Sunday at the village

Jim called about 7:30 p.m. and said they had an awesome church service today. He said it is so amazing how the Haitian people can suffer such adversity and still have the ability to sing praises to the Lord with such gratefulness and joy. It was just the inspiration he needed. I wasn't able to talk to him for very long because so many people were waiting in line to use the phone. Understandable! So we will post more stories as we get them! I received another call from Homeland Security pertaining to our adoption and forwarded the documents onto the visa inquiry office. Hopefully, we will hear good news within a few days.

Jim, Jennyka (6), Tommy (2), Lacey, Sam (4), Katyna (4)

The crew

Here is the crew at Ruuska Village, Bon Repos, Haiti. Yesterday they set up a clinic in a tent city and worked all day long. I don't have any stories yet, except Jim said it was very hard to see children with such horrific injuries.

From left to right: Dean Johnson, Terry Anderson,

Logan Randal, James Lamb, Brenna Kerr,

Steve Grosz, Celeste Engen, Faye Potrament,

Troy Erickson, Jim Hewitt

Busy days at the village

I spoke with Jim via yahoo messenger last night for about a half an hour. They are trying to get the women and children situated back at the Creche, which is down the road a block or two. Yesterday the medical crew had a clinic at the village and tended to 80 patients. Today they are traveling to a tent city. James, Troy and the other construction worker (not sure of his name) are stuck in Cap Haitien with no transporatation. Would you all please keep them in your prayers as they would really like to get to the village. Thank you.

Jessica & Josiah (15 yr.twins), and Isaiah (14)

Lacey's siblings adopted into our family 14 years ago.

At the beach (pre-earthquake) with Jennika, Sam, and Katyna.

Ruuska Village

Another day...

As most of you know, the Reach Out to Haiti Benefit concert was canceled yesterday due to a storm in northern Minnesota and North Dakota. It has been rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 1st, at 6:00 p.m at the Empire Arts Center in Grand Forks.

Jim called again and said things were going real well. Yesterday he worked on rebuilding the roof of the building which houses the village water purifier. He says the mosquitos were bad, but didn't compare to the Minnesota breed here in the summertime.

The team from our area had some delays and were planning to split when they got word of five seats available on Rotary International last night. Early this morning, I received an email from Faye saying plans had been changed as they miraculously got a flight into Haiti on a private jet. God is so good. They should be arriving today.

Jim and Lacey reunited

Jim arrived at the village Friday afternoon and had a happy reunion with Lacey and our new kids! I asked him how he liked the kids and he said, "Kelli, they are sooooo nice!" Very sweet! Katyna was shy at first, but warmed up quickly and gave him a big hug. He said Tommy likes everyone, so there is no problem there! lol Jim cleaned out the food and clothing depots the first day and started tearing down the walls in the village yesterday. He brought gloves and tool aprons for the teen boys, and you can see Anderson here helping to break up the cement so they can haul it away. Lacey said Dad is working way too hard, and she was worried about him. But I said he's got a limited amount of time, so I'm sure he would like to make good use of it. Below are some pics Jim sent last night.

Today Jim is flying!

Jim is on his way to Port au Prince! Got a flight this morning!

Flight tomorrow .....

I spoke with Jim and he said there were people at Ft. Pierce who had been waiting for a flight for two days. He was happy to stay and help load freight because they were so busy it was unbelievable. What a nice crew they were, he said. I also spoke with Lacey today and things are going well. She can't wait till her dad gets there and was kind of disappointed that he didn't arrive today. Hopefully Jim will catch a flight in the morning. They continue to work on documents to get the children out of the country.

Jim departs

1-21-10 9:15 a.m.

Jim arrived in Ft. Pierce last night; he slept for a couple hours in the car. He awoke early this morning and is helping out at Missionary Flights International. Jim said they are wonderful people. There are a couple extra donated planes and so things look hopeful that he will get on soon. There are many medics waiting to board with TONS of supplies. PTL If you know of anyone willing to donate flights into Haiti with this organization, please contact Mr. Snook at 772-462-2395. http://www.missionaryflights.org/

Another quake

Lacey called this morning and said there was another earthquake, 6.1 in magnitude. They are all okay but shook up and back outside again.  Jim is on his way to Florida this afternoon and will catch a flight early tomorrow morning to PAP with Missionary Flights International.

Letter from Lacey

Jan. 18, 2010 7:57 a.m.

