Tuesday, May 20, 2008

PRAYER REQUEST

This is from Jody Castillo's blog posted May 15. Please pray for the mission and this frightening situation!


Stressful Day - Problems with Government
May 15, 2008 at 1:40 am ·

I had just finished a long day of booking tickets and such. So I decided to come upstairs to take a break. My eyes were hurting from staring at the computer screen. Just as soon as I had lifted my feet off the ground - Elveus came in with some disturbing news.

Several years ago the mission was given the government building which sits right in the middle of our property. It housed the Miriam Center and the Nutritional Program for years. Right now it houses the baby orphanage on the roof top and the lower level is soon to be our brand new Birthing Center where we will deliver babies and do surgeries on a daily basis.

We had renovated the building and just begun making final preparations for the birthing center to open by this fall. Today I had a visit from the judge, mayor, and medical director for the Northwest. Even though that building had been given to us years and years ago - they say that the building is theirs and they want it back. They had an architect and an engineer looking at it today - as if they're just going to take it tomorrow.

Obviously my mind went racing as I thought about all the money we had invested into the building - but more importantly the children in the baby orphanage who live on top. I spent hours talking to the men and explaining to them that we had a paper that said that building was ours. Well they said the man who gave us the paper didn't have the authority to do it. I don't know what all this means but I found myself in tears.

I called Janeil who was busy in the states loading up a container that we're shipping to Haiti. We were both pretty frustrated and upset. The group of men said we could either give the building back or build them a new building somewhere else. A new building somewhere else - meaning we buy them property and we spend thousands and thousands of dollars for the building. It's basically all about money - as it always is here in Haiti.

The government can do whatever they want to do - decide that papers aren't legal or even make-up new papers to suit their needs. Everyone I talked to here says it's a very serious problem. This group of men had plans drawn up for the building and aren't wasting any time. There were many other things shared at this meeting - but I just don't have the heart to depress you any further…… as it has certainly depressed me. The corruption of the government has never been more clear to me than now.

I have set up a meeting for June 3rd at 4:00 p.m. While I normally wouldn't share this kind of news…I feel like it's important for God's people to start praying. The meeting will be with some of our directors and staff and the mayor, judge, senator, health administrator, and other Haitian medical directors.

Please join us in prayer as we fight to keep our building and the programs it houses.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Everyone got out safely!

Tim and I received an update and the 80 folks who were in Haiti all got home safe and sound! Hurray!