"Tents cover their heads, but the earth they live on constantly becomes mud from the rain. All the while, the people seem to carry on with what has become their "new normal"..."
- Atiyah Muhammad, team member
"And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations…"
- Isaiah 61:4
Our team of 12 ventured to the outskirts of Port-Au-Prince, assuming we were going to provide much-needed dental care with our expertise and skills. Instead, our dentists were faced with case after case of nearly impossible extractions… prompting us to pray as they worked for sometimes hours at a time on a single patient. We thought God would answer our prayers, but three times it was the moment when the patient himself began to pray with us that the tooth finally popped out!
Armed with nearly 40,000 donated vitamins and other medications, we thought we were prepared to bring medical relief to the tent communities, only to run out of medicine mid-week. Once again God turned our hearts to prayer, opening the door for Him to move miraculously.
We assumed God was going to use us to rebuild, heal, and break fear in the lives of the Haitian people… but not only did He touch them, He broke fear in our own lives (of witnessing the bloody ordeal of teeth getting pulled, sharing the gospel openly, worshipping in public as people stared blankly, malaria, balloons…!)
When you go to Haiti (or any other missions trip for that matter), God will always do amazing things to reach the people. But rest assured He will do this one thing as well: He will prove that it’s not about you.
March
2011
Haiti March 2011:Day 8
It is Day 8 and our “On Call” missions team is on our way back to NYC. I was the only boy with 11 girls on the missions team, whom I’ll refer to as the 11 angels. These are my reflections: This trip hasn’t ended for our team, which is why I am continuing our blog for another day. Our team acknowledges that what we gained and learned in Haiti will continue to permeate and progress in our lives back at home. Whereever we choose…[read the rest]
March
2011
Haiti Team March 2011: Day 7
Nurses and Rx Files: Today, our last full day in Haiti, we were blessed to serve Jesus as we cared for His precious children in a nearby orphanage. While the nurses had individual consultations, other team members taught some songs to the children (apparently the ones that really stick, for we heard random voices singing “Higher, higher; higher higher higher…” throughout the day!), broke out the bubbles, coloring sheets, and yes, the ever popular balloon animals (well, ok, ONE dog,…[read the rest]
March
2011
Haiti 2011 Day 6
Nurse’s Corner/Rx files: God`s order reigned today! Even though we were running out of prescription medications and vitamins, God used this lack for His glory. Both this morning and afternoon all patients received what they needed including specific prayer. In fact, most received a double portion of prayer—from the consulting nurse and the pharmacist! When asked, “Do you want to pray?” all responded with glowing faces: “Mais, Oui” (But of course!). Even upon leaving, when they heard, “Bondye Benu” (God bless you), their faces lit up. The humility of…[read the rest]
March
2011
Haiti March 2011: Day 5
NURSE`S CORNER For the past few days of doing the medical clinics, I still wondered how there was ever going to be time to not only meet the patient`s physical needs but also their spiritual needs too. Although there were tons of kids and families to see, I decided that after speaking with each patient about their ailments and which medications would help, I would ask if they would like prayer. Initially I was worried this would mean I wouldn`t get to see as many patients. However, it turned out…[read the rest]
March
2011
Haiti March 2011: Day 4
Nurses’ Corner : Today God reminded me that He is the great physician. At the end of the clinic, a mother and her 3-month old child came for treatment saying, “My baby is sick.” Most times, honestly, the babies usually look fine and healthy; a few might look a bit tired. But this child could hardly open his eyes and it took me a few minutes to rouse him. I called over to the pharmacists, “Any children`s tylenol?” None left. I felt my anxiety rising. There…[read the rest]
March
2011
Haiti March 2011: Day 3
A white tent is a blur of activity with the dental, nursing and pharmacy teams working side by side to serve the multitude seeking help at Mega 4—a tent camp of 6,000 people. We see an older woman in her sixties as our first dental patient. Beautiful smile, a crown of gray and brown hair. After a tooth extraction, she starts bleeding profusely. The wound urgently requires a suture, but the heat of the day and sweaty hands in gloves make for slippery, slow work with needle and thread for the…[read the rest]
March
2011
Haiti March 2011: Day 2
Although this second day accidentally began at 3am (until about an hour later we finally realized it WASN`T 6am, and not the most appropriate time to be singing!), it also continued and ended in joyful worship to our Lord! Returning from church where we joined hundreds of locals under a huge tent, we changed into our onCall scrubs and headed out to the small tent city we visited yesterday, about 7 minutes from where we were staying. After heavy overnight rain, we wondered if today we would be helping them deal with the…[read the rest]
March
2011
Haiti March 2011: Day 1
The Arrival We began our preparations as a team with an assurance and challenge from the Lord to believe for the impossible: our work as a team of 12 people, including two dentists, two nurses and eight other members was not only to prepare for our medical and dental outreaches in Haiti, but to believe in a God who is big enough to speak the universe into exsistence, but tender enough to consider the needs of the sparrow. A black tower of 13 carefully packed…[read the rest]
