By GARY FALLESEN, Climbing For Christ
Mission: Haiti 2025 was scheduled for Oct. 23-Nov. 2. But Tropical Storm Melissa forced postponement of the trip, changing the dates to Nov. 4-13. We continued to pray and monitor the storm, which is detailed below.
Monday, Nov. 10
Praying for healing for Oxe. (Photo by Elaine Fallesen)
When I saw Pastor Gaston escorting Kalimet third-grader Oxe into the waning moments of our third and final mobile medical clinic, my heart stirred. Something about a Haitian kid on crutches. A few minutes later, Kevin spotted him getting his blood pressure taken by one of the C4CNG nurses.
I motioned for Gaston, who Climbing For Christ supports monthly to work in the three schools Climbing For Christ’s New Generation oversees, and asked about the little boy. He went outside the church where the Kalimet clinic was held and located Oxe’s father, who told about an attack by the devil which left his son near death. Dr. Gilbert added some details about how Oxe suffered from yellow fever which left him on crutches.
When Gilbert did his consultation with Oxe I joined him to ask if I could pray for healing for him. That was and is my prayer.
Elaine, riding on the motorbike nearing the top of the hill, leads the way for our team of hill-climbing motorcyclists. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
The Kalimet clinic was as well organized as clinics the past two days despite a streamlined crew – three doctors, four nurses, and a handful of C4CNG volunteers. Others had to return to their day jobs.
There was also a twist to the logistics of the Kalimet clinic. After driving more than one hour – excluding a stop to see the potential land for a brick-and-mortar clinic we plan to build for Dr. Gilbert to work in – we exchanged our four-wheel-drive vehicle for 18 two-wheelers. The “road” to Kalimet is a motorcycle trail that climbs from 1,370 feet at the riverbed to 5,665 feet at the village. It was a 9 ½-mile ride that took 1 ½ hours of bottom-numbing bouncing.
The team arrived intact and visited the three existing classrooms – full of the nearly 250 students attending kindergarten through seventh grade – and then surveyed the foundation work being done for four additional classrooms and two rooms for teachers.
First and second graders, above, clap for their guests in one of four classrooms built with C4C funding. Below, additional classrooms are under construction to reduce overcrowding and give each grade its own room. Stones must be dug and carried up the mountain to build the foundation. (Photos by Gary Fallesen)
After that, Gilbert and the medical unit went back to work consulting about 325 people in 5 ½ hours. Parasites and high blood pressure were the constants here. Also hunger. We delivered food for 60 families, identified by doctors as most in need during consultations.
The Kalimet clinic brought to more than 1,325 the number of people seen the past three days. That exceeded C4CNG’s goal of 900.
“It was good,” a smiling Gilbert summarized. “Thanks be to God.”
Sunday, Nov. 9
Pastor Gaston of Climbing For Christ’s New Generation mans the door at the Boucan Pierre church, above, calling out names to control the hundreds who would receive consultation from C4CNG doctors. Below, Dr. Gilbert pricks a man’s finger for a blood test. (Photos by Gary and Elaine Fallesen)
So many people, so little time.
Today was no day of rest for the Mission: Haiti mobile medical unit. Our team conducted more than 600 medical consultations, allowed the same amount of people an opportunity to choose clothing donated by a secondhand store in Santo Domingo, and distributed food to 100 people during a seven-hour clinic at Boucan Pierre.
“It was excellent work, but I’m tired,” Gilbert said in Fond Verrettes after another rough 2 ½-hour ride back to our Base Camp. “Some didn’t get consultation. I’m a little disappointed.”
But many received medicine, clothing, and food in a remote location where such common things (in the First World) are unique and special. Gifts from God.
Elaine distributes a bag of rice to a woman, above, with Gaston’s assistance. Below, a woman and child choose clothing brought by C4CNG volunteers. (Photos by Gary Fallesen)
“We filled so many notebooks,” Gilbert said, referring to a well-organized system that starts with four nurses taking vitals and then sending people to five doctors for a consultation. The doctors write the appropriate prescriptions which are then filled by four other nurses at the makeshift pharmacy with medicines purchased with Climbing For Christ support and distributed to each of the three villages on our mobile clinic route. Today was Day 2.
Nurses working the “pharmacy” fill prescriptions, above, for hundreds – more than 1,000 in two days (to be exact). Below, people waiting at the Boucan Pierre clinic. (Photos by Gary Fallesen and Andy Moritz)
Gilbert said he was “surprised” by the number of people with high blood pressure, particularly the children with high blood pressure. About half of those seen by nurses and doctors were children, including most of the 200 students in the C4C-supported Boucan Pierre school – dressed in their green gingham uniforms.
Last year, a C4CNG team saw 600-700 people but had more than 1,000 waiting for consultations. Although he was a little disappointed, Gilbert’s crew improved its efficiency today.
