FRIDAY APRIL 25, 2008

After dad talked to Marlaine (the director of the orphanage, Faith & Love in Action) on Wednesday, he decided that we really needed to get to the orphanage as soon as we could since she said they were almost out of food. We left at 7:30am to travel 2 hours South over the mountains to Jacmel. Jacmel is a city on the south side of the island and it is so beautiful, right on the water. This time I took motion sickness medicine, Bonine, which helped tremendously. It can be found at Wal-Mart & am a walking billboard for this medicine! When we got to the orphanage we were greeted with smiles and hugs. Most of the 65 children were in school but a few of the older ones had exam week so they were home by the time we arrived. There was a drum set that had been donated and few other instruments setting near. Dad picked up the guitar and another boy started on the drums and Henry picked up the clarinet. It was awesome that though dad couldn’t communicate with the boy, they could play the same song. We got to walk through the orphanage that was under construction while we were here in Oct. and they have made much progress. The floors were beautiful shinny, pink, grey and white tile and many of their rooms were coming together nicely. We also saw the girl’s house behind the boys and it too was coming together. It’s very obvious that there have been some great construction teams & churches donating time and funds for these projects. The most impressive project that I saw was a huge wall right behind both buildings. As you may remember, when we were here in Oct, a tropical storm hit Haiti pretty bad and erosion was a huge problem for the land the orphanage is on. They decided to prevent this in the future and it looks as though it will work. I also took photos of all of this so you can see what I am talking about. Before we left to get the food Mom & Dad where going to purchase, Mom sat down with Marlaine to calculate how many of each item they would be able to purchase with the money that was donated by many of you. As Marlaine continued to name items needed she kept saying “the money is multiplying”. This was our prayer before we even left the states. We also asked many of you to pray this same prayer and you did. God heard our plea and He multiplied the money donated. Tears filled my eyes and I had to leave the room with emotion. It’s amazing how these people including the children are so faithful in their prayers. Marlaine mentioned that all of the children are allowed to walk through the food depot at anytime, as they notice the food decreasing, their prayers continue strong. They continue to thank God for His many blessings, and ask that He continue to provide. She said, as a mother, she wishes that they didn’t have to have the stress of wondering if they will continue to have the food that they need to survive. Yet on the other hand, she also said it was awesome for the children to witness their prayers being answered right before their eyes. I look back on my childhood and as an adult I am thankful that my parents protected me from the stress of knowing we were down to our last $5.00 or that short time we utilized food stamps so my mom could raise us instead of a day care. She said that had she put us in day care, her whole paycheck would have gone to pay for the day care, & she wanted to be home with us instead of paying someone else to raise us. She told me that daddy worked so hard, but sometimes things broke or things happened that we needed a little help to get though some hard times. Mom said this was God’s way of humbling her. My prayer is that these children never stress over how much food is in their depot. I pray that people continue to see the importance of their donations and continue to protect these children. Next, we went to the Dr. Phillip’s clinic. Dr. Phillip was the Doctor that stapled Doug’s knee in Oct. While we were there we asked him what he needed for his clinic so we could help him the next time we came. He remembered us right away and he was very pleased with all the supplies that we were able to bring to him. We thanked him again got the opportunity to pray over him and his clinic. Next we went to buy pinto beans, black beans, rice, cooking oil, spaghetti, sauce, laundry soap, propane, flour, corn meal, sugar, children’s milk, formula, canned herring, & goats. We took one trip to get half the items and then mom & I got out so they would have more room for the second trip to the store. As we came inside the children still weren’t home from school. I think this was the day that our traveling caught up to me. I laid down on a few chairs side by side and took a snooze. As I heard the children start to come in, mom woke me. They all gathered and thanked us through song. They sang songs in Creole and in English. I truly felt, as tears filled my eyes again, that they knew exactly what the words meant that they were singing in English. They sang, “Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because of what the Lord has done for us. Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, and give thanks for giving Jesus Christ, His Son. And now, let the weak say I am strong, let the poor say I am rich, because of what the Lord has done for us, Give thanks.” If you really look at these words, it really says it all. We give thanks to God because of his Ultimate gift, the sacrifice of His Son… and that through him all things are possible. The weak can be strong, the poor can be rich in Him, and only though Him. After observing this orphanage Doug and I were completely convinced that because of the way that Marlaine, Henry and the other adults raise these children God continues to care for them. The children are taught on a daily basis by example. They teach them how to be faithful, how to pray, how to trust that God will provide, how to be servants, & how to love one another. These children have the structure and discipline and their instruction book is the Bible. Many of them can play drums, guitar, clarinet, tambourine and other instruments as well. They are getting a well rounded education and skills that they will need in the future. God has blessed this orphanage and I pray that you continue to help support this cause.

