Saint Marc

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to a town called St. Marc in central Haiti. I went to go and visit two women running an orphanage who have been in Haiti since the earthquake. My time was amazing!! I ended up only staying one night cause God told me I needed to return to Port Au Prince, which I am so glad I did!!! The best part about being in st Marc was spending time with the 3 kids. Josiah, Levenson and Carmilling (spelling?). Josiah is a precious little boy who is 12 months old and only weighs 6 lbs. It's a pure miracle that he is even alive and he's doing so good. Eating well and responsive. He's so adorable. Levenson is another precious boy, about 14 years old. Last time I was in Haiti Levenson was my buddy. When we got to the house, we knocked on the door and I heard him yell, "Christina, Christina!!" Made my heart stop. I love that kid. He then proceeded to show me around everywhere and was talking non-stop with a continuous smile on his dimpled face. Carmilling was recently dropped off at the house. She was living at an orphanage in Port Au Prince since she was a baby. The orphanage was destroyed in the earthquake, not clear on what happened to the other kids.

The next day I ended up leaving, broke my heart to say good-bye to them. But I am planning on visiting again. Oh and I rode on public transportation...what an experience!!! Rode on a motorcycle, then a school bus crammed like sardines, and then a taxi to the base I am currently at. It was an adrenaline rush the entire time...and I will never be a backseat driver again! Thank God for the amazing men of God that traveled with me...they will forever be my brothers and bodyguards!!!

Texan team

=I have met so many fabulous people in Port au Prince. The first group of people I met was a hilarious group from Texas. They were a medical team of some of the most fabulous doctors, nurses and "pharmacists" that I have ever met. To be honest when I first got to Mision Rescate I didn't know what to think of these crazy Texans! They say things funny and speak their mind...but they quickly won me over.

We had clinic everyday with about 100-120 patients. The head doctor was a Godly man with a heart for people. Everyday we would start with prayer and pray throughout with patients. Most of the patients had illnesses due to heat exhaustion or poor sanitation. A frequent occurance was babies with high temperatures and dehydration. I soon became the "baby helper." Not sure how I got designated as that but I loved it. Whenever there would be a sick baby I would hear "Christina we got another one." So I would prance over, pick up the child, rehydrate them and pray a miracle in their life. Who wouldn't like this job?

We saw a couple of the babies who had lost their mothers in the earthquake. One was about 8 lbs and 6 months old! The babies father was trying his best to take care of him but he just wasn't able to do it on his own. He was only 15 days old when his mother died...just breaks my heart! At first he wasn't able to even suck on a bottle and was vomiting everything up. I started praying for him and he soon started taking the formula...praise God!! When he came back the next day he was like a brand new baby, still little but hydrated and full of life. Please pray for these little ones. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14.

More blogs to come

Sorry I have not had many blogs lately. The main problem has been I haven't known what to write because so much is happening. However, I decided that I am going to just share some of the things that have happened in the past week and stories of people I have met. I am so glad to be here. The second reason for not writing any blogs has been that since I have been in Haiti my blog was in French and I didn't know how to change it. But I just fixed that. So starting today I am going to put up blogs as frequently as possible. One of the main reasons for this blog is to connect you all with the people I have met and for you to pray for them and this country! Today marks the 6 month anniversary of the earthquake. Please pray for restoration and for healing in this place! Many stories to come!!! Love you all!!

Thank God for delays

The last 24hrs have been so rediculous but in an amazing way. I laugh everytime I think about it. First, my flight was delayed from Miami to Port au Prince. We kept waiting and waiting and even changed planes. Finally after a couple hours there was hope. We boarded the plane, buckled up and were ready....then the announcement came. "I am sorry to tell you this but an overheating light has come on and we are not able to fly this plane. So you will need to get off the plane." For real, could this day get any better? Well it actually got better despite my irritated attitude. I should tell you that I happened to sit next to this rad girl named Jessica, who lives in northern Haiti and works for a food distribution organization. We soon became buddies and we continued to wait for our plane to get fixed. Well after hours of continued waiting we finally decided that our plane was not going to be leaving anytime soon. So we (Jessica and I) went and asked the airlines if they would switch our flight...and that we did!! The best part was that we got our hotel and food paid for. I was able to get the rest I needed that I didn't even know I needed. I came to realize that delays aren't always such a bad thing and sometimes some really good things can come from them...like pillow top beds or new friends (thanks Jessica). And now I am back in Haiti and well rested!

P.S. As we were leaving today for take off water started spilling out of the wall. Like a waterfall. But it was just a leak from a fridge. So funny! We were able to leave...hallelujah!

Merci (Thank you)

Thank you. Two simple words that I definitely don't say enough. So I am going to say it now. Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey. Words cannot express how grateful I am. A special thanks to my family for helping me out with so so much and just loving me! I would also like to say thanks to those at Capital Medical Center for the wonderful last year and cheering me on as I take this next adventure. And of course, thanks to my church family at Living Water, especially 242,for being so supportive and getting together supplies. I love you all and will miss you!!!

Merci

My First Blog!!!

This is my first blog ever! My hope it to use it so I can stay connected with those back home with me in Haiti. I am not the most technologically savvy person so I hope this blog is successful. :) The true test will be in a few days when I am in Haiti. So excited but admittedly nervous. God has big plans for restoration in Haiti and I am excited to be a small part of it. I may not always have Internet access but whenever I do I will keep you updated.