Hola Familia
First things first...when Bishop Bishop was going through the interviews ect with me he told me that his son whore (sic) a bag that strapped over his should and was like a man purse while he was on his mission. i remember telling Bishop that I would never ever do that.... then i ran into the humid days with a backpack and realised it just wasnt going to work for two years... while we were moving a found a man bag and have been wearing it since. I def look like a loser but it is sooo much nicer.
I have heard about all the after shocks but have not felt them. you never know what to believe here though. One guy told us that the US was split in half because of the earthquake and that the DR was the only country saved. I think he had had a little too much to drink.
The food i am eating... Elder Barrett and I ate chickens foot the other day. That was pretty intense but wasnt gross. I have some good pictures but still cant figure out how to send them. THe comp I am on now doesnt even have a USB inlet. Other things I have eaten are sweet rice, some rice with coconut and a meat that i have no clue what it was. I had to tell the lady I couldn´t finish it. It was way to strong of coconut tasting. I eat a lot of fritos...fried platanos. I really like those and a lot of rice and salami.. Rice and salami basically everyday!
we do not eat American stuff because at least where we are at there aren´t the right ingredients. I am sure it is diff in the capital but that is what makes cooking so hard. They just do not have the same ingredients as us. No Mom there is not sour cream and I am already craving it! MY cooking has been grilled cheese and toast. That´s about all I have tried, Elder Barrett likes to cook so I do not argue.
Ha Ha oh mother... Right now I sleep on a bed. In my area there arent many mesquitos so the net isnt neccessary. The new house has windows which is really nice because I can sleep through the night and not be woken up by the motorcycles.
I can look at my blog. I have not looked at the comments yet but I need to. Tell Heidi that I gave her letters to the APs so it should be good but there isnt pouch going back to the states anymore so I am not sure how they will write back!
My week...when we were moving we found an old pair of shoes. Elder Barrett said to put them out on the street and they will be gone in five min... 2 min later they were gone. All the kids are amazed by all the helicopters flying over. We must be on the route from SD to Haiti. I was wondering, did bro flake of bro peterson have to help out in Haiti?
On wed I had to give the Spiritual thought at District Meeting in Spanish. It actually went really well. Everyone said I did really well. Who knows haha
I now understand why people use the term clotheslined when someone runs into something with their head. I have run into so many clothes lines and gates it is horrible!
one of our investigators who is awesome is having a hard time deciding whether or not to be baptized because some of the members are one person in church and another at school. THis made me realise the importance of being an example. You never know who is watchin.
While i was changing the other day my arm got nailed by the ceiling fan. That really hurt!
Dad I forgot to say this last week but tell Uncle Mark that we def want to go hunting! We should go before I head up for school!
I got hugged by a 70 yo crazy lady- that was kinda awkward... when i send you a picture of her you will understand! her name is SAnta.
During Sac yesterday... this kid about 2 years old hurled everywhere when he choked on the bread! It was hilarious. I do not think I have ever seen a little kid throw up so much. ELder Barrett could barely keep his stomach down haha-
WE have lots of good investigators. We have 4 planned for baptism this sat. Hopefully they will go through. We will have to wait and see!
Sorry about the horrible typing. This comp is really old and takes about 5 seconds to catch up to what I wrote so that makes it a little bit harder to spell well!
I think that is about all from here! Keep asking questions! That makes writing a whole lot easier. Tell everyone that I love them and brag for me that I am an uncle now.
congradulations fud and dud. Everyday I was wondering if they had had the baby yet so it was nice to hear that they did! Love you all so much! Thanks for all your love and support!
love
elder (uncle) seth
Monday, January 25, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Historical background DR v. Haiti
Haiti and the Dominican Republic: A Tale of Two Countries
The day after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, Christian televangelist Pat Robertson sparked outrage with his comments on The 700 Club that the nation's history of catastrophes was due to a "pact to the Devil" its residents had made some 200 years ago. How else to explain why Haiti suffers, while the Dominican Republic - which shares the 30,000 sq. miles of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola - is relatively well-off? "That island of Hispaniola is one island," Robertson said. "The Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, et cetera. Haiti is in desperate poverty." (Read why Pat Robertson is blaming Haiti.)
Robertson's rationale is more than suspect, yet the differences between the two nations are undeniable. The UN ranks the Dominican Republic 90th out of 182 countries on its human development index, which combines a variety of welfare measurements; Haiti comes in at 149th. In the Dominican Republic, average life expectancy is nearly 74 years. In Haiti, it's 61. You're substantially more likely to be able to read and write if you live in the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, and less likely to live on under $1.25 a day. (See TIME's exclusive pictures from the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake.)
Much of this difference is geographic. The mountains that lie across the island can cut off Haiti's rainfall. The northeast trade winds, and so the rain, blow in the Dominican Republic's favor. Haiti's semiarid climate makes cultivation more challenging. Deforestation - a major problem in Haiti, but not in its neighbor - has only exacerbated the problem. Other differences are a result of Hispaniola's long and often-violent history - even TIME called it a "forlorn, hate-filled little Caribbean island" in 1965. On the eastern part of Hispaniola, you'll probably speak Spanish; in the west, it's more likely to be French or Creole, a division that's the result of centuries of European colonization and numerous power struggles. (Not to mention the decimation of Hispaniola's indigenous Taino people - who, of course, spoke neither.)
When Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492, he named the land La Isla EspaÑola; it served as a Spanish colony and base for the empire's further conquests, though was never particularly profitable. In 1697 the Spanish formally ceded the western third of it to the French, already present and more heavily invested. The Hispaniolan outposts of both empires imported African slaves, though the latter did so to a much greater extent. The colonies - Santo Domingo and Saint-Domingue, respectively - subsequently developed vastly different demographics. According to a study by the American Library of Congress, by the end of the 18th Century there were about 40,000 white landowners, 25,000 black or interracial freedmen, and 60,000 slaves in the Spanish colony, compared with approximately 30,000 whites, 27,000 freedmen, and at least 500,000 black slaves in its French counterpart.
As revolution raged in France in the 1790s, its colonial slaves in Hispaniola revolted; in 1804, they declared independence, and Haiti, which was named after the Taino word for "land of mountains," became the world's first sovereign black republic. The Dominican Republic wasn't established until 1844, after not just European rule but also 22 years of Haitian occupation. Strife between (as well as within) the neighbors, rooted in deep class, racial, and cultural differences, was constant. Interference by foreign powers was often the norm. The Spanish took back the Dominican Republic again in the early 1860s, and for periods during the twentieth century, the U.S. occupied both nations, supposedly to restore order but also, in the face of European threats, to assert its influence in the Western Hemisphere. Internal politics were characterized by multiple coups, revolts and dictators, the most infamous being Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic and FranÇois and Jean-Claude Duvalier in Haiti. Juan Bosch, the first democratically elected president of the Dominican Republic in 1962, was almost immediately overthrown after taking office in 1963. Jean-Bertrand Aristide became the first freely-elected president of Haiti, in 1990; he was ousted as well, returned and was ousted again.
But while both countries struggled with democracy, economically they began to diverge. Haiti had long been exploited, by foreign powers, neighbors and its own rulers. France not only milked its colony for coffee and sugar production, it also extracted an indemnity from Haiti: the young nation had to pay a burdensome sum to its former colonizer in order to achieve France's diplomatic recognition. The lighter-skinned Dominicans looked down on the darker-skinned Haitians: in 1965, even as the D.R. was embroiled in civil war, Haitians were working in Dominican fields and not the other way around. And while Trujillo at least encouraged economic development in his country, Duvalier pere et fils essentially sold their own people as cheap sugar cane-cutters to the Dominican Republic.
Today, with a lack of resources and a much higher population density than its neighbor, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The UN has sent peacekeeping missions to maintain order there since the mid-1990s, but terrible conditions persist. Haiti's dismal statistics have a long history; no Devil is necessary.
The day after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, Christian televangelist Pat Robertson sparked outrage with his comments on The 700 Club that the nation's history of catastrophes was due to a "pact to the Devil" its residents had made some 200 years ago. How else to explain why Haiti suffers, while the Dominican Republic - which shares the 30,000 sq. miles of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola - is relatively well-off? "That island of Hispaniola is one island," Robertson said. "The Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, et cetera. Haiti is in desperate poverty." (Read why Pat Robertson is blaming Haiti.)
Robertson's rationale is more than suspect, yet the differences between the two nations are undeniable. The UN ranks the Dominican Republic 90th out of 182 countries on its human development index, which combines a variety of welfare measurements; Haiti comes in at 149th. In the Dominican Republic, average life expectancy is nearly 74 years. In Haiti, it's 61. You're substantially more likely to be able to read and write if you live in the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, and less likely to live on under $1.25 a day. (See TIME's exclusive pictures from the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake.)
Much of this difference is geographic. The mountains that lie across the island can cut off Haiti's rainfall. The northeast trade winds, and so the rain, blow in the Dominican Republic's favor. Haiti's semiarid climate makes cultivation more challenging. Deforestation - a major problem in Haiti, but not in its neighbor - has only exacerbated the problem. Other differences are a result of Hispaniola's long and often-violent history - even TIME called it a "forlorn, hate-filled little Caribbean island" in 1965. On the eastern part of Hispaniola, you'll probably speak Spanish; in the west, it's more likely to be French or Creole, a division that's the result of centuries of European colonization and numerous power struggles. (Not to mention the decimation of Hispaniola's indigenous Taino people - who, of course, spoke neither.)
When Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492, he named the land La Isla EspaÑola; it served as a Spanish colony and base for the empire's further conquests, though was never particularly profitable. In 1697 the Spanish formally ceded the western third of it to the French, already present and more heavily invested. The Hispaniolan outposts of both empires imported African slaves, though the latter did so to a much greater extent. The colonies - Santo Domingo and Saint-Domingue, respectively - subsequently developed vastly different demographics. According to a study by the American Library of Congress, by the end of the 18th Century there were about 40,000 white landowners, 25,000 black or interracial freedmen, and 60,000 slaves in the Spanish colony, compared with approximately 30,000 whites, 27,000 freedmen, and at least 500,000 black slaves in its French counterpart.
As revolution raged in France in the 1790s, its colonial slaves in Hispaniola revolted; in 1804, they declared independence, and Haiti, which was named after the Taino word for "land of mountains," became the world's first sovereign black republic. The Dominican Republic wasn't established until 1844, after not just European rule but also 22 years of Haitian occupation. Strife between (as well as within) the neighbors, rooted in deep class, racial, and cultural differences, was constant. Interference by foreign powers was often the norm. The Spanish took back the Dominican Republic again in the early 1860s, and for periods during the twentieth century, the U.S. occupied both nations, supposedly to restore order but also, in the face of European threats, to assert its influence in the Western Hemisphere. Internal politics were characterized by multiple coups, revolts and dictators, the most infamous being Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic and FranÇois and Jean-Claude Duvalier in Haiti. Juan Bosch, the first democratically elected president of the Dominican Republic in 1962, was almost immediately overthrown after taking office in 1963. Jean-Bertrand Aristide became the first freely-elected president of Haiti, in 1990; he was ousted as well, returned and was ousted again.
