This past week has been a flurry of activity with the collection of donated items being packed into a shipping container for Haiti. It all started with a call to CDIA, notifying us of the availability of space on a container to be shipped two weeks from the day and a big question, could we arrange to help fill it? Notices were quickly sent out to Reformed Christian schools in Ontario and thus the process began. With only 8 days to work with, everyone set out to do what they could to help. Arrangements were made to store the items at each school, pickups and routes were made to make the delivery, space had to be arranged to store what was hoped to be a great load of tents, tarps, clothes, medications, toothbrushes, toothpaste...etc. The wheels were in motion.

After only 5 school days notice to collect desperately needed items for Haiti, Thursday, February 11 was to be the first official collection day from the Smithville, Jordan, and Burlington areas. At 10:00 am, the great adventure began, without really knowing exactly how much to expect from the schools and various pick up points we arranged to stop at. First stop: a greenhouse. The plastic covering of several greenhouses was generously donated, cut to size to be used as tarps. Next stop, the first school...Heritage. Here, we were greeted with over a van load of supplies waiting by the front door. Almost immediately, students came out of the woodwork to help load the trailer. They were all so excited to be a part of it, you could see it on their faces. “This is a lot of stuff, I sure could use a few of these things myself!” one of the boys stated. “Well, it’s great to know that someone else who needs it more will be getting it”, replied another. Their willingness to pitch in and give was a humbling thing to witness.

Next stop, John Calvin in Smithville. The office was loaded with many brand new tents, tarps and mats. As with Heritage, it did not take long before a roundup of students again came to help load the trailer. “Wow, this is a lot of stuff we collected, I’m pretty proud of our school.” “Yes,” came our reply, “you all have done a great job here, it’s so good to give isn’t it?”

With those pickups completed, and still more deliveries coming from Orangeville, Fergus, and Brampton to follow the next day, the trailer was almost full. It was time to meet up with the driver from the Burlington route to see what he had managed to collect. Meeting at Timothy School in Hamilton, we transferred one load with the other to almost fill a 24 foot cube van. In his truck, he had managed to collect wheelchairs, tents, countless tarps, clothing, medical supplies, dishes, chairs, sleeping bags, dishes, crutches....and the list goes on and on. Even the truck he was driving had been generously donated by a rental company to help make the delivery efficient and successful. Even as we were loading the truck, more vans continued to drive in, quickly giving mountains of last minute items, doing their best to give what they could. Overwhelming, to say the very least.

Last run, to the container we drove.....

We were instructed to put all of the items in a container when we arrived at Jaylor. We unloaded all that we had and by the time the very last item was emptied, there was only enough room left to simply shut the door. One more inch of space could not have been given!

Many times during the week people were encouraging CDIA and thanking them for the hard work they were putting into this donation drive. Yes, it was a very last minute, very large undertaking and yes, it did require many volunteer hours to make things run smoothly. Many expressed their thanks to us for allowing them the opportunity to provide in this small way and are anxious to do it again, as there no doubt will be more needs to fill in the future. However, it most certainly was not just one or two people involved in this. It took a community to make it all come together. It took:

1. SCHOOLS: to get out the notice to the students and arrange the space to collect items
2. STUDENTS: to take the time to bring their items to school and assist in loading the trucks
3. FAMILIES: to make the time to dig through their basements, cupboards, garages, pocketbooks...etc to find the things needed on the donation list
4. CARTER RENTALS: to graciously donate a van that would fit enough stuff to make the delivery efficient and less time consuming
5. BAKKER GREENHOUSES: to take the time to contact us and think “outside the box” by using greenhouse plastic for tarps
6. DELIVERY/PICK UP PEOPLE: to take the time out of their own personal lives to visit drop off points, use their muscles to load, unload, load and unload donations until their muscles ached
7. JAYLOR: to make the container available for use in the first place
8. VARIOUS BUSINESSES: to donate or make available the items on the donation list for free or at cost
9. MT. NEMO: to generously give much needed medical equipment (wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, chairs)
10. WALINGA: to make a delivery of over 20 boxes all the way from Manitoba! (thanks all you who were involved with that...talk about last minute!!!!)
11. COUNTLESS OTHERS: a driver willing to get it to Haiti, a driver willing to transport it to a ship in a port, a receiver to get the donations into the hands of the needy...etc

Above all, we must remember to thank God for giving us the means to make this all possible. There is much to be done to help those that still suffer and will for quite some time to come in Haiti. This week has proven how our God works through the hands of His people when the need is great. ACTS 20: 35b “By this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”” May we all feel blessed to have given, may the Haitian people be doubly blessed to receive.