Haiti October 10, 2013

Report by Linda Blizzard

What a blessing it has been to spend my birthday in Haiti. What a wonderful team God has brought together to serve Him.

I can mark several things off of my ‘bucket list’. I had never ridden in a 2-1/2 ton military truck with the front window pushed out and the wind blowing my face. I had never ridden over roads that went through rocky streams, and gravel rocky roads, and sometimes no roads at all . . . sorta like riding in a cement mixer. The truck never moved until it was prayed over, and we always thanked God when we arrived safely.

God is so good and faithful all of the time! Yesterday and today we worked in 3 different villages. The church yesterday had a dirt floor, and tarp and canvas to cover the sides. I’ve never seen so many people show up to be checked by the 4 doctors, receive vitamins and different medications, be prayed for, and be fitted with clothes and/or shoes. One lady had shoes that covered her toes and maybe half her feet; the rest of her feet were just hanging out the back. I think there must have been over 1,000 people treated and served since the team has arrived. There was an abundance of babies, children, young people and pregnant women.

How important it is that a clinic be built in this area. The only chance for people to see a doctor is when a medical team comes. The people must walk to the church or wherever the clinic is held. Since we only stayed until noon at the first church, some of the people in line could not be seen. We gave vouchers to the people in line in case they wanted to walk to the second church, which was about 3 miles from the first church. I was amazed that probably 35 or more people walked to the second church to be seen. One elderly lady walked all the way from the first church, and her blood pressure was dangerously high. If there were a clinic in this area, she could have been seen and blood pressure medicine could have been available for her when she needed it. We have a doctor already willing to train Haitians to learn about common medical issues and help care for fellow Haitians. I know that if it is God’s will, it will happen in His time.

I thank God for the privilege of working with this amazing team and serving Him in this place. I had wanted to be a nurse when I started college. Since I’ve been here I’ve been able to help prepare drugs for the pharmacy, and I got to work in the triage area where each patient is taken first to get information before they see the doctor. I guess that’s another thing I can mark off my bucket list.

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Report by Bro. Chuck

Today was Linda Blizzard’s birthday. Ginette made her a beautiful cake and the team sang her a song. Another first for her – first birthday in Haiti. We only had one candle here, and it was a number 7. Linda said that at least it was half right.