But while both countries struggled with democracy, economically they began to diverge. Haiti had long been exploited, by foreign powers, neighbors and its own rulers. France not only milked its colony for coffee and sugar production, it also extracted an indemnity from Haiti: the young nation had to pay a burdensome sum to its former colonizer in order to achieve France's diplomatic recognition. The lighter-skinned Dominicans looked down on the darker-skinned Haitians: in 1965, even as the D.R. was embroiled in civil war, Haitians were working in Dominican fields and not the other way around. And while Trujillo at least encouraged economic development in his country, Duvalier pere et fils essentially sold their own people as cheap sugar cane-cutters to the Dominican Republic.
Today, with a lack of resources and a much higher population density than its neighbor, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The UN has sent peacekeeping missions to maintain order there since the mid-1990s, but terrible conditions persist. Haiti's dismal statistics have a long history; no Devil is necessary.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Didn't Feel A Thing!!!
(I have included my questions to Seth in parenthesis so his letter would make a little more sense! I also wrote him a note that the hand-sanitizer for kids was probably not a very good idea!)
Hola familia...
What a week here in Sebana Yegua. Between moving, earthquake, and lots of investigators we have been very busy. We moved Tuesday into a house with tile and is a lot smaller which is actually really nice because the old house was a little too big and lonely for 2 elders.
When we moved in, the lady that owns the house cooked us a meal. She cooked us fish for us and since we are not supposed to eat fish we kinda of pannicked. I really did not want diarrhea so i slowly put it all in my napkin and then when the lady left i ran and threw it out front. I am getting pretty good at doing that.
I am sure that a lot of people are wondering about the earthquake. I think everyone in the whole Island felt it except me and Elder Barrett. When people first told us about it we did not believe them. We thought it was a joke but we soon realized it was the real deal. There are two recent converts, one 17 and the other 20 that are brothers from Haiti... They live with about 10 other family members in a tiny home. We have visited them a lot and on Sunday morning the 2 brothers left to go help in Haiti. We bought about 20 pounds of rice and a ton of platanos for them to take. I also gave them my old camera so that they could take pictures to show the family that is staying behind. I really feel for them. I wish I could communicate with them how much I really feel for them.
We always ask the kids if they want dulce or sweats and then give them hand sanitizer. It is sooo funny to watch their face when they eat it but everytime they say that they want more! Its hilarious.
On Sat we had our first English class. It was pretty much a joke but it was fun because we got some of our investigators to come. Spanish was driving me a little crazy on Sat so I bought four cokes throughout the day. I think that is a record for me.
We have a ton of investigators right now. We had 15 in church. We have about 10 from the age of 16-18 which is a great age to teach them before they have already made habbits. I have a lot of hope for them. I played the piano in Sac Meeting on Sunday and made a lot of friends with the members through that.
The canal dad talked about that goes to all the fields is a canal where a lot of the town bathes in. I now understand why we are supposed to wash our veggies!
(How many wards/branches are there in your area?) They have an actual chapel here! Only one branch though. It is fairly big. I am not sure if we will walk to the little towns in the fields. I will have to ask Elder Barrett if they are in our area or not.
Yes mom I am getting enough to eat. There are no stores here but luckily Elder Barrett knows how to cook. We usually have a big lunch and do not have dinner because those are the prime times to find people but we get some sort of snack at the colmados. The town basically is dead from 12-3.
(Do you know if they plan to use the missionaries to help clean up sometime down the road?) We havent heard if we are going to get to go and help in Haiti. I hear it is pretty violent over there because the lack of food ect so for now nothing is planned for us.
(How was the Spanish this week? Getting any easier?) Spanish is coming little by little. Still
can{t understand for the most part unless an american is speaking.
(How do the people support themselves as far as work?) Most people here sell some sort of food; yuka, fish, ect or have some relative in NY sending money back. A lot of people work in the fields too.
(He burned a hole in the seat of his pants by drying them on too hot of a tempurature at the CCM so asked if he needed another pair). I had a pair of pants made. I still need to pick them up. As for now I am still using the burnt pair but it will all be good!
We are teaching a lot of people right now. We have about 5 that are very sincere and I have hope for. You never know who will be looking at your example or who is ready to hear the gospel, two of our best investigadors are teenagers that I would not have guessed that would want to hear the gospel but they are solid so share with everyone.
I love you all and I can not figure out how to send pictures right now. I will keep working on it. Love you lots
Elder Wilson
Hola familia...
What a week here in Sebana Yegua. Between moving, earthquake, and lots of investigators we have been very busy. We moved Tuesday into a house with tile and is a lot smaller which is actually really nice because the old house was a little too big and lonely for 2 elders.
When we moved in, the lady that owns the house cooked us a meal. She cooked us fish for us and since we are not supposed to eat fish we kinda of pannicked. I really did not want diarrhea so i slowly put it all in my napkin and then when the lady left i ran and threw it out front. I am getting pretty good at doing that.
I am sure that a lot of people are wondering about the earthquake. I think everyone in the whole Island felt it except me and Elder Barrett. When people first told us about it we did not believe them. We thought it was a joke but we soon realized it was the real deal. There are two recent converts, one 17 and the other 20 that are brothers from Haiti... They live with about 10 other family members in a tiny home. We have visited them a lot and on Sunday morning the 2 brothers left to go help in Haiti. We bought about 20 pounds of rice and a ton of platanos for them to take. I also gave them my old camera so that they could take pictures to show the family that is staying behind. I really feel for them. I wish I could communicate with them how much I really feel for them.
We always ask the kids if they want dulce or sweats and then give them hand sanitizer. It is sooo funny to watch their face when they eat it but everytime they say that they want more! Its hilarious.
