A Full Day

We had some great friends come in town this weekend and so of course we made the most of our time with them. I think the kids got to bed sometime after 10:00 last night and somehow managed to rise at their normal 6:45 am today. Around 11:00 we decided it would be fun to go to the pool for an hour or so and then come home for lunch. Well, we were having so much fun that we didn't get home until 2:00! I changed Ruthie into some comfortable pjs and set her at the table for a late lunch before her nap. Minutes later we heard snoring and found this....

Sam didn't make it very long either...

That Tongue!

Shortly after we were matched with Ruthie, we got an update and that update included this picture. During that time, I was googling Ruthie's special needs and all together they pointed to different syndromes that included profound mental retardation. When I received this picture I was terrified that her tongue hanging out of her mouth was somehow indicative of a cognitive disability. I panicked and many of you talked me back to sanity and shared stories with me about how you feared the worst too with your placements and then that simply was not the case. Thank Heavens we moved forward with Ruthie and did not let that darn tongue picture scare us away.

Now every time I see her playing with her tongue hanging out, I laugh and think back on that time. Today was one of those days. We went to the pool for the first time this summer and Ruthie spent the first 30 minutes with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. That's my girl and that tongue I have grown to love.

What Sets Them Apart

One of the coolest things about my trip to Haiti was getting there and figuring out that I was part of a much larger vision. Most people go to Haiti and see themselves as relief workers and that was the mindset that I went in with, but what I learned when I got there was that God is doing so much more than just meeting the immediate needs of the people.

Prior to the earthquake, YWAM Haiti had a vision to take small communities of people and disciple them. They wanted to teach them biblical principles for how to relate to each other and take care of their community. These small communities would then spread out and influence the larger community. When the earthquake happened, God put that vision into fast forward action. YWAM was suddenly given several small communities that were entirely dependent on them for survival and direction. The cool thing about YWAM is that they aren't just trying to help people. They are trying to influence and raise up the future of Haiti.

The understanding of their overall vision made my participation there so much more meaningful. I felt like I was doing more than just meeting the temporary needs of the people, but I was participating in God's plan to reclaim Haiti for Himself. With that in mind, the next big question is - WILL I GO BACK?

I tell you what, I have so many ideas in my head about things that could be done and the ways those around me could participate that I am pretty sure I will be going back. My hope is to go back in November when the average temperature drops 10-15 degrees. Oh that would be so nice. :)

Can I tell you some of the teams I could see going? Who knows, you might be interested in coming along
1. TEACHERS- to teach the adults and children in the tent cities a weeks worth of English. You could tie those English lessons to biblical teaching too. If you could give the people some basic English and leave them with the materials to practice, you could help them communicate better with those providing aid and you might help them get a job in the future.

2. FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER- I think it would be AWESOME to take a digital camera and a few of those stand alone digitial picture printers and set up somewhere to take family pictures. You could print them an 8x10 of themselves, place it in a plastic sleeve for protection, and then in a cardboard frame with some kind of message on it. So many people wanted me to take their picture so they could see themselves in the viewer. I would love to give them the joy that comes with a picture of your family. I think that would also help their tents and tin homes feel like a family home.

3. CONSTRUCTION- Did you know that for $6000 you can build a duplex out of concrete blocks with a concrete foundation that houses 2 families? YWAM is building these in 3 different communities and calling them Homes For Hope. Your church group could go to Haiti and build one of those homes.

4. CRAFT SKILL- One thing I noticed in St Marc is that there weren't any street vendors like you see in places like Mexico and the Bahamas. I think it would be cool to come up with a product, maybe a piece of jewelry like the Isabella bracelets, that you could take the materials with you and teach the women how to make. They could then sell those on the street for some kind of profit.

There are so many things you could do. I hope you will pray about being involved and maybe even going back with me. I was so impressed with YWAM and their ability to get aid to the people while pursuing their long term goals. You can check them out at www.ywamhaiti.org/

My Recruitment Photo :) - I took this on our day off at the beach. They don't have water like that in Texas!

Catching Up!

I thought it would be good to just take a post and catch everyone up on what the kids have been doing over the last week or so.

