Reconstructing the events that happened in the past couple weeks, I would like to give credit to the different individuals and groups that helped us along the way as we supplied Port-au-Prince organizations with crucial supplies during their time of greatest need.

On Friday, January 15, I read Matt McCormick’s blog.  Good idea Matt (and with God’s help, we really pulled it off). Reading this started a flurry of communications.  I both phoned and e-mailed a number of individuals I knew in Port, and the basic idea I got was that there was a desperate need for fuel. I probably made about 500 e-mail and phone communications over the next 24 hours to try to see if we could put feet to Matt’s plan.

By January 17, Matt suggested using Fort Liberty buses, Michael and Erika Philip were working tirelessly in Miami contacting organizations and clearing funds, and I was sitting in Brett Bundy’s living room getting his permission to go along on a trip to the DR that OMS needed to do.  After writing another flurry of e-mails, I made contact with Tim Kendall at Global Outreach who gave us permission to use the Titanyen site as a drop-off for supplies (thanks so much, Tim), I got an order from the Baptist Haiti Mission for 2000 gallons of fuel, and I got the promise of advanced funds waiting for us at the Dominican border by Kids Alive’s Vic Trautwine (Vic, you really kept the cash flowing, which was crucial). Everything was lined up for Monday.

On Monday, January 18, Jen dropped me off at OMS.  After getting a late start, our first team set off.  It included myself, Matt Ayars, John Hubele, Jerry Poff (sorry if I spelled it wrong, Jerry), and three Haitians who work with OMS, including Amos, who ended up accompanying many loads of fuel and supplies to Titanyen. Matt McCormick met us and smoothed things over at the border with his Spanish skills and the relationships he already had established there.  We made it to the DR in time to fill up 1050 gallons of fuel, Eladio from Kids Alive DR (the kind of guy anyone would want on their team) met us with a lot of money and fuel containers, and we took it all back to Fort Liberty, loaded it on the bus, and it made it the following morning.  Matt McCormick’s idea became a reality. Matt, John and Jerry, you helped us save lives.  All of the contacts I made in Port and the e-mails I received clearly stated that the initial run we made, followed by the run 48 hours later, kept crucial medical services going.

On Tuesday, January 19, we went across the border again, same crew minus Matt McCormick, who was flying to the States, and we made it all of the way to Santiago.  Vic met us again and got us funds (thanks to Michael and Erika for keeping the funds moving to the DR).  Eladio met us again with more fuel containers, and by nightfall we had a clear idea of what the following day would look like. We hit it hard, filled up over 700 gallons of fuel, and John, Matt and Jerry trucked it across the border, paid for another bus, and that night our second load went out.  The Baptist Haiti Mission was able to distribute that fuel broadly, and they said it was “a lifeline” for all of the organizations providing services on the front lines. I know that you guys endured a lot of flack for “keeping the trucks out so long,” but it was definitely worth it, Matt, John and Jerry.  Thanks to Nick Hobgood for leaving paperwork for us at the border that day.  Also, a huge thanks goes to my wife, Jen, who in the midst of the craziness of the situation surrounding our adoptions made many e-mail and phone communications in Haiti in order to connect supplies with the people who needed them.

On Wednesday, January 20, I was on my own in the DR.  Robert Carson from Jarabacoa volunteered his time to drive me around the city and serve as my translator.  He introduced me to Radhemeus and Lorenzo, who turned out to be our key contact in purchasing supplies in the Santiago / La Vega area. Radhemeus let me store three hundred empty fuel containers at his factory, and Lorenzo made arrangements for the tanker to fill them up.  Once again, Vic was there with money, and we laid the groundwork for another huge load.  Robert, without meeting you, I would have never made these key contacts and our efforts would have been severely crippled.

On Thursday, January 21, Matt McCormick, Toby Brooks and Miguel Enriquez arrived on the scene.  I think it was about this time that Elaina (sp?) and Christie (sp?) [could someone please tell me their last names] were taking orders and handling a huge workload on the Miami side of things.  Things really started rolling at this point.  Toby was critical in systematizing the purchase orders and organizing our office.  Miguel was the man when it came not only to translating, but also to relating with Lorenzo and other Dominicans in a personal way that garnered their support for our cause and not just their desire to make a buck.  We now had the foundation laid to become a full fledged cartel.  We had a huge load arranged for the following day, including thousands of gallons of fuel, tons of rice and beans, drinking water, etc.  We also received several donations from Young Life in Jarabacoa of life saving medical supplies, as well as large donations from several churches, including East Side Grace Brethren and Catalina Foothills Church, that allowed us to meet needs even when organizations in Port lacked funds.  Meanwhile, my dad was made a number of conference calls between me and my bank (my Dominican phone couldn’t call 1-800 numbers) to insure that the funds would be accessible to me for purchasing (thanks for doing that in spite of the huge phone bill, Dad).

On Saturday, January 23, Mike Brantley, Chad Carlson, Kyle Dupont, Adam Nevins, and Derek Sandberg joined the team having arrived late that night.  They helped load all of the supplies we bought the previous day, and lent their expertise to help us phase out people who needed to be leaving.  Kyle would replace Toby, Chad would replace me, and Adam and Mike would take over border operations from Matt.  These four were committed to months if necessary. Derek would also be going to the drop-off point in Titanyen to more efficiently handle distribution. We didn’t yet have a replacement for Miguel, but we had two in the works, namely Cameron Carter from Venezuela and Francisco Afanador, my personal friend from Virginia. Dennis Pilger also joined the team and later relieved Derek as the go-to-guy at the drop-off point in Titanyen.  Mike and Jay [could someone please tell me their last names] played a significant part, as well, helping obtain and load supplies in Santiago. These guys played critical roles in keeping the supplies going right up to today, when the last load went into Haiti.

Obviously, this was a team effort. God had blessed our group with a lot of talent and a lot of strong personalities, which can be a recipe for disaster.  However, the nature and duration of our association, as well as our shared faith, caused unity and allowed us to be a high performing team.  Urban Resurrection’s support in Miami, as well as Kids Alive DR’s support in personnel and funds, made all of the difference in the world.  Thanks to everyone else who made this all possible.  (I can edit posts, so if I left anyone out, let me know and I will add in).