Hi,

Here we've had our busy weeks, as usual . It never ends. I guess that's a good thing.

Last week, we had a team of 4 here that we really enjoyed. Except they weren't really a team - more like friends returning, since 3 of them had been here last fall. Mark was here for a few months, and Travis and Amy had come to visit him during that time. They brought Paul this time, who grew up in Turkey, and that was an interesting subject of conversation for a lot of us here. He even sang a chorus in Turkish on Sunday.

Sat. was Canaan's 18th birthday, and it's a day they take to celebrate what God has and is doing here. True to form, there was a lot of work prior to it. A lot of the buildings got a facelift - the chapel inside and out (for those that know it, it's no longer pink!), the Shikoon, the kitchens, admin building, etc. In the morning, EVERYBODY went down to the road, and everyone got to meditate on why they're here, whether they really want to be here and why. So everybody had to say something, if they wanted to go up to Canaan again. It was a good reminder.
Then in the afternoon/evening, we had a service where a lot of other people were invited. It's suppose to be a time of celebration, and they had like different singing competitions, and solos, etc. (I got to be a music judge for the first time in my life!) Throughout the weekend there were other competitions, like sports, etc.

That night another team came in - our second biggest ever - 28 people (I think). I didn't know it before but they had a doctor and some nurses in the group so I had help at the clinic today. That was great because we broke the record again today (probably third Monday in a row) with 62 patients.

This week we're doing camp!! A lot of kids are here from neighboring churches, etc, (probably 30 -40) and the Canaan kids are doing wonderful taking care of them. This is a new thing for Canaan, but we wanted to do more to teach the kids to reach out to other people too. The team from the US is also helping with activities. They're a great team for that, since they have a camp for kids themselves (Bear Lake Camp).

This week we've gone over to Chris and Leslie several times. They both came down with fever. Friday afternoon we went and I did a malaria test, and that's what it was! Both of them at the same time! So to give them a free night to be sick together, Bobi and I brought Olivia (14 months) home with us for the night. She's such an easy child to babysit. Went to sleep with no problem. Was sitting and chattering at 5 a.m. though, but I ignored it and next thing I knew I awoke and she was sleeping soundly. I think she needs to come over more often. She didn't want to go with us when we said we were going home. And once there, she didn't want anything of mommy and daddy, and cried when we left. Maybe she needs a bigger social life too. :)

Tomorrow we're doing a little special for our Medika Mamba people - we're serving them a lunch, and with it we want to take a little time to share the gospel. Please pray that things will go well. It's a bit hard to organize something like that here.

OK, and if any of you are still skeptical of our Medika Mamba, look at these pictures of the same child. Guess how many weeks different??? 2 WEEKS! Yes, this difference is after two weeks of Medika Mamba, and loving care. Note the difference in his arms and chest! A missionary couple that just started a small orphanage took him in.

OK, I have other things to do yet online tonight. We came to Club Indigo, and it's getting late. I haven't been able to get online for several days, so it's catch up time right now.

God bless!!

Elsie

March 2009

Hello, hello
This has been quite an interesting couple weeks... I feel so much happened that I won't recall it all. When will I start journaling again?

The Medical team went well and we saw lots of patients. We had 4 doctors and 3 PA students/Nursing Assistants. We did a new venture this time since we had a big group, and half of us went to do a clinic in Arcahaie. Talking to the pastor in whose church building we saw everyone, on the phone in the morning, he said there were over 200 people waiting (we had told him 50) so he had to send some away. All in all, it went well.

These are cute triplets that came for a checkup.

"Our pharmacists"

It seems everytime the team comes, I get to learn one more "doctor skill". This time it was dental. Dr Ric's father is a retired dentist and before coming he gave Dr Ric a quick dental lesson and some materials. Then he in turn taught me. So if need be, I can now fill a tooth! Of course it's just temporary filling but it can last up to a year or two.

Filling the first tooth ever with Dr Ric's help.

