Well we are off. Writing to you from 39000 feet somewhere above Virginia. We are blessed to be returning to Haiti after a long 23 months. This trip is different as we are not  traveling with our ususal team but have been invited to join a team led by Dan Woolston. Dan has always gone with us as our providerr.  When we made the decision in November that we would not be able to lead to take a team in Febraury due to multiple reasons. Da n asked us to join a team of nursing students he was taking. So this trip is bitter sweet as we are missing some of our usual team. To Carlton, Becky, Heaher, Missy, Donna and Hannah, although you are not with us physically you are still a part of this trip. Even in your disaapoinment of not being able to go you have been so supportive and we appreciate that. We would also like to thank Genesis Bible church for suppling over 4000 doses of pedialyte. Also to the people at Avoca Baptist who have donated money so we can take some much needed tools thank you. This year there was an additional cost of $3000 for medicine. A special thanks to those who donated to off set that cost. To the foundation again thank you for the transportation it is truly a blessing. Also thank you to those who help to defray some of our incidental cost. A special thank you to the ladies who sewed hats and dresses for us to take. And a special thank you to a 5 year old who cleaned out his toy box and piggy bank ($35).  To Katie thank you for the doll house.   Thank you for all of those that ar upholding us and this trip in prayer. That is the most important part. To our kids and grandkids thank you again for your unending support, love and a for sharing us with Haiti. In a few hours we will be home in Haiti. Thank you to all of you. As you can see there are really many of you involved in this venture.  And most of all thank you Lord for allowing us to once again shine your light to the people of Haiti. We will try to blof if I can get it to work.

Thoughts on being servants and prisoners.


While we were in the final preparation phase for this trip, God put the chorus "Make Me a Servant" on my heart and in my mind nearly continuously. It says, "Make me a servant, humble and meek. Lord let me lift up those who are weak. And may the prayer of my heart always be, make me a servant, make me a servant, make me a servant today." I sang, hummed and thought of that chorus multiple times a day, for weeks. It really was, and still is,  the prayer of my heart.

 My goal in every day is to be a servant to/for my Saviour. I fail miserably. A lot. But occasionally, I have a day when I feel like I actually got it right. I had a couple of those days on this particular trip. Days that I felt God's presence with me(yes I know He's ALWAYS there), and I noted the 'Well done'. I think that I can attribute that to my heart's prayer of being a servant. To being open to His will and willing to do it, no matter WHAT it was.  I yearn for that in my daily life at home, BUT, I too often get caught up in the day to day craziness that is life here in the States. I neglect to slow down and listen for His voice to direct me. Yes, I serve Him, but is it His will, or mine? I need to keep singing this chorus, but with a small change in the words. Not "make me A servant", but "make me YOUR servant, today".  Every day.



When we are in Haiti, we joke about the tap-tap being like a prison bus. We are locked into it until we get to our destination. We can see where we are going, but have no control over how we get there. We are dependent on the driver getting us there, and safely. I've thought about this quite a bit lately. How we need to have this same kind of relationship with Christ. To be His prisoner, locked in to His will, and letting Him control where we go, how we get there, and letting Him direct where we step next. Allowing Him to control our safety, as we do His will.(A dear friend once said to me " We are safest when we are doing God's will, NO MATTER WHERE THAT MAY BE.")
So, my thought is this: am I willing to be a prisoner of Christ? Am I willing to be locked into a place/situation/event/life that is beyond any control I could put on it?  I'm working on it. And He's still working on me.

Cindy

So What’s Next:

                That has been the question that we have asked ourselves over and over since returning from Haiti. We went to Haiti this time questioning if God still wanted us there and if He still wanted us involved with Nehemiah Vision Ministries. Those questions and doubts had surfaced over the last 12 months. As God cleared the way for this trip to go forward it was obvious that He had His hands on this trip and that it was in His control. While in Haiti the resounding answer that we got as we prayed was YES you are stilled called to Haiti and Yes NVM is the organization for you to be involved with. That answer has been solidified even further since we have returned home.  It is always difficult to come home but this time our hearts were pulled even more to the people of Haiti. So new questions have arisen and we wait on God’s timing and leading.

 

                One of the difficult areas is maintaining our burden for Haiti while going back to our lives here. Cindy calls it the crazy wheel and it is so easy to get on. It is vital that we see the world in our own back door as a mission field as well. We need to direct the love and compassion that is so easily given in Haiti to those here that we come into contact with each day. God uses that to deepen our love of Him and our desire to share that love with not only the people of Haiti but our neighbors as well. So one of our goals for this year is to deepen our love of Christ and allow His love to be demonstrated to all that we come into contact with. That means seeking new opportunities to do that and hearts that are receptive to his leading.

