THE TEAM ARRIVES HOME

Our latest team will be arriving tomorrow 5:30pm, American Airlines. If you would like to welcome them home.

The city of Port au Prince still remains a mess.

The work is not done, we will be strategizing as to what our next step is. I know many of you are ready to go. The work has only begun, there is so much more we can to do.

It all began with Brian helping the Japanese medical team.

Come help raise money at Way Point Church, Sunday Feb.28th 12:oopm, after the service, at the Scott Conference Center, east of 72nd. Wear your ORR shirts. See you there.

"HOTDOGS FOR HAITI"

Ken

Don’t forget Haiti

We are almost to end of our Haiti trip and thankful to Allah (God) for given us the chance to serve the Haitian in this hour of need and suffering.
As you all know that I have gone through the same experience of deadly earthquake in 2005 and then I saw the relief and rehabilitation effort to help out the disaster area.
I am surprise to see that the relief effort done by the international community in response of Pakistan 2005 earthquake is much greater then I have seen here in Haiti earthquake response in almost some period of time. And when I compare the destruction ratio of Haiti earthquake and Pakistan earthquake I found Haiti earthquake is three times worse than Pakistan’s earthquake like 80 thousands died in Pakistan and more than 230 thousands died in Haiti.
So isn’t this surprising and sad that to all of us that why there are less efforts to help out the Haiti from this disaster. I request all of you for praying and do your best to help the Haiti and its people.
I am also grateful to all who prayed for me and supported me for this trip.
Waheed Alam

"Tro Piti Bagay"

We attended church service yesterday (Sunday) morning, and although the service was in Creole’, one did not have to be fluent in the foreign language to know that you were part of a larger body of believers all united “in one accord” worshipping Jesus together. :-)
Today, at Jubilee, one of the “poorest of the poor” neighborhoods in Gonaives, a few of us were helping with Pastor Emory’s feeding program, where approx 200 children are fed once a day. As soon as each child received his or her plate (rice and beans), they began eating (usually with both hands). Upon handing a plate to one child, some of the food spilled. A very young toddler that I had been holding for quite a while before the meal, reached over to pick up the spilled food. I was thoroughly expecting her to put the food in her own mouth, but lo and behold, she reached over and returned it to the plate from which it had fallen (she had not even received her own plate yet!) Such selflessness in the midst of near-starvation moved me beyond measure . . . . . . that God would use a toddler to teach me a lesson/show me my own selfishness.
HE is soooooo Good!

Happy Birthday, Konal!

Resilience

This blog post is less an update on what we've been doing, but a brief reflection of how much I've been continually in awe by the resilience shown by these amazing people. Today a group of us worked for the third straight day in the neighborhood of Jubilee, helping put up a roof for a home with wood and corrugated tin. The home, made from makeshift cement and mud dried to a rough wooden frame, measured maybe 10'x15' and will house an entire family of likely 5+ people. It was very hot today, and I spent a moment reflecting on how I spent the last few summers with only a window AC unit dreaming of the day when I will have central air, and was instantly humbled by considering how different my life would have been if I had been born in these circumstances. We spent most of the time without much in the way of translation with the other young men helping us put up the roof, but it's amazing what you can accomplish with a common purpose.

While operating a medical clinic and setting up roofs are tangible ways we are helping these people, I think perhaps the interactions with residents, especially the children, in between these events are what will stay with me- and hopefully them- for a long time. Behind the smiles and laughter and banter between the children hide a world of immense poverty and hunger. But it's these smiles and laughter that we're able to create, by letting them chase us and hold our hands and climb on us like we're a jungle gym and let them run their hands through our hair, which connect us as human beings and allow us to share a few minutes of joy together. Their smiles come so easy, and how they are able to continually live and struggle and perservere is a trait I can only dream to aspire to.

At one point today while working on the roof, a young boy came up to me and stood at my side clutching my leg. After exchanging smiles and a "bonjour," he noticed my arm hair and started rubbing his hands up and down my arm and looking at with me amazement. Of course, I started rubbing his arm too, completely devoid of hair, to a flurry of giggles. We then put our hands together, and it seemed like a sudden realization came over him that we were both people- with the same amount of fingers and a thumb- which we then used to hold a piece of wood on each end while another ORRer cut off a piece for the roofs.