We've had a really good Mamba week this week. It started last week with Peterson coming. He is from St Marc and our missionary friends there brought him. They had no idea he was like that, living in their own neighborhood because the family was ashamed to bring him out so they kept him strictly at home. He is two years old. He has since been taken in by our friends there who have this year opened an orphanage. Thankfully he is being taken good care of now. He came back this week and had gained a whole kilo more than the expected, which is 5 grams per child's kilo per day. Yea for Peterson!!

Then this monday this little 10 month child came to see us at the clinic. Note her swollen feet, hands and face. Her cheeks are bulging. But her chest and arms are skin and bones. This is a serious stage of kwashiokor. Thank God, there's hope for her. She also came with what sounded like croup and asthma.

Little Jufta also came on Monday. We were told she's over a year. Later her mom remembered she's not a year yet, she doesn't remember her age (very common here). No matter... you can tell right away she's very thin. Her arms and legs were so small. She actually looks better on the picture than in real life.


Another child in the initial stages of kwash.


We have over 40 children in our program right now. Somehow lately the word has spread, which we are real glad for. Some need it so bad. We had one child in Arcahaie this Friday (still haven't uploaded the picture) who is 2 years old and weighed only 6.25 kg (about 13 pounds). That's the weight of some newborns!!

Another special occasion last week was a visit from Karen from Victoria, BC. She's been coming every year. Made me feel like an old timer to have people come back for the second year since I've been here! (Karen's in the middle)

Bonnie, Bobi, and I took her to the airport last Sunday. After dropping her off, we headed to the grocery store (a must every time we go to Port). On the way we decided to stop at a restaurant we'd always wanted to check out. We stopped, got a layout and prices of the place and decided to come back later for lunch if we felt like it. Well, as we put the key in the lock to open the door, it broke on us. Imagine how that left us feeling!! Now what do we do, in Port, just us three girls??

There were a couple guys from the restaurant that came and started taking the door apart. Not comfortable with that, we called Steve (owner of the truck) but couldn't get him on. We then called Chris, at Clean Water for Haiti, who gave us 3 phone numbers of people in Port. One of them was for a man named Kurt. I have a huge respect for this man now. He and his wife have lived here in Haiti for 10 years. He has a mechanic shop and does mechanic work for missionaries. He has an amazing heart. Even on a sunday after noon, he came where we were and helped us out. And this is a man that when he wanted to come to Haiti, no mission would take him because he was never able to learn to read and write because of a hearing problem. So they came and are working on their own now. (Don't ever limit what God can do through your own limitations!) He was able to get the key out, but we decided not to try to find a shop to make a new key, since there would be the risk of it not fitting anyway, so after getting hold of Steve, we messed up his afternoon too, by his bringing a second key to us.

So while waiting for him, we had lunch at this place. And a good leizure lunch it was and as we were paying for the bill, Steve drove up. No waiting time afterwards at all! (that tells you either how good the roads are or how long it took to eat :)

Today, Bonnie, Bobi, and I took the day off and went to our "lighthouse beach" again. That is one amazing beach! Totally isolated and the clearest aqua blue water anywhere.

OK, this is getting long and it's getting late. Generator will go off soon. Such is life here. Please continue to pray for us. There are so many needs, and blessings here - with the people from the community, all the kids and staff here at Canaan, and also among us "Americans" who serve here. Pray that we can bless the people here always, and not be a hindrance to the work.

God bless!

Elsie

Hello everyone!

I'm back in Haiti after 3 weeks of a wonderful vacation. I always knew Costa Rica was a beautiful country but I was even more impressed this time. Even the houses are nicer now, the people seem SO well to do. OK, I realized always before I went there from North America. Funny how your view of something is clouded by what you're used to seeing, or by what you compare it to. Compared to Haiti, CR is "First World". When you don't see any starving children, when you see everybody dressed well, when you don't wonder if someone can afford the products on the grocery shelves.... that country is rich.

