Tuesday was the kind of day that gets people hooked on ministry in Haiti.
Some good work was finished up in Cambry with a small team, including helping a man from the community swing a machete better by removing the extra digits he was born with on both hands. When you work as a laborer, it is not a small thing to be good at swinging a machete. With help from our medical team, a Haitian doctor (whose name is unpronounceable to most Americans, so the team calls him “Junior”) did the surgery with supplies and meds brought in the duffels.
The larger group went to Casa Major. The big task was to see all 190 kids, plus any adults who needed it. The children in Casa Major were mostly in good health; scabies and pneumonia were the main issues. With several teams set up and a triage group that kept the pace flowing, the goal was met. Along the way, they met some adorable children, and some who really needed a doctor.
The attached pictures tell the story of the day…see that smiling face in the red and white dress? That’s one way to get hooked on ministry in Haiti.
See the sleeping child? Another way to get hooked. They just want to be held sometimes.
The boy with the burn on his chest? This is the main way to get hooked – sometimes you see the hand of God very clearly when you minister in Haiti. Here’s his story…apparently, a few days ago he was scalded by some water from one of the ever-present outside cooking pots. The medical team quickly determined he had third degree burns on his back and chest (the picture of his back is much worse, and apparently even worse than that in person) and spent two hours debrading the wound. In the US, this little boy would have been heavily sedated for treatment and then kept sedated in a hospital for a week because of the pain. The burns had gone down to the bone. But in Haiti, they gave him what they had for pain and this little guy sat perfectly still with tears running down his face until they were done. The docs said that no adult could have withstood it. The bravest boy in Haiti, indeed! And how does this display the hand of God? The docs said that had the team not shown up when it did in Casa Major, the wound certainly would have gotten infected and this little boy would have likely been dead within two weeks. Now that the major repair has been done, a local nurse will be left with supplies, meds and ointments, and they believe he will heal. Certainly God orchestrated this timing to show mercy to this precious little boy, and show his glory to the team by allowing them to be a part of this. Praise God!
One last picture – the group of boys with the team’s interpreter – the boy in the red shirt, Fransco, is the one whose life became new in Christ yesterday in Cavillon. Thought you’d like to see his face!
The day came to a close for the team back at the guest house with a meeting including lots of laughter, good spirits, and a dose of dark chocolate J. All are healthy though exhausted after a long day, and looking forward to Cherette tomorrow. Cherette is quite remote - literally up the side of a mountain and accessible only via four wheel drive vehicles and roads that look an awful lot like river beds.
Please pray that good rest restores tired bodies tonight. Pray for safety tomorrow. Pray for the precious children who were taken care of today, and the adults who watch over them. Praise God for his provisions for the team - food, safe water to drink, the gift of laughter and fellowship, medicines with which to work, and clothes to provide.
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