**Photo credit = Andy Rock :)
After being back from Haiti for a few days, I have had some time to reflect upon this trip and my experiences while there.
The days went by quickly although at first I was, admittedly, homesick for my family. The people of Haiti are truly amazing. The children are beautiful and resilient. Despite their circumstances, they are always willing to offer a smile. I can still here their voices as they yelled, “blan, blan!” which in Creole translates into “white” or “foreigner.”
I have gained so much more from this experience than anything I could possibly offer to any one individual.
We spent quite a bit of time at the New Vision Ministries Mission or “Misyon-an” where we had the opportunity to interact with the children residing there. We also got see first-hand the work of the interns from IMPACT—they have hearts of gold and I am truly in awe of their love for the children and the people of this community. At the mission our medical team members spent quite a bit of time in the medicine/optometry room, trying to organize the medications and supplies. This job was a bit tedious but necessary in order for us to determine what we had to work with prior to our clinics. We also had many delicious meals while at the mission—typically consisting of rice with beans, fried fish, freshly sliced mangos and a wonderful spicy cabbage salad called pikliz.
We ventured out into the fishing village of Montrouis (pronounced “moree”) on several occasions and observed first-hand the living conditions of the villagers. Homes consisted of one room atop a concrete slab with corrigated aluminum roofs. Thin drapes often acted as doors and the single room housed entire families with whatever belongings they had. Humans and livestock alike shared a creek, which ran through the village—it was used for drinking, bathing and washing clothes.
Many children ran around barefoot with debris, trash, and rocks all around them. It was common to see them with unattended wounds, cuts or burns. There was also the frequently encountered smell of burning trash.
Traveling on the roadways was quite an adventure! Here “motos”, “tap-taps” (small pick-up trucks converted into jam packed “buses”), and semi’s ALL shared the roads. On the road, the constant sound of loud horns filled our ears. Needless to say, I was thankful for Dago, our fearless Haitian driver, who had complete mastery of the roadways!
Our accommodations while in Haiti were beyond nice (as you may see by looking at some of the pictures) and we definitely didn’t rough-it! Our oceanfront hotel, Club Indigo, provided us with a beautiful way to start and end our days. The waters of the Caribbean were inviting, clear, and warm. The only danger here was jellyfish (a few of our team members experienced this first-hand). Here, we seemed to be a world away from the surrounding community. One could not stop but wonder how there could be such a disparity… why couldn’t all of Haiti be more like Club Indigo?
In terms of the medical component of our mission, there were many circumstances in which I felt as though I was putting “band-aids” on conditions for which follow up care was in great need. There was always the recommendation for a patient to be seen again althought it was doubtful that this would happen. In some cases, I knew that the situation was dire and that the extensive work-up and care we had no access to was crucial. In a remote mountain village we visited on our last day, I was told that the only medical care for some was our team coming and it would likely be months before anybody else would return. There were a few cases of malnourishment evidenced by distended bellies and lightening of hair coloring (kwashiorkor). That last day we saw many people, but unfortunately were forced to turn others away. One could not help but feel discouraged, however, the word “espwa” or “hope” kept on coming to mind. I was constantly reminded of the hope God gives us—in the beautiful voices of the Haitian gospel singers who put on a concert for us, in the newly built roof of the church we sat in, and in the hug from the villager whose back was made better by a few ibuprofen. In the “Haiti Journal” our team was given at the beginning of our trip, we learned of the power He gives to “transform lives in our broken world.”
I also learned a lot about myself during this time as well… I wanted to be busy and there were certainly times I was, but I also learned to slow down!! This was tough given my tendency to always be running around, doing a hundred things at once. I had the opportunity to play pat a cake with Daphne, Lomit, and Guile and talk to them about their dreams—the all wanted to be doctors!
I got to hold babies like Abigail and Jeffnika.
I had time to reflect and think about my relationship with God and those closest to me. I hope the seeds that were planted inside me will continue to grow. Maybe I need to slow down at home too, and maybe there are more mission trips for me in the future!!
Piti piti na rive is a popular Creole saying which means “little by little we will arrive.” Although the conditions throughout most of Haiti are rough, made especially worse following the 2010 earthquake, they are improving slowly. This was observed by some of our returning team members—they noted fewer tents occupying the tent cities of Port-Au-Prince. There is still much work to be done.
Please continue to hold up in prayer the people of Haiti and also continue to pray for all of the missionaries, pastors, and medical personnel who little by little are helping make a difference in this country!