Boucan Pierre is located near Malasi, where Climbing For Christ built one of three churches between 2006 and 2010. A school was started there, which C4CNG continued until problems with the pastor’s wife forced us to move the school to nearby Boucan Pierre.
Saturday, Nov. 8
Gilbert, left, and Dr. Dessan interview a mother and child at the medical clinic in Majon. (Photos by Gary Fallesen)
Gilbert’s face dropped when word reached him of an accident on the road from Fond Parisien that delayed the truck carrying two doctors, eight nurses, and the medicine and food for the first of three mobile medical clinics. “Again, a new problem,” Gilbert gasped.
But Gilbert was overjoyed after everyone and everything reached the mountain village of Majon, nearly 400 people were treated by our team of C4CNG doctors and nurses, and another 100 people received food for a few days. “An excellent day,” he said. “It’s the first time we finished so early and saw so many people. Sometimes we did not organize it so well.”
Today, it was efficient and a blessing to many from Majon and the surrounding area.
Ferline leads our team in prayer before leaving for Majon, above. Below, Gilbert gives us a tour of the school construction in Majon. Climbing For Christ is funding the building of six classrooms for the grades 1-6 school.
We started the day in Fond Verrettes, our Base Camp, with Ferline praying. Ferline, a nurse, and Dr. “Vildare” along with Doctors Gilbert and Oly, plus Pastor Delva, and Kevin, Andy, Elaine, and I piled into our trusty four-wheel-drive vehicle for another bouncy ride. Albeit much shorter. We arrived in Majon and went to look at the school construction taking place on the hill opposite the church, where more than 100 children go to school and where today’s medical clinic was held.
Andy, above, and Kevin, below, distribute food to Majon villagers identified as most in need. (Photos by Elaine Fallesen)
Then, after the medical team set up for the clinic, we waited for the other truck to arrive. When they did, they unloaded medicines and went to work – five doctors, nine nurses, and several others, all C4CNG members – treated stomach ailments, headaches, sore joints, fevers, and a few more serious issues for four hours. Our C4C group was honored to distribute eight pounds of rice each to nearly 100 people. This will feed them for two to four days, depending on the size of the family. It was our opportunity to bless them in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
Friday, Nov. 7
The border crossing: narrow is the gate through which our team entered Haiti. (Photos by Gary Fallesen)
We got off to a late start yesterday following Gilbert’s graduation. He had paid in advance for a minibus to transport us from Santo Domingo to the Dominican border town of Pedernales. But the renter cancelled on him – without refunding our money. This was similar to a problem we had with hotels, which refused or made it impossible to rebook when Tropical Storm Melissa postponed our trip, and then would not refund our money.
But yesterday the minibus renter told Gilbert a vehicle would be available in the afternoon. Only it wasn’t. “I shamefully apologize for everything that’s happening,” Gilbert said. “We fell into the wrong hands. Only God knows why this is happening!”
We also know why difficult things happen on mission, particularly a mission to Haiti.
So, several hours after we planned to leave, we crammed into Dr. Oly’s pickup truck and along with Gilbert’s pastor’s car headed out for Pedernales. Gilbert’s pastor, Delva Ixe; C4CNG member Ferline, and Yolene, the woman whose face was recently reconstructed from the football-sized tumor removal Gilbert orchestrated last year, jumped in Pastor Delva’s car. Dr. Oly drove our team.
The grueling drive – only about 200 miles – took 6 ½ hours and we did not reach our hotel until 3 a.m.
Gilbert gave us until 9 a.m. today to rest before we headed for the border and, ultimately, Fond Verrettes. We did not make the “usual” border crossing (top secret, don’t ask) but entered Haiti without incident. Today, the 45-mile drive took 7 ½ hours. This included changing from a car to a four-wheel-drive vehicle on the Haitian side of the border and then leaving the truck and having nine of us and all our gear load into the 4WD vehicle for the second half of the trip.
The “road” to Fond Verrettes, above. Most of the 45 miles we drove today was on “roads” like this. Below, Elaine with Yolene in Thiotte, where we stopped for a lunch of rice and beans.
The drives today and yesterday caused brutal flashbacks to the years we ministered in the mountains of Haiti. From 2005 to 2013, we made a dozen expeditions here. Gilbert and C4C’s New Generation have carried on the work. This is our first time back and the driving hasn’t changed a bit – bouncing along rocky “roads” that will loosen your fillings or make you puke in a bag.
Now that we are here, the medical team is forming for the first of three days of mobile clinics tomorrow. Hundreds if not thousands of people with no access to medical care will be waiting in Majon, Boucan Pierre, and Kalimet, the villages where Climbing For Christ supports schools for hundreds of otherwise uneducated children.
Thursday, Nov. 6
The university president hands Gilbert a much-deserved diploma during commencement exercises at the Port of Santo Domingo terminal. The photo was taken on a split big screen as guests were seated far from the stage. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
Driving away from the Port of Santo Domingo terminal, the large venue where hundreds of Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago students received their diplomas, I asked Gilbert if he was relieved. “Yes,” he said without hesitation.
