Life Adventures, Projects, and “Moments”

                                                             

 Back to school! It was a little bit of a crazy back to school week with a delayed start on Tuesday, and 100th day on Thursday, but we did it! (Both teachers and students!) Because we had a delayed start on Tuesday, it meant a very short morning in the kindergarten class! But we keep moving forward with letters, sounds, math, and Bible lessons...one lesson at a time. 

On Tuesday afternoon, I was able to have lunch with my friend, Allison. Somehow there is never quite enough time to cover all our conversations, but I am so thankful for her friendship to me. We went out to a restaurant for lunch (one of the restaurants you can sit down in and eat at). It was such a fun afternoon of laugher, fellowship, and just spending time together. I treasure these memories. 

 It was kinda funny to be back at this particular restaurant because the kids and I had just come to this restaurant over break week to have lunch with Terry. Last Thursday when we meet Terry for lunch, we all walked into the restaurant together. Keep in mind that I had our five children with me- children that I drove to the restaurant and live with me! When we asked to be seated, the manager came over and told us that we had too many people to seat. I was like, “What? These are my children, and this dear lady is our friend.” He said that it was against their restaurant policy to seat parties of more than six people...EVEN IF THEY ARE ALL FAMILY! Please someone stop this ridiculousness! So our family of seven would not be able to come to this restaurant to eat (there are no signs on the door or in the restaurant stating that parties of seven are not allowed). He looked at all the kids with me, and then said that he would seat us today, but we wouldn’t be allowed to come back! Why is this not discrimination against large families!? So I can plan a dinner date with five of my dear friends which all live in different houses, but I can not come with my family out to dinner because there  are seven of us? This is unreal! It completely baffles me how some common sense seems to have completely vacated our society in recent months! When the kids were telling Roger of their lunch date with Terry, Chandler made the comment that he didn’t understand why that was the rule. There were only about six other people in the entire restaurant for the lunch hour. Chandler said he felt awkward when the manager was telling us that we weren’t allowed to come back, and that to me screams discrimination against larger families. When I went to this restaurant with Allison, I didn’t have any of our children, so I was allowed back (insert large eye roll here!). Now that it’s behind us by a few days, I can kinda shake it off, but wow, it really bothered me a week ago!

Our 100th day of school was on Thursday! This is more of a milestone this year, I feel! We’ve had 100 days of in-person learning, and that is because of God’s protection. That’s due to so many praying for our church and school and the families involved. God is so good! In kindergarten we counted to 100, found 100 letter cards, read 100 words, and discovered that we’ve read almost 100 books (read alouds) in our classroom. It was a fun day, and now on to the next 75 to finish the school year! Thank you for praying with us for the Lord’s continued protection. 

We’ve continued to work on our house projects. Wyatt really enjoys helping Roger with cutting pieces for the flooring. Chandler is good at painting- as long as it’s a big wall and not trim! We are still trying to figure out what Garett might enjoy as we aren’t building an airplane in our basement. (If it was anything with aviation, he’d be all about it!) 

We continue to press on. As many of you, the future seems uncertain at times, but we know that God has a plan for the Robertson family. For now, we continue to do the next right thing. I tell our children often that I don’t know what the big picture looks like, but for today we will do the next right thing...be faithful, read God’s Word, pray, love Jesus, and love those around us. One small step at a time and God will continue to direct our steps. 

Last Saturday we had dinner with some dear friends. It was such a fun evening. Most of our children are quite a bit older than Nick and Hannah’s children, but for whatever reason, they sure do enjoy spending time with each other. My kids always look for their kids at school and they all enjoy legos, outside play and lots of food! Years ago when we were back in Wisconsin, Chandler had an experience where some older boys told him he was too little to play with them. And yes, Chandler was probably about six or seven at the time, and these boys were probably twelve to thirteen years old. However, that experience stuck out in his mind. I remember having a distinct conversation with him about it. He was disappointed and upset that the older boys wouldn’t include him or even try to let him play with them. I told him that he had a choice to make (keep in mind I’m talking to my young son at the time). I said that in a few short years he would be one of the “older boys”. I told him that maybe he should remember what it felt like to be left out because he was younger, and when he got to be that age he should include those younger than him. Chandler is not one to have much for patience with his siblings or classmates that are annoying, but for the most part, he is very good at including younger children to play with him. When I look out my classroom windows in the morning, I see Wyatt and Chandler pulling younger kids on sleds around the school yard. I see Garett helping a younger student put his mittens back on, and these moments fill me with thankfulness. (Yes, I sometimes look out the window and see actions I don’t like also!). I’m thankful that our children have the opportunity to interact with younger children around them, and while not everyone is gifted in working with young kids, we can all be kind! 

                                                                 

                                                                    Outside fun! 

                                                                        Lots of Help! 

                                                          Beautiful Sunrise! 

                                                   100th Day!!!! Thank you Lord!!

Winter Break? Lots of Work!

 We’ve been a little lax in writing as of late about our family, but we are here! This week was winter break from school. I always have mixed feelings about a week off of school in February. The break from school is nice, but it kinda feels like we just got settled back into school routines and serious learning. And then it’s break again! 

We kicked off our winter break with a birthday party for Chandler last Saturday. We had about ten boys running around our backyard playing airsoft and having a great time outside. It’s hard to believe that Chandler is already thirteen years old! It was fun afternoon for all, and we are always thankful for the Lord’s protection. I asked Chandler a few questions for his birthday, and here are his answers. 

