Catching Up

I keep meaning to write about many things that have happened, but then life happens and I don't get to it. But if I don't get it done soon then it will just get harder. So hear goes:

• Last Saturday 3 of our group left for home; Brian, Jenna, Maureen. Each of these people had special gifts and they each made the construction week a joy:
• Brian - has the gift of giving pure joy to children and receiving the same joy in return without actually being aware he is doing it.
• Jenna - has the gift of sharing love and hope with children with special needs. 
• Maureen - has the gift of teaching and advancing education for the children
• Also last Saturday 5 new members of our group came to Haiti to participate in our medical mission trips.
• John - a physician with whom I have worked with in the past in Haiti.
• Rob - John's son and a medical person as well
• Sharon - yet another medical person who help education the young women she works with about themselves
• Julie - associate pastor and a wonder with children
• Liz - niece of Jonathan and Shantia and a medical person in her own right
• Last Sunday we visited Be Like Brit. This is the orphanage established by the parents of Britney, who was on a mission trip in Haiti when the earthquake hit in 2010 and was killed in the collapse of the Montana hotel. The Be Like Brit orphanage was quite impressive, both in terms of the physical building, but also in terms of their policies, practices, and goals. Just very impressive all around. Len and Sherylann, Britney's parents, gave us a tour of the orphanage and their love for the children and commitment to Haiti was obvious. Again, just very impressed.

Now I think we are basically caught up. Today was another medical clinic day. The site for the clinic was open which meant we had a nice breeze, but covered so we were in the shade. A rather nice place to hold the clinic if you could put out of your find the fact the huge and heavy heavy roof (picture a 50x50x3 foot concrete block) was being propped up on one side be floor jacks stretched to their limit and balanced on top of a pile of broken cinder blocks and a piece of rotting wood.

The clinic went well and we were able to see the baby that I wrote about a day ago. She is a live and a small bit better, but still not out of the woods. The mother's sister came today as well with in infant of her own that was about in the same shape and both completely covered with skin infections.

The doctors provided care and training to the mothers. We sent them home with some additional food, baby formula, and a 5 gallon jug of clean water (which cost only $7, but was more than the mothers could afford). Even this additional support doesn't guarantee the babies will survive, but it is what can be done. So please continue to pray.

I spent the day weighing people and managing crowd control. When that was under control I met "Trouble". Don't know his real name, but he was about 2 or 3 years old and tired of waiting, so he expressed this opinion by screaming and crying. I offered to take him from his father so he wasn't stuck in line and we ended up walking hand in hand for maybe an hour or so as the line progressed. I introduced him, as "Trouble", to the other members of our group and he seemed quite content. I guess I should mention he got his name not so much from the screaming, but from continuing to escape from his father and injecting himself between doctors and their patients. It did seem that people got some level of enjoyment watching as simply walk around, not sure why, but it was a good part to my day.

The day ended by visiting the Hotel Oloffson for a little refreshment after the clinic. This is a historic hotel in Port-au-Prince and it was nice to sit on the balcony and relax a bit.