Cuts and Cholera

Our days at clinic have recently been filled with quite a variety of things. We have continued to see cholera the past several weeks as heavy rains continued to fall nearly every day. Thankfully we seem to have a momentary break in the cholera cases the last couple days. But we have had a lot of people showing up with the complaint of diarrhea, and/or vomiting. Not all of them have cholera....some are just worried they do, and then it's our job to figure out the truth and treat accordingly. 

We also had two trips out to Ti-Guave with very ill patients who needed to be transferred to the hospital, this past week. That is always a rough trip on the rugged trail, but thankfully things went smoothly both times. 

One day after clinic this past week, we made good use of a bit of sunshine, and took our opportunity to go visit some people. We still haven't figured out how the Haitian children always win at Dominos, but we had a lot of fun and enjoyed spending time with people outside of the clinic. 

Another afternoon all of us clinic staff were able to go visit a lady named Rose. Back in November Rose delivered her first baby at our clinic, but the baby died a few days later after a very traumatic birth. Thankfully Rose is doing very well today, and we had a delightful visit at her house. Times like this are refreshing and encouraging, seeing people thrive who have been through very intense and even life-threatening situations at our clinic. May God get all the glory!

This was during our visit at Rose's house. The little girl was shy, and so precious!

These children kept us company for an afternoon, and beat us at Dominos repeatedly....they can be full of mischief, but are lovable, and often come in to clinic with their little scrapes and cuts, for a bandaid!

This little lady came one day for a bandage, along with one of our regular bandage patients who is a dear friend of ours. 

This cute little guy was shy and didn't want to smile.... he was at clinic this week for a visit with Mis Kayla....he loves her!

Mis Katie did this very nice stitch job early one Saturday morning. 

A familiar scene the last while.... a cholera patient just arrived, on a cot.

The group of us that went to visit Rose.

That's all I have this time....thanks for praying for the work here, and please keep it up! =)

-Mis Sharon

Med Shopping

So jumping into this next blog! I guess for lack of other things to talk about! I will try and describe a meds shopping trip!!

So this last time I went out..... I left the house at 4:30am and headed for Ti Goave which takes approx 1 1/2 From Where we live in the mountains! Once in Ti Goave I would head down the coast to Port au Prince which is another 2 hr. When we get there we have about 5 stops to make at various Pharmacies, and stores! About 4 Pharmacies and then the grocery store for Clorox and various other cleaning supplies! And sometimes we need oxygen for the clinic and that can add time on the trip! Or if we need IV fluids I have to go to a pharmacy on the other side of town! And that can add about 1 1/2hr.   If things go well we can be done and ready to head home by 1:00 or 2:00pm. And the trip back takes about 4 1/2 hrs!

But last time we hit traffic in Port! And didn't get home till about 8;00pm

So This trip is done once a month! And we also get meds from Christian  Aid Ministries (C.A.M) And they bring the meds to Ti Goave so i don't have to go so far for them!

So as far as how much meds we use in a month can change depending on how many people we see that month! But to sum it up we get roughly two Land Cruiser loads a month!!

This would be for example.....What
 we consider "One Load"

So you can pray for us as we continue to make these trips to town! The roads are dangerous....And we have been having lots of rain as of late! The trails are vary muddy! And lots of things can happen!

So till next time thanks for your prayers and support!!

                                                                                           James.

                                   

Unseen Wars and Victories!!

This past week you could feel the powers of darkness all around. As we went through Easter, the Voodoo Balls and Raw Raw's are grabbing for the attention of our native friends. Many are victims of circumstances having grown up with devil worship and not knowing truth. It is a vital time for the Christians to stay strong. The devil is trying to attack everyone who is weak.

The past several weeks we have seen multiple cases which appeared to have demonic powers connected. It can be so hard sometimes to distinguish spiritual attacks from real medical emergencies. You can pray that we would have much wisdom to discern in these situations.

One morning this past week we were faced with a life/ death situation. It was a dear friend of ours who came in severe respiratory distress. She has a history of asthma so it's not uncommon for her to have asthma exacerbations sometimes. However,  this one was different as she was what appeared on the edge of death. We immediately started oxygen therapy and nebulizer treatments. As she was struggling to breath the devil seemed to be stomping on top of her. I prayed for her soul. It's only her soul that I want saved today. Pastor Jira was called in. He came in with several other people and started praying with her and rebuking the devil. After a short time you could see her body relax. It was rewarding when you finally see her and know that she was the one talking to us. 

Please pray for the many who are weak and allow the devil to have control of their lives. 

A few pics from this past week. Since it was a small week we had lots of people over in the afternoons. 

Our friend Rosina is cooking lunch for us. She spent several weeks at the hospital. It is so much fun to see her cooking again!!!

Her sweet little baby Mislove who has stolen all of our hearts!!

Emma, entertaining the children. 

Our team members interacting with our guests. 

"Greater is He that is in you then he that is in the world"

Thanks for your prayers and support,

                                                  ~ Mis Alyssa 

                                                You give and you take away,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       I couldn't help but think of these words this week as I watched one woman mourn over the loss of  her child and an other rejoice over the new life of hers.        God gives and he takes away.  sometimes we don't always understand why he does things the way he does or at the times he does it, but we must remind ourselves continually that God never makes mistakes!