1) What is your favorite color? Answer: Blue

2) What is your favorite food? Answer: Tacos 

3) If you had to get a job today to support yourself, what would you choose? Answer: I’d like to work in a bike shop or a store like Maine Sport. (Store that sells all kinds of outdoor/sports equipment)

4) What is your favorite memory from the last year? Answer: Going to Florida as a family

5) What is a sad/bad memory from the last year? Answer: Mr. Kevin’s death

6) Who is your best friend? Answer: Tristan (classmate)

7) Who is your favorite person to spend time with? Answer: Dad and Mom (That was a surprise to me!) :) 

I’m not always very good at doing these surveys on their birthday, but I do enjoy looking back on their answers and how they change.

We spent most of our winter break working on our house! While it was a LOT of work, we are happy with the results in our kitchen and basement. Roger worked on laying down some flooring in the basement so that it will be a more finished space. The kids and I worked long and hard on the kitchen...painting, painting, painting! We removed cabinet doors, took off light switch covers, outlet covers, and door handles to paint the kitchen cabinets, walls, and trim. It was a huge project, and I’m never changing the color of the paint in our kitchen again! Roger was working a lot this week, and we were painting. The boys also spent a lot of time outside working on snow forts, ice rinks, and whatever else they do out there! 

Chandler built a snow fort and so did Wyatt and Travis. Last night they decided that they would like to sleep in their snow forts...yikes...not me! The boys were so excited to sleep in their snow forts, and since Roger grew up winter camping, he had a few pointers for them. They hauled out all their gear around 7:30pm. I didn’t sleep well as I was worried that they might be cold. Roger slept fine! He of course, had given the boys instructions that if they were too cold to come inside. He told the boys that his first attempt at sleeping in a snow fort had been a long night, and he had eventually come inside (of course that was at -40!. Roger left for work around 5:00am, and all the boys were still in their forts. They came in around six am., all excited about their adventure! The three younger boys had slept fine apparently, but Garett had spent most of the night cold. When I asked him why he just didn’t come in, he replied, “Well, I didn’t want to be the first one to come in!” So, he will be tired today. I’m happy they had the opportunity, and it was a good experience for them. It’s another sign that they are growing up, and lately I’m seeing the signs of growing up at every turn! 

Before we left for winter break, we had an awards chapel to wrap up the second quarter of school. Garett made honor roll! This might not seem like a big deal to some, but this child has always struggled with school. He finally made honor roll, and he was excited about it. Chandler and Wyatt also made honor roll both due to their hard work. Good grades do not come easily for any of our children, probably the easiest for Wyatt, but they do work hard to make honor roll. Garett and Chandler both received awards for their character, so of course, we are also thrilled with that. We’ve had some deep and long conversations this year about doing the right thing regardless of what others around you are doing. We’ve been praying for the Holy Spirit to guide and direct each of our children, and we rejoice with them. Of course the ultimate goal is not found in a piece of paper that says you had good character, but rather in their  relationships with Christ and those around them. We pray that all our children will grow up to be people that love God with all of their heart and soul. And we ask for your prayers also on their behalf. It’s a crazy world to be raising children in, but God knows exactly where we are. We are endeavoring to raise our sons to be the David, Daniels, and Pauls of this world. Men who will “stand in the gap” as the prophet Jeremiah speaks about. We have a lot of work to do, so I am ever thankful that our prayers are heard. While ultimately our sons and daughters will have to make their own heart decision to love and follow Christ, as parents we are committed to doing our part to help them. Parenting really is the hardest job ever! 

As a family, we would appreciate your prayers as we look at possibly making some decisions that will affect many things around us. God never promised an easy path, but He did promise to go with us every step of the way. Oh, how I am thankful for the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father!

Haiti Journal Day 7&8 (Hurry Up and Wait! & Divine Appointments!)

 

The above pictures are NOT in the right order! You’ll have to read the blog to figure out what picture came when...I’m sorry about that! 

Hurry up and wait! We thought that the dump truck to take us down the mountain would arrive around 7:00am. Hannah and I were up at 5:30am, to finish counting and sorting meds and supplies. We drank some tea, and Garett was up already also. Emily woke up a little later and made coffee, and by 6:30 everyone was up. By 7:30am we were just waiting around, and my stomach was starting to feel a bit of “Haitian Happiness” (upset stomach from something eaten). I took some Pepto Bismal and tried to just be still for a while. Since we were still waiting, I laid down on Moriah and Becca’s bed to take a nap. Eventually I felt a little better, but apparently I’m not the only one whose not feeling so great. Josh, my dad, and Kevin also are not feeling fabulous. After taking a little nap, I helped Hannah, Moriah, Beccy and Emelie clean the bathrooms. It’s interesting to clean bathrooms with a small brush and some laundry soap, but at least the bathrooms are smelling and looking better! 

After cleaning the bathrooms, we did some laundry. You know, the kind of laundry where you soak the clothes and the wring out the water?! I’m pretty sure Garett was almost as wet as the laundry! 

By 12:30, some of us were digging snacks out of the snack suitcase....not me! However, it was nice to have dry cereal, peanut butter tortillas and other snacks to eat while we waited! 