On Sat we had our first English class. It was pretty much a joke but it was fun because we got some of our investigators to come. Spanish was driving me a little crazy on Sat so I bought four cokes throughout the day. I think that is a record for me.
We have a ton of investigators right now. We had 15 in church. We have about 10 from the age of 16-18 which is a great age to teach them before they have already made habbits. I have a lot of hope for them. I played the piano in Sac Meeting on Sunday and made a lot of friends with the members through that.
The canal dad talked about that goes to all the fields is a canal where a lot of the town bathes in. I now understand why we are supposed to wash our veggies!
(How many wards/branches are there in your area?) They have an actual chapel here! Only one branch though. It is fairly big. I am not sure if we will walk to the little towns in the fields. I will have to ask Elder Barrett if they are in our area or not.
Yes mom I am getting enough to eat. There are no stores here but luckily Elder Barrett knows how to cook. We usually have a big lunch and do not have dinner because those are the prime times to find people but we get some sort of snack at the colmados. The town basically is dead from 12-3.
(Do you know if they plan to use the missionaries to help clean up sometime down the road?) We havent heard if we are going to get to go and help in Haiti. I hear it is pretty violent over there because the lack of food ect so for now nothing is planned for us.
(How was the Spanish this week? Getting any easier?) Spanish is coming little by little. Still
can{t understand for the most part unless an american is speaking.
(How do the people support themselves as far as work?) Most people here sell some sort of food; yuka, fish, ect or have some relative in NY sending money back. A lot of people work in the fields too.
(He burned a hole in the seat of his pants by drying them on too hot of a tempurature at the CCM so asked if he needed another pair). I had a pair of pants made. I still need to pick them up. As for now I am still using the burnt pair but it will all be good!
We are teaching a lot of people right now. We have about 5 that are very sincere and I have hope for. You never know who will be looking at your example or who is ready to hear the gospel, two of our best investigadors are teenagers that I would not have guessed that would want to hear the gospel but they are solid so share with everyone.
I love you all and I can not figure out how to send pictures right now. I will keep working on it. Love you lots
Elder Wilson
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
1/5/10 Letter received in the mail
Hola Momma Y Papa!
Right now I am in a Chapel in Santo Domingo. We getting our new areas/fans ect. I do not know my exact area yet but its a ways away from the cuidad. (whoops accidently wrote city in Spanish). One of the Elders here say it is pretty hard core campo ther and that in order to get to my area I have to ride in the back of a truck 30 min down a dirty road! Yikes! So maybe I am a little bit anxious. I just shook the Presidents hand. He looked at me and said muy grande. Sabana Yegua is the name of my area I think. Not I think but I'm not sure if that's the name of the city or the area. I'm still new al all this. I'm super stoked. A little nervous but I can do anything :)! I'm feeling way better. It's awesome. No more time but I love you and take care!
Elder Wilson
AKA Dudey
Right now I am in a Chapel in Santo Domingo. We getting our new areas/fans ect. I do not know my exact area yet but its a ways away from the cuidad. (whoops accidently wrote city in Spanish). One of the Elders here say it is pretty hard core campo ther and that in order to get to my area I have to ride in the back of a truck 30 min down a dirty road! Yikes! So maybe I am a little bit anxious. I just shook the Presidents hand. He looked at me and said muy grande. Sabana Yegua is the name of my area I think. Not I think but I'm not sure if that's the name of the city or the area. I'm still new al all this. I'm super stoked. A little nervous but I can do anything :)! I'm feeling way better. It's awesome. No more time but I love you and take care!
Elder Wilson
AKA Dudey
1/1/10 Letter received in mail
(It sounds like Seth got pretty sick while in the MTC. After he wrote this letter they got him on antibiotics and he got better real quick. Thanks for all of your prayers on his behalf!)
Hola Madre Y Padre,
I wanted to write a quick note telling you I'm feeling a lot better. My letter yesterday was fairly short and not very informative. I was so out of it. I was a walking zombie. Starting Wed they made me go to my room and sleep. I was insanely sick. And yesterday I slept all day long except to email so I was pretty out of it. When I took a shower last night, I turned it all the way hot and when I got out, all the pressure in my head was gone and I felt amazing. No se porque pero I'm not going to question it and I'm just going to thank the Lord. I still have a cough and some congestion but I can live with those. No se but all is good here now. I'm super stoked to get out in the field. I totally can't wait. I'm a little nervous but am the same time ready. A new adventure awakes me and the Lord.
It's crazy how fast time is going! I can already tell how amazing these 2 yrs are going to be for the people I'm serving, our family, and me. I have a lot to work on but I have the opportunity to change. That's the beautiful part of the Gospel. Don't worry mom, I'll put the weight back on...
The other day, Elder Groll and I were talking, we decided that the worl would be a complete different if people had 3 things. 1. Patience 2. Selflessness (charity) and 3. Trust (faith). These are the attributes that would cure the world. Idk how you would add this 2 the blog but if you could it's something I will always remember. Elder Groll and have quite a few good talks. But anyway life is good here. I love you lots. Take care and know I love you.
Love,
Elder Wilson
AKA Sethie
Hola Madre Y Padre,
I wanted to write a quick note telling you I'm feeling a lot better. My letter yesterday was fairly short and not very informative. I was so out of it. I was a walking zombie. Starting Wed they made me go to my room and sleep. I was insanely sick. And yesterday I slept all day long except to email so I was pretty out of it. When I took a shower last night, I turned it all the way hot and when I got out, all the pressure in my head was gone and I felt amazing. No se porque pero I'm not going to question it and I'm just going to thank the Lord. I still have a cough and some congestion but I can live with those. No se but all is good here now. I'm super stoked to get out in the field. I totally can't wait. I'm a little nervous but am the same time ready. A new adventure awakes me and the Lord.