 

                We are also seeking guidance in how to be more involved in the ministries and outreach of NVM from here in the states. We are looking at a couple of projects this year to help the ongoing ministries at NVM and will have details as we move forward.  One of these projects is an industrial washing machine for on campus.  We are also seeking opportunities to share with other churches and organizations the vision of NVM and the work that they are doing in Haiti. It appears that God is opening the doors for us to do this through some new contacts.

 

                Cindy and I are seeking the Lord’s guidance on a trip to Haiti in the late summer or early fall. We are not sure what the extent or even the purpose of the trip will be at this time. We have some ideas but really are asking the Lord for His direction. We do believe that His purpose is for us to return this year. We will also be planning a medical trip for next February as well. Our hearts truly are in Haiti but we know that God has called us to serve Him full time here and in Haiti as He gives us opportunity.

 

                This past trip was one of the best we have made. We had great team unity and a team that really was seeking God’s guidance and teaching. We talked many times before we left and even after arrival that the most important part of giving medical care was to demonstrate Christ's love even in the little things. I had the opportunity to witness that from all of our team members. (That includes our two nurses from the Genesis team). This love was demonstrated not only to the Haitians but in several ways to the American staff there as well. We also got to watch several new team members fall in love with Haiti. It is exciting to see Melissa fall in love with the people of Haiti and to understand our heart for Haiti. Lee and AJ would like to join us in the future.

 

 

                There is so much more we could share but it would take pages. As we move forward, pray that we will be patient and wait for God’s leading. Also pray that we will be ready to hear the messages and the plan that he has for us and then be willing to take the steps as he leads.

Ephesians 3:16-20

¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

                                                        Sunset from inside the tap-tap.

New Garden in Onaville

Progress in Haiti We are often asked when we talk about Haiti if there is any improvement. The answer, YES! There are many new things here on campus with many more new things planned. New buildings, new gardens, new grades in the school, new health center to open in the next year, 2 new children’s homes and many opportunities to for Haitians to work and support themselves. In Onaville which has a population of several hundred thousand we are seeing new roads and buildings as well as more structure to the society. There are schools, medical clinics, churches and gardens. The people themselves appear healthier and have a renewed interest in life. From the roof tops on campus we can see a lot of new construction and industry. Just up the road there is a new housing complex that should house several thousand people when complete. The roads are being paved and every home will have a water source. There are also several new factories in the area. These are just a few of the improvements that we are excited about. We are very excited about the spiritual changes that are taking place. The church in Onaville is growing very rapidly. The Jesus film is shown here in the medical clinic at least twice a week to those that are waiting to be seen. There have been several baptisms and the youth ministry on campus is growing. There are also pastor’s conferences being held on a regular basis and the gospel of Christ is being spread throughout Haiti. These are only a few of the changes in Haiti that we are excited about. This week is only reaffirming for us that God is continuing to call us to be involved in Haiti and to continue to do it in partnership with NVM. We hope to be able to share many more exciting things with you when we get home.

LOVE: That is what we did today. Today was our first day in Onaville. We were thrilled to see all of the progress that has been made there. So much organization as well as buildings going up. As we reflected on the day the same theme kept coming thru. We spent the day loving on people. It seemed that for many of the people that we saw that was the thing they were seeking the most. Praising God that we were able to demonstrate his love thru smiles, talk, touch and prayer. We lost count of how many pregnant bellies that Cindy rubbed. Also a lot of teaching and reassuring. We had two nurses join us from one of the other teams today. They were fantastic. They fit right in just like they had been a part of the group forever. It was the best first day that we have ever had as far as organization and flow. We did have a sad case today. A mother came to be seen for an earache. While she was waiting on of the gentleman helping us asked Brooke if she had seen the baby. We said no because she had not asked us to see the baby. As is typical in Haiti the baby was all covered up. Upon close inspection it became obvious that the baby was very malnourished. Brooke felt that the baby probably only had a few short days to live. The team was able to not only give the mom instructions and support but to pray with her. All we can do is leave it in the Lords hands. I keep coming back to Ephesians 3:20 this week and the question what have I not asked the Lord for. Today it is wisdom!

But God!

