helicopter

Do you sometimes wonder how God gets his will done? I’m surprised sometimes how he uses circumstances to help out. It humbles me to see how he twists things, even sometimes against our will, to get us to do something. I had an example today that I’ll share.
Yesterday a friend of Canaan’s came because he had been translating in St Marc hospital and met someone he knew there (Richether). The limited story he gave didn’t make sense, but it was something like, they want us to take him to a different hospital, because here they won’t give him what he needs for his foot to get better and he wants to go elsewhere, to a bigger hospital (It already is the biggest hospital outside of Port). Now when someone tells me to go persuade other doctors to something, I tend to balk. And as a medical person, I know you don’t just switch doctors and hospitals like that, and especially in a time like now when all the hospitals are full and all the staff overworked. And if American doctors can’t help them, what can I do? Why come to me? So to me it seemed a wasted trip (30-40 minutes on bad roads), and on Sunday – the day I was hoping to be able to rest for a day.
But I went (thanks again, donors, for the new truck!). I walked into Richether’s room, and immediately Deb, the nurse I had taken there and now was head nurse) said “Oh Elsie, thank God you’re here! Help me get in an IV. The patient was losing it fast, unconscious; they were putting in an IV into his neck, as well as in his arm. After a bit we got it in, and the patient actually perked up a little after awhile. His name is Fritz (honestly, maybe that’s not so strange for you guys but it was the name of the tail-less monkey we used to have growing up), 38, and his whole left leg was bad. It was either taking it and part of his hip off in surgery, or shipping him to the Red Cross hospital boat, that is huge and fully equipped for ICU cases. We weren’t sure he’d even make it through surgery. Shipping him out was first choice but they couldn’t find a helicopter, nor even an ambulance. I told them I’d make a few calls. I tried a guy that had told me they had a helicopter for such situations, but he was out of the country. My missionary friends down the road have an ambulance but they said it wouldn’t be available for another 4 hours, and by then the patient probably wouldn’t live. One more option left to me: We have 2 guys here for a week. One is a Jewish soldier living in Florida, but with a Canadian passport, and a ‘let’s-get-it-done’ type of person – still quite military like in a lot of ways (interesting). He came to see what need there is, but kind of with the idea of setting up a convalescence field hospital. We’ve seen major need for patience that leave the hospitals and don’t take care of their wounds, and they get infected. It’s getting worse and worse. So the idea would be a place they could come and have some nurses to do all the wound care. (Please pray about it! We have to get supplies (like tents and mats, etc) first and that’s the hurdle, but it’s needed SO badly.) Anyway, he and some others went to Port again today to see if there’s that kind of patients on the streets that they could help – they did this yesterday too and found lots. Since we didn’t know what I would find in St Marc, they kind of went with the mentality of looking for help. So I called him and said “Davey, can you get me a helicopter?” They went to the Canadian Military and voila! A couple hours later and the patient was airborne. (I posted some pics on facebook – sorry, I just can’t post them here). (I found maybe I’m more patriotic than I think. I LOVE the fact that I’m able to work with the Canadians, since I’m Canadian – not that it makes a difference to the patients, thankfully-purely personal – no offense ☺ )
So when somebody asks you to do something, don’t be too quick to say no.
Now let me tell you a little about Richether, so you can pray for him. He’s 19, in college, and was planning on entering medical school next year. His dad died before and he’s the breadwinner for his mom and 2 sisters. His toes on left foot are necrotic (dead) and he’s got infection in his leg. The doctors want to amputate to save his life but he refused – says he can’t work and make a living for his mom and sisters. Also, he has had 4 people die in the bed next to him and he thinks he’s in that room because he will die too (the hospital is so full they use any bed). So I had him moved to a different area. On the way home, I persuaded his friend that took me to persuade him to allow them to amputate if that’s what was needed because if he died, it wouldn’t help either. God is good. I had to stop at the Pierre Payen hospital on the way home and there was a professional man, with a wooden leg. I asked him to go talk to the friend and show him there’s life after amputation. He will now go back, with pictures of this man, and tell the patient about prosthetic limbs. Which I know we will have access to in time: there’s people coming here to check out the possibility of a center for that.
Wonderful things are happening – almost too much to believe!! But it’s all still in the works. What did I learn today? If God wills something, he’ll find people to accomplish it.
Apparently, Tuesday some Jamaican and Canadians are coming in (same helicopter) to check out our “field hospital” possibilities. PRAY!

Please continue praying! I know so many of you do and I’m grateful!

