A Request for Help (Haiti Content, Please Read)

[WRXtranceformed]

Maybe you students at JMU could do a Haiti fundraiser for Rex's family? Aside from helping out an amazing family during a tragedy, it would also be a great way to spread some positive PR about the club around the school and potentially recruit new members

[Steve85]

We'll be travelling through Harrisonburg Sat morning and back through Sun morning and have a lot of kids clothes we can provide so definitely let us know if they need anything and for what ages.

[Jewels]

We'll be travelling through Harrisonburg Sat morning and back through Sun morning and have a lot of kids clothes we can provide so definitely let us know if they need anything and for what ages.

They have a little boy 2 1/2, and a little girl who turns 4 on Sunday. Janet and Henry are coming up to our house to have dinner tonight before they pick them up from the airport, we'll get an informal list from them,and we'll post it up here.

[CaptainHenreh]

Some more information from Mom, (In a Letter to Laura Cobetto, our lovely NASA Power Behind The Throne)

Dear Laura,
<Stuff about Rex & Julie that didnt' need to be posted here so I deleted it>

The orphanage we support is located in the mountains between Port au Prince and Cap Haitien. Pastor Geordany oversees about 15 churches in the surrounding mountains and has a church of his own with about 500 members. He also has an orphanage with children between the ages of 8 and 20. Life is different in Haiti and the church looks to their pastor and the pastors of the smaller churches also look at their "papa" for help when food or necessities become scarce. We have supported the orphanage since 1996 when we first met Pastor Geordany and his elder, Pastor Preval Meritil. Currently Pastor Geordany has his 26 orphans and staff, plus an additional 50 (at last count) refugees that came out of Port au Prince from sister churches and friends. He is attempting to feed them all.

When Pastor Geordany was here last year we established a bank account with Bank of America that he could access in Cap Haitien and we could make quick deposits here. It has worked well and also allows him to take in money that can go immediately to other concerns.

Julie may have told you, we returned from a two week stint doing medical clinics in the mountains and establishing a small solar electric system at the orphanage just 27.5 hours before the quake hit. Thankfully there was no damage to the area where we stayed. The daughter of Pastor Geordany, her husband and two children lost everything in Port au Prince where they were living. Lord willing they will be landing at Dulles tomorrow evening to spend months with us until they can establish funds and safely return home. They are coming to us via Santiago, Dominican.

So, if you would like to help in any way we would be thankful. If you would like tax deductable donations please send them payable to Mt. Pleasant Church of the Brethren Haiti fund and earmark them for one of the areas of your interest: Orphanage; as needed; Ordelus family or Port au Prince area. This way we can make sure the money goes exactly where you want it to. You can mail it directly to us and if you would like a written receipt we will be happy to provide it. If you'd rather it just go direct please make your check out to Pastor Geordany Joseph or to us and earmark it to the area you would like to donate.

For information sake, I don't know if you have a facebook account, but I have Haiti pictures posted on my account. Not as many as I would like, but some including some of the orphans. I have more if you would like. We are also open to speaking engagements just for the record.

Blessings,
Janet Elsea

Some of the pictures she was referring to:
Their toilet accommodations in Pignon:

Orphans:



A common kids game they play, WITH ROCKS (rocks for toys people.):

My goofy mother with some orphans:


The valley where the orphanage is located:

A typical scene from the nearest 'city':


Keep in mind that the population of the orphanage has doubled since the Earthquake (and many more to follow, no doubt).

I'm not posting these to get all Sally Struthers "For the cost of a cup of coffee a day" on you, just so you'll know the lives you are changing by any help you can offer, even your prayers.

I will, of course, keep you guys updated on anything that can be done. Thanks again.

edit: If anyone local wants to help in a small way, they are definitely going to need consumables: TP, Papertowels, canned goods, pastas, etc. They live just on the N. side of Harrisonburg, if you want to drop stuff off.

[JustinG]

keep us posted on clothes for the adults, and Casey will be announcing your parents situation at church on Sunday, hoping the HOPE group or even the church as a whole can get some funds together.

[Jewels]

Well a quick update. Rex's parents and their new additions arrived safely in Harrisonburg at 2:10AM this morning. Many people have donated clothes, so its gonna be a few days before they can sort through what they have. The best gift to them so far was from one of Rex's co workers. He and his wife bought them papertowels, toilet paper, and a rubbermade tote full of pasta, cooking oil, detergent, etc. It wasn't something I thought of, and it wasn't something even they thought to ask for, but those day to day things are what seem to add up. So if you think you can't help but are at the grocery store and pick up an extra can of beans or something like that, its never too little to help. Just trying to throw out ideas.

