(Be sure to scroll down, this is one of 3 new posts I was finally able to update!)
They needed 3 more people. We were 3 people needing to be needed. Call it a coincidence. I call it a god wink.
It all started on our first night when Kathy (the leader of FHM) mentioned that her group was going to worship at City Solei the next morning. City Solei is the site of another compound, like Blanchard, it has a school and church. However, City Solei has the highest crime rate in all of Port au Prince. Unemployment rates are over 60% in Haiti--even higher in City Solei. So many people, without jobs, in such a small area of land can lead to problems.
Kathy had 3 spots in her van. We immediately asked if we could join them in City Solei. The services in Haiti last about 3 hours. We arrived at 7:30 and they had already been worshiping for atleast an hour. There was so much singing! And several times where the congregation would turn and kneel and verbalize their private prayer all at once. There was a lot of emotion and although it was outside of my personal "worship comfort zone"--afterall I'm a proud member of the "frozen chosen" (Presbyterians!)--it was beautiful to see! In fact, I think they could have a lot to teach us about prayer and their FAITH in general. The same people who were scared to go back into their houses after the Earthquake, stand confidently in the House of God, thanking Him for allowing them to live another day.
And the Singing!!! It wasn't just your average hymn sung by an often off-key congregation. They were songs sung acapello and with such feeling that although the lyrics were sang in Creole, I was caught speechless by the sound. Several different choirs proudly marched to the front of the church.
That afternoon we talked with Kathy about her work with FHM and learned that they could use our help in their clinic. We ended up spending Monday through Thursday working in the clinic!
FAMILY HEALTH MINISTRIES (FHM) is based out of Durham, NC. It is very ecumenical with churches of all denominations donating their time. Kathy's husband David is the Director of FHM and served on the board of HOM (which is the organization we were staying with)--Kathy has been coming to Haiti for 20 years. This particular FHM team was from Kentucky and traveling as part of their diocese.
*****THE REASON I AM MAKING A BIG DEAL ABOUT EACH OF THESE MEMBERS IS BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL JUST LIKE YOU AND ME! With the exception of Joe and Dr. John, they are all in their late 50s-70s! THAT MEANS AGE IS NOT A FACTOR WHEN WORKING WITH MISSION TEAMS! You also don't need a medical background, I AM PROOF OF THAT!*****
Here is my personal brief "down-low" on each person of the team:
Kathy: leader of the pack, retired Pediatric Nurse Practioner, such a gifted leader. She also appreciates a cold beer, which clearly means she gets gold stars in my book. She is hilarious and always looking for a chance to laugh. She values relationships and above all, values PEOPLE! She told us each day before clinic "remember, its about relationships!"-quality not quantity. She spent the week leading us and serving as the pediatric doctor at our clinic!
Jan: an Episcopal Priest who actually helped with the construction team. She is married to Ken who has spent the past 20 years serving on medical mission trips as an Optometrist. They both helped build a house this week! She also spent part of her work days giving out shoes and clothing to people in the community. She was always first to note things about the culture and how we could best respect it.
Colleen: she has such a quick-wit! She did all the labs at our clinic. Although whenever I saw her, she usually had a cup of urine in her hands, she was always smiling. Our patients were able to be tested for HIV/AIDS as well as for pregnancy and diabetes. She is a therapist and works for a free-mental health care clinic. We shared many conversations about my desire to work with Prisoner Re-entry systems. She was definitely a god-wink!!!!
Pam: southern belle at heart! she's been to Haiti for several years. She even came just 2 weeks after the earth quake! She worked in the pharmacy of our clinic. She also has a long-standing relationship with one of the Haitian nurses who FHM works in partnership with (see what I mean about the relationships!)--they're so close that this young lady calls Pam her god-mother and invites her into her home like family.
Dale: my bunk mate and kindred spirit! little did I know when I gave up my bottom bunk bed, I'd be making a forever friend. She is the most energetic lady I've ever met. Her spirit transcends any barrier imaginable. We both worked triage together and her joy as she interacted with her patients was inspiring! She also is an avid participator in Hot Yoga!
Elizabeth: retired RN and head of the pharmacy at the clinic! If you have a question, she has an answer. Not only is she full of knowledge, but she is full of compassion. With the help of an translator, she gave out medicine and instructions to almost 500 people over the 4 days of clinic. She was patient and kind with each patient. She also helped me several times when I needed medical attention--!
Jeannie: my hero! She is a retired nurse practitioner and has an amazing story. She is a breast cancer survivor and also started a support group in her town for family members of drug addicts. She served as one of doctors in our clinic. She talked about praying for each patients ailments outloud and even though she said them in English, she could witness her patient's reaction when they heard their name and God come out of her mouth. She is also hilarious and full of advice on dating and marriage.
Andy: the husband of Jeannie, he is a retired Orthopedic surgeon, and served as another doctor for our clinic. He is brilliant! He is also very down to earth, always willing to share knowledge with someone like me whose knowledge of the human body stops after biology in 9th grade.
John: our 4th doctor for the trip! He is an Internist! He is also very compassionate and a big believer in prevention. He is very involved with the Cervical Cancer initiative/clinic that FHM is trying to begin in Haiti. He believes everyone should have access to health care!
Tom: runs a food pantry and soup kitchen back home--worked on construction! He also went to seminary, because he loves to learn! He is a grandfather to 9 and seriously makes you laugh until your sides hurt.
Jo, Mike, Ken= construction team!!!