Do you sometimes wonder how God gets his will done? I’m surprised sometimes how he uses circumstances to help out. It humbles me to see how he twists things, even sometimes against our will, to get us to do something. I had an example today that I’ll share.
Yesterday a friend of Canaan’s came because he had been translating in St Marc hospital and met someone he knew there (Richether). The limited story he gave didn’t make sense, but it was something like, they want us to take him to a different hospital, because here they won’t give him what he needs for his foot to get better and he wants to go elsewhere, to a bigger hospital (It already is the biggest hospital outside of Port). Now when someone tells me to go persuade other doctors to something, I tend to balk. And as a medical person, I know you don’t just switch doctors and hospitals like that, and especially in a time like now when all the hospitals are full and all the staff overworked. And if American doctors can’t help them, what can I do? Why come to me? So to me it seemed a wasted trip (30-40 minutes on bad roads), and on Sunday – the day I was hoping to be able to rest for a day.
But I went (thanks again, donors, for the new truck!). I walked into Richether’s room, and immediately Deb, the nurse I had taken there and now was head nurse) said “Oh Elsie, thank God you’re here! Help me get in an IV. The patient was losing it fast, unconscious; they were putting in an IV into his neck, as well as in his arm. After a bit we got it in, and the patient actually perked up a little after awhile. His name is Fritz (honestly, maybe that’s not so strange for you guys but it was the name of the tail-less monkey we used to have growing up), 38, and his whole left leg was bad. It was either taking it and part of his hip off in surgery, or shipping him to the Red Cross hospital boat, that is huge and fully equipped for ICU cases. We weren’t sure he’d even make it through surgery. Shipping him out was first choice but they couldn’t find a helicopter, nor even an ambulance. I told them I’d make a few calls. I tried a guy that had told me they had a helicopter for such situations, but he was out of the country. My missionary friends down the road have an ambulance but they said it wouldn’t be available for another 4 hours, and by then the patient probably wouldn’t live. One more option left to me: We have 2 guys here for a week. One is a Jewish soldier living in Florida, but with a Canadian passport, and a ‘let’s-get-it-done’ type of person – still quite military like in a lot of ways (interesting). He came to see what need there is, but kind of with the idea of setting up a convalescence field hospital. We’ve seen major need for patience that leave the hospitals and don’t take care of their wounds, and they get infected. It’s getting worse and worse. So the idea would be a place they could come and have some nurses to do all the wound care. (Please pray about it! We have to get supplies (like tents and mats, etc) first and that’s the hurdle, but it’s needed SO badly.) Anyway, he and some others went to Port again today to see if there’s that kind of patients on the streets that they could help – they did this yesterday too and found lots. Since we didn’t know what I would find in St Marc, they kind of went with the mentality of looking for help. So I called him and said “Davey, can you get me a helicopter?” They went to the Canadian Military and voila! A couple hours later and the patient was airborne. (I posted some pics on facebook – sorry, I just can’t post them here). (I found maybe I’m more patriotic than I think. I LOVE the fact that I’m able to work with the Canadians, since I’m Canadian – not that it makes a difference to the patients, thankfully-purely personal – no offense ☺ )
So when somebody asks you to do something, don’t be too quick to say no.
Now let me tell you a little about Richether, so you can pray for him. He’s 19, in college, and was planning on entering medical school next year. His dad died before and he’s the breadwinner for his mom and 2 sisters. His toes on left foot are necrotic (dead) and he’s got infection in his leg. The doctors want to amputate to save his life but he refused – says he can’t work and make a living for his mom and sisters. Also, he has had 4 people die in the bed next to him and he thinks he’s in that room because he will die too (the hospital is so full they use any bed). So I had him moved to a different area. On the way home, I persuaded his friend that took me to persuade him to allow them to amputate if that’s what was needed because if he died, it wouldn’t help either. God is good. I had to stop at the Pierre Payen hospital on the way home and there was a professional man, with a wooden leg. I asked him to go talk to the friend and show him there’s life after amputation. He will now go back, with pictures of this man, and tell the patient about prosthetic limbs. Which I know we will have access to in time: there’s people coming here to check out the possibility of a center for that.
Wonderful things are happening – almost too much to believe!! But it’s all still in the works. What did I learn today? If God wills something, he’ll find people to accomplish it.
Apparently, Tuesday some Jamaican and Canadians are coming in (same helicopter) to check out our “field hospital” possibilities. PRAY!

Please continue praying! I know so many of you do and I’m grateful!

All in a day's work?

All in a day’s work; does such a thing exist? Maybe, but it sure changes forms at different times.

I was thinking today what it is I’ve done today. I’m kind of in limbo between returning to my prior work and schedule, and still dealing with the after affects of the earthquake. I’ve still got the same responsibilities as before – keeping the medical clinic running smoothly; still want to go back to learning French (and Creole) which I haven’t restarted. But I’m starting to understand my strong intuition in the fall that I needed to prepare the clinic to work smoothly without me there. Being able to do that has freed me so much; almost too much maybe.

Anyway, thinking of my day, I thought I’d give you an account of it. In a way it felt normal to me, but when I looked at it, it was far from a normal day. I guess it’s the part of you that quits having that initial disaster relief adrenaline, and now, this is how our job looks (I’m sure it’s very different for the foreigners in for the relief, but I’m talking about people like me that live here and have to continue with our normal lives as well as the extra stuff).

7 a.m.

-Adoption papers – I printed off certain emails, photos, and documents to prepare papers needed for certain people to try adopting a couple of our kids.

This is going to get harder again; they’re cutting down a lot. Not sure what the news says, but… they’re still working at getting the kids whose adoption was started before, ready to go.

