“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Hi! This week Tim and Bill were here to help with some repairs and spend some time with the children. It was great that the drainage problem was fixed and also that the pick-up truck got serviced. The horn got altered and the truck now has a more unique sound to it! The wheels don’t squeak anymore and the air conditioner is working better too. Tim and Bill returned to Canada this morning and within two hours the kids broke the handle on the toilet so now we will have to fix some things before the arrival of more visitors. Next week we will be getting some more visitors helping out here. My sister Tanya, nephew Matthew, cousin Jeff and his daughter Katrina will be helping to fix the side wall and to reinforce the front wall. They are going to help make the property more “thief proof”.
Haitian Karnaval was this week. It started on Sunday and ended early Wednesday morning. Everything was shut down from Monday to Wednesday as people in Port-au-Prince participated in the festivities.
We brought Paulna to her village, Bonnette, this week so that she could spend some time at home with her family. She was excited to go home and we’ll pick her up again on Sunday afternoon. Tim and Bill also were able to see her village as well. We spent some time visiting some of the families there that we have come into contact with. They enjoyed having some visitors.
In the Ti Ayiti section of Cite Soleil we met an elderly woman who is going blind. We explained to her about the hospital downtown where Cuban eye doctors treat people for free. Hopefully she will go there next week with someone from her family to find out why she is going blind. Because the schools were also closed this week we got a chance to meet with a lot of the children who live in the Ti Ayiti area.
Shleudny Nicolas is a 12-year-old girl who came to the house this week with her father. She has a cancerous tumor growing on the left side of her face. Pray for the ongoing medical search to find treatment in the United States. She will most likely need surgery and radiation therapy.
A young man by the name of Luc Wisly Eustache came by the house with his father as well. He is 24 years old and has been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. He has really wasted away and is very frail. The family are strong Christians and understand now that this disease currently has no cure. The father is doing his best to look after his son and for him to survive this long shows how well the family is looking after Luc. Pray for ongoing research on this disease and that doctors may one day be able to halt the progression of this disease.
Angelo Lafortune and his mother came by for a visit and he is doing well. He looks healthy and happy and enjoys going to school.
The theme of Karnaval this year was an environmental one – working for a green Haiti. The people of Haiti need to be more environmental. The forest cover used to be 60% in 1923. By 1952 the forest cover shrank to 18% and now is at the 1% level. 90% of the Haitian population uses wood as an energy source for cooking (charcoal/wood). It is estimated that 53,300 trees are cut down each year. 84.6% of this fuel is used in Port-au-Prince. 98.1% of the rural population uses wood/charcoal for cooking. One alternative energy source that can be used for cooking is Lignite. This natural resource is found in the Maissade area of Haiti. Deposits of lignite are estimated to be 9 million tons. Lignite is composed of 70% carbon, which would make it a good cooking fuel.
Another part of the environment that scientists are examining is the rising lake levels of Lac Azuei, which is located by the Malpasse/Jimani border crossing. The lake level has increased to the point where it is leaving its bed and starting to cover the road. Right now vehicles traveling between Haiti and the Dominican Republic at the Malpasse/Jimani border crossing have to go through water. The salinity of the lake has increased as well since the rainy season. Right now it is the dry season and people don’t understand how the lake levels can rise. One theory is that somehow seawater is infiltrating into these lakes. The area is about 120 meters above sea level. Another theory is that the mining of sand is causing this problem. If the lake levels continue to increase the road will need to be constructed in another area in order to keep this major border crossing open.
Another area where Haiti can improve is in the fishing industry. Currently Haitian fishermen haul in 4 – 5 metric tonnes of fish each year. The potential is 14,000 tonnes. Haiti currently imports 16 million dollars of fish each year.
The people of Haiti need to work together to be able to solve the environmental problems and also to develop the economy. Pray for improvements in both these areas.
That is all the news for today. Have a good weekend!
Karen Bultje
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