One month

One month since THE earthquake! Wow! It feels like much longer than that. What a full, busy month!

Today the country of Haiti is remembering! They are taking today, Saturday, and Sunday to remember, to mourn, and to fast; to pray to God and ask for forgiveness. Oh, that more nations would do this as a nation! They are doing 3 days of a 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. fast.

There are places where the pastors are together, praying and fasting. Here at Canaan they are getting together at 6 a.m., 12 noon, and at 6 p.m. to pray, sing, confess, whatever. But it’s not limited to those hours. There’s been a sense of prayer and worship all day.

Things are quiet today. We did continue with school, though the hours changed. I asked the nurses to go down to the clinic, but strangely (maybe not so strangely) there were no patients, so I let them go home. They’ve been working hard. I kept busy for a few hours with my patients in the dorm. Had to take one to the hospital for follow up. She has external fixators on her ankle and we wanted to make sure they weren’t infecting. While I’m on the subject, please pray for Rosemartine – she’s having a tough time of it. She’s 50 yrs old, had a femur fracture. She cries every time I go there. I think a lot of it is emotional, more than pain. She’s by herself, and can’t get around on her own. It’s easier for me taking care of the physical wounds than the emotional ones. It’s kind of wearing on me today. Or maybe it’s just the whole emotional affect. Fasting can bring that out in one too.

Next Monday and Tuesday are national holidays, normally Carnival. That is not happening this year, but my nurses think they should have the days off anyway. Not sure if this will be nationwide but we’ll be closed. I hope not too many patients will come if nobody’s there!

I need to take my truck in for the first “check-up” on Monday. In two weeks, I have put more than 1,100 km on it. I don’t know what I would have done without it. Thanks again to all who gave for it. I’m not about to forget it! (Do you know that now they’re making the Nissan trucks with only one back light? Took awhile for me to believe that.)

We’re also trying to get passports for 1 yr old Gaelle and her mom. They were almost ready for pickup on Jan 12. They’re suppose to be ready but they couldn’t (wouldn’t) give them yesterday – they said because the electricity was off. I think it was more a matter of didn’t want to. Pray that it’ll work on Monday. I want to get that little one to the US for heart surgery. We’ve worked at it for months!

Please continue to pray for this country. As the initial emergencies have been dealt with, the country is trying to find a way to survive. It’s not easy. The refugee camps are overflowing – 10-12 people in a 4-6 person tent sometimes. There are so many things happening that we don’t think about at a glance. For example, what about prostitution? As hunger and needs increase, that too increases. Not having their own house/tents, in some places it becomes public, even around children. Or girls put in tents with strangers, including men.

Or cleanliness issues – not enough toilets (sometimes people go close to where they sleep), or hygiene products and cleanliness, especially for women, etc.

These are issues that are being dealt with, and hopefully a resolution can be found soon.

“God, Have mercy on Haiti! Restore the nation to a God-fearing nation. And may other nations take note, and bend their knees to an almighty, jealous God, who does not slumber, and who does not take idolatry and sin lightly.”