June 01, 2010
I returned from Haiti exactly a week ago tonight. It’s hard to describe the feeling of walking from our mission house to the border, crossing the Massacre River (that separates Haiti and the Dominican Republic) walking 6 blocks to the Expreso Liniero (Express Line) bus station and jumping on the bus that is just about to pull out any second! With a minimum of 7 military stops from Dajabon to Santiago, the ride to the airport usually takes a little over 3 hours. So in less than 4 hours, you’ve literally gone from a place where time stands still to a place where your entire life is dominated by the ticking clock. Perhaps all you fans of Narnia can relate to the difference between time here and time in Haiti!
A week ago last Thursday, we loaded up an old pickup truck with duffle bags (filled with medications), folding aluminum tables, plastic chairs and 8 people and headed for Capotille, a village about 10 miles south of Ouanaminthe. I’m not sure if I was more fortunate to be on the motorcycle with Joseph or if I would have been more fortunate in the pickup. Once you’re past Aslan’s land in L’Acajou, the road gets progressively worse until it becomes almost impossible to navigate without a 4-wheel drive vehicle (which we didn’t have). Several thousand people live in this area that borders some of the highest mountains in Haiti; and throughout this area there are no services of any kind. No medical clinic, no doctors, no nurses and no pharmacy. Mayor David Jean Baptiste welcomed us with open arms, and he explained to us how important our visit was to his village in such desperate need. Chairs and tables were moved around, and the mayoral office became our clinic for the day. A solar panel was set up outside to capture enough solar power to run a fan for about 10 minutes per hour.
During our time in Capotille, we helped 75 children and adults ~ many of them with serious problems. One small Haitian boy lay incredibly still, as Andy (our nurse and medical director for this small team) set the little guy’s broken arm. There was no way to anesthetize the boy, so he clinched his jaws silently as large tears rolled down his cheeks. Once his arm was wrapped in a soft cast, he was almost smiling. Pastor Dave Fair worked tirelessly doing triage outside under mango and banana trees, while Kendra (Andy’s wife) was the pharmacist. A wonderful and gifted Haitian doctor, Jean Baptiste (no relation to the mayor) also traveled to Capotille with us to help.
At one point Andy and Dr. Jean went outside to clean out a badly infected gash in a woman’s hand. After giving her several shots of lidocaine, she still would not let them clean the infection out of the wound. The best they could do was to carefully wash the deep cut running from the middle of her palm to the wrist and give her antibiotics. Throughout the day, everyone was extremely cooperative and very appreciative of the quality medical care they were receiving. At one point Andy called me over to look at the feet of a middle-aged woman. There were deep fissures in more places than we could count from all the hard work she’d done in her life. He gave her an abundance of soap, antibiotic cream and moisturizer, with instructions to wear shoes whenever possible.
There are so many, many more stories to tell, but they’ll need to wait for another time. Our medical team ministered to the needs of 340 people ~ almost 100 patients each day! When we returned to the States last week, we learned that the heat index (actual temperature, with humidity factored in) was 115 degrees for the entire week we were there. The conditions were challenging, but each of us was comforted by all the good things that took place. Each time our medical teams go down, lives are literally saved. And most assuredly, we give God all the glory for it all. Many prayers were offered up for these wonderful people that have so little.
Till next time!
Craig:
P.S. The pictures are:
1) our fully loaded rented pickup coming down the steep hill to the mayor’s office in Capotille (top);
2) Andrew wrapping the brave little Haitian boy’s arm with a soft cast (middle right);
3) the woman with the badly infected hand (middle left).
4) the poor woman’s badly fissured foot (below).
