Deployment diary day 34: Sunday 21st February

Tonight I compose my diary entry from the comfort of a hotel suite in Florida. The first leg of the homeward journey is over. As I put my bag onto the huge comfy bed and looked around the room, with its lounge, kitchen and bathroom areas, I couldn't help reflect the contrasts that we take so much for granted. It's probably 4 times as large as the homes families are living in on the soccer ground camp. Standing under the hot shower, and I have to confess I stood there for a LONG time, I remembered the number of times I had walked around the camp and just bumped into people standing virtually naked in the middle of that huge melee of people as they tried to wash from water they had collected in an old tin can. The comfort provided for me tonight is very gratefully accepted but a reminder that it is often our place of birth and upbringing that impacts how we live - not our worth as human beings and individuals loved and cared for by God. The young boy in the photo, playing with his his kite made from an old plastic bag, is just as valuable to God as I am but his opportunities will be far less than I, or my own children, have been privileged to enjoy. I hope I don't get used to my new surroundings too quickly!

As I left Port au Prince yesterday I managed to catch an hour with Paul and John, the incoming team leaders. They had just returned from an induction visit to our satellite projects. A quick handover of paperwork and a run through outstanding emails, then a handshake, a few hugs and off. As pilots say, they now 'have control' and I imagine things will carry on without even missing a beat. That's happened many times during these last few weeks as team members have changed - and that same process carries on today. Actually, far from slowing down, new things are happening even this week. An 8-person medical team from 'Real Impact Missions' arrived yesterday. This group, along with their sister organisation 'In His image' has been supporting our medical work since the beginning of our earthquake relief programme. Today the team will divide into 2 groups and deploy to our satellite centres to set up mobile facilities in Jacmel and Petit Goave. In the south they will be working out of a MASH tent erected yesterday in the corps compound. At Petit Goave they will literally be mobile - visiting camps and conducting surgeries from their backpacks. Remember our friends as this new programme begins.

On Tuesday the team leaders have a private appointment to visit the Prime Minister. They will be sharing details of our work and appealing for his help with some of the practical things that are still a great concern - the need for a warehouse and land for the transitional shelter programme. We pray for them and for the new medical outreach - the programme goes on.

Today marks my last Haiti deployment blog. I confess I have been surprised by the interest shown in these daily, rambling thoughts. Thank you for reading it - it is an indication of your concern for the people of Haiti. I have heard some have used the diary as a prayer point in churches and sectional practice. Just because this blog stops, please continue your prayer support. To those many friends that have sent messages of greeting and encouragement I say a huge 'thank you'. Your friendship is not taken for granted.

Now, two more flights to go - home Tuesday afternoon. Portsmouth here I come. Caribbean diary signing off!

Deployment diary day 33: Saturday 20th February

Unlike yesterday - no famous visitors to report! We had some important ones at the camp, though. A team from USAID responded to our invitation to conduct a rapid assessment of our camp and its environmental impact. Bringing 20,000 people together into an informal and unstructured 'village' creates a huge number of environmental challenges. I've already highlighted the problem of lack of latrines. Toilet update: we now have about 170 with another 100 being assembled - but that's not many for such a large number of people.
What happens to the pit latrines when the rainy season comes and the ground floods - essential questions we need to consider and prepare for. I learned today that even before the earthquake Haiti did not have a single sewage processing plant. One of our partners is working to develop a solid waste bio gas project which might help. These are things I never stop to think about at home but important matters here.

The amount of rubbish generated each day has to go somewhere. The canal running through the camp is already an obvious health hazard with garbage clogging it up. But without a formal bin collection service what happens to the trash that every family produces in their 'disposable' age? As I drove my successors around today on their orientation visit to Petit Goave and Jacmel it was good to see so many teams cleaning gutters and drainage channels as part of the many 'cash for work' programmes.

We try to do something good while we are here but today's assessment was a way to help ensure that in our attempts to help people we do it without causing harm either!

In my home country there are regular complaints because we have to sort our trash into different coloured bins for collection and recycling. I wish I could bring those complainers here to see what becomes of all the plastic waste when there is no service to collect and process it. We take so many of our blessings for granted.

I have something good to report -today we had cake for dessert. Cake is reserved for special days - and this evening's meal was celebrated as special as it was my last meal with the team. Tomorrow I leave Port au Prince and start my journey home. It will take a couple of days to get there but the first step starts in just a few hours. I know it must be time to go home - my bottle of hand sanitiser ran out today and I have just one more edition of CSI New York to watch on the iPod!

Deployment diary day 32: Friday 19th February

Fame is a very interesting concept. Today we had a very famous visitor at our camp. So famous that he came with heavily armed guards to protect him and a 5-mini bus entourage of team members, camera crew and photographers to chaperone him and capture his every movement on film. The trouble was - and perhaps my kids will say, 'O Dad' when I admit this - but I hadn't any idea who he was. Perhaps I'm getting old, perhaps I just don't keep up with the times. The VIP guest was a very personable young man named Kris Allen, the most recent winner of 'American Idol'. His visit was part of an awareness raising campaign by the United Nations Foundation. He spent the day visiting 4 different sites across Port au Prince and our camp was chosen as it represented both the challenges we are facing and some of the unique ways in which we are responding. If you have cable, please check the programme out next Thursday. You never know, I may even get in on a shot!

One of the innovative things he was here to see was our new registration process. Our programme has received fantastic support from many donors. But one of the best has been the American company UPS. They have assisted by providing free charter flights to move reief supplies and have provided the services of one of their professional logisticians. But theoir most recent contribution has been to design a programme to help us register our beneficiaries and track the assistance we are giving them. They have donated a complete package worth US$20,000 which allows us to issue bar coded ration cards. As we do distributions families will bring their cards which are electronically scanned and checked. The software automatically records what commodities have been allocated and received and prints out a complete list of who has received each commodity. It was revolutionise our tracking process and it something pretty unique in humanitarian circles.

The challenge this week has been to bring all 3,300 families to our camp management office, issue the new cards and check the data. Kris visited the team and even helped process one of the new ration card allocations.

It was good to see him - he was very friendly and he made quite an impact on the families. My hope is that his visit will keep the interest in Haiti alive and help promote the on-going work. Check out the programme on Thursday and look out for The Salvation Army.

Deployment diary day 31: Thursday 18th February

Today started badly. Actually it started badly during the night - heavy rain fell. The swimming pool at the hotel, which had been bone dry the day before, had about 6 inches of water in it by breakfast. Having a few inches of water in your dry pool is one thing - but having that amount of rain fall upon your family when you have no waterproof shelter is quite another.

Damaris, our camp manager, told me she woke in the night and ran outside to look up at the sky and said - 'why couldn't you wait another day'? You see today we had scheduled to deliver 3,300 tarps - each measuring 20 feet by 10 feet. It might only be one per family but we knew it would give a little protection and waterproofing. We wanted to get them out before the rains came, but the weather beat us to it!

The distribution itself didn't go particularly well, either. A struggle to get the full number of tarps in place meant that a 2-hour process took about 5 hours. The heavily armoured soldiers of the 82nd providing security for were visibly wilting under the weight of their kit as the sun beat down and the day grew long. But despite all the challenges, by the end of the afternoon every family had a tarp. In the bigger scheme of things perhaps a $25 piece of strengthened plastic sheeting seems insignificant, but for each of those families it will be a godsend as the rains start to fall.

The other downside of the weather was that the camp was like a quagmire this afternoon. If it is like this after one downpour what on earth will things be like when the rainy season really gets going? My successors arrived this morning so as part of thier orientation I walked them around the camp. One of them started out worrying about his clean boots getting dirty. After a couple of minutes he confessed to me that realised this was the least of the problems and an insignificant concern when set against the needs of those who must live there.

We sometimes feel we take one step forwards and two back, but the sight of tarps appearing all around the camp this afternoon makes it all worthwhile. Lord, let it be dry tonight - please!!

Deployment diary 30: Wednesday 17th Feb

This week sees a number of new initiatives moving forward - perhaps I can tell you about one of them today. I've long said when conducting emergency training courses, 'if you give someone a tent - unless something better comes along that tent is their permanent home'. We've given out many tents so far in Haiti. Our first order of 3,000 is just about completed and we have another 3,000 en route. That's great news. Living in a tent is better than living without one. But having a tent is not really having a 'home'.