Ruthie has been doing a little light reading and taking a few steps backwards on potty training

Sam graduated from preschool and one of the great things about having preschool at your dad's church is that you can leave your class and jump in his arms at the end of the program

He is playing the air guitar here to open the song

Jack had his very first piano recital.

That pretty much covers it! There is always something going on around here.

Part 3 Finishing Up Survivor Stories

I was just sitting outside with my neighbors and one of them reminded me that I have not posted today's stories. Sorry about that. I have not quite felt like myself the last few days. It feels somewhat like part of me is still in Haiti and sometimes like Haiti is in another dimension. I have a hard time bringing it all together to accept that Haiti is in the same world as here. I know that sounds crazy, but I have never held back on being honest before so why start now.

The rash is much better today so thanks for praying.

OK so onto more survivor stories:

Survivor Story # 6

This one is really going to get all of you with hearts for adoption. The lady in the picture is a survivor, but this isn't about her. It is about the baby she is holding. That baby was abandoned at the tent city by her mother who is now gone. She is being taken care of by several women who share the duty of watching over her but none feel able to take her in. She has no real identity and thus will not be available for adoption as I understand it. There are teams of students who stay in that tent city and also care for the baby around the clock. Her future is uncertain, but she is a survivor.

Survivor Story #7
This is my translator. You have seen him in pictures before but I don't think you have heard his story. He was living in Port Au Prince with 17 family members. At 4:43 he and his girlfriend decided to walk outside to buy some water. At 4:45 the earthquake hit and he watched his house collapse onto his family. For 3 days he could reach some of them on cell phones as they were trapped inside but he could not get to them. On the 4th day, they stopped answering their phones and he could not hear them anymore. He translated for us for $10 a day. Here are some pictures of him through the week.




Survivor Story #8

This kid had TB and lived in the clinic. In the States, his TB would be treatable, but not for him in Haiti. He is very sick and was transfered out while we were there.


More Pictures:

This grandmother brought these children to church both Sundays I was there. I loved watching them worship together.

Isn't she beautiful?

These kids never quite decided that they were ok with us

With friends who now have t-shirts to represent St John Sports Medicine. :)

A tent city outside of Port Au Prince. They aren't all as nice as the ones YWAM set up

The YWAM base in St Marc Haiti. It has a wall all the way around it with barbed wire and armed guards.

Some photos don't need captions

Part 2- More Survivor Stories from Haiti

Thanks you guys for praying for my mystery rash. I am starting to think that it is stress related because it gets a little better and then flares up as soon as I start thinking about things. I am smart enough (and stubborn enough) to know that this is part of the readjustment process and I need to just keep plowing through reality as I cling to what I know to be true. I guess this gives me a great visual measurement for how I am doing with that. :)

I have some more survivor stories for you and that special moment that I have hinted to once or twice.

That Special Moment:

There were moments in ministry in Haiti where I felt like I my body couldn't keep up with how quickly God was moving. I have never been so aware of my spiritual environment as I was there. This picture is from one of those moments. The girl on the bottom right is the one with the foot wound that I told you about in an earlier post. This was the 2nd day I was dressing her wound (her foot was in my lap) and I suddenly found myself surrounded by kids. Then I felt the prompting to seize the moment and I reached into my backpack and pulled out a stack of cards that the AWANA kids had made. They all had crosses on the front of them. I handed them out and through a translator just said what I felt like God was telling me to say. I really felt like He wanted them to know that He is a present God who wants to hear from them and be in relationship with them. I saw kids all day carrying their card around like it was a precious gift. Pray that they see it tonight in their tent and remember to tell God all they are feeling and pray that He will meet them there.

Survivor Story #4

This baby really touched my heart because she has the same diagnosis as Ruthie but of her feet instead. I think it really encouraged this mom when I was able to tell her that I had a daughter just like hers. This child would benefit from serial casting of her feet but that is not available for her, so I showed the mom how to tape her feet into the right position so they can grow correctly. It is not as effective as casting but I know a God who can make up the difference. I loved how much this mother loved and cared for this baby. It really touched my heart since she was clearly special needs.

