Sam's reflections

I arrived in Haiti one week ago unsure of what to expect but certain that God was going to do a work in and through me. Haiti is a mouth shaped island nation surrounded by the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean on one side and soaring mountains on the other. Over and over I was amazed by the beauty of the country. My team was met at the airport by our partner organization Samaritan's Purse(SP) and we traveled to there main compound in Titanyen Haiti. SP has been in Haiti since day's after the earthquake and has plans to stay for the long term. They are currently operating feeding programs, shelter programs, rubble removal programs, water and sanitation programs and medical clinics with the hope of changing the future of Haiti by using these programs to provide opportunities to share the “Good News” of Jesus Christ with the people of Haiti. All of the SP staff and volunteers have witnessed God on the move in Haiti. Out of the devastation of the earthquake hearts are open to the gospel and record numbers of Haitian's are turning to Christ.
Our team was split in two half of us went to the Citi Soleil clinic that I spoke much about prior to the trip and half of us went out on the first ever mobile team. I was assigned to work in the pharmacy and I volunteered to go on the mobile team. Each day our mobile team would pack two buckets full of meds, supplies, chairs, tables, ensure and water and travel to a different community north of Titanyen. We traveled to three churches, one shelter community and an orphanage. Our team consisted of 3 docs, 3 triage folks, 2 pharmacy workers, 7 interpreters and 1 driver.
Day 1 we traveled to Williamson a town near the sea that had little to know water. This day was challenging because SP had never done a mobile clinic before and things were so different from the way my mobile clinics have run in the past. I was uncertain of what I was doing. Not knowing how to mix meds that I had never used before, calculating how much meds to give, etc. At the end of the day, I was frustrated, hot and tired and knowing that it would be a long week if I didn't do something about it. So after making sure supplies were ready for the next day I spent time praying and asking God to change my heart.
Day 2 started with devotions (we had these every morning). This morning Dr. Brian (one of the Docs on my team) gave the message on Philippians 2 and talked about how he had the gift of surrounding himself with people he didn't deserve . As I sat and listened I realized I had no reason to be frustrated or upset because I to was surrounded by people I didn't deserve. That day went better than the previous day but I gave the wrong medicines to two patients. This really upset me because I had gone to Haiti to help the people and now I may have been doing them more harm. I confessed my errors to the team and received such amazing love and encouragement to trust that God would work it for His good.
Day 3 we went to a shelter community that SP had established just a few minutes up the road from our compound. This day we had to set up two tents in which to work under. The morning went well and we saw many patients but after school got out and we had lunch order was lost and the day deteriorated fast. People were everywhere and it was difficult to work and continue to show God's love when you barely had room to move or think.