Housing. Then S. Gladys, Wayne and I went around some of our building to see what we could prepare for post op patients, ready to leave the hospital but no place to go. This would include some of their family members to take care of them. These need to be brought back to the hospital one or two times a week, so are not to go too far. Plus, we have 3-4 nurses living here, so there’s someone to keep an eye on them. We have the building that we planned to start a French school, and we have also moved the older boys out of their dorm into another building, so now we have two buildings we can use – each possibly big enough for 50-75 people, or more. This would mean throwing mats on the floor to sleep, and “living” outside. We’re planning to put tarps out. We’re getting two young girls tomorrow with their families. (One is a femur fracture that had to have both upper legs in a cast, with a rod between them. The other had a very bad ankle injury. Most places in these situations, they would have amputated the foot. But.. first they’re doing every other option. So she had surgery and has pins in trying to keep all the fractures in the ankle together. Pray for her healing. She also has a fracture on her arm but that should heal ok. Some of these serious cases, like the ankle, won’t heal unless they have good nutrition, so we’re actually starting some of them on our Mamba (peanut butter), because it’s so full of protein. Before we can bring them though – shopping. We need mats, cooking utensils for them, and food, which they’re planning to get in the morning. We were told the US military provides food for refugees, so hopefully we’ll get some. With such great supporters as you guys, thankfully we don’t have to wait on them.

Amputation. After that, Wayne and I went to the Pierre Payen hospital to talk to the doctors there, to arrange some of these things. Most of them were in the OR, just starting an amputation of a man’s leg, so we stayed to watch. This was not an earthquake victim but uncontrolled diabetes probably. He had already lost part of his other leg; now this one was full of gangrene. They were able to save his life by doing it. Even though I basically knew how they do it, it was still a bit “gory”. (no, I won’t post pictures of that).

Home for back injury. Ready to leave the hospital, there was a young boy (about 14) who was discharged but had no home to go to. He had a back injury and the doctors had put in some kind of pins or something. Hearing we were going to Port, they wanted to go with us. When (with my limited Creole) I asked where they were going, I found they had nowhere to go, but that their 16 yr old son is there, also injured. A missionary from Montrouis, who was there at the time, asked me then to just drop them off at her house, so I did. Don’t know for how long or what, but … you do what you can.

Clinic. On my way home, I stopped at the clinic to make sure they were ok. I have two of my nurses back for the first time since the earthquake. 3 of the Canaan guys working there are actually in Pierre Payen translating for the doctors, but they’re doing quite well anyway.

Money. One of the ways Canaan has been helping is by giving the pastors of their churches money for the people that need it. They know the condition of their people. There are so many of them in the streets. We find there is still food to be bought in the streets, so if they have money, they can find food. It’s easier than us trying to find food in bulk and packing it all up. (actually one dilemma we’re seeing in Port is that with so many people leaving, there’s less people to buy the fruits and vegetables in the markets, plus the fact that they have less money. Food that doesn’t keep is going to be wasted. After we got back from the hospital, we made up little envelopes of $10-$100 so they’re ready to give to people. It’s working quite well and they are so very grateful (and needy).

Pickup. That took us longer than expected, especially since we had to send for money exchanging in between. It was after 1 p.m. before S Gladys, Wayne, & I finally left for Port. My reason for going was to find a vehicle for us to use for our Medika Mamba program and medical clinic. We have been raising money for what seems like a long time, and had decided to buy the kind of truck we could with the money we had. Then the earthquake happened before we got it done. For a while, it didn’t seem right to go buy a vehicle now. But more and more I realized how badly we need it now; and after all, we had the money many of you raised for us for that specific thing, and all of a sudden it just felt right. Others confirmed it, we prayed, and we went. Also, I imagine vehicles will be in greater demand soon since so many were destroyed. We found a Nissan truck that met all our requirements, and is a good price – less than what I expected to pay. We’ve reserved it; now I’m going back tomorrow to hopefully finish the transaction. That depends on money wires. I’m so excited!! Just sorry Bobi isn’t here for it. We’ve planned together for this for so long. Thank you Lord!

Pastor. After this, we found an Ebenezer pastor in Port and gave the money and food to him. (Another of our drivers went to a bunch of other Ebenezer churches). We were given some boxes of rice that we could give to the people. This is rice that is ready to boil and finished. Has chicken and spices already mixed. We also gave out a bunch of the vegetable cans that had been shipped to us for Canaan. How can we have cans of stuff and not give it out? S Gladys would give the shirt off her back.

Port au Prince. It’s weird how every time I drive through Port, I marvel again, almost like the first time. It’s so shocking to see the buildings, and people setting up sheets and tarps on the streets for the night. Remember the red blocks/legos that we used to play with as kids? Sometimes we’d get mad (or an accident would happen) and we’d slam it and the house we had built would crumble; maybe only part of the house and walls. That’s how Port is. It just really reminded me of playing with the red building blocks. Like I just took a fist and crushed a house.

Finally home again – supper at 7 p.m. At 10:30 another trip to PP hospital to drop of one of the doctors that was over for the evening, and now finally, it’s midnight and I didn’t get my laundry done tonight like my plan was. Gosh, this got long!

(I was going to upload pics but it's not working. If you have facebook, I was able to load up some there.)

All in a day’s work?

Leogane and Ti Goave

Hello, dear friends and supporters and prayer warriors!

You guys are amazing! I have been amazed at the support that this country has received from all over the world. Without this, this country would be dangling from a string over the cliff, ready to break!

I’m in the OR right now – what a place to write from, eh? Life is different here. (Just so you know, I’m not working the OR, just being entertained while waiting on some test results. lol).

