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From everything I have heard from people on the ground, Canadians in Haiti have done a wonderful job helping Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake. But this story is a disgrace.

Canada has announced it will temporarily house the government of quake-devastated Haiti. This was first announced Fe…

The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), an NGO active in Haiti, testified at the US House Foreign Affairs Committee’s House Subcommittee on the West…

In Tom Gato, Leogane, there is an ant epidemic that is causing havoc in the region. The ants are attacking the peasants’ farms causing many people to lose their harvest.

Those ants are even attacking some of the animals such as goats, cows, and pigs. When those animals reproduce, the ants attack the newborns until they kill them.

They are not only a problem for the farms, but also a threat the livelihood of the people in the area. Some of the ants have been spotted inside some homes.

The Yout…

For CEPR's complete coverage please visit Haiti: Relief and Reconstruction Watch.

Yesterday the Congressional Black Caucus held a hearing, "Focus on Haiti: The Road to Recovery - A Six Month Review," featuring Rajiv Shah (US…

1. Haiti is the only independent country in the Americas where French is the official language, this causes a definite cultural isolation from her neighbors with whom she has much more in common than

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I am not sure I want to add anything right at the moment but I think there needs to a place to discuss the election, candidates, voter education, etc....…

A strategy for keeping private clinics in Haiti open could also be a way to expand access to high-quality care in the United States.

This post is a copy - paste of information I've written for other structural engineers going to Haiti to conduct post-earthquake damage assessments. I was conducting assessments in a village called Masson, which is NE of Leogane.

…

Over the past two weeks people all around Gressier have been protesting against the way that NGOs are functioning in their area.

This time, most of the frustration was against Tear Fund, especially, the way that organization is working in Ti Boukan. They have been in the area since the earthquake, and nothing has been done for the people in Ti Boukan.
The presence of Tear Fund in the community has led other organizations to ignore the area, for each time people seek their help, those other orga…

Interesting post from R. Todd Johnson on Friends of Ethiopia blog discussing the unintended consequences of the NGO economy, and why buy-one-get-one (BOGO) charity programs destroy opportunity.

Let's face it, we've drifted far afield from the original concept of “charity.” Rather, as a matter of public policy, we instead seem fixated on the idea of tax subsidies…

There has been an increase in NGOs presence in Haiti ever since the quake of January 12th. The citizen of Fondwa is a little skeptical about the promises being made such as they might receive housing, training, and food supply.
Tear Fund, Save the Children, BRAC to cite just a few are doing surveys of the population to assess pre and post- quake conditions.

According to some of the individuals, they mentioned that they would stop cooperating with these NGOs because for their asse…

An independent commission of inquiry into the Jan. 19 killings of a dozen or more inmates at a prison in Les Cayes, Haiti, was formally established by presidential decree this week, officials said.

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Even though 'blogging' is so very 2006, the good things about blogs remain. You get to choose to read. You won't wake up to find emails in your in-box with information and stories you don't have any desire or time to see. There is never guilt for deleting without reading.  If you don't like it or don't have time, you don't come read it.  If it is offensive to you, it is your choice to never return. 
In the last five years this blog has become a place where we not only share all the stories and happenings in Haiti and in our family, but we also process things 'out-loud'. Sometimes our struggles have been more open, raw, and honest than some people are comfortable reading. I know this because of the occasional email we get explaining how we can be better at life, faith, and the sharing of both. 




