Update: Day 1

Today the group prepared items for the Christmas party we will do for the children of an orphanage (about 75 of them) and for the youth at our Community Center in Carrefour.  Those events will take place on Friday and Saturday respectively.  They also counted meds in the cabinet so we know what we have when setting up the pharmacy area of our clinic next week and organized other things around our mission base. 

In the afternoon we broke into three groups and did a prayer walk around the community that is just up the mountain from our mission base.  Each group had a translator, a leader, and a blood pressure cuff- pretty much all you need to strike up some great conversations with the community members.  Each group talked about the encounters God gave them when we had evening debrief.  Some were invited into Haitian homes, some sat and listened to people's stories of what life is like here for them, some were led to people with more urgent medical needs.  One group talked to a little girl who has scabies and some areas of infection where she has scratched them open.  Another met a family with a child who has special needs.  We were able to take that one to a doctor and he confirmed what we originally thought- that she most likely has microcephaly.  She is two years old with very little muscle tone and obviously severe developmental delays.  We are reaching out to some organizations that we know of here in Haiti who can work with the family and help her have the best life she can (and also so they can have support while raising her- emotional as well as financial). It was tough to see and hear about some of the real situations people living in poverty have to face daily. 

Then, the group went to an overlook area where they spent time in prayer for the people they will meet and minister alongside this week. 

When they returned some of the group went to observe the English classes for youth ages 8-11 at our Community Center - just so they could see more of what our ministry does.  Eventually we would love to offer community education for adults too (especially when groups like this come so they can teach first aid, education about blood pressure & diabetes, etc).  They said it was a great class and the children are learning a lot. 

Dinner was amazing and we all ate a TON.  Chicken, rice/beans, papitas (plantains cut like long potatoe chips- they are addicting), pikliz (spicy cole slaw), pasta salad, sauce, beets/carrots, and salad.  YUM!