Foto City

Bonjour!!  I have finally sorted through my 2,000+ photos and only narrowed it down to about 500 ;-)  For those who want visual details of my time in Haiti, please feel free to check them out. Thanks again for following!! :-)

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Top 15 Haitian Tidbits

15. There are no speed limit signs.  It is a survival of the fittest traffic system—a large game of chicken with motorcycles weaving in and out to make it even more interesting.

Kibby

14. Anywhere there is water, bathing is fair game.

13. Most places are BYOTP….bring your own toilet paper

12. Kibby is delicious—it is like a mini hot pocket of deep fried beef with a breaded

cereal coating.

11. There are only 2 MRI machines in the whole country.

Water Bags

10. When you buy land here you have to buy rights to the trees separately.  If there are any trees you don’t buy, the previous owner can still come back and pick the fruit off them.  You can also rent out use of trees on your land.

9. Drinking water is commonly bought in little handheld vacuum sealed bags.

8. To get rid of motion sickness, Haitians believe in licking the tire of the vehicle.

7.  There are still gapping holes in the mountainside as evidence and constant reminder of the 2010 earthquake.

6. There were 70,000 people in Port-au-Prince alone that had to undergo amputations after the 2010 earthquake.

5. National power is turned off nightly not because there is a lack of resources, but in the political realm it increases need and economy for things like generators. 

4. Sweet Mickey was a music artist and pop star before he became president.  He put a pause on his shows while president and is now back at it performing concerts.  I don’t recommend googling him though—the cleanest of his acts is mooning people.

3. There are 23 different varieties of mangoes.

2. We use duct tape to fix everything…they use machetes ;-)

1. There are a lot of amazing people passionate about making a difference in the lives of Haitian people, including many Haitians themselves!

Colorful Bookends

Verse of the Day: “Lord, tell me your ways.  Show me how to live. Guide me in your truth, and teach me, my God, my Savior.  I trust you all day long.” Psalm 25:4-5

Sunrise over Port-au-Prince

One last morning in this beautiful place.  Getting up and watching the sunrise in the “cool” of the morning (still about 80 degrees) was a special time of seeing God’s beauty shine over these people.  I am such a sucker for color in the sky and love getting to experience it in different countries—something about realizing how much God’s love can and does contagiously spread anywhere in the world.  We then got to bookend the day with these beautiful sunrays beaming over New York City as we made it back safe’n’sound!

Sunset over New York City

Our team with Pastor Jay & Fedrique

It has been an amazing blessing getting to know and work with people who are so passionate about what they do! We are all a little crazy tired, but super blessed to have gotten to share this experience together and meet some amazing people with a huge heart and passion for what they do.  A special thank you to all who supported me financially, prayerfully, and/or with donations as you were an integral  part of this team and ministering to those in need in Haiti! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

What a crazy awesome week!!

Two Left Feet

Verse of the Day: “Anyone who speaks should speak with words from God.  Anyone who serves should serve with the strength that God gives so that in everything God will be praised.” 1 Peter 4:11

Dancing for joy like I've got 2 left feet ;-)

Today was another mish-moshed day where we did a little bit of everything but also spent a lot of time on the bus taking in an outsiders view of what life is like day in and day out for them.  These sights of daily life represent only a portion of the hardship that is going on. The mountain clinic that I spoke about the first day was where we started because this was a new area for us and follow-up was needed on the medicines prescribed earlier in the week.  

Hopital L’Eglise de Dieu Reforme

It was a shorter day though so we were able to spend some time visiting Hopital L’Eglise de Dieu Reforme, the hospital I spoke about yesterday.  It is an amazing setup that started as a very basic clinic in 1995.  It was awesome to hear how the community was behind this as well and worked on fundraising to contribute—they raised $65.  The goal is for this to be a completely self-sustaining hospital.  It is currently employed by an all-Haitian staff and the cost is nominal compared to what they would be paying in the city hospitals.  For example it costs US$2.50 to be seen by a doctor and includes any prescriptions given and with their prosthetics lab they provide above and below-knee prostheses for US$17!  The doctors and nurses that serve here also make a sacrifice because their salary is not as high as they could receive in the city hospitals.  This hospital has a pediatrics unit that sees about 80 kids/day, a wound care room, internal medicine, an xray machine complete with equipment to develop the films, a prosthetics lab, two OR rooms, a dentist, an eyeglasses room, and I’m sure I’m missing a few things.  They even team up local broadcasting companies that record in their space to share the gospel.  There unfortunately is no real cardiology anywhere in Haiti, but their next huge goal is to open an ER to allow for 24 hour care availability.  They currently have all the commitments from the staff and space set aside to do it but are waiting on God’s timing for the funding to get it operating.  They have seen over 150,000 patients since first getting started in 1995.  It was such a blessing to see Kathy & Mark’s passion for this people and the ways they are seeking to come alongside and provide avenues for meeting those needs in a way that is not just a “hand-out”, employs and equips local medical staff, and is a source of providing follow-up care.  We wished we could have stayed longer but had to get out before they closed down one of the roads for a protest.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing having some quality time and laughter with all of our translators.  They have been an enormous blessing to us this week and it is evident that they have a passion for helping their own people as well.  Most of them have come from orphanages or missions themselves and are a band of brothers that stay connected.  Even though they have a lot of fun with each other and put a lot of smiles on our faces, their struggles are very real—life is tough down here.  It was a real blessing to get to meet each and every one of them and a privilege to have them as a part of our team!

