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May 2008 Newsletter
Welcome to May! Hopefully this newsletter finds you all enjoying the May flowers and are past the April showers. Here in Florida, we did not have much in the way of April showers, but it is still a beautiful time of year. Unfortunately, that is not the case for those in Haiti. As I write this, in mid-April, there have been food riots, demonstrations, and some deaths in Haiti, especially in Port au Prince. We mentioned last month about the problems with getting the cargo containers, including food and medical supplies, off of the docks. This situation has not improved, and containers continue to pile up, as you can see in these pictures:
This backlog in getting cargo off the docks and to its destination has caused the cost of rice to go up exponentially. In December we were able to purchase 100 bags of rice for @ $3000. That same budget in February only purchased 72 bags of rice, and this month (April) it only purchased 60 bags of rice. The cost per bag has gone up from $30/bag to over $50/bag! We are all feeling the effects of a slow economy, but that is a 66% increase in the cost of a food staple in Haiti. Some people are not able to afford this and are supplementing their diets with “cakes” made of mud, cooking oil, and spices to fill their stomachs and stop the hunger pains.
All of this has brought some of the people to the breaking point. Last week, April 7, gangs of people started breaking into stores and warehouses to get food. They also stormed the presidential palace and killed a United Nations police officer. The president, Rene Preval, has announced the government will provide subsidies for rice that should drop the price by 15%. The Haitian senate has also removed the prime minister from office for his failure to address the economic problems within the country.
Amidst all of this unrest in Port au Prince, there is good news in Cap Haitien, we have completed Pilgrim House # 17. Here are some pictures of the family and the house:
You will notice in the first picture that the window has no shutters, curtains, or other coverings. The owner is a seamstress and she will be doing her work underneath that window and wanted as much natural light to see by as she could get.
This family is also the proud new owner of a goat purchased by FHL contributors. This young female will be sent to relatives in the country side to fatten up and get ready to be bred. This will provide the family with future meat and milk. Eva says that her foot is feeling fine after being the goat's resting spot for this picture!
Finally, I wanted to share 2 pictures that show how much the food program helps the people. This picture is of a young girl with her 3 month old daughter that I shared with you in the last newsletter. You can see how thin this girl is, and it makes one wonder how she had enough nutrition for herself, let alone carrying a child.
Here is the mother after about 6 weeks in the food program. You can see that while she is still thin, she looks much better.
I promised last month to share some of the experiences I had on my trip to Haiti and while I was there. Well, it is still too big for the newsletter, but I will spend the next couple months chronicling stages of the journey. This month, I will give you an insight to how I prepared for the trip to Haiti, and how one actually gets to Haiti, and some of the experiences we had on the way.
Getting Ready I will begin with my preparations for the trip. Knowing that we were going down to address 2 years of non-maintenance, and knowing that I could probably not count on having access to any tools or supplies there, I set about making up a tool kit that would allow me to address any minor to fairly complex repairs, but I stopped short of tools for moving walls (for those that don't know, the HQ has poured concrete walls, so moving them would be major construction!). Anyway, here is a picture of what I took:
And here is what it looked like when packed into small carry bags:
I was originally going to put everything into a large backpack, but after putting all the tools in, there just was not enough room, and it was HEAVY, about 38 lbs with just the tools, and when I added my limited clothing, it was at 50.5 lbs., which is over the airline weight limit for checked luggage. And as anyone who has ever traveled knows, you ALWAYS add more items before you actually walk out of the door and head to the airport! In the end, I decided on a duffel bag for my clothing and “snacks”, and a small rolling suitcase, for the tools and other miscellaneous items. I also took a soft-sided carry case with my Bible, laptop, light snacks, camera, and puzzle books.
Getting There So how does one actually get to Haiti, and particularly Cap Haitien (Cap)? Well, you fly, but unlike flying to destinations in the US or other countries, there aren't a lot of options. You can take American, or Spirit, airlines from Tampa to Miami, then on to the capitol, Port au Prince (PaP). You then take a commuter plane from PaP to Cap Haitien. The other route, which we chose for this trip, is to take a flight from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale (FLL), then fly with Lynx Air out of FLL to Cap. One less connection, but you have to schedule your trip for when Lynx has available seats for your group, as they fly smaller airplanes. And you are limited to 70 lbs. of luggage on Lynx, unless you want to pay for the additional weight as cargo. It doesn't matter how many bags you have, just as long as they don't go over 70 lbs.. Eva had also sent down 500 lbs. of cargo to go with us (and I helped pack it!).
So we now know how we are getting there, and when we are going, so let's start the trip! Tuesday morning came very early! I think it was “O' dark thirty” (a phrase from my wife's Dad) when I got up. We had agreed to meet at my house at 5:30am and ride to the airport together to catch our 7:30 flight to FLL. Should I be surprised that Eva and Roseline were parked out front at 5:05? Glad I got up even earlier than I had planned! So I quickly finished getting dressed and grabbed all my luggage (which I had thankfully piled together the evening before). And we loaded up to go, after kissing my wife, Anita, good-bye.
The check-in at the Tampa airport was mostly uneventful, except that for some reason, the ticket agent wanted to see my ID before checking in my luggage, but did not ask for anybody else's. Then as we were walking away to go to the gate, she called out “Sir, sir, please come back!”. So I went back over and she motioned to the rolling suitcase and asked what was in it that made it so heavy. I told her just hand tools. She asked if there were any chemicals or other forbidden items, and I said “No”.So she said OK, then put a “HEAVY” tag on it before sending it on its way on the conveyor belt.