The paradox of Haiti certainly creates conflict within us. There are plenty of posts that were written from a place of deep pain and total confusion. There are many more written from places of great encouragement and pure joy.  I don't want to be defined by things I said in dark times.  Some of what I've written over the years is not how I feel today. I have been tempted to go back and get rid of stuff I wrote when I was hurt or confused or just tired and vulnerable. The problem is, if I do that I make part of this story untrue. I make the journey into something it is not.  To be truthful is to acknowledge that parts of the journey are high places and parts of it are low places and that people change...  Their hearts change, their minds change, their moods change...sometimes all in the same day.  We are thankful that the vast majority of people offer grace and understanding as we walk through it all - the ups and downs, emotions, and confusion that injustice and traumatic events can cause.  Life is so messy - and we are messier still -  But here's to an honest journey. We don't want to fake anything.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I grew up attending an annual Missions Conference every August.  Besides the fact that family tradition demanded it, we went to see our cousins and aunts and uncles and to swim and enjoy summer. We also went to hear from preachers and teachers and missionary-speakers. The missionary speakers came dressed in the native garb of the land they were serving and shared about the culture they were living in and talked about the ways God was moving in those lands.  It was usually interesting to hear from them, and without fail each summer we listened to stories from around the world. I cannot say I ever felt like I identified with them or that I thought I would ever do anything like what they were doing. They were just a different level of humanity - they appeared similar to regular folks, but they had an aura of holiness.   (If you're having deja vu, it is because I wrote about them back in February too.) My perception, whether true or not, was that they had never made bad choices or fallen from grace. 
The summer preceding my senior year of High School I was expecting Brittany. I missed going to the conference that year. During the five years that followed I made a pretty big mess of things - divorce and then a second unplanned pregnancy and partying to name a few.  I missed going to Iowa a handful of years. After Troy and I were married we attended a few times.  The two times I have gone in the last five years Troy was in Haiti and a few kids and I made the traditional trek without him. In some ways I kind of felt ashamed to show my face there for a long time. I was embarrassed and wanted to hide. I don't blame that on anyone but myself - I just felt like my mistakes made me ineligible to attend.
A week from today we are going to go speak at that very conference that I grew up attending each August.  The meetings take place in the same building as it did when I was eight and thirteen and twenty-six. Tradition draws many familiar faces; a lot of the same people will be in attendance. It will be one of the top ten strangest experiences of my life.  But I am looking forward to it.  This is a good kind of strange.
We actually feel blessed that we've become an example of "see, God uses anyone" (not just perfectly holy and all-together people). If sharing our testimonies, stories, and struggles helps people to receive God's forgiveness and offer it to themselves ...  or proves to them that He works through broken vessels, we'll keep sharing.
In the six months since the earthquake we've been honored to share in all sorts of places...including - downtown coffee/wine bars with people randomly walking in off the street, vibey post-modern-ish candle-lit churches filled with college kids and hipsters, small old-school traditional churches where the pews are filled with the AARP crowd and Texas summer camps with hundreds of spazzy 9th graders. Once in a while a much older lady will come pat my hand afterward in a 'Oh honey -  we just don't talk about those things' sort of way - but for the most part, regular-joe-Christians seem pretty encouraged to see regular-joe-screw-ups like us talking about the multiple ways the love of Jesus can (and does) redeem. 
We don't speak eloquently, we are not all that faithful, we often feel that we lower the bar for missionaries everywhere - but we know- the Good News lies in His eloquence, told through our story, and His faithfulness, told through our healing.

