Haiti Comes To Huntsville

When my mission team goes to Haiti we stay in the guesthouse of Michelle and Greg Roberts.

They are full-time missionaries in Port au Prince, Haiti.

Today Hubs, Allison and I got to see the Roberts as they were passing through town

 on their whirlwind vacation.  When missionaries come home everyone 

wants to see them and they have a long list of to-do's, 

so I feel honored that we had a chance to sit down have have a good visit with them.

This is Michelle Roberts and her son Dustin.

Luke Doiron spent some time talking with Greg Roberts.

The Robert's daughter, Ashton, and Allison enjoyed playing with the younger girls.

Are you ever too old to play with Barbies?

Michelle and Jenny looking lovely getting dinner ready to go at the Chapman's home.

It was nice for everyone to see everyone when we were actually not 

sweaty, hot, and nasty from a day of working.

Sweaty and hot is the norm in Haiti.  

You really do get used to it.  Even me - and I hate to sweat.

Haiti Mission Team Reunion

Today most of the Haiti mission team were reunited.

Becca was asked to preach at a local church and as many as could attended.

After church we all came back to my home for lunch.

We had 5 team members, 5 spouses, and 1 teenager, and 8 assorted children.

It was a lively bunch.

We had lots of time to catch up and meet spouses and kids.

This is Karren (aka Karreem) and Becca.

Karreem is our pharmacist extroidinaire and is a very sweet person.

Becca was our math teacher/permetherin application specialist on the trip.

She is the one who preached today - and did a mighty fine job.

Not pictured is Jenny - she was behind the camera today.

Jenny is a physician and she organizes our trips.  Great leader!

Thanks for commandeering the camera Jenny!

Being the one behind the camera, I don't usually appear on my blog.

It figures I would be talking in the one picture that was in focus!

There were fresh pizzas made by yours truly -

and were pretty tasty if I do say so myself.

This is Courtney - one of my new friends from the mission team.

She is a nurse and has become a close friend.

She has a lovely snarky sense of humor - like me!

The team is already talking about out next trip together - probably in September.

I am ready!

Rushed Goodbyes Stink!

The morning we left was crazy busy for Jenny.

From trying to get the last minute paperwork done with Wilna

and getting all of the stuff that she brought down for Melissa out of her luggage. 

Then there were the dozen or so questions that everyone has before the doctor leaves to go home. 

Jenny's plans to spend some time with Melissa before leaving got compressed in to a very short time.

Melissa was pooped by the time we left for the airport. 

My rushed friend had all of her emotions of leaving her daughter once again hit her pretty hard.

The time to snuggle once more and get on top of the emotions had to happen in the truck on the way to catch our flight.

So - in honor of my friends with a Melissa-shaped holes in their hearts, here is a little snippet of a video that I took with my Ipad the last night.  While Jenny was taking a shower I introduced Melissa to the pretty baby in the Ipad.  They had quite a little conversation. 

Hopefully the next time to Haiti Jenny won't have to tell Melissa goodbye.

Heart Surgery Roundup

Yesterday afternoon there were a few families that 

showed up at the guesthouse to spend the night.  

The children are heart surgery candidates with their parents 

who have come here in order to travel as a group to 

Santiago, Dominican Republic in the morning.

We have had a little girl and her mom as guests in the house this week. 

The little girl, Kerozine, is traveling with a group of children and 

parents to Santiago, Dominican Republic.  

They left early this morning in the prison truck, er Chadasha tap tap.  

Not a very comfortable way to travel, but fortunately they only have to 

ride in it for about 1 1/2 hours until they get to the Jumani compound, 

just inside the Dominican Republic.  

Then they will switch vehicles and ride the 7 1/2 hours to Santiago in a bus.

These children have been identified by medical teams 

as children in need of heart surgery.  

The Chadasha organization has helped these families compile 

(and in many cases, create) the needed paperwork for the trip. 

Many children in Haiti don't have birth certificates.  

