An older woman sat patiently beside her husband and gently wiped a cold cloth across his forehead. He sighed deeply and smiled at her as though there wasn’t a single other person in the room. For a brief moment it seemed as though he had forgotten about the pins protruding from his left leg and the cast that held his right. This is the Baptist Mission Hospital. Twelve or more beds are crammed into each of the three tiny rooms that hold only earthquake survivors. Some are seriously injured, while others are on the road to recovery, most are missing limbs and all are suffering from extreme pain. It is a harsh and painful reality that is difficult to comprehend and even harder to stand by and watch.
Long pew-like benches line the halls of the hospital where people who are waiting admission anxiously sit. Volunteer doctors and nurses scurry between rooms, grabbing meds, taking temperatures, changing dressings, prepping for surgery and cleaning the odd accident. It is a constant flurry of activity.
I had gone to the hospital with the intention of being an extra set of hands and not just an extra body in the way. Timidly I sat back for probably the first hour, doing my best to give a smile to a suffering patient or stumble my way through Creole with a family member. I was shy, timid and completely out of my element.
In the process of running prescriptions, getting blankets and doing any other kind of errand that needed to be done I received so much encouragement from the medical staff. I readily admitted to not having any medical background in which they replied, “that’s wonderful, we need people like you!” Definitely not the response I expected.
Before long patients were starting to call me by name. Some just wanted to hold my hand or play with my hair. There were many times throughout the day where I just thanked God that he had saved these people physically and prayed that they would be saved spiritually.
Samaritans Purse plays a big part in the Baptist Mission Hospital. Volunteers from that organization are often found in the halls and by the bedsides of patients. I was doing my best to comfort a young woman while her pain medication kicked in when a couple stopped at the bed beside me. An older woman spoke softly to the Haitian pastor that stood next to her, both clutching their bibles looking intently down at the man in bed. It was obvious that his leg was a casualty of the quake, being that it was removed just above the knee. He was a smaller, quiet man who I hadn’t really noticed up to this point. He had been sleeping most of the morning and had no visitors that I could recall. When I had taken his temperature earlier in the day, he sat with his eyes closed, almost as if to block out the reality that was going on around him. Now the older woman asked in English if she could speak to him for a little bit. The Haitian Pastor at her side translated and they were both invited to sit down. I was doing my best to not eavesdrop but my curiosity kept getting the best of me. Every so often I would look over to see what it was they were talking about. It took me a while to figure out that the older woman was quietly telling this man about Jesus Christ. I wasn’t certain as to whether or not this man was a believer but could tell that the words this woman spoke were ones of comfort and hope. After about a half an hour I heard her ask him if he wanted to ask Jesus in his heart. Before the Haitian Pastor even finished translating, this man who had been bed ridden for weeks emphatically said in English “Yes!” It was there in the room that held 11 other patients and a slew of other strangers that this man gave his life over to Christ. As he followed along in prayer my eyes started to fill up with tears. As I looked around the room, patients nearby closed their eyes and lifted their hands saying quietly “Mesi Jezi”, Thank you Jesus! Even in their own pain and sorrow they knew they were witness to another life saved. Mesi Jezi!
I have to tell you about a woman at the hospital named Mimi. She is an 87 year old woman who shows up to work as a nurses aid every day. She truly is an inspiration and a real witness to what love and sacrifice really are. I would be surprised if Mimi stood over 5 feet tall and weighed more than 110 pounds. Throughout the entire day she stayed busy changing bedding, pushing wheelchairs, and feeding anyone that was unable to do it themselves. She would catch my eye and give me a grin that literally stretched from ear to ear. If she spoke English she didn’t let me know but instead would whisper words of encouragement in Creole to me or a nearby patient. By the age of 87 most people feel that they have served their time and that it is their turn to be waited on. Not this Haitian lady. I caught her lifting an older gentleman clear out of his wheelchair and into his bed. This man was almost twice her size, had both of his legs in casts and was completely unable to assist her in anyway. I would never have even asked this frail, grey haired woman to hold a gallon of water for me, let alone pick up and place this crippled man into bed. Before I could get over to where she was, she had set him down and was proceeding to change the gentlemans soiled underpants. At this point she was attempting to lift him with one arm and shimmy his clothing on with the other. It was like nothing I had ever seen. Had I not been there I have no doubt in my mind that she would have completed the entire task successfully and without complaint. Even with my help she insisted that she lift the man while I dealt with his clothes. I smile just thinking about her and marvel at her unending energy. I hope that my retirement looks a little more like Mimis and a little less like golf courses and margaritas.