Survivor Story #5

This is another mom who grabbed my heart and got some free stuff off of me. :) She lives in the first tent with the baby below. She always looked so clean and was constantly cleaning that baby. She illustrates well all the people and children in the tent cities who wore clean clothes and put bows in their hair. I know that seems like a trivial thing to notice, but to me it says a lot about their determination to make the most of their situation.

Faces of Haiti

Coming Out of the Rubble- The Stories of Survivors

After going to Haiti, I am even more convinced of something that I suspected to be true for a long time:

The difference between survivors and victims is determined by whether they have experiences or excuses

Think about it. You can take 2 people with the same diagnosis and they are either going to lay down and let it beat them or they are going to pull themselves up and be a better person for it. I see that all the time here and it was only magnified in Haiti. I expected to travel to Haiti and help a lot of earthquake and poverty victims, but I found something much different. Instead I found some of the toughest people in the world. I think some of that is because you cannot survive in the tent cities without a pretty good measure of resolve, and those people certainly have it.

So I think for the next few days, I want to share some survivor stories with you because I think they really illustrate what is going on in Haiti and I think they help us to reflect more accurately on our own situations.

Survivor story #1:

I actually don't have a picture of this lady but she is one of the "mother hens" at the clinic tent city. She came to us complaining about shoulder pain. The orthopedic surgeon got her an x-ray and what we discovered was that her collar bone was completely broken in two and separated like a step off. For 4 months she had been taking care of the cities children with this injury. We got her a sling to immobilize that arm, but when I saw her the next day she was not wearing it because she can't take care of a community of children with only one arm.

Survivor story #2:

This girl stole my heart! She lost her entire family in the earthquake and had a serious leg injury. Somehow she got connected with YWAM and they are letting her live on base and prepare for their discipleship training school. The first time I met her, we were discussing the possibility of needing to take out one of her screws and she broke down. It was explained to me that her plates and screws were most likely applied without anesthesia and she was afraid of the pain. It turned out that the screw was fine and we were able to actually start walking instead. This is her taking her first steps in 4 months. By the time I left, she owned most of my stuff, the card Jack made, a cross a friend gave me to give away, and I helped her create an email account so we could keep in touch. :) Pray for her because she is going to do great things!

Survivor Story #3

I spent a good amount of time with this girl. It took me several days, lots of interaction, and a few too many gifts to get a smile out of her. :) On Monday I rode in the back of an shockless ambulance (without AC) with her so we could get x-rays of her back. We did some serious bonding through that little experience. She had a door fall on her back during the earthquake and crush several of her thoracic vertebrae. Those pieces have now fused together into a large hump on her back that is pulling at her spinal cord and causing her to be a paraplegic. In the states, a surgeon would straighten her back with rods and give her cord the room it needed, but that is not possible in Haiti. I know bouncing around in the back of that ambulance must have been so painful for her, but she never shed a tear. Her mom is pregnant and has kids spread out between different tent cities. You can pray that God heals her spine.

I look forward to sharing more survivor stories with you over the next few days.

On a personal note:

I woke up today covered from shoulders to toe in a rash. It appears that the "scabies" were actually a skin reaction to something I was allergic to and that has now gone systemic. I got a cortisone shot this morning, but it sure doesn't seem to be working yet. I am nervous because I am supposed to go to work tomorrow and I don't want to expose my patients to something if it is not an allergic reaction after all. Pray that it will either clear up or show what it really is so I can get the correct treatment and not pass it along. I also haven't felt like eating since getting home and that would normally be a bonus but in this case, it is contributing to fatigue and an overall feeling of blah. I need that to end soon too because I miss feeling like myself.

The Day After

I am home and am spending today ridding my body of all the things that tried to get a free trip to America either in my skin or in my intestines. It's a beautiful day!

Seriously, I am so glad to be home and it is much bigger than the peace that comes with sleeping in your own bed. On that note, I didn't even get mad last night when Trent woke me up with his snoring because it was so much better than roosters, dog fights, or Voodoo drums. Give me a few weeks days and I am sure that I will be kicking him to the couch again. :)

My 2 favorite quotes since I have been home were:

Sam- "mommy you can't go back to Haiti because it is making your skin darker". I guess I came home with a tan and some dirt that made Sam think I was turning into a Haitian

Jack- "Will you come eat lunch with me so I can show my friends your bugs from Haiti?"