I want to give you an update on the country from what I’ve gathered in the last 3 days. I’ve gone to different places, talked with different people. I know it’s hard from other places to understand what’s happening when all you have is the news and they’re focusing on the interesting, negative things. But things are really going quite well, all things considering. We have lots of doctors and surgeons, and the UN is going around collecting information on how many beds there are, surgical capabilities and supplies. Most hospitals have the Doctors they need. The biggest medical need right now is supplies and equipment to do the surgeries. First aid and care has been given everywhere (I always fear the places that nobody knows about, or people that aren’t brought out to hospitals, but what can be done about that?) So right now it’s probably better not to plan to come, even doctors, unless you have been asked or have connections that know there is a need. Doctors will be needed to relieve the ones here, so I’m not saying not to be available to come. But I think most emergency assistance has been given. PTL!

Many have been asking about the 2^nd earthquake (6.1) We’re doing fine. The Haitian people still scream and run out as soon as one starts, but they feel short, here at our place. I couldn’t believe it was so big but then it did wake me up from sleep. Basically everybody in Port and west, by the more affected area is still sleeping outside on the grounds for fear (if not loss of home).

On Monday I went to Leogane. That place is just as damaged as Port or more, but since it’s only got a population of more or less 100,000, it hasn’t gotten as much attention. The damage is unbelievable, even if I’ve seen it before. Every time I marvel at the power that can destroy so much in less than a minute. Now as of today I’ve heard there are doctors too, so I think it has changed.

Tuesday I went to the airport. Henri and Gladys went to send off Yoldnide. After 5-7 years of paperwork, the adoption (which was almost finished anyway) all of a sudden was finished. I think almost all of the adoptions have been signed off. While there I was able to contact other missionaries and groups so it was actually quite useful to sit on the tarmac of the airport, watching planes come in and take off. The world of airports and security as we know it doesn’t exist in Haiti right now. Very little customs/passport stamping going on. (Not saying there isn’t order). I was quite impressed.

After we got home, we took off right away for St Marc, 40 minutes in the other direction. I went to check out the hospital situation there. It was full but seemed well controlled. Apparently they have doctors, but need nurses to train and supervise local staff. They took a big room, scrubbed it down, threw down mattresses and are seeing lots of patients.

On the way home, Naomi & I stayed at Chris and Leslie’s for Olivia’s 2^nd birthday party. She is now an adorable two. She had so much fun with her presents.

Wed. my plan was to go to Petit Goave with Henri and Gladys. Before that, we transferred a sick girl to the airport. That was quite the experience. Dr Ric flew out with her. She was hit by a ‘hit and run’ and ripped open her whole internal bottom area. The bleeding stopped and the doctors at Pierre Payen stabilized her, packed her insides, and got her off. She’s only like 11 or 13 (nobody, even her mom, seems to know how old she is). We threw a mat in the back of the pickup truck. It was still quite painful, despite the morphine. The airport road was blocked so a policeman got on and guided us through a different route. Later a UN vehicle guided us with it’s sirens on, and we were able to drive out behind the airport, on to the tarmac, right beside the huge US airport jets. Quite interesting. Finally at noon, we were ready to head to Ti Goave, another 1.5 hrs west, past Leogane. They have a lot of church there (Eben-nezer churches) and I saw two of their’s that are down. While they sat strategizing on how to help all these people, one of their guys took me around town on his motorbike, showing me the different places and destruction. Some of the houses are now actually sitting in the ocean.

Today I’m trying to get caught up with all of you and things, after a trip to PP to take Marcus to do some blood tests and to talk to the doctors there. I’m hearing all these different things so if you get confused about what you’ve been seeing and the different things they say on TV, it’s the same here. Before jumping to conclusions, check with your sources.

I feel some people think we’re desperate for food here at Canaan. So far we’re not. God provides. Today, they even went into MegaMart which is a BIG store, and people were working and cleaning it. They weren’t selling to the public but Gladys and Henri went in and they sold them some things, like toilet paper and detergent, etc. Almost double the price, but they sold it. So God cares and we trust him to take care of us (together with all of you J)

Dr Dave's report

The following is a report that was forwarded to me from a friend of a this doctor's friend. So I don't know him, but it seems fairly accurate from my point of view so if you want to read it.....

To my family, friends and friends of friends -

First of all, I am humbled by the outpouring of support that Carla and I have received since last Friday when I received the offer to jump on a medical supply plane to fly to Haiti.

The details of our journey would challenge even the most interested of you to endure, so I won't belabor that. I would like to distill my experience down as best I can and share what I've learned from my time on the ground among the Haitian folks I was blessed to encounter.

The Haitians are an amazing culture. I found them friendly, patient, appreciative and incredibly resilient. They are, for a variety of reasons, thoroughly impoverished, and most in the country lack what we would consider even the most basic of daily needs. The average per capita income is $300.

Per year.

The damage resulting from last week's earthquake is devastating. As I watched CNN coverage this afternoon, and replayed the events of the last few days in my head, I can assure you that the images are every bit as tragic as they seem. The damage is beyond belief. The suffering is palpable. The smells are real. But the people are not broken in spirit.

One Haitian told me that his advice to those around him is "patience". He said they have a saying in Haiti, "Piz a piz" (phonetically) which translates to "piece by piece".

There are amazing missionaries representing Christ throughout the country. Most of the guys and girls I met are pouring their energy into the children, either through childrens' homes, orphanages or support centers. Two in Jacmel I would direct your support to are "Hands and Feet" and "Joy in Hope". I've rarely seen people "walk the walk" like these people. They are changing lives every day.

