Hi everybody! My name is Emily Reiff, an EMT from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Last week I traded my ambulance, cornfields, and whoopee pies for the stunningly beautiful- but sadly broken- land of Haiti. This is my second time in Aleag, and I feel so incredibly blessed to get to call this Home for many future months.
So many changes have been happening at this little mountain clinic. The absence of Trent- and Erica and the children- is hugely felt. But somehow the earth keeps turning like before even as the memories slip into our minds daily, sometimes filling our eyes and spilling down our cheeks.
On Monday we said good bye to Kendall Nolt and Marla Zimmerman as both headed back to the states. They have been a huge blessing through these past few uncertain weeks, helping in the kitchen and in the clinic. But on Monday night we welcomed Austin and Emma Hartzler, a very happy welcome indeed. They have both served at Gospel to Haiti previously, and we're so thankful that they've joined us here for an unspecified amount of time till we get a new administrator family.
Tuesday morning we said another sad good bye. This one was for our very own Mis Marceile. After more then 3 years of serving the people so well, her mission here at GTH is done. We'll miss her, her beautiful personality, and her servant's heart so much, but wish her well in whatever God has planned for her next!
On Tuesday a nineteen year old momma to be came into the clinic. She was term, but hadn't felt the baby move for a week. It was obviously dead, so we made the decision to take her out to Fond de blancs hospital, three hours away. Cody, Daniella and I drove the machine while the momma, her little brother and her dad rode on the back. The trail is really bad right now, after all the rain we've had, and our momma became very motion sick. We stopped periodically as the poor dear emptied her stomach again and again. With the rough trail and the stops for sick momma, we came to the hospital 30 minutes later then planned.
On the way home through the dark trails, we heard what we thought was a rock being thrown up against the belly of the machine. A little while down the trail we lost power steering and 4 wheel drive. We very quickly got to a hill where we couldn't make it to the top. We discovered we had lost our drive shaft, and as we attempted to retrace our steps, we couldn't find it anywhere. We didn't have any service so we couldn't get ahold of the rest of the crew back at Clinic, but with a lot of prayer and a little bit of crazy driving skills (and backing up hills) by Cody, we brought the limping machine to Daniella's mom's house. She graciously gave up her bed and couch so we would have a safe place to sleep.
In the morning we were able to get ahold of Austin, and they happened to have the parts we needed. They met us midmorning and got it fixed, and we finally got back from our emergency run- 18 hours late.
We are been having smaller days at the clinic, so we have some time to focus on some other things. We have started having a children's day once a month, where we invite the neighborhood children into our compound and spend a few hours with them. We usually bake them cookies and play games with them. The older ones always grab our soccer ball and challenge us to a game in our tiny yard beside the girls house, and meanwhile the younger ones will run the wheels off our little trike pushing each other crazily across the cobblestones. Lorraine teaches them Creole songs like Jesus Loves Me, and they'll sit in the gazebo in our hammocks singing and playing dominos. It's always a fun time, but I daresay they have way more energy then we do, when they leave we all feel a tiny bit wilted and they still go crashing out through the gates, ready for the next adventure!
Thanks as always for your continuous support and prayers for us!
-Mis Emily
•Always leave people better then you found them. Hug the hurt. Kiss the broken. Befriend the lost. Love the lonely.