THURSDAY APRIL 24, 2008

Doug, Amy, Rita & Sandy headed out of CV at 7:30am to get into to PAP at a decent time. Doug drove and I rode shotgun so we could get used to the city and where all the stores were located. I had a map that was pretty detailed & Sandy wanted to be sure I could navigate confidently. We arrived in the city around 9:00am and we missed most of the traffic.

Doug learned quickly what a vehicle looked like without break lights. We were about 6 inches from their bumper! He did great driving and maneuvering around huge rocks, man holes with no covers & pot holes that will swallow you, pedestrians that DON’T have the right of way, and crazy drivers with little traffic laws or speed limits. I think running on the fire department really gave him experience he needs to drive here. He knew exactly where the edge of our truck was and seemed to want to show me how close he could get before I would say “woe woe woe” or “Douglas” and then he would laugh at me. There are always close calls in Haiti, but in the city you really aren’t going fast enough to hurt anything maybe just a fender bender.

Our first stop was Mega Mart, where I will be buying bulk food for our groups before they come in. There is a nice array of American, Dominican, and other countries food. You have to really pay attention to the prices because one country isn’t consistently the cheapest. Kraft Mac & Cheese was only $.79 US so I had to pick up a few boxes of that!:) There are a lot of different items at Mega Mart. We got some plastic Rubbermaid “dressers”, hangers, canned goods, pasta, dishes, pots and pans, silverware, mop & bucket, BLEACH and cleaning supplies, & hardware supplies for the mission. Stop #2 was called One Stop. This is where we could exchange our money form US to Haitian and found some fresh apples, meat, and rat/mouse poisoning. Stop #3 was lunch time. We went to a restaurant called Epi Dor were it had hamburger combo meals that cost 99 gourde which is equivalent to $2.71 US, pizza, and ice cream. We all got a cheeseburger, coke and fries and Doug tried the bubblegum and Mom tried the dark chocolate ice cream. The hamburgers were very thin and the buns are firm and very thick…It was all very tasty, nothing to complain about. Stop#4 was right across the street at Deli Mart. It had lots of groceries, Baygon (insect killer) to spray our rooms at night, and a fresh deli. We got some salami and cheese… and I even asked for one lb. without Sandy translating for me. Stop #5 was at Casami. They sell furniture and appliances there. We found a small microwave here then priced a padded rocker and a grill. They seemed to be priced high and we decided to look at other stores. ALMOST everything that we bought all day was price double or triple what you might spend in the US. Stop #6 was at ERF, which is a hardware store down stairs and a furniture store upstairs. We thought we would just look at prices since we only had a tiny bit of space left in the truck. After looking we found a chair that looks like an office chair but it reclines a little and includes a padded ottoman and a cloth chair with a metal frame that also has a slightly padded ottoman. We decided to get just these two cheapo chairs instead of getting a lazyboy type chair or couch since it is sooo expensive to buy real furniture here. We were just happy to be able to get our feet up at the end of the day. We determined that we had just enough space in the back seat of the truck to put both boxed chairs, as long as I rode upfront between Doug and Sandy and then Mom rode in the backseat. The way home was pleasantly uneventful. We arrived right around 5:30pm just in time to put all the groceries away before a potato soup supper at 6. We were gone for about 11 hours and I enjoy shopping but my little puppies were crying. Everyday shopping in Haiti is like shopping on Black Friday, something you won’t find me doing in the states!! (Brittany, Megan & Lisa could have handled this with no problem!!) Our refrigerator still wasn’t working properly so we put all the cold items in the little chest freezer. Sandy passed Doug with flying colors for his first driving day! While we were gone all day Dad, & two strong Haitian men, Michelle & Vaddy (calls my dad “daddy”) continued to paint inside our house, then dad built a shelf in our bathroom and our bedrooms. You will see these in the pictures.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 23, 2008

Bean’s and Rice, Beans and Rice…I already miss the food and the thought of a pizza makes me hungry! BUT, Tonight all the missionaries had a welcome home Party for us and they invited a lot of our Haitian friends.... they (missionaries) already taught us that we can buy a lot of different American food and sometimes milk in PAP!!