We also had the opportunity to interact with various military personnel on a daily basis.

We joined with a Canadian expeditionary force on Monday in Jacmel to assess the injured people in that town. Jacmel was cut off from any possible ground support from Port au Prince (as if there was any to share, right?), though greatly effected by the quake as well. The Canadians have chosen to direct their efforts into that town, and should have a field hospital up and running by Friday. They will ease the suffering quickly when that is done. They were very professional and clearly motivated to help.

After we arrived at the airfield in Port au Prince, we connected with the US military medical personnel as well. These guys are working hard and doing great work. We also met several other civilian orthopedic surgeons and medical personnel that were trying to get more supplies flown in. The docs in the local hospitals had lots of patients, but few beds and were either out of medical supplies or medications.

The way Port au Prince is currently managed, the UN has responsibility for the city and the US military has control over the airspace and the airfield and is managing the huge amounts of material being brought in for distribution. This is an air field that typically sees 5-15 flights a day. It is a single runway. They are now coordinating up to 280 flights a day! Every incoming flight has a specific time slot assigned. It is not negotiable. Every flight and its contribution is carefully and specifically assessed with regard to its need and time/space available.

I have chosen to address this specifically, because reports through the media have - either out of frustration or the need for even higher drama - continued to highlight the lack of supplies, portraying it as some sort of dereliction. I spoke with a Major in charge of assigning flight slots about this specifically, since I had been in contact directly with a major orthopedic trauma supplier that was having trouble getting to the island.

What we all need to understand is that the one airstrip that is available must supply 2 million people a day with food and water. The number of flights necessary to make that happen is enormous, maybe more than they can handle. So they are always playing catch-up just supplying the necessities. Add to that the influx of military personnel, both US and UN, and you have a logistical nightmare. If they are able to restore the port to a usable state, the supply side of the equation will quickly be solved.

In the meantime, decisions have to be made with regard to what is essential at that time, based on best information, and I'm personally glad that someone else is making those incredibly hard decisions. They care, deeply, about what they are doing, and they are doing their best. I've never met a finer, more dedicated group of young men and women in my life, and I am proud of what they are doing in this crisis in the name of our country.

Medically, all around Haiti, the problem appears purely logistical as well. Every health care provider I spoke with said the same thing: the problem is not personnel. Doctors, nurses and the rest are in country and ready and willing to work. There are no facilities that anyone could identify that needed more help at this time. Remember, mounting injuries do not necessarily equate to an increased need for providers. The rate-limiting step in this arena is access; access to facilities, beds, OR's and supplies.

As an illustration, The Methodist Hospital has 900 beds; Ben Taub, 650. There are 30 "hospitals" in the entire Port au Prince metropolitan on a good day. Three have over 100 beds. Total beds, all institutions, 3.5 million people: around 1600. There are an estimated 250,000 injured to a variable degree.

Do the math.

They need more beds and more supplies (from a medical perspective) more than anything, regardless of what Anderson Cooper tells you. It broke my heart when messages starting pouring in about how "doctors were desperately needed" in Port au Prince, according to the media. I knew that surgeons all over the country would be thinking about doing what we did - jumping the first flight to Haiti to try and ease the need.

What they need are more hospital beds and OR's, and that is exactly what is happening day by day. The arrival of the USNS Comfort today adds 1000 patient beds, 80 intensive care unit beds, 950 naval hospital staff and 12 operating rooms.

So what do YOU do?

My family will be praying - for the broken folks, for the hungry, for the thirsty, for our soldiers, for the pilots and drivers, for the medical staff. They need wisdom, discernment, faith, safety, protection, hope, courage and patience.

My family will be giving - to the orphanages, to the suppliers (like World Food Program), to the Red Cross, to anyone else that I think needs it more than we do.

My family will be planning - on how we can contribute with our "hands and feet", walking the walk, as it were. I want to go back soon. I will plan better next time. I will connect with an organization that can best direct my skills, perhaps to a facility where the staff needs a break or a respite of sorts. And I want to take my family to Jacmel, to meet these folks that have given their lives to love children that no one else would love.

I'll close saying thanks again for your prayers for me and my family. I felt every one. Through God, they gave me the courage to do things that were beyond what I could do alone.

Let's not waste this earthquake. Let's be both persistent and patient. Let's make life better for these wonderful people in the end and show them more of what the love of our Saviour looks like.

Blessings,

Dave

Medical issues

Hello,

What an eventful week! After 4 days of "sitting" after the earthquake, I finally feel I'm on a role with doing something. Lots of stuff coming in and not sure where my place will be but I'm getting some more 'visions'.

Sat. Megan, Katie, and Anna left. Megan's father is in the army and he arranged a Black Hawk helicopter to come pick them up. What a dad will do for his kid, eh?! Of course it meant waiting for hours, since we didn't know what time they'd arrive.

