Friday, April 27, 2012

Bouncing Baby Boy

Our last day in Haiti was one of my favorites.  We spent the morning at the maternity hospital, where we got to spend some time observing in different areas of the hospital.  Because I want to eventually be a midwife, I asked to observe in the delivery room.  One woman was in the delivery room and was about to deliver when I got in there.  The poor woman had about 15 faces, including mine, staring at her as she delivered because there were quite a few Haitian nursing students also observing.  Let me tell you, it was incredible.  That was the first birth I had seen and, even though I knew exactly what would happen, it still brought tears to my eyes when the healthy baby boy let our a wail and was placed on Mom's abdomen.  He weighed 2.57kg, or about 5 1/2lbs.  They tied off the umbilical cord almost immediately and cut the cord using a "sterile" needle.  I placed sterile in quotes because their sterile technique was nothing like ours.  The gory details I could go into would have most people gagging but it was pretty awesome to see how everything was handled.  I got a few pictures of the baby and one picture of the mom and baby.  I saw them again in the general recovery room as I was leaving to meet the rest of the group.  She gave me a big smile and Aramis told me how to tell her in Creole that her baby is beautiful.

I got to speak to a Haitian midwife who spoke pretty good English.  She explained the training she went through and I got to see her check the progress of a couple other women in labor.  Aramis was a trooper volunteering to be my translator in the delivery room.  He stayed behind the curtain but heard everything that was going on.  I feel bad for his future wife because he will be a nervous wreck when she is pregnant!

This afternoon was nice and relaxing.  We went to a nearby beach and hung out for a few hours.  The water was really warm and clear but I only put my feet in.  Redgi got Johnny and I each a Prestige, the local beer.  I wasn't expecting much but it was good!  Pretty similar to Yuengling lager.

Time to pack up and call it a week.  We head home tomorrow afternoon.  Au revoir!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Haiti will always be a part of me

Hello from Haiti :D

Things here are much different than that of the US. There are no traffic laws, three fingers in the air means 2 (in the words of Obed accidentally), electric goes off and on throughout the day (everyone cheers when it comes back on), Haitians love to say "hey you guys" (James) and call each other by their "American names" like Aris (pronounced Ari-mice - that's how they think Americans say it), everyone says hi and the people of Haiti are very friendly.

So far the weather hasn't been the best with rain everyday but Saturday but we made the best of it. We've spent time stuck in traffic for muddy road conditions, adapted to where we were sleeping because we would have gotten soaked on the roof, walked FOUR miles back in the rain to the vehicle after leaving the school, got a flooded/broken (Alison, Ethan, and Jess) and spent time bonding indoors with the Haitians and learning their stories from before and after the earthquake and how they live. It's been amazing to think that some of the community living in tent houses or not even a house with 4 walls.

We were discussing this morning how we feel like we have been here so much longer than what we really have, but it's been because we are doing so much. We've run clinics, visited a school, visited an orphanage twice, toured a hospital... not to mention the little things that happened. We have become accustom to driving on the wrong side of the road, being SUPER close to the person next to you on the road, almost hitting people, flat tires going down a steep hill, constant beeping of the horn to tell someone you're passing/approaching/coming around a turn where you cant see, orphans grabbing our arms and dragging us along wanting to play and so many more. All these things I will remember forever and Haiti will always be a part of me.

Today I said goodbye to my sponsor child. As I held her in my arms she just squeezed me and it just broke my heart to leave. I am so glad that I was able to meet her and so many other girls who are in need of support for school and everyday needs. Meeting my sponsor child had been the highlight of my week. Every time we got to the orphanage I was always greeted with a BIG smile from her.  It just brightens my day knowing that I am able to be apart of her life.

With less than 48 hours til we're on a plane headed back to the states, my emotions are going a mile a minute. I don't want to leave my Haitian family and friends. Everyone here has been great and I am so lucky to have been able to experience this.

-Sarah

Rain rain go away.....

