From Rob Beckham:

We had a very successful day today. Our crew has settled into my strange habits. I can be a little bossy. They now smile when I walk up instead of acting like they were about to throw a rock at me.

The real story is in the metal rebar. It is apparently the most valuable commodity in Soleil. I kept wanting the crew to help us get to the key structural points that needed to be cut out. They on the other hand wanted to secure the bundles of metal rebar we cut out.

These bundles or floor nerves are about a foot wide and 4 inches thick. They are made of a mass of rebar bound together. It gives the floor or ceiling it’s strengh. When we cut these out, there is a frenzy of activity. Everyone wants the bar. It is like we are mining for gold. Occasionaly, a length of rod would fall off the top of our building. Other people from the area would rush in to grab the rod and our crew would start screaming and running to stop them.

Our big news is that we cleared the roof. It was like we won a soccer match. Our team (aka gang members) were lifting their arms in victory and shouting. The team was asking us if we had more schools. I kept telling them this one was not finished yet.

On the disappointing side, Wharf Jeremie broke out in gun fire today. Gun fights moved into Soleil. Fr Rick grabbed me when I came home and said they had started a true gun battle. Someone was kidnapped and they brought someone who got shot to our hospital. All this happened around us.

Fr Rick said we had to lay out a few days. It was too volitile. Mike told me we probably changed the market condition with all the metal that was cut out.

Rob

This was a serious work day. We moved a lot of destroyed concrete walls.

I guess this will look good on my resume. ”Rob works well with Gang Members in one of the toughest cities in the world”

Haitian gang members negotiate different than most of us do. They yell at each other. Then they talk fast at you. Then, I pick up my toys (I mean tools) and act like I am going home. Everyone calms down, I tell them how proud of them I am, then we hit fist and slap our chest in some gang symbol and we are all ok.

I was told today, they thought I was going to hook up a tractor and yank the second floor off the first. It does not work like that. You have to bust it up and push off the debris. You do this while not damaging the first floor or killing someone.

Mike my partner in helping people yelled at me today, “Rob you can’t go upstairs and out work the help. They will watch you work while they get paid.” So, I guess I will try to stay cleaner tomorrow. There is just so much to do here I feel everyone needs to be working harder than usual.

Matt my journalist friend went with Fr Rick to bury people. He said it was incredible They buried over a hundred people at once today. Most of them were children. He said they were putting five kids to a coffin. They had to press them in.

I thinking working with the gangs is a much better job.

- Rob

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Today, I bought a cold drink at a gas station. I also bought a can of Pringles! Things are starting to move some.

The streets are filled with small street vendors selling goods. The roads are also jammed with cars and motorcycles.

I am not sure what UN military staff do, but I am proud of our Military. I talked to one group surveying the streets. Great guys!

I worked all afternoon in some of the hardest hit areas. We are getting local prices for tools and equipment. Planning on hiring people to clear demolished buildings.

I was able to purchase a new local cell phone. We hired a car and driver to meet us in the morning so we can inventory what we can purchase locally in terms of supplies.

I rewired the computer network here at St Lukes which is like a motel for volunteers that come to work at St Damien’s Children hospital. It works much better now.

Don’t feel to sorry for me, we have a kitchen and this facility is ran by Italians. They own a commercial bakery that is now running. We eat fairly well. Water to drink comes in occassionaly but is in short supply. I may have to shift to beer or wine that’s what the Italians drink. They make make sure there is plenty

- Rob Beckham, Fuller Center Volunteer