Never Enough

I am sitting here on the stone entryway to one of the classrooms here at one of the staging headquarters in Port-au-Prince. There has been so much progress in the city since 4:53 pm on January 12, 2010. The streets are beginning to get back to normal… and that is a fear for many people living in this city. I heard it said today that, "we do not need a Jan. 11m 2010 Haiti." Haiti must grow and learn from this disaster. There must be more cooperation and care between the government, the NGO's/Foreign entities, and the people of this country. My heart aches for these people. Because so many seem destined to reproduce the choices/lifestyles of their parents (or lack of) and live by utilizing every resource they can find rather than creating resources and opportunities for each other.

Jean-Paul* is 16 and has latched onto me. He calls me Pas and holds onto me every time he sees me. He says to me. "Pas, everywhere you go I want to go and whatever you do I want to do with you… Teach me everything… and take me like an uncle into your life." He wants purpose and meaning. I have been offered children/babies, land and many opportunities to join other organizations. To be honest it has been difficult to assess where I fit in the long term.

Our team is planning to go to an area of Haiti (above Jacmel in the mountains) that was hard hit by the earthquake, but no international organizations have responded. In fact, our Haitian resources tell us that most of these people have never seen a white person. We may drive, but some have suggested that Samaritan's purse and/or the US Army may fly us in by chopper. It is remote.

Friday is the last day here for awhile for me. Luke Wilkerson will be taking over for some time and we hope to overlap this week and make some longer term plans for Mercy League Haiti. I have been invited to speak when I get back. If you would like me to speak at you church or group please email and tell me so.

There is much need for a truck still. So far the response to that need has been deafening silence… Perhaps someone will talk to someone they know and it will happen. All in all it is all for others and we will make it! The eyes are getting tired….

In His hands…

Shane

Buzzing With Activity

Dear friends,

Port-au-Prince is a city buzzing with activity. There are convoys of military from all corners of the world. The streets are filled with street vendors, and the major rush of medical priorities is slowing down to the regular pace of desperate poverty and the ills of unmet medical needs. There will be much to do here for many years. Housing is a major issue here. People do not have homes to live in, and those who have homes standing cannot return to them because they are cracked and unsteady. It is favorable that there has been no rain for a long time, so people sleeping on the ground (hundreds of thousands) are able to stay dry and relatively warm at night.

There is so much to do…. Where to start…

Let me begin with what I see as a place to begin for our part. A great issue here is transportation for supplies from staging points to the people in need, and transporting volunteers/medical people. We have been utilizing a rented vehicle to deliver medical supplies/food/volunteers throughout the city, but must soon return the vehicle to the owners in the Dominican Republic (DR). I would like to purchase a vehicle in the DR and drive it back here to Haiti with supplies and volunteers. This is an urgent need, but where are we going to get that kind of money in a short amount of time. It is impossible… isn't it? I think that we could find a good used vehicle for about $7000-$9000 US. If you can help with this, or you know someone who can help, please do so. We will be here for years to come, and it will be utilized to the maximum.

We are also beginning to work as a liaison between volunteers coming into the country. We have partnered with local Haitian friends up the mountain above PAP who can take as many volunteers as necessary. There is much work here, but few organizations are accepting volunteers because of logistical issues. We are filling a need in this respect as well.

If you would like to come, please contact me via email at admin@mercyleague.org

Please do your work on your end and it will have resonating effects for us on the ground here!

Remember Haiti in your prayers,

Shane

A Story to Ponder

Dear Friends,

It is about 1:30 am and I am still up. I had a chance to go the mountains above Port-au-Prince for a night. I need to continue to communicate with my family and friends back in Canada and the US. Please take a few minutes to read this…

I sat with the pastor of the international Church today (the only one/main on in PAP) and he explained an incredible happening... He was outside with some kids at the basketball court on the church campus when the earthquake hit

He heard the sound first and then saw the ground rippling like waves on the ocean. He and the boys went into the middle of the field to wait out the earthquake.


After about 45 seconds the earthquake stopped, so he went throughout the campus to see if there was anyone injured, and then checked on his family etc... The church was untouched, as was the office/library. After some time he went into the library to see how many books had fallen off the shelves... many things had fallen on other areas etc...
He noticed that there had been only one book fall out of hundreds.


A single Bible One of the only ones in the library

The pastor stopped and looked at it in disbelief... Why would a Bible be the only book that fell... What were the chances?

