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.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
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!
Monday, April 14, 2008
What a ride
Dear all,
Below is a copy of an email I sent a couple days ago regarding Tim's aborted Haiti trip - if you're wondering what happened, this should explain things.
++++++
Dear friends,
Thanks so much for your prayers for Tim. What a roller coaster ride!
And just like a real roller coaster, the ride was over faster than expected. Turned out, the mission cancelled the trip in the middle of the night last night due to all the turmoil and the high price of diesel (reportedly going for $100/gallon USD). The operating room is run of course by generators, and at that price, the hospital couldn't afford to buy the diesel to run them -- so no mission trip. American Airlines has graciously given vouchers to all concerned, so folks won't lose their tickets, but can return anytime in the next year.
Meanwhile, about 80 people from the team were already in Haiti. Unfortunately, these are support staff, anaesthesia doctors and nurses, but no surgeons. Most are staying in the mountains for the next week and finishing the trip, as it is much safer to do this than try to go through the capital (where a lot of the rioting is taking place) in order to get to the airport. The regional airline that took them to the mountains from the capital has already shut down operations indefinitely. If they tried to leave now, they would have to drive many miles along very poor roads and risk getting mixed up in the riots. Hopefully, in a week's time, the situation will have calmed down and they can get out safely.
A few people will be trying to leave today, as American has stated that they too will soon stop flying into and out of Haiti for at least a few days, and these people feel they need/want to get out before that happens.
I am overwhelmingly grateful that, once again, God so graciously and lovingly protected a member of our family from physical harm. Yet my heart goes out to the people in Haiti who were lined up for surgery and now will not be able to get the medical care they need. It is hard for us Americans to grasp that there isn't another surgeon down the street to give care -- you know, if you don't like this one, or if she/he isn't available, just go to another one! Of course, that isn't the case in Haiti, which is why the medical group was going down there in the first place!
As the political situation there deteriorates, more and more babies, children and even adults will suffer and some will die due to sickness & lack of medical care, violence or starvation. It isn't a good time to be a Haitian.
Meanwhile, I can't wait to give Tim a big hug when he comes home tomorrow!
Thanks again for your prayers,
Linda Berg
Below is a copy of an email I sent a couple days ago regarding Tim's aborted Haiti trip - if you're wondering what happened, this should explain things.
++++++
Dear friends,
Thanks so much for your prayers for Tim. What a roller coaster ride!
And just like a real roller coaster, the ride was over faster than expected. Turned out, the mission cancelled the trip in the middle of the night last night due to all the turmoil and the high price of diesel (reportedly going for $100/gallon USD). The operating room is run of course by generators, and at that price, the hospital couldn't afford to buy the diesel to run them -- so no mission trip. American Airlines has graciously given vouchers to all concerned, so folks won't lose their tickets, but can return anytime in the next year.
Meanwhile, about 80 people from the team were already in Haiti. Unfortunately, these are support staff, anaesthesia doctors and nurses, but no surgeons. Most are staying in the mountains for the next week and finishing the trip, as it is much safer to do this than try to go through the capital (where a lot of the rioting is taking place) in order to get to the airport. The regional airline that took them to the mountains from the capital has already shut down operations indefinitely. If they tried to leave now, they would have to drive many miles along very poor roads and risk getting mixed up in the riots. Hopefully, in a week's time, the situation will have calmed down and they can get out safely.
A few people will be trying to leave today, as American has stated that they too will soon stop flying into and out of Haiti for at least a few days, and these people feel they need/want to get out before that happens.
I am overwhelmingly grateful that, once again, God so graciously and lovingly protected a member of our family from physical harm. Yet my heart goes out to the people in Haiti who were lined up for surgery and now will not be able to get the medical care they need. It is hard for us Americans to grasp that there isn't another surgeon down the street to give care -- you know, if you don't like this one, or if she/he isn't available, just go to another one! Of course, that isn't the case in Haiti, which is why the medical group was going down there in the first place!
As the political situation there deteriorates, more and more babies, children and even adults will suffer and some will die due to sickness & lack of medical care, violence or starvation. It isn't a good time to be a Haitian.
Meanwhile, I can't wait to give Tim a big hug when he comes home tomorrow!
Thanks again for your prayers,
Linda Berg
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Cancelled
Tims trip was cancelled last night. Seems the price of diesel went up to $100 US Dollars per gallon. Yes, $100. That's not a typo. Food is also scarce and the costs are sky high, leading to much rioting and violence in Port Au Prince and elsewhere. With diesel so high, the hospital where Tim was going to work can't afford to run their generators, so there is no electricity for the operating room and therefore of course, no surgeries can be performed. He got a call sometime during the night last night, and he will be returning to San Antonio from Miami this Sunday.
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