When I left the hospital I felt like I was leaving behind family and friends. There wasn’t a single nurse, doctor or patient who hadn’t embraced me, whether it was physically or emotionally. Everyone there was so focused and willing to work together for a common cause. Most had come as strangers from all over the world but ended up leaving as family. They are all in the business of saving lives and were willing to work around the clock to do so. It was an incredible experience that I will hold in my heart forever.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Streetlights
The entire neighborhood started clapping and shouting for joy. I couldn’t figure it out, was there a soccer game on or something? What was I missing? I followed what some of the children were doing and poked my head over the wall at the Toddler house. For the first time since the earthquake you could see little points of light stretch out for miles. Public electricity had been restored. Something we take for granted had caused this entire neighborhood to dance and sing in pure happiness. We turned and looked at one another and smiles broke out on each and every face. Excitement filled the air! I have been witness to so many little moments that they start to all blend together. That in itself is a shame. I don’t ever want to forget the magic I felt standing on my tip toes smiling at the streetlights.
We have spent days sorting through the various supplies and donations that have come back from the States with us. So far we have created packets for each Haitian staff member of GLA that contains a tarp, a lantern, a hygiene kit, 2 towels, 2 blankets, 2 packets of rice and a tent. We have also taken any excess that we have and created packets for any visitors or families that come to our door. It fills my heart to know that donations are going directly to families that need it instead of sitting in a warehouse somewhere while people continue to live in sheet houses.
I haven’t been down to Port Au Prince since taking the Canadian children home so I cant say if there has been any progress. We have been told that there is a ninety percent chance that Haiti will feel another earthquake larger than a 5.0 so I am not sure if it is statistics like these that continue to prevent people from returning home. Things up in the mountains of Kenscoff feel as though they are slowly returning to normal. Even up at the Baptist Mission the street vendors have put up their paintings and carefully displayed their sculptures although I am not sure how much business they would be getting.
We received a container down at the Ports in Port Au Prince that had been shipped prior to the earthquake. The container was ¼ full of donations for GLA. So a truck was hired and the supplies were picked up. We are full at both the Main House and at the Toddler House and have run completely out of storage space. This left one other option…Ft Jacques.
There is a beautiful piece of property up the mountain in Ft Jacques that has been purchased by Gods Littlest Angels as the future home to the orphanage. This piece of land currently contains a large stone wall that surrounds the property as well as a depot and garage. As money continues to be raised you will eventually see a 3 story building that will allow the main and toddler houses to be combined. This project will take at least one million dollars to complete but I cant even begin to explain what a blessing that would be.
So with this truck en route we climbed into the vehicles and headed up to Ft. Jacques to unload. I don’t think I have ever seen so much baby food, diapers or toilet paper in my life. The truck was full. We received at least 2 pallets stacked with baby food! It was absolutely incredible. To think that this has been in the shipping process for quite a while and was delivered now when it is most needed is amazing. It took 20 of us a couple hours to unload the truck and briefly sort through what was there. Talk about team work. I am not sure what the plan is for distribution but I do know that GLA is ready for any child that comes their way. If only they would start coming….
Thank you to everyone who continues to pray and support Gods Littlest Angels. In bible study this week Yvonne talked about how we have to make a conscious choice. We either choose to live in fear or we choose to live in faith. The staff at GLA I believe has chosen to live in faith. Slowly but surely their hearts are starting to heal and happiness is starting to seep back into their lives. We are an organization that is thankful and amazed at what God can and continues to do.
We have spent days sorting through the various supplies and donations that have come back from the States with us. So far we have created packets for each Haitian staff member of GLA that contains a tarp, a lantern, a hygiene kit, 2 towels, 2 blankets, 2 packets of rice and a tent. We have also taken any excess that we have and created packets for any visitors or families that come to our door. It fills my heart to know that donations are going directly to families that need it instead of sitting in a warehouse somewhere while people continue to live in sheet houses.
I haven’t been down to Port Au Prince since taking the Canadian children home so I cant say if there has been any progress. We have been told that there is a ninety percent chance that Haiti will feel another earthquake larger than a 5.0 so I am not sure if it is statistics like these that continue to prevent people from returning home. Things up in the mountains of Kenscoff feel as though they are slowly returning to normal. Even up at the Baptist Mission the street vendors have put up their paintings and carefully displayed their sculptures although I am not sure how much business they would be getting.
