Living Water and Haiti Updates
Greetings to you in the name of Our Lord Jesus!
First, I want to express my gratitude to each one of you for your prayers, your encouraging messages, and your concern for Haiti in general, for Living Water and my family. Your text messages, your phone calls, and your emails have blessed me, my family, and Living Water in a powerful way. Thank you so much!
Haiti has been in a downward spiral of insecurity for a long time. However, the last three years have been unmatched. It can be seen in the events that have been taking place in Haiti since January. The entire country is infested with powerful gangs. Only one man has consistently made it his priority to fight with the gangs in his community in a systematic manner. In the West Department (Port-au-Prince), and in the Artibonite Department (Gonaives), my department, government authorities have shown a high tolerance of the gangs to the point one can hardly find a sustainable argument to prove that the authorities are not in connivence with them. They operate with very little or no challenge. When there is a challenge, it presents the characteristics of a staged challenge with no positive result whatsoever.
My friends, it is impossible to describe in words what has been taking place in Haiti those last few days. For, besides the horror of killing people in the streets and in their homes, people died because doctors or patients could not make it to a hospital. My friend Leon Jean, Jr died because the gangs made it impossible for his driver to make it to a hospital on time. Doctors got killed by bandits after serving the people. That is the case of Dr. Nathalie Barthelemy. People got kidnapped on their way to bring blood for patients in need of it. That was what happened to one of the members of our church, Pierre Gilles Exantus, who ended up losing his life. One patient who was supposed to be flown to Miami for a special surgery that he can afford lost his life because there were no flights available for him to leave the country.
Right now, the number of people who can afford to leave, but remain in Haiti, is fewer and fewer. People, who can afford it, are paying between 12 to 15,000 dollars to find a seat in a helicopter to leave Haiti. It is said that one person has paid as much as 80,000 USD to leave the country. In the meantime, hunger is getting worse and worse. People cannot import goods. Farmers cannot make it to the cities with their produce because it is impossible.
Because earlier this week, our city was less agitated, we thought we might think about resuming having school again. But the bandits took to the streets again last weekend. They rained ammunition over the city. They put people back again in panic mode. Consequently, no parents would risk the life of their children to send them to school in this uncertainty. This week gang members have been invading several neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince and looting them. It is reported that at least 15 people were killed Monday in Petionville for no reason whatsoever. Despite these gloomy events and incidents, Living Water continues to engage in doing kingdom work.
On March 1st which was the birthday of my late American Father, Fred Joseph Green, members of the staff of Mixt Institution Fred Joseph Green, teachers, parents, and some students met to remember, to meditate on his life and his 30 years of positive impact on Haiti. He came to Haiti the first time in March 1994. During those 30 years the ministry of mom and dad Green in Haiti have transformed many lives both spiritually and socially, including many Adolphe families. We will celebrate the school anniversary every year on March 1st. Mark your calendar for next year!
This academic year, we opened The Bonnie Furniss Seamstress School. Since we opened it last Fall the students have made phenomenal progress. They will have their Spring Exposition/Parade next week. It is amazing to see what those 18 students (Two different groups) have been able to accomplish in those few months.
Thanks to the International Medical Assist Mission (IAMM), we have been able to increase our solar energy capacity at the health clinic. The project took longer than we anticipated, but thank God, it was completed last Saturday (March 16th). The realization of this project means less diesel fuel, which can be rare and always expensive, sometimes more than other time. It means dependable energy. Less stress when there is gas shortage. It will also provide energy for the church, particularly on Wednesday afternoon and during Sunday services. This realization will cut our diesel usage at the Church by more than 50% on a good sunny day.
A team of highly qualified leaders took the initiative of renewing the youth activities in the church. Since March 3rd, they have been having inspiring and entertaining youth group activities at the church. These activities will not only lead those young people to be better Christians, but also better citizens, and better neighbors.
Nobody can claim to feel safe here. We move very cautiously if ever. We sleep less. And we have less quality of sleep for sure. Being in a town with nearby farming communities is an advantage that helps us to have access to sweet potato, yam, plantain, and veggies. Meat is very rare and very expensive. We are grateful to have access to some food to survive.
We thank God for the fact that we always meet as a church every Sunday. This is certainly not true of every church in Haiti, even in Gonaives. We pray that God will usher in the solution to the problems of Haiti, so that we can continue to function well in the country to the point of being able to invite our American friends to come back because our country became safe again.
Please remember to pray and give, if the Lord makes it possible for you, so that God may have the funds needed for:
- Salaries,
- The continuity of the construction of the new church plant (45,000 USD; it was 60,000),
- The expansion of the health clinic (90,000 USD, it was 100,000), and
- The construction of the fence around the university property (100,000 USD)
- Feeding those in dire need
May God bless you and yours as we continue to partner with Him in winning Haiti for Him and His glory!
Salonique Adolphe and Team
P.S. Those of you who care to read the whole article can click on this link.