Help the hurting in Haiti

Alicia and I have been writing a lot of emails to people who want to help in Haiti.  We thank for wanting to help the hurting in Haiti, but I always almost write "thank you for your desire to hurt the helping in Haiti"  Then tonight we realized that "thank you for your desire to help the hurting in Haiti" sounds like they want to help people to hurt. Guess either way can sound bad.

Haitian National Palace

Haitian National Palace
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

We went downtown yesterday. The first time I went there was 4 months ago, I really wanted to take similar pictures to what I took in December. The problem with that is that there are people living in tents where I was standing last time or things are blocked off from us going in.

Mwen vle modem regule, pa vle modem lo

So today we made the trip to get a modem for the internet AGAIN. This is the third time I have gone. So we tell them we don't want the internet until they get a modem. Then they say well we have modems we just don't have power supplies (pa gen power supply) or ethernet cords. Of course. I just laughed and went to Dominos again. Then I searched everywhere for a 13V power supply. We have 12V, 9V all other kinds of Vs. Just not 13. Must be my unlucky number.

Mwen vle modem regule, pa vle modem lo.

I want the regular modem, not the gold modem.

Also just fyi - The CNN documentary about Child Hope will be airing next month. May 8th and 9th at 8PM Eastern Time

Lucas

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. update from haiti from lucas & Alicia We are still here...  Sorry for the lack of updates, I'm really good at updating my flickr and twitter and facebook but if you don't follow my updates at any of those places, it would be hard to get them... We are still here in Haiti - we were supposed to leave on Saturday but 7 days just seemed too short.  We extended it until Monday, but even that is seeming short.  There is so much computer stuff and logistical stuff to do here and things move sooo slowly.  For example, we've been waiting about a week to get a modem for the school so the kids can use it for educational online games.  We've gone twice to this place now, and no modems.  When will you get a modem we ask?  Shrug of shoulders, they answer.  So we have to drive up again to try and retrieve a modem that might not be there.  TIH (this is Haiti).  We've been really enjoying our time here, last week and a half went by so fast.  Alicia has been helping with administrative/team logistics stuff, teaching dance class, helping with the feeding program, and more that I am probably forgetting about.  I am helping with computers/website/communication/photography and helping Child Hope in any geeky way I can.  Here's a few highlights from the past week and a half: Helping out at the computer lab at the new MDL school.  Alicia and I both taught classes - this is the kids favorite class! Seeing the hard labor of people who have come to Haiti to help - pictured below is the wall around the girls home that was rebuilt after the quake. Learning Creole on the street from neighborhood kids Good Friday service on a nearby hill in the ravine Easter Service overlooking Port Au Prince Reconnecting with friends and making new ones There is really a lot more to say, I have been trying to send this newsletter out for the past few days and haven't been able to.  There is so much rebuilding to do - of walls, of houses, of hearts and lives.  Pray that God would be the center of this rebuilding! Here are some ways to get continued updates: Lucas' Flickr set for this trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157623706590808/ Lucas' twitter: http://www.twitter.com/loomtronic Lucas' Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lucastheexperience Alicia's Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aliciamaesimmons   Unsubscribe loomtronic.mylife@blogger.com from this list | Forward to a friend | Update your profile You are receiving this email because you know Lucas or Alicia Simmons

haiti wednesday 47-DSC_7181

haiti wednesday 47-DSC_7181
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

pics of cute kids and dental work from today in #haiti

Carribean Market

Carribean Market
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

This is a market I have been to a few times... I was there just a few weeks before the earthquake. Being here and seeing places like this collapsed, especially places where I have been recently. It just reminds me of the briefness of life and how little time we have here...

haiti update

well I have a lot to say... I wasn't able to get online because the router at the guesthouse was major funky until I installed the new one tonight.  it's like night and day... before you had to point your computer in a certain direction and sit in a certain spot.  Now you can get internet all over the house, and I'm guessing it's faster too... my computer wouldn't connect at all to the new one.

anyways... so we got to haiti.  the plane to Haiti had very few Haitians... it was strange... We got to wait at the airport for our ride and practice our Creole for like 2 hours.  The airport is way different.  It's first world now, or nearly... Before you got off and walked onto the tarmac... now you are just in a stinky hallway that isn't air conditioned and you go down some stairs to a shuttle that takes you to immigration.  After immigration you find your bags among a sea of pushing people - they are in a room and there is no little loopy belt thing... they are just thrown on the floor and all over the place.  anyways I was glad to get out of the airport - it's not one of my favorite experiences.  we kind of just hung out yesterday (Saturday) and relaxed... it was a pretty long ride to get here.  I was in the back of a white caged truck on the ride home, so my view of the destruction was limited.  I saw a lot of tents, but I think I am going to go closer to the downtown area tomorrow - which apparently is where it is worse.  It's really great being here and seeing all the kids again, I'm looking forward to what God has for us in this week.

Today I went to church... So of course, my tradition is to purchase a whopper for the pastor of PAP Fellowship... but most of the orphanage goes to a closer church to the orphanage now.  Thankfully one other guy here wanted to go and we got someone to drive us.  I really enjoyed the message as always.  The 3-day old soggy whopper was delivered.  We prepared for this week today, a lot of us will be filling positions at the school that need filling.  I will be supervising the new computer lab and hopefully taking pictures/video and Alicia will be teaching hip-hop dance... And Alicia will be doing some meeting with the staff and working out logistics stuff too!

Well, I wish I had a more exciting update - I do have pictures though which are kind of exciting.  The highlight of my day was probably getting the internet to work on this new router haha. For more check out my flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience



Alicia learning Creole


The house behind the guesthouse

Haiti

warning.  this blog is not that exciting.

In just maybe 12 hours or so we will be in Haiti.  I don't know if my mind is fully prepared for what I'm going to see.  We've been so busy lately I feel unprepared for this trip in many ways.  I know it's going to be amazing and we will have a greater understanding of what is going on via Child Hope when going.  I just think how bad things were before this and I've seen all the pics of the devastation but I imagine witnessing it first hand is something different.  Our flight to Miami was somewhat uneventful.  Alicia and I pretty much stayed up all night last night doing stuff to get ready.  At 7:30 in the morning we had no clue if our bags were overweight - no reliable scale... so we did the whole weigh alicia, have her pick up a bag and subtract bag weight from Alicia's.  Not a reliable system... we very much guessed and took some stuff out... When we went to the airport they were all under 50 pounds, thank God!  I really am not a fan of the LA - to Miami flight but on this flight we LUCKED out and got the only row I think in the whole plane (in non-business class) with like twice the legroom.  Every other row had the normal video screen on the back of their chairs.  I was bummed to see ours didn't have that... but then I realized the video thing was in the armrest haha.  I fell asleep watching Planet 51 and then watched some documentary on people who were like real Indian Jones.  Otto Rahn searched for the holy grail for a long time and there was some other guy.  Anyways... American Airlines lost one of our bags because we had some construction stuff in there and it had to get some extra screening.  Now we are spending the night at Miami International until our plane leaves tomorrow morning at like 9 or 10ish.  Please keep us in ur prayers!