To get an identification number (like our Social Security number) 

one needs a birth certificate.  

To get a passport one needs the identification number.  

The process to have a birth certificate created is 

a rather complicated and expensive. 

Since these kids need passports to travel to the DR, 

they have needed help to get everything ready.  

There has been many phone calls made and many forms filled out 

and much money spent in getting these children ready to go.  

I am grateful that there are so many folks, like Chris Keylon, 

Wilna Nelson, and Michelle and Greg Roberts, 

who have been dedicated to getting these kids hearts fixed 

so that they can lead full, normal lives.

I am proud to know these amazing people who feel 

called to help these children.

Down Time

We woke this morning knowing that the only firm plans for 

the day were that the heart surgery candidate families 

were leaving and that Jenny would be going 

with baby Melissa and two kids from the Brewer orphanage 

to have heart echocardiograms and to the lawyer's office 

to sign paperwork for Melissa's guardianship.  

Both of these did happen but it took all day!  

I keep having to remind myself that I am in Haiti 

(rhymes with Waiti!)

We had hoped to go back to the Brewer orphanage to play with 

the kids there and get to know them better 

but it just didn't happen.  

There wasn't a driver available to take us over.  

Karren and Kathy took advantage of the time to get all 

of the pharmacy supplies restocked.  

This pharmacy is in such better shape since Karren (Karreem!) 

came on the scene.  

It is 200% more up to date since all of the bags from 

past mobile medical clinics were emptied and expired meds 

removed and meds grouped and alphabetized. 

We missed spending the time at the orphanage but 

we did enjoy the few hours spent talking with Andrea Brewer 

while she was waiting to leave with the two kids from 

the orphanage who were getting echoes.  

Andrea is an amazing woman, dedicated to being the face of Christ 

to the sweet children in her care.  

She and her husband have been in Haiti through 

the earthquake, the cholera epidemic 

(for which she was very closely associated) 

and still manages to get up everyday 

and do it again.  

She is my hero.  

I don't think I could do what she does.  

You can read more about her and the orphanage here: reachhaiti.com.

Anyway, it was so very nice to get to sit around 

the dining table at the guesthouse and just have 

a good long girlfriend visit with Andrea.  

We loved getting to know her better and she 

really appreciated girl talk.  

She said that most of the  medical teams that 

come through are mostly men.  

To have an all female medical team to visit with was fun.  

We were glad to accommodate her need for girl time. 

Sweaty Gorgeousness

We haz it.

Clinic in the Land of Canaan

Today we headed out of town to the largest tent city named Canaan. 

It sprawls over a rolling hill and large valley. 

Lots of new construction going on, which is good to see, 

but still the vast majority live in small shacks or make-shift tents. 

We were wondering if the many half-built homes were the product 

of mission teams who left before completing them. I hope not. 

By the way, the white-roofed mass of buildings in the background are new structures 

built by Haitian workers for World Vision. 

See folks, here are your World Vision donation dollars at work.

We held the clinic in an empty, multi-roomed concrete block with dirt floors. 

I initially thought that we would all be just miserably hot but there 

was enough of a breeze and enough holes (for doors, windows, and well, just holes) 

in the walls that the breeze kept us reasonably comfortable.

The estimate was that we saw 100 people. 

As usual, with the exception of a few more serious medical problems 

that needed to see Jenny, we saw the usual assortment of

 intestinal worms, allergies, lots of eye irritation, and STDs.

This was the first patient that I saw.

She was so sweet and had the best smile. 

She blessed me as she left.  

What a great way to start our clinic!

Everyone that we saw was orderly and grateful to be seen. 

After the clinic was over and we began to pack up I realized that a girl 

was peeking through one of the holes in the wall of the room we used for the pharmacy.

 It didn't take long for her to see that I had my camera and 

started to make a game of peeking in and seeing if I could catch her.

 Nice moment that didn't require a translator.

Today was our last day of medical clinics. 

