A New Day, A New Location

Our second day in Haiti was a Saturday so we planned a mobile clinic. We loaded as many supplies and medicines as we could and traveled to a nearby neighborhood church to conduct a clinic. The minister knew we were coming so had informed the people who lived in nearby houses and tents. When we arrived around noon the patients were there and waiting on us.

Since we had a shortage of translators this day, we decided to pair up. Mark and Sherrie set up a pharmacy in the back of the church to fill the prescriptions we would write. "Doc" Eric set up a table on the alter as did I. Earla was on the alter with Doc and me, she was going to be an over the counter medication pharmacy - giving out such things as Tylenol, Ibuprofen, worm medication, etc. Al and Sonia were outside under a tent under a tree seeing patients.

The most interesting patients I encountered this day included a young man I think had Hepatitis, probably from drinking contaminated water and a woman with a thyroid tumor the size of a softball that was causing her pain and difficulty swallowing. Both of these were referred to local hospitals for further treatment.

About 2 o'clock in the afternoon I needed to go to the bathroom. Patients were going behind the church and peeing in a cup for us if we needed specimens for pregnancy tests, etc. I could not bring myself to just stand behind the church and pee in plain view for the whole world (or at least this corner of Haiti) to see. Our host, Greg, came and said "follow me". One of the women who lived across the street from the church and ran a photography studio offered to let the women use her bathroom. She pulled back a blanket that was the front wall to her one room studio/house. Inside was a twin size bed, a chair, and 3 shelves on the wall. We walked into this room and out a back door. Here was a small walled off area. On one side was a piece of corrugated tin standing upright. The woman handed me a small piece of toilet paper then she moved the tin aside to reveal a concrete box with a small raised box on top that had a 10 inch by 10 inch hole. I didn't know if I was supposed to try to sit on it or climb up on top and squat over it. I chose the latter. The whole time I'm trying to decide the best way to utilize this "facility" I can see her fingers wrapped around the tin to afford me privacy. I also knew, she, Earla, and the woman's son where just on the other side of the makeshift wall. When I exited from behind the tin, she was there to offer me a chip off a bar of soap. She demonstrated to me that she wanted me to hold my hands out over a galvanized washtub so she could pour water over my hands while I washed with the soap. After I washed and she rinsed my hands to handed me a small white towel to dry my hands. Then Earla repeated the process I had just done. To me this was such an act of kindness and hospitality. She didn't have much, but was willing to share with us all she had. I saw Christ reflected in this woman.

In the evenings after we ate the dinner that was prepared for us by the hired staff, we showered and prepared supplies for the next day's clinic. We would sit and discuss the day's events, read books we had brought with us that in the States we often find ourselves too busy to read, or journal to remember the events when we return to our daily routines. This particular evening there was going to be a baptismal service at the church. Twenty-five people were being baptised. We were invited to attend. Al and Mark decided to go, but since no one had any idea how long the service would last the rest of us decided to stay and prepare for the next day and rest from the busy day we had completed.


First Baptist Church Pernier, Haiti
Sunday morning we prepared to attend the twenty ninth anniversary of the church. We left later than we had expected. When we arrived the service was in full swing. We were greeted by one of the young translators. He said he needed three of us to follow him. Earla, Al, and I followed as directed. He took us down the center isle to the second row from the front. There must have been 400 people in this service. I had taken my video camera and was told it was OK to video. There was a man with a camera who moved about the entire service videoing, so I didn't feel so obvious sitting in my seat with my camera rolling. Every choir and praise band performed this day. I especially liked the group with an accordion and the men had worked out dance routines. The singing lasted about two hours. The twenty five people who had been baptised the night before were recognized and given their certificate of baptism. Then the minister began his sermon. He spoke in Creole, so for the next hour during his message, I just looked around at the faces of the people in the choirs in front of me.

After the service we were invited to attend a church wide luncheon that was part of the anniversary celebration. We were ushered into a room in the basement of the church. This area had previously been used as a school. There were still math equations on the blackboard. We were told that the church members wouldn't come back into the basement after the quake. As I sat looking around I began to feel uneasy being in the basement. There were places in the cement block ceiling where the rebar was exposed and the mortar had crumbled. We walked from classroom to classroom and noticed there were areas where the wall between the classrooms had crumbled and fallen to the floor.

We usually divided up and traveled in two trucks. So, we divided, climbed into the tucks then headed to "Hot and Fresh". A few men said they were still hungry and wanted to buy a burger. The rest of us decided to splurge and ordered varying flavors of ice cream.

We then were driven into downtown Port-au-Prince to view firsthand the devastation caused by the earthquake. I chose to ride in the back of the pickup so I could better see and take photos. The air was thick with dust. Everywhere is dirty and dusty. I am amazed how the people were so clean and dressed in their whites, suits, heels, etc. for church today.

One of our first stops was high above the port along the fault line that had shifted causing the quake. I can't begin to describe what I saw and felt. I was so overwhelmed for the people who live here. All I could think of while driving through Port-au-Prince was "they must feel like they live in a war zone." We saw the Presidential Palace - being guarded by UN troops. Haiti was a country of poverty before - now it seems hopeless.

As I read my daily devotion in "Jesus Calling", it reminded me that "God's peace is His continual gift to us. The day-to-day collecting of manna kept His people aware of their dependence on Him." The people of Haiti must daily collect their food (manna) as there is no refrigeration available to most of them. They are dependant on God to provide.

My precious daughter, Sara, sent a note along with me to read one night while in Haiti. I had planned to read it Monday night after our first full day in clinic. However, I was feeling overwhelmed from the sights, sounds, and smells of our tour and decided I needed her encouragement tonight. She reminded me a verse in Matthew "WHAT YOU DO FOR THE LEAST OF MY PEOPLE YOU DO FOR ME." I needed to hear that.

I brought the book "The Power of Half" by Kevin and Hannah Salwen to read on this trip. I want to learn from them. "I want to turn the good life into a life of good."

Needless to say, we were all pleasantly surprised when we learned we were having Domino's Pizza home delivery for dinner this night.