Finally, around 1:00pm, the dump truck arrived! But before we could head down the mountain, the cement blocks had to be unloaded, and then our stuff and people. Garett had originally planned to go down the mountain on the motorcycle with Josiah and Josef, but that didn’t work out for Garett. I know he was kinda disappointed, but Garett generally has a good attitude about many things that he doesn’t like (except maybe things involving his siblings!). We had 26 of us that needed to head down the mountain, including a man with a hernia. Some rode in the Falde’s SUV and some in the dump truck. It was a much longer than anticipated trip down the mountain as our driver liked to hit the brakes abruptly, then he stopped to take a bath in the river, and then he bumped into another vehicle (and kept on going). The Falde’s vehicle made it down the mountain an whole hour and one-half before us! 

We finally arrived in Cay Jacmel, and we unloaded all of our stuff at the hotel. Then we promptly put our feet in the pool. It felt like it should be about 7:00pm, but it was actually only about 4:45pm. I was feeling much better so whatever bug I might’ve caught seems to be over. Around 5:30pm, some of us went to see the Falde’s house. We didn’t stay there tonight as the water and power are not working. It was nice to see their house though as I haven’t seen it since 2019. It’s going to be a great place for their family, and for teams that come to Haiti to help. By the time we arrived back at the hotel, it was dark and about 7:00pm. I could’ve fallen asleep right then, but instead I stayed up to visit with the Falde’s and Hannah and Josh. Around 9:00pm. my eyes couldn’t stay open any longer, so I headed off to bed. Moriah, Becca, Nan and I are sharing a room. It was a warm night, and unfortunately our air conditioner wasn’t working. Oh well! Around 10:30pm, Becca woke up saying that she was cold, and I think she caught whatever bug I caught earlier. Apparently, Haitian happiness is going around. This is the first trip in four years that I’ve ever felt sick. It might have been a hot night, but tonight we are thankful for beds! 

Day #8 Divine Appointment

We had an MAF flight to Port-au-Prince this morning. One group was supposed to leave around 7:00am, and the second group at 8:00am. But then of course, things tend to run a bit late sometimes! The first group left at around 7:30, and the second group had to wait for the vehicle to come back and pick us up. Garett was supposed to be in the second group, but Jackie wasn’t feeling well so Garett went with the first group. In the second group it we Moriah, Hannah, Josh, Micah, Jackie and myself. We left for our MAF flight around 8:40am, with ten of us in the SUV. When we arrived at the airport in Jacmel, we noticed a helicopter ambulance landing and an ambulance van waiting. Simply by the nature of seeing a helicopter ambulance, our curiosities were aroused! A life-flight helicopter is not something that is seen in Haiti! Hannah and Kevin went over to talk to the pilots as they were also light-skinned people. Come to find out, this particular helicopter is run by a non-profit group, and they run an ambulance service all over Haiti! The pilots are Americans and trained EMTs that fly to Haiti in three week rotations. They said that their group is relatively new to Haiti, and that they are looking for areas to expand. All they need is landing pads for the helicopter! Hannah was excited when she heard about what they do as this is the type of service that would’ve been ideal for several of the situations over the past few days! It sounds like Pastor Kevin is going to be looking into places to build some helicopter landing pads. This is so exciting! If we had been “on time” we might’ve missed this opportunity to speak to these pilots. This could be an amazing resource for those patients that need immediate medical attention and a three hour trip down the mountain could kill them. It’s exciting to know that these are trained pilots and EMTs...WOW! 

As we were saying our final goodbyes to the Falde’s, Becca began to feel very sick. We started boarding the MAF flight and Becca headed to side of the tarmac to lose her stomach contents. It was so, so hard for Moriah to leave her sister and hard on Hannah too. However, the EMTs noticed Becca on the side of the tarmac and came over to offer their assistance. Pastor Kevin poked his head in the plane to tell us that the EMTs were going to give Becca a shot of Zofran to help her so stomach and dizziness. It was a relief to hear that Becca was going to get some medicine and that God had put all the right people in place at the right time. God directed the time table so that Hannah and Kevin would have the opportunity to meet these helicopter pilots. Kevin was able to get their contact information, and perhaps with prayers and hard work, a helicopter pad will be built to better meet the needs of the people in the mountains of Haiti. 

It was a long day as we were at the airport around 11:00am, and our flight left at 2:00pm for Miami. Then it was a quick trip through customs and a longer wait until around 9:30 for our flight to Charlotte. However, it was nice to sit still for a while and visit with others. It was nice to be able to call Roger as I haven’t heard from him for seven days...all is well. 

God is good! I have a few more highlights from the trip that I want to write about but for now that wraps up another two days of journaling. Tomorrow is home to Maine....to God be the Glory! 

Haiti Journal day #7 (Medical Clinic #5- Maribol)

 

                    Hannah, Garett, myself, and my dad (Randy) Three generations in Haiti!! 

“May the God of all peace, strengthen and stablish you...” Amazing to me that this was the verse of the day! It’s very appropriate! 

Today is Sunday, and we are preparing for church and medical clinic #5. We will be going to church at a recent church plant “New Life Baptist Church” in Maribol. We were supposed to be leaving the mission house at 6:30am., but ya know....Haitian time! We left around 7:15am, with a bunch of us on motorcycles and a bunch riding in the truck. This church is kinda back in the direction of the medical clinic from yesterday, so much of the route was familiar. It was about a 45 minute drive one some fairly decent roads, and then some not so much! 

