Sunday, birthday party, and HOME!!!

Well, looks like I have an awful lot of catching up to do on here! :-)

Here are some pictures from our last Sunday in Haiti, when the church was so full we had to sit on the rock pile out back!

The "vending machine" where the children (and adults!) could buy cookies, candy, etc during the service.

 

The church choir singng. They did a really good job--I enjoyed it!

 

Monday evening we had a joint birthday party for Leanna and Cherie! They sure enjoyed the chance to mush up their cupcakes, and the rest of us enjoyed the pink frozen yogurt! It was a lot of fun all around.

 

 

 

On Tuesday morning Jere went to spend some time helping in the clinic. He seemed to really enjoy the chance to do that! He watched for awhile, and helped take blood pressures and did a glucose check.



 

The crowd waiting outside the clinic, just across the fence from our house.

Taking a blood pressure.

 

Tuesday evening we spent some one-on-one time with Anita, and had supper together. It was nice to just be able to relax and enjoy visiting.

Jaron and Anita drawing pictures together.

Wednesday I had everything all packed up in good time, and got bored sitting around waiting to go! Rather a big change from the crazy day we had on Tuesday. . . I'll spare the details on that day! Around 3 pm we crowded into the "ambulance" and off we went! Steve drove us, and Anita and Virginia went along to get out to a class in Port. In Grafor (the closest little tiny burg, where the trail to the mission turns off the main trail) we met up with Rhonda, who was flying back to the States for a visit. She climbed into the ambulance and Jere, Leanna, and I drove her UTV down to Ti Guove. It almost felt like a date! :-) We arrived in Ti Guove just after dark, dropped off the UTV, and continued on in the ambulance to Leogone where we spent the night. The rest of the crew took off for their class/flight pretty early in the morning, and left us to rest, relax, and get bored! At about noon, Steve came back to get us. So, off we went again to the airport! First thing in the door, with hardly room to manuever, they put us through a security scan. Sigh. Then we got to the check-ins desk, and the lady kindly got us seats all together. Whew. Then off to our gate. Oh, another security check. Ok. Well, they pulled out our lovely conch shell we'd picked up at the beach, and said that wasn't allowed on a carry-on! So back Jere went to check in that bag as well. Meanwhile the children and I continued upstairs to the gate--surprise! ANOTHER security check point. Which they wouldn't let us through since Jere had all our boarding passes. So we stood in the tiny spot at the top of the stairs for what seemed like forever, while Jere was downstairs arguing that yes, the baby IS allowed a check-in, thank you! She had one when we came down, and we're checking this bag in her name. Finally they gave in and he came to free us. Then we sat and waited for awhile. We noticed they were calling to start boarding our plane, but between the intercom not being clear and the Creole used on it (I think at one point I may have heard some English, BUT the accent was so thick I couldn't be sure) we didn't realize when it was our turn. Finally a flustered airline employee came across the room and asked if we were flying to Ft. Lauderdale, and said our plane was waiting for us! Whoops! They'd been paging us as "Hedge". Well, that didn't help either.

The clouds were lovely over the ocean!

 

We knew once we got to Ft. Lauderdale we were going to have to hurry, as we had just an hour and 20 minute layover. Which was shortish, but from what others said we should make it just fine. We were quickly off the plane, and hurried down the narrow aisles with a crowd of others. Then we got to the passport check. There was a hugely LONG line waiting ahead of us. Lovely. Jere cheerfully pointed out that it was moving quickly, and he thought we should be OK. He was right, it did move fairly quickly, and I was starting to feel hopeful again. Once through that check, we went to pick up our baggage. The baggage claim room was overflowing with people and luggage. Ours had been pulled off for the most part already, and we had to hunt for it through piles of other suitcases, etc. But we found it all, piled it on the cart, and went to find the line to go through customs. And discovered it stretched all the way around the room! I took one look at that line and said "We'll never make it now." A kind lady let us use her cell phone to call our ride in Wisconsin, but Jere got chewed out for using a cell phone in that building. So we waited. And the children went a little crazy. And I watched the clock. If we could only do it in another 10 minutes, there still might be hope. Well, we were finally "Next!!" And then we got turned around and sent into the ag department of the customs area, as we'd been on or near a farm. Well, show me a place in Haiti that isn't farm, please! So we put our bags through yet another scanner, and were finally free to go. Feeling like for sure there's no hope, we ran. And couldn't figure out where the check-in counter was at first. Finally we figured out we were on the wrong floor, and went up the elevator. The ladies at the check-in counter saw us coming and started checking us in before we even got there. "5 of you? Hege? These your bags? They're holding the flight for you, but they can't wait much longer. RUN!" And run again we did. Till we got to the security check point. Only one lane was open, and the officers were slowly and deliberately going over things. We hurried up and waited. And waited. And waited. For close to 10 minutes. Then we scurried through as fast as we could, and left the other side at a run. Thankfully it was the closest gate, and we didn't have to go far. There was someone else who had been on our first flight right ahead of us, and they had to unlock the door to the skyway for them. It was a happy moment when the official turned around from seeing the other two through the door, saw us, and called back over his shoulder "Hang on! Here's some more!" Whoopee!! We made it!