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Troy, Collette and Baby EsterUp to this point July has been a month of purposefully engaging in real-life-relationships. (aptly named RealLifeRelationshipMonth)  It has been good for our friendships and for our family.  Our natural inclination is to keep getting the latest stories out of Haiti and keep putting it out there for you to see and in turn support.
Our hearts are with the suffering; we don't want anyone to forget Haiti or give up on praying.  But RLRM demands even less internet relationships -  and more real life ones.  Therefore this blog will get fairly quiet for a couple weeks after this post as we continue in that vein and travel with our crew across the great plains into northwest Iowa. We've not yet figured out if we can make it work, but we also hope to get to Minnesota for some time on the lakes teaching our little ones to water-ski and fish and all things summery and Minnesota-like.
Putting a teenager plus five young kids in a vehicle, all of whom are not used to road-trips or seat-belts or cops that care how they sit in the car, and driving 950 miles is something you would do for only three possible reasons -1) You are insane
2) You are stupid
3) You are insane and stupid
Putting Lydia Beth Livesay, age 2, in a car and driving 950 miles is something you would do  for only one reason -1) You hate yourself (We knew we were having a girl. I used to lie awake concerned about what kind of baby she would be. I was scared to have her. And now - LOOK - two experienced parents fear 17 hours in the car with her.  We love love love this child but boy oh boy - she is a pistol. Car-seats and Lydia hate each other. Forcing Lydia in one makes her hate us. Earplugs anyone?)
But if ever there was a time to do something this dumb, real-life-relationship month seems like the month to do it.  Our truck is already a crumb-filled, crayon-melted, pop-stained, mystery-substance encrusted, downright nasty machine. When Troy takes it to the car wash he reports that at times, lighting a match to it seems like the best option. Another 950 miles won't hurt the old gas-guzzling grey beast.
Before we check-out for a while to fully engage in RLRM - we wanted to update a few current projects/activities.
In Haiti:Houses are slowly but surely being built.  Many of the 42 houses (21 purchased plus 21 matched) will be going to Petit Goave. That area is very near the epicenter and has been all but totally destroyed. Ten houses have been committed there but we are planning to increase that number due to their need and the great partner we have helping coordinate the work. In one week they built six houses. They plan to get 21 up by mid August. A friend that we met back in 2006 is overseeing that work.  The houses are being built mainly by Haitians, they need the work more than anything.
The other houses are going to Heartline patients, employees of Heartline, family of friends, other ministry partners, and a handful that have yet to be designated.  We knew this would be a long project due to land issues, please be patient with us as the logistics are worked out for the remaining homes. We'd love to give you a date and time when all 42 will be built and given to the recipient families - but anyone that has experienced Haiti knows that would be just making stuff up. Western culture loves a deadline, meanwhile Haiti scoffs and rolls her eyes. It is often frustrating but Haiti has its own pace. We can only do our best and work within those constraints and we assure you, that is exactly what is happening. :)
Both World Wide Village and Heartline Ministries continue to work on their existing projects while constantly identifying ways in which they can further invest in the lives of the people they serve. Stay tuned in to the work on their websites and blogs. When we return from the road-trip/RLRM we'll update the situations on the ground.
In the USA:It has become clear that in order to remain in Waco long-term, we are going to need to get some fancy rims. Waco loves tricked-out rims. It is one of the key identifiers for 'TIW'.  (Don't know TIW? - see this post for clarity.) We only know this, it probably means we can't stay. When we burn the Suburban it would be a real waste of flashy rims.
We've been in this waiting season for six months. Our advancing ages tell us that six months is not a long period of time. Even so, occasionally we've been frustrated and impatient in the wait. At other times we've acted a little bit like grown-up people living in the moment and accepting there is little we can do but try to wait with grace. We know there are lessons in waiting. We believe waiting prepares us, produces patience, and provides opportunities for personal growth.  We want something and we cannot have it yet.  What will we do with our waiting?  There are lots of options.  We are attempting to choose good ones as the wait continues.
If you are in Wichita, KS or Okoboji, IA  - we'd love an opportunity to meet and engage in RLRM with you. Come find us. We'll be the harried looking people in a Suburban with boring rims and a bunch of kids. Times and locations of those speaking events are always in the left column. If any others pop up we'll post them there.
We are hopeful that we can move back to PAP in the next few months. Things have happened and finally we are seeing movement in our case. The timing of a lot of things is such that we have many decisions to make while having no exact return date set. We have this unexplainable total peace that we will be back soon enough, because of that peace we're moving forward with paying another year (paying a year at a time is the norm in Haiti) of rent on our home in Haiti and starting to look at tickets to transport the tribe back to the island.
Until the date is set, Troy will be back and forth more. School for four of the kids starts in mid-August in both places - so we have some pretty major decisions to make about that as well. Today we don't know which country they'll start in - but what the heck - we've still got three whole weeks till school starts to decide. An eternity really.   
The variables surrounding each option are mind-numbing. Making decisions in the TOTAL absence of facts is more challenging than you might imagine. I figure after Troy and I have finally had enough "if this than this" sorts of conversations we'll get around to deciding to expect God to do some good things with the timing of it all. We might even try to set aside a few hours 15 or 16 days from now to sit down and recall the days of late July, realizing we stressed about it for nothing.
We know many of you pray for us and specifically about these sorts of logistics that go along with living with one foot in two worlds, we thank you for that and ask that you pray about the August decisions.  Mesi Anpil!
We don't typically (ever) use this blog to fund-raise for our own personal needs, that has always been uncomfortable and/or unnecessary.  Raising money for earthquake relief, new houses, Medika Mamba, surgeries and really important needs of the Haitian people always feels right.  All of this is to say, we're still uncomfortable with fund-raising for ourselves via the blog. Fund-raising for personal needs is number one on the "don't like" list of required things in this line of work. We have been incredibly blessed by loving and generous folks that have been willing to sacrifice in order to help us live and love in Haiti. This core group has sustained us during hard times. We owe them a debt of gratitude.
The fact remains that our budget upon returning will be greater due to four children going to school and general increased cost of living.  If your church, family, or civic group is interested in learning more about the work of either of the two ministries we represent and are open to supporting a 'God-works with-ordinary-messed-up-people' type of missionary family in Haiti, please contact us. We'd love to share more about the work and ask you to prayerfully consider partnering with us in the coming year.

