may (to catch up)

may came and went in a flash. i spent most of the month traveling between florida, tennessee, haiti and the bahamas.

(i'm wearing a new favorite tshirt, just to give a visual: it has so much iron-on plastic that it crinkles when i sit, stand, walk, move in general. it's a picture of earth as a basketball with 'hoops for haiti' arched over the top of the worldball. on the back, there is a warrior on horseback of some kind with words: 'we're all in this together' slapped as the warrior's aurora.)

florida was a conference to gather about 60 transporters in one place to create an operation to supply haiti's needs. the room was absolutely not big enough to fit all the egos in one place. it was confirming though that the heavy hitters in the developing world arena mostly shoot from the hip. there is a ton of room for movements and ideas. stayed at the w hotel in fort lauderdale. kinky. the shower's wall facing the bedroom and balcony (and sequentially the rest of the world) was a window. i bathed bravely once, and then the next morning felt clean enough to people watch at the race for the cure and fly to nashville via auburn. auburn to pay homage, and nashville to surprise everyone like gene parmesan of arrested development.

mother's day, dad's birthday, jordan's graduation from ut, all the following week. loved being there for all of it. my dad was so surprised he didn't even recognize me. flew back to the bahamas the following weekend, scooting out just in time to avoid a macho thunderstorm passing over downtown island home airport in kn0xville, tn. turning out of the traffic pattern we navigated right around thunder, lightning and pillars of rain. it continued like that until we were out of the mountains and the rest of the trip to the bahamas was smooth. i had never flown over the kennedy space center and that flight was my first. there's a skinny corridor to take just next to it that you get a good glimpse at the shuttle and station. cool.

jumped into a week with auburn wesley foundation who came to volunteer with us for a week. anna bellamy took care of my grandmother for about a year and a half until nan passed away this past march. she continues to take care of my grandfather by taking care of the house and getting him out of the house keeping his mind going. she came down on the flight with me from knoxville and spent the week too. it was really great having her here.

the following weekend, i left for haiti to be there for four days. the purpose for our time in haiti again is to see if there are long term opportunities for bahamas habitat to meet needs sustainably with general aviation. the week was packed! got to visit 5 airports in haiti, 4 in the bahamas during the week including grass, gravel, paved, busy and empty alike. so much to write about there, but the gist is that our vision is to partner with existing medical personnel and supply them with volunteer pilots.

'what is it like in haiti now?' many people ask me this. i tell them that i can tell you what haiti looks like since the earthquake in january, not knowing exactly what it looked like before then but have a good hint that it wasn't strong, and now i imagine that it is back to where it was before the earthquake with many resources and great potential. what's the hold up? sustainability, long-term solution mentalities. i'm thankful that this is a problem in one sense. but, the most heartbreaking thing is seeing containers stacked full of food and relief items locked next to tent cities with literally thousands of people starving and desperate. what i saw a few weeks ago is consistent with what i saw 3 days after the earthquake. literally tons of relief items and resources, need pounding on the walls of terminal buildings and emptiness in between. so, what's the need? before the earthquake there were 1000 n.g.o.s. post-earthquake, 8000 applications are in line to receive n.g.o. status which grants duty-free imports. many of these are logistics organizations. there are about 9 million people who live in haiti, with about 7.5/8 million living right in port au prince. my heart is continually broken with those i meet in haiti, i'm thankful that there are ways to be in touch with one another's physical, spiritual, emotional needs. i echo mother teresa's prayer again, 'pray for me that i not loosen my grip on the hands of Jesus, even when ministering to the poor.' the mindset of discernment is a constant battle.

came back to the bahamas and was here through the rest of the month hosting teams and sorting the information and resources that i found during the previous weeks. also in the midst of being in haiti, jordan and allie, my brother and sister-in-law had a baby girl, named isabelle lee, or izzy. i cannot wait to see her in august!

mumford and sons rock

'roll away your stone' mumford and sons

watch this video

Roll away your stone I will roll away mine
Together we can see what we will find
Don't leave me alone at this time
For I am afraid of what I will discover inside

