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!