It's crazy how fast time is going! I can already tell how amazing these 2 yrs are going to be for the people I'm serving, our family, and me. I have a lot to work on but I have the opportunity to change. That's the beautiful part of the Gospel. Don't worry mom, I'll put the weight back on...
The other day, Elder Groll and I were talking, we decided that the worl would be a complete different if people had 3 things. 1. Patience 2. Selflessness (charity) and 3. Trust (faith). These are the attributes that would cure the world. Idk how you would add this 2 the blog but if you could it's something I will always remember. Elder Groll and have quite a few good talks. But anyway life is good here. I love you lots. Take care and know I love you.
Love,
Elder Wilson
AKA Sethie
Don't miss this weeks letter!
Be sure and scroll down to read the letter we received from Seth on Monday about his first area. It is a great letter!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Earthquake Jan 12 2010
Seth should have been almost exactly 100 miles east of the epicenter of the Haitian earthquake. Santo Domingo is another 50 miles east of where Seth is. The news said they felt the quake strongly in Santo Domingo so Seth would have gotten rattled good. The tsunami warning has been cancelled. Since he's 7 miles from the ocean that's a good thing. People at the same distance from the epicenter are reporting damage to their homes and furniture moving a meter across floors in buildings.
Email from the Mission Office received 8:20 PM Tucson time.
Dom Rep Santo Domingo West Mission
Dear Parents,
On behalf of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo West Mission, we would like to inform you that this afternoon an earthquake struck right off the Haitian Capital Port-au-Prince. The extent of the damage is likely to be catastrophic, and ours brothers and Sisters in Haiti really need our thoughts and prayers at this time.
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that at this hour there are no reports of injury or damage to missionaries or church facility in the Santo Domingo West Mission. All of our missionaries are safe and accounted for, thanks for all of your love and support.
-Sincerely,
The Santo Domingo West Mission Office.
From a CNN article today:
7.0 quake hits Haiti; could be 'catastrophe,' official says
Witnesses reported heavy damage throughout the capital, Port-au-Prince, including to the president's residence and century-old homes nearby, and The Associated Press reported that a hospital collapsed. President Rene Preval is safe, Joseph said, but there was no estimate of the dead and wounded Tuesday evening. The magnitude 7.0 quake struck about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince shortly before 5 p.m. Joseph said one official of his government told him houses had crumbled "on the right side of the street and the left side of the street."
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The strongest earthquake in more than 200 years rocked Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing a hospital where people screamed for help and heavily damaging the National Palace, U.N. peacekeeper headquarters and other buildings. U.S. officials reported bodies in the streets and an aid official described "total disaster and chaos."
From Deseret News
United Nations officials said a large number of U.N. personnel were unaccounted for. Communications were widely disrupted, making it impossible to get a full picture of damage as powerful aftershocks shook a desperately poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Electricity was out in some places. Karel Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in Port-au-Prince, told U.S. colleagues before phone service failed that "there must be thousands of people dead," according to a spokeswoman for the aid group, Sara Fajardo.
"They reported structures down. They reported a lot of walls down. They did see a number of bodies in the street and on the sidewalk that had been hit by debris. So clearly, there's going to be serious loss of life in this," he said.
Frank Williams, the Haitian director of the relief agency World Vision International, said the quake left people "pretty much screaming" all around Port-au-Prince. He said the agency's building shook for about 35 seconds, "and portions of things on the building fell off."
"None of our staff were injured, but lots of walls are falling down," Williams said. "Many of our staff have tried to leave, but were unsuccessful because the walls from buildings and private residences are falling into the streets, so that it has pretty much blocked significantly most of the traffic."
More from CNN
Many of the homes in Port-au-Prince are concrete-block structures built on steep hillsides. Mike Godfrey, an American contractor working for the U.S. Agency for International Development, said "a huge plume of dust and smoke rose up over the city" within minutes of the quake -- "a blanket that completely covered the city and obscured it for about 20 minutes until the atmosphere dissipated the dust."
The quake was centered about 6 miles (10 kilometers) underground, according to the USGS. A magnitude 5.9 aftershock followed soon afterward, about 30 miles further west, followed by a 5.5 aftershock closer to the location of the first quake. When aftershocks hit, "there is a kind of wail as people are very frightened by it," Williams said. "But most people are out in the streets and just kind of looking up."
The Rev. Kesner Ajax, executive director of a school in the southwestern city of Les Cayes, said several people were hurt when they rushed to get out of the building. Two homes in the area collapsed and the top of a church collapsed in a nearby town, he said, but he did not know of any fatalities. Les Cayes, a city of about 400,000 people, is about 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince.
Jean Bernard, an eyewitness in Port-au-Prince, told CNN the city had no electricity Tuesday evening. The first quake lasted about 40 seconds, he said. "A lot of houses [and] buildings went down, and people are still running all over the streets," Bernard said. "People are looking for their wives, looking for their husbands and their kids. It's scary."
Because of the earthquake's proximity to the capital, and because the city is densely populated and has poorly constructed housing, "it could cause significant casualties," said Jian Lin, a senior geologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. A tsunami watch for Haiti, the Dominican Republic and parts of Cuba following the earthquake has been canceled, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
Email from the Mission Office received 8:20 PM Tucson time.
Dom Rep Santo Domingo West Mission
Dear Parents,
On behalf of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo West Mission, we would like to inform you that this afternoon an earthquake struck right off the Haitian Capital Port-au-Prince. The extent of the damage is likely to be catastrophic, and ours brothers and Sisters in Haiti really need our thoughts and prayers at this time.