The fourth time was a charm.
Gilbert was not allowed to graduate with most of his medical school classmates in February because he didn’t have the proper paperwork from the Dominican government. Even though we’d been working on that paperwork for one year. His next graduation opportunity did not work with Climbing For Christ’s schedule, and he wanted C4C at this milestone event. The third try was Oct. 25 and that ceremony was postponed because of Tropical Storm Melissa, which flooded most of southern Hispaniola before becoming a Category 5 hurricane that pummeled Jamaica.
Finally, graduation day arrived.
Elaine helps Gilbert get his robe on in the parking lot outside the graduation venue, above. Below, Dr. Gilbert’s diploma.
Our team – Kevin, Andy, Russell, Elaine, and me – along with Dr. Oly and another friend were seated far from the stage with thousands of other guests. Cameras were not allowed inside, making a problem for our filmmaker. But we celebrated Gilbert’s long-awaited commencement.
When he returned to his seat he messaged me the photo above and said this diploma and his title “Doctor En Medicina” were as much ours as his. “He is ours,” he declared, referring to the God who brought us together and continues to use us to serve those in physical and spiritual need.
That’s our next stop. Gilbert had very little time to savor the moment. We packed up this afternoon for the drive to the Dominican-Haiti border. Mission: Haiti is underway.
The graduate with our team, friends, and classmates. The UTESA medical school Class of 2025 numbered 329, who graduated in ceremonies in February, July, and today. Gilbert did not know how many Haitians were in his class, but no Haitians are currently permitted in the medical school. God opened the door for Gilbert, who limped in on crutches and walked out on a prosthetic leg.
Wednesday, Nov. 5
Coming soon: a medical school diploma for Gilbert. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
There was great joy and many heartfelt words shared with and by Gilbert today as we began to celebrate tomorrow’s graduation from medical school. This team – more like a family – did a studio photo shoot as Gilbert posed with his graduation “godparents,” Elaine and Kevin, and then with all of us and his classmate and BFF Dr. Oly.
Back at our hotel, Gilbert opened cards and gifts. Canadian C4C member Nicole Durocher Beaulne, and Board members Mary Lindsay and Michele Hoffman sent cards, and Kevin, Elaine, and I brought cards and gifts. Gilbert was touched by every word shared and then returned the honor by saying how much we’ve meant to him.
“God makes our plans,” Gilbert said, starting to quote C4C life verse Proverbs 16:9, “but He needs willing hearts.”
Our hearts, he said, were more than willing to support, encourage, and guide him to where he is today. Tomorrow he will officially graduate from the Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (UTESA) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. And then he will lead us, as C4C’s Kingdom worker, on our medical mission to Haiti.
Gilbert holding two blood pressure monitors given to him by Kevin in a doctor’s bag full of equipment and encouragement. Gilbert called Kevin his great motivator thanks to the many emails he wrote to Gilbert during his years studying at UTESTA. (Photo by Elaine Fallesen)
Gilbert then joined us for dinner at the hotel, still dressed like a college graduate-to-be before taking Russell to his house in Santo Domingo for more filming of the documentary we are making about his incredible life. We praise God for every day He has blessed Gilbert with since using Climbing For Christ to rescue him from the jaws of death 18 years ago.
Hotel guests in the parking lot during an earthquake drill. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
Our day began with a scheduled earthquake drill, which required everyone to leave the hotel for a few minutes. It was a reminder of what can happen on Hispaniola, an island often in the path of hurricanes but also subject to other devastating natural disasters. In 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Port-au-Prince killing more than 300,000 people. There are scores of small quakes on or near the island every year. We lift up those in emergency services, including our own Dr. Gilbert.
Tuesday, Nov. 4
Our driver working the phone as we go. Not to worry, traffic is mostly bumper-to-bumper and driving skills in Santo Domingo are pitiful. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
The team and all of our luggage arrived safely in Santo Domingo today. We came in two waves – first the Americans (Russell from Houston, and Kevin, Elaine, and me from Rochester, NY) and then the German (Andy via Zurich and Madrid). Gilbert picked up both waves in his pastor’s borrowed car. Dr. Oly, one of Gilbert’s medical school classmates and a member of C4C’s New Generation, also helped out with the first wave and our luggage, which included some of Russell’s filmmaking gear.
The first drive from the airport took 1 ½ hours to go 18 miles (29 kilometers) in the standard snarled Santo Domingo traffic I’d forgotten about. The second drive, in the evening, was marred by a traffic cop knocking on the driver’s side window at a light to hassle the Haitian. “Whose car is this?” We got off with a ticket for no taillights. Welcome to the Dominican Republic, where every other vehicle on the road has some sort of equipment failure.
But at least we’re here – at last.