As I write, it's raining (pouring) again! We are soon ready to eat supper. We got back from the orphanage about 1/2 hour ago. This morning we did a clinic at the church again. Seemed to go much smoother. I polished and flossed maybe 35 mouths in about 3 hours! I was tired again, but it seemed cooler today, thankfully! Ethan is doing a great job helping out where he can, without complaining. He is LOVING his time joking around with the older guys (translators). This afternoon, we went to the orphanage again. Played with the kids, handed out pillowcase dresses, did some education, etc. We got to hear them sing at the end too. Ethan and I had to say goodbye to Robinson. Not a happy moment, but I'm SO thankful we had this chance to meet him and hug him and tell him we love him and pray for him. Livvie---did I tell you I had your video clip on my camera (of you playing piano)? I played it for him each time we visited and he listened and smiled. I was glad I could show you to him. I have to go now...time to eat. I continue to see how Crystal LOVES this place and LOVES the people. Her heart is so full with love for them and she gives and gives and wants to do more and more. What a special lady! Again....thankful for this chance to come here....some moments are tough and take a lot of TRUST but God is good.
Alison
By the way....our tent is not doing too good with all this rain. Gotta go fast, they just told me Ethan volunteered to pray! :-) (Crystal is encouraging each of us to take a turn)

Haitian Medicine

Today's medical clinic was such a success!!!  We had a constant stream of Haitians with varying complaints but it was much more controlled & organized than on Monday.  Alison did a steady stream of teeth polishing & oral hygiene education, she was the one everyone wanted to see.  Amanda, Kim, and I sat on a bench with translators between us to evaluate & treat whatever we could.  Being an orthopedic RN, I was so frustrated when a man came in complaining of wrist pain following a moto accident.  He was unable to pronate his wrist & arrived with a scrap of cloth wrapped around his wrist.  We convinced him to go to the hospital but didn't even have an ace wrap to splint him for the travel there.  I can only pray he actually went - he was more interested in seeing Alison to have his teeth cleaned than in having his wrist treated.  We saw a few sick infants that we also sent to the hospital, many headaches & muscle aches, many people with stomach aches, nausea, and vomiting, and I also did wound care on a young man who had also been in a moto accident & had severe road rash.

Everyone seems to be in good spirits today.  After Monday's clinic we all sat quietly.  Today everyone is full of energy, sharing the cases they saw.  We've witnessed so much this week: Haitian driving, flash flooding, tents falling apart, rats eating through our garbage while we slept,  no water, no electricity, even being locked in a room to hide from people who do not support the work we are here to do.  The number of times I've received a beautiful smile & heard "merci" far outnumbers the struggles we've endured.  God has blessed all of us in ways we never knew until we came here.  Today my translator asked me if I'll ever come back to Haiti; I said "absolutely!"

Jessica

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Unexpected

This is Haiti. Today had a couple of unexpected/unplanned things that made us laugh and say "This is Haiti." We visited a hospital this morning. Very interesting to see the care women get (maternity). Then we sat in traffic on our way to the orphanage. Lots of traffic, plus it was raining so we drove through puddles of mud/trash/whatever! We made it to the orphanage. As we walked in the doors, I looked up to the top of the hill and there was Robinson looking down. I waved and his face lit up and he waved back. So cool! It was good to give him a hug, walk around with him holding my hand, seeing him "hang out" with Ethan. He's a cute boy! Towards the end of our time with them, he came running up to me, handed me a pen and pointed to his palm. I got the translator to come over and he said "Robinson wants you to write your name on his hand." So I did and had him write his name on mine. A special (unexpected) moment I'll never forget, even though the pen has washed off now (don't worry, I got pictures!). I got to give some dental hygiene instruction and hand out the kits we made (toothbrush, floss, toothpaste---thank you coworkers for helping to donate them!). Then on our way home, we heard a hissing sound....FLAT TIRE! It didn't take long for the driver to find someone to help. And thankfully it wasn't raining at that time. Home, supper, relaxing, talking. Ethan got to "play soccer" with Franzi again (upstairs there's a balcony/porch area). They were laughing and keeping score even though they each speak very little of the other's language. Boys playing....don't need to understand too much, just have fun! I have to laugh....Ethan right now is watching Kung Fu Panda with some of the "older kids" of the family here....but it's in French! Ha! I'm really enjoying the group we have here too. I think we are the perfect mix, and they are all very helpful to keep tabs on Ethan, which I'm VERY thankful for! Thanks again for the continued prayers. I'm missing home a little more (Dave and Livvie Liv), but still loving all the things we see here!!
 Alison

Maternity Hospital

Greetings from Haiti!  The trip has been quite an adventure so far.  On Monday we held a clinic at the church, which was CRAZY.  I loved it!  We were only doing small things for most of the people but hopefully we helped a little bit.  We're holding a follow-up clinic at the church tomorrow.

Yesterday we drove 4hrs to and from Chaveneau and were only there for about 2hrs.  It was pretty cool to see the school and we taught hand hygiene to the kids using glitter as our "germs".  We had to hike a bit through the village and countryside, which was awesome.  It was SOO beautiful out there.