Thanks for reading, enjoy RLRM!
T & T and the tribe
"This life therefore, is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not yet finished, but it is actively going on. This is not the goal, but it is the right road. At present, everything does not gleam and sparkle, but everything is being cleansed." Martin Luther

 Greetings all
 Please look into the design and construction of earthship housing. check out the link and video that I posted to this site. They need donations to build. A friend of mine is currently building one in Ohio, and I believe in the method, especially for those who may lack funds such as  the people of Haiti, these homes when finished are self sustaining.
                                                                            JJ

Amanda is finally coming to America.  Dokte Jen updates here.

I just returned from a three-day trip to Haiti, where I had gone to follow up on a story I reported last year on a group of orphanages in Port au Prince.

I had read and watched newspaper and TV reports about the devastation inflicted by the Jan. 12 earthquake and the various relief efforts that promised billions of dollars to aid in the country’s rebuilding.

But nothing prepared me for what I encountered.

The number of tractors, or earth movers, or trucks loaded with rebuilding supplies that…

Haïti/Post-séisme : La reconstruction n’est pas viable sans une décentralisation véritable

samedi 24 juillet 2010


par Ronald Colbert

(Read the original article here)

Jean Rabel (Haïti), 24 juillet 2010 [AlterPresse] --- Les paysans, qui ont accueilli avec beaucoup de solidarité de nombreuses personnes en provenance de Port-au-Prince, après le séisme du 12 janvier 2010, ont leur mot à dire et leurs propres propositions sur le processus de reconstruction nationale annoncé.

C’est l’un des points forts d’une conférence-débat, déroulée sur la cour de l’école Dominique Savio à Jean Rabel dans l’après-midi du jeudi 22 juillet 2010, à la veille du 23 e anniversaire du massacre des paysans dans cette ville, située à environ 250 kilomètres au nord-ouest de la capitale Port-au-Prince, selon les informations obtenues par l’agence en ligne AlterPresse.

Des centaines de participantes et participants à la conférence-débat ont exprimé des desiderata en faveur du remembrement et d’une relance effective de l’agriculture régionale et nationale, notamment à partir des sections communales.

Se référant à l’article 36 de la Constitution du 29 mars 1987, ils demandent aux autorités nationales de légaliser l’occupation, par les paysans, de plus de 3 mille carreaux de terre de l’Etat, qui se trouvaient entre les mains de grandons (potentats) qui détiennent encore des propriétés de l’Etat, inexploitées à Jean Rabel.

C’est dans ce contexte que l’organisation Tèt Kole ti peyizan ayisyen (union des petits paysans haïtiens) a fait choix, de concert avec la municipalité de Jean Rabel, d’une portion de terre qui devra être appropriée pour l’implantation d’une forêt communale et d’une exploitation agricole (modèle) dans la zone, en attendant la formalisation de conditions administratives avec la direction générale des impôts (Dgi).

En plus de tracteurs et de semences locales, ils exigent des dispositions techniques pour l’utilisation des eaux des Trois rivières dans l’irrigation, principalement des terres du Bas Nord-Ouest (Jean Rabel, Baie de Henne, etc.). Tout en préconisant une réforme agraire pertinente, ils se prononcent contre la poursuite de la distribution des semences hybrides (fournies au ministère haïtien de l’agriculture par la transnationale américaine) qu’ils qualifient de “cadeau empoisonné pour l’agriculture nationale”.

