New Water Purification System

As the cholera epidemic continues on and the death tolls now are over three hundred, the people who live on our road can rest a little easier thanks to Samaritan’s Purse. They came in and installed a water purification system. It takes the water straight from the canal, purifies it and makes it safe to drink. What a blessing it is to drive past and see people filling up their water jugs knowing that they are drinking safe water!

Healing from Malaria

Today we are grateful to see this beautiful eight year old girl smiling once again. Not too long ago, she was far from having a smile on her face. She was very weak and very sick. The precious little girl had been sick for awhile before they flagged us down on the road one day telling us she was sick. We ended up taking her to the hospital where we found out she had malaria. Every year nearly one million people die from malaria and in Haiti where most children don’t make it to their fifth birthday, having your child be diagnosed with malaria could be very scary for a parent. Thankfully she stayed at the hospital for only about a week before they released her. Praise God for her recovery!

Cholera Outbreak Continues On

Praise God for the donor that sent us the mule! I can't even begin to tell you how many jobs have been done with the use of the mule. We have rebuilt homes, hauling cement, rock, and gravel, along with tools to do the job. Many times we have taken food to people. We have used it to pick up some people that can't walk to church and take them home. And of course it can take us into many remote areas that we could not go otherwise, and it helps us so we are not having to walk as much. This morning I took it to retrieve some information for one of the sponsors but as I went out the gate I was told of an elderly lady down the road who was very weak, and had been sick with all the symptoms of the cholera. I immediately went to check on her and then to transport her back to the Lifeline doctor, and as I was returning still another report was given to me about another one that had the same symptoms. This time on the way back I was stopped and a man ask me if I could help him. I ask what can I do for you and he proceeded to tell me about a man who had died yesterday and they needed to bury him and they wanted to know if I could give them mask and gloves to wear while handling the body. I told him of course, so we took the lady that I already had on the mule to the lifeline clinic so she could be treated and I picked up the things the man asked me for and we proceeded back down the road. When I got there they took me by the hand, and walked me back through a path past a banana field and over to a tree where the man that was deceased lay. I unzipped the body bag that I had brought for them and they lifted the already stiffened man over and I zipped it back up. The other men had began to dig the grave and I ask them how deep did they plan to dig it and they told me three feet and I explained to them that they needed to dig it 6 feet for sanitary purposes and because of the water and it was close to the banana field. I left the people to take care of the burial and I was given instructions yet to another place where someone had been ill for two days, and by this time the doctor had two more at the clinic. I quickly got someone to take all of these precious people to the hospital and we picked up still another one on the road as we were on our way. The Cholera here is real, and it is deadly! They are telling me that the funeral home will not accept the cholera bodies and they want them to burn them. The Haitian people are very concerned about all the people that are dieing and with the lack of knowledge of how to take care of their health it makes it even more serious!

A Blessing in Disguise

Well today like everyday is always very busy but today, I stopped long enough to take time out to bathe two of little boys that are brothers in our village that are always together but not very well taken care of. You know sometimes it is easy when you see something for a while just to get used to it but today it was like the Lord just spoke to me and said, you need to do something. It was early and I was outside the gate trying to find out some information for one of our sponsors when I heard a little voice hollering Patricia, Patricia and when I turned and looked it was two of the grubbiest little boys in our village. So I just took them by the hand and brought them up to the porch and fed them some viennia sausages and peanut butter and crackers. When they were finished I took them by the hand and took them to the bathroom in the house. They stood and watched as I adjusted the water like they had never seen the water like that before. I took off the very soiled few clothes that they had on and handed them a bar of soap and a wash cloth and put them in the shower. They seemed like they enjoyed it but they were just letting the water fall on them so I showed them what to do with the bar of soap and they helped each other to wash.

When they were through I got a towel and wrapped around them and put on some good clean clothes that had graciously been donated by one of the team members. They looked so different when they were all cleaned up. I put Veggie Tales on my computer to watch for a little while and gave them some cold apple juice and after following me around most of the day I sent them on their way.
Only God knows what these little boys have experienced throughout their young lives. Praise God that He gives us eyes to see and a heart to listen to that still small voice when He speaks to us, because although I helped them, it was such a blessing to me to see the difference a few minutes can make for a little child. Thank You Lord!!!

