Update from Cody

 Hey Cody here again, figured we should do another update, especially with the earthquake and all that excitement. We did feel the earthquake up here at Aleg at 8:30, but it was not bad enough to do any damage. Reports started coming in about damage in Cayes, so we discussed options and came up with a plan over brunch. We loaded up medical supplies and some of us went prepared to stay all week if needed. We left for Petite Guave at 11:00. We met with the other missions and headed to Cayes with three land cruisers at 1:30. As we neared Cayes we came upon landslides, cracked roads, and damaged buildings. We found a badly damaged motel and went to see if we could help, but we could not hear anybody trapped. Someone came and told us that there was another motel down and there were people calling for help. We went and dug where they were saying Someone was calling, but could not dig very deep. We dug around for several hours but could not find anybody. We went back to Petite Guave to stay for the night. Sunday we went back to Cayes to help in the hospitals if needed, but their patients were taken care of. Andy Faller was in contact with the mayor of Pestel, and was told that there was medical help needed on his island of Grande Cayemite. Austin, Emma, Emily and I went with Andy and some from his mission on a 1 1/2 hour boat ride to the island. When we got there people swarmed us with the hurt people. We set up our medical bag and did what we could, until someone opened up the clinic that was there. There was no staff there so we set up and organized in there. We bandaged about 10 people and found several badly hurt people that needed to be transported to a hospital. We left them and told them we would be back the next day to help more. Kendal Nolt was at home for as few days after helping out down here for several weeks, but came back with three others from Plain Compassion Crisis Response. They flew in on Sunday to help with disaster relief. We went back to Petite Guave to regroup and plan for Monday. We went out again with PCCR and a lot more medical supplies. We took three boats out so we could bring people back in case we could not get a helicopter. The tropical storm Grace was on its way and was going to hit Hait around 2:00 and we wanted to be back to mainland before that hit. We bandaged about 50 people and secured 2 others on backboards for transport. We took a 6yr old with a broken femur and possibly a broken hip, an older lady with a broken hip, and a little boy with head injuries. We took them on a rough boat ride back to mainland and then took them to the Fond-de-Blances hospital 3 hrs away. It really started to rain just as we got there and rained all night. We got back to Petite Guave late that night. Tuesday morning the 3 others from Aleg went back to the mission, and I went with Jessi Myers to help with supply distribution in Cayes. We took supplies to several hospitals and helped out peope with downed houses. Wendsday we prepared for a medical run to Pestel and Corail on Thursday. Verlyn Danni and Gloria came down for the night to go along on Thursday. We got to the boat dock at 7:30 and headed to Pestel in two boats. In Pestel they did not need much help so we went to Corail. We found a hospital that had people that needed transported. We got the helicopters to come and fly them out. We secured the patients to backboards and the US army flew out one patient then the USCG flew out 4 others. All in all it was well worth the time we spent to help people get to hospitals. We finally made it back to the mission Friday around noon. A work team came here on Tuesday to replace a school roof. We will update on that later. Thanks for reading and praying and God bless.

- Cody

Editor's note:  This was written two weeks ago, but was delayed in getting posted.

Update from Mis Emily

 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.

Its so hard to know what to write after so much has happened in the last couple weeks. 

I'm sure you all heard about our "Boss” Trent being killed in a tragic small plane crash. All the staff here at the mission left for the funeral except for one. Our Haitian nurses kept the clinic going while we were gone. Thanks to everyone who made it possible for us to go! It was such a blessing even though it was emotionally draining and so sad. We said our goodbyes to our families and Erica and the children before heading back to Haiti.

Before heading out to Port and then on the to States for the funeral, we said good bye to our dear Doctor Sasou. She spent a year with us, serving and loving the people she worked with. She had a heart for every single one of her patients and spent the time to talk and laugh with them. She was always willing to go to the clinic for emergency's at any hour of the day or night. She will be greatly missed.

The trip back up the mountains on our way back from the funeral was an interesting one! The trail was blocked by a big dump truck twice! So it took some patience on our part but we still had fun!

Clinic life has been slow. Once the community found out that our "boss" died they just figured that clinic will be closed and told other people that clinic doesn't have any nurses working there!

Cody stayed in the states to go to a Missionary Medical Training and will be returning August 3rd. Kendal Nolt, Gloria's brother came along back to take Cody's place while he’s gone. We miss Cody but are having fun with Kendal here!

This is Kendall. He’s been learning fast! 

I'll introduce you to another new staff member... Marla Zimmerman. She is replacing Our house help girl, Loraine for a month while Loraine is taking furlough.

Marla got to be in on a couple births 

Please pray that we could stay encouraged and faithful in the work we do here. It was very difficult coming back and know that we will never see our Boss Trent again. Also pray that God would provide another Administratter for us! 

- Mis Marcile

Thank you!

Thanks so much for your quick responses to our last blog post asking for funds for the lady with the fistula. The need is met! 

 Pray that she is able to safely get to Port to have her surgery done. The country is very unstable right now. 

Thanks again! 

Mis Emma 

Someone needs YOUR help

H E L P.   N E E D E D

  A desperate knock on the gate came early at 6 o'clock am. I tried to get the full story of the emergency from my bedroom window but was unable to, so I ran to the gate. I tried to pull together the story but it was slightly confusing. I did get that there was a mom in labor and she was having problems, so after running to check with the guys to see if we could take the machine and pick them up, they agreed and we hit the road. After driving a lot farther than we expected we arrived to find that the mom was on her way on a cot to meet us. 