Day 4 Pastor Bilda's church. Pastor Bilda is the head of evangelical churches in Haiti whose life was changed by missionaries who shared the love of Christ with him as a child. This day was such a contrast to the previous day. Everything was organized and there were many church members to help us. This day I saw my first ever starving child. He was a 4 month old who was basically skin and bones his 21 year old mom had brought him to the clinic. She told the triage nurses that she had been involved in an accident around the time of the earthquake and was unable to nurse so her milk never came in and she couldn't afford formula so she had been giving the child candy. The mom went on to say that the baby was a curse and had brought her nothing but problems. Our team and the church members rallied around her to pray, encourage and help her. We tried to give the baby ensure that we had brought with us but the bottle the mom has bought had a huge hole in the nipple and liquid would flood the baby's mouth and he would choke. One of my team members went to the store and bought them formula and new bottles. While she was doing this the Haitian doctor on our team had ordered IV fluids for the child. They brought the scripts to me in the pharmacy and I struggled to find out whether I was to give them or if the baby needed to go to a hospital to have it done. The Haitian's explained to me that you could purchase the supplies at a pharmacy and have a nurse come to the house and administer them. I ended up giving them the supplies but after they unsuccessfully attempted to arrange for the nurse from the church to do it they returned to me asking if I would try. So here I am in Haiti trying to start an IV on a 4 month old severely dehydrated baby. All I could think was I am not adequate for this task and I began praying for help because I knew I couldn't do it by myself. After three unsuccessful attempts I gave up and moved on to trying to get the baby rehydrated by mouth first. We opened the new bottles we had purchased, filled it with oral dehydration salts and attempted to have the baby drink. Again it didn't work now the hole was to small and the baby would suck and suck and nothing would happen. Finally, the idea to syringe feed the baby came to me and that is what we did. The Haitian student nurses and I showed the mom how, let her do it and left her with instructions to do a syringe full every 3-5 minutes. I didn't want the mom to feel shamed because we were all so worried and questioning her so I stopped and prayed for her asking God to help her and to help this baby. I had done all I could do and had to leave the rest in God's hands.
Day 5 We went to an orphanage in Titanyen. The compound had one small building and many Coleman tents. It was difficult to get the number but I think there were between 10-15 true orphans there. The head man Emmanuel asked us to pray for him to find a way to support the orphanage because he had no job. We set up our clinic under the trees and then the rain came. This is the first daytime rain we had while on the trip so we braved the elements saw the children and the neighbors and called it a day.
It is ironic I thought that I was going to Haiti to help the earthquake victims directly but I never got to see the destruction caused by the earthquake only the aftermath as scared, broken people try to pick up there lives and move on. Every person in Haiti was affected in some way by this tragedy and there lives will forever be changed by it. The hope for Haiti is that God is able to use all things to accomplish his purposes and He is doing this in Haiti.

As for me, I am so incredibly grateful for having the opportunity to go and be a part of and witness first hand what God is doing in Haiti. I am humbled by the love, encouragement and praise I received from my team members and the other people working for SP. I truly was surrounded by people I didn't deserve and who I can't thank enough for being the hands and feet of Jesus to me. I learned that God's grace is sufficient, He is all I need and that it's not about what I do but about who I am in Christ.
-Sam Brogan

Left Undone

Coming home is Bitter Sweet. It's great to see my family, to hug my husband, and to kiss and hold my children. But, at the same time there is so much left undone in Haiti. Part of my heart is still there. It was the first time I ever held a baby who was starving to death. Then prayed and cried with the mother, who couldn't breast feed her baby because she got hurt in the earthquake. Therefore her 4 month old was starving. She had no money for formula. Stavation is so real.. a real reality that I can no longer ignore. After I saw him, I went out and bought a bottle and formula, only to later find out his body was too wasted away at this point to handle food. He neeeded IVF first and slowly regain stregnth. My world was crushed.. No one knew of a hospital where he could go. So, I laid in bed that night and prayed for a miracle. The next day brought a new ray of hope and light. Dr. Kara found a place that could take him, a hospital that would feed him IVF. A miracle was happening before my eyes. I was a part of something bigger than myself. Lord please be with the 4 month old baby.


Sophie Fowler

Home

Well, we are home safe and sound from Haiti!  Saturday was a long day of travel, leaving the compound around 9am, a 6 hour layover in Miami, and arriving in Charleston (with all luggage!) just after 11pm.  We are all still reflecting on our journey and the people we encountered- each of us will come away with something different.  Certainly God is using the missionaries at Samaritan's Purse to show the people of Haiti His love and bring them peace.  Thanks to all for your support and prayers!

A Day in the Life...

A typical day in Titanyen, Haiti for the medical teams from Seacoast Church:

5:15isham- Sunrise
5:30am wake up, get dressed
6:00am- coffee
6:30am- breakfast with the rest of the compound (usually scrambled or hard-boiled eggs, bananas, cereal)
7:00am- devotions with the rest of the compound
7:30am- load up and leave for clinics
8:00ish am- clinics start, patients triaged
Noon- break for a PB&J lunch
12:30pm- back to seeing patients
3:00pm- see last few patients, wrap things up
3:30pm- have to leave for compound- days end relatively early because some of the translators and the clinic coordinator have to travel up to 2 hours to get home, too dangerous to be traveling in the dark
4:00pm- get back to compound, unload coolers and other equipment, relax, reflect, regroup, shower (some pool time)
5:30pm- dinner with the rest of the compound
7:00pm- some sort of meeting- either group devotions or an orientation, daily review
7:30pm- pill-packing for the mobile clinic the next day
8:30pm- usually dark outside, time to prepare for bed, wind down, socialize with team and Samaritan's Purse workers
bed time variable!