In peace,
-Chris

My Jubilee @ Jubilee

Hi Everyone from Haiti

We are a tired team but filled with the goodness of of God as we watch with amazement at His glorious works.

I wanted to share with you a Jubilee blessing I had at Jubilee yesterday, a very poor area where we had been doing medical clinic for the second day in a row. it was late in the day and the medical team has seen many people already as the sun was beginning to set on the day.

There was this much older lady who came seeking help for what she called it "A Hurting Heart". of course, they checked her out and then she moved over to where I was and I began to feel the compassion of the Lord come upon me for her. I reached over to her and began touching her and she looked at me and just began to talk and talk, it seemed ever ending as i did not understand a word she was saying yet so touching.

But that doesn't matter does it when the Lord is doing a good work? well, as I reached out to her, the Lord began touching her as well. Then as I began to pray for her she began to cry and before you know it I was just loving her and she was pouring out her heart.

Here is the best part.....the reason she came to the clinic in the first place was because her "heart was hurting". I believe it was a emotional hurt that brought her and the Lord supplied for her a person who just listened to her and even though I could not speak her language she was receiving just what she needed the most. Cody told me that she had lost 3 daughters No wonder her heart was hurting.

What does this tell me? well, for one the faithfulness of our Lord goes beyond what we can imagine and He does want he wants to and will touche those he desire to if only we will allow him to show his compassion to a dying world that is in great need of His love and compassion.

For me personally, this was an answer to prophecy and prayer before I left Omaha. the lord told me he wanted to show me his compassion and heart for the hurting in a way I have never seen before. this was in many ways new even though I have seen the lord touch many people. before this lady left both of us were crying as I walked her to the door of which she would enter back into her daily routine whatever that looked like to her.

While here you experience the sights and sounds and smells of Haiti, but in the midst of pain and suffering you also experience the sweet fragrance of our precious Lord Jesus. well, I am so grateful for yesterday as the Lord was gracious to me by allowing me to be a part of watching Him do heart surgery on that precious womans heart.

So long for now, keep us in your prayers that especially we will finish strong.

Dee with much love to all of you at home. see you soon.

Hello to all of our family, friends, and followers. I would first like to apologize for not getting to you all in a timely manner. We have been busy. Being a part of this team has been a wonderful experience here in Haiti. Yesterday was a spiritual awakening for me. (I am tearing up as I write this to you) We went to visit Pastor Genada. During that visit there was a class being taught, the teacher asked us to help him teach some English. So they got into some small groups and my group had a lot of questions for me. First off they all think I’m Haitian. So they expected me to know Creole. And now that they know that I’m American they are more than willing to teach me. So anyhow, the first question they asked me was “how do I feel about death”. I gave them my answer, we then had gotten into a conversation about how they struggle living in a third world, the poorest country in the world. To hear them express themselves to me (someone that they know is here to help) was very hard for me. God had given me the strength and courage to share with them how I struggle living and being American. I really feel that I made a connection to the group that I was talking to that no one had ever reached. They expressed a lot of gratitude for what I had shared. And in return I know why God has called me to come to Haiti. And there will be many more trips in the near future for me. I would also like to share with you all of a fear that I had and I have been praying for me to overcome that fear. That fear was praying out loud in a group. The Haitian’s that I was talking to asked me to say a prayer before we ended our session and I did it. I did not know what to say but I started the lord took over. So that was my wonderful day in a nutshell. There is so much more I would love to share but it will be at another time. Thank you all for all of your prayers, I love you all and will see you in a week.

