We Have A Blog!

Wow, there's nothing like an impromptu mission trip to a devastated foreign country to get your fire lit to communicate with everyone you love! We have been sending update emails with pictures attached but it will be much easier for us (and for you) to use this we think. Even though we are in the midst of the worst poverty we've ever seen, we can most of the time find internet and post pictures.

Michael has now been in Haiti for almost three weeks, and I have been here for 5 days. To risk sounding cliche, words cannot even begin to describe what it is like here. (That's why we have 750 pictures taken so far...) I won't write on and on trying to describe what's happening, but I will say this: GOD IS GOOD! We saw His hand today many times. He provided two truck loads of goods for the orphanage and the hospital - cases of baby formula, diapers, sheets, towels, food, milk, a nebulizer (!), a centrifuge (!!), and much more. We had no idea it was coming - we went to Quiaqueya school, where Humedica is headquartered, to get some IV needles and met a lawyer from Dominican Republic who wants to help orphanages with legal issues like adoptions and such. She had just come in with a box truck full of stuff that was supposed to have been dropped elsewhere, but the driver decided he didn't want to take it. So, she gave it to us. She also came back with us to meet the kids and talk to us more about what we need to navigate the collapsed (literally) legal system here.

We also went and saw the Navy Construction Batallion that is here, and they are coming here to our orphanage to fix our generator and rebuild our wall! They will also see what other building projects around the comound they can help with, maybe some roof repair on our church/hospital...? They are also very excited to play with the kids. :)

We then drove downtown and saw the palace that was the President's home. It is completely caved in. Today marks one month and the president declared today, tomorrow, and Sunday as days of fasting and prayer (to whom we're not sure...). So, they were holding demonstrations and prayers all day all over the city, especially at the palace. I also saw a vodou (voodoo) priest performing rituals in the street.

Michael is now teaching English to some of the hospital kids. It's their favorite time of the day. It might be because when I left there to do this post he was teaching them "Hello, my name is _____ and my dog is dumb. And my cat stinks."

We had to medevac out a patient today. He was Japanese, the pilots were German, and they were taking him from Haiti to the Dominican Republic. We are so multicultural!

Michael performing minor surgery on a man who had two lypoma cysts in his head. My first time watching surgery, and it's in a cement room in a church/hospital in Haiti! I am so impressed by my husband.

We were blessed with a nebulizer today! That is like medical gold, especially in this situation. This sweet little girl has had breathing issues her entire life (she's 2) and got her first treatment today. She was already clearing up about 30 min later.

While at Quisqueya School yesterday, we got to see (and meet, for me) Mr. and Mrs. Bittner. Dave Bittner was Michael's science teacher, basketball coach, and youth pastor while he attended school here as a teenager. It was a great reunion.

Downtown Port au Prince - this is cleaned up believe it or not.

The Presidential Palace. There are thousands and thousands of people living in makeshift tents right behind where I am taking this picture.

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All for now, I have a couple of videos to post - we'll see if the internet can handle it. That'll be later though; we are going to go for a drive through the countryside so Michael can show me the "other part" of Haiti. :o

Love,

Michael and Fawn