Haiti October 8, 2013

Report by Betty Summer

What a glorious day! I have been coming to Haiti since 2005, and I am always amazed at the groups God puts together for His glory. We have folks from California, Tennessee, North Carolina, Michigan, Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina, and we are all brothers and sisters now. Sharing our knowledge in the medical team and sharing the message God lays on our hearts with one another and the people we see in the clinic has truly blessed each of us.

Today we held clinic at the sister church Jerusalem IV, which is a short truck ride from where we stay at the mission house. Let me back up and say – God has blessed us with a really nice mission house, so we now have 5 flushing toilets and a real kitchen. The showers are still cool – o.k., some would say cold – but you’re standing in a tile shower much like you have at home. This is so different from my first experience here in Z’Orange, showering in a smelly outhouse with tadpoles in the barrel water “sharing my bath” – o.k., back to the story of today.

The people at the church had been waiting for us since about 7:00 a.m., and we arrived at 9:30 or so. We finally finished around 5:00 p.m., after seeing over 200 people. We have 4 doctors on this team – the biggest I have traveled with ever – and it is wonderful to see them caring for these people and sharing not only medical knowledge, but also the love of Jesus, with every one of the patients they saw.

I would ask that you at home pray for one very sick little boy – we are trying to make arrangements for him to be treated at one the hospitals in Port au Prince. We have no idea what is wrong with him, but he is very sick. We also saw a frail man with fever – he was sick, but he assured Dr. Sanders that he knew Jesus as his Savior.

This team really has a heart for sharing the word with everyone – they started their day by passing out formula to the babies who were crying and miserable after the long wait. By lunchtime all the people were weary; we started passing out cookies and crackers we had brought for our snacks. I really felt like the little boy with the loaves and fishes, because it just seemed like we only had a few packs of crackers, but we just kept passing the crackers out; they seemed to multiply, and I believe that every child received one or two crackers or cookies from the team.

I could go on and on, but let me close by saying, as I say every trip – I think this may be the best team ever. God is touching lives here, mine included. I have been able to see the children that my Sunday school classes at my home church sponsor. (For those who have been here before – Anna has a new baby girl!). This place is “my little bit of heaven on earth” because I am ALWAYS moved by God here. I think I listen closer in this place, because I believe that God is the same every day, and I am not distracted here.

Thank you all for your prayers for the team and for God’s work here – we have 3 more days, and I anxiously await what the Lord has planned! Love to ALL!