The End of the Day is Coming and We Feel Fine.

The end of the day is coming. We did find a new water pump so that this concrete waterlogged carcass of a building that houses almost 30 people more than half of them disabled might actually have running water for cooking, cleaning, and bathing. Actually on this island of shortages we found the exact same pump twice at two different stores. The 2nd time we found it it was $45 US cheaper than the pump we’d already purchased. So we tried to return the first pump. No luck. All sales final even for an orphanage. Tried to find a circular saw so we could cut some lumber. No luck. Or a stapler so we could hang some screens. No luck. Or a cordless drill. No luck. The most common construction tools are not available on the island. I did find a remote controlled fiber optic cable observation system however.  There may be plenty of saws and drills behind the barbed wire walls of the UN compound, they seem to have lots of stuff, cars, trucks, backhoes, you name it they probably even have gasoline, that rarest of rare commodities. But for us… well… no gas. The gas stations have turned into parking lots. There is gas available on the gray market for about $20 per gallon but you really don’t know what’s in the gasoline and $20 bucks is about what the average citizen of Haiti makes in a week. If they don’t take any days off. So we have a new water pump. But no water for the house because the generator that powers the water pump is out of gas. And the power only comes on a couple of hours a day. Usually when you least expect it. If it were Vegas there would be a pool as to when and how often the power might come on because it’s totally arbitrary.  No power, but plenty of mosquitos. Plenty of flies, and heat, and mud, and water everywhere you don’t want or even expect it. And plenty for the caregivers to do. Getting kids up in the morning. Bathing, cleaning, food, naps. Washing clothes and dozens of diapers… by hand. Putting kids to bed. Still, their is plenty of laughter as the kids and I play with the camera before bedtime.

And small miracles too. Mike M adjusted a therapy chair for Peterson today and for the first time in months he sat up outside. A couple of rooms painted, and some of the exterior. The water is slowly receding. What is progress? How do we categorize this day? Do we only consider what wasn’t pumped or found or sanded?  Or should the smile on the face of a blind, encephalitic child be considered in the equation?

Tomorrow there will be success in Haiti. Despite earthquakes and governments and shortages and politics and actually… in spite of almost everything, tomorrow the caregivers at Melissa’s Hope Orphanage will again succeed. They will feed, comfort, bath, love, wash, clean from dawn until late at night. Tomorrow have no doubt that the Caregivers at Melissa’s will again do their jobs without complaint and with extrordinary grace. Against significant odds the men and woman who care for the children at this orphanage will succeed if only because they have decided in their hearts and minds that despite everything… anything less than success is completely unfathomable. And because of this, so must we.

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