-Kim Sudheimer

Sigh of contentment

Did that just happen?  It's hard to believe we finished our five days in clinic already.  Then again, when we think about getting on the plane in Charleston it seems so long ago.  Strange games the mind plays when our hearts become so wrapped up in a project.

Our team has had an amazing week.  The team that served at Cite Soleil (Ann Marie Rader, Mary Jean Vogt, Ki m Sudheimer, Carrie Fabel, Sallie McWhorter, Kim Jeffords, and Cynthia Brown) started the week with about 80 patients for the day and we finished today with 147!  We saw a wide variety of issues and offered comfort for the body and soul.  We came in with a vague idea about a clinic that was already functioning that provided a sustained medical services free of charge without discrimination.  Still, our minds were racing at the spectrum of chaos that could include.  We were overwhelmingly suprised at how well the clinic ran from the first moment.  They have an excellent full time staff, all locals, including a clinic coordinator, Haitian doctor, and a great team of translators who have the process down pat.  Patients would gather before clinic opened for a worship service and then receive numbered registration cards.  When their number was called they would be taken through triage where Sallie and Carrie would get vitals, identify their chief complaint and administer tetanus/diptheria/pertussis boosters, therapy for worms and vitamin A.  Every effort was made to address the patient's spiritual needs with a couple dedicated translators for evangelism.  After triage patients would be taken in to see the doctor as they became available.  Doctors (Ann Marie, Mary Jean, and Kim) had private rooms with a specific translator they worked with all week.  We could order a couple helpful tests from the lab connected to the clinic.  When the interview and exam were done and the plan was made, the patient would be directed to the pharmacy to collect their prescription.  Kim and Cynthia worked feverishly with their dedicated pharmacy guru/translator, Jackson, to prepare all the supplies the patient required.  All throughout the process we made our best effort to show them God's love and give them peace. 

The mobile clinic team (Ty Gudel, Jefferson Rabe, Sophie Fowler, Mary Keller and two American physicians who came individually to work with Samaritan's Purse) had a different task to tackle altogether.  They would collect everything they would need to completely set up a clinic and head out to a new village everyday.  They encountered new obstacles and opportunities everyday and had intimate experiences with patients in their home villages.  Some days were based on supporting a congregation, another serviced a shelter village Samaritan's Purse had created, and today they worked with an orphanage and their neighbors.  Don't worry- they will be blogging more specifics about their work and experience.

Personally, the patient I will remember most was a little girl and her father.  As they came in, it seemed to take so much effort just to walk through the door.  The father looked kind of rough, limping with a crutch and some deformity to his face.  He was bringing his 7 year old daughter in because she was having headaches and not eating since the earthquake.  He told us how her mother had been killed in the earthquake and she talked about her frequently, asking where she was and what happened.  The father himself had been injured by a gunshot in this gang heavy slum more than a year before the earthquake and was partially paralyzed.  He said he had told the daughter that her mother was dead, but later would then suggest that her mother was possibly in the countryside or something, trying to comfort her.  He believed she had lost weight and seemed stressed, worrying about things a lot.  The father said he was a Christian, but that the mother was not and did not believe she had gone to heaven and felt this caused a lot of worry for them.  No matter how long I searched through my formulary, I knew I would never find a medication to end this worry for them.  The daughter would cling to my leg as we spoke and look up at me, never smiling.  I couldn't speak her language to comfort her or tell her how much God loved her and I loved her, but I could hold her where her mother couldn't anymore.  We (my translator and I) encouraged the father that worry does not come from God but is evil and that he could pray for peace about this issue and for their safety in the future.  We told them about His love for them and how only God could bring the peace in their hearts that the father was looking for. I also encouraged the dad that he may be confusing the child about a very sensitive issue with different ideas about the mother's fate and that children do better with some finality.  He agreed and said he would go to his church for support.  Somehow, with all the medications I gave out over this week, that visit seemed to have the most potential to really help.

