Supervan on way to Haiti orphanage

A 30-year supporter of the Ebenezer Glenn Orphanage will soon deliver a “Haiti proof” van to the orphanage in the earthquake-ravaged island nation.

Nearly every component has been beefed up to handle Haiti's bad roads, mountainous terrain and oppressively hot climate, said Steve Scheib of Cedar Rapids.

Even the horn has been replaced with an extra loud one because, he said, the country has few if any road rules and the vehicle with the loudest horn usually has the right of way.

Scheib, 61, said he had sliding windows installed in the van to provide relief from the heat when (not if) the air conditioning breaks down.

Though the 2002 Ford E-350 15-passenger van has 112,000 miles on it, it is in most respects better than new, Scheib said.

It is an extremely robust vehicle, said J.P. Sauer, a mechanic at Junge Ford in Center Point, who has put in more than 100 hours on its refurbishing.

Previously owned by the state of Georgia, it was spotless inside and out when Scheib bought it for $8,500, and he has since invested more than $20,000 in upgrades including a rooftop rack capable of hauling the luggage of 15 passengers, oversized tires, heavy-duty springs and shock absorbers, custom-built front and rear bumpers, a 6 liter auxiliary transmission cooling unit, an auxiliary fuel tank and a mechanism that limits the van's speed to 50 mph when it is driven by one of the wards of the orphanage

Scheib said the van with a 7.3 liter diesel engine is relatively rare and he jumped at the chance to buy it when he saw it for sale on a Georgia broker's website.

He bought it sight unseen over the phone after eliciting affirmative replies from the broker to the following questions: Do you go to church? Would you sell it to your pastor?

The van is perfect for the orphanage, which often hauls volunteer work crews from the airport in Port au Prince to the orphanage at Dessalines, a 90-mile trip that often takes more than five hours.

Though the orphanage was not damaged by the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, it has since accommodated an influx of orphans from the other 600 orphanages in Haiti, Scheib said.

Scheib said he will leave Monday to drive the van to West Palm Beach, Fla., where it will be put in a container with other relief supplies for shipment to Haiti.

Scheib himself has been doing twice-a-year volunteer work stints at the orphanage since 1980 and plans to return to the island on June 15.

“God called us to Haiti. I can't explain it,” said Scheib, a member of the Faith Bible Church in Robins. After 30 years, the calling is stronger than ever, he said.