Dr. Mike Mitry and Jenni's posts:) Day 6

Day 1

After a long trip and lots of basket ball discussion, we arrived to Cap Haitian.

Saturday we arrive. We meet Bob.

Day 2

Sunday spent at the Baptist church

Day 3

Monday, we go to the clinic saw only 6 patients in the morning.

In the afternoon we saw

Blog for Day 4. 

Today, as usual, we saw God’s hand leading every step in the way.  The medical team gets to teach the new paramedics some of the basic skills needed to save someone’s life using their basic equipments.  We go to one of the local churches and setting up a clinic, have 80 patient register within hours, and end up seeing close to 100 patients.

Yesterday we went to the clinic, all enthusiastic to start work. Our first patient was a 60+ year old woman complaining of abdominal pain. She has been losing weight, not tolerating diet and constipation. Touching her abdomen we found that she has a mass in there, probably causing her symptoms. Not able to help this patient we sent her to the nearby hospital, not knowing what would happen to her.  

We prayed for her last night. Today we go back to the hospital and end up seeing patients with a Haitian doctor. We run the case by him and he tells us that we could have ordered an imaging study and she could have been to afford. But, we do not have her contact information.  We decide to try to fin d our notes from the day before.

Amazingly we find a pile of papers on the desk we are sitting on, that had the entire patient we saw the day before. We call the patient, who picks up, which is a rare thing, and ask her to come back to pick her script for the ultrasound. Her son picked up the script and promised to take her for the imaging study. The Haitian doctor was there and will follow up with results and direct it from there.

Today, it was amazing seeing the two Haitian paramedics eager to learn  how to take  care of patients. Running a semi-mega code, it was awesome to see our Ryan’s effort did not go in vain. A nucleus to “North flight of Haiti” 

We saw about 100 patients in one afternoon. Most of the patient needed reassurance and someone to care about them and tell them they are okay.

One of our important members in the construction team comes down with the runs today, travelers diarrhea it is. Feeling better at the end of the day with hydration and Imodium, went to sleep early to get ready for a new day. God’s hand worked today with the construction team, allowing them to finish their project for the day today.

Day 5

While standing in the shower, I and Ryan were discussing how disappointed we were on the first day we were at the hospital. We saw 7 patients all day and decided to change our plans for the next day. Quickly the team got together and starting asking around about what we can do for the next days. Talking to pastor Voltier we were able to set up clinics in 2 different locations.

We saw 95 patients one afternoon and more than 200 patients the next day. We plan but God plans something even better. God works in us, through us for our own good and the others too.

Sitting down at dinner we were just sharing how God is so great, working and changing our plans according his own will

Right now, Kyraeah is looking over my shoulder trying to read my blog. I spelled her name wrong.

RaKay is bragging how she was able to check the vital signs, and complaining that no one can spell her name.

Mike Mitry

April 2, 2014

Bonjou!  I am greeting  you from Haiti, where I am of course with this amazing FBC team.  I am part of the medical team, and I left my husband and kids to take my nursing skills to a new level.  Well! Well, despite the fact that, as a group, we have seen about 350 people ,one of the main things that I have been doing is breaking down pills, writing in Creole on pill bottles, plastic bags, really anything handy.  This trip has been incredible.  We have seen God’s provision at every turn.  Back home, if you would have told me we would have held a medical clinic and saw well over 200 patients, as we did today, I would have been a nervous wreck.  As it was, we all found a place and got busy.  Not only did we get another doctor that showed up, we had another nurse.  That made 3 nurses, 2 doctors, our paramedic ‘doctor,’  our promoted ‘pharmacist’ nursing assistant, our 3 awesome translators, (we are at 10  people) AND the patients, who often came in family groups of 2 to 3, all in one room, maybe 10 ft by 20 ft. It also held about 9 chairs set in 3 stations, our pharmaceutical table complete with “pharmacy suitcase” two windows and one desk light that we tied above the window with a ribbon pulled off the suitcase.  It was hot and sweaty.  And, it was so much fun. 

    That was a moment snapshot of all that has happened in the few days we have been here.  The work that the construction team has been able to do, the ground work for the huge water filtration project (wow, is that a great need), there is so much more to tell.  Thank you to all of you reading this for your support and prayers.  Know that they have allowed this team of relative strangers to pull together into a really effective and supportive team.  We haven’t lost anybody yet! (just kidding)

            To my family.  I miss you guys; love you forever. David, I wish you could see this place, I have so much to tell you!  And yes, I definitely want to make a habit of this.  Thank you for pushing me to take the next step.  Babies (you know I will call you that forever) I cant wait to show you every picture and tell you all about my week on this incredible island nation.  You won’t believe it!

            -Jenni Wilson

Thursday, April 3rd: Day 5!! Already????