• If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  -Phillipians 2: 1-4

-Kim Sudheimer

Our team split up into two different teams.  One team works at the clinic in Cite Soleil and the other is the mobile team. This picture is of the town that we went to today.  We set up two large tents to run the clinic out of.  I'm a wigwam.  No wait, I'm a tee pee.  No, I'm a wigwam.  Relax, you're two tents (tense).
- Sophie Fowler

Funny T Shirts

There are many ways to amuse ourselves when clinic gets a bit heavy.  One of our favorite ways is to take note of funny T shirts.  Please remember, these people do not speak or read English, so most of them have no idea what their shirt says.

• 'Without Jesus I Suck'
• 'Girls Just Want To Have Fund$'
• 'I'm looking for a Sugardaddy' with a picture of the candy beneath (she was at least 50 years old)
• 'Who needs a costume when you are already a Princess?' - Halloween style shirt on a 7 year old girl
• 'Will Flash For Beer' on a 9 year old girl
• 'Guys are Great, Every girl should have one.' on a 60 year old woman

Watch the list- we will update it as we see them!
-Kim Sudheimer

Start Of A New Week

• Then he said to his disciples "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." -Matthew 9:37

Finally we started our clinics! Every point about this trip has been so anticipated, but none more than getting in and touching patients. The two teams set out at 7:30am to get to our destination. The mobile team faced the challenge of uncharted waters and ended up seeing 150 people when only 100 were planned. They had a chance to pray with patients and witness to them; one 14 year old girl prayed for Jefferson after he triaged her.


The ride into Cite Soleil was humbling- stick and plastic tarp homes piled on top of each other all centered around a large dry irrigation ditch. The surface layer is trash as far as the eye can see with pigs foraging throughout. Our clinic was a wing of a school still in session, very stable appearing. The staff had the process down very smooth and the day went off without a hitch. We saw 100 patients and 8 people accepted Christ! Everyone of us is excited to see what tomorrow will bring.
-Kim Sudheimer

Family and friends

Hello Amy and Jon!!! Hello, McGrews Life Group!!! All is more than well. Four souls took Christ as their personal savior for the first time - infront of me. Eight total today. Please stop by or call Nana (my mom). Love ya'll- must give back computer. God Bless!! (Amy tell your brothers to check on Nana) Thanks :) Mom (Carrie Fabel)

The day of rest

• And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.  -Hebrews 13:16

Even though it is our first full day here in Haiti, it was definitely an observed day of rest.  We had the opportunity to explore this beautiful compound set amongst the lush green hills and overlooking the bay.  Many times we would look out onto the bay and not be sure where the water ended and the sky began.  We were fortunate to have a cooling cloud cover over most of the day, with some sun to remind us where we are for just a few hours. 

Well, maybe not a strict day of rest... preparations are underway for the exciting new 'mobile clinic.'  Dr. Gibson, the medical director, and her staff have developed a schedule and system for half of our team to visit different villages or shanty settlements each day of the week.  We spent some time in orientation about how each clinic, as well as the clinic in Cite Soleil, is run and also took advantage of the down-time to prepare medications in easily dosed packages. 

In the afternoon some of the staff took us out of the compound and we got a quick skim of the countryside and how the people there are living now.  There was definitely lots of bustling and activity, but we noted how many structures that likely had been homes now had tents next to them where the people were actually living.  Either homes have been deemed unsafe, have not been inspected, or the families simply don't feel safe there.  We also saw from a distance a collection of structures Samaritan's Purse has constructed, preparing a more planned settlement for displaced families. 

The evening came to a picturesque end in the chapel on the hill.  With the sun setting over the bay we sang "Blessed Be The Name" and "How Great Thou Art" before an uplifting message and personal reflections about the changes people are seeing in Haiti.  We are all excited about getting to the clinics and today gave us a strong foundation for the week ahead. 