You told me that I wouldn't find a home
Beneath the fragile substance of my soul
And I have filled this void with things unreal
And all the while my character it steals

Darkness is a harsh term don't you think
Yet it dominates the things I see

It seems that all my bridges have been burned
But you say 'That's exactly how this grace thing works’
It's not the long walk home that will change this heart
But the welcome I receive with every start

Darkness is a harsh term don't you think
And yet it dominates the things I see
Darkness is a harsh term don't you think
And yet it dominates the things I see

Stars hide your fires
For these here are my desires
And I won't give them up to you this time around
And so I will be found
With my stake stuck in the ground
Marking the territory of this newly impassioned soul

And you, you've gone too far this time
You have neither reason nor rhyme
With which to take this soul that is so rightfully mine

“fairyland is nothing but the sunny country of common sense”

gk chesterton: easily my favorite author. i’m reading orthodoxy now and i love the man who was Thursday. he inspired cs lewis and the others in his league. from orthodoxy:

“the love of a hero is more terrible than the hatred of a tyrant. the hatred of a hero is more generous than the love of a philanthropist. there is a huge and heroic sanity of which moderns can only collect the fragments. there is a giant of whom we see only the lopped arms and legs walking about. they have torn the soul of Christ into silly strips, labeled egoism and altruism, and they are equally puzzled by His insane magnificence and His insane meekness. they have parted His garments among them, and for His vesture they have cast lots; though the coat was without seam woven from the top throughout.”

“the point is that this world is not too sad to love or too glad not to love; the point is that when you do love a thing, its gladness is a reason for loving it, and its sadness a reason for loving it all the more.”

“let us suppose we are confronted with a desperate thing – say pimlico. if we think what is really best for pimlico we shall find the thread of thought leads to the throne or the mystic and the arbitrary. it is not enough for a man to disapprove of pimlico: in that case he will merely cut his throat or move to chelsea. nor, certainly, is it enough for a man to approve of pimlico: for then it will remain pimlico, which would be awful. the only way out of it seems to be for somebody to love pimlico: to love it with a transcendental tie and without any earthly reason. if there arose a man who loved pimlico, then pimlico would rise into ivory towers and golden pinnacles; pimlico would attire herself as a woman does when she is loved. for decoration is not given to hide horrible things: but to decorate things already adorable. a mother does not give her child a blue bow because he is so ugly without it. a lover does not give a girl a necklace to hide her neck. if men loved pimlico as mothers love children, arbitrarily, because it is theirs, pimlico in a year or two might be fairer than florence. some readers will say that this is mere fantasy. i answer that this is the actual history of mankind. this, as a civilization and you will find them knotted round some sacred stone afterwards gained glory for it. men did not love rome because she was great. she was great because they had loved her.

haiti summary

(confession: ripped this from a formal explanation written earlier)

14 January 2010 Bahamas Methodist Habitat flew its first flight in response to Haiti's earthquake disaster that occurred on 12 January. That first flight continued onto a 60-day airlift to include 400 missions, 120 mission pilots/airplanes, and 250,000+ lbs. of critical medical supplies and food delivered. The first flight was into Port au Prince, we expanded to focus on outlying communities utilizing six airports: Cap Haitian, Les Cayes, Jeremie, Pignon, La Gonave, Jacmel. We partnered with Rotary International through whom we established on-the-ground contacts for needs and proper distribution. The contacts in Haiti were primarily medical-related but also included humanitarian organizations and orphanages.

The operation itself was simple. We established two warehouses to collect donated supplies: Johnston County, North Carolina (KJNX) and Fort Lauderdale, Florida (KFXE). Volunteers operated both these warehouses tirelessly. Banyan Air Service at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport operated the warehouse and served as our primary collection point for the States and gateway to the Caribbean, not forgetting to mention providing fuel at cost! When pilots flew to Haiti, (s)he would collect necessary supplies (medical supplies based on the phase of relief and rice, beans, oil) from their local community and/or top-off the load at our warehouse and come to Nassau, Bahamas. Odyssey Aviation made the staging operation there possible through the use of warehouse space, fueling at a discounted rate and facilitating international procedures for the pilots. Pilots would then base there in Nassau being dispatched each morning on specific missions depending on the load of supplies and the most pressing needs at the time. Right at about eight-hour days, pilots would return to rest and repeat for as long as (s)he was able and willing. All pilots generously gave their time and own financial support.