I started this trip with few expectations.  God moves in great ways.  It has been hot and humid and on the third day Connor, Craig (who got the worst) and I got something of a stomach aliment.  But, God is the great healer and after some sleep and no work for Connor and Craig, I somehow was able to get through the afternoon (God’s hand).  We have been on this construction crew detail building a roof for a kindergarten school.  We met up with a gentlemen from Witchita, KS., Bob, who has spent a lot of time organizing, planning and providing materials for this project.  Through Thursday, we currently have the roof on, metal covering the front corner and a valley made ready for our final day.  It has been busy, hot and even frustrating.  The language barrier has been the big problem, the Haitian men who work with us have been great but on Wednesday, we had our first big issue.  Half of our decking was off.  This only causes other items and materials that have been pre measured and ready for install to be “off”.  As Americans, we come with our plans, drawings, “mission” guns drawn to “get things done”, do great things and often God throws in a wrench.  A foundation that is WAAAYY off, language barrier, hot sun, everything that Satan could through at us, and does, to derail us from our plans, seemed to happen and I have realized that we simply need to slow down, assess the issues and pray.  Funny how Great God is, I have learned to adjust how I try and communicate with our Haitian workers, simple words, drawing it out, showing them an example have seemed to help close the language gap.  Adjustments have been made and simply realizing that God has total control of everything, helps put things into perspective and has made today much better and productive.  We have accomplished as much as possible with the time we have.  God is good!!  We hope to get the project to a point where the Haitians can finish it and get the school into use.  Perhaps that is all God wanted us to do.  We have met many people, who are actually a very happy people amongst all the poverty, trash, etc.  I have truly enjoyed the time I have been here as well as watching my son interact with locals in English.  Talking and trying to explain his schooling, getting the week off, where we live, seeing him up on a roof totally laughing with Korlyn over doing their part twice to get it right and have having Craig “yell” at them.  It is my prayer that he can see how God has blessed us as Americans and even our family, to simply trust in God and let Him take control when we “think” we need to control and learn to serve others.  I have learned that and more.  I am thankful that God allowed us to make this trip together.  I am looking forward to getting home to share this experience with others, to see Brandi, Cole and Julian and possibly plan on our next trip.  I know that Brandi will be rolling her eyes when she reads this.  I love you girl…

Travis Flint

Day Three

Hello everyone, we are staying warm and working hard in all areas. The building team was making trusses for the roof of the kindergarten building. We are making 20 large ones and 8 smaller ones. We got 14 of the large ones done with the help of the medical team and the water team. The people here are so simple and all have huge smiles for us. I feel very humbled to be able to be here and to help where needed. There is a huge need for everything. I pray we can put a dent in the huge picture. The best thing we do each day is traveling back and forth to the school. We get to ride in the back of the pick up truck. Tonight we got 16 of us in the small pick up truck. Ten in the back and five of us rode inside the truck. We are growing closer together to each other and the quiet ones are opening up and sharing with each other. Keep the prayers coming. One thing I forgot to let you know is that the pallet we sent on Feb. 18 came in today. If anyone sees Keith Stutzman let him know I love him and will see him early Sunday morning. God bless!

 Denise Stutzman

Today was the most eventful day I have had in Haiti thus farJ.  Lynn and I, along with our trusty guide/water project leader, Alain, traveled all around the city.  Our project has been slow going, but as Alain says, it is a “long term” project, and we are just starting on an adventure that will help to get clean water in the hands of many, many Haitians.  In order to install our bio-sand water filters there are tons of things we need.   We had a shopping list!!  Shopping in Cap-Haitien??  Lynn and I had NO idea what to expect, but we hopped in Alain’s car and off we went--at high speeds and with no traffic laws.   It was exhilarating!!  We started at what Alain called the “Haitian Home Depot”, which was a 20x20 shop filled to the brim with paint cans, sand paper, door handles, buckets, shovels, screens and much more.  We were able to cross many items off of our list, but left in search of just a few more necessities.  We trekked to a couple more shops and then Alain took us to the Market.  THE Market.  I have never felt like I was in a scene right out of a movie more than I did there!!  A feast for the eyes!!!  Alain warned us that it wouldn’t be prudent to take pictures there, so I did my best to memorize all of what I saw.  Hundreds of “stalls” were filled with any thing a Haitian might need.  Stalls is a relative term, cause most consisted of a person sitting on the ground, surrounded by their wares.  Shoes, shirts, pots and pans, charcoal irons, bananas, rice, beans, used TV’s, underwear, jewelry, used baby dolls and a myriad of other things filled up an area about the size of a football field.  It was covered by a large metal roof, which looked to be VERY old and classy.  A true Third World Market.  Lynn and I had perma-grin.  We just kept smiling and giggling at each other---all the while speaking our halting and sparse Haitian Creole:  “Bonjou!  Merci!  Bonjou!!  Bonjou!  Escuse’!! “  We even saw a well dressed man with a megaphone telling the people the Good News of Jesus. 