PM Dr Ric and 2 other doctors and a couple other workers arrived, by private plane. They picked up me and some of the kids for translating and we headed to Pierre Payen. With the road fixed, it's only about 10 minutes from here. We started seeing the patients that were admitted and worked till about 9:30. We stayed the night at their guesthouse and continued all day today. What tragic injuries for many of them. Basically all had fractures - some really bad ones. By now they're 4-5 days old and infections are starting. They were still gaping open. Deep ugly wounds; an ankle with infection that will probably get amputated soon; 2 whose house fell on their upper backs and bent them forward - injurying their spinal cord and now they're paraplegic; an arm that's got parts of a bone missing so won't be able to grow back together; kinds with head injuries; I could go on and on. We put 3 people's legs on traction, made with a pillowcase and sand, for about 6 weeks. After awhile we didn't even asked how it happened - it was all the same "the roof fell down". We did get two vehicle accidents too, that were awful. The first they brought in a woman that was already gone. In the second a man's face was all swollen - so many facial fractures and they couldn't help him. Don't know what they're gonna do with him. He needs a facial surgeon.

And this is such a SMALL part of the medical needs in this country. Everywhere it's the same. I'm thinking of scouting around some cities outside of Port, like the Island, etc and see if I can organize medical teams there. Pray for this - I don't know if that would work, but....

I heard even today, they've been finding some people alive. A little girl was rescued today. People are not all fed yet. A big part of the people are sleeping outside yet - either because they have no house, or scared of the weakness of their houses. (You people are probably seeing more about Port than we do here. I haven't seen a single TV program on it). People are traveling north by the FULL busloads and truckloads.

S. Gladys has heard from many of the churches she's in charge of. Theirs like 4000 of their church people without homes. Many pastors died, so it's a little like sheep without a shepherd. We want to try going to Ti Goave, one of the main centers, tomorrow. If we don't get diesel, we won't be able to, but hopefully.... and I'll start looking into the medical situation and see if it would be feasible to send in doctors.

Here at Canaan, we've been doing good. We still have enough food, that we haven't had to buy, but will have to soon start looking around. I think we'll be ok. We've reduced to 2 meals a day, and more simply. Finding diesel/gas is our biggest challenge right now.

We are also looking at the possibility of a lot of people coming though, so looking at setting up tents and sheets and whatever possible to house them. Many of the kid's families have lost all their homes too. We're not sure how to handle all this so pray for wisdom. It's a little different from the hurricane way of doing it. It's kind of pointless to give rice and beans because they have nothing left to cook it. We need to give them cooked food. Thanks to money coming in, we can start. None of the banks are open yet, but with so many doctor teams coming, we should have opportunity to send the money collected with them. So please, continue giving if you can. You can get all the necessary contact info at www.canaanorphanage.org. Chris is our "American" representative, and is collecting all the money and in charge of sending it down.

One of the good things that we definitely see is that people are taking life more seriously. Many of our kids have looked at where they're at. Today 16 of them were baptized. People are praying more. Some are even singing and worshipping more.

OK, generator's going off so I better go to my room. Time for bed anyway. Just pray I can be used in whatever way. It was great to see the gratitude in the patients we helped today. A little care and ability to speak in their language went a long way to making them feel more relaxed. (I still like being a doctor better than being a nurse. I feel a little lost working as a nurse (lol), but this type of doctoring is WAY beyond me. I'm immensely glad they're here. It was kind cool though, starting lots of IVs and doing catheters, though mostly we just helped with their minor surgeries.

God bless and keep praying!! Thanks for all your supports!!

Elsie Kornelsen

Thank God not every day is like today. I wouldn’t last a month here! Nor every week as slow.

Today started with waking up with a sore throat. I guess it has to hit me once in a while too. All morning’s been a bit achy, but no worry. Now after a nap, I feel a bit better.

My nurses have not returned since the earthquake (hopefully they’ll be back on Monday). The first day, the ones still here and I quickly saw 17 patients. By 9:30 we were done and I was able to go to Port. Thursday I had a late start going to the clinic, with so much to do at Canaan, that by the time I got there, the few that had come, had left already, all but 2 babies. Today I saw about 10 people. I’m almost surprised there weren’t more, because people are leaving Port by the busloads; but I’m kinda glad they’re not stopping here, cause the nurses are all gone. I did have one lady today, with a very swollen, blue eye and bruises all over from a house that fell on her.

What has made this day difficult was one little patient; Actually two little patients. The good thing about today is the miracle God did for me. Saphi. Please pray for him. He’s 3 weeks old, weighs 1 kg (2 pounds) (he was born 2 months early), My first thought when I saw him was “why did the parents bring in a dead baby”. He looked so dead; The color, the features, the stiffness of his face. His skin even felt dead – clammy and cold and stiff. I even asked if he was dead. I had to take off all his many layers of clothes to see if he was breathing. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him breathing – with difficulty, but breathing. I quickly took him and checked him over, but what can I do with such a situation? I told the parents he can’t live; there’s nothing I can do for him. I told him they’d have to take him to the hospital (thinking he’d never make it). No money. (Why wasn’t Dr Ric able to get to Haiti when planned? I needed him today for two little ones). I tried to prepare the dad (the mom was out crying) but he begged me to give him something – anything; a vitamin. I tried to give him some breast milk but he couldn’t/wouldn’t swallow anymore. I was even hearing what I think were cheynes stokes (dying breath rattles). What to do in such a situation! I looked at my IV stock. I knew he needed fluids but I couldn’t imagine putting in an IV in a baby that small. But when the dad continued to ask me to do something, I decided if I tried, at least I could say I had done what I could. So I got my 24 G needle – the smallest I had but still too big for a preemie and just looked at it for a while. It seemed so hopeless to try. Why, I think the canula of the needle that stays in the vein was bigger than the vein itself! So, finally, I said “God, if this goes in, it’ll be your miracle! And in it went! Not all the way – think the vein would have popped, but the tip. It wasn’t the best, but I got 50 ml in the next few hours. So after that, I thought if God was willing to do a miracle, we better take him to a hospital with hopes. So off to St Marc, but they wouldn’t receive him. It’s crowded there, UN people all around. They sent him away. I didn’t go because I had other patients to see, so was shocked when they returned with the baby, still alive. I thought he actually looked a teeny bit better. So we took him to D’Chapelle, quite a bit on the other side of St Marc. They accepted him and right away attended him, and he’s in their care. Pray for him – I think God wants him to live, impossible as he looked.