More Children in School = More Sponsorship Opportunities

Another new school year has come and this year has come with more children attending Lifeline's schools. We are grateful that more children are able to come and the new ones will be added to our sponsorship list for you to support if you'd like. For only $20 a month (less then $1 a day) you can help provide these dear children with a solid education, food, and medical attention when needed. $20 a month is nothing for us when we all have spent $5 on only one large latte. There are many more kids that could come if they had a sponsor. Countless parents come to Lifeline asking for help because they don't have enough money to send their children to school. You have the opportunity to help these children receive help in a country where receiving a good education can ultimately be the decision between eventually being able to provide for your family or not. It's very hard to live on the wages one earns from working in the garden or selling goods at the market. Those who do well for themselves in Haiti have a good education. Please prayerfully consider sponsoring one of these dear children and providing them with hope of a better future. If you’d like more information on sponsorship, please email Donna Webb at lifelinedw@bellsouth.net.

A New Chance at Education

Education is very important here in Haiti, just as it is the United States. If you want to have any type of a good job, you need a good education. Unfortunately, many here in Haiti either never attend school or stop early for various reasons, mainly not having enough money. Due to the lack of education Haiti's literacy rate is only at 53%. Here at Lifeline we always support people going back to school to get their education, even if it means being 19 years old and in the third grade. We have two young men from our village who help us out here at Lifeline. They're here early every morning to help us out with whatever we need from taking out the trash to unloading containers. They don't get paid, they just enjoy being here and we love them very much. They're great kids but for a few different reasons haven't been in school in quite some time, until today. They are now back in school once again. Markson age 16 and Daniel age 19
came to Lifeline this morning looking as proud as they could be for their first day of school. They will both be in the third grade, something hard to imagine in the United States. We know they're grateful for a new chance at education and they're going to make the best of it. We're so blessed with a great school and wonderful staff to help educate Haiti's children and adults alike.

Another Death

STILL ANOTHER ONE DIES!!! PLEASE PRAY FOR HAITI!!! Tonight about thirty minutes ago, we got a knock at the gate from one of the leaders in the village and a young man that we utilize quite often to translate. They came to tell us of still another death in our village. This man came from the mountain and as far as anyone knows has no family. Earlier today two women came asking for something for an upset stomach and we gave them two peptobismal tablets, something very mild, and told them to bring him to the doctor on Monday. But once again we got the news that this man died!!! We are not sure if this was a related case of the cholera outbreak we only know that he had an upset stomach. The leader came asking for a large cardboard box and a tarp to bury this precious man in because no one has money. I AM ASKING FOR YOUR PRAYERS TONIGHT THAT GOD WILL HEAL THE LAND AND HOLD HIS PROTECTION HAND UPON ALL OF US!!! What more can we do??? IN GOD WE TRUST!!! We are asking you to pray and do what you can to help us in this endeavor in Haiti. Our fields are ready and we need workers to help in everyway! May God Richly Bless Each of You for everything that you do.

Nutritional Help

A young sixteen year old girl that Lifeline has been nurturing for the last two years and seemingly had more medical problems then was originally anticipated after running many tests we've realized she needs more medical assistance then we were able to provide at this time. After becoming ill once again her father took her to a clinic in Cazal, just outside of Carbbaret where they have a high nutritional program and are able to keep the patients full time on the premises. They have 70 children that they are taking care of in this program. Each day the children are provided with three meals specifically designed for children who suffer with malnutrition as well as two snacks. After visiting with her today knowing this is what she needed it is still taking time to rejuvenate her body to accepting the nutritional meals that she is receiving. She was in good spirits although she has not yet gained a whole lot of weight. She has been there for one month already and is expected to stay another three months in this program to regain her strength. We are so grateful for programs like this that help Haiti's children. Praise God that she was not another fatality and is able to receive this much needed help.

