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
