This past week we lived in a house adjacent to this ravine. Ravines in Haiti are low spots that get flooded when it rains. The rains came down in torrents this past week while we were at the VanDam's house. We were watching three of their four children while they were at a mission conference in Nicaragua. As we looked over the rail of the balcony, this was our view. Many people lived here. This land belongs to the city. People build houses here since they have nowhere to go. If you have enough money to cut into the side of the ravine and build a house, then you have 'semi-permanent' housing. We watched a television program where they destroyed partial built homes in another ravine. I could not understand the Creole, but got the idea that this was illegal. These people in the ravine beside the VanDam's house have been there for years. Each time I have looked down in the ravine, there are a few more houses in progress.


These are three of the four VanDam children playing in the playroom of their house beside the ravine. We looked after Teresa, Micah and Melieka while their parents Howard and Ruth along with their sister Natasha went to Nicaragua for a mission conference. As well as the children, there were also a cat, a dog, a turtle and two love birds to care for. The children helped us out with the animals.

If you look down into the ravine and look closely, you will see a lady washing clothes in a tub. She will rinse the clothes in a 5 gallon bucket and then hang them in the sun to dry. This is probably her only means of income for the week.