Kelsey's blog... 1/3/16

A Sunday in Haiti

Over the past four years that I have been coming on trips with Hearts United I have developed a great love for going to church in Haiti on Sunday mornings.  I just love how God can eliminate all barriers that humanity experiences; language, culture, geographical, and all others just disappear when we are in the presence of the world’s Savior and worshiping as one.  So we started our morning with the usual plan of going to church at Pastor Robby’s church, however today’s service was a little different (in the best way possible)! For a while now a group of pastors from the Carrefour area have been meeting together discussing the potential of bringing their congregations together for service.  Well today’s church service was one of their planned events; roughly five churches from the Carrefour area came together for one, united church service this morning.  What a blessing it was to be here for this Sunday.  The only downfall was that the service started at 6 A.M. which meant the team had a 5 A.M. wake up call.  Even though a few of us were a little sleepy, it did not take long for the worship from all five churches joining together to wake us up and get our spirits moving! They were hugging, laughing, holding hands, singing, and worshiping together; it truly was a sight to see and we were blessed to be a part of it.

After church we came back to the base for a late breakfast and then packed up for the rest of our day.  Our next stop was off to the general hospital in Port-au-Prince to visit their pediatric ward.  Haitian hospitals are different from hospitals in the United States because all of the care is free but the families must pay for ANY medical supplies needed for the care (IVs, medication, needles, bandages, etc…).  Every child in the hospital must also have an advocate (parent, other family member, or family friend) stay with them at all times during their stay because food and eating, changing of clothes, and all other basic needs must be supplied and done by this advocate.  It truly becomes a much bigger task to go to the hospital due to these circumstances and it is very exhausting for everyone involved.  That being said, our group will go into the pediatric ward and just talk with the families and children that are there.  We hear their stories, give them a listening ear during this difficult time, and then end by praying for their needs to the Ultimate Healer.  It can be a very hard but rewarding experience.  We also get the opportunity to share some of our trip funds with families that we feel called to help.  Lack of finances can be a major reason a child may still be in the hospital.  For instance, if the doctor writes a prescription for an antibiotic for a child and the family cannot afford to buy it yet then they will just stay in the hospital waiting for the funds to be collected.  This could take a day or multiple days and all the while the child is not getting their needed medical care and could be decreasing in health, it is a very unfortunate reality for many Haitian families. 

That being said, while we were there today I met a man who was there taking care of his three year old son who was suffering from a heavy case of malnutrition and various other ailments that can go along with that.  However, what made this particular case a little extra heart wrenching, if it wasn’t already, was the fact that this man’s wife and this child’s mother had passed away four months earlier and the child has been sick ever since.  This boy had been in the hospital already for ten days and had yet to receive a majority of the medication the doctors had prescribed due to the family’s finances.  The father looked exhausted but was in high spirits as he shared the tragic story of his last four months.  We could not help but feel moved to step in and assist this man with the nine scripts for medications he showed us that had been written for his son.  I am not sure if our assistance will be able to heal this child completely but we were able to assist, support, and listen to this strong and fighting family for a day and I thank God for that.

After visiting the various pediatric locations in the hospital, we were off to our next stop for the day which was to see the children at the Life is Wealth orphanage.  However, as we were driving up the final hill to reach the orphanage, two VERY FULL tap-taps were heading down and some of the little faces poking out from the vehicles looked very familiar. To our surprise, the two tap-taps were full of all of the children from Life is Wealth! They were all dressed up and shouting to us with HUGE smiles on their faces.  They were surprised with a night out to dinner by Haitian Social Services. What a treat it was to see these children on their way to a special night, a kind they do not get often enough.  Although I was sad I did not get to spend time with the children I have grown to love and adore today, I am ECSTATIC to have seen their faces before being treated to a night that every child deserves.

Since we could not spend time at the orphanage we had the chance to choose something different we wanted to do as a team.  Since we were already on the bus and in downtown Port-au-Prince, Redgi being the wonderful man that he is decided to give us a tour of some of the sights that are famous in this city.  We were able to see the famous Iron Market, the central Cathedral (which was damaged in the earthquake but the ruins were still breathtaking), the National Museum, the place where the Presidential Palace used to stand before the earthquake, and all of the parks and historic monuments that make downtown Port-au-Prince special.  Haiti has a powerful history and I had yet to experience some of these historic sites in the past four years so this tour was a definite treat.

After a very busy, emotionally taxing day we are now back at the base for the night.  As I sit here reflecting on the day I cannot help but think about all of the beauty and soul to be found here in this country, even among the challenges some of these people face each day.  As I sit here on the porch of the base, listening to the sounds of our Haitian neighborhood, smelling the food the cooks are making for dinner, and watching the sunset behind the mountains of Haiti, I can truly say I love this country and the pull this country has on my heart grows stronger with each trip I am lucky enough to take here.

With love,

Kelsey Buglewicz