Elaine asked Gilbert about having a fourth try at graduating – after being held out of his first ceremony in February because the government didn’t give him some necessary paperwork; unable to participate in July because we couldn’t be here to witness it; and last month’s ceremony was postponed by Tropical Storm-turned-Hurricane Melissa. “Can you believe it?” Elaine said about Thursday’s should-be event. “It seems impossible,” Gilbert said.
Monday, Nov. 3
Introduction to Mission: Haiti 2025
Elius Monaus received medication after being treated at a C4C New Generation mobile clinic last year. (Photos by C4CNG)
Elius Monaus came to the mobile clinic conducted by Climbing For Christ’s New Generation (C4CNG) in the mountain village of Majon, Haiti last December, complaining of severe abdominal pain. He was given priority care, treated by doctors associated with C4CNG, and relieved of his pain.
Kingdom worker Gilbert Lindor received news recently that Elius’s abdominal problem returned, and he died. He was 40 years old.
“We regret that he couldn’t wait for our mobile clinic,” Gilbert said.
Our Mission: Haiti 2025 team will help with mobile clinics in Majon, Boucan Pierre, and Kalimet – the three villages where hundreds of children are receiving an education in C4C-supported schools – after we attend Gilbert’s medical school graduation Thursday in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Lord willing, this is the rescheduled plan for a Mission: Haiti trip postponed two weeks ago by what became Hurricane Melissa. We GO tomorrow until Nov. 13.
“Many families die due to the lack of a health center, a lack of medical personnel, and a lack of money to travel far for medical consultation,” said Gilbert, who speaks from personal experience.
Gilbert nearly died in 2007 when, as a nine-year-old boy, he suffered a badly broken leg while playing in his home village of Gentilhomme on the slope of Haitian highpoint Pic la Selle. He was on the verge of death with gangrene – his father having already dug his grave – when Climbing For Christ rescued him 27 days after the injury occurred.
We evacuated him to Santo Domingo, where he lost his leg but gained salvation. Climbing For Christ supported him through school and medical school. He has carried on the work C4C began in Haiti with a group of young believers called Climbing For Christ’s New Generation.
Gilbert in Haiti.
We have always believed – and continue to believe – that God has big plans for Gilbert’s life. Those plans include our building a clinic in a place where there is no medical help. We hope to scout a location for this clinic during Mission: Haiti.
“We are very grateful for the support provided by Climbing For Christ for everything we do, including these mobile clinics,” Gilbert said, referring to the annual expeditions into mountain areas.
We have witnessed what clinics can accomplish and seen God’s miracles in under-cared-for villages through C4C missions when Board member Dr. Steve Quakenbush treated hundreds every year from 2008 to 2013. Dr. Gilbert has carried on this work in recent years.
Gilbert only wishes we could have arrived in time to save Elius in Majon.
Dr. Dessan from the C4CNG team treated Elius Monaus in Majon last December.
“It is very sad to see a father die leaving seven children who will most likely become children who live in the home of another family, growing up without a good education, only because the lack of development that has contributed to losing their father,” Gilbert said. He added that fortunately the man was a Christian. “He strayed but luckily he was able to confess the day before his death,” Gilbert said.
Earthly doctors could not reach him, but the Great Physician cared for him. We pray that our Mission: Haiti team – Kevin Kimble, Andy Moritz, my wife Elaine and me, Gilbert and nine or 10 other members from C4CNG, and as many as four doctors and seven or eight nurses – will be used by the Lord to help people physically and spiritually. We’ve also been moved by the Spirit to deliver some food to those who are really hurting and hungry in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
Filmmaker Russell Yandura, who made our documentary twenty-fold: a two-decade story of God’s faithfulness, will be with us in the Dominican Republic to videotape Gilbert’s graduation for the documentary we are making about Gilbert’s incredible journey and walk with the Lord. It has only just begun. 
Helping Hands
We have been blessed to offer education to hundreds of children who otherwise would have no schooling in the mountains of Haiti. Now we will be delivering medical assistance in those same villages – Boucan Pierre, Kalimet, and Majon – to people who have no access to health care. Yet we know, in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, that some of the poorest people in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere have nothing to eat. Our medical mission needs to be a mission of relief. To do so, we need help from Climbing For Christ members and supporters. Please give to Mission: Haiti 2025.
Send financial support to Climbing For Christ c/o Mission: Haiti, P.O. Box 16290, Rochester, NY 14616. Or CLICK HERE and give through PayPal. In Canada, make cheques payable to The Great Commission Foundation, and on the memo line add Climbing For Christ CANADA c/o Mission: Haiti. Mail your support to: The Great Commission Foundation, P.O. Box 14006, Abbotsford, BC V2T 0B4. Or CLICK HERE to give online
Sunday, Nov. 2
Gilbert returned to Santo Domingo tonight to prepare for our team’s arrival from the U.S. and Germany on Tuesday. Originally, this was the day we were to return from Mission: Haiti – before the storm that would become Hurricane Melissa postponed our travels. Since then, at least 30 people have died in Haiti from wind and severe flooding. Melissa did not directly hit Hispaniola but its reach as it moved to the west of the island was felt.