That seemed like an awfully long flight. We were all exhausted. The boys slept, and Jere did some too, but Leanna was as wide awake as ever and needed to be continually entertained. When we landed the boys woke up crying. It was a hectic few minutes as their crying upset Leanna, and Jere was trying to get my phone reconnected so we could call his folks and let them know we DID make it. We met them just outside where the baggage claim was, and that was a welcome sight!

The rest of the trip was uneventful, thankfully. We got home at 3:45 am, and crashed into our nice, soft, welcoming beds. Yes, we're GLAD to be home! :-)

Clinic emergency

Well, we had another emergency come in after hours at the clinic today. I heard over the 2-way radios that there was a moto on its way with a girl coming to the clinic with blood on her leg. I was doing school with Jaron and didn't bother to go look when I heard the moto roar up shortly. I knew there were people back and forth in front of our house, but hardly paid attention. Then Jere called to me on the radio and said that I was to bring the camera to the clinic, so we took recess and ran over. I found a girl about 10 years old who was in a moto accident in the market (remember how I said that the motos just go roaring through reckless of life and limb, and you'd better be out of their way?) and had a leg with a compound fracture. They had it all splinted up with an open cast and Ace bandages when I got there, but had lost the pulse in her foot so had to go back and re-do the bandaging.

Checking out how the cast material was hardening.

Checking the pedal pulse.

Starting to re-bandage the leg.

She had to be taken out to a bigger hospital than the one even in Ti Guove, so Steve and Shana are taking her and picking up the new team while they're out. They'll be back late tonight, I'm guessing. Poor folks, we were planning a pizza party and now they'll miss out. . .

Busy li'l helpers. . .

 

Here is a picture of my helpers:

They LOVE to help with the laundry--which is good, because I end up doing a lot of laundry! I do enjoy it, and get to do most everyone's wash at one time or another, since the compound wash machine is in our house.

On Tuesday Jere was helping a road crew with fixing the road. He invited the rest of us to join him for a bit. Here's Leanna enjoying watching the men throw rocks (for fill) into the Bobcat UTV/dump truck.

The men loading rocks.

 

We spent a little time playing in the water while waiting for Jere to finish his load.

 

A couple of ladies making their way down the rutted road--possibly coming home from market?

 

I was fully intending to write this update much sooner. However we've had a very busy couple of days! Tuesday a lady came into the clinic in labor. Which wasn't a big surprise, seeing it's baby season here. After a long night of laboring (and though I wasn't helping I didn't sleep much, due to the fact that the clinic is just outside our window and she was doing a lot of yelling!) she finally had a healthy little girl at 7:40 Wednesday morning--her due date, no less! I did attend the actual birth, as there was some meconium staining and they were afraid we were going to have to do a resuscitation. But I did nothing but watch--thankfully!

 

Later Wednesday morning I was walking back from picking up Eliott from helping his daddy down at the re-built clinic, and saw a lady come in on a stretcher to the current clinic. And she looked pregnant! Sure enough. . . She was kind enough to calm her yells in the afternoon long enough for me to sleep a little, which was a good thing. Then in the evening as we were out for a little family walk Steve and the faithful Bobcat UTV /ambulance brought in yet another laboring lady! About supper time the two-way radio crackled to life with the news, that Mom #1 admitted to having had an ultrasound, with confirmed twins. So that meant a trip out to town for poor Steve, as the babies were in a bad position and there was totally no way they would come without a C-section. Mom #2 was the biggest screamer I've heard yet, going at it full volume most of the night. I did get a few hours of sleep as I was too tired to stay awake any longer, but around 2:30 I headed over to the clinic to help since I wasn't sleeping anyway. At 3:32 another healthy, screaming baby girl was born! After helping bathe and dress and care for Baby, I was able to head home again around 4:30. So, needless to say, today has been a little draggy feeling! And we're hoping that tonight, at least, we'll get a bit of a break. The Lord knows, though!

 

Our team left this morning, leaving it feeling quiet and a bit more barren of English around here again, till the next group arrives Saturday I believe. We actually leave Haiti a week from today, so plan to enjoy it as much as we can in these last few days. Seems like the time is just flying by! And oh my, I'm ready for a nap again already. . . .

