -- there are plenty of better sources for that than I).
Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 9:30 PM EST:
Our son Fr. Dcn. Matthew was, this afternoon, still in the Dominican Republic. He's hoping to get into Haiti tomorrow, but that is far from certain.
We
have learned that Fr. Jean-Chénier Dumais & Fr. Grégoire
Legouté and their
families (of the MP) are all alive and safe at Fr. Grégoire's home in
Fontamara.
Fr.
Matthew hopes to work his way there to visit them and deliver some
relief
funds, but this seems improbable, as Fontamara lies across the zone of
maximum
destruction from his point of entry.
The
banking system has been completely dysfunctional. There are
indications
that some limited activities may be resumed tomorrow.
God
willing, I may be able to get some relief funds to our people this
week;
depends on just how "limited" limited is.
Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 4:02 PM EST:
Herewith the latest, all found when I got back to the office after church today:
From Lucien, parish secretary at St. Augustine's:
The
church and the faithful at St.
Augustine's are well. They have lost family members at Jacmel
and
PaP. Now it's trauma, stress, frustration. Some
local fissures at
St. Augustine's. We just finished reading the
service. The
southwest part of the Hotel Cyvadier-Plage is broken down.
Nearly all the
houses have fissures. Fr. Amboise is well; I don't have
information about
his family.
Let us mobilize ourselves in prayer!
Let us mobilize ourselves in prayer!
From Bill Carter:
I
have sent a runner to Butte-Boyer and I have good news, then some bad
news and
then again some good.
No one has been hurt on the property, but the main house has collapsed and is in rubble. The good news is your house in still standing. Apparently a woman answered the gate and I'm not certain where anyone living in the house has relocated, but there is someone there. If you need me to pass on a message I can do that.
Things here are beginning to get worse and already violence has flared in some areas and thieves are on the move. Please pray for the safety of both Morning Star and Holy Angels.
I'm sure we'll be in contact again real soon.
Blessings ...
No one has been hurt on the property, but the main house has collapsed and is in rubble. The good news is your house in still standing. Apparently a woman answered the gate and I'm not certain where anyone living in the house has relocated, but there is someone there. If you need me to pass on a message I can do that.
Things here are beginning to get worse and already violence has flared in some areas and thieves are on the move. Please pray for the safety of both Morning Star and Holy Angels.
I'm sure we'll be in contact again real soon.
Blessings ...
From Nicolas, parish warden and headmaster at St. Augustine's:
Good
afternoon, Father! I am
truly sad, papa, in these days. Our country is on the route
to
disappearance. We have lost many friends and close ones of
our relatives
at Port-au-Prince. Mikael and Philippe were saved by the
grace of
God. They both have injuries, Philippe far more
serious. Mikael and
Philippe were lodging in the same place in a house, which was totally
destroyed. They have already found 45,000 dead at
Port-au-Prince.
There are many more in the rubble; according to our information here
possibly
as many as 200,000 dead. At Jacmel, at present, they have
recorded more
than 2,000 dead. We have many friends, school-children, who
have been
found dead in the direction of the city of Jacmel. At the
moment of the
earthquake, I was at ICOSA (St. Augustine's School), in the office, but
God
saved my life; I looked death in the face. We have damage at
the school,
at the church, and to the apartment under construction above the
office.
We are continually uneasy because of the little tremors which continue
each
day, every 2-3 hours. Philippe is still on his
sick-bed. Mikael is
making efforts [I don't know what he means by this]. After
the
earthquake, there was no transport. Mikael, Philippe, Edgar
[another
parishioner] and other students from the are had to return to Jacmel on
foot
[about 50 miles from where they were living]. It took them
three days,
but thanks be to God they made it back. Many houses damaged
or entirely
destroyed at Cyvadier, but no deaths. There are wounds,
grieving for
close ones. I spoke with Fr. Amboise and Tines (his house is
destroyed). The university where I studied is completely
destroyed, many
students dead. The capital of Haiti is completely destroyed,
the town of
Jacmel partially so. Many sorrows, papa — your prayers!
From Mikael (parishioner at St. Augustine's):
Glorify
Him! My papa, I am
truly stricken by the earthquake. My house where I lived in
Port-au-Prince is truly destroyed. I am injured, but not too
seriously. I need the aid of your prayers. For the
moment I am at
Jacmel. All my belongings were lost.
To those of you who have already responded with funds as well as prayers in this crisis, our heartfelt thanks. And to all of you, a reminder that this is not a "today" crisis, but a disaster which will require years for anything resembling recovery. We have received already one indefinite $200/month pledge in response to the situation (in addition to a larger immediate donation from the same person). We need many more! Please bear in mind that the big NGOs will raise millions with our without your help. Little, perhaps none, of that will ever trickle down to be of any immediate assistance to your brothers and sisters there. Rest assured that whatever you can contribute will go directly to assist people who are your brothers and sisters. HOM has essentially no administrative overhead, apart from my travel costs.
Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 4:43 PM EST:
News from
Christ is born! It goes without saying that we are in now in a very difficult situation because of this terrible earthquake, which has completely broken Haiti.
At LaPlaine, the cloture wall at the Chapel of St. Dorothy is completely broken [I infer, hopefully, that the chapel itself is more or less intact]. As to my home, nothing very serious, just some blocks which fell from the facade which doesn't yet have a roof. Tines's house [my landlord and friend, in whose courtyard Maison Mission is located] is completely destroyed. Maison Mission has some damage, requiring some small repairs.
At Jacmel, St. Augustine's is split in the sanctuary. Many blocks have fallen from the roof of the school office [where the apartment was under construction]
Philippe [a parishioner at St. Augusttine's, in university at Port-au-Prince] was seriously injured. Mikael [likewise; I believe the two share a room in Carrefour-feuilles, one of the worst-hit areas] has some small injuries but not serious.
Daas's ABC Market is completely destroyed; everyone within was killed, even Daas.
I beg your prayers for this poor country, especially for Tines and me.
In this situation, I have to do my best to be a good servant, giving help to people who find themselves in this difficult situation, even giving out some sacks of water, something to eat. I have nothing in hand now and we are two days before the feast of Theophany. The faithful from Jacmel were to have come for the feast [I assume this is impossible].
We are in a tragic situation. What should I do?
A balance sheet for the earthquake: 150,000 dead and 100,000 houses destroyed. The Lord knows all! I beg your prayers for our faithful.
Blessed feast of Theophany!
End text from Fr. Amboise
Reading between the lines, it seems that Philippe is the only one of our faithful to have suffered serious injuries. May the Lord protect and heal him! Apparently Tines and his family are also safe, although homeless. I'm hoping that my old house across the impasse, which belongs to their family, survived in habitable condition. If not, I may find a whole lot of people in my one room when I get there! Even at that, a lot better off than hundreds of thousands of others.
If it hasn't come to your attention, you should read Haiti is Not Katrina at http://www.cnn.
Please keep us all in your hearts and prayers!
Friday, January 15, 2010 at 6:30 PM EST:
Just in from Bill:
You need to know that the ABC Market has collapsed and both Daas and his wife Roula were killed when the whole building collapsed on them. It's very sad ... he was a good friend over the past years. There were over twenty five bodies recovered with more still to uncover.
Daas and Roula are Syrian, dear friends over the years. Roula's grandfather was a priest. They were both at least nominally Orthodox, though never quite managed to make it to church. Please remember them in your prayers.
Friday, January 15, 2010 at 5:57 PM EST:
Just moments ago received an e-mail response from Bill Carter, not Orthodox, a good friend and friend of the Mission. Bill has run a sort of half-way house for orphaned/ abandoned/ troubled kids for many years longer than I've been working there. He also runs a clinic, having become a pretty good clinician on nothing but prayer and necessity. Once I waited to go to dinner with him while he stitched a little girl's completely severed finger back -- successfully.Dear
Father Gregory,,
I am sorry I haven't been able to get to you sooner. The children at both units are fine ... damage to the walls in Marin (the main road in LaPlaine; the orphanage there is about 2 miles from St. Dorothy's) and the walls here but other than that and tons of broken glass, etc. we are fine.
The clinic here has been going non-stop and we are almost depleated of pain meds, bandages, gauze, betadine, etc. We've stitched over 30 and have have a variety of broken bones and trauma. Over three hundred have been in the clinic in the past three days. Your prayers need to be with the people and that the good Lord keeps us strong to help.
Port au Prince is a total disaster and there are no markets opened, many have collapsed. Buildings, Gov't buildings, and thousand of homes leaving an untold number homeless. We are doing the best we can with what we have in our hands, but we need emergency assistance. Shipping would be too late getting here ... money is what we need to purchase the food, medical supplies, gasoline to transport injured, etc.
I will try contacting Father Ambroise (our priest at LaPlaine), but phone communications are not good ... never have been but maybe ten percent of calls go through.
Emergency aid is on the way but time is essential and getting supplies to the people is an overwhelming obstacle for the U.N. The airport is not big emough and the pier at P au P has been damaged and ships cannot unload supplies.
Try to do your best in this time of need. We will continue to pray for everyone back home to rise to the occasion.
The horror stories are heartbreaking and the death toll is something you just have to deal with and do what the Lord has trained you to do. Praise the Lord.
Donations can be sent to my TCF Bank account in MI. In the name of Matthew Xarter, account #888-352 6623, routing #272 471 548. (I'll be funneling some Mission funds to Bill to help with the clinic. You may choose to send money directly to his account, or if you prefer, to designate some or all of your contributions to the Mission for that purpose).