Saturday, Nov. 1
Gilbert inside the walls of the future new school in Majon.
Gilbert and Roni Love, another member of Climbing For Christ’s New Generation, visited Majon and surveyed the construction work on the new school there. C4C is funding this project.
“We listened to a lady explaining to us how grateful they are for the work we are doing,” Gilbert said.
But another woman asked for food. A sign of the times and the days to come. “She told me, ‘We have nothing,’” Gilbert reported. “I did not have much but of the little I had I gave her some money. She said, ‘Thank you. You are feeding us today.’”
Elaon, one of the C4C-paid teachers in Majon, told Gilbert he had lost all his crops in the wind and rain of Hurricane Melissa.
“Anyone with a spiritual eye and a sensitive heart who traveled to Majon could feel the needs of these people even before Melissa’s passage,” Gilbert said. “But now it is much more. I know that a large number (of people) will be waiting for some food during the mobile clinic, but unfortunately it would not be possible. Everyone waits for the mobile clinic.
“But observing the food (shortage) that faces people, I ask for prayer and a united hand. Support (the ministry) according to your heart so that it is possible to make a small delivery of food, even after the mobile clinic.”
Many crops have been destroyed by Hurricane Melissa. “This afternoon, a gentleman from Gro Cheval also told me, ‘We have lost everything,’” Gilbert said, adding only that – thanks be to God – there was no loss of life there.
Gilbert said the construction work on the school will resume next week. Our Mission: Haiti 2025 team will see the results in a week when we are scheduled to hold the first of three mobile medical clinics alongside C4CNG.
Friday, Oct. 31
Gilbert piggybacks on “a Good Samaritan” to cross the river on the way to Kalimet. “I could not cross it without this strategy,” he said.
Gilbert reached the mountain village of Kalimet on his pre-Mission: Haiti 2025 reconnaissance. “It was a bit difficult to get there since the heavy rains only stopped yesterday,” he said, in what was probably an understatement. “But it was even harder to return (to Fond Parisien) in the pouring rain with water all over the road.”
A motorcycle breakdown – with no replacement part anywhere nearby – added to the difficulty. But, Gilbert said, “Roni Love (a C4C New Generation member) and two very clever kids” Macgyvered a temporary fix to get them back to Fond Parisien, where Gilbert’s brother lives.
“We were able to assess the start of the construction (on the Kalimet school project),” Gilbert reported. “The base is being laid, and they will probably start working on the foundation next week.”
The future foundation for classrooms in Kalimet, above. Below, the school’s badly damaged latrine.
They saw damage caused to houses, crops, and the Kalimet school latrine by Hurricane Melissa’s wind and rain. “Some people lost things and they must be very sad,” Gilbert said, “but no sadder than the family of four who died from wind gusts caused by Melissa.”
Their house collapsed on them in Kalimet. “A tragedy not recognized by the civil protection center or the government,” Gilbert said. Twenty-eight people have been reported dead in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica with Haiti having the most fatalities.
“We missed the presence of our (school) children,” Gilbert added, “who didn’t come because of the rains.”
Medicines purchased with Climbing For Christ support for our upcoming mobile medical clinics in Kalimet, Majon, and Boucan Pierre are being kept in Fond Parisien. Gilbert will be sorting and dividing them for the three clinics scheduled Nov. 8-10. Tomorrow, he will go to Majon to visit the village and see what damage has been done there.
“We continue to appreciate every prayer and support,” Gilbert said.
Thursday, Oct. 30 (10 a.m.)
A man, above, carrying food through the flooded streets of Tippes on Haiti’s southwestern peninsula. Below, vehicles buried in mud after flooding in Petit Goave along Haiti’s southern coast.
Gilbert was preparing this morning to go to Haiti after days of weather delays. He hopes to cross the border later today or early tomorrow. Here is his update on conditions in Haiti as of this morning:
“I humbly write to report the following: According to information shared by Emanuel Pierre, Director of Civil Protection in Haiti, a total of 24 people have died during the passage of Melissa; 17 are injured, and 13 are missing. The search continues in Petit Goave, on the lower reaches of the La Digue River, where at least 20 people have died, including 10 children, and 10 are missing. The search is ongoing.
“According to the emergency operations center, 13,900 people are in shelters, divided by department. In the Grand’Anse department, 7,184 are being housed in open shelters, not including Dame-Marie, where two shelters are operating. In Nippes, 283 are being housed in open shelters due to the risk of flooding and landslides.
