Small contributions are HUGE!

     Whenever I made a small donation to a worthy cause, I often wondered "Gosh, does my paltry little donation really matter?"  I would walk away feeling guilty for giving what I could give because it didn't seem to be a "big enough" contribution.  I felt if I couldn't give a large quantity of something or a sizeable check, then why bother?  I mean really, would $5 or $10 really help the recipient?
     Yes!!  As the Haiti 2011 trip approaches, donations are still trickling in.  And they are piling up!  Although we've shipped approximately 450# of donations and supplies to Haiti, we may have to arrange another shipment! 
     People have handed me checks for large and small amounts; money we will use to purchase rice and beans.  To paraphrase a friend, "That $5 is $5 more than you had when you started."  And now that $5 will feed a family of 4 for one week - more food than they will have had before we came.
     I'm learning it's not about the amount of money or the number of donated tote bags.  It's what you do with each and every penny, each and every tote bag you give away.  It's about taking the fish and loaves God gives you, passing it on to those in need, then letting Him multiply the increase to impact as many people as He will.
     After all, God owns everything.  Whether it be a tote bag or a $5 check, my job is to be a pipeline of blessings between God, the donors, and those in need.  I'm just the hands to pass along whatever God places within them.
     Don't not give just because you think your gift is too small to make a difference.  Every blizzard starts with one snowflake, every flood with one raindrop.  Every gift to an impoverished person starts with "one." 
     A sincere thank you to everyone who has donated anything to Haiti!

Would you sleep on this?



Mattresses at Tabitha's orphanage



     Probably not.  But 20-25 orphans at Tabitha's do.  Every night.  And yet they are lucky.  They have mattresses.  Even though they look like this.  Tattered, torn, soiled and unsanitary.  If you don't have a mattress, you sleep on the ground.  Or on concrete.

     Why are the mattresses outside in the sun and not on the bedframes?  Little kids are little kids.  And little kids without diapers, well....  that's why the mattresses are put outside in the daytime.  At nighttime, the mattresses are put back on the beds for the kids to sleep on.

     This is Haiti.  You do what you have to do.  If you have the choice between spending money (if you have it) on diapers or food, which would you choose?  At least these little guys and gals have mattresses.  Not the most sanitary conditions in which to sleep, but at least they are up off the ground.

     I asked D. how much to replace the mattresses.  $400.  E.a.c.h.  What???  Yep, $400 each.  Haiti has no mattress manufacturers, so mattresses must be purchased outside the country and shipped in.  Purchase price + shipping costs = pricey mattress.  But wait, there's more....  If you ship the mattresses in to Haiti, now you have to pay the "customs taxes," aka bribes, to get the shipment through Customs.  Ka-ching, ka-ching.  D. says the most cost effective way to get mattresses is to buy them in the Dominican Republic and truck them over to Haiti.  $400 each.  The orphanage needs ten.

     If you will help me raise $4,000 for ten new mattresses, I will personally buy the waterproof mattress bags to put them in.  And this precious little guy will sleep well.

Haiti Packing Party

     Whew!  What a whirlwind!  Thanks to several hearty volunteers from church and a dear co-worker, we packed ten 33" x 16" x 14" trunks for our upcoming trip.  We scheduled two days for a "come and go, look and see" packing party.  Curious about what we are shipping?  Want to see how much 1,000 bars of hotel soap is, or what a pile of 200+ tote bags looks like?  How much stuff can you cram into one 33" x 16" x 14" trunk?  This was the place to be to see it.  We packed tote bags, soaps, toothpaste / toothbrushes, gallon size ziplock bags (for bagging rice and beans), sewing kits, hard candies, tennis balls, MREs, etc.  And it all had to be broken out into easy access to the supplies for both morning and afternoon distribution runs.  No time to sort and repack once we reach Haiti.  It took us roughly 10 hours over several days to assemble, organize and pack all of our supplies.



Our supplies ready to ship to Haiti

     Since the trunks, weighing 50-60# each, were sitting in my living room, I was designated the "shipper."  After weighing pricing options between the two large shipping companies, the choice was made.  I dutifully printed off 10 shipping labels, oh so neat and perfect.  Pick-up time for the trunks was set.  The doorbell rang.  "Uh......"  Long pause from the delivery man, never a good thing.  "Where are the barcodes on the labels?"