Currently, there are 6 missionaries at Christianville (CV)

Dr. Ryan Price, is an optometrists from Alabama. He is 26 and he and Doug get along great. Ryan has been here since June of 2007 and does a great job running the optometry clinic here.

Stacey Bloomer, is an RN from Pittsburg, Kansas. She just arrived in January 2008. She is 23… I finally know someone that is always colder than me! When it is breezy or rainy she gets cold. Yet, cold here is only about 70*.

Teresa Murphy is a P.A. from Wisconsin. She is a little older than us….& has been in Haiti for about 7 years. I have already learned a lot from her. She has a great laugh and it is very contagious.

Jim and Sandy are the Doctor & Nurse couple from Kansas. They have lived in Haiti for about 10 years and know the culture very well. I’m guessing they are a few years older than my parents. Sandy has played a huge role in helping us get to Haiti. She has given me lists, ideas and info that were much needed.

Miss Sue is the wise ol’ owl. I’m guessing she is almost 70 and is a great example of a faithful servant. She is the director of the orphanage. She has 7 babies ages 3 and under and about 25 older children.

All of the missionaries here have already reminded us to pray and ask God’s guidance in all that we do…The encouragement and hospitality they have shown us is more than I ever expected. God is so good to put us in this place.

Tomorrow Doug learns how to drive in the city and I have to navigate for him. We are going to the market and all of the shopping stops in Port Au Prince. (PAP) You know how I told you that I emailed the missionaries that were here before us? … She told me that she had left so many supplies especially KITCHEN supplies that we will really need? Also a fridge & washer.... well most of the supplies were taken and we have NOTHING!! The fridge isn't working right now but it is fairly new so I think Dad can fix it. The washer is also sick right now but hopefully we can nurse it back to health soon... I am SO thankful for the mattress pad… we have a pretty decent mattress only purchased last year but a little too firm for Doug and I. The pad we brought makes it comfortable.

We started painting the house today. All the walls are nasty since the orphanage babies lived there and we think they loved to finger paint with their food?? So the paint was necessary! We cleaned so much and the bathroom was FIRST on the agenda. Now we can actually get clean taking a shower. Dad and Doug cut about a 1/4 inch off all the doors in the house because you could only open them about half way and then they would get stuck… funny huh? We pulled all the drawers out of the kitchen and washed them out.

Tomorrow after shopping we will try to finish the kitchen and that may be all we get finished but we hope to have the painting done by the weekend so we can play. We want to go see Ivanithe in Grand Goave and go to the orphanage that Mom and Dad helps in Jacmel. It feels so funny sleeping under a mosquito net… very romantic feeling though (wink)! Just ask Mike & Patty H. about their mosquito net!! I am really excited for tomorrow so I’m going to bed but we’ll write and send pictures soon.

TUESDAY APRIL 22, 2008

We woke at 2:45 am to leave the house at 3:30. Before leaving we prayed for safe travels, the safety of our family and friends in the US, and we prayed that all of our bags that we attempted to weigh on a bathroom scale the night before would be 50 lbs or less so we wouldn’t have to pay for the additional weight. Pap took us to the airport and we arrived around 4:45am. After unloading all 8 duffel bags and 4 carry-ons we weighed them with our fingers crossed. Every bag was 47-52 lbs so we could transfer some of the items to the underweight bags. Every bag ended up being 50 lbs or less. God is so good. We really didn’t want to use money to pay for overweight bags that we could use buy beans and rice to feed hungry children in the orphanages.

This trip was the easiest trip to Haiti that I had ever experienced. Every time we would get off of one plane, the next gate would be right in front of us. We were so tired and God really protected us and prevented us from running like crazies through the airport to catch the next flight. In Miami we had plenty of time to gather our bags and we ate “our last supper” at Chili’s. We slept on most of the flights and took a landing approach in Haiti that I had never taken before. It was kinda like we were in a tornado. I don’t think that our pilot had ever landed in Haiti before, or maybe he was just as exhausted as we were. Regardless, God landed us safely and down the stairs and onto the tarmac we walked. The hot windy air blew in our faces and the smell of Haiti began.

