More Pictures From Magalie's Birthday Parties

I lost count of all the celebrations of Magalie's 3rd birthday. Here are some more pictures:

Please Pray for Those Transporting Supplies

As you pray for the people of Haiti, please include the safety of Roberta and her kids, and of the MGM crew, as they transport relief supplies across the Dominican border. A truckload of supplies is a high visibility target for looters. And the looters are desperately hungry and thirsty people.

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Magalie's Birthday!

Happy third birthday to Princess Magalie Toussaint! She's had two parties already and another is planned for today. The first was a party for six birthdays in our family in January (including hers). The second was Sunday morning between the worship service and class. This morning she and Charlene started opening the ton of BD cards she got from people in Texas and now they are off to ladies class at Woodbury. We are planning a Chinese buffett dinner this evening followed by the singing at the vets' home.

Update on Roberta

Roberta has made a successful run to the Dominican Republic for supplies. Manna Global Ministries (MGM) has provided the supplies and transported them to the border. MGM has a crew of looooong time Haiti missionaries, including some of the people we met the first time we went there almost 20 years ago.

This relief effort will be a "long haul." Some folks will stick it out and others will fade away as soon as there is another crisis somewhere in the world. Haiti needs some big picture problem solvers who will challenge Haiti's assumptions about itself and the world's assumptions about Haiti.

I like David Brooks' take on it from this morning's NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/opinion/15brooks.html

Don't Forget Haiti

Several have commented that what Haiti needs now is food, water, medical and building supplies. But ironically, that is what Haiti needed all along. It was just that people were not noticing. This Tom Toles political cartoon comes to us from the Washington Post and is right on target.
What Haiti also needs are hope, education, good health care, farm to market roads, a stable government, and a place in the world market. The challenge for all of us will be to keep Haiti on the radar when the next disaster strikes somewhere else and the world's relief organizations rush off to help out there. Haiti needs people to love her. She needs people who will respect her citizens, and who will work to assure that they have a voice
in their own government and in the affairs of the world market. Let's don't forget Haiti when the excitement is over.

Update on Roberta

We have heard that the US Marines have taken over the airport in Port au Prince and some planes are flying. US embassy says US citizens can get out now. Ironically our citizen is trying to get in. As of this morning Roberta is in Tampa, still planning to fly in on Missionary Flights International. Lynn and Cynthia Parker have bought her some meat to take in with her.

No direct word on Marie Rose, Magalie's mom, but we figure she's okay. She was supposed to be at Roberta's house and everyone there except for Nicky is okay. If she were not there, she lives far enough away to not be affected by the quake. Still no phone service.

Magalie's neurosurgeon himself called here last night to check on her and her mom. Those people at Mayo are amazing!