“In the south, a total of 1,813 are currently in 56 shelters divided among 15 communities. Melisa has affected several communities, such as Corail, Cayemites, Dame-Marie, and Duchite, where the needs are urgent due to the persistent rains. Ten communities in the Nippes department suffered flooding, causing material losses and posing a risk to the population. In Ance à Veau, several areas are flooded, including houses and a Catholic church.
“Other communities near Port-au-Prince have been flooded, including schools, homes, and churches. At least seven roads are cut off, leaving several communities isolated.
“The agricultural sector is severely affected in both Grand’Anse and Sur departments. An assessment of the agricultural damage is needed to plan support measures for farmers, such as the distribution of seeds and agricultural tools in order to restart production and limit the economic consequences for rural communities.
“Although Melissa has left Haiti, this does not preclude the possibility of heavy rains and gusty winds. This morning, several communities in different departments of the country woke up to rain, and according to meteorological reports, it could continue this afternoon, through the night, and into Friday. Because of this, departments such as Nippes, Grand’Anse, Sur, and perhaps others remain on Red Alert. There is still a possibility of further flooding and landslides.
“I haven’t been able to contact the communities we work in yet, and we know it’s because they can’t charge their phones, and the companies that mostly run on solar panels also don’t allow them to communicate even if they have a charge. A heartfelt thank you to those who continue to pray for me and for Haiti and thank you for being so attentive as always.”
Wednesday, Oct. 29 (9 a.m.)
Flooding debris in Petit-Goave, Haiti.
While the news of the day is Hurricane Melissa’s landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 storm and the devastation left in its path in Jamaica, the reach of this storm is being felt on Hispaniola.
“This morning, I spoke with Jean Ronald in Morne des Commissaires (Haiti),” Gilbert said. “He told me, ‘The rains started last night and are continuing. The rains also fell all day yesterday in Kalimet, so the teachers couldn’t go out to class. The few children who did go were sent home early this morning.’
“I haven’t heard from Majon in almost a week; it must be because of the constant rain. In Boucan Pierre, the rains have also been falling nonstop.
“In Petit-Goave, the La Digue River has risen, and according to people in the community, it has swept away five people. Many others disappeared early this Wednesday. The total number of deaths in Petit-Goave in just two hours this morning has reached 16. Also, according to the testimonies of many residents near the river, a large part of the town is flooded. The effects of Storm Melissa in Petit-Goave are visible, where several houses are flooded.”
Erosion caused by the sea in Dame-Marie, Haiti.
“In Les Cayes, southern Haiti, the river has also risen, and the houses are flooded,” Gilbert continued. “I contacted Kerry Nephatlie, a young follower of C4CNG, who told me: ‘It's been raining for a week. One river rose last night and now it’s raining even harder. We can't take it anymore. Many houses are flooded. I’m in the middle of the water, but what scares us most is the rising sea.’
“In Jeremie, Grand'Anse Department, many houses have also been flooded since yesterday due to the rising sea.”
Gilbert said the sun came out this morning in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he was preparing to travel to Haiti. “I contacted Miche to find out how Jimani was doing (on the border) and he told me it had started to rain. Jimani and Barahona, the border province, are still under a Red Alert. We continue to rely on your prayers and perhaps support for these people who have been closed off for a week.”
Tuesday, Oct. 28 (6 p.m.)
Red, Orange, and Green alerts in Haiti as Hurricane Melissa crossed nearby Jamaica heading north-northeast.
Gilbert’s plan – after Melissa postponed his medical school graduation and our team’s arrival for Mission: Haiti last week – was to travel to the Dominican border town of Jimani yesterday and cross into Haiti to visit Kalimet, Majon, and Boucan Pierre. “I need to finish organizing the medicines by village and I also need to oversee projects for each village,” he said this afternoon. One project is the construction of the school in Majon. “We’ve been behind – and even more so because of this rain.
“Melissa complicated things and changed everything. I am still following the news to find out if it is possible to travel tomorrow, go to Boucan Pierre on Thursday, Kalimet Friday, and return Saturday. I’m leaving it up to Gaston to go to Majon next Monday. Prayers are more than important.”
Gilbert reported that Haiti’s southern peninsula remains under Red Alert. This region covers Boucan Pierre, Kalimet, and Majon, where Climbing For Christ’s New Generation supervises three schools with C4C’s support. He said the presidential council declared Wednesday a “non-working day – given the risks and disasters that the hurricane could cause.”
The center of Melissa hit Jamaica mid-day with heavy rain and wind still reaching Hispaniola to the east.
Melissa is the third-strongest storm to strike the Caribbean in the modern era. Only Wilma (2005) and Gilbert (1988) were worse. It has devastated Jamaica and now is headed for Cuba, where residents have fled the Sierra Maestra mountains.
Tuesday, Oct. 28 (8 a.m.)
Wading through the streets of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Gilbert met a Haitian woman in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he lives and went to medical school, who has several children and whose husband had been deported to Haiti four months ago. She has been unable to pay the rent and in the middle of the rains caused by Hurricane Melissa she was being evicted. Gilbert could only help her purchase some food for her children for which she was grateful.
