Friday, May 3, 2019

Early Mourning

Beginning our day with worship at "Tent Church" we hear praises to God in Creole. Haitians walk through the church led in constant prayer by their pastor. They dance and are so animated! "you're alive, so dance!" a women said to us. A fellow goer who is from Haiti originally, translated for us.  So much joy so early in the mourning. We were encouraged to dance, clap, wave our arms to God along with the Haitians. Following this worship, our team took off for our second water-truck day, not knowing what today would bring.
God gives you difficult circumstances so that you lean into him.
Upon arrival at the first water-truck stop today, it was apparent the desperation and need for love and a healing hand was much greater than our stops on the first water-truck day. In one instance, a team member was handed an infant who was clearly needing urgent medical care. The infant was brought to the Hope Clinic for care. Medical care is accessible for Haitians to receive and at a reasonable cost at the Hope clinic, but they rely strictly on donations.
The second water-truck stop, showed us another emergency medical situation upon arrival, before any water was dispersed. A boy, eight, had a gruesome accident where his leg was deeply wounded. He was quickly whisked to Hope clinic. In the emergency room, his wounds were cleaned and re-bandaged. His pain was so great he was screaming.  He needed a shot of antibiotics and pain relief.  Most likely never having received a vaccine or shot, the boy was terrified. His mother arrived and doctors explained that he needed more intensive care at the hospital. We prayed over him for healing, peace and comfort.
Lastly, our team visited the Home for the Sick and Dying. Several children needed to be fed. Many were in recovery but many were also still very malnourished and sick. More help is always needed here. We pray that they recover.
Among all the tragedy, we were grateful for the joys that most all children have in common across cultures. Our heart breaks for what breaks God's heart in this imperfect world.
If you feel called you may donate for supplies at the clinic at the following link:
https://healinghaiti.reachapp.co/donations/new  Simply select medical care in the "preferred purpose" section. Any amount will greatly impact many lives.
In His name,
Aly and Caitlin