Cite' Lespwa: Day 1

Haiti: Day 7: Here are some first hand accounts.
"Last night I went to bed wondering why I was still sleeping outside.This morning I found out why." (Richard Morse)
"It was a 6.1 earthquake. A man here fell from the balcony and was injured. Thankfully there is a team of doctors here who helped him." (Lindsey Branham)
"PIH & surgical teams temporarily evacuated patients from general hospital--All teams now back." (Partners in Health)

The situation in Haiti seems to be progressing. Several hospitals and operating rooms in Port Au Prince are up and running thanks to Partners in Health and other non-governmental organizations. Volunteer medical teams are beginning to rotate out, replaced by fresh teams. The main conerns seem to be infection and lack of supplies. “This is the biggest hospital in the city & we are within 24 hrs of running out of operating room supplies” (PIH). Antibiotics are in short supply.
Search and rescue teams continue to find survivors in the rubble 7 DAYS after the initial earthquake!!!

Most survivors are living in "tent cities" or displacement camps. Lindsey Branham describes "thousands living under sheets."
"The children @childhopeintl were thinking of sleeping inside tonight. Not now after the 6.1 quake this morning." (Jonathan Olinger)
"Haitian spirits high. In camps, children singing & flying kites. Wooden structures going up. Tin roofs where possible." (InternetHaiti)
"the haitian spirit. people waiting patiently for h2o under hot sun. no armed guards. no pushing. obvious respect" (Dr. Sanjay Gupta - CNN)

Cite' Lespwa: Day 1 So in solidarity with the Haitian Spirit, we created Cite' Lespwa.
Today, we set up our tents, registered about 15 people and went about making sure everyone was prepared for the coming rain. Local News Stations came out to interview participants. They always seemed to catch you when you were in or near a tent, so we began calling these "Tenterviews." But these were cut short as a heavy thunderstorm and tornado swept in, testing our tent city and our resolve. No one left. In fact, we continued to stand by the road and ask for donations in the rain.
Local business like Little Joes and PieWorks have been incredibly supportive. Dinner this evening was donated by PieWorks, who simply wouldn't take no for an answer. Tonight, we are gathered around a firepit, singing songs and talking about what tomorrow will bring.

Our first donation came before the event even started. As I was setting up my tent this afternoon, a woman walked up and handed me $20. She said she had heard about what we were doing and wanted to support. Incredible.
Though we have several things coming up this week, from painting a school bus like a tap tap to a benefit concert on Friday, it is important to remember what we're doing and why. Sleeping in tents may seem trivial to some, but it is our way of communicating to the people of Haiti that they are not alone, that they are not forgotten. So come out and join us if you can, stop by and just say hello, or donate online at: http://www.fumcshreveport.org
And if anyone asks you why this is important, quote Carel Pedre: because the world is 1 big family. We're all Brothers & Sisters!