Lemonade Stands & Herding Cattle

Our team has been busy collecting a wide variety of medical supplies for our upcoming trip.  There are times I have completely taken over my coworkers' desks and most of this week my car has smelled like a hospital due to being packed out with supplies. 


So one of the most tedious tasks of packing a couple dozen large suitcases is organizing all the medications.  This includes prepping our pharmacy into monthly supplies of medications and today was one of those days.  Literally thousands of GI and heart pills were sorted out into hundreds of bags of 30...then relabeled.  You can only write "triamterene hydrochlorothiazide" so many times before one gets a little loopy.  For example, I learned that sorting Lotrel capsules is much like herding cattle...and it also sounds surprisingly like you're playing Yahtzee as it goes in and out of its bottle.  In case you needed to know. ;-)

All this work now will make for lighter packing and also significantly less prep work once we arrive allowing us to spend more quality time with people ministering to their emotional and spiritual needs instead of busying tasks.

Lemonade Stand Gals

One of the most genuinely awesome donations came while we were packing today.  A group of young girls (from their neighborhood) came down the steps in a musical march to present the money they had made running a lemonade stand for our trip!  True to style, the money was wrapped in a pink bow and laid nicely inside a bedazzled out hand-decorated box.  A huge thanks to the ALL the people who have donated and will continue to donate!

In 3 weeks, this will all be nicely sorted into suitcases, I promise!

Disaster on Repeat

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which hit last night

Haiti is unfortunately no stranger to natural disasters.  In the last 10 years alone, Haiti has been devastated by at least 6 Hurricanes/Tropical Storms plus the 2010 Haiti Earthquake.  The 2010 earthquake shattered the country affecting 3 million and killing more than 100,000 people. Most recently it was hammered by Hurricane Matthew just last year which again killed hundreds and wiped out crops and livestock, a major source of survival and income. They are repeatedly recovering...

Last night parts of Haiti underwent the record-breaking Hurricane Irma as it side-swiped the northern parts of the country.  Irma stormed through the Caribbean as a Category 5 with winds reaching 185 mph. In areas hit, thousands of houses have been damaged and flooding has risen several feet in some of the poorer neighborhoods.  A major concern is the effect of the damage on sanitation which increases risk of a cholera outbreak, among other diseases.

Haiti is a people that has been repeatedly beaten by disaster---they are understandably despondent.

Our team leaves in 1 month.  Our time to travel to Haiti is in God's timing.  Our purpose is to show His Love, plain and simple.

Photos from: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/9/7/16264390/photos-hurricane-irma-destruction

Packing Up

To my New York friends!! Below is a list of things that I will be collecting for use and donation during my upcoming trip!  If you have any items you would like to donate, you can either give them to me personally or you can drop them off at my work (Sports PT, 1 West Ave, Suite 150, Saratoga Springs, NY).  Thank you in advance for any help you can be on my trip!

Physical Therapy Supplies:

Therabands

Braces/Splints for ankles, wrists, and knees

Ace Wraps

Canes

Over The Counter Medicine:

Allergy Meds (Allegra, Claritin, Benadryl)

Pain Meds (Ibuprofen, Aleve, Motrin, Tylenol, Aspirin)

Cough Medicine (Robitussin, Triaminic, Theraflu)

Creams (antibiotic, fungal)

Vitamins (multi-vitamin, C, D, E)

Glucosamine

If you could have all donations in by September 23rd, it would be greatly appreciated for packing purposes!

Welcome

Mission Matana Clinic

Hello Blog World!! I can’t believe I have been practicing four years now as a physical therapist and still falling more in love with the career choice God has led me into.  As you know, I have had a number of opportunities in the past to serve internationally to various places God has led and in more recent years I have been able to combine my passion for physical therapy with my passion for missions.  In my time here in New York I have also gotten plugged into a great local church called Grace Fellowship and now have an opportunity to serve on medical missions with some members of my church family. 

This October 7-14^th, a team of us will be travelling to Port au Prince, Haiti for 1 week.  Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of its population living below the poverty line in addition to suffering a seemingly endless line of natural disasters.  During this trip we will be working primarily in rural areas of Haiti partnering with the Mission Matana Clinic. This clinic has been set up to provide medical care and share the love of Christ with those we encounter.  In addition to providing medical care, we will also be praying for opportunities to encourage and uplift our patients spiritually while we are working with them. 

I am in need of those willing to partner with me in praying for the people we will be serving and for my health and effectiveness as a team member.  By partnering with us in prayer, you become a large part of all God will do through us down there. Thank you in advance and I look forward to sharing with you how He has answered those prayers!

I am very excited about this opportunity and would love to answer any questions you might have about my involvement in this trip to allow you to pray more specifically for myself, my team members, and our future patients in Haiti, so please feel free to reach out!! Thank you for praying & being a vital part of our team!!