This was the phrase that struck me in a conversation yesterday with someone in Haiti!
Haiti is so broken right now that there is little to celebrate and no means by which to do it. Every day is a fight just to survive and things grow darker and darker.
Normally, no matter what’s going on things calm down in December so that people can at least enjoy Christmas. “It might as well be June” they said as the desperation continues to grow.
Unfortunately, whether it’s gangs or the police, kids see and hear automatic weapons everyday in many parts of Haiti. Anymore, it’s just a fact of life… and death.
The gangs are fighting with the police every day in an effort to gain control of all of Port-au-Prince (PAP). They want to become the government and control everything in Hatit.
But before I get ahead of myself, I do have to get you caught up. I apologize for the amount of time since the last update. I keep waiting to be able to give you a good update and it unfortunately never comes… It’s not easy to post updates when you feel like a broken record of doom and gloom. But that is Haiti’s reality.
On a positive note, I was able to have a productive summer of ministry, working at 4 different kids camps for a total of 9 weeks! It was a blessing to be able to spend 1,053 hours involved in serving the kids and staff by ministering to their physical needs, while they enjoyed summer camp and were challenged to grow their faith in the Lord. I was also thankful for safety and health during this time and as I traveled 1,637 miles during the 9 weeks back and forth to be able to serve at these various camps.
At the end of the summer, I started hearing that things in Haiti were improving and PAP was getting back to “normal” (this is far from the normal of when I first moved to Haiti). The gangs had pulled back as the UN sent people into PAP to set up a security Mission. I was a little skeptical but decided try to make a short trip as there were things that needed to be fixed at my house and I needed to check on things at the clinic. So, I decided to check it out for myself. But, many people in Haiti call the UN the tourists as they just drive around a lot and didn’t do much.
I planned a trip for October 6th to November 1st. When I got their things were pretty good and it was good to be back in Haiti. The first thing I had to do was get my license and paperwork on the car back up to date. There were police check points frequently and I didn’t want to have issues in an already stressful situation.
There were several things around the house that needed to be fixed (the heat in Haiti just breaks everything). Once I got things back in line I started to see some patients. I didn’t want to just put a sign back on the gate as I knew people would show up for weeks after I left and be very disappointed as well as maybe have traveled dangerous roads to get to the clinic and not have it be open. Many of the hospitals are closed and supplies are very hard to find. They say half the country (almost 6 million people) are in a food crisis. This directly translates to the number of people who don’t have access to medical care. If it’s a struggle just to eat sometimes only once every other or every third day then there is NO money for any kind of medical care. The need for help continues to be overwhelming.
I did see all of the patients that I was continuing to work with from Michigan. One of them is this little cutie, Vanessa!
As prices of everything continue to go up, it continues to get more expensive to take care of her and her now pregnant mom. Hopefully some day we can get her the surgery she needs, but in the meantime, we need to keep her safe and healthy!
On Saturday, October 19th, I just felt like I had made the trip too long. On Sunday night there was a lot of shooting in my neighborhood. The gangs were starting to move, knowing that the UN was not really a concern for them. On Monday I got a call from a friend about some new issues developing in PAP. After a discussion they stated that they were leaving in the morning. In March, they got out and I didn’t… So, at 8 pm I bought a ticket and at 6 am the next morning I left for the airport. So, I had to cut my trip short and left on the 22nd. That afternoon a UN helicopter was shot, 2 U.S. Embassy vehicles were attacked, and gang violence started escalating. It was conformation that I did the right thing. Unfortunately, I still had many follow-up appointments that I did not get to make and many other things that didn’t get done.
The first of November was my 8-year anniversary of moving to Haiti! Sadly, it was marked with an escalation of gang violence including, all the U.S. airlines getting shot the same day. American and Jet Blue planes were both struck by one bullet and Spirit was hit by 7 rounds which caused injury to a flight attendant. They had to make an emergency landing in the Dominican Republic. The airport was closed and the FAA had placed a flight ban which goes until March 12th currently. The first possible flight to PAP is April 30th but will probably be moved back.
In the middle of November things got very bad near the clinic. The gangs were destroying neighborhoods in the area and moving closer. I agreed to allow about 20 friends come to my house to escape the violence. I assumed I would lose the clinic to being looted and burned in the next couple days. We assumed that this would only provide about a week or so of protection and if it continued, they would all have to abandon my house and head for the mountains. Praise God it stopped just short the clinic area and nobody had to move. But this is the reality for between 700,000 and 800,000 people who have been displaced from their original homes and possible several more times. The thousands of people who have been killed are a warning not to try to stay when the gangs are coming.
This is a frequent occurrence for so many. As the gangs close in you take only what you can carry and you run for your life. Some times this happens multiple times as you try to find a place to take shelter. Over time they lose more and more belongings.
Fighting with the police and frequent shooting are still not far from the clinic and the house you are renting for Vanessa so she no longer has to live in the streets. Her and her mom had to flee for several days when it got really bad near the clinic. I worry about her and her safety. She would never be able to run very fast to get away from danger. Thankfully she is safe back home right now!
Last week they burned Bernard Mevs Hospital. It was a place I had taken many patients. It was a trauma center, had one of the few CT Scanners in the country, a pediatric ICU, and provided the only Hydrocephalus treatment in the entire country. It was a place of last hope for many in Haiti. The gangs seem to want to completely destroy everything. It’s just overwhelming what they are willing to do.
On another positive note, Aslan and Jasmine are doing well and I think they remembered me! They are lacking a little needed training but are doing well and doing there job well. When the internet guy stopped to fix and issue at the house, they came around the corner and he tried to climb over the gate to get away from them but was stopped by the razor wire!
I am so very thankful for your continued prayerful and financial support of the ministry of Kelby’s Kids! Things the last couple years have been very difficult in Haiti. When it seems like it can’t possibly get any worse, it just does. As the amount of time increases that I am not able to be in Haiti because of the risk to my life, so has the financial support. I understand that. I am trying to be a good steward with what you have provided, as the cost to just walk away and come back later would be tremendous, and it is much more financially responsible to try to maintain what we have. But good things are still happening and people are still being helped because of YOU!! In November Jaskenson was back in the hospital again due to his health issues. His 10 day stay came to just over $225,000.00 HTG (that is well over a years wage for most of the people who come to my clinic). Thankfully this is only about $1,750.00 USD, but without Kelby’s Kids, he would possible have died.
If you are considering some year end gifts, I hope you would consider Kelby’s Kids as one of your organizations. Or, if you have been considering becoming a monthly supporter, now is a good time to support us on a regular basis. You can go to the GIVE page on this website for information about on line giving or an address to set up a bill pay through your financial institution. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me by email at kelby@kelbyskids.org
Please pray for Haiti, its people, and especially for the children. There is so much fear, hurt, and suffering. Praying that despite its appearance and circumstances that the Prince of Peace would rain down upon Haiti at this time and each one may have the true hope of CHRISTmas in their heart. And, that maybe for a night or two, that the guns would stop and each one would have the gift peace that only comes on a silent night!
Until No Child Dies,
Kelby