HAITI, HAITI.........GIVE ME, GIVE ME...............

There is no way to describe the poverty and hopelessness of Haiti.........The best we can do is give it to you from the eyes of temporary priviledged fringe dwellers...............But seeing it first-hand did give us some insight......... As we sailed along the coast there were thousands of dug-out canoes fishing deep waters with cane fish-traps..........Plastic coke bottles tied together to mark the trap sites......... and the fisherman would paddle over to our path, stand up in their canoes and with outstretched hands, call out "GIVE ME..GIVE ME.."..Over the side went plastic bags with rice, sugar, milk powder, UHT milk cartons, jars of peanut butter, clothes, spare fishing line, hooks, till there wasn't anything else left........... and still there were more of them........... Endless people ......The hillsides showed extensive agriculture everywhere..... and it was not until a day later when we finally anchored that we got the other side of the story............... A man-in-the-know from Port-au-Prince told us that there is a Haitian saying in French Creole, that when translated, means ... "You're a fool if you don't ask for something, and an even bigger fool if you don't take it."........ That very day the onslaught had begun..........GIVE ME,....GIVE ME....from morning to night.......not starving kids or adults,...No, but well dressed and healthy individuals with both hands outstretched and saying... "GIVE ME"...."GIVE ME"....... On the hillside in the photo above was a skin and bones cow that continued to moo for hours and it was probably calling "GIVE ME......GIVE ME...." Speaking to others, including visiting UN aid workers revealed that there is a historic mindset in the people........ We will wait for the next handout or the one after that and in the meantime we will just make more children......And despite the devastation of the earthquake, anyone else would get busy and clean it up but the UN workers told us they just sit in the chaos and are waiting for someone else to clear the mess...... (The UN workers were here near our anchorage to get away from it all for a day or two)............... End result....Many good hands that could make light work are used instead for stretching out and ....."GIVE ME..GIVE ME.." ........We sailed on, upset and angry...... A man can do so much more if he just got off his backside.........

THERE......NOW I'VE SAID IT...........TRYING TO BE PRACTICAL BUT NOT INSENSITIVE.....



Beneath the surface there is a vibrant economy for daily hundreds of passengers go to the mainland, at a cost of $2.00 each way, in these long canoes with outboards and the mainland towns are a hive of activity..........



And here is a really good man, Rev. Raymond Bideaux from Florida, who leaves his wife for months at a time, to do pastoral work in Haiti and has been doing so for twenty six years...... sailing on his yacht both ways to work here and make a difference.........