  Finally after about 30 minutes, we saw the crowed approaching carry the mom. I was slightly nervous as I had no idea what to expect. They sat the cot on the ground and I started the examination. As I pulled back the sheets I tried to hide the gasp from slipping out. There lay a HUGE dead baby, we guessed it to be around 12 - 13 lbs. It was not normal... the skin was almost totally peeled off and there wss something very wrong the the umbilical cord and the insertion. After questioning the family and birth attending more, I found out that the baby's head had been delivered at 10pm the evening before and the rest of the baby's body delivered on the trail just as they were on their way to meet us. That means the head was out for about 9 hrs! I wasn't totally surprised by the looks of the baby. Upon further examination a realized that there wasn't just one baby! There was still one more baby that hadn't been born yet. Things did not look normal at all so we decided to transport the mom to the tigwav hospital. There she delivered a "baby". The nurses said it wasn't even a baby so it must have been extremely deformed. 

  This lady now suffers from a fistula. She is constantly wetting herself as she has no bladder control. She is also in constant pain and is begging for help. I sent her to a hospital to get a consultation and find out how much the surgery would cost. Her doctor told her she has to have the surgery before August 3rd. If she waits to have the surgery done until after August 3rd it will be too late. 

  So I am trying to raise $1,800 so she can have her surgery done. I only have about 2 weeks to raise this money.

   So PLEASE help me help this dear lady out! If she doesn't have this surgery done she will have pain and will constantly be wetting herself for the rest of her life. 

You can help thru PayPal HERE, or send or send it thru cashapp, using the cashtag $GospeltoHaiti.

You can always send a check but the previous options would be better since it's time sensitive. 

Please specify what your funds are for. Thanks so much!

Mis Marcile 

Update from Gloria

Dear friends,

    Greetings to y'all from Haiti. Hope this finds you all well . As for us here in Haiti, we are all surviving quite well . We are all  looking forward to having Trent's back after being here a month without them.  A lot more responsiblity on us but things have been going good. It's been a very uneventful month at clinic we've had one birth so far this month and a couple emergency runs here an there and some patients who required stitches.

     With not much going on at clinic we've been going out to visit people quit a bit. I was really challenged by this verse in Luke 21:1-4  And he looked up an saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.

    And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.

   An he said; of a truth I say unto you that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:

    For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God : but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had . 

     It really stood out to me after we had went to visit a older lady that had been on our blood pressure program but with her old bones, walking a couple miles up the mountain doesn't feel so good and she hadn't come to clinic so we went to  visit her . She was so happy that we came to see her. When we were ready to leave she tells one of the little boys that lives in the same house she does to run get something an he comes back with 3 eggs. They wrapped them up nicely in paper for us. They had so little yet they happily shared with us what they had. It made me question myself...do I so willing give everything that God has blessed me with? God has blessed us with a LOT . Are we being content with that or are we always greedily asking for more?

    Another family we went to visit has twins that we delivered at our clinic. They are so much fun to go visit. A very nice happy family. They invite us in with big smiles an she always make us a good meal of chicken or goat meat with rice an red sauce. As we sit there visiting with them, some chickens usually hop into the house pecking away at some bugs or crumbs an the concrete floor ,a cat comes in purring an brushing against your legs (much to my dislike, as I'm not so fond of cats). They're happy and content, they dont need a mansion, fancy cars, or lots of money, etc. 

   Having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 1Timothy 6:8 

  God bless you all, Mis Gloria 

   

                       The family with twins 

 The hypertensive lady who we went to see

                  A foot I sewed up 

This is the lady who we blogged about awhile back that  has a blood sugar ulcer. Its healing up so nicely. Praise God for healing! 

Update from Cody

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalms 27:1. This is a verse that has been comforting to me here the last couple of days with some of the unforeseen events that have happened here recently, but first let me introduce myself and get you up to date. I am Cody Martin from northern Indiana. I did construction and was on the fire department back in the states...so
life here is a bit different, but I love it so far. I feel like I am learning fast and I have a great bunch of people to work with.

We've been doing some grilling, which is always good. We went to a beach one Saturday which was a nice break, we also occasionally go to a waterhole a little hike down the river.

Brandon and Mali (who both previously served here), Lorrayne's sister Marline, and Brandon's sister Heidi came on Saturday, May 29. Brandon was  going to be administrator while Trent's went on furlough for the month of June, and had a group of guys coming to pour the pad for the birthing center floor. Brandon, Mali, their little boy, and Brandons sister Heidi left for Port early Thursday morning June 3 to take Tent's to the airport and pick up the concrete crew. Verlyn and I were on our way back from a hospital run. Little did we know that the night before was the last we would see of them. Gangs have been causing havock in several places around Port, and as the group of nine people were heading back to the mission at 5:30 on Fri the 4th, they came on a road block. As they turned around and were heading back, four shots were fired. Miraculously three missed but one went through the drivers side door, hit the steering wheel, broke apart, and lodged in Brandon's chest and shoulder. Mali got a bit of shrapnel in her knee, but thanks be to God the wounds were not life threatening and nobody else was hurt. They went to the police station and they took them to the hospital where they removed the bullet. They stayed in Port for the weekend trying to decide what to do. They decided to all fly back on Tuesday the 8th. Please pray for them!

His injurys were not life threatening and he was little more than sore the next day.

 Lorrayne's sister, Marline came with  Brandons and will be staying for a month.  Trent's come back in July, so your prayers for wisdom, guidance, and protection will be very much appreciated. Thank you so much - Cody

Below are a few pictures taken the last few weeks.