LaShanda King

Wow, it's hard to believe that our trip is almost over. I want to start by thanking everyone who has been praying for our team while we have been in Haiti, all of our family and friends and a special thanks to my friends at New Horizon High School who helped to support our team!
I wanted to blog closer to the end of our trip because I thought it would be easier for me to look back and reflect rather than just talk about the happenings of the day. That being said this trip was much like many other things in life in that it was not what I expected. I was preparing myself before I left to deal with many different traumatic scenarios, people dying, bandaging serious wounds, and perhaps even having to deal with knowing that there was nothing I could do to help someone. Although our team did encounter some very sick and injured people many of the survivors had already been cared for by one of the many other organizations that were operating in Port Au Prince. We were able to set up clinics and meet the needs of many Haitians who had probably not had access to medical attention for quite some time and I know that the people we helped were very grateful to us. Personally, I felt that the biggest impact that I was able to have came when our team traveled to Gonaives to work at the Jubilee camp. Having limited medical knowledge the majority of the people there that needed help saw Vaughn, who is a PA, or Gwen, Kellie, and Liz who are all nurses. I felt a bit lost because I wanted to help so badly but didn’t really know where to start. It seemed that the only thing I was able to do was play with the kids, who clung to us as soon as we arrived, and help out with feeding the children. It’s amazing how much they have in common with many of the children I know in the states even though they have no real similarities in regards to lifestyles. Many of the children were not wearing any clothes or shoes, they had no toys except what they made out of the trash that was lying around their homes, and I couldn’t effectively communicate with almost all of them. What I did notice they had in common were the smiles, the laughter, and the craving for attention from anyone who was willing to give them the time of day. Many of the children were left alone during the day, not out of a lack of love but because of the culture and the necessity of the parents to focus their efforts on providing the basic needs. When we showed up and were willing to sit them on our laps and hold their hands it was almost impossible to get them to let go, even if it was to give them a plate of rice and beans that would almost certainly be their only meal of the day. The openness to our arrival didn’t stop there. Many of the people Brian introduced us to in the city welcomed the team with warm smiles and some of the biggest hugs I have ever had in my life. They invited us into their homes, which consisted of a one room hut built out of mud and sticks, and shared their life stories with us. Although we had never been deprived of food a day in our lives and they struggled to figure out where their next meal came from I feel certain they would have offered us whatever they had simply because they appreciated us being there to listen to them. I found the Haitian people to be some of the most beautiful people I have ever met. Even though they live in unimaginable poverty you wouldn’t be able to tell based on their warmth and love. Although I wasn’t sure what I was going to be able to do to serve the people in Haiti when I first got there it became evident in Gonaives, showing them the love of Christ by being willing to do the most simple and natural aspects of humanity and starting a relationship with them. Most of the people there didn’t need the medical attention that I could provide, they needed me to show them that even though my life is completely different than theirs I still love them and care about their wellbeing. Because of my personality it was hard to come to the conclusion that I could not physically meet the needs of the people I came into contact with, it’s heart breaking to look into the eyes of a hungry and thirsty child and try to convey to them that I had no food or water to give them and I don’t look forward to ever having to go through that again. All I could do for many of the people there was love them unconditionally with all of my heart. But I found that that is the most important thing I could have done. Just giving the people food, water, medical attention, or shelter would not be enough, sure it would meet their physical needs and help to make sure that they would see tomorrow, but that doesn’t meet the greatest need that we all have. Many organizations are currently working in Haiti to provide many of the necessities that I mentioned above but I was able to get to know and love individuals that I will always remember and hopefully they will remember that someone cared enough about them to not just care for them physically but to listen to their story. Scripture tells us that the greatest commandment is to honor the Lord our God and to love others as we do ourselves. I learned on this trip that the Haitian people are more than just victims of a massive earthquake, they are my family in Christ and just working to solve the problems the earthquake caused would be drastically missing the purpose of why God called me to go to Haiti in the first place. I believe God called our team to Haiti to build relationships with the people there so that we could be a small example of God’s love for them. Obviously the physical needs of the people there still need to be met, but I learned that it can’t come from a desire to save people from their tragedy but instead from a true love for those who you are helping if the impact is going to go beyond the immediate and into eternity. I know that it’s cliché’ to say that I got more from the trip than the people that we helped, but I did. There is so much more work to be done in Haiti and I encourage all those who are following the blog and the teams to continue to pray and give as the Lord leads you. Know that the work that Rapid Response is doing in Haiti is meeting the physical needs of the people there but going to extra mile to build relationships and demonstrate the love of God to the people in the country. I will always cherish the memories of my first trip to Haiti and pray that the Lord calls me back to continue to get to know and help the people there.