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that at this hour there are no reports of injury or damage to missionaries or church facility in the Santo Domingo West Mission. All of our missionaries are safe and accounted for, thanks for all of your love and support.
-Sincerely,
The Santo Domingo West Mission Office.
From a CNN article today:
7.0 quake hits Haiti; could be 'catastrophe,' official says
January 12, 2010 9:01 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Damage to presidential palace, hospital, homes, reports say Ambassador: Official in Haiti told me it's "catastrophe of major proportions" Earthquake struck just off coast of capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday The Associated Press reported that a hospital had collapsed (CNN) --
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Damage to presidential palace, hospital, homes, reports say Ambassador: Official in Haiti told me it's "catastrophe of major proportions" Earthquake struck just off coast of capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday The Associated Press reported that a hospital had collapsed (CNN) --
A major earthquake struck southern Haiti on Tuesday, knocking down buildings and power lines and inflicting what its ambassador to the United States called a catastrophe for the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation. "The only thing I can do now is pray and hope for the best," the ambassador, Raymond Alcide Joseph, told CNN.
Witnesses reported heavy damage throughout the capital, Port-au-Prince, including to the president's residence and century-old homes nearby, and The Associated Press reported that a hospital collapsed. President Rene Preval is safe, Joseph said, but there was no estimate of the dead and wounded Tuesday evening. The magnitude 7.0 quake struck about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince shortly before 5 p.m. Joseph said one official of his government told him houses had crumbled "on the right side of the street and the left side of the street."
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The strongest earthquake in more than 200 years rocked Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing a hospital where people screamed for help and heavily damaging the National Palace, U.N. peacekeeper headquarters and other buildings. U.S. officials reported bodies in the streets and an aid official described "total disaster and chaos."
From Deseret News
United Nations officials said a large number of U.N. personnel were unaccounted for. Communications were widely disrupted, making it impossible to get a full picture of damage as powerful aftershocks shook a desperately poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Electricity was out in some places. Karel Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in Port-au-Prince, told U.S. colleagues before phone service failed that "there must be thousands of people dead," according to a spokeswoman for the aid group, Sara Fajardo.
"He reported that it was just total disaster and chaos, that there were clouds of dust surrounding Port-au-Prince," Fajardo said from the group's offices in Maryland. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in Washington that embassy personnel were "literally in the dark" after power failed.
"They reported structures down. They reported a lot of walls down. They did see a number of bodies in the street and on the sidewalk that had been hit by debris. So clearly, there's going to be serious loss of life in this," he said.
Frank Williams, the Haitian director of the relief agency World Vision International, said the quake left people "pretty much screaming" all around Port-au-Prince. He said the agency's building shook for about 35 seconds, "and portions of things on the building fell off."
"None of our staff were injured, but lots of walls are falling down," Williams said. "Many of our staff have tried to leave, but were unsuccessful because the walls from buildings and private residences are falling into the streets, so that it has pretty much blocked significantly most of the traffic."
More from CNN
Many of the homes in Port-au-Prince are concrete-block structures built on steep hillsides. Mike Godfrey, an American contractor working for the U.S. Agency for International Development, said "a huge plume of dust and smoke rose up over the city" within minutes of the quake -- "a blanket that completely covered the city and obscured it for about 20 minutes until the atmosphere dissipated the dust."
The quake was centered about 6 miles (10 kilometers) underground, according to the USGS. A magnitude 5.9 aftershock followed soon afterward, about 30 miles further west, followed by a 5.5 aftershock closer to the location of the first quake. When aftershocks hit, "there is a kind of wail as people are very frightened by it," Williams said. "But most people are out in the streets and just kind of looking up."
The Rev. Kesner Ajax, executive director of a school in the southwestern city of Les Cayes, said several people were hurt when they rushed to get out of the building. Two homes in the area collapsed and the top of a church collapsed in a nearby town, he said, but he did not know of any fatalities. Les Cayes, a city of about 400,000 people, is about 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince.
Jean Bernard, an eyewitness in Port-au-Prince, told CNN the city had no electricity Tuesday evening. The first quake lasted about 40 seconds, he said. "A lot of houses [and] buildings went down, and people are still running all over the streets," Bernard said. "People are looking for their wives, looking for their husbands and their kids. It's scary."
Luke Renner, an American staying in Cap-Hatien, a city nearly 100 miles north of Port-au-Prince, said he was sitting at his home when "the whole world started to shake." "It felt like our whole house was balancing on a beach ball," Renner said. "We heard the whole community screaming and in an uproar during that whole 20- to 30-second window." "I haven't seen any structural damage here," Renner continued. "With the sun setting it may be difficult to tell. In the morning we'll know for sure."
Because of the earthquake's proximity to the capital, and because the city is densely populated and has poorly constructed housing, "it could cause significant casualties," said Jian Lin, a senior geologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. A tsunami watch for Haiti, the Dominican Republic and parts of Cuba following the earthquake has been canceled, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
Monday, January 11, 2010
First Letter From First Area; Sabana Yegua (Mare Savannah in English) Yegua is pronounced like "Yehwah"
Hey Mom and Dad and others!
Oh my goodness! Where do I start. I do not even know. Life here is good. Crazy and fairly over whelming but good! Right now I am in Sebana Yegua. It is a small town about 30 minutes outside a city called Azua. Right now I am actually in Azua because Sebana Yegua doesnt have internet, an ATM, or any place to buy groceries. It has a lot of "Colmodas" or something like that where you can buy snacks and drinks but no food food. It is pretty legit out there. We have to ride in the back of a truck for 30 minutes to get there. It is a whole new world. It is soooo hard to explain. The streets are about half dirt and half paved (kind of paved) It is a pretty poor town. I love it though. It is all soo overwhelming right now, not knowing Spanish and all but I know I can do it! We live in one of the biggest houses here. Cement floors and actually has a shower which is pretty lucky. We flush with a bucket though! Haha Oh my goodness so much to tell and do not know where to even start! I will answer mom's questions first!
