Wow! It really has been 12 days since my last post. Hope you got a good rest! Ha!
It's a challenge to my "emotional well-being" to be without a computer here. Some days it feels quite healthy; others, it should be hospitalized! Tonight, it's the latter. So, I'll try to be brief, since I have only half hour on it now. That just might be good for those that think my blogs are too detailed. That's OK. I sometimes feel that too. It's ok to skim over them.
My parents have come and gone. It was great to have family here, let them see what I do. It was a busy week though and I wasn't able to take as much time off as I had hoped. The first sunday I took them for a drive to St Marc and a little beyond. We spent one day in Port. We only got to go swimming once!
One of the reasons it was so busy is we spent two days opening a Medika Mamba program in Arcahaia.
Bobi and me taking a "break"
That's about an hour south of us. 
Thursday Sister Gladys, Bobi, my mom and I went to "scout" the area. We found 13 children that were malnourished. So Friday Bobi and I went back and entered them all into the program. We didn't have a vehicle to go with so the "10:30" time that we told everyone got extended to about 1:00, keeping all the parents and kids waiting. It allowed me to almost finish my morning clinic, but wasn't very nice for the kids. On that note, I have a request for you. Please join us in praying for a vehicle for the Medika Mamba program. Vehicles are quite expensive, especially since it has to be a strong one - 4 wheel drive, able to do mountains, diesel, 'lockable'. We'd rather not have a new one (it hurts too much when {not if} it gets it's first dents but it has to have a good motor. Sister Gladys says a Land Rover is perfect and lasts forever almost. Maybe, but the price is scary! The need is everywhere; we have the Mamba, but don't have a way to take it to the little kids. We could "extend our borders" a lot if we had consistent transportation. So we're putting the word out there and if there's any way you can help in that, we would appreciate it. If you've always wanted to learn to do fundraising, or need a cause to do it for, here's an opportunity! It is so awesome to see the health of the children when they're ending the program. I'm learning to appreciate chubby babies!! Today I had a really chubby one at the clinic, and he just looked SO GOOD!
Thursday Sister Gladys, Bobi, my mom and I went to "scout" the area. We found 13 children that were malnourished. So Friday Bobi and I went back and entered them all into the program. We didn't have a vehicle to go with so the "10:30" time that we told everyone got extended to about 1:00, keeping all the parents and kids waiting. It allowed me to almost finish my morning clinic, but wasn't very nice for the kids. On that note, I have a request for you. Please join us in praying for a vehicle for the Medika Mamba program. Vehicles are quite expensive, especially since it has to be a strong one - 4 wheel drive, able to do mountains, diesel, 'lockable'. We'd rather not have a new one (it hurts too much when {not if} it gets it's first dents but it has to have a good motor. Sister Gladys says a Land Rover is perfect and lasts forever almost. Maybe, but the price is scary! The need is everywhere; we have the Mamba, but don't have a way to take it to the little kids. We could "extend our borders" a lot if we had consistent transportation. So we're putting the word out there and if there's any way you can help in that, we would appreciate it. If you've always wanted to learn to do fundraising, or need a cause to do it for, here's an opportunity! It is so awesome to see the health of the children when they're ending the program. I'm learning to appreciate chubby babies!! Today I had a really chubby one at the clinic, and he just looked SO GOOD! Things are feeling very quiet here right now. Yesterday we said goodbye to Lydia, Kristie, and Bethany. They were here for 2 months. Steve and my parents left the same time. And today Bobi's two friends visiting left as well. That leaves Bobi, Bonnie and me for foreigners. Sister Gladys and Pastor Henri also left today for a week in the States.
One answer to prayer is we've hired a new nurse. She's Haitian, her name is MarieElise. Please pray for her as she learns the ropes, and me as I teach her. It will still take a lot of training, but she's already helping and I think will work out real well. After my difficult experience in the beginning, I'm happy to expect something different. She's staying here at Canaan, and therefore will be able to help in the Medika Mamba as well, which we really want her to be able to help us with. She knows very little English, so it's a challenge to my Kreyol, but good for it. Teaching everything through a translator is not the easiest thing. Thankfully she's quick to catch on and can go from there.
Despite the new nurse, we are in need of some trained ones, either short term or longer term. If there's any nurses, doctors, etc that want to come help at the clinic, please contact me. I would like to take some time off:
1) to teach the nurses that I have (it's becoming so busy I don't have time to do teachings)
2) to do some traveling in other towns (to see about starting the Medika Mamba program),
3) in the summer I want to take a month or two off to go to North America. I'm looking for someone to come work while I'm gone.
OK, time's up, gotta go.
Elsie
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