Thursday during clinic hours, I was working away in the pharmacy when I heard screaming and a lot of commotion going on in the entry way! I ran to the door to see what was going on. Noaz and a few "bystanders"were holding a woman down the best that they knew how while the woman was thrashing and fighting with all she got! There was several "patients"(ones that were there for appointments or check ups) that were trying to throw their hand of help in as well . 
I then realized that the woman had just lost her seven year old daughter. We don't know exactly to what, but she had come in the night before with a low grade fever and an altered mental status. So we treated her for her fever and kept her over night to watch her closely. The next morning she looked, and was feeling a lot better,so we sent her home. The next morning she returned with the same symptoms only worse! We treated her to the best that we knew how but it was to late and within just a few hours she past away.

James, Noaz, and Daniel took the body and the mother home as soon as possible so we could get the crowd back in order and get back to attending or other patients. If you think of the mother you can lift up a little prayer for her as I can't ever imagine what she is feeling. 



Around 8:30 last evening, James,Kayla and I responded to a gate knock with news that our laboring lady that we've were keeping in our hospital room was pretty close to delivery!As we hurried to the clinic and walked into the hospital room we heard the beautiful cry of a healthy new born baby! Praise the Lord for new life!

This was was our delivery team! :) Since we weren't able to make it in time for the actual birth. Those who were staying in our hospital room (" one patient") and family of those who were staying with patients at the time,ended up  helping out with the birth!


This young boy came into clinic on Friday with all four of his fingers on his right hand nearly chopped off! The evening before,he was working with a machete when it slipped and got his fingers! Thank the Lord Dr. Phillip from Tennessee was here for the weekend to perform a few surgeries and was able to stitch together a few tendons and muscles before he left the top stitching to James so he could go and began his first surgery for the weekend.

Here he is! All bandaged up! To be honest, we are super excited with the progress we've been seeing with how much he's been able to move and feel all four fingers! Praise the Lord!

I guess I'll bring my blog to a close,but once again I want to thank each and everyone of you for your support in multiple ways. God is good!

Mis~Katie

Channels

“Channels only, blessed Master.....but with all thy wondrous power flowing through us, Thou canst use us.... every day, and every hour.”

These lines of the familiar song recently hit my consciousness afresh, during our morning staff devotions here. Truly we are mere channels of the great love, mercy, and grace of our God...we bring nothing good of ourselves, to offer others. And what an opportunity we have to be the hands of feet of Jesus. We are reflectors, conveyors...channels... of His love, and the Gospel, to the people around us. For some people, we may be the only glimpse they get of God's love. I take that seriously, and pray that our brief contacts with the many people entering our clinic, would be true touches of Christ in their lives. What kind of a channel am I.... are you? What are we communicating to those we meet each day?

The last weeks have brought us a round of cholera patients. Recent heavy rains have helped spur the incidences of this maladi....thankfully it is usually very treatable if the patients are prompt in seeking help. One Wednesday morning found a few of us sloshing our way down the trail to clinic in the pouring rain ....it was just after 3am, to be exact. Sure enough, another cot had arrived (along with about 20 other people). We got the newcomer settled into the cholera shack (a separate outbuilding where we put patients with cholera to keep them out of the main clinic building). He was dehydrated from severe diarrhea and vomiting, but responded well to IV fluids and was able to be released a few days later. Thankfully most of the patients who have come in recently have gotten well and were able to go home before too long. Cholera is very treatable, and it is fun to watch how fast people get better when they get the appropriate care. But... at the moment, I pause to ask you to especially pray for a young girl in the cholera shack today. She has been here 4 days and is still experiencing severe diarrhea and dehydration. We are giving her fluids by IV as much as possible, but she continues to struggle and not progress like she should. Please pray that God would touch her with healing today.

Our 3am cholera patient just after arrival.

Another thing we have seen in the last weeks is a few nasty injuries that needed sutures....so I got to try my hand at real suturing for the first time. Wasn't the most beautiful stitch job ever, but it went well and was fun. ;) A school girl had gotten in a fight with a boy in her class...a rock got thrown, and she ended up at clinic. Part of it was scary close to her eye, but thankfully she seems to be healing up just fine.

One day while I was on call, a young boy was brought in. He had been hit in the head by a tree branch the day before, and his head was split wide open. Alyssa helped tackle that job and got it back together very well. He didn't totally appreciate our help during the process (to put it mildly), but almost smiled in spite of himself, afterwards.