We arrived at the church building around 8:00am., and people were already gathering for the church service. We saw that the people in the church had made makeshift walls with curtains and tablecloths for our clinic. Church started around 8:30am. Some of us sang special music for which we had practiced for all week...well, not really! We practiced once before church! Some of us went outside to help with children’s church. There were a lot of children and adults at children’s church. Ashley’s sister, Gina, taught the junior church lesson and she did a great job. In some ways, kids are kids no matter where they are in the world! We sang, Ashley and Gina did a lesson, and we gave them a snack. The snack felt kinda like the widows oil. I had grabbed some animal crackers and a package of twizzlers before leaving the mission house. We knew that there wouldn’t be enough twizzlers to go around, so we tore them in half. I wasn’t sure if we’d have enough animal crackers for everyone to have one, but there was enough! After their small snack, we played some games with the kids. The Haitian kids picked up really quickly on “Red Light, Green Light”, and that went well, until the cow in the church yard starting getting riled up and looked like it was ready to charge! But by then, church was almost over and it was time for the clinic. 

It was a crazy afternoon! We really aren’t sure how many people we saw today, but it was a lot! The doors to the church building had to be locked so that more and more people couldn’t keep cramming into the building. We just didn’t have the resources or time to see everyone. Hannah and Pastor Falde do a good job though of walking through the crowd to be sure to try to catch the ones that really need help. Hannah was kept busy today as she was answering a bunch of questions and helping wherever she was needed, which was about everywhere! 

Moriah had a patient that had been in a motorcycle accident on January 3rd. He had a huge chunk of skin and flesh missing from below his knee. It was pus-filled  and infected looking, and Moriah had to clean it out. Hannah was busy with 500 things, so I offered to help Moriah. First Moriah had to get off all the gunk and nastiness (yes, those are very technical nursing terms, I’m aware!) It must have been incredibly painful for the man, but he endured it. I thought at one point in time, I might faint so I put my head down before it happened. I managed to not faint, but probably only because I put my head down first. I’m not entirely sure it was the sight of the knee as it might also have had to do with the fact that I was hungry and hot! Anyways, I survived! Moriah did the hard work anyways! The wound was cleaned and bandaged, and if the man keeps it clean, he will probably heal up nicely with only a huge scar as a reminder. 

Hannah saw several people that need to have hernia surgeries, so some of them might be coming down the mountain with us tomorrow. Parakaleo will help pay for those surgeries as that is part of the mission of Parakaleo. We wrapped up the clinic around 2:30pm, and started the ride back. 

I’m pretty sure the motorcycle drivers were having a race to see who would get back to the mission house first! Moriah and I rode on a motorcycle together both yesterday and today. I’ve enjoyed talking to her about many things during the times we weren’t desperately trying to hang on for dear life! We had one small incident on the way back to the mission house today. Our driver attempted a steep hill, and then motorcycle started sliding backwards down the the hill. Soon the motorcycle was tipping over, so Moriah kinda hopped/slid off. I had one leg on the ground and one on the motorcycle. All I could think about was how heavy the motorcycle would be if it fell over! Thankfully the motorcycle behind us stopped and came running to help us. And life goes on! We got back on and continued on our way. 

One of the highlights from today was going visiting with Hannah, Emelie, Garett, Moriah and Becca. We went to visit a dear old lady in the church here in Seguin. She was so happy to see us come. We sang together, and Moriah prayed with her in Creole. The ceiling of the lady’s house was so low that Garett was not able to stand up straight! After our visit with Madame, we went to see if we could find the baby Sexy Love. The good news about a name like that is that you can’t hide! We found some people that took us to see Sexy Love. Sexy Love is looking so much healthier on her skin condition, and her skin is healing nicely. She is such a cute baby! While we were all so tired, it was so nice to go visiting. It was a special memory for me and a highlight for today. 

 Hannah, Moriah and I sorted through all the medications that were left after today’s clinics. We packed up several bags to give to Dr. John, and we packed some stuff away for next year. It’s hard to believe that another year of clinic is wrapping up! I am so thankful that Garett and I had the opportunity to be a part of this trip. 

The burn baby returned one last time tonight, and she is healing! She looks so much better than she did two nights ago, and we are so thankful for God’s healing touch. This little girl comes from an extremely poor home, so we are hoping that we will be able to find someway to help this family. 

Tomorrow we head off down the mountain. The dump truck is supposed to be here by 7:00am., so that’ll be another early morning to get packed up and ready to go. I am so far from being packed up, but at this point in time it’s “throw it all in and zip it up”! 

We saw over 1300 people this week, 76 professions of faith, and five clinics. To God be the Glory! 

Haiti Journal Day #6 (Medical clinic #4- Gran Platon)

 We didn’t leave for today’s medical clinic until around 7:00am. That was kinda nice as it felt like sleeping in! 

Ashley’s phone is still missing, and I know she is praying that somehow she will get it back before we head down the mountain on Monday morning. We are at least praying that she will be able to recover the pictures from it. 

Some of us rode motorcycles to the clinic today, and some rode in the truck. Moriah and I rode on a motorcycle together, and Garett rode with Micah. First we stopped so that Hannah could make a house call on a little old grandma with some stomach pain. Hannah said that she could give the grandma something for the pain, but that nothing could really be done. The lady was about 95 years old, and she would’ve been in hospice care in the U.S. But Pastor Kevin and his dad presented her with the Gospel, and Hannah gave her something to manage the pain. 