I don't know why I am continually amazed when God reveals his AWESOME power...by now I should expect it and anticipate it. But yet, I'm amazed. And my being in Haiti for this trip is no exception. As of a week ago I had no intention of being in Haiti. I have been here twice before, loved EVERY second of it, but wasn't a part of this team...a week ago. BUT GOD! While I had no intention of being here, I had every desire to be here. But I am the stubborn sort and I told God quite some time ago that as a result of having a new job, I couldn't possibly take the time to come down this trip. BUT GOD! In spite of myself, God had different plans, for which I am very thankful. As the trip grew closer, my heart grew heavier knowing that I would not be joining my team in Haiti. But GOD! Last Sunday our church commissioned the team to go in both church services. In the first service, I joined my church in praying for those going. But about half way through the prayer time I "melted down", and had to leave the service to pull myself together. Then, when the church gathered around the team to pray in the second service, I decided that I couldn't bear to be outside that team circle, and joined them instead. I went home from church very heavy hearted that day, and had a conversation with God about it. I told him that I knew it was a long shot, and that I had made this decision, but if there was ANY possible way that I could go, I would really LOVE for that to happen. BUT GOD! Monday, while at work, I got a text from Tim telling me that one of the team members had to withdraw from the trip, and "did I know anyone interested in going?" SERIOUSLY! (That was my reply) Well I immediately started praying, talked to my husband, and replied to Tim that I might be interested. What I didn't know was that he had texted several other people as well. One of them had just made plans for a trip to Florida just hours earlier. One had said she wasn't interested, and one received blank texts. The only catch at this point, was that I didn't know if I even had any vacation time for the year. But, I decided the only thing I could do was ask. So, on the way home from work I called my boss and asked. He didn't know if I had vacation time either, due to some recent company changes and had to check with his partner. The next morning I received affirmation from my boss that I did have vacation time and, with my husband's blessing, received permission to go to Haiti just 3 work days later! So here I am, back in this place with a heart overflowing with gratitude to a GREAT GOD who continually does even more than we could ever think or imagine...and I can't wait to see what He has in store for us this week! ~Heather Meade

More Than We Can Think!

So we are on the plane enroute to Haiti. Finally time to sit and reflect on the last 8 weeks. Our verse for the day and the trip is Ephesians 3:20-21 “ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. AMEN This trip is totally beyond anything that we could think or comprehend.



As usual Cindy and I started working on this trip several months ago. One of the great difficulties is the flight arrangements. This year was the most difficult. We started looking at flight options back in early November and just kept running into road blocks and obstacles. A friend of ours who flies a private charter approached us in November and said that he had been burdened to ask the owner of the plane to consider flying us down to Haiti. He said that he would pursue it but not to get our hopes up. About this time we discovered that I needed spine surgery again so things went into slow motion.



God was gracious and allowed me to have the surgery very quickly and with no complications. To God’s glory that told me that I could probably resume running March 1st. I have been running for over 4 weeks with no problems. So mid December we went back into planning mode. At this time we had not heard back on the charter and were working on the assumption that we would be flying commercial. As we progressed into early January things became even more difficult with the flights. On January 3rd I told Cindy that at the team meeting we would tell the team to really pray and that it would require the Lord’s intervention for us to go. Late that night Caleb texted me and said that the private charter was still an option. He requested that I send an email the following morning. So Sunday the 4th I sent an email to the owner of the plane explaining what we do in Haiti and why we go. Late that day we met with the team and filled them in. We told them that we needed to clarify flight arrangements by January 12th or we would not be going. On Thursday that week Caleb called and wanted to know if I wanted the good news. Upon receiving our email on Wednesday the plane owner immediately said we can do that and have their family foundation sponsor it. ROUND TRIP. Our God is amazing, I am not sure why I continue not to trust. There are several other stories by team members about how God worked amazingly to get them here and we will let them share them as the week goes on.

Saturday, February13, 2013 Beach Day

The day started with a beautiful sunrise, which I was awake for, and alert enough to capture on film!

We had our usual breakfast, then hopped on the tap tap for a 90 minute jounce and jostle to the resort. Club Indigo is a beautiful resort, with a large clean beach, and a HUGE fresh water swimming pool. We were able to rest and relax, then had a wonderful Haitian lunch before we left for the ride

"home". A few have mild sunburns today, but all are well. I'm adding a couple of photos for YOU to enjoy too.

We got back in time for dinner and another gorgeous sunset! I can't tell you how much I love watching the sun set here. It is ALWAYS beautiful, and so calming after a busy day.

On a positive note for the snowstorm related delay.....we were able to get Glenn, Leah, Patti, and Casey are headed out to Atlanta today and will be connecting to Buffalo late tomorrow evening. The rest of us are scheduled Monday afternoon to JFK and into Buffalo LATE Monday or early Tues. AM.

Today the rest of us are cleaning the dorms and doing some laundry to serve the staff. It's a very hot day today so we will be working up a good sweat!! That will make the cool showers feel really good later!

 

Cindy for the ABC team                                                                                                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4 of clinics.

Part of my devotions this morning were in Psalms 30:8b-9  "Give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say 'Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. This verse sums up the way most of us feel after visiting Haiti this week and for some of us in past trips. We have so much while others have so little.

Today was our final clinic day. We went to another new-to-our group area called Thomazeau(sp?). This is the village where our driver Herbie is from. We had an uneventful day, and saw around 130 patients. No emergencies, no surgeries, just the more usual complaints. We all felt the day ended too soon.

 It was HOT today, but at the moment a cooling rain is falling. (It's never rained on any of our other February trips.) It brings to mind the song Healing Rain.