NEXT POST WILL INCLUDE A TYPICAL DAY//SCHEDULE//AND HOW THE CLINIC OPERATES
They needed 3 more people. We were 3 people needing to be needed. Call it a coincidence. I call it a god wink.
It all started on our first night when Kathy (the leader of FHM) mentioned that her group was going to worship at City Solei the next morning. City Solei is the site of another compound, like Blanchard, it has a school and church. However, City Solei has the highest crime rate in all of Port au Prince. Unemployment rates are over 60% in Haiti--even higher in City Solei. So many people, without jobs, in such a small area of land can lead to problems.
Kathy had 3 spots in her van. We immediately asked if we could join them in City Solei. The services in Haiti last about 3 hours. We arrived at 7:30 and they had already been worshiping for atleast an hour. There was so much singing! And several times where the congregation would turn and kneel and verbalize their private prayer all at once. There was a lot of emotion and although it was outside of my personal "worship comfort zone"--afterall I'm a proud member of the "frozen chosen" (Presbyterians!)--it was beautiful to see! In fact, I think they could have a lot to teach us about prayer and their FAITH in general. The same people who were scared to go back into their houses after the Earthquake, stand confidently in the House of God, thanking Him for allowing them to live another day.
And the Singing!!! It wasn't just your average hymn sung by an often off-key congregation. They were songs sung acapello and with such feeling that although the lyrics were sang in Creole, I was caught speechless by the sound. Several different choirs proudly marched to the front of the church.
That afternoon we talked with Kathy about her work with FHM and learned that they could use our help in their clinic. We ended up spending Monday through Thursday working in the clinic!
FAMILY HEALTH MINISTRIES (FHM) is based out of Durham, NC. It is very ecumenical with churches of all denominations donating their time. Kathy's husband David is the Director of FHM and served on the board of HOM (which is the organization we were staying with)--Kathy has been coming to Haiti for 20 years. This particular FHM team was from Kentucky and traveling as part of their diocese.
*****THE REASON I AM MAKING A BIG DEAL ABOUT EACH OF THESE MEMBERS IS BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL JUST LIKE YOU AND ME! With the exception of Joe and Dr. John, they are all in their late 50s-70s! THAT MEANS AGE IS NOT A FACTOR WHEN WORKING WITH MISSION TEAMS! You also don't need a medical background, I AM PROOF OF THAT!*****
Here is my personal brief "down-low" on each person of the team:
Kathy: leader of the pack, retired Pediatric Nurse Practioner, such a gifted leader. She also appreciates a cold beer, which clearly means she gets gold stars in my book. She is hilarious and always looking for a chance to laugh. She values relationships and above all, values PEOPLE! She told us each day before clinic "remember, its about relationships!"-quality not quantity. She spent the week leading us and serving as the pediatric doctor at our clinic!
Jan: an Episcopal Priest who actually helped with the construction team. She is married to Ken who has spent the past 20 years serving on medical mission trips as an Optometrist. They both helped build a house this week! She also spent part of her work days giving out shoes and clothing to people in the community. She was always first to note things about the culture and how we could best respect it.
Colleen: she has such a quick-wit! She did all the labs at our clinic. Although whenever I saw her, she usually had a cup of urine in her hands, she was always smiling. Our patients were able to be tested for HIV/AIDS as well as for pregnancy and diabetes. She is a therapist and works for a free-mental health care clinic. We shared many conversations about my desire to work with Prisoner Re-entry systems. She was definitely a god-wink!!!!
Pam: southern belle at heart! she's been to Haiti for several years. She even came just 2 weeks after the earth quake! She worked in the pharmacy of our clinic. She also has a long-standing relationship with one of the Haitian nurses who FHM works in partnership with (see what I mean about the relationships!)--they're so close that this young lady calls Pam her god-mother and invites her into her home like family.
Dale: my bunk mate and kindred spirit! little did I know when I gave up my bottom bunk bed, I'd be making a forever friend. She is the most energetic lady I've ever met. Her spirit transcends any barrier imaginable. We both worked triage together and her joy as she interacted with her patients was inspiring! She also is an avid participator in Hot Yoga!
Elizabeth: retired RN and head of the pharmacy at the clinic! If you have a question, she has an answer. Not only is she full of knowledge, but she is full of compassion. With the help of an translator, she gave out medicine and instructions to almost 500 people over the 4 days of clinic. She was patient and kind with each patient. She also helped me several times when I needed medical attention--!
Jeannie: my hero! She is a retired nurse practitioner and has an amazing story. She is a breast cancer survivor and also started a support group in her town for family members of drug addicts. She served as one of doctors in our clinic. She talked about praying for each patients ailments outloud and even though she said them in English, she could witness her patient's reaction when they heard their name and God come out of her mouth. She is also hilarious and full of advice on dating and marriage.
Andy: the husband of Jeannie, he is a retired Orthopedic surgeon, and served as another doctor for our clinic. He is brilliant! He is also very down to earth, always willing to share knowledge with someone like me whose knowledge of the human body stops after biology in 9th grade.
John: our 4th doctor for the trip! He is an Internist! He is also very compassionate and a big believer in prevention. He is very involved with the Cervical Cancer initiative/clinic that FHM is trying to begin in Haiti. He believes everyone should have access to health care!
Tom: runs a food pantry and soup kitchen back home--worked on construction! He also went to seminary, because he loves to learn! He is a grandfather to 9 and seriously makes you laugh until your sides hurt.
Jo, Mike, Ken= construction team!!!
NEXT POST WILL INCLUDE A TYPICAL DAY//SCHEDULE//AND HOW THE CLINIC OPERATES
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