Day Seven - Is there hope for Haiti?

We finally found a cyber cafe open in Carrefour. It appears the Haitians are getting back on their feet. Many Haitians have walked up to Carlos and I and are asking for a job, they want to translate for us. So many are looking for ways to provide for their families. As we rode on a public bus into Port-au-Price, the Haitian family members gasped at the damage of familiar buildings of their past. For many, this was their first trip back to Haiti. Silence covered the bus as we continued to see the destruction. Most people on that bus were trying to find loved ones.

Yesterday we climbed a mountain 1 hour and a half away from the tent city we've been staying in. There is a church 1200 feet above sea level nestled between the hills of the summit. It's frail wooden structure was still in tact. I asked why this building was still standing since it is so close to the epicenter. The Pastor explains that wood is more humble than concrete. It bends when it should.

Later that day, we worked with "California in Action" and helped distrubute tickets for meals to families needing a meal. The ticket works as a voucher. You have a voucher, you get food. It prevents massive chaos. It worked really well. About 100 people were fed.

As we walked through the earth shaken streets of the local neighborhood. 10 different families called out for umbrellas and tarps. They complain that they need to get out of the sun. Their make-shift homes of sheets and wood, are the only materials between them and the wheather.

Currently we're trying to team up with this church we're sleeping at. It currently houses 800 refugees. When Carlos and I arrived two days ago, they welcomed us with open arms. They have given us their best, even though they just experienced great lost. We are sleeping on the ground among them, laughing with them and learning from them. My Creole, Spanish and French skills are being developed. We still need a translator where ever we go. It's amazing how we find someone right when we need assistance.

Our first night in the tent city at the church was remarkable. A new friend of mine said, "When the earthquake happend, All I could hear was, Jesus!" He noticed how people were turing towards their faith and not away from it. At midnight as we slept on the broken concrete and dirt ground, a voice from our right began to sing in Creole. Moments later poeple from our left joined in. Soon, most of the people were singing. I couldn't understand a word of it, but it was truly uplifting for me.

Later at 3:00am a different man led the song. I don't know when they stopped, because I fell a sleep. The tent city arose with the sun at 5:00am and was ready for the day. Pots and pans began to click, the beds were being rolled up and the children all needed to bathe. Mothers directing, fathers dressing and kids playing painted a picture that appears the Haitian people haven't missed a beat. They have their loved ones close and their faith closer.

Haiti will rise again!