The airlift continued until Haiti's ports opened and commercial travel resumed operation. Our relief effort became inefficient and consequently less effective and we cleared our warehouses through the use of container shipments to Haiti. We, BMH/BH, are currently assessing how we might be involved in the long-term recovery phase as we partner with those whom we came into contact during the critical response phase. We are aiming to have a long-term plan established by the end of May after our assessment pilot determines what need, if any, we are capable of meeting in Haiti.

The government of Haiti has resumed tough customs and duty (arbitrary, and extreme) requirements. It is making it difficult to transport supplies into the country because of the requirement to pay extreme landing fees and duty. In one sense, they’re not to be blamed because this is the largest, if not the only, source of income for the country, but the corruption that in included is what rocks the willingness of many dropping supplies realizing that the goods will not be appropriately distributed and only making the officials more well-to-do. Again, when you are in the circumstances that press onto Haiti, the perspective is very limited. This is a definite place for prayers as there is a great deal of hope for those in Haiti and the country as a whole, but it’s stretching wineskins right now.

You might want to have a Haiti map up and ready)

Cities, Planes, Pilots

With PAP being so centralized in terms of resources and the influx of refugees to the outlying cities and the performance characteristics of small aircraft as the ones we fly, we focus on flying everywhere except PAP, with rare exceptions.  Cities include: Les Cayes, Jacmel, Jeremie, Cap Haitien, Pignon and La Gonave.  We are working on Port au Paix.  Our requirement for landing and delivering supplies is that we have secured a ground contact that is ready to claim the supplies.  From there we match the conditions and need with the capability of the aircraft and supplies on hand.

Planes that have come through for the aviation enthusiasts: Albatross from Nevada, Skymaster from Canada (blew an engine on takeoff that they handled famously), Barons, Bonanzas, Cirrus, Senecas (one flew direct from Massachusetts to Nassau at night through the Bermuda triangle..nutheads), Aztecs, Diamond from Michigan, Pilatus from New Jersey and California, Meridians, Malibus, Cessna 180 and 182, Navajos, King Air from Texas, Lance from NY.  We have had about 130 planes involved so far.

The people who have come through have been incredible, about 250 so far (including relief workers and pilots).  Everyone has interesting stories, and it’s gotten to the point that I am no longer surprised or disbelieve anyone who tells me their airplane has been in movies, they own Madison Square Garden and the NY Knicks, they were the Sunkist girl from Hollywood when she was a teenager, a full-time farmer from Iowa, they started The Salon hair salons, are billionaires or have no money at all, or are world famous aerobatic pilots.  The guy organizing our warehouse built water purification systems everywhere from Africa to Costa Rica and Haiti, sailed the world, worked on fishing boats and he tells me something new everyday and I believe every word of it.  And, I may or may not know most of this because we Google-search their name after meeting them.

Day in Les Cayes

Three weeks ago we took off in a Baron and a Bonanza from Nassau before sunrise to try and make it to Les Cayes in time for church.  A few technicalities kept us from making it on time but instead we spent the afternoon meeting the doctors and seeing the clinics where the supplies that we deliver are going.  That day is one that I will not forget anytime soon.  After landing, about 10 of us piled into trucks and went to a missionary’s house, had lunch at the guesthouse, visited 2 clinics and a tent city, then flew back to Nassau.  The capability of general aviation shined brightly on the reality that we are able to go in and out of Haiti in a day able to serve a purpose without being a burden.  It was a battle internally having lunch there but accepted it with the realization that many times accepting hospitality serves a greater good than the obvious negative we are eating food that the country does not have to spare.

The clinics were heartbreaking.  I pray that God continues to break your heart and mine and realize that only through Christ are we made whole and righteousness is found.  This is a prayer that we pray regularly.  Of the 50 beds in the first clinic we visited 44 of them were occupied by refugees from PAP.  At that point, most medical procedures remedied injuries as a result of being crushed by buildings.  Broken legs and hips being set, many amputated. Forgive the gore, but to give you an idea of the need for medical supplies, many of the amputations are done with old hacksaws and Tylenol.  That is all that is available when the supplies are depleted as quickly as they are in Haiti’s crisis. 