As we walked to the airport mom & I noticed a “white” women traveling by herself. When we got into the Customs line she came up behind us. We asked her name and where she was going. She said her name was Dixie and she was going to an orphanage that we weren’t familiar with & she really wasn’t sure where it was since she had never been to Haiti before. She said an American women, named Barb was going to be here to pick her up but she didn’t know what she looked like. After talking to her, she seemed to be very independent and has gone on several mission trips but we were still concerned that she was by herself so we told her to tag along and we would help her find her ride.

If you have never been to Haiti before then you wouldn’t know exactly what to expect. I will try to explain. After the long walk on the hot tarmac, you then walk into a narrow, cool room where you wait in a long line for Customs to stamp your passport. Then you are shuffled into a huge, hot, crowded, nasty smelling room and expected to find your luggage rolling by you, while being told to move over, move over, move over in a language that you can’t understand but a body language that you can… very impatient and rude. You have to stack your five-foot long luggage on little carts that may only be one our two feet wide. Remind you, we have 8 duffel bags and 4 carry ons. Dad and Doug each grab a cart while mom and I guard the carry on bags. After sweating profusely, we find all of our luggage and then Dixie’s and head toward the exit.

Now we get into another line that requires the Customs form that we filled out on the airplane and also the luggage stickers that lets them know how many bags you should have. They then ask you what is in the bags and hope that your answer is correct so they won’t pull you aside and search through all your bags and confiscate anything they think they should. Next is the fun part! You walk outside and it may as well be a billion people trying to touch your bags so they can say they helped and they should get a tip. There are also “big bosses” and you are to pick one. They have a group of men that help you get the luggage loaded into your truck and keep the other men back, then you are to tip only the “big boss” and he is to divide the tip fairly. This is so crazy because there is usually a fight between Haitians trying to get your business. It’s awful that they have to argue over something that we see as so minute, yet this may be their only chance to have enough money to feed their families. Please thank God today that you have more then enough food in your pantry and clothes in your closet… and if for some reason you were to lose your job, there are programs in place that won’t let you and your family starve. As much as we complain about our government, we have the strongest most blessed government in the world. Thanks be to God.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Dear Supporters,

You are a Blessing!! Because of you, we have reached our two year financial goal. We would like to thank you so much for all your support but it doesn’t stop here. Here are a few ways you can contact us with updates on how God is working in your lives, and you can also see how your gifts are being used to help build the Kingdom of God in Haiti.

1. Our email address is twobuckeyesinhaiti@yahoo.com Please email us with praises and prayer requests. We would really like to hear what is going on in your lives and would like the opportunity to pray for you too!
2. Our blog site is www.twobuckeyesinhaiti.blogspot.com this is where you can see what we are up to in Haiti. This site is under construction but within a few weeks you should see pictures, prayer requests and journal entries. Warning! This could cause you to love more, laugh more, or push you to do more for Jesus. Don’t view if your heart isn’t willing to be “transformed”.
3. Please Note that any future or MONTHLY donations can be made out to HCP (Haitian Christian Projects) for tax purposes. Please continue to mail to the address at the bottom of this letter.

Our Latest Update:

On April 13 we departed Ohio. We are in South Carolina and met up with Amy parent’s (Jeff & Rita) to complete accounting information and last minute “to do” lists. Since Jeff and Rita will be joining us for a few weeks, we will also be able to use their luggage space to take an additional 200 lbs of supplies needed during our move. On April 22 we will fly out of Charleston, SC. Please keep the Haitian people in your prayers as they are going through very hard times. The cost of food & goods have sky rocketed and demonstrators have been rioting the streets of Haiti in attempts to bring the costs back down. They don’t realize that these demonstrations are just hurting them and looters are out in full force. To give you an idea of some of the price increases… in Haitian dollars, Rice was $260 and now is $550, Cooking oil was $36 and now is $90 and Gasoline has raised to $70/gal (about $10 US/gal) Can you imagine paying $9 US for a gallon of milk?? Our prayer is that God will multiply their money or multiply their goods. We also pray that they get through these hard times acknowledging daily that God is in control and through Him all things are possible.

Many thanks and blessings to you!!

Doug & Amy Reichley

Haitian Christian Projects - HCP

808 Ophir St. #7 Moncks Corner, SC 29461

843-761-2468