Mission to Haiti – December 5, 2010
The news this past week has been mainly taken up with what is happening now that the election if over, and what is happening with respect to the cholera epidemic. Both issues bring out strong emotions because both seem to be largely not resolvable.
The election on November 28th was marred by incidents of ballot stuffing, names left off voter’s lists, voter identity cards never arriving, and a myriad of other situations that left more than half of the candidates for president calling for the vote to be held again because of irregularities. We heard locally that they were going to go through the election process again, and then we heard that they would have a re-vote in those areas where serious problems were identified. I don’t think most Haitians know what is happening. The Haitian Electoral Commission has indicated that notwithstanding some problems the election went reasonably well. There were a number of international observers and again I have not heard that anything happened that would call for the election results to be thrown out and a new vote to be held. Of course, anything is possible so what is quoted as gospel today could be of little or no value tomorrow. The results are supposedly going to be announced on December 7th, and a run-off of the top two candidates would be held in those areas where the winning candidate did not have at least 50% of the ballots cast. There is some talk of manifestations to protest the election, but so far it has been relatively quiet.
Cholera continues to march across the countryside, with the north being the hardest hit. We have heard that 4 people from Saccenville were taken to Limbe with cholera symptoms this past week, and that one of the four died before receiving treatment. We are told the small fishing village of Gaudin where some of the members of St. Andrew’s went with Roy Griffith four or five years ago has been particularly hard hit with several of the children at the OMS “Starfish” school coming down with cholera. As of today none of the children attending the schools or the orphanage supported by St. Andrew’s have experienced the symptoms of cholera.
The OMS health clinic at Vaudreuil is now serving as a cholera treatment centre, and one of the guesthouses used by visiting work teams has been taken over for treatment of patients. OMS staff, both medical and non-medical, is now working 24/7. Julie Briggs, our friend from Northern Ireland who is a physio-therapist, and Hannah Perry, a x-ray technician from Oregon, together with Dr. Rodney, the Haitian physician in charge of the clinic, have been leading the effort to treat all who come through the door of the clinic suffering from cholera. Again rumours abound, and there are still far too many Haitians who do not understand the nature of the illness and are not taking the proper precautions. Rumour has it that you can catch cholera from the dust on the roads and you will now see many Haitians wearing masks. They are also told that if they drink alcohol it will also prevent the catching of cholera. Given the difficulties associated with communicating the proper information to everyone, it is hard to say where cholera will strike next or when it will run its course. There is a great deal of anxiety within the Haitian community and it will be sometime before the tensions associated with this epidemic begin to ease. Only time will tell.
 |
| New "hospital room" in the Welcome Inn Note the ping pong table as a room separator |
 |
| First tents for cholera victims |
This all may seem something of a downer, but there are bright spots amidst all the turmoil. We can thank God that but comparison with other elections over the years that this election was relatively speaking non-violent. This year they are attributing only two deaths to Election Day violence where in years past the numbers have been in the scores. We can thank God that it appears that the numbers dying of cholera has seemed to slow even though the numbers infected continue to climb. Medical aid is getting through and the sick are being treated. Education relating to how cholera is spread is heard almost hourly on the radio, as is the importance of getting medical treatment as quickly as possible. Voodoo practitioners are seen for what they are, charlatans, because there is nothing in their bag of tricks that will cure someone who is dehydrated and dying. So there are positives, it’s just that by North American standards it doesn’t seem like much, but in Haiti progress is measured in inches not by feed or yards.
Ups and Downs from Our Daily Bread:
After God promised Abraham, “I will make you a great nation” (Gen. 12:2), 25 years elapsed before the birth of his son Isaac. During that period, Abraham questioned God about his lack of a child, and he even resorted to fathering a son through his wife’s handmaiden.
Yet through the ups and downs, God kept reminding Abraham of His promise to give him a child, while urging him to walk faithfully with Him and believe.
When we claim one of God’s promises in the Bible, whether it is for peace of mind, courage, or provision of needs, we place ourselves in His hands and on His schedule. As we wait, it may at times seem as if the Lord has forgotten us. But trust embraces the reality that when we stand on a promise of God, He remains faithful. The assurance is in our hearts, and the time is in His hands.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
John and Dorothy