Cholera Epidemic

The death toll continues to rise as the cholera epidemic spreads rapidly through Haiti. This is the first outbreak in Haiti in more then a century. The hospitals continue to fill up with patients.
The outbreak has gotten closer to our village. In Barbancourt, the next village over, at least four people have died and many are sick. Today tons of people came to Lifeline to get water from our well, knowing they should no longer drink water out of the canals that run through the village. A big truck load full of buckets even came to dristribute clean water to the community.
Tomorrow we're going to have an informative meeting for those in our area to teach them precautionary measures to take to avoid the spread of the disease. Please pray for the people of Haiti, that this epidemic ends and no more people die.

Photo of Hospital courtesy of Getty Images

Cholera Outbreak

Just when we thought Haiti was getting a short break from tragedy, a cholera epidemic breaks out. Today when Donald took a man to the hospital for surgery he was shocked and appalled to see patients filling the parking lot lying on the ground. Don said the bodies were lined up right next to each other. He said he had never seen so many people there and estimated there to be over 1,000. We found out later it was because of a cholera epidemic and that hospital was one of many full of patients dying of the disease. According to MSNBC the "unofficial count based on information from doctors" is 135 dead and the number of those infected is 1,500. Thankfully the disease hasn't reached the quake-refuge camps in Port-au-Prince but aid agencies are carefully monitoring it because of the unsanitary conditions in the camps. Cholera spreads through contaminated water and also through food that has been in contact with the unclean water. The infected patients mainly complained of diarrhea, vomiting, and fever which leads to dehydration. The disease if untreated can be fatal in a small amount of time. Haiti needs our prayers! Pray for the families affected by this outbreak and pray that they're able to contain it and that it doesn't spread further.


*Photo from Associated Press

Rice and Beans

We are so grateful to have donations of rice and beans to feed our kids. Rice and beans are the main food items consumed here in Haiti and they're a good source of nourishment for our kids.
The kids at our feeding centers always enjoy eating the food and they either clean their plates or take home to share with their families.

It's fun to watch the physical change that happens in the children as they go through our feeding program. Without the donors supplying this critical food we wouldn't be able to help these children. Thank you to all who help make a difference in their lives!

Another Catastrophe Hits Port-au-Prince

Last night another rain storm hit Port-au-Prince leaving ten dead and three missing. Due to the heavy rains, flash flooding occurred in Leogone (an area in Southern Port-au-Prince) where the waters crashed violently through the homes and quake-refuge camps, causing an additional 4,000 to lose their homes and tents. Several more people are also reported missing. An 11-month old and a 2-year old were found drowned among the dead bodies. Tonight another lightning and thunder storm is occurring as we write this blog. It seems that Haiti is being bombarded with terrible tragedy after terrible tragedy leaving many dead and many more wounded physically and emotionally. Please continue to pray for these precious people as they daily have to find the strength to endure the pain and suffering.

Kids Against Hunger

Every six seconds a child dies from hunger related diseases across the world. In Haiti one in ten children under the age of five will die before their fifth birthday and half of those deaths are a result of malnutrition. Thankfully, we at Lifeline have a partnership with Kids Against Hunger and they provide us with nutritious meals for the children we feed. The KAH food contains high-quality white rice, vitamin-fortified crushed soy, dehydrated blend of six vegetables, chicken-flavored vegetarian vitamin and mineral powder containing 21 essential vitamins and minerals. Tonight we were able to take this month's supply of the KAH food to an orphanage we feed. It's a blessing to know that these precious children won't turn into one of those statistics due to malnutrition!

Water in Barbancourt

For quite some time our well in Barbancourt has not been functioning and it was necessary for us to re-drill. Blue Ridge Ministries (a ministry here in Haiti dedicated to drilling wells) that had originally dug the first well opted to come back and re-drill a new well to try to find water that the people of Barbancourt need so desperately. Today after only drilling 300 feet, water was found and now we're able to retrieve water at eight gallons a minute and our hope is that the well will open up more and we will have an unlimited amount of clean water. To some people that might not seem like a big deal, but to have clean water is life to the people of Haiti. This water will not only give our school facilities clean water but it will be for the entire village in Barbancourt. It's something the people have long awaited. Praise the Lord for clean water!