Praying over our amazing translators

Tap Tap City

Verse of the Day: “Be strong and brave, because the Lord your God will go with you.  He will never leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

Riding in Style

Today was a bit of different day where no clinic visits were scheduled.  We instead had the opportunity to visit some of the local orphanages.  But the day started at the church I talked about on the first day, Pastor Jay’s church that sits on the compound.  Daily there are many that meet for 6am prayer and worship time.  Since we are usually eating breakfast and packing up for clinic at that time we haven’t been able to go yet, but were very blessed to be able to attend this morning.  God has been putting Pastor Jay and his church on my heart.  I went on a walk last night and looking over the houses in the valley below my heart became overwhelmed.  When God does things, Satan attacks.  God is doing amazing things through Pastor Jay and I felt very led to pray against any attacks Satan may have on him or his church.  I ended up prayer walking around the church 3 times and this morning during prayer time this was again all I could think about.  So I just went up to the balcony and prayed—prayed protection and life over the vibrance of it’s people.  I have no idea why this was on my heart and I don’t need to know—but I love knowing God is faithfully working behind the scenes! 

Riding in a Tap Tap

Our first stop was made via a local “tap-tap” which is a pick-up with 2 benches, a covered top, and an open back that at least 12-15 people cram into as their taxi system.  We went to a mission school that 2 of our translators (Wilgins & Prophet) started.  We got to see their classrooms and interrupt their learning for a hot second.  It was awesome to see bot

h of them who grew up in orphanages themselves with such a passion to give back to their community in this way.

We then got to meet up with what may be an amazing connection in the future. Kathy & Mark Fulton are missionaries down here running medical missions. They have started Hopital L’Eglise de Dieu Reforme (Reformed Church of God Hospital) and are in the process of starting smaller mobile clinics with the goal of establishing the ability to host short term teams.  To further confirm that this was another one of the million “God things” this week, they just so happen to be having a reknowned eye surgeon coming to visit who will likely be able to operate on a patient we saw earlier this week with a retinal blastoma (eye cancer) that would otherwise likely not be able to be treated!  In addition they have inherited a full prosthetics lab and clinic developed from leftovers after a lot of aid flooded the area post the 2010 earthquake.  In God’s timing he allowed their paths to cross with our team and both parties benefitted from the encouragement that ensued. 

View at lunch

A quick (ok, an hour) sojourn up to this beautiful mountaintop view to do some shopping and nab some lunch with an open-air view of this lush green valley below the mountain spotted in farmer’s fields.  Then back to HIS Home for Orphans that we visited on Sunday.  We just got to spend the whole afternoon with the kids and doing various projects.  The guys went out and bought some fans and were able to install fans in each of the bedrooms of the kids with special needs as well as in their new PT room.  Lynn and Gimi educated the kids on First Aid.  Then I spent the afternoon with their caregivers reviewing the exercises they have been doing as well as educating on some progressions that each of the kids would benefit from.  This mostly included things like prone positioning, bolster sitting, supported standing in stander they just got, and overall weightbearing positions to assist with feedback and strengthening.  I was blown away by the local caregivers there and their passion for learning how to better help these kids and enjoying seeing the progress these kids can make.  With each new position towards being more upright or weightbearing in some way the transformation was immediate seeing their attention improve, their eyes light up, and smiles form.  We were also able to fit a few of the new wheelchairs that they received.  The most rewards fit was for a small boy into a tilt-in-space chair so that he can spend more of his days upright in hopes of less aspiration that leads to pneumonia.  It required a fair amount of jimmy-rigging and mcgyvering that may or may not have involved cooking oil and coca-cola, plus all 5 guys that were installing the fans, but it is now a fully functioning chair and a happy little boy.  My heart is so incredibly full from this afternoon.

