Well…there is good news to report from the DHQ
office this week.
Electricity from the power lines was turned back on
Friday. The government owned power company had cut all
electricity to the neighborhood around DHQ last Thursday,
13 January and had police arresting anyone trying to
repair it. Almost all the electricity in this area is
stolen, but The Salvation Army pays their bills monthly,
electricity or no – and probably for most of the
rest of the neighborhood as well.
Telephone lines to DHQ were repaired Thursday evening.
Technicians will not come into the area to make repairs
because the neighborhood criminals attack them, steal
their tools and demand money from them. However, working
at night, we were able to replace the lines within our
compound. If you have ever seen the telephone lines
in Port au Prince, the question is not “Why do
we not have telephone service today,” but “how
in the world do we ever get service!”
The generator was repaired and the office began functioning
Tuesday after 6 days with no power at all to the DHQ
office. Of course, the generator, which offers alternative
power to the electrical lines stopped working during
the same time period. Technicians do not like to work
in our area because of the risk to them personally.
However, after daily trips for 7 days to the company
who sold us the unit (Carol acting as chauffeur), we
finally prevailed and the generator is working again.
The city is giving water through the lines fairly regularly
(twice a week for an hour each time) again. And water
trucks have started delivering water to us – for
twice the price, but you do what you have to.
UN Troops (Brazilian only) patrol the street in front
of DHQ daily and frequently station guards at the entrance
to the neighborhood. The daily gun battles seem to be
diminishing.
The first anniversary of the departure of President
Jean Bertrand Aristide is 29 February – so we
anticipate an increase in the violence in our neighborhood,
but the UN troops and Haitian police are trying to prepare
for the worst.
Life is exciting (sometimes scary), the officers and
soldiers work diligently and God remains faithful beyond
what we can ever imagine!