-How do you feel? I feel sooo much better. I got some anti biotics before I left and I healed up pretty quick. i was worried I would be sick when I left but I was blessed to feel better!
-What is your place like? Our place is like the love shack kind of. I am going to try and send a picture! It is bright yellow and is awesome. We have lots of window without windows! Just bars for protection.
My companion is Elder Barrett. He is from Cali. He has been out for about 18 months. His spanish is really good. I am excited to learn Spanish from him. I think we will have lots of success.
-What is your routine in a day? The normal day is get up at 630 (I still am not a big fan of mornings but I do have to brag a little, I have gotten up exactly at 630 everyday! haha) Then exercise til 7. Cook breakfast, I NEED RECEIPES!, and get ready for day until 8. 8-1030 ish is study time. Personal, companion, and language. Then we go out and remind the member that is going out with us that day (every lesson has to have a member present in our mission) and do contacts. Then from about 1230-2 we have lunch. It is impossible to do anything from about 12-230 ish because everyone is sleeping. About 2 we go out and teach lessons until about 730 when the light goes out. When the light goes out we usually plan to visit recent converts and teach a preach my gospel lesson. There's no dinner break because we just do not have time and those are the times when people are there. We are having pretty good success. Everyone here says yes we can come in. The hard part is finding people who want to hear and aren't just being nice.
-How was your first experience with the Spanish? Horrible! haha it is pretty depressing. Let's just say Friday I accidently said Jesus was my son instead of my brother. haha it was hilarious. The speak soooo fast! and idk its just hard!
-How are you to pay for your expenses? We have a mission debit card and we with draw it from an atm. How do you want to work debit card? I am not sure what to do with this. I think you will have to check it for me if you have time :) Today is the first time I am going to use it so I will let you know if I can do it. Anything is good, just need to know how you want to do it.
-Do you cook your own food? Ya we cook our own. Poor Elder Barrett, I have no food or money right until today so he has done a lot of it. Eat at members houses? The only time we can eat at members is if we buy the food and just have them cook it.
-How will you do laundry? We have a small washer. It is pretty legit and then we hang it up in our house!
There is a nice church building where we are at and the members are very nice. We are marrying a couple this week so they can get baptized.
I guess recently they got rid of pouch going back to the states and where I am at right now it coasts like 4 bucks for a letter so I am not sure how I am going to do that. I finally got some letters today! got one from Heidi, an Hermana from my district in Provo, Keato, Aunt nancy, The Rosemores, Keato, and a Christmas present from Brindy! Finally getting some letters made my day! I need to do some more investigating on how to send letters back. I may have to write them on here and have you mail them or I think I can send them back in package or something!
Stories of the weak....Ok so this old lady gave us some juice. It was fermented and completely nasty! She was really old haha and my companion said that he thought he saw someone in her back yard and when she went to go look we ran out the front door and threw the juice out and came back in before she saw us. The poor member kid that was with us didnt get to get rid of his haha and he had to just tell her he was too full. It was hilarious. You probaby had to be there to think it is funny but it was.
Second story....house we are teaching with 2 kids. The mom is really cool and we saw her in the street and asked who the other lady in the house was earlier that day. She said that it was here and my companion said no it wasnt! The lady had no hair and she said it was her and we thought she was kidding and we were laughing and then............she took her wig off! AWKWARD!!!! but luckily she is really cool and laughed with us!
What else is new.... last Tuesday was pretty overwhelming but I am a big boy so it was ok.
It is hard out here. Definently a challenge. Most things up to this point in my life have come really easy and I haven't had to work to hard. This is def different. Being somewhere where you do not know the language and know no one is hard. I can already see how the whole mission thing builds character because you have to dig down deep and found out who you really are. It is tough. I miss you all a lot. Seeing what I see everyday here makes me feel so ungrateful. We do not even realize or appreciate all the things we have in the US. It makes me nausious to think about all the spoiled kids, myself included, who always want more more more when some people do not even know what theyre going to eat for the day. ughhhh I realize how much you did for me. Thank you soooo much. I love you all soooooooo much. It is really hard to think about missing my first niece :( I probably shouldn't say that but it is hard but I know I will have another chance. I pray for Meagan and Dud and Hannah every night. I love you all a ton... soooo much.
Adios for now!
Elder Seth Wilson
Oh my goodness! Where do I start. I do not even know. Life here is good. Crazy and fairly over whelming but good! Right now I am in Sebana Yegua. It is a small town about 30 minutes outside a city called Azua. Right now I am actually in Azua because Sebana Yegua doesnt have internet, an ATM, or any place to buy groceries. It has a lot of "Colmodas" or something like that where you can buy snacks and drinks but no food food. It is pretty legit out there. We have to ride in the back of a truck for 30 minutes to get there. It is a whole new world. It is soooo hard to explain. The streets are about half dirt and half paved (kind of paved) It is a pretty poor town. I love it though. It is all soo overwhelming right now, not knowing Spanish and all but I know I can do it! We live in one of the biggest houses here. Cement floors and actually has a shower which is pretty lucky. We flush with a bucket though! Haha Oh my goodness so much to tell and do not know where to even start! I will answer mom's questions first!
-How do you feel? I feel sooo much better. I got some anti biotics before I left and I healed up pretty quick. i was worried I would be sick when I left but I was blessed to feel better!