We are not yet in a position to think about constructing new and permanent homes but we have been putting a lot of thought to the concept of 'transitional housing'. Lyle, a team member from the USA comes to us with a great deal of experience of forestry and is blessed with the sort of mind that thinks strategically. He's been working this week with others who are focussed on shelter to come up with a design for a very basic timber frame home. It needs to be more durable than a tent and to provide a better quality of life. But it also needs to be quick and easy to erect, something that could be relocated if necessary and designed to combat the weather challenges of this region - hurricanes.

We hope to secure funding for anything between 1,000 and 10,000 such units. Timber will be treated and cut to size in the USA, packed with all necessary components and shipped as a 'shelter pack'. Teams of workers will be trained and deployed to assist families to build their new homes.

It's a really exciting project and something we hope can be developed and implemented very quickly. There's a sense of urgency as the seasonal heavy rains are expected in just a few weeks.

It may not be 'home' as some are blessed around the world to enjoy - but we are confident these transitional shelters will move us towards the goal of helping families build back a better life for themselves. It's not the final step but another one on the road to recovery.

Tomorrow marks a sign that my deployment will soon be coming to an end - my successor arrives to be briefed and prepared for handover. There's much to do over the next few days.

p.s. it's getting warmer here! Phew!!

Deployment diary day 29: Tuesday 16th February

I'm happy to report the success of the 2nd half of the food distribution to the camp today. Another 170,000 meals distributed this morning takes our total to date past the 2 million mark. The most rewarding aspect of today's distribution was that it went very smoothly. When we started working in the camp we knew that we must find a way to work with the local leaders. Having worked largely in Africa I have been used to asking a community to identify their 'elders'. Usually old in age and regarded as significant for their wisdom, I regularly sought their counsel about their community.

When arriving in Haiti I enquired how I might contact the elders and wad told, 'we don't have elders - we have youngers!'. It's the young, the strong and the survivors that take the lead here. They have led tough lives - as a meeting with our committee here will readily reveal. Faces bear testimony to fights and attacks. I'm not ashamed to say we were a little nervous about meeting with them and apprehensive about developing a relationship. Damaris, who is taking the role of camp manager, meets with the committee most days. Although not much older than they are, she speaks to them like a mother - telling them off when they misbehave and chiding them if they make her life difficult. But she's won them over. Their day was made yesterday when I went with her and presented the committee members with red, high visibility jackets (vests) with The Salvation Army logo plastered large on the back. They will wear them when they patrol the camp at night and keep an eye on security.

I suppose it makes them feel that they belong - they are one with us and one of us.

We often speak of building on local capacity when we conduct training courses. I suppose we have in our mind the engineers, doctors, teachers that might be pillars of the community. Here in Haiti we are working with leaders that don't fit our usual mould - but they are doing well. It's their support that helped the distribution go smoothly this morning.

Life is hard for the young here - employment opportunities are limited and now most of the education institutes have collapsed. I hope our time here will give them a measure of hope as they demonstrate their leadership. Pray for Damaris, Agnes and Rodney as they work to improve life in the camp.

Deployment diary day 28: Monday 15th February

I find being on duty for the airport run quite a challenge! It's not the driving there or the lack of shade to protect you from the sun while you wait outisde for new arrivals. It's not the fact that there's no such thing as an arrivals board or any public address announcements to let you know whether a flight is in or not. It's dealing with all the people who see the Salvation Army uniform, recognise me as an NGO employee and approach and ask me for a job. I feel so awful when very bright, well-spoken young men with university qualifications approach me asking for work. Most have stories of losing relatives in the earthquake - some show pictures of their small children and describe how hungry they are and how much they wish to provide for them. We already employ around 60 local staff - in various roles from IT support, to translators, drivers and warehouse labourers. I'd love to give them all a job but we only need so many people. As I break the news that I'm very sorry we have no openings for them I reflect on the casual labour rate of US$5 per day and compare that to the cost of my daily hotel room. Life seems so unfair!

On a positive note, I'm thrilled that we are to start an employment programme in Jacmel. We have funding to employ 100 people, who will work in supervised teams of 10 for the next 60 days. So 110 people will have a new, if temportay, job. They will help us to help others in their community with clearing rubble from their homes, preparing plots for better shelter solutions. Whilst helping others, their $5 per day will also help put food on their own tables. So a big thank you to the generous donors.

The food disitrbution to those living in the camp continued well today. The logistics of distributing to 3,300 families is challenging - so we split the camp in two - with half the families receiving today and the others tomorrow. We feared whether this would work. But over the last 2 days our camp team distributed over 4,000 flyers explaining the process and camp committee members went out with megaphones telling everyone what was happening. I'm delighted to say things went very smoothly - 170,000 meals given out in just a couple of hours. We look forward to completing the 2nd half of the camp tomorrow.

Tomorrow is another official holiday here in Haiti - Mardi Gras (fear not - we'll be working as normal!). Back home we celebrate this feast day with pancakes - hmmm - I'll not hold out too much hope!

Deployment diary day 27: Sunday 14th February

It's probably just coincidence but for the 3rd Sunday running I travelled to Jacmel today. In convoy with our own truck we headed out early to take 500 tents to our church compound for distribution to those in the community that are without any shelter. We had a good journey but it is interesting to see the deterioration in the roads. Cracks that appeared after the earthquake seem to be worsening. Areas of landslide appear more often - despite the evidence of earth moving equipment and attempts to clear the route.

The Corps Officer and his team were delighted to see us and the tents were unloaded by his willing volunteers in a matter of minutes. Capt Gerson, the corps officer, has an excellent relationship with the local community leaders. In each district he works with the elder who drafts a list of those in need of shelter. Gerson then personally visits to assess the family situation and verify the need. He then calls the beneficiaries to the corps building, one district at a time, to collect their tents. Very organised and very efficient.

Our emergency team, Mike and Blaise, are very happy - although the ocean view and beach front location of their accommodation might be contributing to that! Blaise is using his local knowledge to develop positive community links. He had made an appointment for me to meet with Senator Lambert, the senior government official within the 'Department du Sud Est' region. The Senator graciously agreed to meet with us at his home. When we arrived we had to wait a while - unbeknown to us he was resting in bed and needed to dress. He is still suffering the effects of being buried for 2 days in the Parliament building in Port au Prince after it collapsed in the quake. His arm was in a sling and he was clearly shaky. Despite this he welcomed us warmly and readily. He was aware of the relief aid we had distributed in his region and the links Mike and Blaise are building with the community leaders in Decouze. As we pledged our support to him he requested that we expand our efforts to cover others districts that have yet to receive any assistance. We assured him we would do our best to respond and he, in turn, promised us the transportation resources at his disposal. We left feeling that our strategy for that area is clearly focussed and very much appreciated. The picture shows Mike McKee and I with Senator Lambert.

Tomorrow marks a new week and new team members are anxiously looking forward to managing the distribution of 180,000 meals to families in the camp and recommencing the clinic with a complete new team of staff!

If you will forgive a personal indulgence - today (Valentine’s Day) marks the 14th Anniversary of my first ever deployment - to Bosnia in 1996. That event changed my life and the lives of my family. When I set off on that day I could never have imagined the wonderful opportunities that God and The Salvation Army would allow me to have through emergency ministry.

Deployment is not often something undertaken with ones spouse or family and yet their willingness to release us and support us means they have a very special share in our ministry. On this special day of the year we pray for our loved ones at home and thank God for them.

Deployment diary day 26: Saturday 13th February

Today has been a good day here for the team. In some ways it has been an enforced quieter day as the weekend of mourning continued. The usually congested roads have been less hectic and travelling around has been much easier.

The morning started early with taking my friend John Berglund to the airport to catch his return flight home. John and I have shared the 'Incident Command' role here for the last month. While I have been responsible for programme, John has looked after organisation. That's an over simplification - as we have discussed all things together, bouncing ideas off one another. I will greatly miss having his wisdom, experience and friendship and look forward to working together again.