As we were leaving Thomazeau, we had a cute situation with Cassedy. She had been mobbed by the school children who were being dismissed at that time. We were loading the tap tap, and Heather was getting on when someone asked her if she was going to rescue her daughter so she could leave too. Heather asked "Where is she?" (s she had just walked past her!) We all pointed and she casually extracted Cassedy from her fan club and loaded her safely on board. A picture IS worth a thousand words in this case, so I'm saving my fingers. Check out the picture!! :) (By the way Cassedy had on a pink shirt on today.)

Where's Cassedy?

 

 

A final thought for tonight. We learn a lot from our translators. They are hard working people who are proud of their country, and are excited when you show an interest in learning even a little bit of their language. (Haitian Creole) I myself have learned several new words this week, and hope to be able to hold on to them for next time. Another picture that includes our translators is below. We've had a great week. I think we just might stay.

 

 

 

Cindy for team ABC                                                                                                                                 

Good Evening (morning or afternoon, whatever time it is you find yourself reading this)!  Let me just start off by saying this is my first time writing a blog so bare with me and I hope you find it interesting!  This is mine (Casey) and my mom's (Patti) first trip to Haiti and the weeks leading up to our departure we were racked with concerns from safety/sickness to how exactly function in the clinics.  Now three days into our adventure all we can say is "what were we worried about?"  Our group of tweleve were almost instantly like family.  Everyone is here to help each other in anyway needed.  Even our translators have become part of our ABC family.  The NVM staff, the locals everyone greets you with a smile, a wave, and a bonjour!

Patty, doing a dressing on a large abcess we drained.

Today (Wednesday), we were blessed with being able to go to a brand new clinic site that NVM had not yet been to.  The site was a village high up in the mountains called Fon Cheval.   As we drove our tap tap to the village all I could think about was a portion from the passage of scripture that Tim had us read earlier in the week from Psalms 8 "Lord our Lord how majestic is Your name in all the earth..."  No other word(s) could describe what we were seeing...majestic!  It is a lesson for us to know that the Lord is with us everywhere, from the comfort of our homes in the States to the dusty villages in Haiti.  We appreciate your prayers and support and we cannot wait to see you all and tell our stories and show our pictures!

Casey in the village

 Casey for the ABC team






Part 2 for Wednesday, another guest blogger.

Another guest blogger and another first timer. I'm Glenn Hann, a husband, father of 5 beautiful children and a Nurse Practitioner. I know Tim through our employer and was invited to come along for the ride. I had a hard time leaving my family, but now three days in, I have no doubt that it was God's will. My heart had been blessed on multiple levels. I wasn't able to attend church on Sunday, but my interpretor, Rock (a 19 year old Haitian), gave me a great sermon yesterday. He told me that I was sharing hope with the people of Haiti with my work. As sort of an evangelistic person by nature, I didn't understand what he meant. I was doing medical work. I wasn't sharing the gospel directly, though I have learned Bon je ben a ou which means "God bless you". Rock told me the Haitians see it differently. He told me, "They see you, a man who has come many miles to help me, they see your smile and hear your kind words. You make them feel special, you give them hope." He went on and said, "It's not the people who give money, it's the people who come." He closed with, "Jesus never gave anyone any money. He loved them. And because he loved them, they listened to his gospel."


Triplets, A miracle in Haiti.

It's so easy for me in the United States. I have a good job. I could not shop for food for 3 weeks and I'd still have something to eat in my house. My bed is soft, my shower is warm, and my kids kick a soccer ball on grass, not dusty dirt. The ease with which I live presents a challenge. My challenge is to remember to have compassion. It says in the gospel accounts, "Jesus saw them and he had compassion". What will you have when you see them? You might not have the opportunity to see Haitians in Haiti...though if you do, then you should really do it....but you have the opportunity to have compassion on that single mom or dad, or the grandparents raising their grandchild, or the teen whose lost their way. We all fall short....we all need compassion.
I'll close with this little story. Our first day out just before we left a member of the construction crew that is here this week said to me, "Go do a miracle today." I smiled and said something off the cuff that really wasn't that profound in an effort to be funny. Thinking back I wished I said, "The miracle has already been done, I'm just going to go and tell people about it." God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise....I praise Him for also using me.



The Beauty of a Haitian Sunset



Clinic day one is complete. We saw well over 100 people today, in Onaville, all in controlled chaos. We treated a couple of really hard to witness cases. Teh first was a 14 year old girl with a very large tumor growing out of her side. we presume it to be cancerous due to the odor involved. She has had 2 previous to this removed and has been told they will not remove this one. It is about the size of a grapefruit, and had a surface texture similar to the surface of cauliflower. She described the pain level as an 8 on a 1-10 scale., but never flinched as she was being treated, even thought the dressing over the area was stuck tight. These Haitian people are tough. This girl has no parents and is cared for by ehr aunt.