P.S. I wrote this at 1:00 AM on our last night out of the country, so hopefully it makes as much sense to those who read it as it did to me as I wrote it…..

- Todd

Team 3 on the way

The last few days... Team #2

We had very sketchy internet connections for the last couple of days so hopefully, this will catch us up...

As we near the end of our Medical Support Team Mission in Haiti, I wanted to review and reflect on the many things we have seen and experienced. It only took a moment to realize that this would be an extremely long posting (too long) and would become boring to someone who hasn’t been to Haiti, or ever been on a Medical Response Team in a disaster area. So much happened and so many unforgettable images were imbedded in our minds…. So many things were seen and experienced, that words might not come for a few more days or weeks after our return – or until we’ve each had individual time to process it all. So if your own Omaha Rapid Response Team member that you most closely associate with, seems to be speaking about minute details one minute and ethereal things the next, just give them a bit more time, other opportunities and conversations… it will all begin to surface.

I believe the adage that ‘one picture speaks a thousand words’ and stirs a hundred memories. So the best way to even ‘begin’ to tell about what we’ve been seeing and experiencing, is to do just that … tell it with pictures. Because I know you are already very interested in what we’re doing here in Haiti (or you wouldn’t be visiting this web page to begin with), I’ll invite you to go to a photo album web page to see a collection of photos that focuses on the different things we’ve been doing,and to SEE the thousands of words that it would take to tell you. (These are the photos I sent to my family and supporters, so don’t be put off that there may be a few more photos of me than the others, for that reason). (However, because of unreliable WiFi we will get this blog posted first, and follow up with the Photo Web address next, so please check back in a few hours… or tomorrow night - if the generator here, runs out of gas... Sorry. It will be well worth it; they're are quite moving. (It's so bad / slow, that we couldn;t even get couple of images attached to this blog entry.)

On our last morning Deb went to work with a deaf-childrens school in Gonaives She interpreted for ahout 50 church members on Sunday). Elliot (Esq.) and I went to the local hospital to assess wounds and injuries for possible transfer back to Ken with the Wound Care Team at the Univ of Miami airport hospital. The medical staff at this hospital is very limited and the orthopedic surgeon, who came from Port-au-Prince (PaP) for three days each week, was killed in the quake. Many PaP patients were sent to hospitals in surrounding cities. Gonaives had received about 20 significant injuries as you will see in the photo album. A few doctors / surgeons from Bolivia have come here a few times, leaving instructions for the remaining nurses and students to carry out until their next team arrives later this week. They are doing a great job of keeping some very significant wounds clean and dressed.

We loaded up about noon and made the 3 hours trip back to PaP (gals in the 6-pack cab – guys standing in the back of the cargo bed – hanging on as we negotiated the rock roads, gullys, bumps, bolders and washouts… and where there WAS pavement it had potholes the size of your dinning room table, which Brian and Emory had to cut, weave and dodge – with us hanging on and keeping our balance on un-locked knees… and getting 'redder' by the hour as the sun scorched down. (We took a picture to show my kids, who were always, admonished to NEVER rid in the back of a pickup, as they were growing up. It was ‘fun’ on the way out, but a 'challenge' for tired bodies on the way home to PaP.

We took the wound photos to Ken at the U of M, airport hospital as soon as we returned and about the time we arrived we were met with a ‘scramble’ to receive an unknown number of casualties from a school about two hours away, that had just collapsed. 3 were dead and medevacs were bringing an unknown number to us at the Airport hospital. We were drafted to help treat the injuries and got a quick indoctrination. About half an hour later, word came that we were not receiving any of the casualties at our location. Our transportation had left when we prepared to be there all night; so we pitched in anyway... Kelly went to the med tent, and I went to work in the ER, while Elliot, Esther, and DeDe assisted – running labs, and what ever was needed. Elliot was drafted to "bag a patient" who had already coded twice...(squeeze the respirator bag attached to an intubation tube down this ladies trachea to keep her ventilated). She later died unfortunately. The family morned over her body, in a private area behind a tarp, with cries and chants of sadness for their loss.