After filling our car, and sending others in search of a few hard-to-locate items, we traveled to the school where Alain’s children attend.  It was an American mission run school on the outskirts of Cap-Haitien.  We saw a few blond haired, blue eyed children and teachers from places like Indiana and Illinois.  We met Alain’s 10 and 6 yr old kids, and LOVED them!!  His son told us, in very good English, that he is 6, only because he has to get through that before he can be 7.  J Alain’s daughter is 10 and speaks English like a native!!  I wished, silently, that we could hire her to be a translator!! 

We dropped the children off at an aunt’s house, and went to the school run by FBC of Cap-Haitien.  There we found the construction team: sweating profusely and working their little fingers to the bone!!  I felt slightly bad for having toured the town while they put together 14 trusses.  But, God’s hand is certainly in all of our work here---and we can’t all be doing the same job!   All will give many blessings to the people here, and all is important.  There is no feeling quite like being the hands and feet of Jesus here on Earth!!   Thank you all for your interest and support, and especially, your prayers!!

Korlyn Leonard

Day 3

Hello everyone, we are staying warm and working hard in all areas. The building team was making trusses for the roof of the kindergarten building. We are making 20 large ones and 8 smaller ones. We got 14 of the large ones done with the help of the medical team and the water team. The people here are so simple and all have huge smiles for us. I feel very humbled to be able to be here and to help where needed. There is a huge need for everything. I pray we can put a dent in the huge picture. The best thing we do each day is traveling back and forth to the school. We get to ride in the back of the pick up truck. Tonight we got 16 of us in the small pick up truck. Ten in the back and five of us rode inside the truck. We are growing closer together to each other and the quiet ones are opening up and sharing with each other. Keep the prayers coming. One thing I forgot to let you know is that the pallet we sent on Feb. 18 came in today. If anyone sees Keith Stutzman let him know I love him and will see him early Sunday morning. God bless!

 Denise Stutzman

Today was the most eventful day I have had in Haiti thus farJ.  Lynn and I, along with our trusty guide/water project leader, Alain, traveled all around the city.  Our project has been slow going, but as Alain says, it is a “long term” project, and we are just starting on an adventure that will help to get clean water in the hands of many, many Haitians.  In order to install our bio-sand water filters there are tons of things we need.   We had a shopping list!!  Shopping in Cap-Haitien??  Lynn and I had NO idea what to expect, but we hopped in Alain’s car and off we went--at high speeds and with no traffic laws.   It was exhilarating!!  We started at what Alain called the “Haitian Home Depot”, which was a 20x20 shop filled to the brim with paint cans, sand paper, door handles, buckets, shovels, screens and much more.  We were able to cross many items off of our list, but left in search of just a few more necessities.  We trekked to a couple more shops and then Alain took us to the Market.  THE Market.  I have never felt like I was in a scene right out of a movie more than I did there!!  A feast for the eyes!!!  Alain warned us that it wouldn’t be prudent to take pictures there, so I did my best to memorize all of what I saw.  Hundreds of “stalls” were filled with any thing a Haitian might need.  Stalls is a relative term, cause most consisted of a person sitting on the ground, surrounded by their wares.  Shoes, shirts, pots and pans, charcoal irons, bananas, rice, beans, used TV’s, underwear, jewelry, used baby dolls and a myriad of other things filled up an area about the size of a football field.  It was covered by a large metal roof, which looked to be VERY old and classy.  A true Third World Market.  Lynn and I had perma-grin.  We just kept smiling and giggling at each other---all the while speaking our halting and sparse Haitian Creole:  “Bonjou!  Merci!  Bonjou!!  Bonjou!  Escuse’!! “  We even saw a well dressed man with a megaphone telling the people the Good News of Jesus. 

After filling our car, and sending others in search of a few hard-to-locate items, we traveled to the school where Alain’s children attend.  It was an American mission run school on the outskirts of Cap-Haitien.  We saw a few blond haired, blue eyed children and teachers from places like Indiana and Illinois.  We met Alain’s 10 and 6 yr old kids, and LOVED them!!  His son told us, in very good English, that he is 6, only because he has to get through that before he can be 7.  J Alain’s daughter is 10 and speaks English like a native!!  I wished, silently, that we could hire her to be a translator!! 

We dropped the children off at an aunt’s house, and went to the school run by FBC of Cap-Haitien.  There we found the construction team: sweating profusely and working their little fingers to the bone!!  I felt slightly bad for having toured the town while they put together 14 trusses.  But, God’s hand is certainly in all of our work here---and we can’t all be doing the same job!   All will give many blessings to the people here, and all is important.  There is no feeling quite like being the hands and feet of Jesus here on Earth!!   Thank you all for your interest and support, and especially, your prayers!!

Korlyn Leonard