Br. Jim Boynton (The St. Ignace News file photo) A St. Ignace man living in Haiti was uninjured in the January 12 earthquake, and the school where he works is still standing, but he reports firsthand that conditions for people there are terrible, relief efforts are ongoing, and there is a strong need for donations to help people in the devastated country. Brother Jim Boynton, serving with the Society of Jesus, remains in Haiti and is now helping with relief efforts in the capital city. He had just taken over as director of a school of about 300 students in Ouanaminthe, in the Northeastern Zone of Haiti near the capital city of Port au Prince, after Christmas, and he said everyone in his area is impacted by the devastation.

"In my area we certainly felt the earthquake very strongly," Br. Boynton told The St. Ignace News Thursday, January 14. "I had just finished playing the fiddle outside for a group of kids and was in the house when the earthquake happened. We all ran outside and people were screaming and the buildings were shaking. When it was over, we walked the neighborhood to check on damage or injured, but there was very little. The capital is terrible. The archbishop was killed, as were many, many seminarians. The students and families of our two Jesuit schools in the capital have been hit hard. Father Derino Sainfariste, S.J., the director of our sister Foi et Joie school in the capital, is still missing. Most of the other Jesuits are accounted for and involved in relief work. The reports of the devastation are horrible."

There are shortages of food, water, and gasoline there, with no electric power for most of the area at that time. Br. Boynton was able to promptly contact his family, as well as the newspaper, by e-mail using his school's generator.

"The country is at a stand-still," he said Thursday. "In Ouanaminthe, my town, most everything is closed. The country is very much centered on the capital, and banks are closed and gas is in shortage. My own Jesuit community had purchased 180 gallons of gas the morning before the quake, and just last week we purchased a new generator in Port au Prince. On Monday I let my teachers know that we have no access to money to pay them and there will be no payment for the foreseeable future. We will go to Dajabon, the nearest town on the Dominican Side of the border, to get food. I was given Dominican money by a friend before coming down here to buy a guitar, but now we'll get food instead."

His school is called St. Ignace Ecole de Foi et Joie. Foi et Joie is a network of schools throughout Latin America that serves poor children who would otherwise not get an education. It is generally known by its Spanish name, Fe y Alegria, which means Faith and Joy. It has eight teachers. Br. Boynton recalls a poignant moment the day after the earthquake when a little boy approached him with a question: "Why does God hate Haiti?"

For once, the innocent question from a young student left him at a loss for words.

After awaiting word about how he could help in the capital city, Br. Boynton was able to join a medical brigade traveling to Port au Prince Saturday, January 16, quickly sending his family and close friends a last-minute e-mail communication before he left his school:

"I am leaving in a few minutes to take a bus to Santo Domingo. From there I will meet up with a medical brigade that is being headed up by a graduate of Loyola Academy. We will then go to Port au Prince by land, most likely arriving sometime on Sunday. We will be making our base of operations at the novitiate. The Jesuits there are waiting for us and wish we were there already. I have received two messages from the area superior urgently asking me to come to Port au Prince and help organize American assistance.

"I have no idea how long I will be in Port au Prince, and suspect that I will have limited Internet access. You have most likely seen more images on the news than I have, so you know I am heading into hell.

"I look forward to playing the fiddle on Mom and Dad's back porch overlooking Mackinac Island, but right now God has other plans for us."

The Web site http://badgerjake. blogspot.com will be maintained by a member of Br. Boynton's relief team to update friends and family on their efforts.

Br. Boynton went to work in Haiti November 1, first staying in Port au Prince and then spending five weeks in a rural language school. People there speak a Creole language that Br. Boynton said in Haiti "is a mixture of French, about three African languages, with some Spanish and English thrown in."

He is the son of Ollie and Patty Boynton of St. Ignace and a 1985 graduate of LaSalle High School. He has served as the vocation director for the Detroit Province and has served at Ste. Anne's Church on Mackinac Island. He has taught history at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio, and the University of Detroit Jesuit High School. Br. Boynton spent a year in Mexico studying Spanish and working in a Mexican prison. He has ministered in Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala.

Donations Will Help

People of Haiti

Many organizations are collecting donations for disaster relief in Haiti, and aid is greatly needed, Brother Jim Boynton said.

"Certainly there are many credible organizations helping at this time, and the Jesuits in USA are among them," he told The St. Ignace News. "If anyone would like to donate in a way that would help our Foi et Joie school network, they can send a check to: Detroit Province Society of Jesus, 7303 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit MI, 48221. Clearly mark the check for Haiti Relief, or ministry of Brother Boynton, S.J."

In addition to the address for Detroit Province Society of Jesus, these organizations are among the many taking donations to be sent directly to relief efforts in Haiti:

• CARE: Go to www.Care.org, or call 1-800-521-2273.

Catholic Relief Services: Go to www.crs.org, or call 1-877-435- 7277.

• Habitat for Humanity: Go to www.habitat.org, or call 1-800-422- 4828.

• The Salvation Army: Go to www.salvationarmyusa.org, or call 1-800-725-2769. Designate your donation for "Haiti Earthquake."

• American Red Cross: To donate, go to www.RedCross.org, and choose International Response Fund. Or call 1-800-733-2767.

The Chippewa County Chapter of the American Red Cross has also set up a fund for donations to be channeled to the American Red Cross International Response Fund. Call Linda Beaumont with questions at 632- 8111 or mail your donation to:

American Red Cross 511 Ashmun Street Suite 202

Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783

You will receive a receipt and letter designating your donation.

• Independent Sector, representing America's nonprofit community, provides a comprehensive list of worldwide agencies collecting aid for Haiti at this Web site: www.IndependentSector.org.