Day 5

Today Jack and I went to a couple UN cluster meetings and they were very informative, and we did make a couple connections. We met some people from the Peace Core and USAID, they are going to check on getting us vaccines and maybe some medical help. We also met the Relief Coordinator for World Concern, they are one of the NGO's distributing the food for the area and said that he may be able to help us if we become overwhelmed.

The first meeting was on shelter and basically they want to have family in the affected areas with at least plastic tarps and then start to build temp shelters for them by 5/1 (before the rains come) that is phase 1, phase 2 is still in the works, but in involves the rebuilding of the houses.

The second was for child services. Basically all "safe zones" are full right now but they are going to be opening 5 more. Save the Children will be heading up the plan to trace, research and place children with their families. There is a lot more info that I have but I am typing by flashlight and it is hard to read my notes and type so I will give you a better report tomorrow, I have 2 pages of notes. I think the important thing is that we continue our networking at these events and also keeping up with the contacts and use them to network also. I can do that part and I am also thinking about coming back sooner than later to stay for a longer period of time. Networking is what I do for a living and I feel that I am being pulled to continue that, Michele and I need to talk and pray about the timing. I feel that for now at least we know where, when and how to get info and contacts, and it would not hurt our progress in any way if we didn't go to the meetings for a while. I am on the listserv for the ones we have been to and get copied on all the minutes, plus I have a list of the contacts for the NGO's for the clusters.

We also went to say hi to Megan and checkout Heartline. That one was tough! I know that there are serious injuries from the quake but it doesn't hit home till you see a little kid missing an arm or leg, or one with a brace on her foot to keep all the bones in place from being crushed; to top it off her dad was with her holding her hand. I was praying that the rest of the family was OK, but I didn't want to ask.

I checked out some land in the countryside, but it was to small and too far from where we are now. I am going to look at some more tomorrow morning but it is by the airport which is also far, so doing that would take us away from the the area and kids that come to the school now. I feel we may be a better service to the community if we stay and buy land closer by or buy what we are currently on and then a few other pieces in the same area. We can split up TACR; one can be the school, and the other the clinic, etc.... I will see our landlord tomorrow so let's see what he will say, I pray that the earthquake has softened his heart too. We can always use other land we find even if it is far away as bargaining power, which is why I am going to look tomorrow.

The clinic saw about 30 patients today, which as always, grows a little each day.

The staff continues to be great and it is awesome to have them here especially with their kids, it makes the place more like a home. Today I was throwing some around and it reminded me of how things were, it is great and amazing too, that all the kids are home, but sad when you see their name on a bunk and they are not in it.

Eric