Perspectives from Haiti: Having So Little, Having So Much

This week in Haiti has taught me more about how to treat patients than I ever could have imagined.  I had never been on a mission trip prior to Haiti, so I really had no idea what to expect.  I imagined Haiti to be plain and desolate; the people to be broken and hopeless.  When we went to church on Sunday, I realized I was completely wrong.  Upon seeing us in the pews, the orphans ran up to us and claimed us as their own.  The adults at church had smiles on their faces and were enthusiastically singing worship songs.

As we pulled into our first clinic of the week, Haitians were lined up waiting to be seen.  We immediately jumped into seeing patients.  It surprised me that even though there was a language barrier, I could pick up on their ailments rather quickly. The patients were very thankful for our services.  Holly said it best “in America, a lot of patients are not thankful and we often forget why we got into medicine and PA school”.  Her words really resonated with me, as I often get lost in seeing patients and forget why I actually wanted to be a PA.  I wanted to help people and make a difference in their lives, no matter how small that difference was.

Kinsley had said “God made Haiti beautiful and had good intentions for the country, but the sin of people has made Haiti the third world country it is today”. I fell in love with the beauty of Haiti this week.

The joy of the Haitians had the biggest impact on me.  They have so little.  Obtaining clean drinking water is difficult.  The children at the orphanage had been abandoned and were unwanted.  Dou Dou always had a smile on his face, even after cleaning up our bathrooms after two days with no running water.  All of this made me realize how much I take for granted in America.  We have so much more than the Haitians and orphans, yet we are not thankful.  Seeing their joy in the midst of such poor conditions has given me a new perspective on approaching my life in America.

Ashley Romano

Uganda Team Update #2

We have had a great trip! Very strong team and providers!

We finished strong today! We had 252 people come through the clinic today. That gives us just over 900 people treated for the week! Over 230 tooth extractions were performed, and the team prescribed nearly 200 pairs of glasses.
We can’t believe it is already time to head back. It seems like we just got here. So many stories in such a short time, I can’t even list all of the life change we witnessed. Thank you for all of your support and prayers. We can’t wait to come back and share what Christ is doing in Uganda!

-Dustin Clayton, Uganda Medical Team Leader

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Uganda October Medical Team

We have had a great week. The travel was crazy as our “Heathrow Express” broke Down with us on it in London and we barely made our flight to Uganda. There was a lot of running and begging the airline attendant involved!

The clinic-
We were surprised to hear that the LC5 (governor of our region here) was coming to visit our clinic on Saturday. After his visit we heard from his boss (the vise-president of Uganda!) that he wanted to do a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday with us! It was huge. There were multiple tv and newspaper journalists that showed up and interviewed us. We were interviewed on camera for the national news. The vice president was very nice and went through our clinic along with his staff and security detail (We diagnosed him with diabetes, so everyone on his staff wanted a glucose check!)

As far as operations, since we started clinic we have seen over 400 people! We are averaging 160 people per day which includes medical,dental, and vision for every person. We brought 2 children in today that were basically comatose. After IV fluids, meds and lots of care they were both smiling and awake when they left. So many stories of life change, this post would go on for pages. Keep praying for us, exciting things are happening here!
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Haiti Medical Team Update

What a week it has been here in Haiti with our medical team!  Thank you for your prayers; I can assure you they have not returned void. We have such a great group of team members and while we have had a couple fall ill, everyone is doing well for the most part.

After a long day of travel on Saturday, we started our week with a great time of worship on Sunday at the orphanage and spent the afternoon with the children.  Monday was a very long day as we began check ups on the 175 children, including dental screenings and giving over 300 vaccinations.  We treated several kids who were quite sick but overall the children were doing well. Using newly purchased equipment we were able to screen their vision and fit for glasses as needed. Tuesday was community day at Lundi; again a very long day where we saw over 200 people from the community.  A great number of them received medicines and had decayed teeth extracted–services they typically can’t find nearby or afford.  Many were able to see clearly with glasses for the first time in years!  The highlight of my day was seeing a young woman who was about 5 months pregnant. Using a new Doppler machine she was able to hear her baby’s heart beat for the first time!  We then prayed over her and the baby; it was really special.

Yesterday we hit the road to Bon Bon, a community about 30 minutes away from where we are staying. Today we will go to Gomier, another church plant in a nearby community about 45 minutes away. The church at Bon Bon is less than a year old and the building itself is still unfinished; nonetheless we cleared space in the midst of a huge crowd and set up another community clinic. I wasn’t sure how we would see them all.  Fortunately it isn’t up to me; God is faithful and always works out the details!

Over 300 people were seen, over 80 received eyeglasses for the first time and nearly 50 dental extractions were performed.  Unfortunately there are some we cannot help medically. As we were setting up clinic, a family brought in a young lady on a cot, lifting her high above the crowd to get to the front of our triage line. The similarities to the story in the Bible of the cripple being lowered through the roof to the feet of Jesus were unmistakable. She is 27 and had abdominal distention from some type of cancer. We gave them some funds to try and start her process to getting to a larger hospital but the reality is that she will most likely die very soon. Prayer and compassion were what we had to offer her.  For those of us who like to fix things, these experiences are a gut-wrenching reality check to remind us that true healing does not come in the flesh. Romans 8 tells us this: all of creation is groaning. The bondage to decay is very real but liberation from this fate awaits the children of God.