Santo Domingo’s weather status was elevated from Yellow Alert to Green on Monday, but it continues to rain there.
Although communication with those in Haiti has been spotty (“80 percent of the Haitian people have energy thanks to solar panels”), Gilbert did speak with some in Boucan Pierre and Kalimet. Sasnson told him of the crop losses in Boucan Pierre: beans, carrots, and more. In Kalimet, Venold said “part of the roof on the latrine” built for the school last year blew off in the winds last Friday.
Several thousand people have moved into shelters in Haiti. Agricultural damage will be felt across Hispaniola. But it could have been far worse – as Jamaica will see.
“May God act in favor of Haiti and the DR,” Gilbert said.
Hurricane Melissa early Tuesday morning.
Hurricane Melissa was inching toward landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, a Category 5 storm that continues to intensify and affect islands throughout the Caribbean.
Monday, Oct. 27
Hurricane Melissa reached Category 5 today and became the strongest storm on the planet this year with winds of 175 mph and gusts over 200 mph. It is expected to strike Jamaica on Tuesday with a life-threatening storm surge up to 13 feet with 40 inches of rainfall expected.
Rainfall also is expected to begin to increase in parts of Hispaniola overnight tonight.
The United Nations World Food Program said it started sending emergency cash to Haitian communities in anticipation of the storm. About 9,500 households received a total of $900,000. We have our doubts that many of those in need will actually see that money, which is close to the average income for a person in the mountains of Haiti.
In Haiti, many people earn less than $2 USD a day, making it the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest countries in the world.
Sunday, Oct. 26
Gilbert shared a photo from the news page Listin Diario. The caption read: “Se me fue la casa” (“My house is gone”). An overflowing stream washed away the family’s house.
Hurricane Melissa performed a “rapid intensification,” going from a Tropical Storm with 70 mph winds at 11 a.m. Saturday to a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds at 5 a.m. today. It is forecast to top out at 161 mph on Tuesday.
The storm is expected to drop more than 30 inches of rain over parts of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica. It is expected to hit Jamaica early Tuesday as a Category 4 hurricane.
Gilbert reported this afternoon that 16 provinces in the Dominican Republic are now on Yellow Alert with four remaining on Red Alert. In Haiti, half of the country’s administrative divisions (West, Grand Anse, Nippes, South, and Southeast) are on Red Alert.
“So far the number of displaced people has risen to 3,760 and more than 700 homes have been affected, one road has been damaged, and two bridges,” he said. “This generates difficulty in mobility. Also, the number of isolated communities has risen to 48. So far, four deaths have been recorded in Haiti and 15 injured – many who were displaced by gangs and are living in tents. Now they have been crying out for help to the supposed Haitian government after hearing about the intensification of Melissa and the constant rains that began last Tuesday.”
Flooding in Santo Domingo.
Gilbert has heard from some of the teachers in the C4CNG schools. Elaon in Majon said on Friday no one had been able to go outdoors since Wednesday and “we don’t have any sun to (solar) charge. There’s only a lot of wind and rain.”
Jamanie from Boucan Pierre informed him Saturday that the rain started last Tuesday and is continuing. Lancy from Kalimet said Saturday, “We haven’t been able to go out since Friday (because of the rain).”
Requests for help also have begun. One C4CNG member messaged Gilbert requesting $5 to $15 (USD). “He said, ‘Give me what you can. Or lend it to me. Our food is gone, and we have nothing to eat,’” Gilbert relayed. “I sent him $30 and he said, ‘Thank you so much. Today my family will eat.’
“After listening to him I started to think, ‘What will become of those who are in the mountains during these days? Those who mostly go out daily in search of food?’ I said maybe they could need support.”
Saturday, Oct. 25 (11 p.m.)
Hurricane Melissa’s rainfall could cause catastrophic flooding.
The National Hurricane Center issued a bulletin at 8 p.m. today stating:
...NOAA AND AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTERS REPORT MELISSA IS STRENGTHENING... ...LIFE-THREATENING AND CATASTROPHIC FLASH FLOODING AND LANDSLIDES EXPECTED IN PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN HISPANIOLA AND JAMAICA INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...
“It has been reported so far in the Dominican Republic there are a total of 263 homes affected, 13 partially affected, one destroyed, 1,465 displaced, one road affected, 38 isolated communities, and eight shelters with a total of 82 people,” Kingdom worker Gilbert Lindor said from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
“We thank God because three of the 11 provinces with ‘Red Alert’ went to Yellow, while eight remain in ‘Red,’ but it has still been raining in both the DR and Haiti where three deaths have already been reported.”