Les participantes et participants à la conférnce-débat, à l’occasion du 23 e anniversaire du massacre de paysans à Jean Rabel, réclament également la mise en place de structures scolaires adéquates (avec un corps professoral adapté), de struc tures universitaires régionales, de structures sanitaires valables (avec une disponibilité de médicaments non expirés).

A leur avis, la construction de certains édifices scolaires ainsi que le lancement (le 10 juin 2010) des travaux d’érection d’un pont stratégique à jeter sur les Trois Rivières durant 11 mois (jusqu’en mai 2011) ne sont que des gouttes d’eau dans l’ensemble des actions concrètes à entreprendre dans le département géographique du Nord-Ouest, spécialement à Jean Rabel.
Interrogés par AlterPresse, plusieurs participants estiment n’avoir encore rien constaté de concret dans le processus de reconstruction déclaré, malgré les ressources financières importantes déjà engagées en ce sens.

Les intervenants à la conférence-débat du 22 juillet 2010, en prélude au 23 e anniversaire du massacre de paysans de Jean Rabel, étaient Ollery Saint-Louis du groupe d’appui technique et d’action pédagogique (Gatap), Klébert Duval, ancien membre de l’équipe missionnaire de Jean Rabel et Patrick Saintil, secrétaire général du Fonds international pour le développement économique et social (Fides-Haïti).

« Nous allons œuvrer en vue d’entamer les actions de reconstruction nationale à partir des sections communales (par des initiatives dans les bassins versants) », a promis, le 23 juillet 2010, Raynald Clérismé (ex-fondateur de l’organisation Tèt Kole ti peyizan ayisyen durant les années 1980), membre d’une commission de reconstruction gouvernementale, qui a été ministre des affaires étrangères (2006 – 2008) au début du deuxième mandat du président René Garcia Préval.

Our next trip is scheduled for August 14th. Goals include many meetings in Port au Prince with collaborating organizations, then potentially a meeting with farmers

…

We love Aaron - he is a trusted (and hilarious) friend ... we enjoy his music ... hope you will too.






(We also love and enjoy Steven and Jimmie and Phillip - the others making this music.)

LET YOUR KINGDOM COME
Aaron Ivey, Matt Carter. ©2009 IVEYMUSIC. (ASCAP)
Give us a love for peace
Move us to brokenness
Our generosity
release from poverty
Your Kingdom here and now
To the least of these
Distribute what we have
That all may taste and see
Pocahontas dvdrip Let Your Kingdom come
Let Your will be done
And all the Earth will say
And echo angels’ praise
That You are God
So, let the sick run free
The orphan find her home
The captured man will know
Release from slavery
Your Kingdom here and now
To the least of these
Distribute what we have
That all may taste and see
Let Your Kingdom come
Let Your will be done
And all the Earth will say
And echo angels’ praise
That You are God

• download TRON

We pray and ask for hope
We pray and ask for peace
We pray and ask for justice
We pray and ask for You

Source (Huffington Post)

Actor Sean Penn, who is helping manage a camp of displaced earthquake victims in Haiti, is making pointed criticisms of journalists for dropping the ball on coverage of Haiti. He's wrong. I've been on the ground in Port-au-Prince working as an independent journalist for the past ten months. I'm an earthquake survivor who's seen the big-time reporters come and go. They're doing such a stellar job and I want to help out, so I've written this handy guide for when they come back on the one-year anniversary of the January quake!

For starters, always use the phrase 'the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.' Your audience must be reminded again of Haiti's exceptional poverty. It's doubtful that other articles have mentioned this fact.

You are struck by the 'resilience' of the Haitian people. They will survive no matter how poor they are. They are stoic, they rarely complain, and so they are admirable. The best poor person is one who suffers quietly. A two-sentence quote about their misery fitting neatly into your story is all that's needed.

On your last visit you became enchanted with Haiti. You are in love with its colorful culture and feel compelled to return. You care so much about these hard-working people. You are here to help them. You are their voice. They cannot speak for themselves.

Don't listen if the Haitians speak loudly or become unruly. You might be in danger, get out of there. Protests are not to be taken seriously. The participants were probably all paid to be there. All Haitian politicians are corrupt or incompetent. Find a foreign authority on Haiti to talk in stern terms about how they must shape up or cede power to incorruptible outsiders.