The President of Haiti had declared the last three days as "a time for prayer" (the UN called it 3 days of mourning). Don't know if CNN covered this part, but we received word that the President of Haiti announced today, that he had 'received Jesus as his personal Savior' ! This was a very significant event in a nation that is about 60% Catholic, 30% Evangelical Christian, 10% 'other' ... and as they say, 100% VooDoo. (It's complicated...)

These are ‘life-changing days’ for everyone, from every perspective; the victims of the quake (obviously), but also the thousands of people who responded to the disaster...
Above all, it is, and will continue to be, our hope, that we (ORR Team#2) made a difference here, for the survivors and even the many people of Haiti who barely felt the quake. 'As Port-au-Prince goes... So goes the nation."

The ORR will have sent four teams to the area for about 10 days each (as plans have it right now), but my portion of the blog can not pass without recognizing the people who are here in Haiti all the time, for the sake of the people (and especially the Children) of Haiti – as you will see from our web album pictures at Jubilee – a destitute area near Goniaves, Haiti. If you want to learn more about this go to - http://love4haiti.blogspot.com/

Thank you to everyone who provided financial support, moral support and encouragement, and of course, endless prayer support, as we represented the people of Omaha, and the United States, and Christ. It was our pleasure (and an unforgettable experience) to serve you, but more importantly, the people of Haiti.

We are packing up to leave tomorrow, about noon, as Team #3 arrives in Port-au-Prince.
We’ll see you soon…
'Til Then... “Doc” (which became much easier for everyone to say or spell, than Vaughan).

Vaughan Wenzel, PA-C
rian

One life at a time

One may think you come to a place like Haiti to attempt to meet the few needs you may encounter. Though that was the intention of this trip, it amazes me how much the very people you come to help oftentimes minister to you in ways you never imagined.

After spending a few days in Port Au Prince, we traveled today to the northern city of Gonaives. Warmly welcomed by screaming children, we first took part in helping to feed them. These children know no stranger. The minute you arrive, you become a walking tree for them to flex their muscles as they hang all over you. Children are just children. Even in the midst of suffering, children love to play and laugh and be surrounded by love.

Today also marked the second day of three national days of prayer the president called. Just like yesterday, there was a crowd gathered in the town center to pray and cry out to the one, true God. To hear a people pray for their own nation is truly humbling and inspiring. God still has a plan for the nation of Haiti.

In a land where no one ever hesitates to smile back at you, I am grateful to have been used today by our awesome God.

- Esther Kuhn

Haiti day ??? don't know I think its Friday.

Good evening everyone. First I want to say that in someways you can really see GOD moving in huge ways in and around the Haitian people and in others it seems to be moving in slow motion. This morning we had to reorganize the pharmacy as the Georia team was packing up to leave and need some of their suitcases back. You know, since we were using them to seperate all the medication. Well maybe you didn't but now you do. Once we got done and got the group ready to go out, we went out and delivered baby food to some of the camps. Which, turned out to setting up little medical clinic where ever we went. The sun was very hot today but the breeze made it for us. The heat and humidity get to you but then you think about the cold and snow that are waiting for us back home, I think I can take it a few more days. The buckets showers give it that extra touch. Anyway, back to the baby food distribution. We came back for lunch and a quick rest, waiting to see where or what our next adventure will take us. Some things will change by the minute, really. Well after lunch, we took a quick ride to see some of the hardest area. They where having a huge celebration for the 1st day on National Day of Prayer. It was amazing!!! Hundreds of people singing and dancing in this park area by the Palace. Presence of the Lord was there in a big way. Not to sound like a girly man but I started to cry. We left there and headed back, along the way I lost my hat. Shouldn't be a big thing but I finally got it broke in. When we got back we broke into two teams. One seperated rice and beans that we would hand out later and the other, the one I was on was suppose to head to one of the camps to medically treat some people there. On our way God had a different plan, as we were walking someone stopped us because they were sick. We stopped and started to treat her right there on the street, then a few more came. So we went into a shaded area to finish with the few that were there, when more people came and more and more. Some with just the typical headaches and stomach aches, but some where a little more severe. Kellie was the true hero. Todd was awesome to. I just handed out meds or what ever the two doctors needed. We came back about 5pm and a few of us loaded up the food that was packaged and delivered to and area that was in need. The people are GREAT, the team and the Haitian people. Its tuff here the destruction, the suffering and just the state of things.. but the life continues. Just want to thank everyone thats supporting us during this time. Thank You and God Bless. This is Brian Howe signing off/ logging out I don't know. I not very good at this blogging stuff.