Dr. Richard McGlaughlin is a pilot and a surgeon.  He came initially to fly supplies in and out but after seeing the need, decided that his skills as a surgeon would better benefit than as a pilot.  So on his second trip in, he stayed for over 2 weeks.  We were reunited the day we got to visit and he showed us one of his improvisations that impressed us all.  He ran out of hardware to set bones so he set a broken leg with rebar.  It was nuts to see.  One of my favorite personal aspects is seeing how a material, the rebar, is used in both parts of BMH’s ministry.  We use rebar so much in the home repair aspect and then we saw it used to improvise medical procedures in the relief efforts.  Dr. McGlaughlin beamed with his creativity.

There is more to this story but honestly, I don’t totally feel comfortable putting it on the internet...if this sounds sketchy, it is.  But it has something to do with customs, lost passports, passengers and plane checks.

I will say this one last part though.  To land or takeoff at any airport in the Bahamas other than Nassau, you must schedule an appointment and the airport operator must gain clearance from Nassau to turn on the runway lights.  In the air at night, you must be on an IFR flight plan.  We were really pushing time trying to get out of Great Exuma, our fuel stop, on the way back from Haiti to Nassau before sunset.  The first plane took off and a Bahamas Air DHV-8 squeezed between us for takeoff.  Annoying.  We were all calling Clearance for IFR and takeoff clearances.  The -8 literally positioned right in front of me in a Bonanza with both monstrous engines flowing.  Although they chimed in on the radios after me, they were doing their best to get ahead of me.  It didn’t help that the other aircraft and me differed in call signs by 1 number (N359P and N459P).  Anyway, by the grace of God I’m convinced, I was given a clearance before the Bahamas Air flight which usually get priority as it is a commercial airliner.  If I could have, it would’ve been better for me to reverse the plane to get around the -8.  Instead I scooted around the beast of a plane and puttered into position for takeoff.  I know I was cussed at least once.  We were on climb out when the sun dipped below the horizon.  A few minutes later and we would’ve been stuck on the ground trying to call Nassau for our appointment.  Whew!  This story is an example of some of the Bahamian ridiculousness.  I never did hear Bahamas Air on the Nassau frequencies.

Charlie and Fuel

God is incredible in provision and strength and love.  Multiple times daily we see the promise of God so obviously.  Planning only goes so far and then we see the reality of God’s guidance so obviously.  For example, Charlie Zaloom from NY flew with us for 11 days.  He shimmied down to PAP in his Cessna 180 to base himself independently distributing goods to outlying villages.  He was in Jacmel, a city just 25 miles south of PAP, and thought to himself that he could really use just a bit more fuel, 5-10 gallons.  Knowing the little to no possibility of actually getting the fuel to make him comfortable, he brushed it off just as another plane landed.  The pilot jumped out with a full fuel can and handed it to Charlie saying he had extra and didn’t know if Charlie could use it or not.  Charlie hadn’t made any request for it to anyone.  I’m telling you, these events happen daily.

Media

The day Charlie headed back to NY we had a short conversation about the struggle with the media attention of those like Charlie.  A reporter from Plane and Pilot was here and Charlie and I talked about how frustrating it is when people try to make heroes out of people simply doing what they can.  I just read in the book Three Cups of Tea what I think sums up our conversation:  (a quote from a well known climber and humanitarian) ‘I was just an average bloke.  It was the media that tried to transform me into a heroic figure.  But I’ve learned through the years, as long as you don’t believe all that rubbish about yourself, you can’t come to too much harm.’  I was reminded of Charlie and all the pilots who have come through when I read this.  I pray that the reporters that have come through here will simply tell the real story of what is happening in Haiti and the beauty of God that shines so brightly when we serve one another in love.