I am not sure the school will approve of that son.

I started sifting through the 700 pictures I have. It is hard to decide which ones to share and in what context. I will post just some random favorites today until I can figure out what is best for later.

One thing you can pray about for me- I woke up in the middle of my last night in Haiti with a very clear message in my head based on the verse "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me". God really put into a message for me how my experiences and photos illustrate what he is doing in Haiti and what he desires to do in all of us. I believe that I am supposed to share that somewhere (or several somewheres) so you can pray that God will open those doors and make that opportunity clear.

This is my translator with Flat Stanley. Flat Stanley was from my nephew John D and he went all over Haiti with me.

I am hesitant to show this to Trent because I don't want to give him any ideas for the next time I tell him that my hands are full

I watched this little guy all day as he went around and gathered things for his box. He reminded me so much of Sam like that.

I just loved the eyes on this child

This is the medical team in our favorite mode of transportation. The great thing about riding in the back of the truck is that you can't see what is going on in front of you.

Handing out cards to some of my new friends. There is a great story that goes with this picture that I will tell you later

More new friends

I loved this photo of this man waiting with this child. It illustrates so many memories to me. People would wait patiently like this for hours to see us and most of them had children with them that they had taken in after the earthquake. This boy probably did not originally belong to this man, but he does now.

HOME

I wanted everyone to know that Ginny got home safely tonight. She's tired but shared some great stories on the way home from the airport. Thanks to everyone for your prayers.

Trent (for Ginny)

I Guess It's Official

I am a real medical missionary now. Two days ago I noticed these little blister things on the knuckles of my hand and then they gradually spread to cover my fingers. Today I have spots on my legs and the nurses have now determined that I have Scabies! I am sure I got it from one of those precious little kids I hugged on and I would not trade that. For those of you who will be in close proximity to me in a few days, don't worry, I have already started the medication and was assured that they would be dead in a few days.

I guess it is better than Malaria which has been going around here too.

Rebecca- tell Thom we may need to hose down his sleeping bag. :)

Oh What it Could Be

Sorry I didn't write anything yesterday. By the time we got back to the base, I was just spent and didn't even want to process. I realized today that I didn't even journal last night which is a first since getting here. We went back to Paris (the tent city) yesterday and truthfully it was a more positive day than the day before but the heat made it more tiring.

I had some great moments of ministry with telling a group of kids about Jesus through the card that the AWANA kids made. I have some good pictures of that moment so I will save that story. I also had a lady come up and ask me for a Creole Bible. I didn't even know that we had any but apparently we had just a few stashed away. Apparently you have to be careful of who you give them too because they are worth a lot on the street and people will just take them and sell them. They say the trick is to write something in it so they cannot sell it. So I found the Bible and when I gave it to her, she opened it and pointed for me to write her name inside. I have never seen anyone so excited to get their own Bible before. It was great!

Today we took the day off (much needed) and went to this old resort to spend some time on the beach. It was the prettiest beach I have ever seen. The resort has a day fee and it was just us and some US army guys (who came in by helicopter) there. It saddened me to think about what Haiti could have been if the government was not so corrupt. Apparently, this hotel could not survive under the current leadership and so it shut down and was later re-opened by some private Haitian businessmen. I am still not sure how they stay in business because it was EMPTY but it was also the only place in the country that I have seen where I would be willing to walk with my shoes off. They even had clean restrooms and that is saying A LOT!

I am still not sure what tomorrow holds. We have several team members who are sick. I noticed one thing tonight that I found interesting. At dinner they announce who is leaving tomorrow and then the teams who are leaving have a moment of celebration. I have never gone out of the country to a place where people were so happy to get to leave. I guess that says a lot about the state of things here.

Pray for good ministry tomorrow whatever form it takes.

