Keeping You Up-to-Date

There have been lots of changes in Haiti since we first arrived on the field in 2007.  The roads from our house to Port-au-Prince are much better.  Building materials and many other items are easier to find even if they are expensive.  And communication is much easier thanks to better internet and phone service.

For the first number of years we relied on satellite internet service at our home.  It was very slow and notoriously unreliable.  On top of that it was very expensive.  We were able to check e-mail and check websites if we had the time and patience.  It would sometimes take 30 minutes to upload one picture that we were trying to post on the blog.  We tried various systems of internet phone like Skype but it was hit and miss.  We often sounded like cylons during those years of calls back to family and friends.  But we are glad to be coming through clearer now.

When we returned from furlough we found the internet landscape somewhat changed.  A new company from Vietnam brought phone and internet service to most areas of Haiti.  Using a 3G dongle we were able to have much speedier service and it was far cheaper than the satellite.  It means faster updates to Facebook, easier posting to the blog and even sharing of whole albums of pictures of our life and ministry in Haiti.  We are very thankful for this change.

Phone service has changed as well.  Most people have a cell phone just as they did when we arrived here in 2007.  Even when you travel out in the mountains of Lagonav you see people talking on their phones.  More towers have gone in and the signal is available in more places.  Haiti is certainly a country where people stay in touch.  I have even been able to make phone calls back to the United States or Canada from some of the churches on Lagonav when needed.  Not only can I update you on the work but you can keep update us on goings on back home.

When we come back on vacation we are bombarded by advertisements for phone plans from the various carriers.  It is the same here in Haiti and more services are being offered all the time.  I even have internet on my phone now.  I can make quick updates to Facebook on the go or share a picture of something happening in the moment.  Pretty amazing when you realize we are no longer living in one of the most prosperous countries in the world but one of its poorest.  We are glad we can catch up and stay up-to-date.