     D'uh!!  I had a hunch I goofed somewhere.  Up to this point, it had all gone much too smoothly.  Not to worry.  Being the kind, uber customer service delivery man that he was, he told me how to rectify the situation - and he even gave me his cell phone number on the truck so I could call him when I had everything relabeled.  Several hours and ten shiny new barcoded shipping labels later, I called the delivery man back and said the trunks were set to go.

Thanks, Frank!

     104 stops later, he was back at my door.  He showed me how to scan the labels as he carted them off to his truck.  (I can't imagine hoisting boxes back and forth all day, every day.  Ouch!)  We got to talking about Haiti and all the heartache and poverty down there.  I told him to think about going on one of our trips; he said he didn't think he could handle the heartbreak.  "I wish I could do something to help them, though."

     "You ARE!!," I told him.  "You are helping us get our supplies down there.  Without you and your shipping company, we couldn't do what we are doing."
     From start to finish, many hands participated in the Haiti Packing Party.  Donors.  Packers.  Shippers.  Thanks, everyone!



  



God telephones at 6 a.m.

     I found a source from which to purchase small hotel-sized bars of soap, great for distributing to the folks down in Haiti.  I priced the quantity online, then filed the information away under "I'll order this later."
     2 days later, I'm back online looking at the soap.  The price has gone up.  Drats!!  I create my profile and begin the ordering process.  Major glitch.... the company won't sell to me because I'm not a business.  I leave a message for someone, anyone.  How can I purchase this item? 
     Arrow prayer to God.  "Help me, if it be Your will."
     Later, someone calls me back and we sort out the details.  I create my profile and place the order, sort of.  I'm told someone must call me back with a customer number before the order can be completed and shipped.
     I wait.  Nothing. 
     The next morning the phone rings.  At 6 a.m.  Mustering my best groggy voice in which to answer the phone (I mean, seriously, who is gutsy enough to call me at this hour of the morning?  It better be important.), I pick up the handset and scan the Caller ID. 
     It's the company.
     Swallowing quickly, I now muster the most pleasant voice I can for the insanely early hour.  The lady, unaware of the time difference, chats politely about my order, customer number, etc.  Then she gives me the information that makes me sit bolt upright in bed.
     The price for the soap dropped! Lower than when I first began pricing it.  Noticing the grog still in my voice, the lady suddenly asks if she woke me up and offers to call me back later.  NO way!!  I want that lower price!
     We complete the order and as I flop back into bed, it dawns on me....  God is at work again, moving in His mysterious timing, providing soap for His children in Haiti. 

First impressions, part 2. Haiti.

     Rubble.  Mountains of trash.  Tent cities everywhere.  Ruins.  Masses of people.  Tap-taps.  Horns honking.  Dust. Dirt. Rubble.
     Palm Inn.  Oasis behind white iron gates.  Man with a shotgun at night.  Electricity from 7pm to 7am.  Power outages off and on throughout the day.  Anoles and geckos.  Little puppy.  Two cats.  Animal beggars at mealtimes.
     Luscious, cooling pool!  Tasty accra made by Francois ("A butler's name" according to Edia).  Cool breezes.  Long, leisurely meals.  Cold water showers, but who cares?!
     Met an earthquake survivor at the Delmas church; a young man on crutches with a leg injury. 
     Fans!  Yea for electric fans!  Otherwise the temperature inside the semi-open church building, with a tin roof, would have easily reached 125 degrees.
     Cute kids.  Little girl who wanted to give me Chiclets gum.  A tap on the knee, a dark little hand reaching under the pew, holding out a small white box of gum.
     Trip to Sonya's orphanage.  Happy children.  They sang for us.  Instant kisses - "bisous."  Hand clapping games, chickens, roosters, hens, turkeys, dog and puppy.  3 kids proudly riding bikes, wobbling all around the courtyard.  Girls combing my hair.  Shy little hands latching on to ours, leading us around, showing us their dorm rooms.  6 kids to a room.  Toothbrushes neatly laid out on a table, 2 toothbrushes shared amongst 6 children.  "Closets" - a rope strung in the corner, clothes tossed across the rope, some on hangers.
     SWEAT!  Pouring off my face.  Running down my back.

