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April 2008 Newsletter
MATCHING FUNDS…We have a gift of $900 and request for 9 more $900 gifts to match, to build a home In Memory of Diane Hromyak
FOODThe situation with food on the wharf rotting before it can feed the people is really getting critical. As I write we are asking our attorney there to see what she can do to get our beans released while they are still good. There are over 200 containers stacked up from just one of the shippers. Customs people are being asked to open every single box in a container and handwrite a list of every single item in there with a value. These are donated items, can you possibly picture the scope of this? THEN it must be typed up on the back of the Bill of Lading, there must be a Donations Declaration of Value… the list goes on and on… CASCO estimates there will be 50 pages of detail with the bill on just the container our things are in … there are several shippers in this one container…. And there is a daily charge for the use of the container while this goes on. Pray for the starving who need the food, pray for the workers who are being asked to do all of this and pray for the wisdom of those asking it be done. 
PILGRIM HOUSE #17After some delays, Pilgrim House #17 is back on track, this is the foundation for the latrine—windows and doors are being added as I write, but the family has already moved in. This is exciting because the lady of the house is so ambitious. Mother of 7, there are 9 living in the home right now. She is a seamstress and earns most of her annual income making school uniforms. She has taught all of her children to sew. She did part of the work on the home with her own money. After school starts she earns additional money by dress making as she finds clients… or they find her — all on a treadle sewing machine. It is really exciting to help a family where all members are working together to make things happen for them. This particular day the other children were in school. 
We will have the finished home photo by the next newsletter and have already submitted our request for Pilgrim House #18. Pray for approval, it is so exciting to provide families with homes. 
PICK-A-PROJECTThere are probably a number of ways to approach this, but for now we will offer two—either pick-a-project and send funds for us to do the shopping… or you do the shopping and send the items… (let’s coordinate colors first) Bathrooms—there are four. They have been neglected for some time and basically all need Shower Curtain & hooksShower mat Bath mat Towels & matching wash cloths 2 sets each Throw rug for in front of sink Soap dish Towel rack Toilet paper holder
Since we are planning for teams, we suggest picking a base color for your bathroom then doing plain and stripped towels in the same color since two will share a room. Bedrooms—three for now. Twin size sheet sets (2) (same color as bathroom)Throw rug for each bed 10-pack of plastic hangers Light-weight bedspread 2 bed pillows
ROB IRONS…So, as one of the newest travelers to Haiti with FHL’s Eva and Roseline, they thought it would be a great idea for me to share some of my impressions of the trip and the conditions in Cap Haitien (Of course, they decided this without consulting me, so I think that they just wanted somebody else to do the typing this month!). 
Anyway, the trip was very productive, in terms of getting the Headquarters close to ready for teams to begin traveling back. Nothing serious was wrong, just 2 years of little or no maintenance. We were also able to measure all of the rooms at HQ and get everything loaded into an architectural software package. In the future, if we need to check on the dimensions of a room, or the windows in a room, or anything to determine the materials needed for a project, we will have it available. It also gives us a nice way to show people the HQ and give them a feel for the building and how it is laid out. Things were fairly good at the HQ, although items seem to still be growing legs on their own and walking out! That was partially addressed while we were there for this trip and will be further addressed in April. Having Roseline on-site for longer periods, and Wendy starting on April 1, should also eliminate the problem. 
The clinic was doing well, and I was amazed at how the people who came to be treated were very calm and quiet about their injuries, adults and children both. They have so little, that they cherish just having the life that God gave them, and are thankful for each day. Even most of the children did not cry. I saw one young girl, 12-14, come in with burns all over her arm and shoulder. She was very quiet, and once the burns were treated and covered in bandages, she walked out laughing with her friends. I can not imagine a child of the same age in the US acting the same way. And I saw this with other cases as well. The food program is still helping people, but it is going to get critical if the Haitian government does not figure out how to process containers of cargo and food more quickly. After working on the HQ for 2 days, Friday was a day of running errands, including getting the months supply of rice. We first had to get money from the bank, then head to buy the rice, in 50 kilo bags. Since there is no rice being released from the docks, the price has gone up, and it is negotiated each time it has to be bought. This time $3,000 only bought 72 bags. Here is a picture of how little rice is available way back in the corner: 
I know that the picture is a bit dark, but I think that you can see how little rice is actually available in that huge warehouse. And that rice is crucial to the food program and feeding people like this young girl and her 3 month old baby. You can see how thin this girl is: 
There were many other experiences that we had while we were there, and I will try and share some of them over the coming months. I am in the process of writing a narrative that will cover the whole journey, and will make it available when I have completed it. However, I am up to 8 pages so far, and have just covered getting ready for the trip and what we experienced up to getting on to the plane to Cap Haitien. Some might say I am a bit wordy, but I want to paint a picture for those who have not been able to go to Haiti and wonder about the experience. 
God Bless you all and your support of FHL. Rob Irons
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e-mail us:  Mission Field Worker: Roseline DeHart Newsletter Editor: Eva DeHart
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