A day in our life...

So... it's Friday March 14th. Tomorrow was the date we had heard over and over again for Jody to be here. However, he still does not have a set day for deployment. It actually is a good thing he wasn't scheduled to deploy tomorrow. He has a subpoena for a murder trial for Monday morning. If deployment had been tomorrow, he would have had to turn it down and wait for the next deployment date. Who knows when that will be!! So, there is a silver lining to all these delays.

Things are going as well as can be expected here. It's Haiti! What can go wrong, will go wrong!

Here's an example...

Here in Haiti there isn't "city water", all water comes from private wells, collecting rain water or water truck deliveries... or a combination of all three. We do not have a well so our source is rain or trucks. The reservoir to store the water in is under the house. It is very hard to get to; the only access is a 3ft X 3ft hole in the wall, 8 feet off the ground. In order to get to it you must get a ladder or stand on the concrete block that holds the water pump.

The water pump is used to pump the water from the reservoir into a 200 gallon tank on the roof. That way gravity takes over and the water can then be accessed through the faucets in the house. If there is no water in the tank... there is no water in the house!The water pump only works when we have electricity. Which in Haiti isn't often... usually in the middle of the night. So, either Shane or I have to get up every hour to check to see if we have electricity in order to turn on the pump. Most night we are lucky and it comes on around 10 p.m. We turn on the pump, fill up buckets in the house (we ALWAYS run out of water half way through the day because 200 gallons of water for 10 people just doesn't last very long!!) and then go to bed. Some nights we are not so lucky... a few nights ago, I got up at 11, 12, 1, 2:30 and finally at 4 we had power. I went out and tried the pump... nothing!! It would not turn on!!! At this point I am beyond tired and have no idea what to do. So... I simply go back to bed.

The next morning, I call Jimmy. I tell him what happened and he tells me there is no way for him to check it unless we have power. So we plan on him spending the night so when we get power he can work on it. That night, his birth mom calls him and she is very sick and needs to go to the hospital. He goes to get her and is gone all night.

So another day with no water. What this means is in order to wash clothes, wash dishes, wash bodies... we have to scoop water through that 3X3 opening with a medium size coffee can, put the water in a larger bucket and then carry it upstairs to the house. One 5 gallon bucket takes about 30 minutes to get. One 5 gallon bucket can usually wash one sink full of dishes or 2 children. Or maybe a half of a load of laundry. We usually have 4-5 sinks full of dishes, 7 children and 6 adults (the staff all bathe here which is customary in Haiti) and dozens of loads of laundry!!! That is not taking into consideration... floors to mop... bathrooms to clean... etc. Not having water is... just not fun!!

So... yesterday Jimmy rents a generator and comes over to fix the pump. He can't figure out what is wrong. Now what??? Our next door "neighbors" happen to be a Calvary Chapel Church ran by an American. Jim is a very nice man and has offered on several occasions to help if we need anything. I sent Shane over to get him. He brings a few guys with him and within a few minutes our water pump is repaired! Praise God!!! We use the generator to power the pump and fill the tank... we have water!!!!

Later that night, we get a water truck delivery. Shane goes down to pay for the water (costs around $50 US for 3000 gallons). The guys are obviously upset about something. Shane comes and gets Jean Bernard to translate. One of the guys slipped while getting the hose out of the reservoir and put his elbow right through the PVC pipe that runs from the reservoir to the water pump!!!! That's right, we get the water pump fixed and still can not use it.

So... for today we have a little water... not much but a little. Once the tank on the roof is empty... we are back to the coffee can!!!!We are the lucky ones really... at least we have access to water. The majority of people in this country do not!! They will walk for miles to a "public" area and fill up bottles, buckets, whatever they can carry. Then walk miles back… to do it all again the next day.

I really do not want people to think I'm complaining... not at all. I actually find it quite amusing. I know I am so blessed to have the ability to access water, it's just so outside of what we are used to in the states that I wanted to share how life in Haiti is. Even for the fortunate, the rich, the privileged.

Keep praying... we want Daddy here SOON!!!!