Holding My Breath

One of the more exciting flights was with Gene Schmidt.  This weekend he is on his way down for the 5^th time since the earthquake!  (I have Gene Parmesean of Arrested Development in my head whenever I say his name)  Kelsey Farrington, one of my college roommates, came down for over a week to help us out with emails, phones, logistics, etc.  She was a huge relief as we were able to catch a little air with her help.  (She says she’ll be back soon…I’m going to hold her to that!)  Gene, Kelsey and I flew down to Jacmel, Haiti.  The airport is fun as it is controlled by the Canadians from a collapsible table on the porch tucked in some mountains right on the southern coast of Haiti.  Landing to the South, on base to final there is a steep hill that causes a weird feeling, as you are on a normal decent.  And takeoff, although ultimately safe, gets your blood flowing a good bit as you stare at the mountain just ahead before turning around it.  There was a moment when you couldn’t think about anything else than that you’re committed on the takeoff and you just need to keep flying.  Gene said, “It’s not unsafe to fly down here…sometimes you are just very, very focused.”

La Gonave

The most risky, and in-need, place we fly is La Gonave.  La Gonave, also known as The Forgotten Island, sits just off the port.  If Haiti is a mouth, La Gonave is the tongue, that’s the technical descriptions I give in the briefings.  This island has 150,000 people living on it and depends entirely on shipments from PAP, just about 20 miles across the water.  With the disfunction of PAP due to the earthquake, there is no food/water or medical supplies or anything really going to the people there without the assistance of small aircraft.  Other organizations such as MAF and us are flying are the only physical way that supplies are delivered.  That is a crazy reality to us but because of that, there is danger when we land because the need is so great.  Mark, one of the pilots, in his C210 has gone twice to La Gonave.  To land he did a low fly-over to assess the field.  He saw some type of official holding a green flag giving the clearance to land indicating that it is secure and safe. Immediately upon shutting down the engine, a swarm of locals surrounded the plane making it difficult for Mark to get out.  The official who held the green flag for landing in one hand was now using the stick in his other hand to keep people away from the plane.  It was great, except that in his effort to protect the plane was hitting it every time he drew back with his stick.  Mark and I had a good laugh about that.  He also told me that women would hand him their babies and others would reach into his pockets looking for food.  Throughout the country when kids see us, they gather their fingers together holding it to their mouths showing that they want food.  Reflecting on his experience at La Gonave, he told me about his second visit there and said, “It’s scary but I would do the same thing as them if I were as hungry as they are.”

PAP x 3:: Day 1, MAF, and the Beech 1900

I’ve made to PAP 3 times so far.  The first was the Friday after the earthquake.  It took us 2 days to get there as the airspace was so congested.  The other pilot, Dave Spangler (a missionary pilot based on the same island where I live, Eleuthera) and I got as far as Inagua (the Southern-most island of the Bahamas and the island of Morton salt) where airplanes were stacked about 12 and 16 high holding until their turn to land on PAP’s only runway.  We landed here and stayed the night as we have connections through BMH and the Methodist church. The following morning we took off at dawn and landed by 8:30.  We circled the runway for 30 minutes, which is better than the 3 hours they anticipated the day before.  When we landed, we saw that everybody showed up for the party: The US government, Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, China, Jamaica, France, everybody.  It was quiet chaos as there was tons of need literally pressing against the glass doors on the other side of the terminal and tons of supplies and food ready to be distributed, but the terminal was empty in between.  It was very symbolic of the situation.  Everyone was there but there was no one to close the gap and actually meet needs with provision.  It took us 3 hours to unload a Piper Aztec because no one really knew what to do.  We finally made it back after picking up a family of 5 needing to get back to the States.

The second time I went in a Navajo, owned by the NYC Dolan family, with Ben Dolan to deliver a load to Charlie Zaloom, which he in turn delivered to the outlying cities.  Upon landing we met Charlie who took us to a hospital right on the field.  The tents, donated by Alanzo Mourning were filled with people being treated.  In block letters with permanent marker a cardboard sign read, “WOUND CARE”.  Coleman camping tents were set up only 50 feet away from the hospital separated by the walkway for everyone.  They served as isolation tents as some feared small pox was about to break out.  We walked around talking with lead doctors collecting information on specific needs that we can deliver.  We make an attempt to meet real needs, not just deliver supplies.  Especially after we learned that some of the medicine we delivered was cholesterol and Alzheimer’s medicine; that was frustrating.  We walked around and I actually ran into some friends of mine!  It was my boss/supervisor/mentor at MAF during my internship in Idaho summer of ’08.  They have a base there and had many from the Nampa office come for support including most of those who I knew from MAF.  It was really fun and we have since continued conversation about how we might partner in the relief effort.