The picture looks better than real life. He's only 2 pounds. That stick is a tongue blade.

Then later another 7 month old girl came, but only weighs like 6 pounds. She also looked like she was dying. I gave mom some money and sent her to the hospital too. I hope the mom will take her.

Tomorrow we are hoping Dr Ric and some other doctors/surgeons will be arriving. Pierre Payen hospital (5 minutes from us now with our good roads) is overcrowded with people from Port, so they’re going to work there. I’ve been asked to help so will probably take 5 or so kids from here to translate for them and go work there. They’re going to work through the night.

Pray for us, for strength to keep going if there’s so many. I’m happy to be involved like this but it will also be tiring, esp if we work all night. We struggle a bit here at times because we know the huge need in Port and it feels like we’re not really doing anything.

3 of the girls that came for 3 weeks are coordinating leaving Haiti. One of them's dad is in the US army so he's coordinating some army helicopters to come drop off some fuel and food at Canaan and picking the girls up and taking them somewhere - DR or Puerto Rico probably. There's some interesting things going on. There is a lot of support coming in - not sure what's happening with food distribution.

Sister Gladys is still trying to coordinate her return. So difficult to get into the country. They're hoping to get to the DR border and pastor Henri will pick her up.

P. Henri's mom and his sister's mother in law came here now. There house was cracked so not safe right now.

OK, I better quit. Want to try getting lots rest tonight, in case I'm up all night tomorrow!

Thanks for your support!!!

Earthquake

It was an interesting feeling when, in my room, the earthquake started. Nobody likes earthquakes, but I’ve felt so many in my life, I don’t worry about them anymore. I did wonder at the length and strength, and of course there was screaming and calling from all the kids. This was a sensation many of them have never felt before.
They were all scared to sleep in their houses, so last night all of them (except the missionaries) slept in the middle of the yard, squeezed onto mattresses and blankets (on our rocky ground). Even now, any slight tremor (which we still got today) sets off their nerves.
Today, Pastor Henri and I went to Port au Prince. He was concerned about his family. We hurried and saw the 17 patients that came to the clinic, and were done by about 9:30 and all the nurses were also able to go see if their families are ok.
What I’m feeling right now is indescribable. I have never seen what I saw before. PH says he would rather have 9 hurricanes than half of this earthquake.
As we were driving to Port, going through Arcahaia and Cabaret, the towns hit by the past hurricanes, we were shocked at seeing the broken houses, but on our way back, we barely thought about them. It was nothing compared to Port au Prince.
I wonder if there is one house that hasn’t been touched. A lot of them look ok but if you look closely, you can see cracks in them. Because of the danger of the houses still falling, they have closed every business for 72 hours. Do you know what this means? There’s no food!
There are people EVERYWHERE! Hardly any tap taps are going so people walk everywhere. The streets were surprisingly empty of vehicles, considering how they are usually. But so many people! Some are just sitting there; others walking – mostly up the mountains. Whether it is fear of being in the lower city, or whether they are going home, or visiting I don’t know. Men, women, children, babies, pregnant women…. Many of them with a bag or suitcase, probably the only things left to them. And everybody with the same expression – kind of a blank, slight frown. The only smiles were of the ones we gave rides to – gratefulness to the extreme that we saved them miles of walking.
The worst was all the dead bodies lying everywhere. Randomly or laid side by side. Probably hundreds. Then of course the disaster in buildings was unbelievable too. I will try to post pictures (I have 157 of them when my batteries ran out) but the internet is really slow so it may take a while. The Palace is broken up; lots of banks down; the army barracks and other government buildings; hospitals; markets; schools; churches; homes; stores; everywhere. We couldn’t drive without seeing broken buildings at all. Only once we were past Petion-ville did it start to lesson.
First we went to see if Pastor Henri’s 80+ yr old mom was ok. Her house is standing but there are some cracks. We found her not at home, but at her sister’s where she had spent the night. She was on her way, leaving yesterday with a niece when the earthquake hit. A piece of concrete wall fell on the front of the car. A feet or two more and it would have hit where she was sitting. It is still sitting there, partially covered.
We drove PH’s cousin home, since it was her car. This I think has made her think and PH was able to answer some of her many Bible questions.
We went to SG’s mom’s house, where her brother from the States is staying. He apparently barely escaped last night too, leaving a market or something as it was hitting and panic ensued with all the people there. Some of their windows fell out, but basically the house is ok.
Then we drove around to the palace. Just every bit of the way, we were astounded at what we were seeing. The beautiful palace is a disaster! It is unrepairable!
On our way back, we saw a lady sitting on a board and guys trying to stop someone, so we took her to a hospital. Being as it was probably a couple miles away, it is needless to say how grateful they were. It just felt like there was so little that we could do to help.
I had taken some Herbalife protein packages and pediasure along, so we would hand them out to moms with little children. We had to be very careful though, because we would get bombarded if people saw it before we got away.
We saw people around a hole right in the city – burying their dead. At least they were getting a burial. MANY are still lying in the streets, waiting for somebody to pick them up.
With no food, gas or other supplies, there’s going to be a lot of suffering. I’m trying to imagine help coming in. I have no idea how emergency relief feeds several million desperate people at once….. We don’t have gas to go to Port again, but even if we did, I’d want to stay out if possible. Today was ok because people were still in shock and not so desperate. But who knows after 2 or 3 days?
Since a lot of the staff have gone home to check on family, it’s time to go organize tonight’s sleeping arrangements. Not an easy thing to do with the children’s hyper feelings.
Keep praying for Haiti! A lot of people are suffering. The parks and any available space, including the prime minister’s yard are full of people sleeping out tonight.

