Reflections of Haiti

It’s Thursday and we are flying home.  It’s a happy sad time….happy to be heading home to my family and home but sad to be saying goodbye to our Haiti Arise family.  Going into this adventure I did not know what to expect, however, the experience has far exceeded anything I could have imagined.  It’s hard to believe it was only 11 days ago that Mike and I joined up with the rest of the team at the Miami airport.  Sitting down to dinner with everyone that evening the faces and names were a blur but now I call each one a friend, a friend that I share a unique and special bond with.  Before this trip I could count on one hand the things I knew about Haiti; poorest country in the world, the earthquake and the corruption.  Today I know so much more; Haitians are incredibly strong, the children have amazing eyes, they love Jesus, they worship with more zest than anything I have ever witnessed, mangos are delicious and super juicy, they drive like maniacs and when they drive they use all the lights the vehicle has, you have not seen a pothole until you’ve seen a Haitian pothole, and Haitians sing beautifully.

Sharon assured me I would be a viable resource to the team but I was unsure what I had to offer in skills and knowledge as it was a medical team and I have no medical background.  Coming home today I feel a great sense of satisfaction for what I was able to contribute and am so grateful to Sharon and all members of the team for their guidance and support.  The records room made sense to me; it was essentially file management which I have similar experience with and I enjoyed my first two days working with the records.   But my next role, being the first to interact with each patient by taking their weight and blood pressure, was where I really felt challenged to grow.  I was their first impression each Haitian had of the clinic and it was important to me that I make it a positive one.  How wonderful the reaction was when I would pause to look them in the eyes and sincerely say “Bonjour Mademoiselle”.  Their eyes would light up and they would greet me similarly in return.  It was super cool to learn how to use the blood pressure machine.  When taking the patients’ blood pressure I realized this was an ideal opportunity to connect with each individual by resting my hand on their arm.  It also felt right to close my eyes for a moment and pray for each person.    To take their weight I had to ask them to remove their shoes and wow, was I shocked to see the condition of some feet and shoes.  It was good to know I could write a note on their chart and it time allowed Lynnise would give foot care.  Wednesday morning Mike came to me and said, “if you see someone who could use my running shoes I would like to give them.”  Within an hour a man of about 75 years of age was into the clinic and his footwear was so old, worn out and obviously too large for him.  When he took off his shoes for the weight scale I could see how sore his feet looked.  I knew this was whom Mike’s shoes were meant for.  We learned that the gentleman lived in the mountains and walked barefoot.  The skin on his feet was peeling off.   The joy this he  expressed when Lynnise put Mike’s sock on his feet was like “over the top”!  How soft and glorious they must have felt.  The shoes fit him like perfectly and again, his joy was expressed in his eyes, his creole words spoken with such animation and his smile.  I also had the privilege of making recommendations of who we should “prescribe” chicken for.  And the children! oh what a delight from the newborn baby to those who were similar in age to my own son of 10.

The rest of my days were filled with awesome experiences.  Church Tuesday evening gave me an opportunity to share some of my story with the congregation and to witness worship through music and dance to a magnitude I never dreamed possible.  I expected the children to dance and jump, but to see the elderly come alive in praise was a sight that will warm my heart forever.    Rooftop team meetings were a time of connection and openness, I am grateful to have been a part of this special group.  Together we accomplished so much. 

My time in Haiti has left me with a valuable book of mental images, emotions and thoughts that I know I will be processing and growing through even though I am back in my “regular” world again.  My gratitude runs deep for this, thank you Sharon, fellow teammates and Haitians.  God Bless.  Teresa.