With every ounce of energy we had left we ended the day with a huge soccer match with our translators.  So we didn’t get absolutely creamed, they were kind enough to split the teams evenly and the scores ended fairly close.

So Will I

Verse of the Day: “Love must be sincere.  Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.”  Romans 12:9-13

I think I found a future PT

Today we fittingly added to the wide terrain of clinic visits and headed off into the desert.  Getting closer to the community, it is unique to see the variations in people groups.  Kids and adults alike all waved as we drove by—reminded me a lot of home and driving by the Amish kids actually  ;-)  Mahalia is a local woman here who has it in her heart to give back to her people.  She has employed several local doctors and nurses and they are the ones serving follow-up care in the clinics we visit.  Mission Mantana is the name of the compound we were at today.  In addition to an orphanage that is currently housing 74 kids, it has a small school and a large building that we were able to use for our larger clinic setup. 

Mahalia told me today that this has been the first time there has ever been in PT serving in their clinics.  As in a lot of countries like this, PT is either non-existent or only for the very rich who can afford it.  So this is bridging new territory to a people who need

The kids singing for us to end out our clinic day

it.  There are a lot of farmers and manual laborers in these communities that would benefit from simple changes in technique, exercises that can help them move better, or initiating rehab for old injuries where compensations have developed.  Doing PT is very different in a setting like this.  What would typically be a program developed and followed through over a course of 4-6 weeks has to be completed in roughly 20-30 min.  It basically includes some manual techniques to start to reduce their pain and then educate on at least a couple exercises to help address the root of the problem. 

Overlooking Port-au-Prince

One of my new favorite songs is “So Will I” by Hillsong United.  It is a beautiful song telling the story from creation to revelation in a way that reflects God’s worthiness of our worship in so many ways.  As I walked around tonight capturing gorgeous views of the city around me I was reminded “I can see your heart eight billion different ways, every precious one, a child you died to save. If you gave your life to love them, so will I.”  I was reminded my natural heart does not go there--it is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of treating pain that I forget the human behind it all.  I am in desperate need of God’s heart to stand in place of my own.

Sovereign Placements

Verse of the Day: “Examine and see how good the Lord is.” Psalm 34:8

Andreina

There was a God reason I didn’t have any patients the first chunk of the morning.  Today’s setup had various rooms for the different providers and I found myself toggling between different areas as team photographer and praying over where I was supposed to go.  One of the first places I ended up was being able to hold the hand of a woman getting a very painful abscess removed.  About an hour later I was in a room with Mike as he examined a 22 day old infant that had a deformity on her skull.  He determined that she had a malformed occipital plate and, although imaging can be hard to come by, would really need a CAT scan to determine the extent of any brain damage as the underlying tissue was protruding out.  He talked with a local doctor and found that it would cost US$100 to have the imaging done. 

Now let me back up a bit and tell you about the church service back home the week before we left.  Pastor Rex was preaching on compassion and giving to those in need in the name of Christ.  To support his point he placed a handful of envelopes with $100 each in the seatback pockets of the church and assigned whoever got them to pray about what God would have them do with that money to bless someone in the name of Jesus. Well, in God’s will, I received one of those envelopes.  I knew quickly that He wanted me to utilize the money in some way in Haiti but was in “stay-tuned” mode for exactly how.   It became quickly evident that I was in that room at that time for a reason, when a very specific need of $100 came up.  I am overwhelmed in thinking of God’s sovereignty at work here stretching from my pastor’s heart for compassion all the way to this infant’s need in Haiti.  Oh, and by the way—the woman with the abscess that I was with earlier that morning was the infant’s mother!

Feel bad for me, this was my view today

 Now I neglected to say where exactly our setup was earlier—we were full out beachside!  It was about an hour drive from our home base and located on a larger compound meant to provide a place for various mission projects to take place, including a small medical clinic where follow-ups are performed and continued by local doctors.  All of the medical rooms were taken by triage and as medical exam rooms so…oh darn…I had to setup a little ways away in a mini-amphitheatre overlooking the water with a nice breeze coming in.  So any of my patients back home who would rather see me here…just sayin’ ;-)  

Our full crew

Shadow of His Wings

My view for the day

Verse of the Day: “Your goodness is as high as the mountains…God your love is so precious!  You protect people in the shadow of your wings.” Psalm 36:6-7

Praying with our patients before the start of the day

This verse in my devotional today was very fitting to our travels up into the mountains for several reasons but more on that later.  Breakfast was a 6AM wakeup call to fuel up for our hour and a half bus trek out of morning rush hour city traffic and into the windy switchbacks of the mountain terrain—all the while dodging dump trucks and random obstacles along our way.  This is a new area that previous teams have not yet provided for so there was a lot of logistics to work out throughout the day.  When we arrived about 100 people were already waiting for us.  We set up our base in a cement church building sectioning things out and attempting to bring order to the patients waiting to be seen. 