An hour after dropping John at the airport I was back again to collect 7 new team members (5 medical personnel and 2 logisitics team members). One thing about the 'Army' is the immediate sense of friendship and purpose and it has been great to see them settle into their new home today. The pic shows the medical team being briefed by Evelyn. The new clinic team investigated their new work surroundings ready for action on Monday. The logisitcs guys had no rest, loading 500 tents ready for distribution to Jacmel tomorrow and receiving and unloading a huge cargo plane of food to ensure we have enough food for the 330,000 meal distribution planned for Monday and Tuesday.

While they laboured in the hot sun, I was very proud to be among a small group of NGO leaders invited to lunch with Mr John Holmes, the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator. Mr Holmes heads the UN's emergency programmes around the world - so he's a very senior figure in international humanitarianism. He's on a 2-day visit to meet with the government, install a new deputy UN country relief coordinator and to assess how things are going. There were just 19 of us invited, each representing an NGO that is considered to be playing a major role in the Haiti relief programme. Considering there are an estimated 800 organisations working here I was honoured to be there and feel our place at the table was a reflection of the fine work that The Salvation Army has done here. Whilst we are not regarded by tghe UN as a 'lead' agency I was very encouraged as I learned about the work being done and the challenges faced. I don't know if I should publically confess, but I felt a measure of pride that we have been able to meet some of the challenges highlighted at the briefing. The need to register beneficiaries is key to assessing overall needs. I'm delighted that our local assessment teams visited and registered the 3,300 families in our camp within 2 weeks of the earthquake. Whilst others highlighted the need to start distributions quickly, I quietly pondered the 1.5 millions meals and 2,000 tents we have given away to date. We may not be regarded technically as a 'lead' but I am proud of the work we are doing. There are many challenges; and we would love to be doing more. We certainly have no laurels to rest on but we are grateful to God for the opportunities He has given us to serve and for the support and encouragement of so many which is helping us make some small inroads into meeting needs here.

Today I learned that life in the Caribbean is perhaps a little more 'laid-back' than at home. One of our team had an airline ticket booked to fly home on Monday. Looking at his schedule we realised the outbound flight didn't allow sufficient time to make his connection in the Dominican Republic. So, gathering all his paperwork together, I escorted him to the airport to see if we could change his ticket and fly the first leg of the journey a day earlier. We were taken through the departure area (including x-ray and security) and escorted out onto the airfield tarmac. There we were introduced to a representative of the airline, CaribbAir - a smiling, cheerful looking woman. The conversation went something like this:

'If he flies on Monday as planned, Will he be in time for the connecting flight?'
'Hmm - no'
'Then is it possible to change his ticket and fly to the Domincan Republic a day earlier?'
'No problem - just turn up tomorrow - I'll be here'.
'Do you need to issue a new ticket?'
'No - just turn up - I'll be here'.
'Should he come for the morning or afternoon flight?'
'Doesn't matter - I'll be here'.

We left still bearing the same handwritten scrap of paper that appeared to represent his ticket, thinking to oursleves, 'it's international air travel - but not as we know it!'

Deployment diary day 25: Friday 12th February

Today has been a significant one here - the 1st month anniversary of the Haiti earthquake. Officially the day has been kept as a day of mourning. Throughout the city churches have maintained a day of prayer and it has been interesting seeing so many people gather together to uphold those who are suffering loss of loved ones. The streets have been markedly quieter as businesses were encouraged to close for the weekend. Churches were packed - and as we drove out of the city this evening we witnesssed crowds pouring out from services of remembrance. Sadly, life here looks much the same as it did when I arrived 4 weeks ago (except for the presence of many informal camps) - I hope that still will not be the case in another month's time.

Even after many years participating in relief programmes there are still things that happen that bring a lump to your throat. This morning we had 7 team members leaving us and one new one coming in. It was sad to see the folks from the USA Central Territory leave. They had been here for four weeks and had worked tirelessly - long days and short nights - to help establish the Army's programme. It was the least that I could do to drive them to the airport and see them safely off. It also gave me opportunity to meet and great our one new arrival today, Agnes. I know what it's like arriving in a strange county and how nice it is to exit the airport terminal and see someone bearing the famous SA Red Shield on their shirt. I was also looking forward to seeing Agnes again - having last worked with her when she was helping to manage the Tsunami relief programme in Indonesia.

While we were waiting for Agnes, Evelyn and I sat in the small park area opposite the airport. After a while 2 young boys came up to us. One of them, I guess aged about 11 or 12 said to me in broken English, 'my parents are dead - please will you adopt me?' It was one of those moments. I've never been asked that question before - how on earth could I answer? Of course, I had to say that this was not possible. He looked at me, 'why not?'

How do you measure the desperation in those few words? In Haiti such a request is sadly not unusual. In our camp we have 32 unaccompanied minors - which, if you remove the technical vocabulary, simply means they haven't a single living relative in the world to care for them. Remember these children in your prayers and pray we might find ways to reassure them they are not alone.

You will remember me saying that our food trucks to Petit Goave got held up by the demonstrations yesterday. They stayed outside the UN compound last night and the distribution began early this morning. We had designed a security plan but the local UN troops decided they didn't approve of our proposal to block the road. They had their own plan. After a short while the distribution had to be halted because the crowd was uncontrollable. A call from our team leader to the senior UN officer in Petit Goave brought another 30 troops and an agreement to implement our original plan. I'm told that it then went smoothly! Nice to know that our experience is teaching us a few lessons. The good news was that around 200,000 meals were distributed, along with water. I think that brings us well past the 1.5 million mark to date.

As this day draws to a close the thought on my mind is not the unknown 200,000 but the face of that young boy and his simple but incredibly challenging question, why not?'

Deployment diary day 24: Thursday 11th February

How do you decide if your day has been successful? My friend Bob, who has lived here for some months, assures me that if you set out in Haiti with a list of 10 jobs and you accomplish 1 then it's been a good day. Well, on that basis - it's been a pretty good day!

Last night we had heavy rain. I didn't notice until I left my hotel bedroom at 6am to head down to check email. My thoughts immediately went out to those families living in the camp. Most still have no tents or formal shelters. They must have had an awful night.

We left the hotel at 7.15am to make the 30 minute drive to the United Nations compound where 3 of us were scheduled to participate in a training course for those tasked with 'Camp Management'. En route we found ourselves caught up in the midst of demonstrations. It's now over 4 weeks since the earthquake - patience is wearing thin for those who've still received no aid. The rains last night were the tipping point for many. Inevitably the demonstrations blocked the roads. Our 30 minute rive turned into a 2-hour battle. We arrived late, but the training was good and well worth attending.

At the same time we were in class, 5 members of the team were travelling with trucks containing 200,000 meals to Petit Goave (escorted by UN troops) where a community distribution had been planned. The convoy also became entagled with the demonstration. Their 2-hour journey took them 7 hours! They arrived about 3pm - too late to sensibly commence such a large distribution. The trucks were parked up in the UN compound and the team are now on their way back to the hotel. The distribution will take place early tomorrow. So not entirely successful.

On a more positive note - Ron - our logistics chief - is a happy camper today. We received our new (2nd hand) tractor/fork lift. So he's been out at the airfield moving stock around all day! I told him that he's our own little 'Bob the builder' (the quip passed him by - he's American!)

This weekend is another time of major transition for the team - 7 leave tomorrow and 8 arrive on Saturday. So it's all change and we will be very sad to say farewell to team members who have given totally of themselves. Some leave physically very drained - others have seen and experienced things that will change their lives. We pray God's blessing on them as they head home and for a happy reunion with their families.

p.s. apologies for the odd numbering of these blogs - I'm losing track of what day it is!

Deployment diary day 23: Tuesday 9th February

In terms of the social status of those that I have been mixing with today, it has been a day of extremes. This morning I attended an NGO coordination meeting organised by the US military at the forward operating base of the White Falcon unit of the 82nd Airborn. After parking our vehicle we were met, very courteously welcomed by the duty soldiers (who very politely addressed the 3 of us Salvation Army Majors as 'sir') and personally escorted to the tent where the meeting was taking place. We were the first team to arrive. The only person in the tent was a brigade Colonel - the senior officer in charge - who welcomed me warmly and greeted me by name. I have to say that he and his soldiers have been absolutely key in the delivery of our relief programme and we have developed a good working relationship.

