2/29/04: Update from Haiti

Dear Family and Friends,

By now surely you all have heard of President
Aristide's resignation. This is truly a day of mixed
feelings for us. While, because half the country was
being held hostage by the armed paramilitary troops,
it did not seem possible for Aristide to continue in
power, we are still saddened that our US government
never really gave him half a chance from the beginning
of this second term as president.

Here in Gros Morne the news was greeted with relief on
the part of most everyone. People took to the streets
to express their joy. We hear that a band of young
adults did burn a couple of houses of supposed
Aristide supporters, but we have not heard details of
whose houses. Meanwhile our local radio station has
been inviting the public to come to the station to
give reactions to this news. Several leaders from
various segments of the opposition party as well as a
few educators and leaders in development in the area
have spoken. Their message has basically been
similar: please, no violence nor destruction in this
town. They have invited all leaders, both civic and
church, to come together to see how the community can
work together to start building up the town, its
schools and programs until future elections replace
the "official" leaders here. To our knowledge all
three of our mayors as well as both of the town's
judges have all left Gros Morne and probably are not
about to come back anytime soon.

We do ask you all to pray hard for Port-au-Prince and
those who will have to work to bring about peace
there. We have many friends there and we do hear that
there is a fair amount of violence in the streets
there. We have written to Vivian to see how she is
doing in Jean Rabel but have not yet heard from her.
Since like us the town had been peaceful prior to this
we would assume that it would remain so.

We still urge anyone who feels so inclined to ask our
government to take a compassionate stand toward those
who have already and others who might be seeking
asylum in the US.

God bless you all for your continued prayers and
support of us here. We will write again in a few days
as we see news developing in our own area of Haiti.

Love, Pat and Jackie

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