Day 11 - Glad it's Sunday

The past two days have been pretty uneventful for myself. I spent all day Friday (6:00am-7:00pm) at the port providing security for a barge full of supplies and equipment that was partially loaded on trucks, partially scattered all over the dock. It was sitting there for a few days and guys here have been taking turns watching over it as we can't trust the port security. I don't think any eager fierce Haitians would be intimidated by me (maybe after a few more months of P90X and wielding a gun), but I was there nonetheless. It was a rough day of dealing with customs and standing in the hot sun with nowhere to hide - reflecting off the water and penetrating from above. I got a really nasty sunburn on my face and forearms. Customs has been giving us all kinds of trouble and making things as difficult as possible. We have 7 vehicles sitting there for weeks that we desperately need for helping with the shelters and food distributions. A customs officer came out around 3pm to do a 'fraud audit' on our most recent delivery. We had to show him every item on the bill of laden, and he proceeded to make us count every piece of lumber, sheet of metal, screw, and nail to make sure it was exactly right (not the normal procedure). Without going into any further detail, all I can say is that the corruption in Haiti is terrible; it's made its way into every form of business and government. Bribes are almost a necessity to get anything done as everyone wants their cut, but we're not about to concede, no matter how difficult and long they make it.

The only pleasant part of the day was when I got to talk to some of the workers and security guards at the port. I've been picking up on some of the Kreyol language and was able to communicate with them primitively at best. They also knew a little English which made things easier. Rick and I used every opportunity to talk to them about Jesus, and many of them proclaimed to be Christians. Every Haitian that we spoke with asked us if they could work for us as I guess word has been spread that it is a great job. The security guards told me they work from 6am-6pm for $5.00; I couldn't believe it. Two others told me about how they lost family and homes in the earthquake and have been sleeping in containers at the port between shifts. It just breaks your heart to see good people suffering so much.

We finally got to leave around 7pm at which point it was already dark; which was not good as I had to drive through Cité Soleil to get back to base. That may have been the most scary and unsettling thing I've ever done. There is just about no electricity in this slum town, and people are everywhere in the streets. All I had to see with was the headlights from my pickup truck and all the miniature fires people started on the side of the roads. Many vehicles were driving with no lights on. I did my best not to go below 10mph and to pass any slow moving vehicles. I can't and won't describe some of the things I saw going through there. I had to keep my eyes on cars coming up behind me, coming towards me, on people running or biking across the street, people trying to get in the truck from the sides, all in the dark. During the quake, the prison was damaged and all of the notorious slum lords and gang leaders of Cité Soleil that were gradually captured all escaped and have made their way back home. There is constant kidnapping, murders, and rape here and now the worst of the worst are back on the streets, and the police and U.N. have virtually no presence. This city is a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah.

Saturday I spent catching up on some computer work and recovering from my sunburn. Later in the evening, a few trucks were released from the port, and I helped unload them at the base.

And now it's Sunday; a day to relax a little. I finally got a chance to upload some pictures to Facebook if you want to check them out.