(First, allow me to apologize. I am not a blogger or a writer, and never plan to claim to be a good at this).
Wow, I can’t believe how much I’ve learned and witnessed during my short time here. I have been sincerely blown away by Haiti Health Ministries (HHM) and the services it provides to this community. The long term missionaries here are saints. They work selflessly and diligently. Devotions and worship begins every morning at 8 am. The waiting room is filled with atleast 200 souls, all praying they’ll be seen. I’ve seen people lined up at the gates as early as 6 am when I leave for my morning hike. They are triaged by need and by appointment. They patiently wait, sometimes all day, to be seen. The less acute, or those that come too late, come back the following day. I have yet to hear one person complain, even after waiting 8 long hours in the heat. (Compare that to those who are outraged when you’re running 20 minutes behind in the states).
Obtaining a history is challenging through an interpreter but still, along with physical exam, are the most valuable sources of information I have to go by. We are fortunate here to have some lab and xray available when needed. Dr Jim, the founder of HHM, is also extremely handy with the ultrasound which has also been a blessing. Some pay what they can, some don’t have anything. They all get seen and cared for.
I’ve been lucky enough to find a few women that enjoy hiking in the morning. It’s been my time for self-reflection and I’ve been able to witness the true beauty this country has to offer. We are located out in the countryside, lots of green hills and pastures. The roads are gravel and uneven and you often have to dodge motorcycles. Dozens of men and women travel up and down these hills balancing goods on their heads or if they’re lucky, by Mule. They spend all day set up at a market in hopes of making money then lug everything not sold back home several miles. I just finished a nice 4 miles up with another missionary living down the road. It’s incredible how many people make a life here, some for 6 months, some for years. All serving a different purpose, medical, teaching, building, setting up orphanages etc. Some with young families, raising their own kids here in Haiti.
More later, it’s too beautiful out to be stuck inside.