I'll have one of the boys ride over on a bike and check out the house (Maison Mission, mission headquarters & my Haitian home, about 2 miles from Bill's house & clinic) and let you know.
Blessings to everyone,
Bill
I am sorry I haven't been able to get to you sooner. The children at both units are fine ... damage to the walls in Marin (the main road in LaPlaine; the orphanage there is about 2 miles from St. Dorothy's) and the walls here but other than that and tons of broken glass, etc. we are fine.
The clinic here has been going non-stop and we are almost depleated of pain meds, bandages, gauze, betadine, etc. We've stitched over 30 and have have a variety of broken bones and trauma. Over three hundred have been in the clinic in the past three days. Your prayers need to be with the people and that the good Lord keeps us strong to help.
Port au Prince is a total disaster and there are no markets opened, many have collapsed. Buildings, Gov't buildings, and thousand of homes leaving an untold number homeless. We are doing the best we can with what we have in our hands, but we need emergency assistance. Shipping would be too late getting here ... money is what we need to purchase the food, medical supplies, gasoline to transport injured, etc.
I will try contacting Father Ambroise (our priest at LaPlaine), but phone communications are not good ... never have been but maybe ten percent of calls go through.
Emergency aid is on the way but time is essential and getting supplies to the people is an overwhelming obstacle for the U.N. The airport is not big emough and the pier at P au P has been damaged and ships cannot unload supplies.
Try to do your best in this time of need. We will continue to pray for everyone back home to rise to the occasion.
The horror stories are heartbreaking and the death toll is something you just have to deal with and do what the Lord has trained you to do. Praise the Lord.
Donations can be sent to my TCF Bank account in MI. In the name of Matthew Xarter, account #888-352 6623, routing #272 471 548. (I'll be funneling some Mission funds to Bill to help with the clinic. You may choose to send money directly to his account, or if you prefer, to designate some or all of your contributions to the Mission for that purpose).
I'll have one of the boys ride over on a bike and check out the house (Maison Mission, mission headquarters & my Haitian home, about 2 miles from Bill's house & clinic) and let you know.
Blessings to everyone,
Bill
Friday, January 15, 2010 at 5:15 PM EST:
Blessings! Just moments ago, Natalia succeeded in reaching Nicolas, warden & headmaster of St. Augustine's Church & School. I tried almost instantly and failed. Will of course continue.Connection was terrible (always bad, probably much worse), but she learned that Nicolas & all the faithful at St. Augustine's are OK (no detail as to injuries, but apparently none severe), that there is much damage, but no details as which buildings (homes, church, school, or perhaps, just others in the vicinity). Nicolas has been unable to make contact with Fr. Amboise at LaPlaine.
More as we find out.
Insistent prayers of thanksgiving as well as intercession are in order!
Friday, January 15, 2010 at 4:00 PM EST:
Son Dcn. Matthew (who has EMT training) left St. Louis early this morning bound for the Dominican Republic, there to join up with a medical assistance group headed by a former combat medic. No telling where or how they'll get into Haiti at this point. Please keep him in your prayers (and his wife Elizabeth & 6 children).This morning, Matushka Sonia (MP) in Miami contacted Fr. Gregoire (MP) momentarily by phone, just enough for him to say he's alive & the devastation terrible. No information on family or anything else.
Not long ago, Natalia Nedelsky turned up a "citizen reporter" post (http://www.ireport.
I still plan to fly down on the 26th, rather hoping that by that time I'll at least know whether Maison Mission is still standing or not. If I don't, will have to pack for the worst case scenario.
Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 6:00 PM EST:
First trickle of news: I spoke this morning with reader John Cador's wife Anna (who lives in Nashville). He had managed to reach her by phone sometime during the night. He and their child Mikael are safe. Beyond that, I know nothing.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 ar 10:00 AM EST:
Christ is born! While all attempts to call into Haiti have so far failed, I just spoke with Anna Cador, reader Jean's wife (who lives in Nashville temporarily) . She was unable to reach him, but by some means he managed to call her last night. He and their son Mikael are safe. Jean had not yet been able to reach Fr. Amboise. They live in the mid-Delmas region, near central Port-au-Prince.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 8:35 AM EST:
"...I have been unable to make any contact yet, so my information sources are pretty much the same as yours -- which, in specific, means nothing at all. I will continue trying to make contact by phone and e-mail (far less likely -- shaky at best). As soon as I have any information, it will be sent out over the Mission mailgroup (anyone interested can subscribe on the website below, badly in need of update but not likely to get it in the immediate future)..
--Keep
in Touch--
As you can imagine, I'm rather inundated by phone calls and e-mails. In the interests of keeping everyone informed, please (if you haven't already done so) sign on to the Mission group mailing list by sending an e-mail to:
haitianorthodoxmission-subscribe@yahoogroups.com