We had some awesome family time. The first week, Bobi came home with me, and some of us went to the Arenal volcano area (sadly the most she got out of the volcano was hearing it rumble a few times. It was drizzling most of the weekend!). We had a great time anyway, spending most of a day in natural hot springs. The next day we did zipline-ing - zooming through the air chained to a rope is quite exhilarating.

A Friday to Monday weekend with the whole family was also wonderful. We went to a camp in the mountains and had lots of fun - sports, sharing time, eating, etc. Some of us even did a scary canopy obstacle course. OK, that was scary! Imagine walking on a rope, holding onto another rope above you. At one point they meet in the middle, like a knot and you have to figure out how to cross the knot. You have to balance your body over a knot high in the air! Another scary part was walking on a 2-3 inch board with NOTHING to hold onto - ok, I couldn't do it by myself. 

I haven't been able to upload a lot of pictures but am starting. If you want to see them, you can click on the photos link on this site. This is my public photo albums.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ekornelsen

Ok gotta go since I'm at Chris and Leslie's right now. Thanks for all your prayers and support. Please continue, as there is so much to do here and responsabilities that are always a challenge.

Elsie

Canaan

Hello,
You can say it - it's been awhile. I think I'm slacking. But if you knew the speed of our internet, maybe you'd be more compassionate.

Having said that, though, I apologize for the long silence. It's not that things haven't been happening - maybe too much is happening. The last while I've been trying to make an online inventory list, so it can only be done in the evenings, and honestly, it's not conducive to work, being online here. Between the slowest internet ever, and kids, it's taking me forever. And now I'm afraid I've messed it all up and it's too slow to go back quickly and check. So not to go crazy waiting to see if I wasted so many evenings, I came here instead.

Stephanie, the nurse replacing me is coming in tonight. I'm excited - both to see her (we clicked well the week+ that she was here last July) and because it means I leave day after tomorrow. It feels kind of unreal. You get so into a routine of things, it's strange to think of it being different. However, since so many days of my 3 weeks off are already planned, I'll be back in no time.


Plans are: Bobi is meeting me in Miami. We're renting a car for one night, and hitting the town! (Gotta make the most of one evening and night in the US!) Her family is there in their mobile trailer so we're staying with them. We'll see what else we do - shopping, eating out, maybe a movie.....


then Friday morning Bobi and I fly to Costa Rica. She's spending a week there with me. The first weekend we're heading to the northern part of the country, to a volcano, zipline, .. we'll see what else. Two nights, relaxing... it will give her a chance to see quite a bit of the country.


The next weekend my whole family will be together - we haven't been since 4 years ago, so really looking forward to that. The last weekend (4 days), some of us have plans to go to a nice beach. Somewhere in between that, I want to 'just me home'! And do all my business. ... Yea, it's going to be too short.



Now for some Canaan news...

This next weekend (all of which I'll miss) is Carnaval week. This is a rough, demonic Haitian holiday week, and a lot of churches plan camping time to get out of the cities. So, many of them knowing Canaan, they've asked to come camp here. We're expecting 300 young people at least. God has put a wonderful vision upon S. Gladys' heart - why not open this time and start something new? So we're inviting young people around here also and we'll have like a crusade - times for preaching, worship, etc, but also times of games, where they'll compete - soccer, basketball, sack races, singing, Bible trivia, etc, etc. There'll be prizes and trophies. What a time to reach out to the Haitian youth!!!



Please pray this weekend. This is huge! This may become a yearly thing. Together with that, please continue praying for the neighborhood of Sou Boy, that I mentioned in the last blog. Spanish classes have started as well as some others. For many things they want to do, we still need instructors.



Clinic's still picking up. Yesterday we had over 50 patients, which is more than ever (without doctors being here). I have two girls from the World Race team helping me these days, which is really nice, since Bobi's gone. Continue praying for me please. I still get overwhelmed sometimes by what I'm doing here (after a year, you'd think I'd be used to it, right?). Then a young boy comes in with a motorcycle burn injury of a couple weeks ago, and it has become a crater almost an inch deep and wide, and looking ugly. I took it upon myself to put in some anesthesia and debride it. I'm worried because he didn't come back when I told him to.