A drop in a bucket

Today, we opened the doors to the compound where we are staying and held an impromptu clinic. People came in off the streets with health complaints that were by no means life threatening, but they were still uncomfortable. With our basic supplies, we were able to help stomach aches, diarrhea, dry eyes, body pains and provide some validation and support to their plight.

In the afternoon, we visited the orphanage to play with and love the kids. No medical care, but it felt just as important to give the kids some attention and love.

I have been pretty overwhelmed by the tenacity of the Haitian people. What strong, strong people. When it would be so easy to throw up their hands in frustration, surrounded by crumbled blocks and cement, they don't. Instead, they work all day in the blistering sun rebuilding the walls and buildings that fell. They persevere, that is for sure.

It is very difficult to not feel like our group is such a tiny drop in this sea of need, but with each smiling face, I have to be reminded that every sea is made up of these tiny drops!

I want to thank everyone that has supported me and helped give me this amazing opportunity. I love you all!

"In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it." - Marianne Williamson

- Kelly

If I never say it again aside from right now, I have to say, I love my family. We've been here in Port au Prince for two full days working in the daytime holding medical clinics in the middle of tent cities, and this afternoon distributed rice to over 200 families. Awe. That's the word. Awe. I never imagined a place like this, where people live in conditions most of us wouldn't wish on our worst enemy. But like Brian told us on the first night, this is the way people here in Haiti live. A disaster happens and the pick up and move on. Unfortunately, the news we see on tv shows the bad stuff from the disaster and not the "bad" stuff that goes on EVERYDAY. The scene is so overwhelming that it seems at times like we've come in vain....how can we ever help these people? Well, we can only do so much, but we can help a few. That has to be enough to encourage change in the future, even if in the slightest. I was worried coming into this that I didn't have a big bag of supplies to contribute like the rest of the team, but Aaron reassured me that it was ok.....God would provide. We have food and water, companionship of friends, time and energy(some) to take care of people in need, and the protection of an awesome God.

The pearl is in the river, AND the eagle flies at midnight. :)

- Liz

ORR Team 2 - Day 1

Our first day in Port Au Prince was very productive. In the morning we split into two groups, one going to do a medical clinic and the other preparing food rations for distribution. I was on the medical team as a “Pharmicist” helping package and distribute meds. In a few hours we saw about 200 people mostly with GI and skin issues. In the afternoon we took badly needed time to inventory and organize our medical supplies and catch our bearings a bit.
A few thoughts so far, I love the Haitian people. They are such warm, selfless and resilient people in face of such hardship. It was a blessing to meet two young Haitian pastors. Both are struggling to meet the needs of their congregation and both expressed the love from God they felt by our presence. As I expected I feel like they are challenging and blessing me more than I am them! As far as the situation on the ground it is still very hard. We have a large tent city as our neighbor and people are still struggling to find food and water just to survive. Please pray that logistics would work out for better food distribution.
There are lots of bright spots. Today one of our translators named Smith reunited with his mom for the first time since the quake. He is a grown man and she still asked him to sit in her lap! It was such a joy to witness.
Tomorrow we will head out and do more medical clinics and remain flexible to the needs of the moments. Thanks for all your support and prayers. Keep em’ coming!


Elliot Johnson

Me as a Pharmacist! Lookin’ the part….:)

Team 2 Arrives in Port Au Prince

We arrived in Port Au Prince sometime after eight in the evening. It was a long two day Journey from Omaha, San Diego, Chicago and Tennee to Port Au Prince Haiti. I sat next to a Haitian woman on the bus from Santo Domingo to Port Au Prince. She was at work when the quake hit. She lost her husband and several of her coworkers. Her children were safe though, and she praised God for that. When you talk to people, hear their stories, you heart akes for them. When you see the tears in thier eyes, God uses it to touch your heart, and then you realize the burden God has for these people and how much he loves them.