-What is your place like? Our place is like the love shack kind of. I am going to try and send a picture! It is bright yellow and is awesome. We have lots of window without windows! Just bars for protection.
My companion is Elder Barrett. He is from Cali. He has been out for about 18 months. His spanish is really good. I am excited to learn Spanish from him. I think we will have lots of success.
-What is your routine in a day? The normal day is get up at 630 (I still am not a big fan of mornings but I do have to brag a little, I have gotten up exactly at 630 everyday! haha) Then exercise til 7. Cook breakfast, I NEED RECEIPES!, and get ready for day until 8. 8-1030 ish is study time. Personal, companion, and language. Then we go out and remind the member that is going out with us that day (every lesson has to have a member present in our mission) and do contacts. Then from about 1230-2 we have lunch. It is impossible to do anything from about 12-230 ish because everyone is sleeping. About 2 we go out and teach lessons until about 730 when the light goes out. When the light goes out we usually plan to visit recent converts and teach a preach my gospel lesson. There's no dinner break because we just do not have time and those are the times when people are there. We are having pretty good success. Everyone here says yes we can come in. The hard part is finding people who want to hear and aren't just being nice.
-How was your first experience with the Spanish? Horrible! haha it is pretty depressing. Let's just say Friday I accidently said Jesus was my son instead of my brother. haha it was hilarious. The speak soooo fast! and idk its just hard!
-How are you to pay for your expenses? We have a mission debit card and we with draw it from an atm. How do you want to work debit card? I am not sure what to do with this. I think you will have to check it for me if you have time :) Today is the first time I am going to use it so I will let you know if I can do it. Anything is good, just need to know how you want to do it.
-Do you cook your own food? Ya we cook our own. Poor Elder Barrett, I have no food or money right until today so he has done a lot of it. Eat at members houses? The only time we can eat at members is if we buy the food and just have them cook it.
-How will you do laundry? We have a small washer. It is pretty legit and then we hang it up in our house!
There is a nice church building where we are at and the members are very nice. We are marrying a couple this week so they can get baptized.
I guess recently they got rid of pouch going back to the states and where I am at right now it coasts like 4 bucks for a letter so I am not sure how I am going to do that. I finally got some letters today! got one from Heidi, an Hermana from my district in Provo, Keato, Aunt nancy, The Rosemores, Keato, and a Christmas present from Brindy! Finally getting some letters made my day! I need to do some more investigating on how to send letters back. I may have to write them on here and have you mail them or I think I can send them back in package or something!
Stories of the weak....Ok so this old lady gave us some juice. It was fermented and completely nasty! She was really old haha and my companion said that he thought he saw someone in her back yard and when she went to go look we ran out the front door and threw the juice out and came back in before she saw us. The poor member kid that was with us didnt get to get rid of his haha and he had to just tell her he was too full. It was hilarious. You probaby had to be there to think it is funny but it was.
Second story....house we are teaching with 2 kids. The mom is really cool and we saw her in the street and asked who the other lady in the house was earlier that day. She said that it was here and my companion said no it wasnt! The lady had no hair and she said it was her and we thought she was kidding and we were laughing and then............she took her wig off! AWKWARD!!!! but luckily she is really cool and laughed with us!
What else is new.... last Tuesday was pretty overwhelming but I am a big boy so it was ok.
It is hard out here. Definently a challenge. Most things up to this point in my life have come really easy and I haven't had to work to hard. This is def different. Being somewhere where you do not know the language and know no one is hard. I can already see how the whole mission thing builds character because you have to dig down deep and found out who you really are. It is tough. I miss you all a lot. Seeing what I see everyday here makes me feel so ungrateful. We do not even realize or appreciate all the things we have in the US. It makes me nausious to think about all the spoiled kids, myself included, who always want more more more when some people do not even know what theyre going to eat for the day. ughhhh I realize how much you did for me. Thank you soooo much. I love you all soooooooo much. It is really hard to think about missing my first niece :( I probably shouldn't say that but it is hard but I know I will have another chance. I pray for Meagan and Dud and Hannah every night. I love you all a ton... soooo much.
Adios for now!
Elder Seth Wilson
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Two whole weeks make mom weak.
It's been almost two weeks since we last heard from Seth. He left the CCM for the field last Tuesday. We haven't heard from him since he told us he had been sick for several weeks in the CCM but had trudged on. We're hoping he got some medical help before he left the mission home. We're a little worried he'll downplay it so he can get out without delay. He has sent us several hand--written letters and he is SOOO excited to get out and start being a real missionary.
Today, Jill and I attended the non--homecoming of the son of a friend. As we were singing, I said, "I wonder where Seth is singing today?" Not good. Actually, good but hard. I think maybe it's easier for me to be "Up" because I served a hard mission and can guess what he's doing and know more what the mission is all about. Also, I have seen so many boys leave and men come back at the University Ward that I think to myself, "He's in the lab, making a man of God." I miss him but I am so proud of him and so anxious to see what he becomes if he will spend the two years thinking of what he can do to help others "Come" and become. We're anxious to find out where he is, who his companion is, what his area is like, what they are doing to serve, etc.
Tim
Today, Jill and I attended the non--homecoming of the son of a friend. As we were singing, I said, "I wonder where Seth is singing today?" Not good. Actually, good but hard. I think maybe it's easier for me to be "Up" because I served a hard mission and can guess what he's doing and know more what the mission is all about. Also, I have seen so many boys leave and men come back at the University Ward that I think to myself, "He's in the lab, making a man of God." I miss him but I am so proud of him and so anxious to see what he becomes if he will spend the two years thinking of what he can do to help others "Come" and become. We're anxious to find out where he is, who his companion is, what his area is like, what they are doing to serve, etc.
Tim
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