There were hundreds of books and a Bible fell?


The thing is... that it fell face down, and open... so the pastor decided to carefully pick it up off the floor... placing his hand under the Bible to save the place where it had opened.

He opened it to Jeremiah 19 and read verses 3 and 4


Read it


I am still internalizing this information.

Ground Zero: Haiti

Dear Friends,

Our team packed the truck with supplies and at about 3:30 am and were on the road by just after 4 am. Our wonderful hosts were up to help with the packing and even a cup of coffee (We would have packed the truck the night before, but were worried about the security of the truck and its contents). We traveled for about 9 ½ hours to the border of the Haiti. Once there we joined a UN military convoy. We arrived at our destination in the capital almost exactly 12 hours from the time we left. It was a difficult journey, but worth the results. We arrived in time to offer the only medical supplies available (syringes) for a boy with seizures and needed an injection of some kind. I am sure that I don't really know what the syringes were for, but that they were desperately needed. It is a good feeling to be there for people in need. Thank YOU for your support!!!

The situation in Haiti is changing. There are UN and US Military everywhere. The streets are jammed and blocked. There are lines a mile long at the US embassy. Houses everywhere are collapsed or cracked so too dangerous to live in. There are people living everywhere that there is a flat space without a car or a building. It is surreal to see so many familiar places destroyed.

The earthquake this morning was responsible for more collapsed building, but mostly for finishing off the ones already damaged. People are very nervous about being near buildings right now. Where we are staying there are families sprawled all over the grass, driveways, fields and under trees. We are in tents on the soccer field.

Power went out… can't send…

…………………………………………………………………………………

This morning we packed up and went to our neighborhood. We have decided to stay there with people we know. I believe that people are beginning to come into Port-au-prince via www.missionaryflights.org (MFI) from Florida. We are partnering with organizations here to distribute food to hard to reach areas. My good friend in the Dom. Rep. has agreed to allow us to use a truck for a week or so. We need to be able to give him some kind of compensation at some point. Thanks to our friends in the DR.

We have space for about 4 volunteers in the medical field, but it is necessary that the medicines come in with them. Most organizations are no longer accepting doctors because there are several bottlenecks. We have heard of many doctors and nurses leaving because they couldn't find patients or medicine. This is why it is important to bring medical supplies with you if you come.

An orphanage in our area had a wall collapse during the earthquake. Robbers came in last night and were threatening and shooting, so they will be coming to stay with us tonight.

So much is going on…. I have to go before we something comes up that will stop this message from getting out. We will be using the next few days to get ourselves organized so that we can find the best way to be used.

Good times,

Shane

 

 

Dear friends,

Thank you for following our progress. We are so happy to be a part of this effort to care for the people of Haiti. At this point the most difficult task is to actually get into Haiti. We have procured a "camión" (large truck) for transporting our goods to Haiti in about 3 hours. I have been trying to get into Haiti for a couple of days, but none of my contacts are willing to take me any farther than the border. I have called in a favor and asked to use this truck. We were in a position that we needed to purchase a battery for the vehicle to make it more trustworthy on the long road to Haiti.

It is almost midnight here and I should be getting a few hours rest, but here I am talking to you… for a few moments. We are in need of more donations because we would like to bring in supplies and a few volunteers on a weekly basis. We have the use of a small guest house here in Santiago, and transportation to Port-au-Prince (PAP) for the next couple/three weeks. I am sure that I will find another way to get supplies in when that dries up.

At this point a real need is for a driver who can speak Spanish. We need someone who will shuttle volunteers and supplies to on a regular schedule. It is about 3 days per round trip from PAP to Santiago, but it is the only/best way to get in at this point.

We were planning to transport diesel in 55 gal drums, but private citizens were doing this and selling the fuel at huge profits. As a result there are no private transports of Fuel allowed.

We have a full tank and 4 containers of diesel plus food and medicine to share with our people on the ground in PAP. We will most likely be staying in the tents we brought with us and working wherever we can find useful things to do.

We have sent a message out to friends in Haiti that we are looking for the birth mothers of our adopted girls (Noelle and Naomi) the girls have asked to know how they are, especially Naomi. I am also interested in looking for friends in my ole neighborhood to see how they are as well. I believe in starting out from family, to friends and all people in need. Ralph (our Nurse) will be whisked away by the Nazarene people to care for the hurting right away, I am sure. I may not see him too much after the first day, except at day's end. The other thing is for us to share about the real story/conditions in PAP and help prepare room and opportunities for people to volunteer by posting on the web.

