Hope for Haiti

So today started out like this...no electricity. We didn't have diesel for generator. The inverter that we fixed last night was out of battery power. Noel came with big barrel of diesel in the van and he had hit a bump- no surprise- and it broke his side window out. An electrician came who works for the power company and is a friend of the son of a senator. He knew what he was doing and replaced the inverter and I think replaced the transformer and rewired to protect the inverter and batteries.

We had to call a plumber as we discovered multiple broken pipes so we sent the guys out to buy heavier pipes. We ran out of water in the big cistern! No city water to refill our tank....so we had to buy a truck of water (per Hector who paid double what I paid on several different occasions- I think they must be friends)

So at the end of the day we have water, power, toilets. The kitchen got cleaned out, the boys started painting it. Steps in back are being repaired, cracks filled...the guest house staff are excited to have "a new belle" kitchen.

Catherine is a reporter from Toronto that is staying here this week. She has been visiting areas all over the city and outside. She was here after the earthquake for a couple of weeks and wanted to follow up with on some of her stories. She has been to Sean Penn's tent city which is just 5 minutes from us and at the Petionville golf course. She has followed some of the families that are being moved to a community outside of the city. She had written a story about a little girl apparently orphaned in the earthquake but subsequently found her mom and little brother. Catherine found out her birthday is the 27th and has bought her gifts and given her mom money. The mom had been saving money for the little girl to go to school but the money was lost when the house collapsed. The little girls best friend who would come home from school and teach her what she had learned that day was killed next to her in their home. They now live in a small tin shack with nothing. But the mom will give her daughter a birthday gift and send her to school for awhile.

She was to have an interview with a Haitian midwife who said you can't interview me because I can't do anything. I lost my husband and my son in the earthquake and I can't move on. I can't work because I can't stop thinking about them.

Its hard to find hope when you hear the sadness and grief consuming someone trained to bring life into this world. Yet it is there.

Noel found a home for his family to rent. He shared this with me tonight. Noels daughter was trapped for 3 days in the rubble that was the Twins Market near their home. I've been there many times. When the earthquake happened, he ran to the market knowing she was there and called out to her until she responded. He stayed for 3 days and nights talking with her until people came to help him get her out. She was unhurt. Noels house collapsed and his neighbors killed. He is now taking care of 6 kids that lost their families. They shared a couple of tents that I gave to him. He is happy that he can take them off of the street and have a home for them. He smiled and said he can have hope now.