Tough- All the Way Around

Today was a tough day. We headed out to a different tent city to set up clinic today because of "security issues" at the clinic and tent city where we were yesterday. Today's tent city is called Paris and it is about 30 minutes outside of town. We all agreed that this was a much more peaceful atmosphere. The people and grounds are much cleaner and they seem to have a greater sense of community.

The reason I titled this "Tough-All the Way Around" was because first of all I was amazed today at the toughness of the Haitian people. They come to us with infections and injuries that would have us in the ER immediately and they live like this everyday with no medical care. Sometimes a one time consult of PT seems like a band aid on a broken bone when you are talking to a person with fractures all along one side of their body because a wall fell on them and they spent 3 days under their home.

I spent 2 hours today pulling dirt and leaves out of a child's wound on her foot so I could clean and bandage it. Her mother, who wasn't even there because she had gone to look for work, had packed it with leaf pieces because she didn't know what else to do. This sweet child didn't even cry as I pulled at these items that had become part of her foot as layers of skin were beginning to grow over them. I gave her one of every toy in my backpack. She was so tough. I will never forget her.

After that, I was pretty done and undone. I had seen as much as I could handle but had to press on because there were people who had been standing in the sun for 4 hours waiting to be seen. I will never complain about a wait at the Dr's office again.

The nurses performed procedures all day too where they pulled roaches out of children's ears. It really does get overwhelming sometimes and that is when you have to choose to stop thinking and just do.

I guess the highlight of my day was a talk I had with one of our translators. It seems like the deciding point for a lot of Haitians when they are choosing between Christ and Satan is who can do more for them. My translator Stevens said he had chosen Christ and was hoping that Christ would get him to America or make him a singer someday. I made the statement that Christ had already done the greatest thing for him when He died on the cross. We talked about what it would look like for Christ to not make him a famous singer but to call him to use his gifts to serve the Haitians instead. He didn't like that thought. I told him that Christ may call him to live in America or sing, but He may not and that even if He doesn't, He is still good and He is still the way, the truth, and the life. You can pray that we have more good conversations like that. He was really confused when he heard that I had actually paid my own money to serve in Haiti and wasn't getting paid like him.

I need to go. Please pray for passion and energy tomorrow. It is our last clinic as we are running out of meds. Friday we will go to the beach and then Saturday and Sunday will be spent doing other forms of ministry that I am not sure of yet. I am still seeing a handful of patients on the base and those numbers grow everyday when I get in too.

Thanks for caring enough to pray.

Beauty and Filth

I have a moment so I would like to share with you what God is teaching me today through my experiences here.

I woke up this morning sore, swollen, and pretty tired still. I didn't have much energy for the day. At breakfast when we were getting ready to head out, a lady came up to me and randomly offered me some of her Vics Vapor Rub. I was so excited and knew that this was a gift from God. You see, the clinic and tent city smell so bad because of all the urine and trash. That has really been some of the hardest part for me. With Vics up my nose, I could do anything. It was like being given a $100 bill.

So I grabbed my backpacks with my new found encouragement and headed for the compound gate and the long walk to the clinic when someone said "Do you guys want a ride". Oh my goodness I had just been given a 2nd blessing that was like a 2nd $100 bill. :)

We got to the clinic and a lady I had treated yesterday in a wheelchair was standing with a cane. Yesterday she could barely move in her chair. Hello 3rd $100 bill. I was so encouraged. I knew in that moment that I really was making a difference.

Then my team leader was the agent of the best lesson of all to start the day. She walked up and handed me a beautiful sea shell. I know we are on the ocean so sea shells should be everywhere, but really when you look around, all you see is filth. She had found a beautiful thing in the midst of the filth.

I didn't know how needed that lesson was going to be! We had a crazy day and ended up having to kick out 2 pastors who were sneaking in their family and friends ahead of the refugees when they were supposed to be helping us with ministry and crowd control. It was pretty sad, but I had my sea shell to remind me that in the midst of the filth, I need to remember to look for the beautful. I saw the beautiful in the face of a new young friend I have with a spinal cord injury who smiled at me for the first time today (I have had to work really hard for that). I also had a few girls that I was able to make crosses with out of Bendaroos yesterday come up to me today and say my name and that Jesus loves them- which I had taught them with the crosses yesterday.