The trip to FLL was smooth, easy, and about 20 minutes! When you get to FLL, you have to claim your checked luggage, then get from Terminal 1, where Southwest has gates, to Terminal 4, where Lynx has their gate. Suddenly, I was very glad that I had the wheeled suitcase. Of course, Roseline had to stop at the concession and get her last bag of Skittles before heading to Terminal 4. Did I mention that Roseline sent all her luggage with the 500 lbs. of cargo? She was carrying nothing but a small purse (my wallet is bigger!), and a nice smile. That girl certainly knows how to eliminate some of the stress of travel!
Luckily, there is a shuttle from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4, and we only had to wait about 10 minutes for it to arrive. So we got to the Lynx check-in counter at about 8:50. Did I mention that the Lynx flight was not until 12:00? Oh, and you can't check-in until the counter opens at 10:00! Roseline has done this so often, she has a routine. Get to Lynx, and put your luggage in front of the check-in counter so you are first to check-in. Like this:
Our luggage looks kind of lonely there, doesn't it? That is the soft-side bag I carried on, on top of the rolling suitcase full of tools, my green duffel bag on the floor next to it, and you can just see Eva's rolling bag behind my stuff. So know we just have to wait until the agent gets there so we can check-in, then head upstairs to the food court and get something to eat. And do you see the opening in the counter, with silver on the far side behind our bags? Well, that is the scale for the luggage, and as it turns out, for us! Since Lynx flies smaller planes, they weigh not only the luggage, but at check-in each passenger is weighed in while they hold their carry-on bag! Got to make sure they have enough fuel, and trusting people to be forthcoming with their actual weight is probably a little bit of a stretch! So if you are going to Haiti, and are not comfortable with others knowing how much you weigh (and it will be heavier because you will have your carry-on in your hands), maybe you should go through Port au Prince...
So here we wait, Eva and Roseline, and then Eva and I:
So we sat and chatted, got some pictures off of Roseline's camera, and just whiled away the time. I did win the vending machine jackpot while we waited! I decided that I could use a little pick me up, and since there was a vending machine right there, I walked over to get my favorite soft drink, a diet Coke. Except I didn't have any change. I checked my wallet, and nope, no singles either. No problem, it takes ones and fives. I put in a five, push the button, and right after my Coke was delivered, you here this long, drawn out shower of coins hitting the change tray. Yep, $3.75 worth of quarters! Anybody need to make a phone call? Or is there a slot machine nearby, I seem to be on a winning streak!
As we were waiting, another gentleman came up with his luggage, including the interesting item seen here:
Yes, that is a gas powered string trimmer, aka a Weedeater! And while the powerhead was wrapped in a plastic bag, you could smell the gas. Needless to say, we were a little concerned about that being on the plane with us! We waited to see if the agent would pick up on it, and if not we were going to be sure to call it to his attention. No worries, the agent saw it, and as soon as he did, he asked whose it was. The gentleman said it was his, but it was brand-new and had never been run. Well, the agent told him in no uncertain terms that he could not take it on the plane. The man offered to dump the gas out (we wondered where?), but the agent explained that it would not be allowed on the plane at all if it had ever had gas in it, regardless of whether it had ever been started. The gentleman then got out his cell phone and arranged for a friend to come get it and keep it for him. We still wonder why he was taking it to Haiti...
So, we are finally checked-in and go upstairs to have a bite to eat, since breakfast was very early, and a long time ago. After eating, we browse the duty free shop to see if there is anything we can't do without (there wasn't), then headed back down to wait for the Lynx boarding call. One thing that was a little sign for me, was the boarding card numbers that we were given at check-in. Eva and Roseline got 12 and 13, but I got 8. Now, the boarding is just line up and get on, so the numbers don't mean anything for boarding, but one of the signs that God put in front of me when I was getting ready for this trip, was the fact that Roseline and I share a birthday, August 12, or 8/12. We found this out just the week before the trip and for me it was a sign that I was supposed to be going on this trip. I think that the boarding cards were just a confirmation that I was doing His will.
We sat ourselves near the door leading to the plane so we could be some of the first on board. Mainly because I am 6' 3” and wanted to try and get the bulkhead seat to allow for my legs. This also had the advantage of being close to the bathrooms, which was handy because Roseline informed me that the Lynx flight not only had no drinks or snacks (good thing I brought my own!), but no bathroom! HELP, I just finished drinking a 32 oz. Diet Coke, and its a 2 ½ plane trip! Needless to say, I made sure to use the facilities before getting on board.
OK, back to the boarding process. If you have ever flown before, you know the normal drill, the gate agent announces they will begin boarding shortly, and gives some basic instructions on how the boarding will be handled. Not so on Lynx, the gate agent, who is also the one who checks you in, just walks from behind the counter, and walks to the door leading outside while shouting “Lynx passengers!”. Since Roseline knew the drill, we were the first ones in line. At the door, he formally lets everyone know about the lack of toilets on the plane and waits to see if anyone needs to go before we head to the plane. That day he had no takers. So he opens the door, and we step out on to the tarmac and head to the plane:
And there ends the first installment of our trip. Next month, my first glimpse of Haiti.
Go with God and continue your support of FHL and its programs to help the Haitian people.
God Bless,
Rob Irons
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