Jacmel Day 2

Today, like most other days here in Haiti, takes on a life of its own. We lay out a goal and things just don’t seem to go as planned.

Today’s goals were to get Dr. Belsabeth settled into the clinic at Caye Jacmel and go to the nutrition area we have been supplying with food. Those two things for the morning were both well within reason.

I knew it would be a good day because it started off with quiet time. That has been at a premium lately. This morning I had about thirty minutes of it. Then for breakfast the American woman, Michelle, who is hosting us, made pancakes. If you know me you know I really enjoy pancakes. There is no place in the DR to get good pancakes, although obviously in Haiti there is and by the grace of God I found it this morn. After breakfast we piled into the truck to bring Dr. Belsabeth to the clinic.

The clinic has changed dramatically since my first trip here. The stages of the clinic have been rapid and varied. The first time GO was here the doctors were doing lots of operations fast and furiously and were under supplied. The doctors were very much over worked and doing the best they could. There were people waiting in line for emergency operations. Outside of the surgery line there was not much assistance. Now there is a general clinic going on, doctors have things they need for surgery like anesthesia and x-rays and the line is not urgent. Surgeries are not casual but much, much more organized and methodical.

Today at the clinic there were no people screaming in agony, no one bleeding uncontrollably, and doctors and patients alike were being fed. There are tents up in an area to examine each person arriving, and a place for family to be waiting for the patients. Dr. Philip, the head doctor, actually had time to breath and arrived to the clinic after 9am. That is incredible considering that he was performing surgery nearly 20 hours each day for four weeks right after the earthquake.

Our GO doctor got settled in at the clinic today and will be assisting in the general practice and surgical units of the clinic. She is a new comer to GO having just started with us in January. The idea we had was for her to get a little experience assisting Dr. Vladimir at our clinic in Santiago and then send her back to Haiti to serve her country and our God. One step was obviously missed in that process and she went to work directly in her country. She is a good example of GO partnering with nationals to lead their country. There are not many Haitian doctors and even fewer female doctors but Dr. Belsabeth has stepped up to the plate in a big way to come to Jacmel for one month.

Our next goal was to simply drop off Dennis at the airport, as he is a pilot, and set him free for the day to fly to Santiago and return with more supplies for us to distribute. I did not even have it as an original goal because dropping someone off should be pretty easy. He had some challenges leaving and was delayed but eventually got off the ground. During this time we met some others trying to organize just as we are, for the long term, for Jacmel and how to serve the people as it says in the good book, “if anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him how can the love of God be in him?” Simply put: Love your neighbor.

These people are from Calvary Chapel in Ft. Lauderdale and are planning a long term response to the tragedy in Jacmel. Right now we are all on the same page and very appreciative of the efforts they are putting forth on behalf of this city.

After the airport we stopped in at Hands and Feet Project for a lunch of grilled cheese. Yes, it took us that long to accomplish those two things. Lunch was super. Part of lunch was also pretty good rice. I have to admit something too. I really enjoy iced tea without sugar. Here at Hands and Feet they have sweet tea. I am not sure, but someone here at Hands and Feet is from the south and is making this sweet tea. I have become an addict. I hope whoever is making the tea is not reading this blog because they will know it is me gulping down all of their sweet tea.

After lunch we all jumped in the pick up truck to go to Cody and Maria’s place so we could see in action the tools GO purchased and was able to get flown into Jacmel. It was great to see this project because a few weeks ago I was here and brought food, a week ago Cody gave this family tents obtained through GO and now there are tools from GO being used to build them a house. The family is elated for how they have been treated by these “rookie missionaries”. Cody and Maria from Global Outreach Missions were only in Jacmel for two weeks prior to the earthquake. Their plan had been to learn the language and immerse themselves in the culture. Instead they are serving food and building houses for people sharing the love of God in material and non-material ways. Every day is a step of faith for them as they have been thrust into the limelight.

While at the work sight someone brought us a baby who seemed a little sickly. There happened to be a doctor working with Cody and Maria building this house and he urged us to take the baby to a hospital to be treated for severe dehydration. We jumped into the truck with the mom of the baby and headed off. We stopped at Hands and Feet Project again to get some clean clothes for the baby and clean him up as he was dirty. As we bathed the little guy I was appalled at the fungus growing on the body of the baby. It was clear the baby was not being cared for by mom or anyone else.

Michelle from Hands and Feet called their orphanages pediatrician and he agreed to see the baby right away. We went to his house. He diagnosed the baby as a premature baby who was severely malnourished. He urged us to take the little baby boy named Mackinson, to St Michelle’s hospital in downtown Jacmel.

As I sat on the porch of the doctor’s house and prayed for the little guy. I was watching the doctor examine him. Yes, the doctor checked out the baby right on the front porch. I looked at the group of people assembled there for this little guy. We had come from different cities to assist little Mackinson: St Mark, Haiti; Nashville, TN; Evansville,IN; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Jacmel, Haiti and Bayville, NY. Certainly God has something in store for this little guy.

We took some clothes and formula and bottles for Mackinson as we headed for the hospital. The mom was very non-interactive the entire time with us or the baby.

Knowing the hospital system here we stopped and picked up medicine at a pharmacy on the way. There was a good chance the hospital would not have medicine or other supplies available. On the way to the hospital we tried to figure out when the baby was born. The mom gave us a date very close to the day of the earthquake (Jan12) but she said “I don’t recall”. We asked her how old she was and she did not know that either. It is amazing for me to comprehend this but in this culture it is not really a vital part of their being. Mackinson was born at home so there was no hospital involved to record anything.

Mackinson is surely premature. We figure that he was about 6 weeks of age and a whopping 4.1 pounds with diaper and clothes. That would put little Mackinson to weigh in at less than four pounds and he is living outside in the dirt and dust of Haiti. In the USA he would be in an incubator.

As it turns out, the doctors believe that Mackinson is going to make it. They estimate that he will need at least a week in the hospital receiving special formula and special attention.

We headed back to the H & F project just in time to see the kids in the program eating dinner. After seeing Mackinson who was skin and bones I was even more pleased to see these kids getting three square meals a day.

Thanks to our hosts Hands and Feet Project and Global Outreach Mission. Please visit their web pages to see how they are going to help Haiti. www.gohelphaiti.org