Rural Clinic Day

What a blessing and privilege to be a part of this! We drove about a 1/2 hour out of Dessalines, further into the rural countryside. We're sure these people don't leave their village very often. As Greg would say, "Haiti is more African than Africa is!" Mud huts, donkeys - the beasts of burden, naked little kids, goats, women with immense loads on their heads, -- you can just picture it, can't you? 

We ended up at a small clinic building that stood next to a church. We set up our clinic and worked six or more hours in the heat (of course), seeing 180+ people (close to 600 prescriptions), dispensing meds for malaria, worms, infections, blood pressure, headaches, - you name it. We (G&C) loaded up the meds into little baggies and handed them to the nurse and her translator. The doctors saw the patients and sent them to us with the prescriptions. Our pediatrician, Dr. J, said we did no overloading of antibiotics since these people don't ever get antibiotics. They should be cured - for 6 months anyway! (Ellie and Anna - just like El Pariso, except no ear cleaning)

All day, we had children hanging over the wall, watching us. At the end of the day, we gave each of them a Flintstone's vitamin and then some Creole songs started coming back to me (Chris). That was so much fun, singing and playing games. We even got them into Hokey Pokey. Such a blessing songs are! They break all cultural barriers.

Another team has arrived tonight, bringing the number at the compound to around 18 people. We are finding our tasks are all about support - making sure the stuff is running (see Greg in the last picture fixing the car that they used to push to start. It just needed the battery terminals cleaned.) and helping the doctor and his wife make sure the teams are happy and fed. We have enjoyed an evening on our own in our own place, Skyping with our kids and listening to the loud music and loud conversations outside our compound. The garbage getting burned isn't too fun. Sometime soon we'll share about how there's no electricity in the town. We have it, though! Like we said. Another day. Another story.

We are blessed by Haiti and burdened for it.

Chris and Christie getting the pharmacy ready. Children hovered by the wall all day.

Lunch Break - the patients just had to wait until we were finished

Greg, fixing the Montero - it doesn't need to be pushed to start anymore.