January 27th, 2010

Last night via email, Manno answered several questions that we had for him and shared other information about what is happening in Cap Haitian.
He said that they don't have any city provided electricity since the quake so they are only checking email once a day when they run the generator. Therefore, he will probably not be answering many emails as they are trying to conserve fuel for the generator.

After discussing options, we have decided that we are going to try and send at least one container a month to Haiti. His preference is that we fill each container with 1/3 rice, 1/3 beans and 1/3 cooking oil. For the time being, Manno said that the top priority is food. He requested that we send the hygiene and medical supplies after a container of food.

Something Manno shared:
"I do believe as time goes on that we are going to be bombarded with more and more refugees. That's what happened after the flooding of Gonaives a couple of years back. We have many hurting people from Port Au Prince who are here in the hospital in Cap, at Milot or in one of the government schools they have converted into a hospital. We are taking care of them, but we are also encouraging them to eventually go home to their villages. I know that is going to take several months before any of them can go home. "

Manno also said that he has contractors who have now started removing a portion of the wall at the Pillatre complex. It was already leaning and the earthquake made it worse. There was a very real possibility it could fall in so fixing it is now a top priority. He said it is a very delicate process because the entire court yard of the new church will be without the security it provided. He said there has been an increase of stealing and people trying to break in. So, please, pray that the Lord will protect the property as they get this problem fixed.

All for now,
Shelley