Grateful Dickie Has Arrived!

It was with a great deal of thankfulness that I saw Dickie walk off the MFI plane in PaP on Saturday. Family support had arrived. Dickie has always been a tower of strength and I knew he would be thus for me. I had carried a lot by myself and now God had sent someone to help with it.

Too, it was good to see Carol Cole leave the plane. I knew Carol would be a big help. And she is that. Just as I had hoped, Carol is investing a lot of time in Ti Luc and Ti Fi. These two children are loving the time with her. Ti Fi is blossoming and enjoying the necessary attention. This pleases me so very much. Carol is willing to do anything and everything. It is good for me to now be able to leave the compound with Dickie when necessary knowing I have someone onsite.

At the small airport where their plane landed there were several small planes coming and going with medical supplies and personnel. So much help needed and so much help arriving. Thank you, God.

Saturday before picking up Dickie and Carol we drove around some areas of PaP where we had been twice since the earthquake. Buildings that had been standing had fallen – likely due to aftershocks. Multitudes of people are living in tent settlements, some in actual tents but most are sheets or tarps.

Dickie was on the compound only an hour before he was checking things over to see what needed his attention the most. He has hardly stopped – doing projects on both compounds. Sorry, Sandra but if you can’t keep him down, how can I?? Yesterday, Monday, I gave him the job of preparing pay envelopes for employees on this compound and for the teachers, that they should have received on Friday. Dickie takes care of all donated funds in Canada and he sends it to the HATS bank account in St. Marc. Now he is working on this end with what you kindly donated and he had forwarded.

I had scheduled a meeting for Sunday afternoon with the biological father of Serlande. He had agreed to to make contact with the mother and come together to have some input in the funeral arrangements. When they arrived I was shocked and dismayed to see not two people but seven walking towards my house. I knew then I was in trouble. They had brought sufficient troops to put pressure on the ‘blan’ who had taken good care of the child they had abandoned. Boy did I need Luckner’s expertise. I knew he was willing to come but once more the phones were not working. Dickie jumped in the truck and headed off to Luckner’s house to give him my SOS.

It was a three hour meeting and one that I hope I never have to experience again. I could not believe all they said and all they asked for. Yikes. I agreed to some requests but certainly not all. Can you imagine! The father even asked me to take another child of his in place of Serlande. As kindly as I could, at that moment, I said no child on earth could ever replace Serlande, and if he fathered children he had a responsibility to take care of them himself. I was so very thankful to have Luckner with me at that meeting. He spoke for HATS and at times he spoke as a lawyer.

We will have the funeral service here on this compound. It is planned for Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. I, however, might have to change it to Friday as I want my family members who are enroute, two brothers and a cousin, to be here for that. After the service we will take the body to Desarmes where the biological family and their friends will have another short service for people in that area. Then the burial will take place in Desarmes. Many people have come by to express condolances. There will be a visit time for that here on Wednesday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Today, I am determined to spend some valuable time with all my children. They need time with their mama and I need time with them. Other things are going to have to wait. For me –

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE CHILDREN.

~Karen