The second was a 12 year old girl with a large external dental abcess, about th esize of a quarter. Again, a tough little girl. Dan injected the site with lidocaine, and then made a small incision to drain a large amount of pus. She needs a toooth extraction, but we are not sure when or if that can be arranged right now. We will be back on Onaville tomorrow and she will be back to be follwed up.

The rest of the people we saw today were treated for fairly routine complaints.

Our new people had a crash course in feeling helpless and overwhelmed. It takes some getting used to, and some may find that it just will not get any easier to bear.

As usual, we saw lots of cute babies and little kids, which makes the hard stuff a little easier to handle.

We are restocking our bins in preparation for tomorrow, and ask for prayer for wisdom in treating our patients. Also for prayer for good sleep, s many of us did not sleep well last night. We are all feeling well.

Cindy for team ABC

WE MADE IT

Yes we are in Haiti. Sorry no pictures today as we have been too busy to download any. We left Avoca at 6 on Friday evening and arrived in Buffalo about 8. When we got up at 3:30 we discovered 10 inches of fresh snow. We were able to get everyone to the airport by 4:30 and checked in with no problems. Unfortunately Delta could not get the ground crew in Buffalo to come open up the door to the jet way until 45 minutes after our scheduled departure time. By the time they got the plane ready and deiced we were 2 hours late departing. We landed in NYC as our plane for Haiti was departing and there were no more flights to Haiti for the day. Delta was great and put us up at a Double Tree for the night. We were able to get some rest and spend some time getting to know the other members of the team better.

This morning we were up at 5 and at the airport by 6. We moved thru ticketing and security with no issues and our gate was right next to security so we were all in and at the gate well before 7. Our flight down was very uneventful. I did get to watch a movie that I have been wanting to see for a couple of months. We were amazed at the changes we found at the airport. It was as modern as anything in the states. It normally takes us 2 hours to clear immigration, get our luggage and then go thru customs. We were 30 minutes today doing all three. Praise God they didn't even give our luggage a second look when it went thru customs. The only casulaty was a couple of applesauce cups. We were actually out of the airport before they got there to get us.We arrived safely at camp and have spent the afternoon and evening getting unpacked and getting organized for tomorrow. That means a lot of pills to count and bag. Everyone has been great about helping out.

Cindy and I are enjoying sitting on the roof under a clear Haitian sky writing this to you. We are once again amazed at how blessed we are to be here and are excited about what the week has in store. We have already made tenative plans to return in October. There is so much more we could tell you but we will try to write some more tomorrow and hopefully include some pictures.

Tim and Cindy for team ABC.

Are we Ready?

Today is Wednesday January 30th. In a little over 48 hours we will leave for Buffalo to once again begin our journey to Haiti. We are spending Friday night in Buffalo then flight out at 6am on Saturday. We stop at JFK then have a direct flight in Port Au Prince. In many wways this has been the hardest trip to prepare for. Our lives have seemed very chaotic for the past 2 months and as recently as 3 weeks ago we were questioning if we should be going. One of our concerns is that we never want to go for our own satisfaction but to make sure it is what God wants. Someone asked me recently what does God want? I had to really think about that and then question myself if I am willing to give Him what he wants which is everything. Maybe we have been holding on a little to tight lately and He had to once again demonstrate to us that He is in control and that things go much better and make more sense when we realize that and allow Him to be.

On my early morning run with Missy this morning we had a conversation about what it means to be humble. Again a question that makes you think. We have always known that our trips to Haiti were a privilege but I am also beginning to see them as a responsibility. First it is our response to God's call. There are so many people that have entrusted us to be their hands and feet in Haiti that it really is overwhelming. People who donate money, prayer, pedialyte, formula, cough syrup and dresses just to name a few. Also the kids who donated spools of thread and pray so faithfully for us. To each of you thank you. As we embark on this journey once again know that we are humbled to be representing you as God's servants to the least of these. Please see link below for our theme song for this trip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U64bongHqYU

Thoughts

We have been home for 4 days and trying to put our thoughts together. The trip home was eventful to say the least. As Cindy and I have reflected on this trip we both have had some of the same thoughts. If we were to list the things that could be seen as a negative on this trip it could be discouraging. However we both feel like this has been our most fullfilling trip to Haiti yet. We are constantly asked " How is Haiti?" We are never sure how to answer that. For us it is wonderful, beautiful, amazing. We will try to summarize our thoughts here as we really have not been able to put them into words.

This is Love

New Office.

New Hospital.

New Garden Project

New life in everything.

Beauty

One of the first things that we noticed on our trip from the airport was that the COLOR has returned to Haiti. The new buildings are repainted in bright colors and even the countryside itself is green and full of color. Secondly was the new excitement that we saw in the people of Haiti. We have always been amazed at their resiliencey but it was even more so this time as we saw new construction. One of the things that I enjoyed most were my early morning runs when I could really take in the sights and sounds of the people waking up and beginning their day. Life does go on and in the midst of what we might see as waste land God has created awesome beauty. The time of worship that we had with the Haitians in church on Sunday was awesome as always. What a good reminder that we all serve the same God and how small our world really is.