This morning we visited the hospital in Carrefour, which is mostly a maternity hospital.  As an aspiring midwife, I loved seeing everything.  We started off in the NICU where I saw a premature baby, who I was told weighed 1kg, or 2.2lbs.  She was born at 28wks and was TINY.  They had a heat light on her and she was hooked up to an IV and O2.  We also saw the delivery room, which was insane.  No patients were in there at the time but the delivery room consisted of about 8 bed/chairs all in a row.  A woman could be giving birth 4ft away from another woman in labor.  The hospital also has an AIDS clinic, gives vaccinations to children through a program funded by UNICEF, and has a nutrition clinic funded by another organization.  The whole hospital and clinics are free.  I am really, really, really hoping that we'll be able to go back there on Friday.

The hardest part of this trip is wanting to be useful every waking second.  I keep having to remind myself that a little bit of teaching and a smile are worth something.  Going into the trip, I thought that I would want to do international medical work someday.  This trip is just a taste of that but it confirms that international medical volunteer work is something that I want to strongly pursue in the future. --Kim

Yesterday...

Yesterday we went to Chaveneau to see the school/church there which is the main focus of our ministry.  It is a FOUR hour drive over crazy roads and we were certainly able to feel your prayers as we were traveling.  Our driver (Peterson) is amazing and he did a great job keeping us safe but we know he was not the only one in control of that 15 passenger van!  He was only co-pilot.  :)

When we arrived in the area we found that we had to cross the FIRST (of three) rivers by foot and hike the FOUR miles into the church/school.  The group was all smiles and was actually excited about this so I was blessed as leader!  God is absolutely amazing by putting teams together because I thought they might complain. A few blisters and LOTS of sweat later we arrived to the school to find that ......... are you ready people who have been praying for this?????..... they have a feeding program for one month!  Another organization has come alongside them and helped finance one so the children were all getting ready to eat a HOT lunch!  Cornmeal and fish and sauce.  They also get peanut butter and bread for breakfast daily.

More later (no power) but we certainly feel your prayers.  This has been a great trip so far and can't believe all we have been able to do- obviously He is providing "beyond all we can ask or imagine".  No one has been sick (a few headaches and blisters and bug bites) or had any significant problems.

Blessings!  -Crystal

PS-  Today we will try to get into the hospital in town and if not we will do some medical care in the tent community near the orphanage.  Then in the afternoon hand washing and other things at the orphanage.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Hey you guys


Today we did the medical clinic. I met and talked to some new friends. Obed taught me that in Haiti 3 fingers up equals 2 hours (he held up 3 fingers and said two hours). The food is awesome. My favorite food is the homemade potato chips:). A neighborhood friend named Franzi plays soccer with me. Redgi and I played a soccer game against Franzi and another boy and we won. Having fun with everyone. 


Love, Ethan

At The Clinic

Today, we went to the church of Pastor Corrnet to run a medical clinic. Last night before bed, I fell asleep worrying that no one would show up and our efforts to provide help would be pointless. Arriving at the clinic, I was pleasantly surprised to see at least 30 people waiting for us to set up. As the day went on, more people showed up, with everyone looking for either medical or dental services. By the end of the day, our team worked with close to 100 people, which ranged between providing antibiotics for respiratory infections to giving out aspirin to help ease back aches to polishing their teeth. Everyone we worked with was very thankful for our time and made sure they expressed their appreciation before they left.  All together, the clinic is something I will never forget and am beyond grateful to have been apart of such a wonderful experience. 


Johnny

Exhausted Physically & Emotionally

It's not supper time yet but everyone is exhausted.  We ran a medical clinic inside the church this morning & were overwhelmed with Haitians in need.  We had stations for triage, medical treatment, dental exams & cleanings, and a pharmacy.  In the end we had to send people away, otherwise we'd still be there.  We carried the remainder of our supplies back to the house & had just enough time to bring our air mattresses down off the roof before the clouds opened & let out a downpour that has continued for the last two hours.  We have electricity right now, the first time since arriving that we've had power during the day, so at least we have light while we're stuck inside.  As for what we witnessed today, I can't describe it.  My heart is broken with how many people needed help that I couldn't provide.  One man in particular will stick with me forever; an old unhealed ankle fracture now causes him to walk on the side of his foot.  A simple ankle brace would help him so greatly but we didn't have one.  I offered him pain medication, he smiled & said it was not needed, God had blessed him.

Pray for us tonight - it's been raining for hours & the tent Alison, Ethan, & I have been sharing is barely surviving.  We might be sleeping under the stars tonight or inside the hot stuffy house.  If we aren't able to get rest at night the days are even more difficult.