Diapers!

Many newborns go through about ten diapers a day or seventy a week. There are many people who use cloth diapers and have to wash those out every time they’re used. Now imagine not having pampers or cloth diapers. Imagine having only tiny pieces of fabric to use for your children. Imagine how much laundry you’d have to do. Now imagine not having a washing machine and having to do it all by hand in the canal because you don’t have running water! That’s what life is like for the Haitian mothers here. Most women can’t afford diapers and most don’t even have the cloth ones to wash out so they are constantly doing laundry as their children soil their clothes a few times a day. That’s why some mothers sometimes let their little children run around naked because they say it’s easier to give the child a bath then clean their clothes all day long. Now you can understand why we had tons of women lined up outside our gate when word got out that we now have diapers for the village. One of the last containers we received had a few boxes of diapers and we were so excited to hand them out! We are so grateful that a kind donor thought to send us these for the moms here. It means so much to them. Praise God for diapers!

Blessing of Buckets!

Today 105 people in our village were blessed with amazing buckets from a group of Southern Baptists from Florida that have a mission in Haiti. The people were so happy to receive them as they were full of things everyone can use on a daily basis. The buckets were filled with rice, beans, oil, spaghetti, sugar, and flour. It’s such a blessing to team together with other mission groups in Haiti for the good of the Haitian people.

Back to School Backpack Giveaway

Have you ever imagined starting school without a backpack or school supplies? For many Haitian school children that’s the case. They don’t have the basic essentials they need. A few weeks ago we were able to supply our school children at Lifeline with their books that they needed but they also need pencils and paper and all the other things you need for school. Thankfully we had a generous donor who gave Lifeline backpacks full of school supplies and toiletries for our children. Today we handed out over 50 book bags to our students. They were so grateful! Many of them may have gone through school never having a bag of their own to carry their books and supplies. Praise God for the people who helped make this school year special for these kids!

Sunday blog II

I read this message on a shirt of one of our team members, and I felt it bear repeating! "WHEN THE MEDIA GOES THE SUFFERING DOES NOT STOP" This Sunday morning, as I was getting ready for church services here at Lifeline, I heard a man at the gate with his wife. I proceeded to find out what they needed and the pain began...It was the father and mother of the 8 year old girl that we had transported to the Saint Mark Hospital which is two hours away two days ago. They were here to tell that their young beautiful daughter had died. They had the x-rays from the hospital to show me, and reported that she died of tuberculosis. She also was very malnourished. Their request was could we take them back to the hospital to pick up her body so they could take her to the mountain where they live to bury her. Now that isn't all. You see we needed to go pick up this precious little girl that had died and then they have to walk about two hours with her body to the place where they will be burying her. Can you imagine after such a traumatic, painful experience and then to have the responsibility to carry the body for two hours up struggling mountains before you are able to bury her?!!! Somehow, God provides them with the strength and endurance at a time like this to do what they have to do. Please pray for this family and many of the others that suffer so severely with the loss of their family members and the many other things they have to endure.

Sunday Morning Blog

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!! When you think He has done it all, something else happens. Most people would get very upset if you were awaken on Sunday morning with the rattling of the gate at 4:00 a.m. but today it was a blessing! Before we even could open our eyes a big truck came in the gate loaded with a green kawasaki mule!!! Now for some of you would say well that's not so much but here at Lifeline it is AWESOMELY BIG!!!!! Since the earthquake we have had a red mule in which we have hauled sand, rock, and cement to build houses and food to people in the most remote areas which we would have never been able to have helped because of this special donated machine. We go and transport crippled people to church, and pick up people that are so sick that they can't walk and transport them to the clinic here at Lifeline. Without this mule we would have many times been helpless. The rough terrain many times is unpassable here with a regular vehicle. The Lord must have knew how vital it has been and now we have a second one. There is not words to say how very grateful we are to the special person that donated these vehicles for Lifelines use to help the people here in Haiti. May God's blessings be upon on you!!!

Some of God's Servants Receive Help!

