A week from now. . . .

. . . .the first 6 of 9 team members will be en route to Port au Prince, Haiti.  Paul and Jackie Keller, and Mick and Sarah McClelland will be making their first trip.  John and Nancy Smith, already members of Haiti's Frequent Visitor Club, will be leading the group. . .which gets rounded out the next day with the arrival of Scott and Jill Wilkinson and their daughter Elle.  The entire team will make its way to Jeremie on Friday, April 8, and hit the ground running sorting through the contents of   10 duffels and items also stuffed into each person's personal luggage.  On this first day after arrival, we'll also make our way to the Gebeau Depot where a large number of items have been stored in advance of our arrival, and to the Gebeau Clinic to be sure all is in order before Dr. Scott does does eye clinic and surgery work the following week.

We'll be posting daily, Internet and electrical power  availability permitting of course, and hope to include some pictures as well.   We'll be installing solar power on the church roof in our adopted mountain village of Chiraque, where the end game is giving the kids in school the the same kind of access to the "world" that their contemporaries have most everywhere else.  We'll be conducting mobile medical/dental/eye clinics in Chiraque, Gommiers, the Jeremie jail, and a part of Jeremie known as "Tent City".  We'll be doing fluoride treatments, distributing dresses made by FUMC's seamstresses, delivering Chromebooks to Chiraque and the John Wesley High School, and helping carve out a crude but flattish  soccer field for the kids to use in Chiraque (right now, they play in a narrow pathway between the two 2-room school buildings).

We're able to do many things because of the generous support from FUMC's congregation, and because of the many friends we've made in the ground in Haiti. . .who do a LOT of legwork for us before we arrive.  Many thanks to everyone who cares and pitches in one way or another.  Every little bit helps. 

Haiti is hard!

Let me repeat in case you didn't get it.....HAITI IS HARD!  I cannot ever adequately explain what a day in the life of a Haitian is like. There are no midday breaks, coffee breaks, lunch breaks, Spring breaks, four-day weekends or 'bucket list' vacations.  There is only the grueling daily hardship to merely survive and care for your family. Each day brings a need and a constant search to fulfill that need. Perhaps it is a simple bar of soap, a bucket of charcoal, an 8 ounce bag of rice.  Perhaps larger needs such as $5 IV bag for your sick child, the backpack that completes the obligatory items to actually attend school or the $50 tuition to attend one more year.  And as each day brings its task, the stomach gnaws from hunger and the throat thirsts.  This is life in Jeremie. And as you travel outside the city, there is one task and only one task--food and clean water. It is so unimaginable.  So, where do they get their strength?  I shake my head as I truly don't know. I believe their strong belief in God guides many through their days. Without that protective spirit and unconditional love they would despair. But instead the tackle each day--one day at a time. 

I cannot seem to write in detail about the people we've met and touched, but feel blessed merely because WE CAN. At the end of each day we laugh with joy for some and cry for others and pray that tonight God would take them to a better place.....a place that isn't so hard.

Two steps forward....one step back

Visited our medical clinic in Gebeau today. Over the past 6 months the clinic has been in state of transition. New budget, trimmed down staff, new medical doctor director-----new realities. Like anywhere else, change is hard and it showed on all the faces at Gebeau. Patient census is down (word spreads quickly when there is no doctor in the house ) and pharmacy is TOTALLY  bare. It is difficult to make any difference in health without medications, so you can imagine that frustration has led to apathy and depression. 

However with feet on the ground here I believe a statement of caring has been clearly made. 

My work is to communicate that we, the Jeremie Haiti Project, are committed to helping them succeed and get back on their feet doing what they do best----helping the local Haitian people. 

Yes I brought some medicine (certainly not enough) but constant communication is what is most required and perhaps more listening than talking!  Likewise it is a two-way street---- the way things were doesn't count for much and the sooner the new reality is accepted, the better it will be for all. 

Geez I feel like a union negotiator rather than a caring nurse!

Plan to return to the clinic on Monday......

Nancy 

Finally!

First time we have Internet since arrival on Thursday. Welcome to Haiti!

Did I yet mention it is really HOT here?  I mean REALLY hot. But, that aside I am happy to see friends and all the sights and sounds of Haiti. Yet amongst the joy of rekindling friendships and preparing our 'to do' lists, we've experienced a great sadness. Our friend and interpreter, Wilbens, lost his younger brother shortly after our arrival. We had just arrived at the Jeremie hospital to visit him and see how we might assist with his care, but were moments too late. God had taken him to a better place. We are filled with the sadness of his passing and for the deep family loss. Our prayers are extended to Wilbens' family for peace and solace.  Funeral arrangements are being made and planned for Monday. 

Nancy 

One 'mo time!

Nancy is off to Haiti tomorrow, tagging along with friends from thenJeremie Haiti Project.  She'll be taking 3 duffels of mess and other supplies for use in her visits to Good Sam, the Gebeau Clinic, the village of Chiraque, and St. Antoine's Hospital.  She knows her around and has lots of ground support, but keep her in mind and send her telepathically lots of encouragement to drink LOTS of water as it's about as hot and humid as it gets in Haiti this time of year.  She'll be back on September 12!  John Smith

Final Post - Haiti 2015

We have made our way home, have put an acquired illness or two behind us, unpacked/cleaned/put away our trip-related gear, and want a moment to recap the work of last week, and to thank the many contributors that made it possible as well.