Jessica

Another amazing trip so far...

I got up early (as usual) and had a few minutes to write about our upcoming day and the past 2 days.  

Saturday the team arrived and (as Sarah said) they had no trouble in the airport.  Their bags were all in one pile ready for them by the time they got through immigration.  The ride home from the airport was uneventful but gave them a good view of Haiti (Port au Prince area) and some of the things they would be seeing/experiencing during the week ahead.  

We got home and unpacked, sorted medical donations and other donations, set up "camp" on the roof, etc... Then we ate dinner and had a little orientation.  

Sunday we woke early because we had been told we would need to go to church early since it was their 20th anniversary of the church here in Carrefour.  It was a long service full of many guest speakers, choral groups, and more but it was typical Haitian church.  We even got up as a group and sang for/with the congregation.  It was a really blessed experience- worshiping in English as they did in Creole.

After church we made sandwiches and then headed over to the orphanage (about a half hour drive).  The girls there were glad to see us and meet the team.  We got a tour of the place and everyone was very impressed with the view.  Haiti IS a very beautiful country.  

We left the orphanage early thinking a storm was coming because the sky was getting dark.  The girls were eating their dinner anyway.  When we got back to the house Ethan and Redgi had a little soccer game with the neighborhood children while the rest of us relaxed or wrote in our journals or got ready for the medical clinic we will have today here in Carrefour.  We will be heading back to the church to use their facility as a base. They say they will have a few medical personnel joining us but we will see how that goes.  Haiti is a place where things kind of "go with the flow".  Either way, we will have patients to see and medicine to dispense (pretty much all over the counter stuff but some antibiotics should we have someone to help diagnose and prescribe).  

We are all healthy and getting along very well.  There are already inside jokes and people teasing one another- a good thing.  We are already talking about "next time...." and that is good to hear.  This place really does have a way of getting into your system.  

Thank you for your prayers!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Gods amazing love and protection!!!

The week is just beginning and its already been an awesome experience, anywhere all our luggage after looking for it was together in a pile and we have no idea  why or how... to the children at the orphanage being so loving and welcoming to us as we visited with them today. This week has so many more special memories to be made and God's work to be through us here in Haiti. I got to meet my sponsor child today and that in itself was truly such a blessing. The week has been amazing so far and I am excited to be apart of this group and share the rest of the week with them making memories. Please continue to pray for safety and that God can use us to touch these Haitians lives.
-Sarah

Beyond words

Bonjou! Greetings everyone back home. We are enjoying our time. Wait, those words don't seem "enough."
 This morning (early), I opened my Bible to John 3:16 and said to Ethan "God loves Haiti!" and he said "I do too!" I am so thankful for this opportunity---big thanks to ALL that helped and encouraged us! I was wrong (confused---long story) about when/where our sponserchild lives. He is in the orphanage in Port-au-Prince. This morning we went to church from about 8:30 to 11:45ish. We even left very early. They were having a "20th anniversary celebration." It is pretty much church all day. And Ethan thought OUR church was long! After church, we came back, ate lunch, and hopped into the tap-tap to go to the orphanage. We met Robinson (our sponserchild)! I got to give him a big hug! So special. Many children (mostly girls) with so little but the pastor at the orphanage is trying to do the best he can with what he has. The things we have seen, smelled :-), experienced---pictures and words can't touch. I am humbled that God put us here. "Called" on us to come here. The people that help us (drivers, translators, family who gives up their home for us) have all been wonderful! Ethan says "hello and I love you" to everyone back home. His favorite thing so far has been meeting Robinson and kicking the soccer ball with him. So there are a few words for now. Thank you for the prayers. God has answered---feeling good, and safe travels so far. We hope to help as many as we can in clinics, etc, and I might even get a chance to polish some teeth! Keep praying!
Blessings,
Alison

Saturday, April 21, 2012

team has arrived!

The team has arrived safely and we are already getting oriented.  Will post more soon I am sure!  Thanks for all your prayers for all of us- :)  :)

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Calande

This is Calande.  She is a beautiful little girl at the school in Chaveneau who also happens to stay with our host family (they live behind the church- on church property so they can maintain the grounds and church).  She is a sweet and quiet little girl and is one of the FEW children sponsored at the school.  On any given day Calande can be found working around the house when not in school (washing dishes, helping cook, cleaning something, etc..).  She always has a quick smile for the missionaries and loves to sit and watch us work.