First impressions, part 1. Florida to Haiti.

     Anyone going to Haiti should take a journal and write in it.  I took my journal with me.  I almost didn't write in it.  I was too caught up being in Haiti and taking it all in.  No time to write.  I might miss something if I took my eyes off of the visual cacophony playing out all around me.  Several days into the trip, I decided I'd better crack open the journal and try to capture some of the memories before I forgot them.  So here goes...  random thoughts, first impressions, and a few complete paragraphs.  Happy reading!
     The guy on the flight from FLL to PAP.  I call him "funky hair dude."  He sported some seriously long, thick, tight braids that stuck straight out behind his head (no joke) when bunched up in a pony tail.  He put some shades on, pulled his hoodie over his head and looked exactly like ET. 
     FLL was warm and humid.  My sweet hostess said it was a "cool night" - I thought it was plenty warm, but in a luxurious way.  Lightning storm up to the north.  Ah, nature's light show!  My first trip to FL.  Exciting!!  Even if it is only a layover...
     Beautiful flight over the Gulf Coast, Everglades, and Bahamas.  Gorgeous clouds!
     "Party in the back" of the plane flying into PAP.  Nothing more than a l.o.n.g line for the bathroom.  A very well dressed older lady walked up to the flight attendant and with such natural grace and dignity said "pee pee."  The Haitian term for "I need to use the bathroom; where is it?"  Short and to the point.  Understood by all.  You'll hear it a lot in Haiti.

Asking for donations

     If there is anything that makes me cringe, it's asking people for donations.  Especially monetary donations, but that's another topic for later.  And yet, as I'm finding out, there are people out there who do want to donate.  Case in point, the hubby and I went to our usual eatery, Quiznos (Univ. and Arap.) for lunch.  A tote bag was on display, dangling in front of me, daring me to ask...  "Um, do you all make donations to charitable causes?"  "Why, yes we do."  "Would you donate tote bags?"
     I gave my shpeel and she gave me her business card.  I came home, wrote a letter outlining how useful the bags are to the Haitians and how we planned to use them on an upcoming trip. 
     I drove back to Quiznos, letter in hand and gave it to her.  (Why wait?  Strike while the iron is hot.  Besides, the more I proscrastinate, the greater the chances I'll talk myself out of following through.)  "Thanks, I'll let you know by Tuesday."
     20 minutes later, the phone rang.  "Hi, can you come by Tuesday morning?  I'll have those tote bags ready.  Sounds like they will really help a lot of folks."  Wow!  Her eagerness to donate and her fast response touched me.  When was the last time I responded that eagerly or quickly when someone asked me for help?
     Matthew 7:7 in action.  "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will kind; knock and the door will be opened to you."
     *p.s.  Yes, I received permission to post the Quiznos name and location here.  Hungry?  Go to Quiznos.  Go to that location!  Tell them Carol sent you.  ;)
  

35mm film canisters

     Ok, this is my feeble attempt (why do people generally describe their attempts as "feeble"?) to write about my experiences in Haiti this summer.  Shoulda started writing while I was in-country.  Oh well.  So many God stories to share about how He moves and provides in abundance.

     My latest encounter has to do with 35mm film canisters.  I used them in my initial batch of sewing kits I made; they made a great needle holder.  Just stick some needles through waxed paper (the wax coats them and makes them glide easily through fabric), roll it up and pop it in the canister.  Only trouble was, since the dawn of the digital camera age, not many 35mm film canisters are laying around any more.  I used up my small stash plus 100 tiny pill bottles from a lady.  I had to find another way to package the needles.  I resorted to putting an entire package of 16-20 needles in each kit.

     Enter one older, well-worn digital camera missing a few screws in the case.  I took it to a camera store to see if they could fix it.  They managed to replace one screw out of the four.  Better than nothing.  While I was waiting, I spied a large container of empty 35mm film canisters.  I asked the guy about it; he, in turn, asked why I was interested.  I told him about the sewing kits for Haiti.  He asked how many I wanted.  "Oh, about 20 would be great."  He pulled a 12"x12"x8" box out and filled it with canisters!  He said my project sounded worthwhile and wanted to help.  I wrote that guy one heck of a thank you note.