PS:  Vogt family, mom wanted to send an email but she's too tired and said to tell you she's fine and good night!
-Kim Sudheimer

Bon jour!

What an incredible day!  So much anticipation built up and now we're actually here.  There is a surreal element, but the heat makes it very real.  For all those who were concerned, we arrived a little later than expected (pretty standard for international trips) but the flights were relatively uneventful.  We learned in Charleston International Airport that TSA will break open a suitcase lock for you if you just ask nicely.  God's hand was definitely carrying our luggage as it all arrived safely in Port-au-Prince with us and we were pleasantly surprised at how manageable the airport and customs were. 

Our Samaritan's Purse contacts picked us up and we enjoyed a short trip through town to the SP compound on the other side of the bay- an area called Titanyen.  Some of the locals helping with transport pointed out where the mass grave was along the way, in a crook of the mountain.  On our way through town we noted the different stages of tent cities- most still with sticks and tarps, others with camping-style tents.  Overall most scenes were quite dense with people.

The compound is lush and beautiful with a great view of the bay that leads out to the Carribean Sea.  We're sleeping in a standard dorm and there are decent showers and even flushable toilets!  (Halelujah!)  The SP staff have been so gracious and welcoming, a wonderful dinner was awaiting our arrival and we had a quick tour from the chaplain.  The rest of the evening was a little devotional time and meeting the medical director, some quick pill packing, and then retiring for the night.  Most of us took a refreshing cold shower and headed to bed.  We keep hearing how the clinic is doing life-changing work, saving lives and souls.  More people are coming to Christ there everyday.  During devotionals tonight we were reminded that we are the hands and feet of Christ and we only need trust in that to bring about good work. 

Thanks so much for your prayers and thoughts.  We're blessed with good communication capabilities, so it should be easy to keep you updated.  Tomorrow is a day of rest and we hope to see more of the island.  Bon nui!
-Kim Sudheimer

Ready, Set, ...

• The Lord is refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  -Psalm 9:9
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your path.  - Proverbs 3:5-6 

When was the last time you stepped up to take a challenge?  A new job, working on a troubled relationship, moving, taking a leadership role in your community... any challenge.  You recognized a need and thought to yourself "I'm not sure if I can do it, but I'm going to try."  As you took your first steps and assessed the true nature of the task, did you question whether you had made a mistake?  Did you wonder if it could even be done? 

Twelve members of Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC have been working through some of these questions for the past 6 weeks.  For most of us, it has been even longer- on January 12th, 2010 at 4:53pm the people of Haiti experienced an extraordinary catastrophe and we started praying about how God could use us to bless them.  Our prayers were answered as our leaders found the best use of our resources would be to help staff a clinic run by Samaritan's Purse in the slum for a week.  Twelve people- all of varying medical and mission experience, but with the heart to help and the faith that God will provide. 

During these past 6 weeks we learned that Samaritan's Purse (SP) has enabled medical missions around the world since 1977 and was serving in Haiti immediately after the earthquake.  We learned about Cite Soleil, a 300,000 person (in 2 square miles) slum outside of Port-au-Prince before the quake and how 38% of the population is children under 14years old.  We've been learning about malaria and typhoid and dengue fever and how Water Missions International has contributed filters which provide safe water for 150-200 people per hour.  Soon our learning curve will become much steeper.

Saturday May 22nd our team leaves Charleston and arrives in Port-Au-Prince.  From there we will meet with the Samaritan's Purse staff and put all of our effort into supporting them and our common mission- to show God's love through compassion and quality healthcare.  Every one of us will have to tap into our last reserve and we know that we each have a specific purpose for being led to this place at this time.  Most importantly, we have the support and prayers of so many friends and family and we know that we are only going where our Father leads.

Please keep us in your prayers on this journey.  We have been told we can update the blog daily while we are there and we will make our best effort to do so.  It is only a week, but we know it will be life-changing - hopefully for us and for the Haitians.
-Kim Sudheimer