Monday, August 2, 2010

Our work has just begun - Brian

Can you believe it's been 3 weeks since we returned? We are back to emails, traveling, work etc, but I know that none of us have gone a day, or probably an hour without thinking of Haiti. But let me catch up first.

Last we blogged en route, we were on a plane bound for JFK, then Logan. You can imagine we were all a bit excited to see our families and friends. We made it through the complete chaos of customs, and after an hour and half, found out our flight had been canceled. The next flight was the next day, from LaGuardia! Twelve of God's disciples (hmmm) stuck in NYC. OSLC, however, has a connection in NYC with the Salvation Army, so Rob gave them a call to see if we could crash there, only to find out that they were all full - no room at the inn, as it were. The group that was there booked rooms at a mission house in the west side, not knowing the Salvation Army would accommodate them, so we gave them a call. Again, God watched over us, and they had just enough room for us, in rooms that had been paid for!

We got there at midnight after a lot of trains subways and walking. Phew. A bunch of us went to a deli and had some dinner, many of us had not eaten since breakfast, and hit the hay at 1:00am. We had 4 hours to sleep, get up and get a few taxis to LaGuardia.

We made it to the airport and got back home the next day, safe and sound. Well, with the exception of 8 of us ending up with some bad bathroom problems for several days, weeks in most cases. (Note: If the travel Doctor prescribes medicine for this, DO NOT DONATE ALL OF IT UPON LEAVING) I, for one, needed to get a new prescription upon my return.

Back in Haiti: Right now Momma is probably washing some laundry, there is a smell of garlic in the air, and in the distance, what sounds like an ice cream truck (it isn't though) is playing Christmas carols. That's right! Christmas Carols! All this is happening on the work site, which is now...a real house! As of last week, the only remaining task was to finish the roof. Can you believe it! They had a few ditches just a month ago, and nothing but manual labor built it. No tractors, Bobcats, or excavators, just shovels, picks, and sweat. Momma, Papa, and those cute kids are living a little better now thanks to the LORD leading us, and His provision of good health, injury-free work, and the gift of endurance we received in a dangerous and very hot environment.

The Clinic is as busy as ever right now. Gale Hull (co-founder) said they were seeing 5,000 people per year before the Earthquake, this year they are tracking for 60,000!! I know she misses the help our team gave her in caring for babies, working in the pharmacy, and helping with the travel clinic that goes to help people in tent cities in the Port-au-Prince area.

Gale was thrilled with the work done around the compound, too. Canvas shed-style roofs were made, shelves put up, doors fixed, etc. A long list of little things that needed attention.

But the real blessing is the family our team adopted. This family lives in a tent city with about 2500 people crammed in right next to each other. There are 7 of them now, Momma, Papa, and 5 Grandchildren. The Alexci family had a house that was destroyed by the earthquake, their daughter and 1 grandchild were killed. They have a baby, a young boy that has ringworm on his face, another in a wheelchair, and one with terminal CP, whom the Clinic treats to prevent constant seizing. The boy with CP requires constant care, and there are 3 other kids as well, so the Papa doesn't have time to work, or beg, so they rely on donations and...well, I am not sure what else. On our last day, we delivered food to this family, and adopted them through PID (Partners in Development)

I need to plug PID for a moment: Literally for pennies a day, you can support someone who needs food and essentials. Through PID (www.pidonline.org), I can guarantee that 100% of your donations will make it to a VERY needy person or family. Please email me, bdahn@comcast.net for more information. Speaking for the team, I encourage you to sponsor a child or family, you can even keep track of them, write them, and maybe someday, visit them.

Lastly, I have told the team, famil,y and friends that one of the gifts of a Mission trip is all of the time surrounding the trip itself. What an opportunity to "talk God" with someone that you may never have had the opportunity! Before the trip, I spoke to a travel Doctor, Pharmacist, a Kohl's cashier...you get the point. We can share this trip, it's purpose, and our faith forever! Even as we were there, our blog was being shared by my friend Patty Mellon. We have all prayed for her while in the throes of Breast Cancer and a couple weeks ago she and her team called "The Tough Warrior Princesses" walked 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3 day walk for cancer. She had New Balance as a sponsor, and a crew there to interview and follow them. The point being, think of all the people that we may have touched that we never would have had it not been for our faithful answer to God's calling.

Keep sharing, the Haiti Mission isn't over yet...

Thanks Patty, we are praying for you and for a cure!
...right back at ya! http://www.pattys3day.blogspot.com/