TeamDuggan

You may remember the stories and photos from just after the earthquake when we followed up one of many unsubstantiated rumors about an orphanage with 56 dead and 60+ orphans who were in a pretty desperate situation.  Our hearts were broken by what we found, but thrilled when we were able to provide immediate help and connect them with others who have provided food, water, shelter and other help.

 
The changes since that awful time six months ago are significant, but the situation is still pretty difficult.  Mom Evelyn, the orphanage’s director, took us on a tour of what they’ve been doing and planning.  She has begun work in removing and repurposing rubble and the kids are being cared for well. 

 
As we were talking with the director I watched a little two or three year old boy who had lost a leg far above his knee.  He had a little child’s plastic stacking chair that he used as a crutch, and wow! that boy could move!  In seconds he had crossed over a wall, pulled his chair after him, came cruising up to me and reached up to be held.  He had the most amazing smile and didn’t let a little thing like a missing leg keep him from the joy of life.  

So what do you do to cool off on a sunny summer Haitian day? Go to the river and soak! Of course, river is a generous term, and we had to go upstream a bit to preserve others’ modesty who use the river for their bath. Don’t ask what might be happening further upriver…we sure didn’t. But we did rinse off once we returned.

Since I left Costa Rica in early June I’ve been immersed in Portuguese, Creol and English consecutively but very little Spanish. Today in Honduras I decided to try to revive the rusty Spanish and speak to the church in their own tongue. Either God gave me special dispensation or the people were very gracious, but the words flowed and they even laughed at a joke I told.

We are in Tegucigalpa where the fledgling Evangelical Free Church welcomed us warmly. What a wonderful place to be when you can travel with someone like Bob Werntz who spent 12 years here and knows someone everywhere we go. And tonight….big, juicy steaks for dinner!

It’s hurricane season, and most of the people in the earthquake impacted area of Haiti remain under tarps or in tents.  Keeping dry is part of the challenge, but keeping safe in high winds can mean life or death.  Each week teams are coming to help us put up shelters that provide protection even in hurricane conditions.  This week’s Google Earth snapshot shows how many have gone up in partnership with local Haitian leaders and Samaritan’s Purse (providing materials).  Even in the midst of this urgent work, building and nurturing relationships is key to success.  Pray that these relationships develop well, that Christ is central to the work, and that many will be blessed with adequate shelter before the first big storm.

With a summer schedule that makes our heads spin, we were particularly blessed to have our whole family together for 24 hours this weekend. Four of us came from Columbus Ohio, two from Rome Georgia, and we all met at my brother’s home near Atlanta where Glenn and Lisa provided wonderful food and relaxation for the six of us to enjoy for a short time. It won’t happen again until Christmas so it was a day we all will treasure.