Each month we have a Minister's Seminar in which many Pastors come from all over to share and learn about the things of God. I am always so blessed to see the many people that are hungry for the word of God. Here in Haiti Pastors don't only pastor the church but most of them are the administrator over the schools as well as provide an orphanage upon helping everyone around the area. They always have more responsibilities to father their village. Today they asked if I would come to their meeting and speak to them. The Holy Spirit just seemed to speak to me and say today why don't you bless the Lord's Servants. We were fortunate to have had a special blessing of Kids Against Hunger Food so we decided to pass this blessing along to these very special men of God. The pictures show the joy of their blessing! Praise God for His goodness to all of us!! Amen

Last Days

Today was the last day of clinics for this wonderful team. We were so grateful to have them here. What a blessing to have them impact so many lives while here. Yesterday we drove three hours to Gonaives to have clinic at an orphanage. They saw precious orphans and also families from the community who needed medical attention.
On the way back we stopped at another orphanage to hand out clothes and vitamins for the children. Today the day started off with a 4:30am hike up the mountain to Petit Bwa for some of the team to see one of the schools we feed.
After that things were well under way for another clinic here in La Digue. There were very many people who showed up including two orphanages.
It’s been a great week with an awesome team and we’re so appreciative for all their help! Praise God for willing hearts to come and serve in Haiti. If you’re interested in coming to Haiti on a short-term-mission trip, please email us at missionlifeline@bellsouth.net!

Day 4

Today we set up here at the Lifeline clinic in La Digue. 215 patients were seen. Three of the patients seen over the weekend came for follow treatment and they were doing well and much improved. It was wonderful to see them looking so well today. One young girl had to be rushed to the hospital. She had pneumonia and malnutrition and was having respiratory difficulty. She was taken to St. Marc where she was admitted.

The other day we were introduced to a precious child from a nearby orphanage. Never in our lives have we seen such a profound sadness on a child’s face. Who knows what this four year old child has seen in her life.
Her parents weren’t able to care for her and her sister and dropped them off at this orphanage about six months ago. She spent the day with us today to receive medical help and love. After a day of lots of love and attention and the ability to eat when she wanted to eat really changed what we saw in her. She went from not talking, not smiling, and the saddest eyes to laughing, playing, interacting, and doing all the things you would expect a four year old to do. At the end of the day the only that reminded us of what her experience had been was her small size. It was so great to see what the power of love can do. It was a reminder to us all to always love and never give up hope. There is a smile that can be on that face again! Just as a day of love changed her sadness into joy, God’s love when lavished upon us has powerful effects. May we all rest in His love.

Day 3

Today are team of 22 visited the tent village of Obamaville. We had eight doctors and 14 assistants including nurses, an engineer, nursing students, and medical office staff.

A total of 343 patients were seen and given medicine for their ailments. Many of the children were without parents due to the earthquake. The bigger children brought the smaller children into the tent to be seen.

Many of the women were pregnant which is a sign of growth in the tent village. Most of the men in the village have no job, no way to provide for their families. On the upside, some of the team of doctors and nurses had been to this village in April of this year and were happy to see improvements in the conditions of the village and in the conditions of the people. When we toured the village after the clinic we saw that some people are still living in hovels but others have built porches on their tents and planted gardens to provide food for their families.

Despite their rough circumstances, the faces of the children were filled with joy.

Games of soccer broke out. We saw how they used discarded materials to make basic toys such as a pinwheel made from a water jug, a kite made from a plastic bag and sticks, and a truck made from a plastic motor oil bottle with lids for wheels.

All in all the day felt as if we had gained more then we had given. These people have so little and are doing well. We have so much and ask for more. Each of us came away with a better insight of the blessings God provides.

Day 2

Today started off with one of the doctors meeting a woman found on a church step with a 20 day old beautiful baby boy. When asked what the child’s name was, she said that she had forgotten the baby’s name that her grandmother had given to her. So one of our doctors gave the kid his name and the day started off with a bang.
Then this afternoon was really stressful. We went to an orphanage in one of the tent cities. There were 155 children and 30 adults waiting to be seen.

