Mission Statement

Chicago Metro Presbytery exists to extend the gospel and to oversee the work of the ministry of the PCA throughout the Chicago Metropolitan area to the glory of God.
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Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Haiti Trip 7/29/19

Day 4
Today was a great way to start the ministry week - at Cavaillon! Read on for the update below on the day but PLEASE first, stop to pray for this new challenge...

The generator at the guest house caught fire today as it was turned on late this afternoon. Billows of smoke and flame made it clear it was no small event. A quick word sent to the facilities director resulted in some folks coming who had the knowledge to splice together some still intact wires to provide partial electricity - enough for lights, water pumps, and phone charging, but not enough to push the generator output high enough for AC. The team will be sleeping in hot rooms tonight, or make the choice to bathe themselves in bug spray and sleep on the open air veranda. Please pray that the generator is fixable, parts are available, and maintenance staff knowledgeable. New generators are not likely easy to come by, and no AC all week will definitely impact the team. They are grateful for lights and water tonight, for sure!

...And now, on to the rest of the update!
The team got to spend about 8 hours today with the children at Cavaillon So many of the children there are known to our repeating team members, and it is place dear to the hearts of many others who support these children and are working to make Cavaillon a safe and beautiful place for them to live. The reunion and introductions were jubilant and exuberant!

The team was delighted to see a new development - a beautiful vegetable garden, growing carrots, spinach, squash, and eggplant. And they've already had their first harvest! Another supporting ministry, Give Hope, paid an agronomist to build/plan a garden at Cambry including a watering structure, and they generously paid for Cavaillon to get one, too. The children are learning how to grow things and be responsible for growing and tending the nourishing plants. It's a wonderful thing!

First order of business today was taking care of the housemoms. Our teams try very hard to let them know they are valued and seek to show them care in a variety of ways. They are given their own gift bags of personal supplies with each visit, get a special thank you and devotional, are asked for their input and knowledge about the children's progress and issues, and lastly all receive their own medical check ups.

And then, the kids! Everyone starts with scabies wash (a skin parasite that is not dangerous but very quick to spread with a CRAZY itch, which often causes secondary skin infections, which can be dangerous), then to intake (vitals check, chart updates), then triage (do you need to see a doctor, or just need basic care like vitamins?), then finally, for those that need it, to the doctor or PA. After that a stop at the pharmacy (with an adult) to get whatever meds you might need. At the same time, pictures were taken for charts and for sponsors.

Today, all of the boys - 53 of them, were seen by the medical team. Tomorrow, the 32 girls get their turn.

Although the children seen today were in pretty good shape, there were some things that caused concern - their teeth, for one thing. Most have never seen a dentist, and the need is intense. Secondly, the younger children do not seem to have grown as much as would be expected, although the larger children have. Could this be that the food disruption earlier in the year impacted the little ones more severely? Another possibility is that the year's gap in treatment has allowed intestinal parasites to get a foothold, so the medical team will treat them all with doses to eradicate any in their system over three days instead of the usual one. They will be followed by the local medical team after our team leaves at the end of the week.

The water team was pleased to see that the system in Cavaillon is working as intended with no problems. Tomorrow the team tackles the system in Savanne, which suffered significant damage in the civil unrest of the past several months. Now there is a security wall in place, so a repair/rebuild ought to last. They'll be spending up to three days on that project. If time allows, they'll move to LaHatte to evaluate that location (an old system installed by others, but a new well) and possibly do some planning at Brevette for a future trip's installation. The water team will not be out of work in Haiti for a long time!

If you've made it to the end of this long update, please make it through to these important prayer requests - and then finally - some pictures from the day!
  • Pray for the generator at the guest house. This situation will impact the team's ability to enter into refreshing rest after long, hot days and could affect their health. Ask God to provide what is needed.
  • Pray that a dentist will hear of the need the children have for dental care and respond by coming on the next trip...and several dentists on succeeding trips! If you can ask one to consider it, please do!
  • Pray for the children of Cavaillon to thrive and grow in health and well being. Praise God for the generosity of donors who have brought their physical surroundings up to the current higher standards, including a new kitchen, new shower/bathroom facilities, the garden, a water purification system and better sleeping quarters. There is still more to do!
  • Please continue to pray for Nicholson, the boy who fell off a truck and injured his arm. His bandages were changed tonight (not without some discomfort!) and it's looking better. The team was told he did have an x ray but no bones were broken. The medical team believes there's at least a small fracture of the elbow, but there's no treatment they can provide for that.
And now, some pictures!





Devotions to start the day


Loading up for Cavaillon!




A new garden at Cavaillon




Cavaillon house moms


Checking weight, height, blood pressure...and vitamins




Triage


To the Physician's Assistant (PA) and doctor




Last stop: Pharmacy


All new clothes - lots of superheroes and sports teams!




Checking out the water purification system at Cavallion - working great!




The natural beauty of Haiti - from the rooftop of the guest house





Ann Powers
Chicago Friends of Haiti




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