It will be our 3rd trip back, our second after the earthquake. In 24 hours 23 members of the Medical Mercy team will be leaving for Port au Prince: 12 medical, 8 pastoral/counselors, and 3 lay people, all of whom are servants to those we are going to help. Almost 1000 lbs of medical supplies, equipment, talking bibles, tarps, etc. are being brought with us. We’ve had an advanced administrative team there putting in place things for us so that we will be safe and ready to go. Some of you remember where we were a little over a month ago…in the torn down streets of Carrefour taking acre of patients and in a fallen hospital. This time we will be in a few more places:
The majority of our time will be in Fort National which is a large camp and an area hard hit by the quake. There are roughly 700 plus people living there under sheets and tarps but we expect that once the word gets out we are there many more will come.
There is another small camp – only 361 people but they’ve had no care at all since the earthquake. It’s called Dubuisson and we’ll spend one day there or so.
There is a third location called Tabairre68 where about 500 people are staying together afraid to go back to their homes. Our counseling team will go there.
Then towards the end of the part of the team leaves for Cap Haitian. The rest of the PaP team will go to either Fort National or to one of the other camps during the rest of our stay in PaP
The biggest medical needs are upper respiratory, malnutrition and accompanying complications, diarrhea, infections, diabetes. Conditions are very rough and simple things like tables and chairs will be rudimentary at best. Transportation will also be an issue as Fort National is on a hill and roads are bad that our admin team is looking into additional transportation to get everyone up the hill. It is doubtful busses will make it. Some may need to do some walking.
Whatever international aid is being sent is slow to reach these areas. People are suffering a great deal – staying under blue tarps and often with no bedding at all, only sheets. When it rains people get wet and can’t sleep. Food is very scarce.
We will going into some rugged places, and have security with us. I will be assessing the ongoing needs of the areas we are in ,and Mission of Mercy and Medical Mercy are working to insure that resources such as food, shelter, medical, counseling, spiritual, and safety continues to get to Haiti.
So, I’ll be tweeting, blogging, praying, crying, wringing my hands, and sometimes even laughing and smiling when we see the faces of those we touch, smile…smiling for perhaps the first time in weeks. I look to see the glimmer of God in their eyes as our pastors reach out and pray with them, and the pain relieved as our medical and lay teams tends to them. And I look to you for prayers, and love. Be with us…
In all things give thanks,
David