The third time was just yesterday and I got to fly with Pineapple Air in a Beech 1900. Definitely the biggest airplane I’ve ever gotten to fly…and least technologically developed airplane lately.  For you pilots, it had Avidyne display but operated with a NDB and no autopilot.  Straight stick flying for 4 hours…whewhoo!  I have no idea how anyone gets away with letting me fly it with passengers on it and no training per that plane but at least there was a captain sitting next to me, never mind that he was 23 years old!  It was fun and on the way back we planned to pick up 17 doctors/nurses with Partners in Health.  Partners in Health is the organization that Paul Farmer started.  (If you don’t know who he is please Wikipedia search him and read the book, Mountains Beyond Mountains, and then let’s talk about it.)  We landed, I met a local named Rolex and got another guy to go with me to chase down the group of 17 at the main terminal since we were down the road at the general aviation terminal.  Lots of run around got us to a plane loaded with only 9, 4 of whom were Partners in Health doctors. We made it back and as excited as I was to finally meet people involved with Partners in Health it was pretty anticlimactic.

haiti relief

Today I got to sleep in…went to sleep at 9:00 last night and got up at 9:15 this morning.  Went on a walk to the store and got settled in the room that is a condo/time share marina called Sandyport donated to us for 2 weeks.  It’s ideal..3 beds/2 bath with a kitchenette.  I’m very thankful for a place to stay.  For the last 2 weeks we’ve slept at the airport, and Odyssey aviation is the FBO where we’ve based the relief efforts for the last month.  They gave us a warehouse space.  It’s a quirky space with one wall dedicated to a line of our air mattresses.  Pretty funny looking.  We now have a place just about 10 minutes away that is comfortable.  An update.  Where to begin?

The gist of the operation is that we are meeting needs through the use of general aviation.  We carry medical supplies, food/water and shelter materials (tarps, tents, sheets, etc.), listed in order of priority.  We carry passengers but it is by far the biggest challenge of everything.  We do not charge to carry passengers, as per legal reasons mostly but rely on pilots raising their own support to cover fuel costs.  We have a solid understanding as an organization that money will not be what inhibits a pilot’s willingness to serve Haiti through aviation.  Therefore, we rely on the financial support of donors.  I’m thankful to say that we have been supported solidly by many generous donors, many of who are you.  (Thank you!)

General Aviation (GA) opens many possibilities through its capability for small, pointed and flexible operation to respond almost instantly.  It’s interesting comparing the beginning of this effort to when we started growing into larger and faster aircraft.  At the beginning it was eating meager meals and going all the time.  When the bigger and faster boys came in, we found ourselves being asked to order catering for when the pilots returned and having to calculate every pound being loaded on the aircraft but able to get 2 runs to Haiti in a day as compared to the 1 by small planes.  We’ve had a few laughs about that, and learned to balance our fleet with small and larger aircraft.

One of my favorite stories is that a few weeks ago a Citation flew critical antibiotics destined for Cap Haitien, Haiti from Montgomery, AL to Ft. Lauderdale, FL by 10 am.  A few of our small aircraft met the plane and an Alabamian politician to transport them to Nassau, and from there, a Pilatus took the load to Cap Haitien in the afternoon.  I was amazed.  We didn’t even plan for it to go that quickly, we actually were excited when we planned to get it there the next day. This is the opportunity of GA.  Although seemingly inefficient as you think about how small and comparably slow the deliveries are made, small aircraft meet the needs without the red tape and provisions of large micro-organized operations.