The US Embassy and United Nations always issue warnings that demonstrations are security threats. It is all social unrest. If protesters are beaten, gassed, or shot at by UN peacekeepers, they probably deserved it for getting out of control. Do not investigate their constant claims of being abused.

It was so violent right after the January 2010 earthquake. 'Looters' fought over goods 'stolen' from collapsed stores. Escaped prisoners were causing mayhem. It wasn't necessary to be clear about how many people were actually hurt or died in fighting. The point is that it was scary.

Now many of those looters are 'squatters' in 'squalid' camps. Their tent cities are 'teeming' with people, like anthills. You saw your colleagues use these words over and over in their reports, so you should too. You do not have time to check a thesaurus before deadline.

Point out that Port-au-Prince is overcrowded. Do not mention large empty plots of green land around the city. Of course, it is not possible to explain that occupying US Marines forcibly initiated Haiti's shift from distributed, rural growth to centralized governance in the capital city. It will not fit within your word count. Besides, it is ancient history.

If you must mention Haiti's history, refer vaguely to Haiti's long line of power-hungry, corrupt rulers. The 'iron-fisted' Duvaliers, for example. Don't mention 35 years of US support for that dictatorship. The slave revolt on which Haiti was founded was 'bloody' and 'brutal.' These words do not apply to modern American offensives in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Today, Cite Soleil is the most dangerous slum in the world. There is no need to back up this claim with evidence. It is 'sprawling.' Again, there's no time for the thesaurus. Talk about ruthless gangs, bullet holes, pigs and trash. Filth everywhere. Desperate people are eating cookies made of dirt and mud! That always grabs the reader's attention.

Stick close to your hired security or embed yourself with UN troops. You can't walk out on your own to profile generous, regular folk living in tight-knit neighborhoods. They are helpless victims, grabbing whatever aid they can. You haven't seen them calmly dividing food amongst themselves, even though it's common practice.

Better to report on groups that periodically enter from outside to deliver food to starving kids (take photos!). Don't talk to the youth of Cite Soleil about how proud they are of where they come from. Probably gang members. Almost everyone here supports ex-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. But their views aren't relevant. There is no need to bring politics into your story.

You can't forget to do another story about restaveks. Child slaves. It's so shocking. There is little new information about restaveks, so just recycle old statistics. Present it as a uniquely Haitian phenomenon. Enslaved Haitian farmworkers in southern Florida, for example, aren't nearly as interesting.

When you come back here in six months, there will still be a lot of desperate poor people who have received little to no help. There are many big, inefficient foreign NGOs in Haiti. Clearly something is wrong. Breathless outrage is the appropriate tone.

But do not try to get to the bottom of the issue. Be sure to mention that aid workers are doing the best they can. Their positive intentions matter more than the results. Don't name names of individuals or groups who are performing poorly. Reports about food stocks sitting idly in individual warehouses are good. Investigations into why NGOs are failing to effect progress in Haiti are boring and too difficult. Do not explore Haitian-led alternatives to foreign development schemes. There are none. Basically, don't do any reporting that could change the system.

On the other hand, everyone here loves Bill Clinton and Wyclef Jean. There are no dissenting views on this point. Never mind that neither lives here. Never mind that Clinton admitted to destroying Haiti's domestic rice economy in the '90s. Never mind that Jean's organization has repeatedly mismanaged relief funds. That's all in the past. They represent Haiti's best hope for the future. Their voices matter, which means the media must pay close attention to them, which means their voices matter, which means the media must ...

Finally, when you visit Haiti again: Stay in the same expensive hotels. Don't live close to the people. Produce lots of stories and make money. Pull up in your rented SUV to a camp of people who lost their homes, still living under the wind and rain. Step out into the mud with your waterproof boots. Fresh notepad in hand. That ragged-looking woman is yelling at you that she needs help, not another foreigner taking her photo. Her 3-year-old boy is standing there, clinging to her leg. Her arms are raised, mouth agape, and you can't understand her because you don't speak Haitian Creole.

Remove the lens cap and snap away. And when you've captured enough of Haiti's drama, fly away back home.