Message from Father Rick

I have no words. So here are some from a person who knows what to say better than I do.

ABC News Link

NPH Link

Hello Friends,

After driving by night to Kennedy Airport January 12th, and flying to the Dominican Republic January 13th, Conan and I arrived to Haiti this morning in the helicopter of the President of the Dominican Republic. This ride was due to the reputation of NPH in the Dominican Republic, NPH Italy, a reputation enhanced in the DR by Andrea Bocelli not long ago.

Our first tasks were the medical evacuation of one of our American volunteers, the medical evacuation of one of our Cuban doctors and the evacuation of the body of one of our American visitors.

We also had 18 funerals today. One for John who works at our St Luke program. We miss John very much. He often stopped at my door to tell me the milestone of his developing baby, which delighted him no end. John ran our computerized language lab. Another was for Johanne’s mother. Joanne is one of the Directors of the St Luke program. All the others were of unknown people who were sadly rotting by the wayside.

Other sadnesses…the death of Immacula, our only physician assistant, who worked at our huge outpatient side of our hospital. The death of ALL but one of Joseph Ferdinand’s brothers and sisters, the death of the husband of Jacqueline Gautier as he was visiting a school which fell and all the students (all died), the death of our ex-pequeno Wilfrid Altisme who was in his 5th year of seminary for priesthood. Other stories of deaths of people who are dear to us keep coming in.

We spent the rest of the time managing the countless people with serious and severe wounds, coming to our hospital. We are doing our best for them, under trees and in the parking lot with ever diminishing supplies. We will work throughout the night and beyond. No stores are open, no banks are open. Diesel is running out. Will be out in two days if we don’t find a solution, which will mean no power at all. The hospital is without water since there is some broken line between the well and the water tower.

Structural damages to the hospital seem superficial at first glance, but about half the outer perimeter walls have fallen. The old hospital in Petionville is in ruins, and teams of workers, led by Ferel have been digging in the rubble around the clock.

WE HAVE NO INTERNET. OUR PHONES DO NOT WORK. IF A CALL DOES GET THROUGH WE CAN’T HEAR OR BE HEARD.

Please continue to pray for us. We pray for you too.

Fr. Rick Frechette
National Director NPFS Haiti and Medical Director, NPHI

Previous post by Fr. Rick from about the hurricanes of 2008

Our Little Brothers and Sisters in Life and Death

From Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos International

Dear NPH Family,
It is with deep anguish that NPH is confirming the deaths in Haiti of international volunteer Molly Hightower, 22, of Port Orchard, Washington, and Ryan Kloos, 24, of Phoenix, Arizona, who is the brother of NPFS volunteer Erin Kloos, 26, also of Phoenix.

Ryan Kloos, a 2008 graduate of the University of California-San Diego, was recovered from the Fr. Wasson Center in Petionville on the afternoon of January 13. Erin Kloos was rescued from the Fr. Wasson Center on January 13 and is currently in stable condition in a south Florida hospital’s intensive care unit. Her prognosis is good.

After an extensive search, Molly’s body was recovered from the same location at approximately 4:30am ET Friday, January 15.

A friend of Molly’s visiting Haiti, 22-year old Rachel Prusynski, a University of Portland graduate and resident of Boise, Idaho, was also rescued from the Fr. Wasson Center on January 13. After medical treatment for a broken arm and severe cuts, she has been reunited with her family in the U.S.

Both Erin, a University of Washington graduate, and Molly, who graduated from the University of Portland, worked as international volunteers for Nos Petit Freres et Soeurs in Haiti. Molly assisted in the physical therapy program, and had begun her service in June 2009.

Erin’s initial volunteer service spanned September 2007 to October 2008. She had recently returned to NPFS and served in many capacities. While at NPFS, she helped in the lab at the hospital, assisted with visitors and volunteers, translated for visiting doctors and was the Home Correspondent.

Both volunteers spent their evenings and weekends caring for and playing with the children in the hospital and those with special needs.

The Fr. Wasson Center in Petionville served as a guest house, volunteer residence, administrative offices and a day school for children with disabilities, and completely collapsed during the 7.0 magnitude Haitian earthquake.

Our NPH Family extends our prayers and deepest condolences to the Hightower and Kloos families during this extremely difficult time.

There will be a prayer service TONIGHT for victims and their families of the Haitian earthquake, including 22-year-old Molly Hightower of Port Washington who died during the disaster, and University of Washington graduate Erin Kloos, 26, who was rescued and is in stable condition in the ICU of a south Florida hospital.

When: Friday, January 15, 7:00pm Pacific Time
Where: St. Louise Church
141 156th Avenue, NW
Bellevue, Wash.
Directions can be found at http://www.facebook.com/l/9c147;www.stlouise.org

Additional Information:
Please RSVP to Katie Hultquist at 425-646-3935 or khultquist@friendsus.org and join friends and supporters in offering prayers to those affected by the Haitian earthquake tragedy.

Monica Gery
Information Officer
NPH International

The Definition of Success

The Duplex

The houses are coming along well. I'm feeling drained with everything that's going on, but there should be a lot that gets settled in the next few weeks. So I'm looking forward to that and more time for fun things again!

Freezing

Frozen creek near the house

-19 degrees F this morning!