The meeting was not well attended - a number had phoned ahead blaming the traffic, others admitted they had other things to do. So as the Colonel commenced the meeting there were just 3 organisations present. The guest at the meeting was the Mayor of Port au Prince - the most senior official in the city. He asked me to talk with him individually - to discuss our programme and update him on our capacity. I did my best to speak on behalf of our organisation and assured the Mayor that our group was at his disposal and would offer whatever support and assistance we could. We left and I followed up with a personal email to the Mayor to confirm our discussion points. We felt honoured to have been given a personal meeting.

When I returned to the office a young man was waiting for me. He showed me his credentials. He had been a school headmaster prior to the earthquake. His school was no more. He had sent his wife and children to stay with relatives in the countryside while he returned to the city to try to find work. He was hoping that The Salvation Army might hire him as a translator - a job which pays a casual labour rate of US$5 per day. I politely explained that we were not in need of additional translators at this time - but he continued to sit by our office door for the remainder of the day in the hope I might hire him. Every now and again he would try to catch my eye - I would try to avoid his!

After lunch 2 very polite young men asked to see me. They are living in a camp not far from the new DHQ office. They claimed to represent their community and had registered the families living there. They told me that their camp has received no assistance from anyone and they pleaded for food - or any help we might be able to offer. I took their details and, without making any promises, told them I would try to get someone to see if we might be able to help. They thanked me profusely - despite the fact that I have done nothing at all for them.

Today our clinic accepted a small child for treatment. The little boy was probably 18 months old. Since the earthquake he had been seen in the road by the market. People had been feeding him - but someone had noticed his stomach had become much distended. It appeared he had no parents and was just surviving in the street. Evelyn, our chaplain, took him on her lap and cuddled him as she quiet sung to him the words, 'blessed assurance, Jesus is mine' - as she sang he drifted off to sleep. Perhaps the first time he had slept peacefully in 4 weeks. No one knows who he belongs to or whether his parents were killed in the earthquake.

Judged by the world's standards it is easy to think that my most important meeting was with the Colonel and the Mayor. Scripture tells me otherwise - and the Bible sometimes has an uncomfortable way of turning things on their head. Psalm 82:3 says, 'Defend the weak, the poor and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed'.

It's hard to get the right perspective sometimes - and even harder to fulfil the teaching of Scripture. Since coming back to the hotel I've taken another call from someone who wants to know if we can help 85 families living in a camp. My prayer this evening is that we will keep our focus right, remember who is truly important and not forget who God has called us to serve.

Deployment diary day 23: Tuesday 9th February

Have you ever seen that bumper sticker (or office notice board quip) "I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking too good either"?

Doing relief work means wrestling with the implications of that sentiment every day. Today I travelled with John and Steve to visit our team in Petit Goave. It's an interesting drive - the first hour is spent battling with the Port au Prince traffic then the road opens out - the coast comes into view and the road runs along by the sea. Other than dodging the huge cracks where the earthquake has split the road, and trying to stay out of the way of the mad bus drivers, it's not a bad drive. The team, Fred, Emmanuel and Simeon are doing well. Since deploying last week they have experienced aftershocks every day. They have worked well to identify 4 small camps which are in varying states of organisation. They have distributed as many tents as have been available so far - but not nearly enough to meet even the most urgent of needs (the pic shows some of the tents in situ). They have been instrumental in getting pit latrines dug and have registered about 1,000 families for on-going assistance. On Thursday we will be visiting to take about 200,000 meals to distribute to those registered. The trouble is - even this number is just a drop of hope in the ocean of need.

To visit one of the camps we drove up a steep road for about a mile into the mountains. On our way down we discovered a hastily erected barrier blocking our path. As we came to a halt a crowd of about 50 people immediately descended on our vehicle. They were pleading for help, complaining that we were passing their community empty handed as we travelled to 'our' camp. Emmanuel (a Haitian officer living and working in the USA) waded into the middle of the crowd and, with a broad smile on his face, managed to diffuse the heat of the situation. Twenty minutes later we were on our way. I confess, it wasn't a pleasant experience and although the crowd remained reasonably calm I was very glad to drive safely away. With apologies to the author of the quote, it's hard to convince a desperate person that we can only please so many in a day - and that today is not their turn. We do our best to respond but there are so many unmet needs.

On a lighter note, I had one of those experiences yesterday I hope never to repeat. John, Ron and I were heading to a meeting - I was driving. We weren't sure of the way but had a general idea we needed to be on a parallel road over to our right. Looking for a right turn we saw a truck turn off the main road. 'Follow that' - said John. I duly did and found myself driving into a street market. The truck continued (very slowly) so we followed - thinking he must surely know the way through. The market became busier and denser and the road narrowed. The stalls were virtually skimming the wing mirrors. Then came the bad news - the truck stopped - the road was blocked by a power line down across the road.

I had no choice but to reverse the whole way out again - with John trying to clear the way - and market holders literally pulling their feet under them so as not to get their toes run over - it really was that tight! Those all around the car were very pleasant - despite the inevitable thought 'stupid foreigners!' I breathed a huge sigh of relief when we eventually emerged. Moral of the story - just because someone else does something don't assume they know what they are doing!

Deployment diary day 22: Monday 8th February

It's not often that I can use my blog for a real news scoop but I can today. This morning something of a miracle happened. Here's our official news release:

Evans Ocinia, a 28 year old man, was brought to The Salvation Army clinic after being miraculously pulled from the rubble in the Lionshead marketplace this morning. Two men, digging through the rubble, heard Evans begin to talk and call to them. He had been in the rubble for 28 days following the earthquake. The marketplace is located near The Salvation Army compound in Delmas 2 and the men knew we had a “hospital” nearby.

Evan was extremely dehydrated and has skin wounds but he didn’t appear to have any critical wounds or broken bones. He was able to hold his head up on his own and take some small sips of water from the doctor who accompanied the transport. Salvation Army personnel transported Evan to the University of Miami Hospital which is located adjacent to the airport in Port au Prince.

That's some story, eh? And it also testifies powerfully to the importance of hope, the resilience of the human spirit and the value of not giving in. It must also have some of the search and rescue teams shaking their heads in disbelief - and no small measure of reflection that the official rescue operation was brought to and end over 2 weeks ago.

The story is also another tribute to the work of our clinic and the medical teams deployed there. The lead doctor, at the moment Major (Dr. ) Ted Mahr, attends our daily morning staff briefings. Earlier this morning he had proudly reported that the clinic has delivered 8 babies since the earthquake. He told us at the end of this day that today they treated over 270 patients - and that it had been a 'hard day'.

Ted is supported by a team of doctors from an organisation called 'In His image'. Since the early days of the response this group has deployed medical teams of 12 - 14 people - rotating them in and out every 7 days. We could not have managed without them. Today I honour this fine team - the miracle of this mornings' 'find' is a fitting tribute for their commitment and dedication.

Deployment diary day 21: Sunday 7th February

I think it was probably Sammy Davis Jnr that made famous the song 'the rhythm of life'. That phrase has been significant today. Ever since the earthquake relief programme started the team has been working flat out with no days off. I've been so proud of them - but 18 hour days, with hard physical labour were beginning to take their toll. On the basis that even God thought it was a good idea to rest on the 7th day (!) I gave the team the day off today.

John, Damaris and I needed to go to Jacmel and undertake a distribution so we knew we'd have to leave them behind enjoying a well-earned rest. As we prepared to leave at 6.30am others joined us at the breakfast table to catch up with email - so much for a lay-in, eh?

At 7am we drove to the compound to meet our driver and pick up the truck which had been loaded last night ready for an early start. We were taking 23,760 meals, 312 tents, 40 food storage boxes and 168 gallon jugs of water. We were heading for a small community in the mountains called Decouzes, about 20kms before Jacmel. Mike and Blais, our Jacmel team, had met with the village community leaders yesterday. They had been delighted to learn about the distribution and pledged to have everything organised for our arrival. Being a small community of about 500 families they said there was no need for security - their community committee and a couple of local police would handle things!

We escaped the city before the traffic got too busy - with me driving the team car trying to keep and eye on our truck with driver Sergio leading the way. The city opens up to a coast road then after an hour a left turn takes you up and into the high mountain pass.

It was as we entered this road that we all became aware of this 'rhythm of life' being acted out before our eyes. Homes are dotted few and far between, but families were already out - with small children dressed in their Sunday best dresses and coloured plaits - heading to Church for worship. Mothers carried Bibles on their heads, Fathers tucked theirs under their arm - but together they walked the steep hills to meet in fellowship with each other and commune with God. It was a wonderful reminder of this cycle of life which helps keeps our lives in good order. We thought of our families back home and prayed that they, too, would have a wonderful time of worship and praise.

After 2 hours driving we met Mike and Blais coming to greet us. Together we drove to the distribution point. It was already warm, even at altitude. Things seemed a bit chaotic but after a bit of preparation we started. It wasn't long before it wasn’t only the temperature that was hot - tempers caught up, too. After an hour we brought the distribution to a halt - fearing for the safety of those caught up in the melee. The committee, police, and some of our team retreated to the small village police station to draw up a new plan. Damaris and I stayed to guard the vehicles and the stock. Half and hour later they came back armed with ropes and a plan. The area was marked out, roped off and we started again. It worked for a while then things started getting out of hand and we had to close up again. We'd got about two thirds of the stuff out but there were many disappointed faces as we drove away. Fortunately we knew the remainder of the goods on the truck would be very welcome down at the corps in Jacmel - and they were indeed very pleased when we showed up an hour later to unload.

We eventually arrived back in Port au Prince at 6pm feeling that the day had been very worthwhile - if somewhat hot and challenging. We learned that there had been problems on the SA compound while we had been away. A truck had shown up to distribute small bags of water. It had been stormed and ransacked by an impatient mob. The 82nd has to be summoned to help but the mob had thankfully dispersed before they arrived. These events are all reminders to be grateful for the small successes that each day brings in a difficult operation.

As I write tonight's blog the American members of the team are over at the 82nd's base - watching the Superbowl on a large open-air screen. An annual event - and another verse in the 'rhythm of life'. A wonderful end to a great weekend and it all starts again tomorrow!

Deployment diary day 20: Saturday 6th February

I've been working in the disaster environment now for 14 years but it's nice to still experience 'firsts'. Today was one of those 'firsts'. One of the partners we are working closely with in the camp is Concern Worldwide. They are speciallists in the water/sanitation sector and are installing latrines for us. Today they had arranged a distribution of hygiene kits. They were nice kits, containing towels, detergent, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other bits and pieces - a nice family box. Our team members were handing them out. In additon we gave out jerry cans and - and this was the 'first' - a couple of strips of condoms. Now, before you ask, they weren't branded with the Red Shield logo! I have to say - as they were distributed the look on the faces of the benficiaries was a picture. I don't think condoms are high on their pritority list just now!! Truth is, HIV/AIDS is a real problem here and condom use is encouraged as prevention.

The distribution went VERY well - the 82nd have got the security system down to a fine art and things went very smoothly. That was until the end. Concern had provided only for those families with ration cards (3,230). Actually, not all the families showed up. So when the last card holder had come through the distribution was closed. Unfortunately, there were probably 50 packs left and the crowd mobbed the remaining truck. A single jerry can was left on the floor and an almighty scrum developed. It's amazing to see people fighting over something so apparently worthless and it just reminds you that values are so different.

That was highlighted as we drove home from the compound to the hotel. I'd been told by one of the others a few hours earlier they had seen someone laying dead in the road. As we passed our new DHQ the body was still there. A couple of bollards had but placed to prevent vehicles running over him - but it looked as if he had been shot. Why? I have no idea - but it was a reminder of the environment we live in here and the value of a human life. We commented that TV shows depicting gunfights are commonplace and sanitise you from the harsh reality of human suffering.

As I worked at the distribution this afternoon I found myself guarding the truck at the end of the row. It was parked next to the worst part of the sewage canal and I found myself right in the middle of all the smoke. Like the others, I was wearing a face mask to try and stop myself breathing in the toxic fumes and keep the smell away. The corps building was just a couple of metres behind me and a lone cornet player was practicing. He was randomly running through hymn tunes. I wasn't really listening but became aware that he was playing a tune we associate with these words:

This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears,
All nature sings and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world,
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

When we contemplate words like these we tend to focus on mountain views, pictureque waterfalls or rippling lakes. Yet the world of the rubbish dump, the sewage canal and the excreta covered camp is just as much His world. Those who inhabit those toxic fumed streets are just as much His children as any other. As the music wafted over the air it seemed rather surreal - but I thanked God for a timely reminder of His love for his creation.

Deployment diary day 19: Friday 5th February

Tonight we have an exhausted but exhilarated team. Another great day of distribution alongside the guys of the 82nd. It seems there's a competition going on between the 82nd Red Falcons and the 82nd White Falcons. The good news is that we are working with both of them and the best news is that the people in need are benefitting. Today 6 of our guys accompanied the Red Falcons and distributed another 154,447 meals (to be precise!). Someone joked this week - 'we only distribute in 6 figures!' They had a great day - the area was about 20kms east of the city and the community had clearly received absolutely nothing. Working out here is all about creating good partnerships and working together.

Our new small truck (see pic) went out with one of our Haitian officer team members (Capt Manny) on its first run yesterday taking a full load of tents and food to a couple of our corps (churches) out east. The numbers don't compare with the big distributions but to be able to get to members of our own church family and show them they are not forgotten is so important. They have been just as impacted by the earthquake as anyone else. He took out 25,760 meals, 330 gallons of water, 1,520 hygeine kits and 184 family tents. That's not bad for a 'small' delivery, eh?

We said farewell to some very special team members today. Yesterday I paid tribute to our volunteer orphanage coordinator Mike. Today I want to honour our volunteer security coordinator, Andre. He lives on the island of Turks and Cacaos. We have a corps officer there who has made great community links - one of these being Andre. When the earthquake hit, Andre said 'I'm going to help'. He made his own way to Santa Domingo by plane, then took a coach, a motorbike taxi and a 'tap tap' (local taxi) to find DHQ in Port au Prince. Andre is open of those folks you simply describe as 'a character'. He's a property landlord, a nightclub singer (of some repute), an Elvis impersonator and a former military soldier. All qualities that have made him a very fine security coordinator. Dressed in camouflage fatigues and a Salvation Army T shirt he has liaised with the military, designed distribution layouts and led from the front when crowds have got 'sticky and hot tempered'. We believe God sent him to us. He has promised to return after a short break at home - we hope and pray he does.

The other ‘departee’ is Craig - a UPS logistics expert and former Chicago Staff Band horn player. Craig has brought a level of professionalism to our operation that I have never been privileged to experience in any previous disaster programme. He's sneaking out tomorrow on the back of a cargo plane - but, shhh - it's a secret! Thanks, Craig, you will never be replaced and the mark you have made on our lives by your commitment, your servant nature and your sheer hard work. Bless you!

Deployment diary day 18: Thursday 4th February

This morning we had a lovely start to the day. One of the new team members, Evelyn, has come to fill the 'Emotional and Spiritual Care' role. If the term is new to you, it means that she is our team Chaplain and 'mother' to some of the younger guys. Her other role is to ensure that we spend time in team devotions each morning before we start our days' work. This morning Evelyn started by reading verses from Psalm 63. It starts, 'God, you are my God. I will earnestly seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water'. That verse took on new meaning for me as I thought of the intensity in the queues when we distribute water. The way people push and shove in desperation to be given just a gallon jug of water for their families. Evelyn reminded us of our need to approach God in that way for His refreshment - and to do so daily. In this situation, where life is so hectic and draining, it was a very pertinent start to our day.

Yesterday we announced to our team members that we felt we were moving into 'phase 2' of the relief operation. Partly this was because we are moving from short term deployments and seeing new team members arriving who will be here for 2 months. Partly it was because we have transferred our Command centre into the new Divisional headquarters. And the other reason was that we are seeing a change in the distribution programme for us and the NGO community. Our distributions are taking a new shape. Today we took a truck full of food and tents to a number of our nearby corps - places where no aid has yet reached. This will form a regular feature of our programme for the next few weeks.

One other programme I've not mentioned often is our orphanage support programme. We have been blessed with a number of volunteers who have just made their way to Haiti, shown up and asked if we could use their help. One of these is Mike from the USA. He came with a passion to seek out orphanages and see to see if they need help. We thought that was a great idea and asigned an officer to work with him. Together they have assessed a number of sites and we have released food and tents where they are needed. In the last 2 weeks Mike has been able to deliver 45,000 meals to help children who are without the care of parents. They truly are God's children and we honour Mike and his ministry.

You might like to check out the few pics that I have added to the right of this blog - I mentioned the young man scavenging in the refuse canal yesterday.

By the way, many of you were alerted to the work of The Salvation Army through the powerful and emotional news interviews that featured Bob Poff - the Divisional Emergency Director. For the last couple of weeks Vicky, his wife, has been very poorly and hospitalised in the USA. Today Bob received the great news that she is well enough to leave hospital - we thank God for answered prayer.

Deployment diary day 17: Wednesday 3rd February

Today marks the end of the first half of my deployment. I can't believe it's only been two and a half weeks since I arrived, so much has happened.

Team news first - the virus continues to spread through the team - more in bed today and others staying pretty close to the bathroom.

This morning we had a very constructive meeting about the clinic. We've had a number of rotations of doctors and medical personnel. Each team numbers 12 or 14 and comes for a week. I really take my hat off to them. They see some horrible sights and deal with them in very limited conditions. They also sleep at the clinic in the compound - sharing a couple of empty classrooms with open sides. They are right in the middle of the smoke and grime of the city - no comfortable hotel room for them. Patient numbers remain high - although they say the number of earthquake related treatments are falling and more general health concerns coming in. The treatment of wounds is a major problem. Every day patients return to have wounds cleaned and re-dressed - but the poor conditions in the camp mean that healing is a slow process.

This afternoon we had a very key meeting with the team from the International Organisation for Migration and UNHCR. These 2 groups are the main agencies responsible for emergency shelter. We've been asking for their help - and fortunately they want to give it as they recognise the situation in our camp is probably as serious as it gets. We have to find a way to move people off the camp, create a drainage ditch around the soccer pitch (because the rains are coming in March) and then put people back into a better shelter. Of course, this will only be possible if we can find more land to re-site some and also find ways to enable families to return home.

I've blogged often about the camp - so I've included some pics of it today.

I've also mentioned the sewage channel that separates our two compounds. As I came back to the compound today I saw a young man scavenging in it. I couldn't believe it! It just reminded me how desperate some people are.

Deployment diary day 16: Tuesday 2nd February

Good news - back in the land of the living! Thanks for the messages of goodwill and prayers. Can I ask they continue for the team, please. A nasty virus has got to us. Many have been sick and a few more were in bed today - it's sweeping through. I have to say, if we are struggling, despite the blessing of a comfortable hotel room, running water and flush toilets - what on earth must life be life for those living in the camp.

This afternoon I walked with Damaris through the camp. We've discovered a building alongside the soccer pitch that was probably a changing room. There is a room that Damaris has had cleaned out and which will be her 'Camp management office'. She will meet the members of the camp committee there and the office will be open every day to meet with her. We also found that there are 6 showers. So these will be cleaned out and turned into bucket showers. It was a good find - but think about it for a minute - 3,200 families - 6 showers!!! I have 2 daughters and a wife - I often found it hard to get in the bathroom. I'm not making a joke of it - it really highlights how bad things are in the camp. As I walked round today families are living in makeshift dwellings, fashioned out of scavenged wood and bits of material. Each shelter is about the same size - 2.5 metres x 2.5 metres - with a family averaging 5 people living in there. I saw a young boy, probably about 10 or 12 with his whole leg in plaster - the cast was filthy and he was just lying on the floor. The field hospital has said that they are struggling to discharge those that have been brought in for emergency amputations because they don't have a covered shelter to go home to. Can you even try to imagine that?

I came back from the camp - I felt dirty and smelly and I'd been there 30 minutes. I felt really ashamed of myself for the feelings I had experienced. These are the people we have come to serve - these are children of God, made in His image and no less significant to Him than you or I.

On the plus side, we had some food left over from yesterday's distribution so the 82nd asked if we would send 2 team members to distribute it today. It amounted to around 80,000 meals and Steve said the distribution went very smoothly.

This afternoon we relocated the Command centre into an office suite that DHQ have rented as their new place. The current DHQ is damaged beyond repair and they need to get the organisation of The Salvation Army up and running efficiently as soon as possible. This should make the running of the place much more efficient. The new office has a room big enough for us - see the pic at the top. It will also be away from the sewage canal and the smoke so will be a much better working environment, health-wise. As we move a quarter mile away we just mustn't lose site of the needs of those in the camp.

More team changes yesterday and today - the operation carries on. I'm always amazed at the way people arrive in a situation that is so alien and yet they just hit the ground running. I'm very proud of them.

Deployment diary day 15: Monday 1st February

Well today was a bit of a 'write-off' for me. The day was spent in bed recovering. Fortunately, the diagnosis of malaria turned out to be wrong - but a nasty virus has got to a few of the group. A number of the team that returned home at the weekend have reported ill and I wasn't the only one sick here. Conditions here are rough and the long days are hard physically. Good news - by the end of the day (after 2 days of sleeping) I am feeling better.

Whilst I slept the team had their busiest day so far. We distributed 465,000 meals to the camp today - taking our total so far to 1.1 million. That has to be a record for Salvation Army food distribution. The guys from the 82nd are absolute stars and we couldn't manage without them. They regulalry come in and meet with us to see how we can improve our distribution processes.

The UN WFP 'surge' starts this week. The UN finally have food stocks in country and are distributing it through a number of agencies across Port au Prince. There is some debate about it as they are distributing 'first come, first served' as opposed to rations cards. They are also only allowing women in the lines. It makes for a safer line but as the ration they are giving out is a 50lb bag of rice per person it will be very hard for some of the women to physically carry that away. I'm not sure I could carry a bag that size very far.

With the 'surge' happening in the city we plan to start concentrating out efforts in the remote towns and villages. We now have a team in Petit Goave and plan to send a team down to Jacmel in a couple of days to firm up on the assessment work we did over the weekend.

The other good news was that the truck we ordered from the Dominican Republic finally arrived yesterday. Logistics continues to be our biggest headache - limited vehicles and no warehouse make life tough for the team. But the spirit here is good and we look forward to embedding the 6 new team members that arrived today and having some fresh energy.

PS to respond to an earlier comment, 'NGO' stands for 'Non Government Organisation'

Deployment diary day 14: Sunday 31st January

Today was a memorable day for a couple of reasons. A small team of us set off for Jacmel, which is on the south coast of the island, to assess the situation there. The road has only just been reopened and cleared for traffic. The journey takes you right across the mountains. It is a hair-raising drive at the best of times - narrow, twisting roads and very high mountains. At the moment it is made worse by the large boulders and land slides that came down during the earthquake and which block the road - reducing traffic to a single file. It is also rather un-nerving when you see the cracks right across the road and wonder if the bit you are driving on will break away and slide down the mountain!

Jacmel is a small town - quaint and historic. It has suffered terribly in the earthquake with 50% destuction of homes. There are few agencies working there so it wil be an ideal location for us to set up a satellite operation. We have a corps there with a school and compound.

I can't tell you much more about the day as I was unable to actually undertake the assessment. I woke feeling ill and got progressively worse during the journey. The officer at Jacmel kindly found me a camp bed and I spent the day sleeping while the team assessed. Needless to say, I was pleased to get home again last night and have the doc check me over. She thinks I have malaria - so I will be staying in at the hotel tomorrow to see if I can shake it off. So tomorrow's blog may be thin.

I should be grateful - I have been doing emergency work for 14 years and this is the first time I have been taken ill while away. Feel a bit of a lame duck today and hope I will be better soon. Prayers for a speedy recovery would be appreciated.

Deployment diary day 13: Saturday 30th January

Situations such as these help frame your sense of values, I think. We take so many things for granted at home - running water, food, shelter and a bathroom. Many people are denied these basic things - even without being in an emergency situation. Life for some is just lacking in dignity.

One of our biggest challenges for the emergency team here in Port au Prince is how to care for those living in the camp behind the corps compound. It has become congested beyond description and the small team trying to move things forward are facing many challenges.

One of these is the need to install latrines. The 'rule' used by NGOs in disaster response is that there should be one toilet for every 20 people. We have a camp population of 15,000 - so our goal should be 750 toilets. The limited space we have means we are struggling to hit the 100 mark. Today one of our partners who is helping us came to start the process of installing more toilets. When we went to the site we discovered the space planned for them had been taken over by new arrivals. We sent a small delegation out to negotiate with them - they have nowhere else to go. We expected serious trouble. Instead, when given the choice of moving somewhere else or preventing the installation of more toilets, they willingly agreed to move. They know that for the whole community, having even the most inadequate toilets is better than none at all.

Today just 2 of our team have been in the worst part of this city working with the 82nd Airborn to distribute around 174,000 meals. That's an incredible achievement - particularly in view of the highly volatile community.

Other team members were busy receiving the next supplies of food at the airport and also transporting team members back and forwards to the airport as we said farewell to existing team members and hello to new ones. The medical team changed as usual - the pic shows some of the team. The new team have got straight to work - it amazes me how quickly folks plug into their new responsibilities.

Tomorrow a small group of us will try to make it over the mountains to Jacmel in the south of the country. We want to assess the situation and the possibility of setting up a satellite operation there. It will be a very long day - so keep us in your prayers as we travel.

Deployment diary day 12: Friday 28th January

Today was another one of those days when I was really proud to be a Salvationist. We have a great team here - but the official team is only part of the force moving The Salvation Army's programme forward. We have a whole host of volunteers who work alongside us. Links with the corps in the Island of Turks and Cacos resulted in a team of fire fighters and an engineer coming to work with us. Shona, their engineer, has worked unstintingly - particularly in recent days since we were appointed as the official managers of the camp. She is using skills learned on an emergency site planning course (with RedR) to help us plan out the camp. It's a huge challenge and she never stops working.

Our logistics guy, Craig, is an American Salvationist who works for UPS. His company has released him to run our logisitics operations. When he starts talking of 'skids' (that's pallets to the uninitiated!) and other technical things I'm reminded that there are so many skills needed to make a team. I don't have his skills - but he has made them available to us and we would be the poorer without him. Today he announced a project that he and UPS have put together to help us. We have 3,000 families registered in our camp. Each distribution means issuing a ratio card and then checking eligibility when they line up for food. UPS has offered to take our family register and produce Family ID cards with a bar code. So in future, as each person comes through the line, their ID will be scanned and the software will track exactly what they have received and when. Talk about hi-tech relief work - makes me feel a bit of a dinosaur!

The best bit of today was when the Colonel from the 82nd Airborn visited (along with his team of rather imposing officers and NCOs). He congratulated TSA for our work and distribution of around 400,000 meals to date. It was amazing to hear such a high ranking officer speak so highly of our efforts. He talked of the importance of getting food out and then asked for our help. As far as he is concerned, TSA is really doing the business. While others are talking about supplies in the pipeline - we are up and running. He asked if we could possibly help get urgently needed food into areas that had not yet received supplies. Of course, our immediate response was, 'Yes, Sir!' As a result we will be going with the 82nd to distribute 174,000 meals tomorrow. They are desperate to get rations out to help reduce the need. I have confidence that they will provide the security and our distribution team of 4 will help the 82nd make sure food gets where it's needed.

I was so proud of the team and their ability to step up to the plate. I was also thrilled by the response of our support team back in Washington. When we gave them the news that the food stored for this coming week was being given out tomorrow and that we would need more they simply said, 'don't worry - we'll get more to you'. Thanks, folks!

Tonight we welcome new team members - including 4 Hatian officers from other parts of the territory and a couple of new folks from the USA. We pray they quickly feel at home in the team.

Deployment diary day 11: Thursday 27th January

As I reported in the blog yesterday, today we went to Petit Goave (which means 'Little Grove') to conduct our first distribution of food there. From a personal point of view, I was really looking forward to it as an opportunity to get out of the Command Centre on the SA compound and take a look at the country of Haiti. My role keeps me very much within the Command Centre. Others are out and about around town and get to see a little of what is going on - so today I had my chance. Plus, Petit Goave is a 2 hour drive, west along the coast road - so I would have chance to see how the towns and villages along that route were affected.

The team started work early in the morning. A work team of 6 went to the airport at 3am to load the trucks in readiness. At 8am a few more of us joined them there to await the arrival of our military escort. While we waited the lead car set off for Petit Goave to check out the site and make sure that was ready. Just before 9am our convoy arrived - UN troops from the Philippines - and we set off. We were a little nervous driving through the city. There have been reports of looting from convoys and, although these have not been substatiated, they leave you a little anxious. All went well and we soon found outselves on the outskirts of the capital. Even though this is a major city there are still sections of road where tarmac ends and gravel sections begin. These are difficult terrain and slow progress down. The other thing that hits you as you drive is that every section of the town is damaged - the whole capital city is suffering.
About an hour after setting off we were beginning to leave the captial and for the first time getting a view of the coastline. It's a beautiful country here - and the contract between natural beauty and the effects of natural disaster and stark. The journey, which would normally take 1 and a half hours, took us 3. In many of the mountain roads large boulders were dislodged from the hills blocking the road. Eventually we arrived in PG at about 12noon. We have driven 3 hours yet every community we passed had been devestated by the quake - few homes remained intact. Every few miles there were hastily made signs saying 'help us, we need food and water', errected by villagers hoping to catch the eye of passing convoys.
On the outskirts of Petit Goave we waiting to pick up our military support group - this time UN troops from Sri Lanka. Nice guys, but not large in stature and certainly not with the presence of the 82nd Airbourne!
The distribution took place in the SA compound. Vouchers had been given to 800 families and we were giving out 170,000 meals - 2 weeks supply of food. I can't say it was an easy distribution - but we left having given out to 840 families.
There is need everywhere in this country - while we had been waiting at the airport this morning doctors working in a field hospital asked if we could supply tents to them for their patients. They are treating seriuously ill people - some are given amputations of limbs. They then send them out to nothing - so we will provide tents so they at least can take some shelter away with them.
Every day brings new challenges but new opportunities.

Deployment diary day 10: Wednesday 25th January

We are now into the third week after the earthquake. Amazingly, the media are reporting the recovery of a 17 year old survivor pulled from the rubble today. That's 15 days after the quake - incredible.

Signs of returning to normality are being talked about. It's so hard to get one's head around that concept of 'normality'. I know that Haiti is a very poor country - things were not good here even before the earthquake. Food has always been a precious commodity and shelter for many in the suburbs very limited.

However, when I walk around the camp I find it a very uncomfortable thought that this could even remotely considered normal. Families are living in very basic shelters fashioned with pieces of scavenged wood and material. Some families live in areas not much more than 2m x 2m square. Outside these homes families set up stalls to trade charcoal, sundries and sweets - all to try and make a small amount of money.

Today our focus was on the camp. The biggest challenges are the sheer numbers living there - about 3,000 and how to shelter them. If we are to do anything to improve their shelters (such as giving tents) some very delicate and sensitive discussions will need to take place as to how to move them around. Some will need to be persuaded to move out or move on to create a little extra space - but where do they go? Yesterday Damaris, our Camp manager, and Shona, our volunteer engineer and site planner, met with members of the community to start those very sensitive discussions. They made some headway and will meet again with the group every day.

Tonight our team will be up at 3am to pack food supplies ready for the distribution in Petit Goave on Thursday - 174,000 meals are going out. I'll tell you how we get on tomorrow.

The best news of the day was a meeting with the Colonel from 82nd Airborn. He came with a few of his team to see how they could help us. We are having great support from them and they seem to think TSA are doing a good job, too. Great encouragement for us.

Thanks for your continued prayers. If you are reading this on Thursday offer a prayer for safety for us all at the distribution today.

Deployment diary day 9: Tuesday 25th January

So what did the new day bring? After the extremely energetic day we all had yesterday a slightly less frantic day was hoped for. Physically, it was certainly an easier day - and we were all grateful for a breather. But life here doesn't stop and planning for the next relief distribution starts immediately. Tomorrow our food distribution and security coordinators head across to Petit Guave to meet with our satellite team there and ensure all the pieces are in place for a distribution of food tomorrow.We have had young people visiting the community to assess and register the families in preparation.

Our young assessment team in Port au Prince continue their work in the camp behind the compound. They think we are up to around 3,000 families there now - that's probably 15,000 people. The place is just crowded.

This afternoon I walked through the camp and was reminded again how resiliant people are. The children were playing football on the single patch of spare land remaining. Unless we can protect it, others wil come in and make a shelter there - so the kids need to play while they can. I saw a child yesterday flying a kite fashioned out of a coat hanger and a supermarket carrier bag. Yesterday, once we had allocated food rations to all the families with ration cards we gave the rest to others. Children were coming through the line, like these in the photo. They had no bag, so they removed their T shirts and used them as a bag to carry their meal rations!

Children all around the world pick up on things we do and say. In Iraq it was the 'thumbs up' sign. Here, as you walk through the camp, they point and say 'hey, you'. I have no idea who taught them that phrase, but it follows you wherever you go. Either that or 'blanc' (white). They say both in fun and with a smile.

The SA school on the compound opened some temporary classes this week in partnership with Kinder Not Hilfe - the sponsors of the school. It's great to see the younger children going back to class and returning to some sort of normality. Hopefully, others will get back soon.

I know that the media are giving out all kinds of messages back home - those times when difficulties arise will always make the news - but as I walked through the camp today everyone was pleasant and friendly - despite living in appalling conditions and with huge needs still to be met.

The reconstruction of this country will take years - many places will never be rebuilt - many of those could be schools, and the education of children could be another undeserving victim of this awful disaster. Today my hope is that you might spare a thought and a prayer for the children suffering here.

Deployment diary day 8: Monday 25th January

Yesterday I started my blog with the phrase 'being an aid worker can be so frustrating at times'. Today I want to start, 'being an aid worker can be so fulfilling at times'. Thank God, today was one of those times and one of the reasons an aid worker packs their bag and heads into the field.

With some great planning by Jeff (our food distribution coordinator) Andre (our security liaison) and back breaking work by every single member of the team and volunteer staff, we managed to distribute 260,000 meals today!! Not bad for a days' work. Of course, it wouldn't have been possible without the SAWSO support team back home getting the stock and finding a way to fly it over to us and, of course, the magnificent help of the US 82nd Airborn. Those guys were superb!

You will see from the picture that the Army compound is actually in 2 halves, separated by a drainage/sewerage canal. From the photo - DHQ is on the right hand side - the school, corps, children's home and clinic are on the other side. That layout enables us to funnel the queue along and through a carefully guarded pathway and to block the entrance and access points off with US Army vehicles. When the distribution ended we lined up along the DHQ side to applaud the 82nd as they left. Incredibly, as those who hadn't managed to get food followed them along the path, even they smiled and waved at us to say thanks for bringing the food into their community. I was fearing a riot - but received just the opposite, It was an amazing experience for all concerned.

Actually, if that's all that had happened it would have been a great day - but in addition to that we also dispatched a team of 2 officers and 3 doctors to the town of Petit Guave to establish a satellite command centre and clinic in that badly hit town. Plus we had a very positive meeting with a couple of NGO partners who are going to work closely with us to help turn a sprawling array of 2,500 shelters into something resembling a displaced persons camp, and then we met tonight with a couple of faith based agencies working in the outlaying areas of the capital to see if there might be possibilities to colaborate and ..... the clinic had its' busiest day so far and treated over 300 earthquake survivors (many of whom were very ill or badly injured).

Great day to be an aid worker - great day to be part of The Salvation Army - and great day to be able to serve God in this situation. Thanks for your prayers.

Oh - and tomorrow is a new day - wonder what that'll bring??

Deployment diary day 7: Sunday 24th January

Being an aid worker can be SO frustrating at times. Today we geared up for the first distribution of food since my arrival here. The earlier team had completed one successful distribution and one not so successful one so we went into today with some real enthusiasm and an element of trepidation. The distribution team worked really hard to set things up carefully, making sure we and the beneficiaries would stay safe and that food would be distributed in a dignified way. This would be a UN dry ration distribution - scoops of rice, beans and oil - having to measure out rations of rice, beans and oil is messy, inaccurate and slow. So this added to our concerns.

So - we were a little on edge. Then we waited, and waited, and waited.....

Mid way through the afternoon we contacted the World Food Programme to ask where the trucks were. A simple text message came back 'the trucks aren't coming today' - that was it. What a let down!! We have no idea why they didn't come - but we heard rumours later that the trucks had been high jacked en route between the airport and our compound. We don't know for sure what happened - all we know is we had no food and lots of disappointed people.

As we were wondering what to do we had a visit from troops of the US 82nd Airborne division. You may have heard on the news that the US troops are here in substantial numbers - but they've not been allowed to support the UN Peace keeping forces in the security operation for relief goods up to now.I don't know what has changed - but we've been offered a troop of the 82nd who will help us. They have been assigned this part of town as their patch. Thank the Lord for this blessing! So, tomorrow (Monday) we plan to distribute food to 2,300 families (that's 11,500 people) living in the tent camp behind our compound. The 82nd are going to ride 'shotgun' to get the food to us from the airport and then stand protection to keep the crowd calm and in order.

The disappointment of today was huge - but we think now we have a much better and workable system and hope it will open the door to rolling food out in huge quantity.

My day has been much longer than usual. We have spent the last 3 hours down at the compound with the crew from Fox news. They have been filming our work and planned to do a short piece live on the Jeraldo Rivera 10pm show. They had a few of us lined up for interview - but as the time got nearer things got changed and I was to be the only interviewee. Fox News is BIG in the USA so it was pretty scary - especially knowing that media reporters often try to lead you into supporting their particular message. With a live piece they can throw whatever question they want at you with no thinking time to respond. When we went live I was asked 2 questions - and was quickly closed down before I could say all I wanted. The piece seemed to last just a few seconds and yet preparing for it had used up the whole night. The good thing is that the SA made air time on a huge show and the story is getting out. I hope I didn't say the wrong thing - I suppose I'll know if I still have a job in the morning. Ah well, who said life should be easy???

Deployment diary day 6: Saturday 23rd January

Today has been a day where I've been very aware of contrasts. Firstly, I write this sitting in a room of the 'Coconut Villa' hotel. It wouldn't compare with the Hilton back home, but by contrast to the situation around me it is luxurious. I have electricity, water (cold) and, for the moment at least, air conditioning. We even have an internet connection in the restaurant. That's pretty good by anyone's standards. The hotel is one of a very still standing and has suffered virtually no damage. Drive out of the gate and the buildings all around it are completely flattened.

The Salvation Army was one of the first NGOs to send international staff into Haiti. Because we already had a presence here our headquarters identified somewhere for their visitors (us) to stay. Even over the 4 days I have been here I've noticed a change. The place is full now, buzzing with the hustle and bustle of NGO staff and media teams. By the way, I realise that by telling you this I've lost all your sympathy and good will :-)

The contrasts are many. There's the contrast between my current 'home' and the homes of those around me. Then there are the contrasts within our team. Some of our team are doctors. They have chosen to remain in the compound and live in the clinic where they are working. The clinic backs onto the sports ground which has become the camp. One of our doctors, Dr Herb, was telling me this evening that the stench from the camp and the sanitation canal that runs by it, is so bad that he has to tie a facemask over his nose and mouth at night to help him sleep. Yet he stays in the clinic of his own choice to be close to the patients he has come here to care for.

There's the contrasts in work roles. As incident commander my duties revolve around the command centre. We've established something pretty efficient now. A square of desks in the centre of the room accommodate the key command roles so we can easily communicate with each other. Around the periphery of the room are other team members and partner NGO staff who support the SA. My work involves strategy, planning and management of the team. In contrast, some of our team members spend their whole day out and about, lifting and shifting in the very hot temperatures. Some were drenched by midday from the strenuous work they were doing. I thank God for colleagues who are willing to endure such hard physical work to support those who are in need.

Tomorrow is going to be a distribution day, food rations to 1700 families - that's about 8,500 people. I'm apprehensive about it - despite the planning and preparation that has been invested to try and ensure it works well.

But in a place where contrasts seem so stark, tomorrow will be a day of unity. Every one of those who come to receive food will be united in having suffered great loss from last week's earthquake. Every one is now living in a shelter or tent - afraid or unable to return home. And every person represented in our team will be united by the desire to show care and support to them - perhaps in just a small way - in order to demonstrate that they matter.

Your prayers for our distribution will be very much appreciated.