Sharyn and Paul Branson were commended to the Dominican Republic by Saanichton Bible Fellowship in British Columbia in 2008. They have two adopted children, Noah (9) and Samantha (7), both of whom were born in Haiti.
On 6th February, my husband Paul returned safely after a 20-hour journey to Haiti Children’s Home (HCH) in Mirebalais, Haiti. Praise God for His protection! I did not go on this trip, chiefly because of our children. We could not find anyone to care for them, but, more importantly, they were very worried at the idea of both of us going into Haiti. Noah and Samantha have been affected deeply by the earthquake in different ways. Both children have prayed that their birth families are alive and keep asking if we think that they are okay. It is also possible that we would have had problems at the border, with officials questioning the validity of our adoption papers and Canadian passports.
I have “interviewed” Paul and this is the account of his trip:
The guys left at 3.30 am and arrived in San Juan at the home of mission worker David Lee Yoder at about 9.30 am. They loaded up and headed to the Haiti/Dominican Republic (DR) border at about 10.45 am. They had no problems crossing the border. As soon as they crossed into Haiti, the road quality worsened. It was a long, hot, dusty drive through no man’s land and on into the town of Mirebalais where the HCH orphanage is located. They arrived at HCH around 3 pm. The workers and volunteers at HCH were delighted with the supplies, especially the generator, having had no electricity for a long time. A sign of Haiti’s progress since the earthquake is that Mirebalais’ electricity was restored yesterday. However, they are only going to be receiving about two hours of electricity per 24 hours.
HCH still has 32 children in the orphanage; two are in wheelchairs and one is a special needs child. The ages of the children range from four months to eight years. From what we understand, these 32 children do not have adoption in process, which is why they cannot leave Haiti. All the children, workers, caregivers and volunteers are sleeping outside in tents, their kitchen is outside on the ground and their shower is three tarpaulins rigged up in a triangle, with a bucket of water (no tap or hose).
One of the children, an eight year-old boy, really won Paul’s heart. He is sad because some of his friends have left for Canada and the US. It was hard to leave HCH and as Paul related something of the conditions and the children, he was very emotional. Haiti has never been an easy country to live in, with the poverty and hardships, but it is even more difficult since the earthquake. It is so hard to explain in words.
The greatest need of HCH now is security! Orphanages are a target for thieves as they receive relief supplies, so thieves know that there are things to steal. If thieves enter the compound, fear of injury or death is a real concern.
The second need is for the reconstruction of HCH. The building itself has been declared “unsafe” by the UN, so they cannot stay in it. Everything inside the home is in disarray as the workers fled after the earthquake and have not been back inside since. Paul was able to check out the interior and talk with HCH workers. The good news is that the building does not need to be pulled down. Three walls need to be reinforced with steel and thick plaster before the children can move back into the safety of the orphanage building. Paul wants to try to put together a team to have this work done so that these children and workers can “get home”! Their living conditions outside are so bad and this is just one of many orphanages in Haiti needing reconstruction.
Another difficulty for HCH is that its director is still in the States. Melinda left on 30th January with three orphans who were near the end of the adoption process. After days of trying to talk to someone at the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, she finally was able to - after they called the media for help. Melinda obtained permission to take these three children to the US and give them to their adopting families.
Paul’s account of what has happened since they arrived in the US is upsetting. Melinda had the children with her the first night when, at 2 am, there was a knock at her door. The US authorities arrived and told Melinda that she had to wake the children, bathe and dress them because they needed to be examined by a doctor. Melinda protested and tried to get them to wait until morning but they refused. So, at 2 am, these children, who had already been through so much, were woken, bathed, taken to be examined by doctors and then taken from Melinda and put into foster care!
The children are still in foster care in the US even though they have adopting families waiting for them! The authorities will not allow them to go to their new families. Why? We don’t know. We cannot imagine how difficult this is for these children, and these are just three of the many Haitian children that have entered the US that we are aware of.
What is our next step, you may be asking? We would like to talk to Melinda to see about putting together a construction team of Dominican friends and then head back to HCH to get the walls reinforced and build a security guard shack as soon as possible! We want to see the children back inside the orphanage, protected and safe! Your prayers for this would be appreciated.
Thank you for all your prayers and support. We have received many encouraging e-mails and know that so many are praying not only for us but also for Haiti.
Please do not forget the spiritual needs in Haiti. This is a country that is completely destroyed and devastated. However, it is during such times that we humans tend to turn away from our own resources and move towards God for help. God has never forsaken Haiti and He never will! We lift up all the mission workers (long and short-term) who are working in thousands of different ways to help the Haitians and minister to them. May many Haitians make the choice to follow Jesus, feel the love of God in their hearts, know the truth and know that God will not forsake them. Pray that they will keep their faith and trust Him completely!