We received a container down at the Ports in Port Au Prince that had been shipped prior to the earthquake. The container was ¼ full of donations for GLA. So a truck was hired and the supplies were picked up. We are full at both the Main House and at the Toddler House and have run completely out of storage space. This left one other option…Ft Jacques.
There is a beautiful piece of property up the mountain in Ft Jacques that has been purchased by Gods Littlest Angels as the future home to the orphanage. This piece of land currently contains a large stone wall that surrounds the property as well as a depot and garage. As money continues to be raised you will eventually see a 3 story building that will allow the main and toddler houses to be combined. This project will take at least one million dollars to complete but I cant even begin to explain what a blessing that would be.
So with this truck en route we climbed into the vehicles and headed up to Ft. Jacques to unload. I don’t think I have ever seen so much baby food, diapers or toilet paper in my life. The truck was full. We received at least 2 pallets stacked with baby food! It was absolutely incredible. To think that this has been in the shipping process for quite a while and was delivered now when it is most needed is amazing. It took 20 of us a couple hours to unload the truck and briefly sort through what was there. Talk about team work. I am not sure what the plan is for distribution but I do know that GLA is ready for any child that comes their way. If only they would start coming….
Thank you to everyone who continues to pray and support Gods Littlest Angels. In bible study this week Yvonne talked about how we have to make a conscious choice. We either choose to live in fear or we choose to live in faith. The staff at GLA I believe has chosen to live in faith. Slowly but surely their hearts are starting to heal and happiness is starting to seep back into their lives. We are an organization that is thankful and amazed at what God can and continues to do.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Today We Eat
Seven flights in one week. I am a nerd for counting but 7 flights in one week has got to be a record, and being a pilot doesn’t count. I have flown from Calgary to Toronto to Miami to Port au Prince to Ottawa to Toronto to Miami back to Port au Prince. If there was ever a time where I was afraid to fly I cant remember it. It almost seems weird that I am not hurrying through customs, crossing my fingers through baggage check and waiting anxiously to take off or land.
I am so blessed to be working with this organization. I was lucky enough to spend the days between dropping the kids off in Ottawa and our flight out of Miami with some of the staff from GLA. As hard as this transition has been for them, they remain upbeat, positive and are simply a pleasure to be around. Everything they do, they do with a smile on their face and prove to me everyday what it truly means to be a servant of God. Whatever needs to be done they tackle it, so often seeing the bigger picture that I tend to miss.
Staying in Miami with our group of 6 girls we did some serious shopping. Knowing that we would have room to take supplies back with us we went to work in the aisles of Target, Walmart and even drove half the city of Miami searching for the Super Walmart. We loaded shopping cart after shopping cart with blankets, tarps, tents, and lanterns. We cleared the store shelves completely before heading to the checkout counter where people would literally stop and stare. I don’t think there is a single Rubbermaid container left in the whole state of Florida. Beans, rice and cooking oil were also on the list of essentials to bring back with us. We filled up the huge 8 passenger van we rented at least 3 times with items we had purchased.
Clearing the shelves was the easy part. It’s the loading, unloading, hauling up to the 7th floor, sorting, packing, loading, taking down to the 1st floor and filling up the shuttle busses that was hard. In order to have the room we needed to sort, divide and pack we literally took over the entire 7th floor of the Marriott hotel. We lined Rubbermaid containers along the walls in the hallway and went to work packing all 30 of them. To get out of their rooms, guests had to crawl over 50 lbs bags of rice, weave between the stacks of blankets and try not to trip on the kneeling girls. Not sure how popular we were so we offered both smiles and apologies to anyone who dared to leave the safety of their rooms.
Its never ceases to amaze me how willing people are to lend a hand. You hear the expression to give the clothes off your back but when have you ever witnessed such a thing? As we were well into our sorting and packing process a man and his wife stopped to ask us what we were doing. A valid question considering we were virtually blocking the entrance to his room. One of the staff members explained who we were and why we had created such a mess. As she was speaking I could literally see the mans face light up. He asked when we were leaving and if we would be willing to take anything that he had to give. Within minutes he had come back with his and his wife’s winter coats. He sheepishly asked if they could be used in Haiti and explained that he would give us so much more, but it was the only two articles he had that didn’t need to be washed. This man was ready and willing to give the clothes off his back but felt that the Haitian people deserved more than his unwashed laundry. So instead he brought us what he could saying that he had been looking for an opportunity to help. In a split second this gentleman had chosen to part with something of his in order for it to be blessing for someone else. Please keep this selfless couple in your prayers.