Today part of our team bagged beans and rice for food ditribution tomrow and the other part of our team held our first medical clinic. We saw over 200 people. We worked with another group from Georgia. There were many people. What can I say? It is hard to describe accurately without being able to teleport you hear so you can see and hear, smell and touch. Pray for the people of Haiti. God loves all people and wants them to know him. Here are some photos of our first day.

- Aaron

Update

Well, the first team left yesterday. After I dropped them off at the bus station I took Kenny G down to the hospital to continue with wound care and I went up to Gonaives to look in on some projects we began in December when I was here. We sat down one last time with our friend Major Shahid for dinner. He is headed back to Pakistan in about a week. Hopefully we will be able to see him when we visit Pakistan next. We received a 16 person team from Brunswick Georgia today they will be here along with our team for this upcoming week. We plan to continue working in the same tent communities we have been. We will try to acquire some water purification systems to use for the water tanks we have already placed in two communities. I hope to have an update tomorrow on our teams arrival. Hopefully with pictures. Thanks for your support.

Carolyn

Kris and Carolyn lovin' on the babies in an orphanage.

Carolyn and Woobens(our sweet interpreter) walking to one of the medical clinics

This has been one of the best weeks of my life. I came here thinking everyone would be sad and gloomy, but I found almost everyone with smiles and laughter. The children sing and play and have brought joy to my life. I have been so blessed to come here and meet these people. Yes, there are hard things to see and yes, I want to cry every day. But there is a resolve these people have that I have never seen before. They are already rebuilding and doing the best they can with what they have. I hope to come back soon. Until then, all the people will be in my heart and in my prayers.

Water tank installation

We will be adding more of these water tanks in the camps that we are working in. This is our 2nd tank. Clean water is a big problem here. Many are geting sick or are going with out.

Brian said we will be making it a priority in the coming days. The tanks are quite expensive.

Ken

USA Army helps in food distribution

We distributed food in 7 diffrent camps. Two or three days worth of food for about 2,000 people.
Its been great having the Army with us to keep things under control.They were happy to get out with us, and we loved having them along.

Another atypical morning in Haiti

We are holding a clinic near a creek/sewer/landfill/hog and goat feeding area. The tent city is a large one of 1500 souls located in front of us. Todd, our physician, is assessing a patient. The Haitians waited very patiently to be seen and, as others have said, are very thankful for the care.

We also held clinic in a small camp not far from us. These are some of the patients waiting in line. Very friendly even with the language barrier. Kids love to high 5!

I was pharmacist this morning. We stopped by the orphanage close by and then walked to this small tent city. The adults found us a door to use as a table and found a light tarp to cover it. They also found chairs in the diffferent tents for the staff to use while treating patients. So hospitable. The 2 girls are 13 and have latched onto Dave, our wound care medic. They have become very adept wound techs! They wanted to help me package ibuprofen and other meds for the patients. They loved counting the pills out loud in English. They want to be doctors and are learning English. They are so motivated to learn!

Kris and I on our way through the neighborhood to set up the clinic. Even though we look rather out of place, if we say "bon jour" we always get a smile and response.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support. Every person we feed or treat is because of you and those prayers.

LOVING THROUGH OUR CLINIC'S

Ingrid with one of the women from the clinic.The number of tent cities is endless. As you walk the streets it seems that every block has another group of tents with 50-200 people living together. This is one of the clinic setups today. No matter how long we run clinic, the line is endless. It is hard to stop, but we must.

The children are amazing...beautiful full smiles, even in this hardship. They love the attention and I always enjoy giving them "gramma" hugs.

The dust here is always bad, but add in the additional dust from cement debris & it compounds the problem. Everyone complains of a cough.

This little one month old girl was in the arms of her aunt. Such beauty in the midst of ashes!

We are hot & sweaty...dusty & dirty....but none of us would want to be anywhere else. The work is hard but the reward is plentiful. Thank you for your prayers for us and the Haitian people.

Kris

clinics morning and afternoon