Wednesday, March 11 - Our First Medical Clinic

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Robbie is working in the church registering patients. He's had some interesting stories to tell but can always be seen with a smile on his face. Yesterday afternoon one of the boys from the orphanage was "helping" Robbie do his work. Pam Juris, another missionary with us, told how awesome it was to see Robbie "communicate" with this boy. It really touched her heart.

Dennis is now a "doctor." One comment from our debriefing period last night was from Lynn and she said she looked into the exam area of the clinic where the "doctors" are set up. She made the comment that Dennis was so happy, he was just beaming. Dennis told of one child that he put the stethoscope to the boy's ears and asked him to sing so he could hear his voice through the stethoscope. Even after Dennis took the stethoscope off the boy's ears he continued to sing. Dennis continued the exam and the young boy continued to seronade him.

Jeanne and I were working together in the pharmacy. It took an hour or two to get into the "groove" but once we got it down our only challenge was remembering where all the different medications were. Last night we had a chance to go over some of the ways we could do things better.

The people who came to the clinic were so patient and grateful. One person said that they were thankful we can because they can't afford medicine and this was the only way they could get relief for their problems. We mainly dispensed Tylenol, Ibuprophen, antacids and vitamins. Many people suffer from stomach and blood pressure problems due to the high salt content in their food - such as the fish from the ocean.

Last night two members of our team cooked mac and cheese for the children in the orphanage. It was wonderful seeing all of their beautiful faces. If someone was full they would put their left over food on another child's plate. When they were done they stacked their dishes and pushed them toward the center of the table. I gave out Barbie dolls and the boys each got a Chicago Cubs cap. I hope the pictures turn out.

I'd love to post photos but it takes a long time to upload images.

Tomorrow I will stay behind (I want to preserve my knees) as the rest of the group travels to Ile A Vache. This is a primitive island not far from Les Cayes. It's a mountainous island about 5 miles x 10 miles. Nora's husband is from Ile A Vache and they are working to build a school for the children there. The stories we will have to tell when we get back are incredible.

I will visit the local hospital in the morning, teach the girls how to make paper beads in the afternoon and then work with the boys on an art project in the late afternoon.

We are all doing well. There are few bugs or mosquitoes to be found. We are being fed well and feel very safe and happy to be here doing our Lord's work. We love and miss you all.

Tuesday, March 10 - Travel to Les Cayes

On Tuesday morning we visited a group of metal artists who take metal, like the top of a steel barrel and first draw the design or scene they want to work on. They do the initial drawing with chalk. Then they begin the long and tedious work of cutting and hammering the design into the metal. I purchased a few pieces that you will all be able to see when I get back. We had a sandwich for lunch and then began the long trip to Les Cayes.

During this drive we had mountains on both sides of us. It was very obvious how the forests have been stripped of the wood. It's very easy to see how mud slides happen when the rains come.

There is one road from PAP to Les Cayes. During one of the hurricanes a lake took on so much water and the water never went down. The bridge crossing that lake is no longer usable so they began construction on a new road. This was a slow and dusty portion of the trip.

Until they paved the road to Les Cayes the trip would take 10 hours. Our trip took 5 hours but that was only due to the slow process of traveling the new construction.

It is fascinating to see how the traffic moves as there are no street signs, stop signs or traffic lights. You merge and honk your horn to let someone know you are coming behind them. Crossing traffic is basically edging out until someone stops and lets you cross. On the road you will find bicycles, motor cycles, cars, buses, large construction trucks, "tap taps" which is their version of taxis. I hope the photos of these turned out. Each one is a piece of art. The colors and designs vary but many times across the back you will read "Thank You Jesus" or perhaps reference to a Bible verse. The name tap tap comes from the fact that when you want to get off the vehicle, which could be a small truck or as large as a bus, you tap on the metal so the driver knows to let you off.

Many buildings in the residential areas remain half built. Often the building progresses as you earn enough money to put up more of the building. These are cement or block structures.

Most of the towns or villages often have one or two vendors. A bank might be a building as large as a Wisconsin sturgeon fishing shack. Pharmacies and radiology services are off-site. We parked downtown PAP while two of our team members went in to purchase drugs needed for the clinic. It took an incredibly long time but we did see a woman with clothes underneath come out with a patient gown over her clothes. Where she was going, we don't know.

As we got closer to Les Cayes the beautiful beaches of the ocean began to appear. It's so beautiful. It's difficult to understand how there can be beauty on one side and desolation on the other. But the wood is needed to cook and it is a source of income for some. So many contrasts were seen along the way.

I slept like a rock that night.