On our way again....we arrived at the place we were going to do the clinic around 8:30am. Someone was already preaching the Gospel when we arrived, so we took a look around to see what clinic set up would look like today. This location does not have a church building yet, so the clinic would look different today. Someone had offered up their house and a small hut. It meant getting creative with our set-up, but God always works out the little details too. The pharmacy clinic was set up across road while the doctor and nurses worked in the small house across the road and down the hill a bit. The improvement crew was working on moving rocks so that land could be cleared for their church building. 

Garett became the “runner” for Moriah. She would give him a list of things she needed for her patients, and Garett would come up to pharmacy to get the medicine. He also had to carry the pee sample cups to the clinic, and that wasn’t his favorite job! Josiah and Grandpa Falde worked for us in the pharmacy by translating for us. Hannah and Pastor Kevin tried to triage the people waiting outside. Hannah said it was a challenge though because she’d get the bench of people cleared off (gave them meds, etc.) but then turn around and the whole bench would be filled with people again! 

We saw a lot of kids and adults with coughs, and a lot of older people who needed eye drops and pain patches (but we didn’t have very much of either of those!). 

Moriah and Hannah did an ultrasound on a pregnant mama and discovered that she was having twins!! When Grandpa told her about her twin babies, she didn’t seem very excited. While it’s something that I might be excited about in the states, for this dear Haitian mama it’s another mouth to feed when there’s already not enough food! 

A little while later Hannah came up to the pharmacy carrying a toddler. She handed the little girl to me and said to be sure to keep her head up. The little girl had an oxygen level of 84 and a heart rate of 160! She was dehydrated and had an upper respiratory infection. She needed fluids, and today Hannah had come prepared! Hannah had packed all the IV stuff we had at Seguin, and for the second time in two days, she needed to put in an IV. I sat on the ground holding the little baby while Moriah and Hannah got prepared to put in an IV on a small very dehydrated child. Garett came by and asked me why I had my eyes closed. I told him that I was praying, and that I’m not a huge fan of needles and small kids. Thankfully, Hannah was able to find the vein quickly and calmly. The little girl hardly even made a peep! I sat on the ground and held the baby while the IV dripped. Hannah gave the baby some medication via IV and after about 1 1/2 hours, we saw some serious improvement! The baby was able to nurse, and her fever was coming down. Hannah and the doctor had thought about sending the baby down the mountain to the clinic in Perido. But since it’s a Saturday, and Hannah wasn’t entirely sure that the hospital would have what the little girl needed, they decided to try to do what they could first. God blessed those efforts. Kevin gave the mom the option of going down to the clinic/ hospital but the mom didn’t want to go. Kevin encouraged the mom to come to Seguin if the little girl gets worse, but she definitely seems to be making a change for the better. 

I don’t know what time we arrived back at the mission house today! When we arrived back, we unloaded the medical supplies and then repacked for our final day of medical clinic. The repacking part wasn’t too hard as everything we had left as far as vitamins, tums, Tylenol, etc we would be taking with us to Maribol in the morning. 

The burn baby showed back up tonight as well as a very pregnant mama. (I think she’s the sister to the burn baby’s dad) The burns are looking better, but there was still some black ash that needed to be washed off. Hannah and Moriah worked as gently as they could, but I know it had to be terribly painful for that baby. Hannah does an amazing job of staying calm under stressful situations, and she and Moriah got the job done. Then you could almost hear the sigh of relief in the room as the baby stopped crying. As painful as it must have been for the baby, that little one now has another opportunity in life. God knew that we would be here this week. He knew that this baby would get a burn this week. Without Hannah’s intervention the black ash on those wounds would’ve caused that baby to become septic. That’s a special little girl that the medical clinic was able to help. 

The majority of us are exhausted and weary, but the grace of God carries us forward moment by moment. Today we think we saw around 237 people. It’s hard to tell since we ran out of numbered bands and every scrap of paper available! 

Funny moment: Listening to Micah and Josh talk about the “church services” in their room at three am. A lot of Haitian people don’t have the concept of time like Americans do (which isn’t all bad!). However, apparently one of the Haitian pastors gets up early in the morning, speaks a word, and all the other Haitian people sit up in their beds. Then they start singing and reading the Bible and having discussion. It’s rather humorous to listen to Josh and Micah talk about how they’d just like to be sleeping! And then in the girls room, some of the ladies were saying how nice it was to wake up to the sound of the Haitians singing! 😂 

I know we are all getting tired because today at clinic I asked someone what 2*9 was, and then not five minutes later Hannah was asking a similar question! Haha! We are thankful for rest tonight. It’ll be another busy day tomorrow with church service and then a clinic. Gina is planning on children’s church tomorrow, and I’m sure it will be a blessing! 

God is good. 

Haiti Day #5 (Medical clinic #3- Bedoranj) Dehydrated Children, Gunshot Wounds & More

 

 

 

This felt like the very long, never-ending day! We were supposed to leave the mission house by 5:00am to head to Light Baptist Church in Bedoranj. However, it was probably closer to six am. when we left the mission house. Most of us were up around four am anyways and ready to go by 5:00am. But in Haiti it’s “Haitian time”! First breakfast wasn’t quite ready, then the motorcycles did not show up right away, so it took us a while to get going. 

Eventually some of us went by motorcycles and some of us went in the truck as far as the road went and then walked. Those that went on the motorcycles arrived at the church building first, and Garett and I were in a motorcycle. It was a bit of a crazy ride as I felt that our driver has watched a few too many motocross you tube videos! The trail is bumpy, narrow and rocky to start with, and our driver seemed to feel like he needed to get us their quickly! At one point I told Garett to tell his dad that I loved him and his siblings! The rocks were going by a little too quickly for comfort and I’m not one to get nervous about such things! But we made it to the church building where the clinic was going to be held all in one piece- thank you Jesus! 