I pray that we are getting more organized and balanced.  I think we are on our way more and more everyday but are also slapped every once in awhile when we try to do too much and get ahead of ourselves and possibly the Spirit.  A normal day:

6:45:  Breakfast for the pilots, prepared by St. Michael’s Methodist Church

7:00:  Dispatch airplanes and make final preparations for the day’s mission (fuel, load, plan, coordinate with air traffic control) 

**Flights are made both Ft. Lauderdale-Nassau and Nassau-Haiti carrying supplies**

8:30:  Pilots are out, and we (staff) coordinate pilots, planes, supplies, passengers, meeting requests of Haiti doctors and missionaries, receiving new pilots and supplies from Ft. Lauderdale and otherwise

4:00: Planes begin returning from Haiti

7:00:  Finalize the logistics for the following day

8:30/9:30:  Dinner

Abraham, Matt and I work together on all of these parts of the day.  I am usually coordinating and flying, working with people both in person and otherwise throughout the day.  I’m thankful that we all get along well and have grown to depend and support each other so critically.

The situation in Haiti is still desperate.  For the first two weeks it was constant trauma and emergency care.  Haiti is very centralized in Port au Prince (PAP) as a governmental power play and because of the port.  A parallel is if we in the USA had to drive to NYC from Tennessee to get your driver’s license.  Therefore, the country is extremely rural and undeveloped.  Many have asked if I’ve seen much damage but honestly Haiti was a desperate place well before the earthquake.  The silver lining is that this is an opportunity for a fresh start for an already hurting Haiti, even before the earth moved under its feet.  Haiti has the world’s attention.  (I can attest, we fly in sequence with Japan, Jamaica, USA, Germany, Bahamas, and others.) 

After the emergency phase, the second wave came.  Many many many people fled PAP to the outlying villages where many had family or some sort of transportation to get there.  Anywhere but PAP was good in most people’s minds.  Les Cayes (pronounced: la kii) is a city about 100 miles west of PAP with a population of about 7,500.  Within two weeks after the earthquake the population doubled. 

We are walking into the third phase now, which is the foothold for long-term partnerships and sustainable solutions.  Much of the needs that we meet are very necessary, but short-term focused.  We will continue as long as need and provision are there.  A personal hope is that the outlying cities will be strong enough to retain the influx of people and the country will grow stronger as density is dispersed.  That would mean opening more ports and a couple cities in particular, such as Cap Haitien, Jacmel and La Cayes are ideal locations to receive shipments.

Everyone involved with the Haiti relief effort are beginning to raise our heads and open our eyes to the long-term solutions and how we might contribute, if at all.  We are in a unique position here nestled in the middle of the USA and Haiti with access to so many resources such as medical personnel, aviators/planes, and incredible support from so many.  We plan to continue going daily as we have been through February at least.  Support is still strong, thankfully.  In March we have talked about having pointed missions every week, or on need basis, and go from there…we’ll see.

If you don’t have time/are done reading, thank you for your support.  Stories are coming if you are interested in the fluff, and pictures are on Facebook.  If you want to be involved, see these ways: 

1.) Pray and tell the story of Haiti’s situation.  Get in touch with the local Haitian community in your city.  I’d bet there is a lively one near you.

2.) Collect medical supplies and get it as least as far as Ft. Lauderdale.  The address is: 5320 NW 20th Terrace Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309.   Clearly mark it for Haiti Relief c/o Bahamas Habitat.  See the needs list attached.  You may also send food: Rice, Beans, Oil and Dry Milk.  We place a high priority on medical supplies, as rice becomes very expensive rice when transported on our airplanes with limited loads.

3.) If you are a doctor, particularly a surgeon, or a pilot with an airplane and IFR rating, volunteer your time and skill.  See www.bahamashabitat.org for both sign-up forms to get you on your way to Haiti.

4.) Give financially to contribute towards fuel and operating costs.  All donations are tax-deductible, including flights made as pilots.  You may make donations through our website:www.bahamashabitat.org.

5.)  (insert creativity)  Consider long-term partnerships and sustainable contributions.  (who loves buzz words?)