Haiti coming alive.

We really appreciated the staff at NVM and cannot begin to describe how impressed and humbled we were by the job that they are doing on a daily basis. If you want to see true love in action spend a day with Brooke, E'tienne and Aubrey. Even the dirtiest of faces get a hug, a kiss and a smile. They truly are ministering unto " the least of these" and demonstrating God's amazing love. The progress at the NVM campus itself was great. We were thrilled with the progress of the childrens homes and the hospital and again had great accomondations. What made us really excited was the new garden project and the prospect of people being able to raise their own food. Also the new sewing projects are great. It is neat to see people being taught to support themselves and the smiles that it brings to their faces when they take pride and ownership in what they are doing.

What we love and miss.

There were so many things that happened that we can't really sum it up here. Once again we are asking the question of where do we go next or what else are we suppose to do. It always feels like we leave a little more of ourselves in Haiti every time we come home. This was by far the most difficult time that we have had leaving. We wonder about those that we saw and treated and wonder if what we did was enough. And then we wonder about those that we were not able to see. We have to leave it in God's hands and rely on the fact that he knows best. Our team's goal really was to be used in whatever way was needed. Although our plans changed from time to time we believe that we were used in ways that we are not even aware of.

So now we wait to see what the next step is. We are investigating the possibility of putting together a container of food from our area to go over as well as other supplies that are needed. We also have some other ideas, but really are waiting for God's direction. We believe that there is more we could and should be doing but do not want to race ahead. Cindy needs to finish editing pictures and then we will post a new album. I know this has been kind of rambling but it is where we are at. Hopefully Becky will be putting something together for us to share with you as well so that you get another team members perspective.

Tim and Cindy for everyone.

Monday, 2/27/2012

Psalm118:1   Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
I've asked the team to come up with what they are thankful for today, and I will go first since they all disappeared.
Cindy- This might sound a bit strange to anyone who hasn't been here, but I am thankful today for nose hair. God in His infinite wisdom equipped our bodies to spare us from a lot of stuff. Today my nose hair prevented all the dust I was breathing from going straight to my lungs. My lungs appreciate that very much and so do I. :)
Phil-  Thankful for seeing people working the land in small plots and harvesting crops, after seeing all the big farm equipment sitting and not being used. (We saw a lot od farm equipment just sitting with flat tires today.)
Barb- Thankful for all of our interpreters and drivers. Without them we could do nothing.
Dan- The whole group of people we had today, working together.
Cassedy- Water!
Becky- Undergarments. A lot of women here don't have any.
Carlton- E'Tienne!
Dena- Cold showers.
Tim- All 3 of the nurses, E'Tienne, Aubrey and Brooke.
 Some of this seems silly, or simplistic, but we are sincere. Being here makes you thankful for small things as well as big things. And of course we are ALL thankful for God's enduring love for us.

We started the day working in the clinic on campus to help them get a jump on the day. Dr Edmond came to work, but wasn't feeling well. We put a few patients through so she could get finished earlier and go home.
We then did a clinic at a village called TrouCaima. It was VERY dusty, and very windy today. E'Tienne was our nurse/pharmacist/translator/question answerer today. It's amazing how well she has picked up the language, and fun to watch her interact with the Haitian people. All of the nurses are awesome in the work they are doing here. They are organized, loving, strict, compassionate, passionate, I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

Our heartbreaker for this trip was my last patient today. A 5 month old baby boy who is about the size of a newborn at home. 8 pounds at best. You could tell he was desperately sick just picking him up. Cassedy handed him to me and said "You really need to listen to him." I had no need to listen. He was burning with fever and his lungs were so congested you could feel his little chest rattling. He was retracting pretty severely with each labored breath. A check of his temp went immediately to 103.2 F. axillary. A quick listen to his lungs confirmed what we already knew. Pneumonia. Mom stated that he refuses to nurse, so she no longer breastfeeds him. She didn't seem overly attentive to his needs. We asked her if she could get him to hospital, and long story short, the answer was no. She said maybe next Monday. We told her that would be too late. Well then she said maybe Friday. We again told her that would be too late. She then pretty much ignored us when we said he needs to go to hospital. We did what we could with what we had. Tylenol for fever, vitamins, formula and pedialyte to boost nutrition and fluid intake,(I syringe fed him 20 cc before she took him home) and a dose of Rocephin to at least get a little antibiotic into his system. I showed her how to percuss his little chest to loosen secretions. He really needed IV antibiotics and hydration over a longer period of time, but we know it won't happen. We can hope. We can pray. We cannot force. So pray for this little one with us.