 And therein lies the urgency of the call to Go and Tell. Pray that the small ripple we make here is multiplied exponentially with the others that have come and will come to bring those in need of healing to the feet of the Great Healer.

 

A Week in Mbira

Hilman Mann, a Long Hollow member, has given two months of his Summer to service in Uganda. Here he gives a detailed account of what a week looks like in Mbira, Uganda. Grace Christian school in Mbira, Uganda is supported by Long Hollow’s Love a Lot program and is a product of the Crazy Love offering. Enjoy learning more about our giving at work!

Sunday:
Church starts at 10:30AM and usually lets out at 1:30PM.  The seats aren’t soft, but no one seems to mind.   It’s 90 minutes of praise and worship, 60 minutes of preaching (with translation), and 30 minutes of testimonies.  In the left-hand picture, Pastor JJ is on the right; Ben, who translates to English is on the left.  It’s a full house, as usual on Sunday morning!

church

Sunday Afternoon: It’s time for football!  Soccer that is! The school is in red jerseys with white striping.  For reasons of their own, barefoot is preferred to shoes here.   Ben serves as referee, too.  He is on the far right with the whistle and says all he needs now is a red card.  The game goes on until dark.  Here’s the Ugandan sandlot version of a free kick.  Notice the ‘wall’ wisely faces away from the kicker (red shirt/black shorts), who in this case was just fouled and is looking for some serious pay-backs. The girls play a slightly different game.  It seems to be a variant of dodge-ball, with a very hard ball of wound bags or banana leaves.  The girl in the middle (pink skirt/black shirt) must avoid being pegged by the two throwers (blue shirts)on either end.  And they throw hard!  Ouch!

soccer

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Week Days: Each day starts around sunrise, or whenever the rooster decides it’s time to rise and shine.  Near the equator, sun-up/down is about  the same year ‘round  ~7A/7P.   There’s no doubt when the students get up, you can hear the excited chatter and laughter all over the grounds.

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Morning Assembly & Chapel Service:
Weekday mornings at 8am, the students assemble to sing the Ugandan National Anthem and then have chapel service/bible study.

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Breakfast:
Breakfast is at about 10Am.  It is a large serving of posho (pō-shō), which is basically a very fine grain form of grits.  He’s squinting because of the sun, not the food. 🙂

breakfast

Technically, GCS is a ‘boarding school’.  But the reality is, the boarders are orphans.  They have no parents, and most often have been rescued off the street.  Every boarder has someone, somewhere that is  their legal guardian and they usually go to stay with them on holidays.  However, in some cases the guardian conditions are not very ‘wholesome’ or perhaps even dangerous.  So, a handful of the students may seldom, if ever leave the school.  Still, it is important that most go to visit their guardians on holidays so the school maintains its boarding school status. The day-students walk to school each day from nearby villages.

school

Please keep up with the Love a Lot blog as we continue to share information from Hillman’s trip. We are excited to give a glimpse into everyday life at our home in Uganda.

 

Haiti Picture Update

Enjoy a quick picture-style update from our current Haiti team!

The Chicken House!

The Chicken House!

Dou Dou and his wife at their home site.

Dou Dou and his wife at their home site.

Dou Dou's home site

Dou Dou’s home site

Games with community children.

Games with community children.

Paint the Wall

Blog Post by: Carol Goad

Paint the Wall

 

I recently heard the story of an orphanage in Mexico.  The orphanage just wanted people to come love on the kids.  Just simply love them.  Groups would come in and do exactly that but there were times, the people would ask what could they do?  They wanted to do “something of value”.  They wanted to see immediate results.  So the orphanage would ask them to paint the wall surrounding the orphanage.  Did it need painting?  Absolutely not.  It had been painted multiple times by other groups who just didn’t get it.  They wanted to see something tangible – something physical.  They wanted to go home and tell everyone how they had spent the week painting that wall around the orphanage.  The groups were thrilled with the task but those poor kids lost out.

I just got back from my first trip to Haiti and I totally understand this story.  The precious kids at the orphanage simply want our love and attention.  I had heard stories but to experience and put a physical name and face to these children totally makes a difference.  We started traveling on Friday afternoon, spending the night in Miami and getting up at 4 a.m. (YES A.M.!) to fly to Port Au Prince.  We arrived in Port Au Prince and I finally got to meet Dou Dou!  He is everything I’ve heard and more.  What a blessing he is to everyone at Long Hollow.

Sunday, we headed to church services at the orphanage.  I entered and was overwhelmed with the worship atmosphere.  They know how to worship!  One by one the kids started trickling over to our laps.  I had a little boy wrap his arms around my neck, I closed my eyes and thought “this is heaven!”  After service, the first thing they wanted to know was if we were going to come back tomorrow and give them shots.  (Not excited about that prospect).  We quickly informed them it would be VBS and got smiles all around.

