April 3, 2010 – 6:47am – Saturday (Haiti time)- Ruuska Village, Bon Repos, Haiti – Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe)

Yesterday was Good Friday. We’ve been so focused on our “mission” here, we hardly took notice. I do not say that disrespectfully or lightly. Haiti is just so torn up, the normal pictures / displays of Easter are just non-existent. We have been so crazy busy getting Voyagers up and working, meeting recipients / getting in cement mixers / moving rebar/cement /taking care of team members with medical situations / helping doctors with patients…it just passed us by. We acknowledge this season as the time to honor and “remember” these things. As our Lord told us at the Last Supper, “Do these things in rememberance of Me”. As I think on these things, my heart is moved by the deep and unexplainable, extraordinary, unimagineable love our Lord had and has for us to come into this broken and suffering world and give His life for us. Wow, what an amazing thought. May you experience His deep love this morning. Here’s a “snapshot” of yesterday (actually a couple of snapshots thanks to my I-phone). From the photo above, you can see that our faithful “water technician” Anderson and Juliet and Peter are hard at work setting up and testing all Voyagers in our inventory. In the past, I have spoken about Anderson. He is 11 years old and has been running the “Clean Water Program” with the Vortex Voyagers in Ruuska Village for the last 2 years. He is very good on the machines and understands them very well. Here, Juliet (my 16 year old daughter) and Peter (my 12 year old son) are helping getting things set up and “testing”. 

While this process was taking place, Samaritan’s Purse showed up with the mission Cement mixer. This will help our whole rebuilding progress. Just on the other side of this shot are 2 containers filled with building supplies. The deconstruction as pretty much come to an end. The perimeter walls are up and the village is secure. Now, the heavy construction is about to begin. 

One of the Samaritan Purse (SP) guys that delivered our cement mixer was interested in the Voyager operation. I explained that over the years, Air Mobile has actually donated nearly 70 Voyagers to SP following catatastrophe’s such as the tsunami, Pakistan earthquake, flooding in India, etc. There was great interest. Also found out that this gentleman actually sits right next to the SP Water Sanitation Director. I had begun speaking with this gentleman several years ago, but we both got swept up in the Myanmar disaster and just did not pick our conversation back up. We hope to get re-connected. It would be wonderful if SP utilized the Voyagers all over the world. 

We continued to analyze the Voyagers. Anderson had found one that was leaking, during my first test, it appeared to be ok. Then, drip by drip the small leak occured. Anderson was right on in his diagnosis. This kid is good. We set it aside for repair. I am so glad that the Voyager can be run and operated by an 11 year old. You know, it’s very easy to take clean water for granted. In this village, it takes extra effort and care and a wonderful machine. For that we are thankful. All of this by 10:00am. I left our good Voyagers repair / test team to head into town with Kyle (my son-in-law) to pick up Barbara (Rambo in the Blue Dress). As we had landed on Thursday (4-1-10) in Port-Au-Prince, Barb was taking off on an American Airlines jet with 4 orphans headed to their new adoptive parents. You see as soon as the Embassy releases the documents, the kids have to travel. Well, Barb was just returning from the Orphan delivery. We picked her up after her 24 hour delivery mission. One of our team members experienced deep abdominal pain. We rushed him to the “field hospital” run by the University of Miami and set up right at the airport. After quick and professional ER work, it was determined that it was likely an appendecitus (I will withhold the missionaries name). Soon, the member will be headed to the states for surgery or….not. We pray that our Lord touches and heals. Please join us for complete healing 

(PRAYER REQUEST). Now, it is 11:30am. Pick up more missionaries coming in the help in the Village and head back. Truck overheats, put in water, limp back to the village. Return to all units tested and ready for deployment. Medical team members tackle supply room organization. Construction team members working on unloading / building walls / moving plywood / 2X4’s / One of our doctors is working with a little girl with club feet. Casts have been removed. Return to University of Miami field hospital. Get supplies. Meet incredible volunteers / donors. Met the CEO of a Satellite / Communications company that has effectively set up huge big screen tv with direct connections back to a hospital in North Carolina. Now, the Haiti doctors can “show” the NC doctors the patient and get “collective” knowledge on how to best treat. It is just amazing. These are just huge tents set up in a field, but the lives that are saved by these “God-given” skills and heaven inspired generosity is just staggering. I saw this hospital as it was being set up in the early days immediately following the January 12th earthquake. Now, tens of thousands have been treated. This hospital is a whole story in itself. You see, the problem that I have with this blog, is I don’t know where to stop. There are STORIES EVERYWHERE! After getting the medical supplies for our little “club foot” girl and getting our missionary with the appendecitis, we headed back to the village. Now, it is about 4:00pm. We get back. I personally am feeling completely exhausted and just need a bit of rest. These back to back to back to back missions are beginning to take a toll. We are not going to Les Cayes on this trip. We’ll do that one later. Today, we are headed to another orphanage. I know it well. They need a Voyager. There are other things we will do and tomorrow, you’ll find out about them. Have a blessed time of reflecting on the Passion of our Lord!

God Bless You and THANK YOU for taking the time to read this “wordy” blog.

Air Mobile Joe 

PS – Ohh, I forgot to mention earlier, yesterday was Barbara’s birthday. We had a late evening celebraton with Lemon cake especially prepared by our local chef, Missy. 

PPS – IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS BLOG AND FEEL LIKE YOU’RE JUMPING INTO THE MIDDLE OF A STORY, YOU ARE! IF YOU READ DOWN, YOU’LL SEE HOW THIS, & MANY OTHER “MISSIONS” HAVE, AND ARE UNFOLDING. GOD BLESS – HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM!Air Mobile Joe