Tomorrow we hope to get to go back to the Brewer orphanage and 

play with the kids, unpack and shelve our leftover meds and supplies 

and get ourselves packed for our early morning flight out on Friday.

Poorest of the Poor

The orphanage at Cite Soliel today was pretty amazing.

There were tents with packing blankets on the dirt where the kids slept. 

One tent had three sets of metal bunk beds but unfortunately they 

weren't functioning as beds, they had clothing stored on them with no mattresses.

The most modern thing about the whole orphanage was the bathroom facilities. 

I didn't venture to open the door to see how things worked but it appears 

to be a pretty nice way to handle what could otherwise be a huge health problem.

 I wonder what relief organization built it for them.

The kitchen was an open-air hut with a charcoal-burning cooking frame. 

Pots and dishes stored on the ground. 

Adjacent to the kitchen hut was an empty chicken coop. 

There were several chickens roaming on the property.

Other than some scabies, a girl with asthma, and another girl with female problems 

this was a very healthy bunch of kids. 

The adult caregivers are doing the best they can with the resources they have - 

which are very scarce. They were very gracious to us and very much appreciated 

the medical checkup for the kids, staff and some of the villagers

 and for the load of food provided by Chadasha.

The big challenge of the day for me was to dust off 

my 20 year old blood-drawing skills and draw blood from 

a set of malnourished and dehydrated twins. 

Whew! I am glad to report that with lots of sweat and prayers I was successful 

- and the twins are HIV negative.

This orphanage is terribly, terribly poor but healthy considering the living conditions. 

So glad we were able to help.

Haitian Play Day

Today was our day to play. 

 We spent the day at the newly formed Chadasha children's shelter. 

 It is housed in the second story of a lovely senior Haitian-American woman's home. 

 Currently there are 10 children residing here. They are all loved and happy. 

 The goal for the home is to be a sort of holding station for kids i

n the process of being adopted. 

 Hopefully it will become completely self-sufficient with the adoptive parents 

paying upkeep for their kids while the process is being worked.

For me, the coolest parts of the day were getting to deliver some of the bed bags 

that my GFWC Legacy service club made for the kids and getting to meet and deliver 

the items that my daughter purchased for the oldest girl at the home.

A few weeks ago I saw pictures of the kids in the shelter on Michelle Robert's Facebook page. 

 The oldest girl struck a chord with Allison and me. Allison decided that 

for her upcoming birthday she wanted money to purchase items for the oldest girl. 

 Together we shopped and bought 2 dresses, top/shorts outfit, undies and training bras, 

a journal, colored pens and pencils, and lipgloss.

When I got to meet Stelie (short for Estelie) I fell in love with her! 

She was a little shy at first but was very excited about the bed bag with her own name on it. 

When I got to give her the bag of goodies from Allison she was really just awestruck. 

I also told her that Allison would like to exchange notes, pictures, and photographs 

in the future if possible. With the regular trips that friends of mine (and me?) 

will make in the future getting notes passed shouldn't be too much problem.

 She gave me two very well colored pages out of her coloring book 

and signed her name and "I love you" for me to give to Allison.

 I think this is the beginning of a wonderful relationship.

My friend and fellow mission worker, Kathy, worked with Stelie on her numbers 

while we were there too.

Overall it was a very low-key, relaxing day of playing with the kids with just 

a little bit of medical check-ups added in. Another good day.

The Apparent Project

Saturday was a busy day for the team. 

We spend the day doing a mobile medical clinic for the Apparent Project artisans 

and their families and a few folks from the adjacent tent city. 

 The Apparent Project is a non-profit organization dedicated 

to helping Haitian residents develop and sell their art in order to support themselves 

so that their families can remain together. 

 This very worthwhile organization is run by 

Corrigan and Shelley Clay - empowerers extraordinaire.

We managed to see 120 people that day and were exhausted at the end of it all. 

 What do an all-female mission team do after a hard day of seeing patients? 