Before I go, I must tell you about the little person I met on Sunday. At 4am Sunday morning, Alyssa and I headed for the clinic in response to the knock on our gate at the mission. We were told it was a lady in labor. Upon futher investigation we found the lady had already had her baby at 11pm the night before.... a tiny, tiny baby. The mother also had eclampsia and was experiencing high blood pressure and seizures. There were some very scary moments as the mother seized again after arriving at clinic. The baby girl was 3lbs. 8oz. She was cold and had a low heart rate upon arrival at the clinic. Eventually I got her warmed up and also was able to give her some formula, as she had not nursed or had anything since birth. After working to stabilize mother and baby, we worked on arranging a flight for them.... transport to the hospital by helicopter. When our attempts at that were unsuccessful for several hours, we finally left for the trek to the hospital by road. Bouncing over the bumpy trail with a tiny baby and sick mother is not fun, to say the least. The mother seized again during the trip, and Alyssa faithfully watched over her and administered more medication. Finally after about 4 hours, we pulled into one of the better hospitals in Haiti. It was a relief to be able to turn our patients into such capable care. But it tugged at the heartstrings to leave that precious little baby flailing in her crib....all alone there in the NICU. I hadn't realized it was possible to love someone so tiny so much, in such a short period of time. As I held her and fed her those 10 hours on Sunday, I wondered... will she be loved, will she be cared for? She is a fighter, but she is so tiny. Will you pray with me that God will watch over her and bring her through? And her mother also? The mom seemed to barely know that she had delivered a baby... the dad was thankfully with her, but was completely overwhelmed by the situation, and very worried about his wife. So please lift them up to the throne of grace with us... we know the Giver of life and healing, and I'm so thankful we can turn to Him at any time, for every need!

Hospital bound!

Our tiny sweetheart.

That's about all I've got on the clinic front for now, folks. I had actually written more, but this post keeps changing as I have had to wait for the internet connection to post it... so hopefully this finally will work. =) Keep praying for us, and being a channel of God's love and life wherever you are. Thanks as always for your prayers and support!

-Mis Sharon

Meet the Allege Staff!!

The past week has been a good week! God is blessing us with small clinic days. I believe that He sees when we need a break so we are ready for the next crunch. We missed Kayla this past week as she is home visiting her family but everyone is doing a great job of filling the vacancy.

Here are some pics to walk you through a day in our clinic and meet all our staff.  Each of the staff play a vital role in helping the clinic run smoothly.

When you arrive, you will meet Frè Kadèt. He is our gate guard. He will ask you who is sick and make sure you find a place to sit. Then he will give you a number to hold until you are called to make a dossier. Frè Direct and Frè Reynold will get you in the system and determine who you need to see. Frè Nores will be roaming around to make sure that everyones needs are met. Frè Adolph will find your chart and call you in. He will make sure you are weighed and ready to have your vitals taken.

This week Mis Katie will take your vitals and send you to see a nurse. Sè Bridget will be mopping, sweeping, and cleaning keeping the place nice and tidy. Patrick keeps us supplied with cut gauze. He also helps with laundry etc. The last people you will see are our pharmacists Madam Ledger and Zitha. They will fill your prescriptions.

After you have your vitals taken, you will be sent to see a nurse. Mis Sharon sees all our pregnant ladies. She follows the ladies on the program monthly to watch for any complications that may occur. Frè James is doing the blood pressure program while Kayla is home. He will ask if you have taken your medications today, determining if you can stay on the same medication or if you need to change. You will need to come back monthly so we can manage your blood pressure. Mis Leda, Mis Jocelaine, and Mis Alyssa will see you for general consultations. You will be referred to Dr. Felix if concerns are noted. Mis Katie is here to do your bandages. She will follow you closely asking you to come back on a regular schedule.

A few other highlights this week…...

Katie and I with a baby that was born. He was a healthy little man who had a very smooth delivery. 

Also, Mirland came back, the little girl I had blogged about several weeks ago. She has seizures that where debilitating her daily life. A miracle, her amount of seizures has decreased to almost none. She is back in school!!! I was so happy when her mom told me the story, all I can say is Mèsi Bondye!!

Thanks for your continued support!

~ Mis Alyssa

Yet have I made myself a servant to all

For though I be free from all men,yet have I made myself a servant to all,that I might gain the more.  1 corinthians 9:19

Well we are at the end of a other week of clinic once again. God has been good! We were blessed with an abundance of medications from C.A.M for this month that were well needed. God knows exactly what we need before we even need to ask!

This dear lady came into clinic on Wednesday with swelling across her whole body. She's only 24 years old and looks 40. We believe she has kidney failure which leaves us with not a whole lot that we can do for her. Pray that God would perform a healing for her. It strikes me every time I look into young eyes that are in so much distress and so helpless.  I have to remind myself that it's in a time like that that God can reach the part of the heart that he longs to reach. That's why we must be willing to be his hands and feet,(no matter where we are.)

This is a other young lady that came in on Tuesday with similar symptoms as the lady above. She as 3 month old twins that have been staying in town with a relative for the past few days.

Here's Doc. Felix and James with her. They and a few others spent some time in prayer for both ladies today. We desire all of your prayers as well for these dear young ladies. James took her our to town today to try and get some more advanced care. Pray that they could get just that.

James with one of his bandage patients. 

Kayla instructing James about the blood pressure program. 

Three of our babies that we recently delivered at clinic came back for their first check up!

James with another one!

so this brings me to the end of my blog for this week. But before I completely log off I want to give you all a huge thank you for all your support. It means a lot and it makes a difference in many  lives.

Thank you and God bless you. 

Mis Katie.