The construction team was going to be working on painting again today. Another church building, but the same painting style! I know that Garett and some of the others are a bit weary of painting but sometimes it’s doing the little things that can bring the biggest blessings to someone else. It was hot outside today so both Garett and my dad finished the day with a sunburn on the back of their necks. A few other painting crew members also have sunburns. It was also a day where we didn’t have enough water for all those that were painting and outside. It’s a challenge to get clean drinking water in Haiti, and it’s not easily accessible. 

We started the day of clinic after the preaching service, and it was probably around 8:30am. It felt like a very slow morning, but I think it’s due to the fact that most of us are very tired! Hannah must be beyond exhausted as she wears many hats on clinic and many people look to her for a second opinion or advice. 

One of the first patients that Hannah saw was a little nine year old boy. His parents said that around a year ago he had spiked a very high fever. Since that time, he hasn’t been the same. He can’t walk anymore, or control his body functions, and while very sweet, his mental capacity is not the same  as a typical nine year old. His parents wanted Hannah to fix their child. Hannah asked Emelie and I to do a malaria test to see if that was what had caused the original problem. Emelie and I went to do the malaria test which requires two drops of blood. At the first poke of the needle, the little fellow freaked out! We couldn’t even manage to get the two drops of blood required for the test, and I’m pretty sure that Emelie and I were just as traumatized as the little boy! Finally, Hannah rescued all of us and told us that she had another plan. She drew some blood from his arm with the help of Pastor Falde to translate and hold the child’s arm. I ran the malaria test....twice. That did not appear to be the problem. Hannah had the difficult task of explaining to the parents that their child was not going to get better. The looks on the parents faces was heartbreaking. It’s unusual for both parents to come to the clinic with their child, so I feel that they were really hoping for answers and help. 

A little while later a mom came in with her little girl (probably around four year old). The little girl was lethargic, eyes glazed over and unresponsive. The mom said that the little girl had been like this since Monday (it’s now Friday) and everytime the little girl drank water or ate anything she would throw up. When the little girl would throw up, worms would come up too. Hannah said that the little girl really need an IV first to give her some fluids. Hannah could do the IV, but the supplies to put one in were back at the mission house. Hannah really couldn’t leave the clinic, and while I offered to go, I could easily make a mistake in what to bring. Moriah hopped on a motorcycle for a crazy ride back to Seguin to get the supplies needed. 

By this time, it felt like it should be around 3:00pm, but it was only about 10:30am! Moriah arrived back at the clinic, and Hannah, Moriah and I worked to put in an IV. Actually, I did very little of the work! I just provide an extra set of hands, and do whatever Hannah tells me to do!  Nothing about the situation was ideal today as the surfaces were dirty, the environment is not sterile, but sometimes you just have to make do! Hannah managed to get the IV in the little girl, and God provided a nail in the cement wall exactly where we needed one to be! 

I forgot to mention that during this time at the medical clinic, some men from the church were working on the church building. In the same space as the clinic, they were mixing up cement to get ready to build a stage in the building! It’s a different experience for sure! 

It was now lunchtime...finally! But the line of people to see was still really long, and there didn’t seem to be a good time to take a break. So some went to lunch and then some others. Emelie went to lunch and brought back a bowl for Hannah and I to share. Moriah also hadn’t eaten lunch, so the three of us hovered around one bowl of rice, fried plantains, and potatoes! We never did finish the food as the line of patients was not shortening! (We set the bowl on the table. When we left clinic, about six kids came in and clamored over the few bites left. It was a bit overwhelming and sad to see all those kiddos clamoring for a bite of food)

The afternoon adventures of clinic continued with a man with a gunshot wound coming in and a baby with failure to thrive! Hannah said that at one moment in the afternoon she looked over to see the little girl laying on the dirt floor with the IV in her arm, the man with the gunshot wound sitting on a cement block in the very area where cement was being mixed, and a baby who was about four months old and weighed seven pounds (failure to thrive). It was a bit overwhelming, but sometimes you just have to focus on the next thing that needs doing....whatever that might be! 

The man with the gunshot wound had been shot about a month ago in December 16th. He was in a bad place, as the wound had gotten so bad that it was compartmentalizing (meaning that he was losing feeling in his fingers on that arm). He had gone to the hospital after he had been shot to get the bullet out, but the hospital had failed to realize that the bullet had broken the bone! Infection had set in, and by the time he came to clinic the skin on his arm had split due to the swelling! Hannah and Moriah told him that he needed to go to the hospital to get that broken arm taken care of. He replied that he couldn’t go to the hospital as he didn’t have any money. Pastor Falde and Pastor Colburn (pastor of the church there) worked out an arrangement to pay for his hospital fees when he goes to the hospital on Monday. Moriah was assigned the task of bandaging the sores on his arm. While she was doing that, she began to share with him the Good News of the Gospel. She shared with him about the love of Jesus and as much as she could in his language. She said just as she was running out of words to explain the Gospel, one of the Haitian pastors walked up. Moriah and the pastor were able to lead the man to the Lord! Now, that’s amazing!! 