As we are sitting here, the wind is picking up from what it was earlier. The coverall buildings are trying to take off, and are rather noisy. Maybe some rain tonight?? It would be welcomed.

Tomorrow morning our plan is to get packed, and then help in clinic until it is time to leave for the airport and home. Our time here has been too short, as always. We would love to just stay another week or two or three.......

We will be home late tomorrow as long as our flights all go well.

For the team,
 Cindy

Day 3

Isaiah 58:7-12 ⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness^[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
¹¹ The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. 

Today we went to the Lycee IDP camp to do clinic. We saw a lot more sick babies today, along with the ususal complaints that the older people that come have. Still a lot of nutritionally relatable complaints also.

I had a couple of patients today that stood out. One was a baby that was 7 months old, and had a "floppy baby" like problem. Weak muscles, and no leg strength at all. In the states she would be getting physical therapy on a regular basis. All we could do was to try to teach the mom to exercise her limbs and hold her in positions that will force her to strengthen her neck and spinal muscles. And give her vitamins to help with nutritional support.

The other was a 51 year old gentleman named Francois. His problem today was simple, just some gastric problems and a UTI. Both easily treatable. But let me tell you more about this man. He is strong, and he is a survivor. When he as a bit younger, he was electrocuted. He was burned over a large part of his torso, his left arm, and his head. The current went in through his chest and out through his upper back and the top of his head. He survived this only to be injured in the earthquake in 2010. As a result of those injuries he lost his right arm near the elbow. He survived again. What a strong man! He was gracious in discussing his injuries, and allowing me to share his story and photos.

Overall, today was a good day. Clinic went smoothly, and we saw everyone that wanted to be seen. It has been windy today, and we all got very dusty today, but I think Cassedy got the award for being the dirtiest. She spent some time playing with the crowd of kids that were hanging out outside the tent. After sweating a bit, she could make mudpies on her arms! We love our pint sized team member, and so do the Haitian children.

Serving our Lord by serving the people in Haiti.
Cindy and Tim for the team.

Day 2

Our Haitian Alarm Clock



Another beautiful day in Haiti. We started the morning off with Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." This again reiterated to us that it doesn't matter how much we plan God has already made a plan for the day and it is the perfect plan.

We were able to go to Onneville this morning to spend the day doing a clinic. It is amazing that what was empty ground only 2 years ago now has several hundred thousand people living on it. We are seeing alot of new construction and alot clearing of brush for new homes. One thing we noticed right away in this camp is that the tents aren't right on top of each other and there seems to be planning and thought into the lay out of the camp. We also saw several new villages under construction which are laid out like row houses back home. Needless to say much smaller. For the most part we saw alot of the basic complaints today of headache, stomach ache etc. Dan and I did see a man who obviously had very advanced end stage cancer and there was nothing we could do. We gave him some tylenol but realized that it probably was only going to take the ache off. If we had been home we would have gotten something much stronger. Dan got to spend quite a bit of time with him and was able to pray with him before he left. Some of the other nurses got to pray with patients as well. Several people were referred back to the clinic for futher treatment. It is so nice now to be able to refer these people back to the clinic in Chambrun for follow up. One of the new things that they had us start today was that everyone we saw got a copy of the medical record that we did for them today. We placed it in a plastic bag and they were instructed to bring it back next time. The hope is that we can start having some continuity of care betweent the clinic and the medical teams that come down to work in the villages. Thanks Brooke for a great idea.

The team is really enjoying the staff here. They have all been great about helping and sharing ideas with us. E'Tienne and Brooke went to Onneville today and it was a great help as that gave us a reference point to make sure we were doing things the way that they wanted them done. The staff are doing well after yesterday and we are just amazed at the changes and improvements that have occured in just one short year. Below you will find some pictures of the day. We will let them do the rest of the talking.

Tim and Cindy for everyone.

Phil at work handing out flip flops. We think he smiled all day. Dena below seeing patients.

Day 1

Ok. We have no idea where to start. To say it has been a roller coaster ride already would be an understanding. We arrived in Haiti a hour late last night. Not bad really. We found 14 of our totes right away but had to wait some length of time to find the last 4. As usual it was pretty chaotic. As went to go out thru customs they stopped us. First time ever. The first tote that they looked at had meds in it. Based on that they felt that they needed to look at all 18. They informed me that we had to leave our 4 totes of meds behind but that we could have the others and for me to just leave. Well that didn't happen. Everyone else went out and Dan and I stayed with the 4 med totes. At one point they even tried to wheel them away and I wouldn't let them. We were finally able to get a couple of people of NVM in with us. After some haggling and with Dan and I being lighter some cash. $80.00 we were able to take our totes. I was sure at the beginning they wanted money but I didn't want to set a precedent that would cause NVM a problem down the road. Apparently the rules have changed in the last couple of weeks.