There were several projects we planned to address this year:  funding and helping with the last phase of the 2-room school building construction in Chiraque, which includes installing a water-collecting cistern for the villages solitary flush toilet; delivering and distributing medicines, typically in short supply and/or prohibitively expensive in Haiti, to our local partners providing care to their fellow Haitians; visiting the Good Sam assisted living facility to conduct a mobile medical clinic, to understand what plumbing changes are necessary to improve water availability for toilets, sinks and showers, and to provide new sandals and some blouses/shirts to the residents; assisting two Haitian friends (Serge and Daniel) in their support of certain indigent patients at St. Antoine. . .Jeremie's only hospital. . .who required meds, specialized care (colostomy, 3rd degree burns), and/or food; conducting mobile dental and mobile medical clinics in Chiraque, including applying varnish to the village's children; distributing 450 dresses/skirts/boy shorts/baby blankets/beaded bracelets that were either handmade (dresses and baby blankets, beaded bracelets) or collected (skirts/boyshorts) for the youth of Chiraque; inspecting the condition of the John Wesley High School "Computer Lab" that we outfitted 3 years ago with donated laptops; and, lastly, delivering to the village school at Chiraque it's first laptop (Acer Chromebook) and compact project (about the size of the movie theatre-size box of Dots!) so that the world might finally be invited in to their classrooms!

Alll of the above was accomplished, and the prior posts contain many photographs for these activities. Additionally, Nancy conducted training sessions for nurses at St. Antoine in the use of defibrilators (they have them but had never been trained), proper use of colostomy care items, and proper use of burn creams and medications.  Serge had asked for any of the colostomy and burn treatment items we could find stateside as they are hard if not impossible to find in Jeremie.  Nancy and I also had the privilege of meeting Reverend Gesener Paul, the President of the Haitian Methodist Church, on our last night in Haiti, to discuss next steps in stabilizing the Gebeau Clinic, an important facility for health of Jeremie residents.  

Much of our work took place in Chiraque, and the local lay pastor, Pastor Felix, expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the thoughtfulness and generosity behind all of the different expressions of support.  Pastor Chrisnel, our host and partner in our relief work in Jeremie the past 4 years, was also pleased with the various outcomes.

All of the outcomes, big or small, reflect contributions from many, many people, so we pass along the "thanks" from our Haitian friends to. . .First Church, and its many members who support Missions generally, and Haiti specifically; First Church's exquisite seamstresses, who sewed dresses and baby blankets with much love and attention to detail; First Church's UMW, whose contributed proceeds from their twice-annual Rummage Sales to support various of the aforementioned projects; Erica Schwegman, the daughter of a family friend, who singlehandedly collected nearly 150 articles of clothing for the older kids at Chiraque, and made 125 beautifully-beaded bracelets as well (following in her talented mother's footsteps, Lorry); St. John's-Providence Hospital, for their donation of medicines; friends and family members who contributed old cellphones, (most of) which find new life in Haiti!; Dr. John Toupin, DDS, for his contribution of tooth varnish; and our Haitian friends who formed up around us while there. . .Pastor Chrisnel, lay Pastor Felix, Serge and Daniel, Nisage and John (our driver), Dr. Maria Lubin (dentist from Gebeau Clinic),  Dr. Marx (MD, formerly of Gebeau Clinic), Rose and Modeline (nurses from Gebeau Clinic), Rubin Dijon, Jacqui Labrom (local travel expert), Nadar (expert at navigating Port au Prince), Cassy (the ONLY reliable way of getting 400#s of stuff from Port au Prince to Jeremie), and MAF (the ONLY reliable way of getting people, safely in my view from Port au Prince to Jeremie). 

Two people taking a "trip" sounds, well, easy. . .but important questions like to where, doing what, how long, etc., really determine the effort.  Several months of preparation are involved, and require putting the arm on any number of the folks noted above to get things organizing, flowing to our basement in time to be packed up.  Once there, stuff happens and whatever "plan" we had in mind gets re-racked, more than once.  But for the helpfulness and goodwill of our various Haitian friends noted above, we couldn't have done what we had set out to do. .and then some.  

Thanks for following along this year.  

John and Nancy

No doubt, education is power

Wednesday......another visit to the hospital in Jeremie. Today however I was in my element--- I had learned that some well meaning American had delivered (dumped) a defibrillator to the Emergency room many months ago but gave no instructions to anyone as to its use. So Serge and Daniel arranged for me to give instructions to the nurses.  I had heard that it was an AED, but what they brought to me was something about as old as myself!  Not withstanding the age of this dinosaur, the power was on in the hospital and the defibrillator fired up!  What began with 3 nurses soon grew to 10 --- listening, learning, asking relevant questions. We worked through the machine and all its parts, but also I soon learned that they needed instruction as to when to use it and more importantly when NOT to use it. Simple drawings of abnormal EKG readings were copied by the nurses. They seemed to understand. We 'played' with the machine to ease fears and practiced placement of electrodes ( small detail----they only have one set----I guess I have another job to do finding more). But all in all they were SO appreciative. Asking for written materials----anything to further their knowledge.  It was great to see their enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Overall, a wonderful morning for all of us. 

In the meantime, back at the Guest House, more education was taking place. This time John and Rubin sat together with two teachers who came down from Chiraque to learn how to use their new Chromebook computer and the small projector. Patiently, Rubin walked them through all the steps to make the connections and navigate the computer. They learned quickly even though everything was new to them. Every keystroke, every dialog box offered a new challenge, but when 'Google' appeared on their screen the smiles grew large. How does one explain this satisfaction??  Perhaps soon we will know this satisfaction again when a child in Chiraque will view an elephant for the first time, or a beautiful waterfall. In a small way their world will be open.  And for Rubin-- the opportunity to share his knowledge shone brightly.   

A blessed day,

Nancy