My good friend, Pastor Montreuil Milord, went to Haiti to be on site when the container finally arrived. Thank goodness he was there, for even as the container was en route to Petite Goave, there was still some confusion about where it would be put!
He finally got all that resolved, and the container moved through the streets to the Methodist Mission Compound in Petite Goave, to the spot where it had been directed so long ago to go! Something that large inevitably attracted attention, and a crowd gathered in hopes of getting food. Soon the "crowd" turned into a riot of about 2000 people, and Montreuil had to call the police to handle the situation. The contents of the container were to go to specific people who would know how to distribute them, and being sure of that turned out to be a major undertaking.
For you who have not been to Haiti, it seems cruel not to give the food to whomever needed it. And in the best of all possible worlds, that could have been done. However, we don't live in the best of all possible worlds. Some of the people were probably really in need, but many were ready to take advantage of the situation, steal what they could, and then sell it for exhorbitant prices. That is not what the people who gave the money to purchase the food intended.
The food and tents were finally unloaded and locked away. Now in an orderly way, Pastor Maude Hyppolite can see that the people who are really needy can be fed. There were also a numbe of tents--seventeen, I believe--and they will be welcomed by many who are still without shelter!
I think that this may be the last time we send food on a container. This one should never have sat for over a month waiting to be released!
Thanks again for caring. And please don't stop praying for my beautiful Haitian friends.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)