I have seen a lot of filth in Haiti, but I am reminded in every turn (if I look for it) that there is beauty here too and that God does have a plan for these people and this place.

You can pray for healthy team dynamics as every team is a unique combination of personalities and we certainly have some. :) You can also continue to pray for health for the team. We are being exposed to so much it is unreal!

I wish I could post pictures but the upload is so SLOW that I couldn't even load 1 the other day. I will have tons to post when I get back.


OH AND A FUNNY STORY ON MYSELF: Today I worked a lot of triage which allowed me to spend one on one time with a lot of people as I took their vitals and directed them. One thing I had to do was write down their name and personal info. Some would hand me ID cards and I wrote down the name at the top of the card. Let me say, that it was CRAZY chaos! At lunch, a nurse brought me an intake form and said "did you know that this person's name means 'earthquake'?". I agreed that was odd and moved on. The first person after lunch handed me their card and there was the same name! Then it hit me. These are refugee "earthquake" cards and the name is actually further down. I showed the nurse and we had to laugh. There are several Haitians walking around tonight with prescriptions for the name "earthquake" in french since I couldn't read that from their real name. Oh well! They got their meds. :)

Haiti Prayer Update

Haiti Prayer Update - Monday afternoon

I just got off the phone with Ginny and they seem to be tired but doing well. Pray along these lines today...

Ongoing protection from any and all diseases. Ginny's quote du jour: "I think I've been exposed to more today than I have in the past 10 years." Scabies, TB, lice, typhoid, stomach issues of varying degrees and expressions, malaria, etc., are all on the "God protect me from this" list.

They have encountered many heart-breaking situations. There are kids who, if they had appropriate care, would flourish. However, because they have no access to mildly advanced care, they are looking at lifelong effects. Pray for Ginny and Lori to know (a) how to treat them from a PT perspective and (b) how to pray and (c) how to appropriately advocate for them.

Thanks for praying. One week until Ginny returns.

Trent (for Ginny)

Their Healer

Ginny Here. I actually have a moment on the internet so I wanted to share a really cool story with you.

I fell asleep on the plane ride here and when I woke up I very clearly had the words to the song "Healer" by Kari Jobe in my head. I felt like God wanted me to think on those lyrics as I entered the country. Several times over the last 2 days those lyrics have come to mind again as I have faced challenges.

Well Trent passed along a message today from a friend telling me that she was praying for me and she felt like God wanted me to pray aloud. So on the walk to the clinic today, I prayed out loud for the city as I walked through the streets. Again God brought that song to mind and I changed the direction of the song from me to the people of Haiti and sang it over the city as I walked and prayed. The lyrics where:

I believe your THEIR healer
I believe you are all THEY need
I believe your THEIR portion
Your more than enough for THEM
Jesus your all THEY need

Nothing is impossible for you
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for you
You hold THEIR world in your hands

Tonight we had a worship service and they opened the doors for the people of the city to come in. There were several hundred people there. We sang a few songs that I have never heard and then I KID YOU NOT, we sang HEALER BY KARI JOBE!!!! I came undone. It was this incredible confirmation that God has a plan for this place and that He strategically placed me here to be a part of it.

Please pray these lyrics over Haiti and specifically over St. Marc.

He is moving here. I can't wait to tell you more.

Sunday Update

Ginny and Lori have worked hard today, including a scouting trip to one of the tent cities. They passed out bubbles to kids and set up appts for families to come and receive PT. Again, it's a tough physical environment with little sleep, lots of hot, and other challenges. You can pray along these lines...

First, a very specific request: Ginny and Lori would be able to stay hydrated. They are drinking tons, but they are also fighting heat, humidity, and long hours.

Second, overall health more generally. This would include protection from any and all diseases into which they come into contact.

Third, ongoing efficacy in ministry as they show and share the Gospel.

Thanks for praying,

Trent (for Ginny)

In the spirit of Ginny, a side note. The kids and I went to the Astros game with my dad and stepmom. We had a great time and are grateful to the friend who provided the tickets. Here are pics: