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??