The day off was really welcomed.  I’m thankful for this team who makes me feel okay about taking the time to rest and be quiet today.  A song that runs through my head a good bit is by The Swell Season called “A Love that Conquers”.  Enjoy it if you find the time to listen to it.  I know y’all are busy having babies, doing well with your businesses, loving people constantly and pursuing incredible lives.  How are you?  What has been going on in your world?  I would love to know.  I hope you take time to breathe with the confidence that God is good, His love endures forever and His strength will withstand eternally.  Love you all.

peace, 

cameron

junk junk junkanoo!

the american contingency of bmh minus abe met in albany, ga to head back to the states.  we flew back in the cherokee that they had flown up a few days after i went back to the states.  the flight was fun and laid back.  it was a fun realization when i didn't feel compelled to take pictures crossing the water between florida and the bahamas.  we made it fine and it was good to be back, no doubt.

kp got married the weekend after i left for the states.  vonia, his wife, has 3 kids living with her.  all 5 are now living in the apartment above my room and the urick's space.  it's a really fun arrangement and it means that we get to be neighbors with all the people in this family who are great.  love it.  i wish that everyone will come and see everything and meet everyone.

i'm thankful to be here and here for a solid time.  coming in october and leaving in both november and december interrupts life a good bit in a place when people don't travel a whole lot.  settling in for the new year has caused us as an organization to start having good conversation about how we will live and work together.  good things are happening and i'm excited for the good things that will come when we are operating fluidly.

new years eve we had a spaghetti dinner and a righteous dance party at abe's house.  it was super spontaneous and turned 0ut to be really fun when we all got into it.  just in time for the countdown to the new year to begin, we got to the beach house which is a restaurant that had a band for the night.  they had fireworks and a lot of people...we brought lots too, about 13 of us piled into our 15 passenger van with only 2 seats (unless we stuff the adirondack chairs in for comfort).

we got in around 130 am and were back up again at 445 for sunrise at surfer's beach again.  the sun came, but we didn't see it because of the clouds.  we napped after eating pancakes and bacon that matt made us at 4 am (ridiculous) for a few hours.  we stayed through the morning and played in the waves and frisbee.  at one point there were about 13 surfers in the water and more people than i've ever seen there.

all the different cultures on this small island are amazing, really.  and how everyone gets along, too.  there's this small community of surfers and visiting surfers all ages, mostly older.  surf by day and play or listen to music by night.  then you have the church community, and the tourist community..everyone seems to have their niche or at least their identity.  then there's the love to not categorize each other that i think will always be a good struggle.  napping in the afternoon, we prepared for junkanoo in harbor island, or briland as it's affectionally known.

junkanoo started at "6" and that's when we got there.  i think besides the vendors, we were in the first batch to arrive for the festival.  junkanoo was built up in my head as this parade similar to the parades in china with the crazy multiple person dragons with a bahamian bent.  there's competitions and each settlement has a junkanoo crew.  last night was briland's junkanoo with kids.  these kids were so good!!  they were good but honestly...this whole thing was a little anti-climatic.  they didn't start marching until 945.  whew.  the time was spent well all hanging out and walking the docks.  shoot.  let me tell about that.  these boats are beyond description.  a smudge would be noticed on these multi-million dollar yachts, deep-sea fishing boats..some fishing boats had 4 300 hp engines on the back.  this island is where all the celebrities come when they say they're coming to the bahamas.  it's about an hour north of jc where we live.  we also watched them get ready for the parade.  they had barrels, like gasoline barrels, covered in goatskin that had to be warmed up by a bonfire.  the costumes are super colorful and paper mache.  these kids were so good!  they had these coordinated dances, with these crazy headdresses following them and a full band including the goatskin drums.  they did great..but really, it only lasted about 20 minutes.  whew.  lots o waiting.  but really, it was fun all us together and seeing this big tradition in the bahamas.

the airplane has a little trouble with the magneto and we won't be flying it until we take care of the issue.  but we have lots to look forward too as we all go at the new year.  we are getting in our groove as an organization.  our first volunteers of the year come in just a few weeks!

the verse that's been in my head is philippeans 1:9: 'so this is my prayer: that you love will flourish and that you will not only love much but love well.  learn to love appropriately.'  i hope we love well this year in all that we do.