Monday morning, we arrive to throngs of children surrounding us – so excited for VBS!  Our team assembled and I was blessed to be able to lead worship.  They have such beautiful voices and love to sing.  It was incredible!  Then story time.  Dou Dou was our interpreter and I noticed from time to time, all the kids would say Amen all together.  I asked him later if he told them to say Amen.  “No”, he replied, “when I say something like God is good, they know it’s important and respond with Amen.”  I was amazed.  What a lesson to learn from these kids.  Then we got to play and make friends.  It was hot (98 degrees) with 5 or more kids hanging off of you but you just don’t care.  They are all that matters in that tiny spot of the world. 

Monday afternoon we head to Pastor Dony’s church for another round of VBS with the village children.  We were told to expect about 50 but we had close to 100 children every night.  We did VBS, then again, simply played and loved on kids.

One of the highlights for me was getting to see Dou Dou’s house that is under construction.  His lovely wife was there so the bonus was getting to meet her also.  Long Hollow… he is so proud of that house.  Our money is making a wonderful investment in his family’s future.  We also got to see the chicken houses.  This meant so much to me because I host Treehouse and I watched as the kids from Long Hollow gave their money to buy these chickens.  How great it was to go back and show them pictures of what their generous offerings were doing!

The last day – oh the last day – imagine someone tearing your heart from your chest and stomping on it, then throwing it around.  One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was board the bus and drive off.  I hung out the window as they called “Will you come back?”  Without hesitation I replied “YES!  I will come back.

me our group

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Haiti Medical Trip Update

Our mission trip started with a true adventure as we boarded some very small (2-3) seater planes to make the trip to Jeremie from Port au Prince.  All of us were quite relieved to arrive safely at the guesthouse.  On Sunday we went to church and spent time at the orphanage before returning to prepare for evening clinic.  Monday and Tuesday we held community clinic in the mornings and did orphan care and vaccinations in the afternoon.  Thank goodness the kids forgive us quickly for all the “pikis” (shots) they receive.  We met and cared for several new orphans as well.  Several team members have also run a VBS in the afternoons.   Today (Wednesday) we ran community clinic all day.  In total, we have seen over 400 people in the community as well as all of the orphans.  We ended our vbs with the orphans and some of the team singing and praying for brother David as he goes into surgery.  We are excited to be running medical clinics off-site for the next 2 days in downtown Jeremie and another local community.  We have many stories of Gods love and provision to share when time and computer access allow.  But for now, know that God is showing up big time for Team Hope here in Haiti.

 

 

Don’t Miss Out!!

Don’t miss out on Missions opportunities this Summer! Reserve your spot while our trips still have room. Can you imagine what God may have in store for you??

For more information, check out LongHollowGo

The following trips have many openings:

Haiti: June 29-July 6th (Orphan Care and General Ministry/Light Construction)

Haiti: July 12-20th (Construction)

Haiti: July 19th-26th (Orphan Care and General Ministry)

Haiti: July 27-August 3 (Orphan Care and General Ministry)

North Africa: September 6-15 (Prayer Walking)

Summer Nicaragua Trips: Many Dates July through October

Canada: July 20-27 (Student Ministry)

If you are interested in any of these trips please check out the missions page and Sign Up or contact a team leader! Don’t let the Summer pass you by!

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CR- Haiti Edition

Haitian Ministry With a Slightly Different Twist: By Henry Bieber

In July of 2012, Alan Tucker, Danny Spano and I joined a team heading to Haiti. We looked forward to loving on the children and encouraging the work there at the orphanages, but God had also laid on our hearts a different vision for the people of Haiti. Building on relationships that our church already had, our desire was to begin the process of talking with pastors of churches,, about the ministry of Celebrate Recovery.

So, we left for Haiti, bearing our suitcases filled with leader’s guides and participant guides and excited about the possibilities of carrying the message of the Gospel through the vehicle of CR and the eight principles that come right out of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. God blessed our times spent with Pastor Moise Vaval and Pastor Doni St. Germaine. We had some great conversations with them and they were excited about helping their communities with hurts, habits and hang-ups. We left our materials with them, instructing them to work the program with some of their members and letting them know we would return and offer some more training when they had familiarized themselves with CR.

Fast forward: 6 months later. We returned to Haiti with a team of our CR leadership and offered 3 training sessions for 25-28 people over the course of 4 days. What an exciting time we had, sharing our experience in CR and how God was using it here at home and sharing the vision of what this tool of recovery could mean to the people of Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Source de la Grace Church! God also allowed us the opportunity to preach in 2 services about the 8 Principles from the Beatitudes, so the entire church could get a glimpse of the vision.

We left encouraged that they were catching the vision of how this could be used to introduce people to the message of the Gospel and help people recover from their hurts, habits and hang-ups. It was a humbling, encouraging experience for our team to be able to see God use them to “carry this message others” especially to the people of Haiti. Please pray that God would raise up leaders in this ministry that have a heart for hurting people and patience and compassion.