Please keep bothering people to check out the website and follow along… and contact the Register Gard and other newspapers to follow our story. KVAL is helping a lot—thanks—please ask them to post our link…. I couldn't find it.

Thanks for the prayers,

Shane for Ralph and Megan

Santiago: PAP or Bust

Dear Friends,

We headed out yesterday from Eugene and spent the night in the airport in New York (JFK), and then we flew to Santiago at 7:05 am. We arrived at about noon and waited for half an hour for our friends to arrive from the North Coast. The remainder of the day has been spent purchasing medical supplies (which are in short supply here) from a wholesaler (we were able to get our hand on about half of what we needed today and expect to procure the rest tomorrow afternoon) and working the phones to find transportation into Haiti from the southern border.

We have been warned by many people in Haiti and a few friends in organizations here in Santiago about the danger for people travelling into Haiti. One organization that I called here in Santiago today said that they are housing over 40 people who are trying to get into Haiti right now. We will see what we can do to get into the country…. safely…. by Wednesday. As you can imagine, we are anxious to get to Port-au-Prince, but not at the expense of our safety.

After purchasing medicines here in Santiago today we can see that we will be in need of more funds for more supplies by next week. We are stocking up on intravenous supplies, antibiotics, fever/pain meds and food/water. The 'A' plan is to join our good friends at the NAZ compound on the edge of the city. If anyone is reading this who can help us get from the border to the NAZ compound please send us an email: (Mattenleys@mercyleague.org) or call us here at 809-971-7897 until Wednesday Morning!

Many thanks to North Douglas Middle/Elementary School, KVAL News, The Register Gard, Drain Church of Christ, Creswell Church, Friends Church, and countless individuals. It warms my heart to see so many people—friends, strangers and everyone in between—step up and support Mercy League during this time of need!!

Thanks for being a part of the cause of Mercy!  

Shane, for Megan and Ralph

T-Minus 10 Hours

Dear friends,

As I stood over my son's crib watching him sleep tonight and thought about what it means to leave my wife and children to "go" again. It is a fundamental part of what it means to believe in the Good Book when it says:

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27

That's what I explained to a group of students at a winter retreat tonight. It is what our faith is built upon. That selfless love offered without thought for personal gain of any kind. This is how we show what we are about. I also mentioned the story of the Good Samaritan. It is how Christ described what it means to be a neighbor… then He said, "Go and do likewise."

It's that simple. It may not be easy to go and do likewise, but the concept is one that makes sense to me.

Our team leaves from Eugene tomorrow. It is upon us! I hope to continue to blog our progress and get information out to you as much as possible. My hope is for you to experience this vicariously through our team.

Thank you for your prayers, donations and encouragement! I am very tired… Time to rest…

 

Shane

“Pray for Wisdom,” He Said…

Here are some words from my friend David Lloyd about dealing with life after the earthquake!

Now what?  These were the words Alicia asked me Wednesday morning.  My response was that now it is survival mode.  We have to survive, the country itself is shut down and who know when things will open back up, so have to take what we have and make it last.  We are very thankful that our container of supplies was delivered two weeks ago and we have a good supply of food.  We also have a couple weeks' supply of diesel, and I was able to get the cooking gas refilled today, just before the place ran out a few customers later.  

We are in great shape and should be for the next 4 to 6 weeks.  Might be down to just eating a can good but at least we will have something.  Hopefully by then some things will open back up and foods and fuels will be available, but this is Haiti so who knows.  It takes longer to get things going here, plus since so many places are gone I don't know how it is going to work out.

Thursday I got out and went into town. There was so much devastation, I was shocked.  I never imagined how bad it was.  I saw so many sights that I wish I never have had to see.  I wept and cried all the way home for Haiti.  Haiti as we know her is gone, all the stores we shopped at and friends we had who worked there are gone...our normal routine gone.  Please continue to pray.  Alicia asked when she gets to go into town, and I said not for a long time.  It is too heartbreaking.

The immediate plan is to wait for the airport to open up again for regular travel. Once American Airlines starts flying in to Haiti again, individuals will fly in once a week and bring a lot of cash with them so we can start on the repairs.