On the upside, they're working on the new clinic building - for now the foundation, but it's encouraging.

By the way, if weather dictates when you come visit, always make it Febuary. We're having wonderful, windy weather. Makes you forget about all the hot weather of the summer.


OK, there's lots calling to me today yet, so till another time....



Elsie

Sou Boy

Hello,
This place is a beehive of activities these days. We've been blessed with a different team each week in Jan, and lots of work has gotten done here. The new team this last Sat consists of about 16 people, plus 3 or 4 that stayed over from the last team. They're leaving on Friday. Then last night we got 13 more, who'll be here till around the 21st. This last group is a group of young people that are in the "World Race". They go to a new country every month for 11 months and do all kinds of things at different mission places, etc. They came from the Dominican Republic and are in the second month. It sounds like such an interesting thing to do - there goes my sense of adventure.
At the clinic it seems to be picking up again. My new nurse was doing good but then I realized I let her go on her own too soon, so now I need to focus on training her more before I leave in 2 weeks. Then one of my steady "translators and helpers" Fabiola, left this last weekend - don't know if she's coming back. We miss her. Now I need to continually look for someone (I do still have one fairly steady one). One of the ladies from the team is a nurse so she's been helping me, which has been great, especially since yesterday we broke the record again in the amount of people we saw. Bobi's also leaving on Thursday so that'll make it busier for me. But again, God provides (He is ever faithful). Some people in this new group will be coming down to help.

Today we had a busy Mamba day. Bobi went around Montrouis the other day recruiting, and today we had like 23 people show up, despite the fact she only told 6 of them to come get checked. Sometimes word of mouth is best. Thankfully not all of them were malnourished, but we did admit 6 little ones to our program.

One new thing that is happening here, and it's exciting to think what God is going to be doing with it. It's about what's happening with the young people of Sou Boy. Sou Boy is the little village at the foot of our hill. Up until now they haven't been the most friendly - after all some of them are squatting on our land. But a bunch of the young people got it into their heads that they want an education, and they want to learn vocational skills, so they've had a few meetings with S. Gladys (about 150 people one time). We're looking into starting classes for: Spanish, English, mechanics, construction, plumbing, art, secretarial skills, typing, computer, etc etc (who wants to come teach???) We have this abandoned building in the middle of a field that used to be used for a school, but is in bad shape. S. Gladys told them we can use that but it's their responsible to get it ready. So the last few days I've been watching from a distance as about 10-30 young men (many between 18-22 yrs) are working there - chopping, sweeping the roof, burning brushes, etc. Tomorrow they're starting on the soccer field. It does my heart good to see their energy and passion to learn something practical. Not just that, but sunday a bunch of them came to church, and I saw a passion in some of them that was awesome to see. It's even challenging the kids here. Please pray for all this. We don't know how or who is going to be doing all this but the need and passion is there, and it's a start to changing Haiti - one person at a time.

Sister Gladys is also leaving this week, and that means a few more responsibilities may befall me, esp. with all the people here. (Pastor Henri went to the States for a couple months - we miss him) Life continues to be interesting here. Thankfully she'll be back before I leave on the 19th for a much anticipated 3 wk. vacation with my family in Costa Rica. I haven't left the country since April, and I feel the need for a break. (don't get me wrong, I love the work here and it's going good!)

Ok, it's getting late, there's a lot of people around and I can't remember all the things I wanted to say, so I better go before I just ramble on.

