A week in Haiti....

http://picasaweb.google.com/mnorris6/HaitiEarthquakeJanFeb2010# Here are some more detailed pictures from a nurse that was with us .

Finished building.....& team from PA.

Some thoughts : 1st, the immensity of the disaster,we must continue to help Haiti.It will take years.What kept us going was knowing there would be more teams coming to continue the work. The Haitian people are so grateful for any help.
The contrast between the 2 countries,Haiti & Dominican Republic.The DR was vibrant with color,trees on the mountains,green grass,while Haiti looked the part of a cursed nation.Same mountains but void of any life .
The Gospel is being made known,people have hope ! Good will come out of all of this !
Our team became a family all working together !Great opportunity to meet others from around the world :Brazil,Italy,Finland,Norway,Germany,Canada,Hawaii & the rest of US.Truly we are one in Christ !
Some of the stories at the clinic brought tears. 1 young girl had just a small piece of wood in her finger,took it out but never treated it for infection. As a result had to have her arm amputated.Another woman was on her 4th floor while the rest of her family sat around a popular tv show on the 1st floor. All were lost but her. ALL of her family gone. What now ........? There was a girl who had her hand crushed,you could see raw meat.......was taken to a hosp. where a plastic surgeon was able to take a skin graft and cover her fingers. The next few days I saw her laughing with her family!
Some clothes were donated.........just because the people have nothing left,maybe MORE SO, new or slightly used clothes would be better than emptying old great aunt esthers closet ! You know the one,yellow hanger stains,torn,dirty,completely out-of -date !!! Ugggg.....remember,God gave His best ! As a rule,don't give if it isn't something you would want. (ok,all my opinion )
The one thing I came back with was.....I'm glad to be living in this country.We have been given soooooooooo much,God has seen fit to bless this land. I don't need to feel "guilty" for the way we live,I just need to recognize that it all came from God !We have a responsibility for our brothers & sisters in other lands......time here is short compared to eternity !The banquet table might have beans & rice !!!!

A week in Haiti....

It's a little hard to tell ,but the traffic was horrible ! So many relief trucks trying to come in but really no where to go.



Some of the damage. We were not quite in the P.O.P.district,just on the outskirts. One home would be damaged and another un -touched.
Bus ride back to DR,people everywhere....Sharing the Good News !

The YWAM base has a good set-up for disasters (floods,hurricanes,etc) They register the people,give them a laminated card w/picture that they can now receive help. 1st step is the clinic,housing ,small amts.of money and some personal staples. The pastors in the area are each taking 50 P.O.P. (Port of Prince) people and helping them. Each week they may come back for food etc. There is an organization called " Non-government Organization "(NGO)that will provide some sort of work for them. YWAM has a property down the road that is being transformed into a permanent clinic for the people. They are hoping to have a full time Dr. and nurse on staff. A school is also being built that many of the local children come to . There is a need to teach the children english as well as french & creole. 3 yrs of highschool french really helped....je ne sai pas......I don't know !!!!! hahaha

More pics from Haiti....

This is the where we had our meals at YWAM
This is where they have their meals....
Our bedroom !!! oh the dorm life !
Outside the gate...
A dentist stopping through........next........!!!
They have so little ,we have so much....I am grateful for what He has blessed me with !

A week in Haiti....

People waiting in line to get reg. for food,clinic outside our base -start lining up at 1am !Next picture,putting a roof on a bldg. that will house all the different teams that are coming to help.The Dr. & nurse at the make-shift clinic.
Wheel chairs,crutches at airport. And the supply room with rice & beans !



Bill & I had the opportunity to travel with a team of 19 (from various churches ) to the city of St. Marc. The trip was planned before the earthquake to do ministry for a YWAM base. This base has been ministering to the people since 1984 (read Taking the High Places by Terry Snow to get "accurate info " :) ) .After the January earthquake struck our team members changed a little. There would now be more experienced contractors going,sorta a "dream team " a nurse & and a doctor...and of course me, an organizer !Our plane had to land in the Dominica of the Republic (DR) stay the night at a ywam base in Santo Domingo then travel 12 hrs to St Marc. All of this was quite an adventure ,a wake -up call to how the rest of the world lives ! Cold showers,water only on for short bursts,no tp in the toilet (basket provided ) if its yellow let it mellow ,if its brown flush it down , yeah,well.....rice & beans A LOT , water ok at 1st,but then "what happened " ? !!! More culture changes,but all do -able.

some photos and then I'll write more later....