So we are nearing the end of our Haiti trip…and what an experience, accomplishment, and blast it has been. Since we left Petit Goave and came back to Port au Prince, we have seen and done so much more. Upon our arrival back to Port au Prince, we found out that a visiting Christian mission team from Savannah, Georgia was also staying in the Department of Environmental Health, where we are staying. There are about 10 women in the visiting mission team, each of them with a specific job to do at the mobile clinics we have been setting up. Some work the pharmacy, some work the “in-take” (where people are greeted), and some work in the Prayer/Group Therapy area. Every area They are all great people to work with, each of them with their own sense of humor. We met them on Friday of last week, which was the same date as my last post. That night we sorted through endless amounts of medications, some brought, some found in the nearby warehouse, and some brought by the Georgia mission. The next day, we held a clinic for all the Pastors that had attended a conference run by the leading Pastor of the mission team, Pastor Freddie. Pastor Freddie is the man, he is a great guy, willing to do anything for anyone, and is always upbeat and ready to help you. All the while, he was running a conference for over 1000 pastors of churches in Haiti. We saw about 280 pastors in about 4 hours, each one of them with a different complaint, but most of them in need of the vitamins and the medications we had sorted the night before. The team did a great job moving people through, it was run in an almost a gymnasium style building, with a stage in the front (serving as the intake area), a medical evaluation center right off to the side, then the pharmacy across the hall. The mission ladies also set up a prayer station in the middle of the gym for those people and pastors who just wanted someone to talk to.
The next day was Sunday, and so we joined the ladies of the mission and Pastor Freddie at the local church (rows of wooden benches with chairs on the sides) for their service. Little did we know, the service would be 3 hours long, including things such as 15 minute songs, long speeches in Creole, and finally a talk by Pastor Freddie himself. The people there all come to service every Sunday, so Pastor Freddie was introduced as a guest speaker. He is originally from Savannah, Georgia, and he talked about American churches at home, and what he has to do to get the people to come to church. If the A/C breaks, the people go to another church. If there aren’t donuts after service, no one comes. If someone’s car breaks down, they will not be able to go to church. After he said each of these things, I watched the Haitian people. Instead of shaking their heads in disgust at the luxuries that we have to have, they were laughing. They laughed at us. They think it is absolutely hilarious. Even though we have legs, we never walk anywhere. Even when the weather is a little hot, the A/C has to be on. It was amazing to see their reactions. Early Monday morning we had to say goodbye to Michelle…she was a great worker, she kept the kids busy with games when we needed to do clinic work meanwhile she was also organizing our clinic and keeping us in line. We really missed her in the pharmacy this week, she did a great job on Saturday.
Yesterday the group, along with the visiting mission team from Savannah, Georgia, went out to Cite Soliel. Cite Soliel is a section of Port au Prince originally designed to house day workers for the local factories. As John told us earlier in the trip, the section has been named “the least desirable place to be in the world” due to its appearance (mainly shacks with metal roofs) and the appearance and rise of gang politics in the last few years. Due to its nature, we found out that much of it was neglected when the original aid came through after the earthquake. We got on a bus (a big yellow one, like the ones that take kids to school) and drove into Cite Soliel. It really was neglected. A lot of the buildings are still in pieces, no one really cleaned anything up, and people are everywhere. We were driven to a school, and set up the clinic under big tents in what seemed to be the schoolyard. After we set up the clinic in the 4 sections (the intake, the evaluations, the pharmacy, and the prayer corner), we saw the entire school in a little more than 4 hours. It was a big change of pace (a whole day of pediatrics) but it was a lot of fun to play with all the kids. Sandy had all the kids coloring with crayons in the intake area, and then Kelsi worked to funnel them over to the evaluation area. After the kids were seen, Lindsay would shuffle them to the pharmacy and make sure they got the right drugs and vitamins they needed. We would never have been able to do everything without their help, I am so thankful they were there. After the clinic, we all came back and ate dinner, then packed up for the next day.
Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to Kelsi, Lindsay, and Sandy early this morning. We could have really used them today, but they all had to be home. I know they were excited to go home, but Randy, Bruce, Shelly, and I agree, we definitely miss having them and Michelle here. They were so much fun to be around, and balanced out the ratio for Shelly haha. We made it today without them, but their presence was definitely missed. Today we set up another clinic in northern Port au Prince. This clinic was in, what I think, was the worst area yet. Buildings were leaning over, some without foundations. Pieces of windows and floors were hanging by a few wires. They had cleanup crews, but all they were doing were trying to clear the road (which the bus couldn’t get down because there was so much rubble, so we just walked.) Today we saw people in a small area, but we still saw over 300 people. Some of them were the ones working on the road, others were just people who lived nearby. While we were working, one of the ladies from the mission team fell ill due to heat exhaustion, so I took her back to where we were staying. After I got her back, my ride back to the clinic was a Ford Ranger, and Pastor Freddie’s wife was already in the front, so I got to ride in the back. And by back, I mean I sat on the tailgate of the truck while it drove through Port au Prince. There are two main modes of transportation in Haiti. There is the “motortaxi” which is a motorcycle that allows you to sit behind the driver. This is hard when you have a lot of luggage. So, the other way to go is the classic pickup truck, except no one ever sits in the seats in the front, it’s all about that back bed. So today the back bed was filled with water, so I was literally hanging on to the back tailgate by my legs and that’s it. On the way back to the clinic, we were going up a steep hill, and suddenly, the radiator started smoking. So we pulled over. In the middle of Port au Prince. To fix the radiator. I was not in the car, I was in the middle of Port au Prince, trying to fix a radiator. And I did not feel unsafe for one second.
I decided there are two types of first interactions with people in Haiti. There are those that ask you for money, and there are those that shake your hand and thank you for being there. But so far, this whole trip, not one person has shown any kind of violent tendency or any kind of anger or hate towards us. Contrary to what most people think of Haiti, the people here want you to be here. They know you are there to help. I think they know you aren’t in Haiti to vacation, you are there to help them in some way. So most people smile, give you a thumbs up, or wave. Or all three.
In both Petit Goave and Port au Prince, a big part of our lives has been the roof. The roof wherever we are staying has played out to be where we spend most of our nights. We all go up to the roof and sit and talk about life, about philosophy, about our day, or about our favorite color. In both places, you could see the whole city all lit up, or most of the time lit up when the electricity was working. It gave us a place to unwind from the day and get to know each other a little better. I am so thankful for each of the people who came with us on this trip. Each one of us adds something to the group, and it is really cool to see at the clinics how we all mesh together. Our team is strong, strong enough to be in Haiti, setting up clinics, making kids smile, and working together to make a better life for the people around us. I am so proud to be a part of it, I will never forget this experience or the people who made it happen. I can’t write anymore, if you read that whole thing thanks for caring so much. I’ll be home Thursday night, and Shelly, Bruce, and Randy will be back on Monday.
All the best for now, Chris
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