Thanks for your prayerful support for me here!!!
Elsie

p.s.
please continue praying for a Medika Mamba vehicle - we've got more than a quarter of the funds that we expect we'll need, raised already. We went to look at a vehicle the other day - exactly what we need, but I think it's too nice. Funny how that's an issue, right? But considering we're serving the malnourished, poor, we don't want one that screams "rich". So pray we'll find the right one. And if God lays it on your heart to help financially too, well... you know :)

Check out Bobi's

Since tonight is not a good night for me to be online, may I just direct you to my friend Bobi's site? I know she's writing about many of the things that we've been doing and things happening here lately. By tomorrow night I'm sure it'll be updated. And you'll hear from me next time!

God bless!!!

All in a day's work

Hello, hello

I just realized there's been no blog entry in this whole year. Sorry! I'm still here though, and we're busy as ever.

This week we have an American team of 10 people here, so when they asked if I needed anything done at the clinic, I came up with quite a list. They are a team of hard working people, and our clinic looks much better. They painted the inside of one building and the next day we moved our whole pharmacy in there while they painted all the shelves in the pharmacy. Wow! Does it ever look much better! We continued seeing patients, but it was in slower motion. Thankfully the two days weren't busy ones and now we're almost back to normal. Doors and tables, file cabinets and chairs got their rust spots covered as well. Tin roofs won't flap anymore and my stand table is back on 4 wheels instead of 3. We've also been enjoying seeing the foundation of the new clinic get started and reinforced. Yea! And today we saw two guys (guards) moving in down there. That'll be needed especially once construction gets more under way. This team is leaving on Sat, and another one arriving the same day. That is happening each Sat. for the rest of this month. A lot of projects are to be finally finished, including a dorm for the young boys. And hopefully P. Henri's house will be closer to done.

Oh and these aren't the only visitors this year! My pastor from Canada, as well as S. Gladys and P. Henri's pastor, came for like two days. The special occasion??? Sister Gladys and Pastor got married last Saturday!!! This came in a very busy time for them, since a pastor that they work with very closely died last week and the funeral (that S. Gladys had to officiate) was the day after their wedding.

I continue seeing lots of people with malaria and typhoid. That seems to be almost the most common problems, and honestly, the easiest to diagnose. Then we have days (like today) when I don't know what to do for almost any of them - one lady got bit by a dog 1 1/2 months ago and now says is getting leg cramps from it; a belly that for about 2 years gets big and small whenever and is painful; a guy with problems; someone needing a prescription refill for antibiotics the way I never heard of them used and totally wrong in my knowledge; a 10 year old with an x-ray showing a lung full of fluids (probably has Tuberculosis). The last has me asking why some things hit certain people in a tidal wave. This family (Pierre family) is the one that has the 2 yr old Maikel that is in our malnutrition program, who came with a belly bigger than I knew could be possible (pictures in blogs past) and who also has two leaking heart valves. Last week the mother died giving birth to the 8th child (the oldest is 16). Now they have a newborn with no milk as well. Earlier this week the dad brought a 6 year old with a fever of almost 104; Now this girl, whom I sent to a hospital. And the mother's funeral is on Friday.

The malnutrition program is still going good. It seems every week we admit more children to the program - especially in Arcahaia. The problem we have is getting there. We never know if there'll be a vehicle to go with . It's about 45 minutes from here and public transportation is just not a real option for us, since we have to haul about 100 kg of Mamba, as well as scales, measuring board, water, and other supplies, plus change tap taps at least once. We see the need for a Medika Mamba vehicle as essential for the ongoing of the program. There are so many towns and village we could reach if we had transportation. Without it, we can't go there. There are some desperate women that will walk 3-5 hours for it. How many need it that can't come?
So if you are able and want to help us, we would be so appreciative. Enough small amounts would make it possible! Chris Hlavacek is collecting the money and you can either send it to him by mail (cheque or cash) or go to his Canaan website and pay it online. http://www.canaanorphanage.org/ All of it is tax deductible. Just let him know it's for the vehicle fund, since he's also the one that receives the money for the actual Mamba. Any questions, feel free to ask me.

And now, may God bless you, be in you, and flow out through you!
Elsie Kornelsen