 Why, we shop! We got to spend a bit of time in a small room with tons of amazing jewelry, 

coconut nativity sets, hammered metal crosses, and baskets. 

 These amazing artists take cardboard, 50 gallon drums, fabric and 

lacquer and turn them into real works of art.

Sunday, Kreol Style

Sunday in Haiti is church day. 

 The team got all gussied up (well, we had on skirts) and went to 

the Pernier Baptist Church in Petionville (an area of Port au Prince). 

 We love this church and wanted our newbie team member Becca to enjoy this service. 

 It is in Kreol but there are some things that transcend a language barrier. 

 The order of service is roughly the same as at home - hymn singing, sermon and communion. 

 The really cool thing about this week's service is that about 40 people were 

lined up across the front of the church and down the center aisle. 

 The pastor and the elders of the church made their way around and spoke to 

and shook the hand of each person. 

 After church we asked Kessy, one of the young men who translates for our team, 

what all of that was about. 

 He said that the Sunday before was Homecoming for their church and that the people 

who were lined up were being formally presented as members of the church.

After church we changed clothes and headed to the beach. 

 The plan was to see some property that the Chadasha Foundation is planning 

to purchase to build a respite for the children they serve.  

As we traveled the road to the beach we came upon a field covered in white and gray rocks. 

Spread over the rocks were hundreds of black crosses. 

Some with wreaths long since dried up and withered, some just plain. 

This place is the mass grave for over half of the people who perished 

in the earthquake of January 2010.

Rather overwhelming but in hindsight it seems a peaceful, dignified place 

to place the remains - away from the chaos of the city.

Once again found out why Haiti's nickname is "Waiti". 

 The beach resort where we stopped for lunch took so long to serve us (>2 hours) 

that we missed our opportunity to see the property. 

 We needed to get back into the safe confines of the guesthouse before it got too dark. 

 This city just isn't safe after dark.

By the way - after riding for a total of 3 hours on the "prison truck" 

(our open air chariot for the week) I cleaned my face with a makeup removing wipe. 

The black stuff is mascara, the tan stuff is dirt. 

The air quality from dust, burning trash, and vehicles exhaust is significant. 

This is not a country for germphobes!

Andrea and the kids

I met someone who impressed the socks off of my today. 

 Andrea and her husband (who is currently in India on a church mission trip) 

run a little orphanage in Croix du Bouquet, an area of PAP. 

 She and her husband came to PAP to start an orphanage 6 weeks after they married! 

 Wow, what a honeymoon! 

 Now they have 26 kids who are loved and beautifully cared for by the Brewers.

One of our favorite girls - Wilnise.  

Never stopped smiling the whole time we were there.

We spent an afternoon at the orphanage checking them out medically 

and starting medical charts for them. 

We enjoyed playing with them, giving them candy 

(hey, we are the medical caregivers, not the dentists - don't judge!), 

and receiving a gift of a spontaneous dance from the kids. 

 The song that they were singing is a Shakira song that was made popular 

at the last World Cup games. 

 It was much fun to watch the kids dance and then to watch 

our team member Stefanie join in.

I will be very interested to see how this orphanage evolves. 

 Sweet kids being loved by sweet people - it's a good start!

Melissa Fix

Jenny is in heaven!

 

 One of the first orders of business for my dear friend and Haitian homegirl 

was to get her hands on her soon-to-be-adopted daughter, Melissa. 

 When Jenny first met Melissa was on my first, Jenny's second, mission trip to Port au Prince. 

 This sweet baby with Down's Syndrome was abandoned by 

a desperate mother who couldn't care for this special child. 

 With lots of nutrition and medical care this baby is thriving. 

 No one knows how long her health will hold out but for now she is 

happy, healthy, content little girl. 

 And her blanc momma is pretty happy and content too.

If you would like to read more of Jenny and Melissa's remarkable story, 

check our Jenny's blog at http://drjennychapman.blogspot.com/