Around four pm, we started packing up for the day. There were still people waiting to be seen, so Pastor Falde and Hannah walked through the crowd that was left to make sure that if anyone was really sick they wouldn’t be overlooked. We saw so many people today that we had run out of vitamins, Tylenol, ibuprofen, iron tablets, cream, and a lot of other stuff! At the end we had so little to give away that we gave away the little toothbrushes with toothpaste samples as vitamins- everyone can use a toothbrush anyways! We just didn’t have the supplies or time to see anyone else! 

When we got ready to head out, the team left in shifts. Some went back on motorcycles, and some walked back to the truck. Some of those that were taking motorcycles left before the rest of us. I was in the walking /riding in the truck group on the way back, but before we left, we were able to be part of an amazing experience. The Haitian pastors and some of the led people in the church came into the building as we were getting ready to leave. They wanted to say thank you and to pray for us. They sang a beautiful song, and then started praying. I don’t recognize most of what they are saying, but I recognize “thank you to Hannah and Pastor Falde”. Listening to them pray was one of the highlights from my day. They all prayed at the same time, but it wasn’t like a speaking in tongues. It was like they were so thankful to talk to the Lord that they couldn’t possibly pray silently. Many of us had tears in our eyes as we listened. 

It’s late and I am super, super tired! However, if I don’t write down some of these other highlights, I will never remember when I go home! 

 We had a sick baby come to the mission house tonight. Congestion, drool, and mucus had run into the folds of this little girls neck, arm, and other skin folds. The mama had put some type of “powder” on the little girl and the baby’s skin was now like raw! It was painful to watch  Moriah and Hannah clean the baby, but that baby will be so much better with clean skin. Pastor Falde asked the mom what was the name of the baby. Then he started laughing, and we all wanted to know what was so funny! He said that mama had named her baby “Sexy Love”! She had probably heard the song on the radio, and decided to give that name to her baby! Needless to say, the Americans had a chuckle! The Haitian Doctor that has worked with us this week said, “Oh, she will need to get her name changed!” It did provided a light hearted moment, which we needed because another baby was one her way to the mission house. 

Baby #2

This one was very, very hard for me as this was a badly burned toddler. This family has a small house, and the toddler had been running around and had fallen into a pot of boiling corn meal mush. She had suffered burns on her face, hands, chin and arm. It was quite overwhelming to me to see the toddler as you could see the burn was bad, but then the parents had put black ash all over the burns. All of that ash needed to be washed off so that was not a fun job for Hannah, Moriah and Ashley. While I don’t like what I see, it’s like I can’t be pulled away. I’ll do whatever I need to do at the moment to make something easier for those who know what they are doing. Sometimes that means holding a flashlight, sometimes digging around in a tote for some supplies, or any number of other tasks. Hannah, Moriah and Ashley did the best they could had washing off a lot of the black ash. Our Haitian doctor, Dr. John, told Pastor Falde that the people think that oozing skin is always bad. They don’t recognize that as the body at work, so they’ll put just about anything on the skin to stop the oozing, including cooled fire ashes, coffee grounds, motor grease, or a paste made from horse manure. They don’t mean to do harm, but they don’t know what to do. A few weeks ago, a child had fallen on a pick ax and had a gash in his head. Someone had packed the wound full of coffee grounds. Eight days later the boy turned septic and died. These stories are heartbreaking to see and to hear!  My heart hurts for all these dear little children. I think I’d want to build a feeding and hygiene place. A place where kids could get one healthy meal free every day. A place to teach them the basics of hygiene and health care basics...that’d be my dream. Sure do love these dear people! 

Garett gave away his head lamp to the daddy that had come to the mission house with his little burned daughter. They live a little ways away and it was dark outside when they left. I told Garett to get his headlamp and to give it to the man. Garett did not argue or open his mouth, he just handed it to the man. It’s a simple thing, but I’m proud of him. It’s probably not the easiest thing to watch your mom give away your stuff! 😀 Hannah sent the man home with medicine, lots of water for the girl to drink, and instructions to come back tomorrow night. 

What an exhausting and tiring day! Tomorrow morning we are leaving at 7:00am for clinic, so it’ll be nice to sleep in until 6:00am! 

God has continued to protect us, give us strength, and He will continue to do so. Good night! 

Haiti journal day #4 (Chota Medical Clinic)

 Whew! For those that felt like yesterday was a long day, today was longer! It was almost a five mile hike this morning to Chota, but we did get to ride part of the way on a motorcycle! The road goes farther than it did two years ago, so that meant that the motorcycles could take us further. Chota is a walk-in community...either by foot or by donkey. 

The original plan was to take the vehicle that the Falde’s bought recently with the bags of medicine and the nurses and the doctor. However, in Haiti things rarely go as originally planned! We were up by 4:15am to get ready for the hike, but by 5:30am, it was apparent that the truck was not going to start. We had two motorcycles and about 26 people plus medical bags that needed to get to Chota. Some people were going to work in the clinic and others were going to be painting the church building. Well, it looks like walking for all of us this morning! 

We left the mission house around 5:35am, and it was still dark outside. The two motorcycles started hauling the bags of medical supplies and the men who were going to be preaching to the crowd. Some of us walked farther than others, but we all walked some! The motorcycles would take people to the end of the road,  and then come back to haul more people to the end of the road. I actually really enjoy the hiking aspect of the day, and the hike to Chota is a beautiful one. Generally the hike going to Chota is upbeat, chatty, and fun. But the hike back to Seguin is more like just putting one foot in front of the other. Today we were thankful for the two motorcycles so that we all were in Chota by around 7:30am. By 8:00am, the pastors started preaching the Gospel message to the people, and by 8:30am, we were set up and ready to go. We saw over 300 patients today- actually 326 people in the clinic! It was a crazy day! 