It wasn’t long before I was back in Concourse G at the Miami International Airport. It took two shuttle busses and a truck crammed full in order to get all of our supplies to the airport. I would imagine that the same guy who had tagged all 10 thousand pounds last week, was not too happy to see me again. Despite the task ahead he managed to give me a smile and a wave. This time we knew what to expect and the process went sooo much smoother. We were on the airplane and circling Port Au Prince before we knew it.
The language of love is a powerful one that I am blessed to be learning each and every day. The world may be weeping for Haiti but the people here are resilient. We had a visitor at dinner explain that she had started to cry at one of the hospitals, overwhelmed with a feeling of helplessness. She told me that a young man had come over to her to try and comfort her. He asked her gently why she was crying. Through her tears she explained that she was crying for him and for all the people of Haiti. He responded to her, “Miss, don’t cry for us. Today was a good day. Today we got to eat.”
There are so many examples of why this country holds my heart. Please pray for the people of Haiti that they would continue to smile and continue to hold on to that positive attitude. May they be blessed for their endurance and strength!
I am so blessed to be working with this organization. I was lucky enough to spend the days between dropping the kids off in Ottawa and our flight out of Miami with some of the staff from GLA. As hard as this transition has been for them, they remain upbeat, positive and are simply a pleasure to be around. Everything they do, they do with a smile on their face and prove to me everyday what it truly means to be a servant of God. Whatever needs to be done they tackle it, so often seeing the bigger picture that I tend to miss.
Staying in Miami with our group of 6 girls we did some serious shopping. Knowing that we would have room to take supplies back with us we went to work in the aisles of Target, Walmart and even drove half the city of Miami searching for the Super Walmart. We loaded shopping cart after shopping cart with blankets, tarps, tents, and lanterns. We cleared the store shelves completely before heading to the checkout counter where people would literally stop and stare. I don’t think there is a single Rubbermaid container left in the whole state of Florida. Beans, rice and cooking oil were also on the list of essentials to bring back with us. We filled up the huge 8 passenger van we rented at least 3 times with items we had purchased.
Clearing the shelves was the easy part. It’s the loading, unloading, hauling up to the 7th floor, sorting, packing, loading, taking down to the 1st floor and filling up the shuttle busses that was hard. In order to have the room we needed to sort, divide and pack we literally took over the entire 7th floor of the Marriott hotel. We lined Rubbermaid containers along the walls in the hallway and went to work packing all 30 of them. To get out of their rooms, guests had to crawl over 50 lbs bags of rice, weave between the stacks of blankets and try not to trip on the kneeling girls. Not sure how popular we were so we offered both smiles and apologies to anyone who dared to leave the safety of their rooms.
Its never ceases to amaze me how willing people are to lend a hand. You hear the expression to give the clothes off your back but when have you ever witnessed such a thing? As we were well into our sorting and packing process a man and his wife stopped to ask us what we were doing. A valid question considering we were virtually blocking the entrance to his room. One of the staff members explained who we were and why we had created such a mess. As she was speaking I could literally see the mans face light up. He asked when we were leaving and if we would be willing to take anything that he had to give. Within minutes he had come back with his and his wife’s winter coats. He sheepishly asked if they could be used in Haiti and explained that he would give us so much more, but it was the only two articles he had that didn’t need to be washed. This man was ready and willing to give the clothes off his back but felt that the Haitian people deserved more than his unwashed laundry. So instead he brought us what he could saying that he had been looking for an opportunity to help. In a split second this gentleman had chosen to part with something of his in order for it to be blessing for someone else. Please keep this selfless couple in your prayers.
It wasn’t long before I was back in Concourse G at the Miami International Airport. It took two shuttle busses and a truck crammed full in order to get all of our supplies to the airport. I would imagine that the same guy who had tagged all 10 thousand pounds last week, was not too happy to see me again. Despite the task ahead he managed to give me a smile and a wave. This time we knew what to expect and the process went sooo much smoother. We were on the airplane and circling Port Au Prince before we knew it.
The language of love is a powerful one that I am blessed to be learning each and every day. The world may be weeping for Haiti but the people here are resilient. We had a visitor at dinner explain that she had started to cry at one of the hospitals, overwhelmed with a feeling of helplessness. She told me that a young man had come over to her to try and comfort her. He asked her gently why she was crying. Through her tears she explained that she was crying for him and for all the people of Haiti. He responded to her, “Miss, don’t cry for us. Today was a good day. Today we got to eat.”
There are so many examples of why this country holds my heart. Please pray for the people of Haiti that they would continue to smile and continue to hold on to that positive attitude. May they be blessed for their endurance and strength!
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