Day 4 - "The process is dirty but ...."

Matt and I have not taken a shower yet, sorry. There are over 125 people at "Mision Rescate" (Rescue Mission) and the women are all sharing one bathroom while all the men share another. There are too many people in relation to the shower. I am not complaining, (maybe those near us are complaining about our smell though ;) just trying to give you a feel of our accomodations. It is a blessing that the Haitian Police are even allowing us to share their facilities. The Police are being unbelievably welcoming to us as we are invading their space. They let us stay as we are helping them get food, water, tents, gas, medicine, much needed medical help and other supplies to their families and their countrymen.

Everyday, we who sleep in the tents on the ground (in the Police parking lot) have to break down our tents, pack up our suitcases, and stack them in a "corner," somewhat out of the way. Matthew breaks ours down quickly (we have the luxury of stuffing it in the back of the Trooper) and then helps out the other neighbors around us which adds to the love that is outpouring towards my son who is surprising me with his dedication to serve. Later in the day, after dark, the process repeats itself with everyone rebuilding their tents once the vehicles leave for the night. Remember, this is not just one team. It is a mix of separate teams, from different countries, all trying to cohabitate and then work together the following day.

Omey (the defacto leader here from YWAM (Youth with a Mission) and Abner (head Doctor here, our close friend) are doing a great job, delicately/firmly leading all these different cultures/personalities. We had a little meeting today about some miscellaneous items. People were leaving half full water bottles laying around which meant that half of a water bottle was being wasted (not good when it is so precious here and others need it desperately). Even worse, there were also some partially used Gatorades (I would have considered drinking those if I saw them). The women's bathroom was being used but was not being cleaned. People were not understanding that you had to carry water up in a bucket so you could fill the back tank so it would flush. This was causing an obvious major problem. The men picked up the slack and kept a giant plastic trash can filled with water which the women started using to keep their toilets in use and clean.

The men from Brazil (also with the organization YWAM) need a special thank you from everyone in camp. They were not medical workers but they volunteered for every difficult job. Every day they cleaned the men's bathroom and no one understands the humility in that unless you saw this situation with your own eyes. It was not pretty.

Omey closed out the meeting advising us that a new life came into the camp late last night. A lady came in from the street ready to have a baby and Abner, Doctor Drew and others got up in the middle of the night to help. This was the 3rd baby born here since Mision Rescate had set up. Omey does not like blood and the other stuff involved with the birth of a baby and normally does not watch the process but this time she felt the Lord wanted her to be involved. What God was able to show her through this process, she was able to relate to our life here at the camp and in Haiti. Despite being "dirty" and bloody, the birth of a baby brings life and is a beautiful thing. Currently Haiti is bloody and dirty and we Americans and other foreigners are not used to living/working in these tough conditions (we are all dirty and the Doctors and Nurses are sometimes literally bloody). Omey said, "The process is dirty but the result is beautiful." I thought this was an exquisite metaphor. A baby being born in Port-au-Prince bringing life to a country in despair.