Chota is a very poor community, and we saw a lot of  children that suffered from malnutrition, underweight children, and pregnant mamas. Hannah and Moriah helped one of the Haitian medical helpers drain an infected knee. Hannah took a close look at a toddler who is about 18months old, but only weighs 12 pounds! He clearly needs some help gaining back some weight or something as simple as a cold could kill him. That was heartbreaking to see! He didn’t seem to be interested in food, and he needs some very dense nutritional meals to help him. Hannah and Pastor Kevin told the grandma to come to Seguin tonight and Hannah would try to help the young child. Apparently the boys mama had just passed away on Sunday, and this little one is being taken care of by his grandma. This little boy is practically starving to death. 

We handed out lots of medicine for scabies, and a lot of RUTFs for children. We gave away every single snack that we brought with us, and we could’ve given out 1000s more. By 10:30am, we were all really hungry as we had already climbed several mountains and walked a few miles! We ate lunch in shifts so that we could keep seeing people in the clinic. By the time I walked to where lunch was being served, there was a little old man licking out the pot! Oh well, I need to lose a few pounds anyways! Emelie and I managed to find a granola bar, and Hannah had some fruit snacks. Emelie and I took a quick bathroom break, ate our granola bar and headed back to clinic.  

We needed to be leaving Chota by 3:00pm, so that we could get back to the mission house by dark. It was probably closer to four when we finished and got on the trail again, but there was still plenty of light. We started down the trail and shortly down the trail, Ashley realized that she had forgotten her phone at the church building. So Hannah and Emelie went back to the church and Pastor Falde, Amanda, Moriah and  Ashley kept on hiking, and I waited by the bags of other supplies for Hannah and Emelie to return. Hannah and Emelie came back shortly but said that the phone was no where to be seen! We are still praying that the phone will show up, but we will see what happens. It’s unfortunate that items get stolen, but just like anywhere else in the world, it happens. 

Update on our bags: Our missing bags are back in our possession today! They had never made it off the plane in Jacmel, so the bags had ended up back in Port-au-Prince. Today someone picked up the bags for us off the MAF Flight to Jacmel and brought the bags all the way to Chota. I feel sorry for whomever was chosen to carry those heavy bags all the way down the trail! That’s 100 pounds of stuff that people carried down a mountain trail! 

We made it up the trail to the road where the truck was parked. The Falde vehicle had eventually started, and now this truck was waiting to take people to the mission house. By the time we arrived at the vehicle, the truck was already loaded with all the medical bags, five American people, the Haitian grandma with her malnourished grandson, and then three more of us showed up! Oh, and plus the Haitian nurse (one who works in Seguin sometimes) and another Haitian helper who needed a ride! Hannah and Emelie stayed behind to wait for a motorcycle while the rest of us piled into the truck- 10 of us! We had only gone a short ways when a motorcycle came to take more people to the mission house. Amanda and I offered to ride on the motorcycle, and I was thankful as it meant a quicker trip to the mission house. While I wouldn’t want to be the driver, it doesn’t bother me to the rider. Motorcycles are a way of life here so hop on! 

We arrived back at the mission house around 5:00ish, and we were all like dead on our feet-tired and hungry! The construction team had also come to Chota today and they had worked on painting the church building. I have to give them a lot of credit as they painted for hours! Garett was practically covered in paint, and I know he grew weary of it, but they made great progress on painting. The painting people had left before the clinic people so they were back at  the mission house before the medical team arrived. When the truck with the rest of the people and medical supplies arrived, we unloaded bags. Some showered, some sat from tiredness, and some began preparing for the next days clinic. I know that God must have given Hannah special strength to keep on going. When we come back from a clinic, everything has to be taken out of the bags and we have to repack for the next day.  Moriah and I can help some but Hannah has to figure out how much of each thing we are taking, how much medication and how much we have left for upcoming days of clinic. Exhausting! 

After supper and some more preparing, Hannah and Moriah worked to put a tiny tube down the nose of the little boy’s nose. He needed nutrition around the clock, so that he could be fed more often. It was not an easy or pleasant task, and the baby fought against it, but Hannah did it. The baby was able to get started with some nutritional formula. The grandma, the baby, the baby’s dad, and someone else all stayed the night at the mission house. Our church back home had sent Ashley and I with some hygiene packets (towel, toothbrush, comb, bandaids, soap, etc) and wow those bags came in handy this week! We’ve had guests at the mission house who’ve needed a bag, we sent some home with families that have kids with lots of scabies, and those gallon ziploc bags have come in handy! 

Ashley still does not have her phone, and I know that it is a bit distressing to her but she’s been a really great sport about it. We are still praying that it will be returned. 

It’s been a long, long day. It’s almost ten pm. Hannah went to fed the baby again, but realized that he had been able to pull the tube out of his nose. It’s late, the baby did get some nutrition, and Hannah will figure out something in the morning. 

We’ve now seen over 600 people in the two days of clinics! I know Hannah is concerned about running out of supplies. We just keep praying that we will have exactly what we need when we need it. God always provides wisdom and direction when we ask Him. 33 people accepted Christ yesterday, so we are rejoicing over that. God is good!