“Rick the Carpenter”

A second Rick joined the group a few days ago and, to distinguish between us, I am now, “Rick the Carpenter.” Given that I came here almost directly from one professional meeting and will go to another soon after I return, this moniker can only be temporary. But it actually feels quite comfortable here, and I’ll enjoy answering to it for another week.

Today was fairly uneventful for me. I continue working to prepare the compound for full occupancy and operation. A new group arrived, this one including five women; so, I expanded the women’s quarters. I continued building partitions for offices, and we almost completed a second of the large tents.

The long-awaited barge finally will dock tomorrow. It is carrying four 40′ ship containers chock full of equipment and supplies. Of primary interest to me is the 3,000 or so rolls of tarp. Each roll yields five 20′ x 20′ pieces, which is given to a family for shelter. The military personnel on the compound have begun working alongside us, and they will distribute the tarps after we cut them. With rainy season a few weeks away, it is critical that these find their way to people with little or no shelter in time for them to prepare for the rains. Otherwise, the barge carries a great many supplies, some portion of which will be put to good use by Rick the Carpenter.

Some of the folks staying at our compound watched the Super Bowl last night on a theater size screen with more than a hundred troops from the 82nd Airborne. On the way to and from the site, I sat next to two individuals who are partnering with Samaritan’s Purse on a grant application for additional food distribution. One was from World Vision and other other from Food for the Hungry. The grant would fund a one year program to get food to the most impoverished children in Port-au-Prince. It also includes a sanitation component. Like Samaritan’s Purse, these groups plan to be here for several years and are making plans for the next stage of aid. Every group here sees clearly that the end is near for most of the current aid programs and that aid must continue for years into the future. None seems to know exactly what the next stage of aid will be, but the time for it is near. Keep these groups in your prayers, and think about giving to one or more doing work that interests you. Two other groups that have stayed here and seem to be doing very good work are Living Water International  and Water Mission International. Any of these groups would make very good use of any money you give.

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