We arrived at campus and had a quick supper. Following that we spent the evenings getting our totes put together so we could go out and do medical clinics today. Everyone slept well. Some of us even got a beautiful run in this am. After breakfast we packed up and got ready to head to Onnavile. As we were approaching the gate to leave E'tienne came running toward the truck telling us to stop. She reported that one of the Haitian's was sick and that we needed to come. Dan and I ran to the tent where the Haitian workers here on campus stay. When we arrived we found one of the Haitians that we know had a seizure in the night and had died. Wow. Talk about a change in emotions. Needless to say going to camp was cancelled as there was alot to be dealt with. We ended up spending the day fixing lunch for everyone and doing odd jobs to help the staff. Everyone found out right away how to be FAT in Haiti. Flexible, Adaptable and Teachable.

This afternoon we walked into Chambrun and spent some time playing with the kids. As we played with Baby Rose and Davidson and we were reminded that in the midst of sorrow God still performs miracles. It really is a reflection of Haiti, life begins and life ends. The quake brought an end to a lot of things in Haiti but new life and new plans as well. We were reminded again that without the quake we probably would not be here. Only God understands the plans He has. There is much more to tell you as we have seen wonderful improvements but we will save that for another post. Please continue to pray.

One of the miracles. Baby Rose.

Commissioning and Packing Day

ABC Haiti Team 2012

From left to right, this year's team is: Dan and Barb Woolston, Becky Osborn, Cassedy Meade, Carlton Osborn, Phil Wirsing, Dena Jewel, and Tim and Cindy Peterson.

Dan is a NP and is our medical provider. His wife Barb is an RN. They both went last year.

Becky is a teacher from Rochester, and is Carlton's daughter. She is new to the team this year.

Cassedy went last year. She is a student at Avoca Central School, and has a heart for missions.

Carlton was also part of last year's team. He is a truck driver for an agricultural spraying company. Phil is a retired school teacher and army reservist who loves the outdoors. He is very active in the Gideon's ministry.

Dena is an RN and this is her first trip with us. She has been on other mission trips with other groups.

Tim and I are both RN's, returning for our 4th trip to Haiti. We are all excited to see what the Lord has in store for our team.

We had our commissioning service during worship services at Avoca Baptist this morning. It is such a blessing to be prayed for, and over, by God's people. Following morning services, we had a group lunch including our families. We then got down to the task of packing the rest of our supplies and food. Many hands make the work light, and we completed the daunting task in short order. Now we have just the last minute things to add tomorrow.

We are asking you to pray for the totes. That they contain exactly what God intends for us to bring. That they might be waived from baggage fees due to their contents being for a medical mission. That they all arrive safely at our destination intact and complete. That they clear customs without incident.

We also ask for prayers for the team. For health, safety, unity, wisdom, and opportunity to reach out in the name of Christ.

Tim and I are working our regular shifts tomorrow, so the scramble will be on once we get home from work. Final packing, dinner with the family, and an early bedtime in order to be out the door Tuesday morning by 3:30 am. Oy!

Thanks for your support and prayers!!

Cindy and Tim

Packing

Saturday February 18, 2012

Packing and Spraying day.
We have spent today trying to get things organized and ready to go here at home. It always seems that there is more to do than we can ever hope to accomplish. Some of it just has to wait. The good news is that all of our clothes are sprayed and waiting to dry. We just finished packing the last of the med totes. We will be having lunch with the rest of the team tomorrow and packing the food, shoes and other odds and ends that we will be taking along. Our two living rooms look like a tornado has gone thru them with numerous totes and boxes everywhere. We always wonder if we are packing the right things to take. Our home has become a drop off point for everything from tents, and medical supplies to socks, underwear and an entire tote of sewing supplies including fabric and buttons. Unfortunately we can't take it all but always pray that we are taking what is needed for this particular trip. It is always interesting to get there and see how God has directed us to bring exactly what was needed for that trip.

Thru the generosity of a couple of young couples we have some baby formula and jars of baby food to take along with us this time. We were both just commenting on how thankful we were to have it. It always seems like Cindy takes care of alot of babies when we are there. Believe me she is not complaining about that. Her original desire after the quake was to be able to go to Haiti and love on the babies. It did hit both of us that the baby food we were taking was only a drop in a very large barrel of what is needed. But God already knows which babies need it the most.

We will try and post again tomorrow with a team picture and some information about each team member. It is exciting that 4 of those going with us also went last year and of course our "daughter" E'tienne is already there. She has actually been sending us back pictures of a wound that she is working on so that we can try and bring her the correct supplies to heal it up.

This is a picture of a mom and babies that Cindy took care of last time. Mom is 21 and weighed about 80 lbs. Dad had been killed in the earthquake. The babies looked pretty good because mom was taking care of them before herself. Cindy had the oppurtunity to go to her home. There was a small bed, a few clothes and one box of corn flakes. You want to know why we go back. Look no further.

Tim and Cindy