[Mike]

Rex, how old are the kids? Male? Female? We've got a metric ton of extra toys here from Jade's donors. What size/shape are the parents? We had a lot of clothes that were about to get donated.

[CaptainHenreh]

The children are a 4 year old girl and a 2.5 year old boy. I'll ask mom about clothes for the adults.

[Goodspeed]

edit: If anyone local wants to help in a small way, they are definitely going to need consumables: TP, Papertowels, canned goods, pastas, etc. They live just on the N. side of Harrisonburg, if you want to drop stuff off.

If you can post or PM their address, I'll bring them these kinds of things after the next time I go food shopping - in a week or so. I also have some "adult" size clothing to give away that I could bring, and I'd be happy to wait around for them to sort through them so I can take whatever back and not leave them to deal with it.

Also, if you have any more details of what your dad/parents need help with labor-wise at their church, let me know.

[Steve85]

edit: If anyone local wants to help in a small way, they are definitely going to need consumables: TP, Papertowels, canned goods, pastas, etc. They live just on the N. side of Harrisonburg, if you want to drop stuff off.

If you can post or PM their address, I'll bring them these kinds of things after the next time I go food shopping - in a week or so. I also have some "adult" size clothing to give away that I could bring, and I'd be happy to wait around for them to sort through them so I can take whatever back and not leave them to deal with it.

Also, if you have any more details of what your dad/parents need help with labor-wise at their church, let me know.

Yes please, that would also help those out of town send "care packages".

[CaptainHenreh]

Eh, their address is readily available on google so I'll just post it here:

8418 North Valley Pike
Harrisonburg, VA 22802

I am not sure if they need adult clothing, but I will check. I'll also check to see if dad needs any strong backs for anything. Thanks everyone!

[CaptainHenreh]

Update:

Hey Guys,
I know you guys told all your friends about our refugees. You might want to give an update on what's happening...

Pastor G now has about 75-100 people at the orphanage in Lajeune that he's feeding. We received a large number of donations early on for them, but they are quickly going. Nevertheless things are looking up some as they are able to get food a little easier at the moment. That is the last report.

Free food distributions are a joke. Each person stands in lines to receive enough food for one person for a day or two. In the interim people have trekked to the mountains and efforts to get truckloads to distribute are stymied. So, Pastor Preval goes into PAP with his truck and PAYS for a truckload of food and water for the 1500 (!) people he has at the compound in Pernal. If they would just let the churches distribute the food.... ugh. Anyway, clinics are reporting fewer injuries, though a few more TB and denge fever cases. The airport at PAP is scheduled to reopen on Friday.

Our Ordelus family has gone to New York for an unspecified time period. A doctor in Stuarts Draft provided physical examinations for everyone. LIttle Olivier was severely anemic and needs glasses for a lazy eye and there were a few other small problems that were easily fixed with donated meds. However, Emila (Lala) is pregnant and the Free Clinic in Harrisonburg is not taking any new patients and Virginia doesn't offer medicaid to anyone on a "visitors visa" so her brother came and picked them up to take them to his 2 bedroom apartment so she can get pre-natal care. Also they are going to work on paperwork to either get a temp residential or permanent green card for her and the children. The conditions there will be crowded, as Michael has two children and another due in March, so there will be 5 children and 3 adults in the 2 bedroom city apartment in Brooklyn. Lala is due in August. Michael drives a limo for a living and his wife, Anna, is an LPN. We'll be helping them as much as we can. If the US Gov't allows Lala to stay on an extended residential visa she and the children will come back here immediately as long as she can qualify for some kind of medical care for the children and her pregnancy. I'm praying this happens.

The father was called by the American Consulate to do a construction job in PAP and since he cannot work in the U.S. without papers and feels the need to take care of his family, he is headed back to PAP on the 24th. He'll go through Santiago and into LaJeune first to drop off a new part of the solar system we sent with him. He will be gone 3 months and intends to sleep in his truck, send money back here and save some to rebuild in Haiti if they are able to (though they'd rather stay in Virginia, as they loved the Harrisonburg area).

We are really grateful for the outpouring of love from your friends. Everyone provided a great help to us! I think I mailed out thank you's to everyone, but if I missed anyone please accept my apologies.

We already miss the Haitians in our home. They all were a great help to us! Jean worked every day to help Dad around the farm and Lala wouldn't let me in my kitchen the whole time they were here. Dad even ate and enjoyed peppers, onions and garlic. Can you imagine? They kept the house spotless and the children were a joy and delight.

Anyway, I thought maybe you'd want to update your friends. Time to warm a bottle! (for the new goat, -ed)

Love you, Mommy

Thanks again to everyone for their continued support. I know times are tough, and I know with the snow and stuff that Haiti has been in the back of everyone's minds, but there's real need out there and you're really helping to change people's lives for the better.