 Pray for wisdom: one of the hardest things I am facing right now is who to help. I have had people ask for food assistance because they are starving.  Do I help, and then have our kids starve in a couple weeks, or do I turn a cold shoulder and just take care of my own?  I have faced this a couple times and one I helped and one I didn't.  The one I helped left with a big thank you and tears in his eyes, the one I didn't said, "I understand" and left it at that.  I know people have said they would like to help meet the need right now, I just don't know how to go about that.  The banks our gone, so I can't get any cash right now.  If I did have the cash right now, there is nothing left to buy.  Pray for Haiti.

 

- David Lloyd

Details about Haiti Team from Emily...

 
 

The day of the earthquake they went into PAP, which they weren't supposed to do until Friday.  They tried to go to an orphanage and so Steve P said to keep going, they weren't supposed to be there.  Then shortly after he said we have to leave, we need to go home, we aren't supposed to be here.  Emily said they had just passed the UN and they heard a loud noise and the car dropped and she thought a tire blew, and then everything started shaking so she thought maybe the UN was bombed and they were feeling the aftershocks. She said they were with one of Steve P's family members and he pulled the car over and they could see the power lines shaking and falling and buildings moving.

 
 

They made it to the compound of at pond Parisian.  Lloyd was able to text me (Elissa) miraculously.  We hadn't had any telephone communication since they'd crossed the border into Haiti on Sunday.

 
 

She said people started pouring in. There wasn't power in most of the country, but they had it.  She said one of the first injured to arrive was a four year old boy who had half of the skin torn from his head.  She went upstairs to pray and said the screams were horrible. Shortly after that the power went out, so she started praying intensely about God being the light of the world, After a bit it came back on.

 
 

She said food and water started to run low, they've been eating cold hot dogs for breakfast.  They were with part of group from Kentucky who contacted Go Ministries.  We had met a prominent member of that organization last time we were there and his son helped the team find a bus and a hotel in Santa Domingo for the night.

 
 

Elissa 

Collecting Resources and Preparing my Heart for the Journey

It's been an emotional day today. I've avoided the television because of the coverage from Haiti. I have trouble sitting and watching without doing something to get over there to help. Several friends have called to encourage me and offer support. I think this is a time when I need to step up and take some needed medical supplies to Port-au-Prince

We have to be reasonable about this, to be sure. Our team has been there from the beginning, but was unprepared for something like this. They are running out of food and water and have no choice but to head for safety. They did what they could, but need to return before they find themselves on the wrong side of the equation.

My goal is to partner with an existing organization (Where some of my friends are working in Haiti now) and bring them much needed supplies. We have a Dominican group on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. I plan to meet up with them and purchase medicine, fresh water and gasoline (in 5 gallon jugs) and bring it to my compares in the Capital. This plan will change depending on the needs of the organization and what is available in the Dominican Republic.

I would like to fly out as soon as possible, but am waiting for more financial support for medical supplies and general funding for airfare and other transportation costs. This is an opportunity to participate in this mission to Haiti. Thanks for your help!

This will be a heart-wrenching sojourn with little to look forward to… I would like to ask for your prayers for the people of Haiti, and for the people who are pointing their hearts and lives toward the fray. Let us all be united in our hearts for the helpless children and hurting people in this, their most desperate hour.

If you have any questions feel free to call 541-836-7272 (If you can't get through keep trying or send me an email – admin@mercyleague.org – include your call back number)

Keep praying,

Shane

Going to Haiti to Help!

Dear friends and family,

I am sitting at home looking at the television... watching the devastation in Haiti. I know the city of Port-au-Prince, I have friends with orphanages that have expressed their needs, I speak the language and we have a team there at this moment. One of our team members is a medical doctor.

I would like to go and do my part, but need to collect resources before I go. Please take a moment to call me 541-836-7272 (home) or send a donation via our donate button here. More than money is needed... prayers, medical supplies are needed as well.

If ever you have wanted to respond to a blog... this is the time.

Shane

TERRIBLE NEWS FROM HAITI!!

Earthquake (7.0) in Haiti 3 hours ago and 13 aftershocks, so far.  Untold numbers of people dead and injured. This  happened in the evening. No Power in the city.  Chaos everywhere! We have a team there right now...  They are safe! Lloyd Love sent a message that  they are safe about 25 minutes ago. We are already there! We are working with an  organization in the Port-au-Prince area... so  please send funds to help immediately, if you  are able. We would like to take part in caring  for the survivors of this great tragedy. We will keep you appraised as to our activity there! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHEk_qR5l1I