Water and Life!

Bill was only able to spend three weeks in Haiti in September due to the unrest and rioting but even in that brief time, a couple of major things were done (besides all the small ones) because our faithful prayer partners and supporters enabled him to go!

When he arrived on Ile a Vache, Bill found that the village well was dry.  People had to walk LONG distances to find water to haul back home on their heads for washing, cooking, and cleaning.  Can you imagine having to do that with every drop of water you use???  

Some folks had found a place closer to the village, dug another well, and found good water!  However, it was just a hole in the ground.  JUST MERCY purchased the cement and supplies needed to concrete the well in, making the water much cleaner to draw.

It was not quite finished when he left but people came by for two days before his departure to say THANK YOU for getting the materials so the well could be cased.  Here is a picture of what it should look like when it is finished.   This is a well we cased two years ago.

The second major thing that happened because of JUST MERCY was that two lives were saved!  A pregnant woman was brought to the base.  She was in labor but the baby was too big to be delivered.  With the terrible situation in Haiti, there are no taxi boats going back and forth to the mainland and she needed to get to a hospital!

Finally a boat was found that had one gallon of gas (not enough to get there and back).  Though Bill had been unable to find any fuel to buy since arriving on Sept. 1st, he still had four gallons that had been in storage from his last time in Haiti and he was able to give them enough to make the trip to Les Cayes.

We didn’t even know if the hospital was open after the riots and shortages of the past several weeks and they wouldn’t answer the phone.  Though it was a difficult trip (bouncing across the ocean in a small boat while in labor is a situation none of us would ever want to face), they did make it.  Bill received word that night that the lady had made it to the hospital and they had been able to perform a c-section and deliver the baby!  

Because of you, Bill was able to be there to bless an entire village with cleaner water and had a small part in giving one young mother and her baby LIFE!  Thank you for sending JUST MERCY!

(When Bill arrived in Haiti this time, he was stuck in a hotel in PAP for three days till a friend was able to give him a ride to the coast.  It took ten hours instead of the usual three due to road blockages, etc.  Due to the unrest, lack of jobs, and difficulty in distributing food, the people said that things were worse than after the hurricane in 2016.  Aid is not coming into the country as it was then and food is nearly gone. 

The situation in Haiti has grown worse and worse since Bill got out two weeks ago.  The people are burning buildings, businesses, and blocking roads so no aid can get through.  One gas truck was hijacked and the drivers murdered.  Many places are out of food and no more is being distributed as the roads are so dangerous or completely blocked that transportation of aid and food is practically impossible.  

Bill is hoping to go back soon and is exploring possible options, including being flown in to Les Cayes or IAV.  If he can make it to Ile a Vache, he could take our boat to the Dominican Republic, a 4 day trip, and buy food and supplies to bring back to IAV.  A humanitarian crisis may be upon Haiti!  

Please pray the boat is not vandalized as it may soon be the only way to get help into the island.  Please pray for wisdom and an open path for JUST MERCY to help in this dire situation.  Thank you!)

The inside of a cased well

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