A landslide near Port-au-Prince caused by rainfall from Tropical Storm-turned-Hurricane Melissa killed the three. In Sainte-Suzanne, a community in the northwest, a flooded Saint Martin River destroyed homes and a bridge. In the Dominican Republic, schools and government offices were closed on Friday and half of the nation’s provinces were on high alert. One person has been killed by the storm in the DR.
“It has also been reported so far 1.2 million inhabitants in the DR are without drinking water due to rising rivers and damage to the water system,” Gilbert said. “May God touch hearts to help those affected, while we pray for the safety of each one.”
Gilbert’s medical school graduation, scheduled for yesterday, was postponed until Nov. 6. With that, Climbing For Christ’s Mission: Haiti 2025 was postponed until Nov. 4-13. Our plan to conduct mobile medical clinics may, sadly, become some sort of rescue or relief mission.
Hurricane Melissa has the potential to become a Category 5 storm. A hurricane warning is in effect for Jamaica, and a hurricane watch remains in place for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti. Life-threatening floods and landslides are possible with up to 35 inches of rain forecast across southern Hispaniola.
The forecast path of Hurricane Melissa, above.
We are continuing to pray for the people of Hispaniola and all those in the part of Hurricane Melissa.
Saturday, Oct. 25 (11 a.m.)
The National Hurricane Center’s forecast cone for Melissa on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 25.
The postponement of Gilbert’s graduation and our trip to Hispaniola was warranted. Tropical Storm Melissa is on the verge of turning into a major hurricane that likely will impact Haiti. Some forecasts predict two-to-four feet of rain from the storm.
The streets of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where Gilbert lives and attended medical school, already are under water.
“Not only are the streets flooded, we have at least 11 provinces, including Santo Domingo, with Red Alerts and some of them are already flooded, and according to the COE (Emergency Operations Center) the storm could become a Hurricane tonight into tomorrow,” Gilbert reported this morning. “They recommend people in the provinces with Red Alerts and those in Yellow also to stay home.
“So far I am fine. I have been communicating with some people from the villages we serve and so far only rain and winds since Tuesday.”
Thursday, Oct. 23
Tropical Storm Melissa’s forecasted impact as of Wednesday, Oct. 22. A hurricane watch was in place for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-au-Prince.
The news about Tropical Storm Melissa came across my radar Wednesday (Oct. 22) and I immediately sensed the rising tide of trouble. Hispaniola, our scheduled destination for today for Mission: Haiti 2025, lay in the possible path of the storm.
A few hours later, Gilbert Lindor messaged me: “Bad news! They [his medical school in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic] just announced that graduation will be on Nov. 6! This is due to the alert from the meteorological office.”
The alert was a bulletin from the National Hurricane Center warning about “heavy rainfall and flooding” for parts of Hispaniola (the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Those warnings grew worse last night as “life-threatening flash flooding” was forecasted.
Gilbert, who was due to graduate in March but couldn’t participate because Dominican officials didn’t sign paperwork he needed in a timely manner, was scheduled to finally graduate on Saturday. Until Melissa entered the picture. Now it is Nov. 6.
“Sorry,” Gilbert messaged as we hastily worked on rescheduling Mission: Haiti at – literally – the 11th hour. “So many problems.”
“Not your fault,” I said.
“But it’s sad and more work to coordinate everything again,” Gilbert said.
My wife Elaine and I had been saying we felt bad for Gilbert; it’s as if he’ll never get to graduate (after finishing more than seven years of medical studies last December).
“Yes, that’s what I’ve been thinking!” Gilbert said. “This graduation will also be a victory.”
Gilbert’s life is a God-glorifying victory. He was rescued by the Lord from death – both in this world and the next – when we evacuated him from his home mountain village of Gentilhomme, Haiti in 2007 at the age of nine with a gangrene broken leg. He lost the leg but gained salvation as he recovered from an emergency amputation. We supported him through school knowing that God had a special calling on his life.
Gilbert, right, and classmates at a Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago celebration of degree projects completed last December.
He has a heart to serve others, especially the downtrodden. He kept Climbing For Christ’s work in Haiti going even after we had to dismiss our original Kingdom worker there. Gilbert responded by starting C4C’s “New Generation” (known as C4CNG), a group of young Haitians carrying on the ministry in the mountains of their beleaguered country. Schools have been continued and one day we hope to have a clinic built where there is no medical help. Dr. Gilbert will operate it.
But, first, he needs to graduate.
Prayerfully that will happen on Nov. 6 and our team – Kevin Kimble, Andy Moritz, Russell Yandura, and Elaine and I – will be there to witness it. We have rescheduled Mission: Haiti to Nov. 4-13. That will include mobile medical clinics in the villages where Climbing For Christ supports and C4CNG oversees schools for hundreds of children: Boucan Pierre, Kalimet, and Majon.
We are praying Melissa does not turn into a hurricane that hits Haiti and that days of forecasted rainfall does not trigger mudslides in the deforested mountains leading to more misery for a hurting people. Pray on! 