p.s.
we're still feeling tremors

Earthquake

It was an interesting feeling when, in my room, the earthquake started. Nobody likes earthquakes, but I’ve felt so many in my life, I don’t worry about them anymore. I did wonder at the length and strength, and of course there was screaming and calling from all the kids. This was a sensation many of them have never felt before.
They were all scared to sleep in their houses, so last night all of them (except the missionaries) slept in the middle of the yard, squeezed onto mattresses and blankets (on our rocky ground). Even now, any slight tremor (which we still got today) sets off their nerves.
Today, Pastor Henri and I went to Port au Prince. He was concerned about his family. We hurried and saw the 17 patients that came to the clinic, and were done by about 9:30 and all the nurses were also able to go see if their families are ok.
What I’m feeling right now is indescribable. I have never seen what I saw before. PH says he would rather have 9 hurricanes than half of this earthquake.
As we were driving to Port, going through Arcahaia and Cabaret, the towns hit by the past hurricanes, we were shocked at seeing the broken houses, but on our way back, we barely thought about them. It was nothing compared to Port au Prince.
I wonder if there is one house that hasn’t been touched. A lot of them look ok but if you look closely, you can see cracks in them. Because of the danger of the houses still falling, they have closed every business for 72 hours. Do you know what this means? There’s no food!
There are people EVERYWHERE! Hardly any tap taps are going so people walk everywhere. The streets were surprisingly empty of vehicles, considering how they are usually. But so many people! Some are just sitting there; others walking – mostly up the mountains. Whether it is fear of being in the lower city, or whether they are going home, or visiting I don’t know. Men, women, children, babies, pregnant women…. Many of them with a bag or suitcase, probably the only things left to them. And everybody with the same expression – kind of a blank, slight frown. The only smiles were of the ones we gave rides to – gratefulness to the extreme that we saved them miles of walking.
The worst was all the dead bodies lying everywhere. Randomly or laid side by side. Probably hundreds. Then of course the disaster in buildings was unbelievable too. I will try to post pictures (I have 157 of them when my batteries ran out) but the internet is really slow so it may take a while. The Palace is broken up; lots of banks down; the army barracks and other government buildings; hospitals; markets; schools; churches; homes; stores; everywhere. We couldn’t drive without seeing broken buildings at all. Only once we were past Petion-ville did it start to lesson.
First we went to see if Pastor Henri’s 80+ yr old mom was ok. Her house is standing but there are some cracks. We found her not at home, but at her sister’s where she had spent the night. She was on her way, leaving yesterday with a niece when the earthquake hit. A piece of concrete wall fell on the front of the car. A feet or two more and it would have hit where she was sitting. It is still sitting there, partially covered.
We drove PH’s cousin home, since it was her car. This I think has made her think and PH was able to answer some of her many Bible questions.
We went to SG’s mom’s house, where her brother from the States is staying. He apparently barely escaped last night too, leaving a market or something as it was hitting and panic ensued with all the people there. Some of their windows fell out, but basically the house is ok.
Then we drove around to the palace. Just every bit of the way, we were astounded at what we were seeing. The beautiful palace is a disaster! It is unrepairable!
On our way back, we saw a lady sitting on a board and guys trying to stop someone, so we took her to a hospital. Being as it was probably a couple miles away, it is needless to say how grateful they were. It just felt like there was so little that we could do to help.
I had taken some Herbalife protein packages and pediasure along, so we would hand them out to moms with little children. We had to be very careful though, because we would get bombarded if people saw it before we got away.
We saw people around a hole right in the city – burying their dead. At least they were getting a burial. MANY are still lying in the streets, waiting for somebody to pick them up.
With no food, gas or other supplies, there’s going to be a lot of suffering. I’m trying to imagine help coming in. I have no idea how emergency relief feeds several million desperate people at once….. We don’t have gas to go to Port again, but even if we did, I’d want to stay out if possible. Today was ok because people were still in shock and not so desperate. But who knows after 2 or 3 days?
Since a lot of the staff have gone home to check on family, it’s time to go organize tonight’s sleeping arrangements. Not an easy thing to do with the children’s hyper feelings.
Keep praying for Haiti! A lot of people are suffering. The parks and any available space, including the prime minister’s yard are full of people sleeping out tonight.

p.s.
we're still feeling tremors