Cholera!!!

Hey, just a quick prayer request from the mission back in Ailegue. It seems that cholera, which seemed to be in remission around Haiti, has possibly come to the Les Palme area!! Please keep this in your prayers as we try to determine the extent of the problem, and what our response to it should be. We'll try to update you a bit later.... Gotta run!!!   -steve

We Don't Treat Only Haitians Here...

It was a bad night... We had gotten a late start, and were
leaving Ailegue to attempt hauling 16 batteries and a drum
of diesel fuel up to Terre Rouge. Everyone was going along
up for supper, the road was muddy, we had to pull the
dump truck with the gator just to get to the foot of Jack
Rabbit... And when we got there, a tire went flat on
the gator, and we had no repair kit... So Andrew
and I hoofed it back to the mission shop, where a
piece of steel fell out of the rafters
onto my head... :(

Attempting to pull the dump truck up Jack Rabbit with the gator AND 4-wheeler...
(It didn't work, in case you wondered. We ended up shuttling the batteries and
fuel with the gator and the orphanage's Husky... Finishing the project around
midnight and just in time for supper!! :) )

After the damages in the shop... Head wounds really bleed
like crazy!! I put on a towel and stocking cap, kept things
under control for the next 4 or 5 hours till we had time
to stitch it up..........

Anita and Thea began their repair job at around 1:30 A.M. The longest
stretch of time is always cleanup; picking out dirt and hair that may be
in the wound and can cause infection if you don't get it all out
before it's stitched up....

Only took 7 stitches, not too bad....

At this hour, sometimes things are funny....

Sometimes scary.....!

And sometimes just downright painful!!!! :)

But I was fortunate- at least I had a sweet comforter
with me!!!!! :)

As usual, the girls did a great job. One week later the stitches
came out, and now (2 1/2 weeks down the road) I can't
even feel where it was repaired!!! We sure are wonderfully
made, thank God for His kindness in healing our bodies.
It was a good experience for me to judge firsthand the
kind of work our nurses are performing, and also it
seems to be useful in this medical care business to
be subjected to a little yourself from time to time,
just so you don't lose sympathy for those
who suffer all around you everyday!
Think of THEM- the suffering in
Haiti- next time you sit
in a hospital
waiting
room.

Rain, rain, rain!!!

Well, I know I just wrote, but I said we had a lady in labor at the clinic on the last post. . . It rained and rained last night so when we went to head down to check on her, we put our rain coats on. It was a wet muddy walk.

Ready to go, rain poncho, light, and water bottle. . .

About 10 or 15 minutes after we arrived the baby was born--a healthy little boy. Praise the Lord!

Ready to trek home again in the rain. By this time it was 1 am and we were feeling a little silly and tired!

Haiti Life

I couldn't resist showing you all another one of the babies born at clinic. After a few very traumatic births recently, we were very happy when the last baby was born vigorous and crying! We actually have a lady in labor at the clinic now so we might not get a lot of sleep tonight. That's the life of a nurse! :-) Better enjoy it now as I'm going to be in the States for a few weeks visiting--May 9th-June 7th. If the blog is a little silent, you'll know why.

I know this isn't clinic, but I'm not at the clinic all the time. :-) This is my friend Selma and I just visiting a bit on our porch.