 

Duck, Duck, Goose

Overall this was a more aggressive and chaotic crowd than myself or any of my other team members had experienced in medical missions before.   Thank goodness we at least had a number system where each person or family got an ordered card in which to be seen.  But this soon turned into “I’m her cousin twice removed, so I’m going to get seen with her” and soon the group sizes associated with each number were 6-7 each, and there would suddenly be 10-15 adults and kids surrounding our triage stations.  With limited space in the church and further attempts to keep order, we had everyone wait outside in a covered tent…but inch by inch they would continue to slide in along the walls or in through the side doors…on repeat, to the point where we had to put a tape line across the doors to keep order. 

My clinic for the day

Meanwhile outside our hospitality team did an amazing job trying to keep the kids entertained and occupied.  These kids are not used to having much structure to their play time or any experience in arts/crafts so attempts here ended in chaos.  We were also down a couple translators and our ball pump was broken so they grabbed the only shade tree and kept them entertained and mostly out of trouble. They definitely nailed it describing duck, duck, goose via charades without a translator!

By the end of the day, nearly everyone got seen and received their care and medications and we bounced our way back down the mountain.  Some good conversation was triggered this evening looking at pulling back and viewing the situation through their eyes.  In their current state of poverty, they are in a survivor mentality.  It doesn’t matter that the person next to you is just as ill or was there before you—their goal was simply to gain provision and be loved on as soon as possible and by whatever means possible.  The verse above was an awesome picture to me on how even though we were able to provide only a small portion of their needs, God’s always got this.  He has them protected in the shadow of his wings, way up there in the mountains, and they are loved preciously!!

The Church On The Rock

Pastor Jay is a wonderful gentleman who first came here from Miami 31 years ago.  He and his wife only had intentions of a few short stints but soon God put it on their heart to move here and help provide resources for Christian leaders including children’s ministries like VBS.  This then morphed into church planting and he has now played a part in starting several churches that reach thousands of people here in Port-au-Prince.  He says that what keeps him going is remembering that “it was just a flick of God’s finger that kept me from being born in the shanty over there.”    The church that he personally leads is huge….and starts EARLY!  The first service was at 6:30 this morning but was actually preferable to go that early to beat the heat.  In a room with 5,000 seat capacity that was pretty much full…it got a tad warm even before the sun rose ;)   The church’s name, “Eglise Sur Le Rocher” which means The Church on the Rock, is fitting as it was built right up against the edge of a gorge.   This is a prime example of a people group that has nothing but in Christ have everything—sold out and on fire—the energy and genuineness of their Love for their Savior was palpable throughout the 2 hour service.  Pastor Jay’s sermon was from 2 Corinthians and my biggest takeaway was that when you experience the blessing of a harvest, you never want to stop planting.  I have only just met him, but this concept was palpably demonstrated in seeing his church and talking with him over breakfast—it is a passionate cycle I desire to emulate!

Musical Chairs

Now let me introduce you to an absolutely amazing woman named Chris.  She and her husband were first introduced to Haiti as part of a social work study and then developed a strong passion to stay and be a part of a actively loving these kids here.  They have been here 15 years now running an orphanage called HIS Home for Orphans and have been powerful players in assisting over 300 kids get adopted into loving homes and have cared for over 500 kids in their time here so far.  They have had a max of 147 at once and currently house 74 split into 4 smaller group homes in the city.  Perhaps the most amazing aspect of their display of love to these kids is their provision of kids with special needs—knowing each and every one of them individually and with a care that seeks to see them thrive in a nation where they would either have been left to die or the parents would otherwise not have the resources to care for them.  The energy and drive that I saw through Chris today and hearing her stories about each and every child we met it is evident that her fuel is from God alone and He is using her in powerful ways!  We got the blessing of coming alongside them today for a few short hours and just loving on some of her kids. 

ALL the Bags & ALL the Sorting

Touched down safe’n’sound!!  The first huge praise is that every single one of our 28 bags made it back into our hands without “walking off” and we only had to chase down one of our carry-ons from sticky fingers (thanks to Mike!). 

Then began the assembly-lined bag hoisting process up into first what looked like a cattle-cart, then off into the school yard where we are staying, then up through the cafeteria windows to be resorted…(insert pics below of the resorting process)…then of course back out the windows again and into storage for the week.  We are all pro baggage movers by this point!

Since most of us haven’t truly slept since we got up Friday morning, this evening was a time of resting and getting fuel in our tanks for the week.