 

Hurricane Sandy

There's a hurricane named Sandy heading toward Jamaica today. Jamaica isn't that far from us, just a bit west. The eastern edge of the storm is producing more turbulance than the western, so we're in for tropical storm style weather for a day or two here. Which makes life rather interesting. Steve's are on their way home with a team they just picked up at the airport this morning--praise the Lord the team made it safely, and PRAY that they will be able to make it up the mountain trail safely now! We've been getting quite a bit of rain and wind already, and that trail at best is treacherous when muddy and downright deadly should the rivers be up too high or mudslides either cover the trail from above or take a good piece of it down to the next valley below. Clinic was closed today, so it's rather a quiet one here besides the rain beating on the tin roof. Most of us are glad for the break in routine and a chance to just relax a little. So, hurray for the rain! :-)

Sunday

Well, we survived our first Sunday! :-) We walked to church in the morning, a nice little hike we took rather quickly and it left me puffing! I was glad to sit down on the hard, narrow, wooden bench. The ankle I broke a year ago still bothers me, especially when hiking on the trails here with their abundance of loose rock. I wear a brace which helps some, but I definitely still feel it. Church was somewhat crowded. Where we sat the roof kind of came down into a V with a gutter in between to drain the water. It was low enough I kept hitting my head when I stood up! There must have been water pooled in the gutter a bit, as some of the others were getting dripped on though it wasn't raining. Occasionally a lovely cool breeze came wafting through the building, which otherwise was rather hot, stuffy, and a bit, um, rich with smells. Everyone was dressed in their best finery. For some it meant what looked like cast offs from a previous team--long jumpers or cape dresses. For others it meant a thin T-shirt with bold logos, and a lacy, ruffled skirt. Most of the women wore some sort of scarf, bandana, or hat. A few of the men wore long sleeved, button up shirts, but most wore T-shirts and jeans. Almost no one had socks. The smaller children were in and out frequently, visiting the vendors sitting in the back with their big baskets or basins full of candy, cookies, and crackers for sale. The little boy sitting next to me couldn't get enough of running his fingers through Leanna's hair while she slept! We left a bit early, as my back wasn't handling the bench too well. Sigh. Then came the walk home. To find a man waiting who had fallen and gotten a cut on the back of his head. I helped Anita clean it up, then she sent him out to find someone to shave his head while we had lunch. Well, lunch wasn't quite ready by the time he got back, so we headed back to the clinic. Anita bandaged him, while I cleaned and re-bandaged "Leg Man #1"'s leg. Then we worked together to clean and bandage "Leg Man #2"'s abcess. Then we could go have our lunch! Till then everyone else was pretty much done. :-) I enjoyed feeling useful for once, though.

The rest of our Sunday afternoon was relaxing. We spent time talking, and resting. In the evening the single girls and our little family went up to Reinford's orphanage as is the custom Sunday evenings. We had an enjoyable time playing with the 11 children there, laughing, reading, visiting, and relaxing some more. Our boys enjoyed playing with some other English speaking children, as the children up there speak English quite well.

Now, Monday morning, it's back to the grind. Leanna decided she didn't want to nap despite being tired, so it's been a struggle to get her down all morning. She's finally sleeping, though. Jere's down in the shop working at the little Bobcat ATV/Gator thing that has a few issues, fixing the little boys' ball that had a run-in with the thorn bush, and other little projects here and there. But I should be going and get a few things done while Leanna sleeps! More later. . .

Our first excitements

We have been doing very well, settling into our temporary home and into more of a schedule than traveling allowed. The children have been adjusting quite well, and are sleeping/napping as normal. So that's nice for us! And there have been a few little excitements as well.

 

Wednesday the boys found a larger tarantula when their ball rolled down the hill into the garden area. Jere said it was the largest he'd ever seen, and I didn't bother to take time to go down and see it. But I did send the camera!

 

Yesterday we had a teenage boy come in for stitches. He's been hit by a flying rock on his head. It wasn't too bad a wound, and took about 4 stitches to close up. I got to watch and be the photographer. I won't post any pictures of that for those of you who don't like blood and guts. :-)

 

About the time Anita was finishing up the stitch job, a young lady (17 years old) came to the clinic, in labor. By bedtime she was progressing steadily, and we anticipated the baby coming through the night sometime. I put ear plugs in and went to sleep, telling Jere to let me know when they banged on the gate. Since we live the closest to clinic we would hear any disruptions first. About 2:30 am I woke suddenly and just lay there for a moment