Haiti Update – Monday – January 16^th, 2017

WORK TEAM UPDATE

Well, I woke up at my normal 4:30 am this morning, thinking about our upcoming trip to Haiti. Put the coffee pot on, watched the freezing rain come down and settled into writing this letter. 

Team 1 leaving Cedar Rapids on February 28^thwill be: Dave Soper, Morgan Soper, Tim Holderman, Brian Perry, Larry Shelley, Debbie Hopper, and myself. We will spend 2 weeks at EGO working on group homes.

Flying in on March 7^th, will be Tim & Koby Wesselink. Tim will return to CR with Team 1 on March 14^th, while Koby will stay over with myself to join Team 2.

Team 2 flying in on March 14 will be: Jason, Kara, Olivia, Jack and Ben Goslin, Bruce, Olivia, and Jake VanderSanden, and Abby Scheib Brown. All fly back on March 21^st.

Attached to this email is our work team packet. As you read through this 8-page document, please familiarize yourself with it. Most questions that you have are answered. Each team member must complete 2 forms: Individual Volunteer Application and Assumption of Risk, Release of Liability & Indemnification Agreement. Please sign and date, and return to me as soon as possible, so that I can send this packet off to our home office in Michigan. Our dress code is explained and estimated expenses to be incurred. Costs will vary, but generally, per person, they will be: Your flight, customs fee $10, transportation round-trip from Port au Prince to EGO and back $40, guest house charge per day $15, food for Team 1 approx. $80, Team 2 $40, optional Haitian meals are $10 per person, and eggs & bread are available at EGO. Plus, each team will purchase fresh produce and ice from the local market, which can run an additional $10 to $20 per person. Gifts or souvenirs for those back home are entirely what you want to spend. We will have access to 2 gift shops on this trip, as well as the local markets in the town square.

What to take? First of all, remember the weather is warm. Highs in March run mid 80’s, with nights occasionally dipping in the high 60’s. Girls wear shifts or loose fitting dresses (remember what Grandma wore on the farm way back when), skirts with tops. Guys typically wear jeans and tee shirts. I’m a short guy, so that’s my daily attire, along with a ball cap for sun protection. Straw hats are made in Haiti and are for sale everywhere. Here’s what I bring: 2 pairs of shorts for work, 1 pair for night, 1 pair pants for church (usually what I wear down) 4 tees for work, 1 tee to sleep in, 6 pair of underwear for work, 1 pair of boxers or gym shorts to sleep in, socks or peds are your choice but usually 6 pair will do it (if I miss the wash day, I do my own in a 5 gallon bucket/we have a clothes line on the porch of the guest house), tennis shoes to work in and another pair I wear on the trip down for church, and a pair of sandals or flip flops to wear in the guest house. The tile floors feel good on the feet but are usually pretty dusty unless it gets swept and mopped each day. Linens provided, but I do carry a small hand towel, a packet of baby wipes and hand sanitizer with me on the trip down, just in case!

Sleeping: most of the beds have mosquito nets on them. Some use them – some don’t. Since it’s wintertime in Haiti, the bugs are not as active. In my last update to you, I mentioned sleeping bag liners that are either cotton or polyester. I have both and either is fine, my point in using one is that it’s like a sheet made into a sleeping bag type form. Many backpackers use them as a liner inside their sleeping bags to keep it clean. On warmer nights, they slip into it and lie on top of their bags. Since you don’t need a sleeping bag in Haiti and your bedding is provided, why do I suggest a liner? As I mentioned before, sand fleas are everywhere in Haiti and for whatever reason they get carried into the guesthouse on your clothes, shoes and socks. And, those little buggers can get into your bedding, too. Usually they don’t. And, most teams are never aware of this issue. But, I have plumbers on the first team and plumbers sit in the sand when they rough in drain pipes. And, if we are grading sand and installing re-bar, the same. We can be prone to pick them up. So, I sleep in a liner at night. It’s only a suggestion. Most teams do not indulge in this extra expense. In case you want to, here is a link on a Cocoon Cotton liner for $27. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=sporting&field-keywords=cocoon+travel+sheets

Travel to Haiti: Each of you can check through 1 bag up to 50 lbs. Plus, you can take a carry-one and a personal item like a purse, brief case or camera bag. We are collecting items to take to Haiti are our home so that we can pack your check through bag for you. These are items for EGO, the kids, the clinic, and special plumbing fittings that you cannot buy in Haiti. Please limit yourself to your carry-on and personal item. We are still in need of: Boys Clothing: Sizes are small to medium. Most Haitian boys are lean and small in stature. Shirts in long or short sleeve, shorts, pants, belts, shoes, underwear, tee shirts; clothes for church and special events. Small waist sizes up to 30" max; black belts and black dress shoes. Best place to find good deals are Salvation Army or Goodwill. They do not have to be new.  Clothes for the girls.Pretty dresses for church, barrettes, bows, ribbons, frilly socks, shoes. Everyday clothes. Bedding: Cotton quilts. Crib sheets. Single bed sheets twin size). Blankets & lightweight throws.Painting Supplies: Paintbrushes for Oil Based paint, roller covers.

Money Donations:needed for cement, cement blocks, re-bar, wire mesh, sand, gravel, septic tank supplies, plumbing pipe, electrical, windows, doors, cabinets, angle iron for rafters, and roofing. For those friends of yours or churches who might want to help in any of the construction projects underway here at EGO, you can send your donations to any of the following. Thank you in advance for your help. We appreciate you!

Pray for Don & Doris Peavey as they travel back to Haiti on January 25^th. Pray for their health, their clarity of thought, and for their protection and safety! They are both 83 years old.