School child sponsorship is only $25 per month and will pay for tuition, uniform and books. Sponsoring a child will give you someone to pray for regularly and we will update you often on their progress. And...  since the money gets put together with that of others, if we get enough children sponsored we should be able to start our feeding program next school year.  This will provide a healthy snack daily and a big/hot meal a few times each month for ALL the children.  This would be very exciting and a real benefit to both the children and ultimately the community as well.  Would YOU pray about sponsoring one of the children at the school- you can pick age/grade/sex/etc...?  We have many to choose from.  Thanks and God bless you!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The beach!

In March we were able to take some of the local children (Chaveneau) to the beach at Port Salut.  It was a beautiful beach but even more beautiful were the smiles and excitement coming from those kids!  :)  

Ezekiel's face when he first saw the water!  (Ricardo doesn't look too sure- peeking out)


Didn't take him long to be playing/jumping in the waves!


All my "buddies" sitting in a fishing boat on the shore.

Who says Haiti is not beautiful???  LOOK at this beach!  (and it was an overcast day- sometimes it's SO BLUE)
Most of these children had never been in a vehicle (rode in the back of the truck) or farther than Chantal (3 miles from home).  Just watching their faces as we rode along in the truck was almost worth it, but when we got to that beach it was ALL we had expected ... and more!  This is ministry for sure- these children will never forget that day (neither will we).  Thank you God for this opportunity!  :)

Monday, April 9, 2012

Prayer Walk-

When I mention prayer walking around the community in Haiti people get kind of freaked out. And when some people read on our website that part of our trips involves prayer walking they sometimes shy away.  People have this idea in their head of us walking up to doors, forcing our beliefs on some poor unsuspecting Haitian and hurling Bible verses about hell and damnation at them.  (not really- that's a bit of an exaggeration- but it does scare some people)  

In actuality prayer walking is one of the highlights of the trip for a LOT of the participants.  We pray before we leave the base- that God will lead us where He wants and to whomever He wants.  Then, we just walk and pray as we feel led.  We talk to people, we make new friends, we share stories, etc... It is truly a blessed experience and we always return feeling excited and glad we went.  

Below are photos from one of the prayer walks on this last trip (these were all taken in Carrefour). Enjoy!  




Saturday, April 7, 2012

Vehicle Update:

     Some of you have been asking what is going on with the truck we had donated to the ministry.  Well, things have been BUSY!  After a serious amount of prayer and council from many individuals it was decided that it would be more feasible and better stewardship of funds/resources if we would sell the truck stateside and donate the proceeds to the ministry.  These funds (along with what has been collected so far for shipping the truck) will be used to purchase a vehicle in Haiti. It just did not make good financial sense to ship a vehicle estimated at $3400 value for about $5000- most of which we still did not have. This was a VERY difficult decision but one we feel as an organization is honoring and pleasing to God.  We are blessed to report that all parties involved came to the same decision independently and then contacted one another to concur.  Confirmation that this is what God would have us do.
     So, at this point the truck is for sale in Colorado by the young woman who was donating it to us and we are still collecting money toward our vehicle fund.  We will probably wait until I return to Haiti in early July to actually purchase the vehicle, but at this point we have let some friends I have there know we are looking.  This will give us more time to raise money toward this project.  If YOU or someone you know would like to help us get a reliable vehicle please contact us to find out how you can assist.  Thank you and God bless you for your continued prayers regarding this matter.  We know this is His plan and even though we would LOVE to have a vehicle sooner and get moving on this, we trust in His timing and provision!  - Crystal  :)

Currently we have $1800 in the vehicle account-  we are praying and trusting God to provide the rest.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Sponsor letters

I was blessed this last trip (March mission group) to be able to take letters to the orphans from their sponsors.  We have almost 20 orphans sponsored- that's 1/4 of them!  YAY!!   We are praying for sponsors for the rest of the girls and so are they- especially after seeing how happy the ones were that have sponsors.  Here are a few photos of the girls getting letters read to them by our translator Leonard.  They were SO HAPPY!  Would you like to sponsor an orphan for $32 per month??  You can write her, encourage her, pray for her, and invest in her future/eternity.  Can't think of a better way to spend about $1.00 per day.  God bless our sponsors!  :)





Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Food for Chaveneau

On our last mission trip (March 2012) we were able to provide a meal for about 300 people in Chavenau- 250 school children, the teachers/staff, the mission team and a few families in the area. Each person got a huge plate of rice/beans and a piece of fish. Yum!  :)  Praise God for this chance to bless and be blessed in return!  We would LOVE to do this on a more regular basis- let us know if YOU would like to help.  - thanks so much for your prayers and support!