Interruption

My nephew has been a little distracting.

Best. Chocolate. Cake. Ever. Seriously.

It is the best chocolate cake you will ever make. Seriously.

No one does cakes like Toba Garrett.

Ganache
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lb semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate

Boil heavy cream. Turn off heat. Add chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips). Use rubber spatula to stir. Pour into bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

Yields 3 1/2 cups

Chocolate buttercream
Ingredients
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 lbs 10X confectioners sugar
1 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
3 Tbsp meringue powder
1 tsp salt
5 fl oz (150 ml) chocolate liqueur (like Godiva)
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups refrigerated ganache

Directions
Prepare ganache. Cream butter and shortening for 2 minutes. Stop to scrape bowl. Cream mixture for additional 60 seconds.
Sieve cocoa powder and confectioners sugar together. Add sugar mixture 1 cup at a time to creamed butter and shortening. Mix until well blended. Add meringue powder and salt and beat for one minute. Mixture will appear dry.
Add milk, vanilla extract and chocolate liqueur to buttercream. Beat until well combined.
Add ganache 1 cup at a time and beat until light and fluffy.
Yields 2 1/2 to 3 quarts

Chocolate Fudge Cake
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz melted semisweet chocolate

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and parchment (or sugar) two 8x2 inch baking pans. Measure all ingredients (except chocolate) into a large mixer bowl.
Blend for 30 seconds on low scraping bowl constantly.
Blend in melted chocolate and beat 3 minutes on high.
Spoon into pans and level well with spatula.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Double wrap in plastic to store.

I tend to get something everywhere!

Head Coach Roberto

The roots of the Academia de Atlestismo began with his grandfather.

Until he was two, Roberto lived with his mother and father. It was an unusually happy beginning for a child in Nicaragua. But his world changed that year when his father left. Not only because he no longer had a dad, but because his mother began working full time (full time in Nicaragua is Monday through Saturday) to support their smaller family, so he rarely saw her either.

Roberto spent plenty of time alone and with friends, but he also spent time with his grandparents, his absent father's parents. At age 8 he moved in with them and would go to the stadium with his grandfather (who was a track coach for the university), but when he moved back in with his mother a year later, he stopped. He played nintendo, he played with his friends, he played baseball, he forgot about the track.

When Roberto reached 12, and showed no signs of special promise at baseball (a friend of his is currently training with the Mariners, it's a common Nicaraguan dream), his grandfather began to petition him, nearly every day, to start running again. By this age it was more common to begin training for track and so there was already a group of boys Roberto's age there.

In the beginning, he was a little fat, but his grandfather and great-uncle, who was also a track coach told him he had potential. That was encouraging, but he was mostly faithful to training because that's where his new friends were.

At first he ran distance, like 5000 meter races. His grandfather had been a marathon runner and so he saw that potential in his grandson. But despite constant training, Roberto never managed to win a long distance race.

When he was 15, Roberto switched to 800 and 1500 meter races. There he had a bit more luck, winning occasionally. But at 17 he switched again, this time to the 400 meter race.

And that was that.

Months later he won his first Central American Championship in Guatemala with a time of 50.36 seconds. He felt very relaxed at the beginning of that race, he wasn't favored to win, but even today he can hardly describe the elation he felt as he felt the finish line pass by and he heard his national anthem while on the medal podium.

He followed that with a win at the same competition the following year in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 56.87 seconds. In those years, Roberto was traveling to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Cuba and England for races.

In some of these races Roberto was representing the National Athletic Federation, in others he ran for the University Polytechnic Rivas, located in his hometown. After graduating from high school, Roberto received a scholarship of $15 per month to attend this University he had been running for (organizations can have runners within their clubs that have no other affiliation to the organization). It was because of this running scholarship Roberto was able to graduate four years later with a degree in Banking and Finance.

And what if that diverting force hadn't been there?

At best Roberto could be working in a hot bakery or pedaling a rickshaw from street to dusty street with his high school education.

But more likely he would be like the other guys from his neighborhood. Pushing a filthy arm between bars on the door of a home to beg for money, to buy a little more crack. Filled with scars from close calls with the wrong end of a knife. Or learning how to do worse while in prison for armed robbery.

But Roberto was fortunate. He doesn't have to face that person because of the support, love, community and life lessons he received at critical moments in his life from so many.

The Academia de Atletismo truly started long ago. It began with Roberto's first pair of running shoes and his first pair of track spikes, all gifts from his grandfather. It's potential grew through lunch and dinner every day for eight years at his grandparents house. It was not always a sure thing as Roberto's mother and grandfather fought with him to stay in school.

But in the end the Academia born out of and became a place for the same actions, love and the raising of a child.

And he wants that for other children in Rivas. This is why.

Roberto: I began the Academia de Atletismo first because I am very grateful for what was done for me. Now I want to help other children who are going through what I went through, or worse.

My hope for the children is not that they all win races, but that they get an education and a career. I hope that they become people who are good for society. I hope that they learn respect, discipline and to love one another as brothers and sisters.

The value of helping isn't very strong in Nicaragua. But I hope that as a group, as they help each other every day, they learn how important it is and that someday it will seem normal to them. And then they can help others.