Yesterday was a good day; we are finally getting things cleaned up, and I think I'm just doing better because I'm somewhat caught up on my sleep! The kids are doing GREAT. This morning I woke up to a few cribs with diarrhea and throw up - but we got it cleaned up quickly. I do believe the babies are just a little stressed with different living conditions, different milk, etc., and last night was the first night they actually slept in their own cribs. We moved everything from upstairs into the clinic. Joe Hurston decided to stay longer and his son-in-law, Kyle is here to help fix the village! He brought in approximately 100 pounds of tools. I also talked to Barbara's *Boss* Man Builder and he is excited! He asked me if my dad was a builder, and I said "YES!" We still need to clean out the depots, so even if we can't build right away we can stay busy!

Barbara is flying out with two kids today; she comes back and flies out again on the 25th with Sue, who is going to NY. I will be helping transport nine children to FLORIDA next week!

I am excited about the visas! Barbara continues to work late. Last night she started falling asleep while working on paperwork, so we decided 1:30 a.m. was late enough and went to bed!

I talked with Katyna's mother yesterday; she started crying when she was finally reunited with Thomas because she hasn't seen him for so long. She couldn't stop smiling! She stayed and held both of her babies until Katyna finally fell asleep in her arms. I gave her the card you sent and had Christopher translate for her. I also gave her Thomas and Katyna's Christmas pictures. She was so happy. She told me she lost three family members and her house was flat. I do not know and forgot to ask her where she is staying; she just asked for some clothing. Barbara was gone so I wasn't able to open the clothing depot without her permission. So I went through my clothes and gave her a skirt, caprees and four shirts. I gave her my favorite white blouse...maybe she can go to church. She looked very sickly. Katyna woke up and watched her mom leave, it was a very sad moment for both of us.

Katyna Marie (4)

Thomas James (2)

Flight Canceled

Jim's flight was canceled yesterday. Apparently they have closed all commercial flights into Port au Prince, which I should have known, but was misinformed when I called the airline. It's a good thing we didn't travel all the way to Minneapolis. Praise the Lord! We are checking with American Flights International out of Florida. I am posting a picture of Lacey with several of the children at that village before the quake. Check back for a recent update with Lacey later this morning.

A new day in Haiti

Great news last night: more children were written visas yesterday! Barbara is working non-stop on getting as many children ready to leave as possible and spends most of her days at the American Consulate. What an amazing woman. We have many THANKFUL and RELIEVED friends who have recently found out their children will be coming home soon. Lacey had a better night's sleep and sounded refreshed this morning.

I checked with Delta this afternoon and they said they were having no problem with the flights into Haiti. We were really wondering what was going on because when Brenna checked into flights about 11:00 am on Friday, there were none available until the 24th. I had just booked Jim's that same morning at 2:30 am and there were several seats available. So I was worried the flights had been canceled, but when I talked to Delta today they said, "No, the planes are completely booked into Port au Prince until the 24th." Brenna will be arriving at the village on the 25th.

Lacey sent a few new pics yesterday. The nannies and children are still sleeping outside. Lacey's room seemed safe, so she moved back in with the children in her care.

News from Ruuska Village

Twelve children received visas yesterday! Praise the Lord! Lacey called me this morning and she sounded exhausted but was doing okay. They are caring for some people coming in with broken bones, cuts, burns, and head injuries. Jim is leaving Monday morning for Minneapolis, will have a layover in New York and is scheduled to leave for PAP around 10:30 am on Tuesday. We are really praying he gets into the country and the flight won't be canceled. Brenna Kerr, PA, from Drayton, N.D. is praying about joining Jim at the village on the 25th. She has a lot of experience working in third world countries and has been to Haiti before. Please also pray that things come together for her. What a blessing she has been to our family. She diagnosed our 14 year-old-daughter, Whitney, with Type I diabetes in November.

Here is a picture of a little boy who was brought in with burns from the waist down after the earthquake. Thank God the village had two nurses on staff at the time of the earthquake!

Thank you for all your prayers and support! We appreciate it SO much!

More Pictures of Ruuska Village

Lacey's dad is flying to New York on Monday and will be at Ruuska Village Tuesday afternoon. Please pray that he would arrive safely with no delays.






There is a beautiful painting of Jesus with little children on the wall behind the playground equipment.

Earthquake

Barb, Lawanna, Lacey, the children, and caretakers at Ruuska Village are all okay. Praise the Lord for His protection and mercy. The walls around the village have collapsed, as well as the food storage building. They are tending to several peoples' medical needs coming in from the streets. They are in need of supplies such as: medical, diesel, food, etc. If anyone would like to donate directly to Ruuska Village, you may send to: Reach Out to Haiti, 168 Gutbrodt Rd. Melrose, NY 12121 I am also posting a paypal donation link on this blog. All proceeds will go directly toward helping the most urgent needs at Ruuska Village. Haiti will always have a special place in our hearts. God has a plan, and we believe this may be a new beginning for the people of Haiti. Thank you and may the Lord bless you for being so willing to help.