Two wonderful things: we had pizza for dinner last night! and we got the afternoon off today! So nice to have some time to breathe before we are off to the next place tomorrow. Things have really settled down at the CTC… lots of patients still, but less chaos. We considered changing our plans and staying here an extra week, but have decided to leave as planned. We are excited for the new and adventure and for Paula’s friend, Grace, to join us. But once again, I am also a little bit nervous. No longer sick though! Yay :)
I wanted to write about some pretty neat observations and lessons from the cholera clinic. I feel like God has taught me a lot through the Haitian people as I have been caring for them. One of them being that I am often wrong… I was convicted of my know-it-all stereotypes as I watched amazing dad’s take such great care of their sick children. And while I do think that it is a very common thing for Haitian fathers to be absent and/or disengaged, it made those moments all the more sweet to witness. Some of these parents are just awesome! I was also blown away everyday by how well the families took care of each other. Sometimes family members would rotate being at the bedside (well, on the cot with the patient) and sometimes it would be one person for the whole stay. But almost every patient had someone who would empty their buckets, bring them meals, walk them to the showers, etc. The families did everything for the person who was sick, and did it with such care and concern. It was incredible… and beautiful. They trusted us to treat what was wrong with them, trusted that we knew what we were doing. You know, the two weeks here were long, the work was hard and so not glamorous, but we really did have a lot of fun… our medical team members were great, the Haitian staff at the clinic were a joy to work with, we had so many funny conversations with our lovely translators, the chaplains covered us with love and prayer everyday, and the patients always made me smile. I’m really glad we were able to experience all this.
God is so good. On each leg of this trip so far, he has given bits of clarity to me. Just a little bit at a time, but I trust him to show me just exactly what I am to know and learn, exactly when I am to know and learn it. In this time with Samaritan’s Purse, God has constantly revealed to me how necessary it is to depend on him, and just how worthy he is to be trusted. When you trust him, when you surrender… he shows up.
Tomorrow we head to the Dominican Republic… never been there and we’re not sure what exactly we’ll be doing. Looking forward to learning more about the ministry we are visiting though. Pray for us as we embark on our last week on this lovely island! We want to finish strong, becoming more and more of who God wants us to be, and learning lots about love and life. I love you all, thank you again for your support and prayers! When I read your words of encouragement or the prayers that you’ve shared with me, it does my heart good. As much as I love being here, I get a lot of joy out of hearing updates from home. Thank you, thank you.