One of the doctors saw a boy who was eight years old but was the size of a 4 year old. The worse part was that he looked like he was very sad. After his shirt was off it was clear that he was starving. He was given some cheese and he ravished it! The director of the orphanage is a pastor whose church, in Port au Prince, was destroyed in the earthquake. They had moved the church and the children to this new location in which 22 children and 6 adults were living in two rooms. They eat one meal a day and appear to be doing the best that they can but the children here seemed extremely hungry. The Director of Lifeline promised to help them with some food.

It is always a humbling experience when you come to realize that in this profession, at this place and at this moment you are really saving lives and helping God's children. What a wonderful opportunity to allow your light to shine! What a beautiful way to show God’s work and allow HIM to use you to do good work on this planet. My grandmother often told me that when you look into the eyes of children you are looking into the eyes of God. Today, at this clinic and the orphanage we visited, it was more then overwhelming. To see starving children in 2010 made me feel embarrassed. How could this happen and the world just look away? Well today, I felt that with all my medical training and life experience, I was changing lives; not a million, not a thousand, just one child at a time.
I am hopeful, today, that one child today will survive, because I changed his or her destiny. I am prayerful, today, that I stopped the devil from doing his job, and raping this country of God’s blessings. I am powerful, today, because I allowed God to use me to do good work on his planet. I am thankful, today, that I opened my life to this experience and to the people at this mission. I am blessed, today, because I allowed my life to be a blessing.
-Kevin

Day 1

Today was our first full day at Children’s International Lifeline. When missionary teams come to do God’s work a plan is set up for each day for what we are to accomplish while we are here. Today, like any other day, God had a few plans of his own that were not on our agenda.

Some of us woke up to a rooster that was not aware of the time. He apparently thought the “crack of dawn” was 3:30am. Once we moved on from our plan to terrorize him while he was asleep we got on with our work and headed to a makeshift clinic in Arcahaie. We had physicians, nurses, a pharmacy staff, and runners all coming together as the “Body of Christ” to help His people. Most of the people were in with minor issues and able to be treated quickly and efficiently. We saw close to 200 people.

Two patients however were on a list that was not our own. A man came in with a fever of 105˚, lethargic, and dehydrated. Joyce quickly started an IV as Pam got vital signs and the team worked together to stabilize him.

After being there for three hours we started to pack things up and again God made an executive decision. He had another person in mind for us to see. She could barely walk and her husband practically carried her in. Joyce got an IV in and the team worked around her to stabilize her. Dr. John assessed her and decided with her abdominal pain she needed to be seen in the hospital. Joyce and Chris rode to St. Marc’s Hospital.

Then we went to the open market. People were selling everything, everywhere. You saw things like raw meat with flies on it, people selling food (rice and beans), and people selling clothes. It was crowded and chaotic. It was amazing to see where and how they shop. It was a busy day and as I rode in the back of the truck and the air dried my soaked clothes for about the third time today, I was looking forward to relaxing and having a shower.

All of a sudden the truck came to a sudden stop and we circled around to where there was a crowd of people. A man who had been walking was hit by a car and the person who hit him had driven off. His knee was cut open, his head was bleeding, he had an open fracture of his arm and he was unconscious. We worked together to log roll him onto a board in case he had a neck injury. Then quickly off to the hospital we went. The hospital was a clinic. They bandaged his wounds and started an IV. With no way to treat his head injury the doctors determined he would not make it.

As I stood there looking at him questions were flying through my head, “Does he know Jesus? When can his family come? Why can’t he be in America so he could stand a chance to live?” And I realized our mission field is never what we can expect or anticipate it to be. Our mission field is different every day and it is always according to His Will. May our hearts always be in alignment with his so when it’s our time to see him we will hear the words, “Well done my good and faithful servants.”

-Michelle

New Medical Team

Time for clinics! Today a team of doctors and nurses came ready to get to work! They will be doing clinics and helping provide medical attention for the people here. We are so happy to have them here. They came loaded down with all kinds of donations. What a blessing it is to see so many items such as shoes, clothes, medicine, baby formula and toys, knowing it's all going to go to children who so greatly deserve it. We're looking forward to helping many people this next week!