Beauty from the Ashes

In school today we will take a moment to think about and reflect on the devastating earthquake that shook this country 11 years ago. We sadly will think about lives that were lost and people that were severely injured. We will think about how this country will never be the same. We live pretty far from Port au Prince, but hardly a person in this area was not affected in some way by the damage this earthquake caused. You cannot enter most towns without seeing a memorial from this day.

As devastating as this day was, there was also beauty that came from it. There were people who stepped up and helped to get others out of the rubble. There were medical professionals that worked over time to help those in need. There were aid workers, who came to give relief and to start help to rebuild. 

I was not hear for the earthquake, honestly I had no real connection to Haiti till later that year. I remember seeing on the news and thinking that it was horrible and kept going with my day. But something happened that day, that has forever changed me.

There was a little boy found in the rubble after the earthquake, some aid workers were pointed in his direction. They touok him to their hospital, where he received much more than medical care, he received love. When the aid workers had to leave, they were still concerned about this boy and registered him with social services, and he finally ended up finding his forever home here, at the Miriam Center. This sweet boy, Joshua, I have watched him as he is turning into an amazing young man who loves God. Even though there was so much loss that day, today I also want to take time to think about what was gained that day. I can’t imagine the Miriam Center without Joshua. Also, all the people who stepped up to help others, it is a day to mourn what was lost and a day to commemorate what was gained and how lives were changed.

Ending the year on an encouraging note

 So when I moved to Haiti about 10 years ago, I was just more clueless than I could imagine, and I knew I had no idea what was going on. But my main goal was to start a special needs classroom. After a little bit of time, we were having students enroll, and I would ask why are they here. They seemed fine, I wanted to make sure it was a special needs school, not just a classroom for kids who could not afford school, the mission already had a school for them. I soon realized that what I thought was a disability and what Haiti thought a disability was, are two very different things. So Elena entered our classroom, and honestly she did not belong, she was learning faster than the others and should be in regular school. So we advocated for her and got her in school, two years ago she finished sixth grade!! Which is great as we had to start her in kindergarten, last year she asked if we could help with money for school and we did. This past summer she came by and said she needed to talk to me and Presen Dieu. She asked for school help again, but she was in the same grade again. When I asked why she was repeating 7th grade, she said she did not go to school last year. Instead she used her school money to pay for her dads funeral. We told her she should have come by and talked to us last year. But she said we trusted her with the money and she did not spend it on what she said she would. Still told her she should have come by. Anyway, we knew we could not help her finish out school. We encouraged her and told her she was smart enough to finish, it was just not a financial commitment we could make. So we asked her if she had thought about trade school, she said it has been her dream to go to pastry school. So we enrolled her in a two year program for pastry school. It has become an odd highlight, when she comes to the center to show off what she has made and give us a taste try. Love seeing these kids that started with us turn into adults and have plans for the future!! Love seeing them do what they love and seeing them thrive!!

What Covid -19 has taught us

       I wish I was one of those people who love to blog, there are always so many things that happen that should be shared. But I did want to take the time to write about our Covid journey.  Just like everyone else, we have been affected by Covid. I don't want to downplay the uncertainty, concern and yes, fear that Covid has brought us. Because it has brought those thoughts to us. I very much dislike some of the conversations that I have had to have with the boys at the Miriam Center as they were and continue to be concerned about the virus. I feel like we always try to protect them from bad things that happen in the world. But that was not an option with Covid. So we keep reminding them that God is in control and always has a plan.

    But there have been some amazing things about our lock in. Our lock in made us change around some things in our daily schedule and routine. As this confused some of the kids, it gave others a chance to step up and shine, and they did. Our mornings would start off with the more fragile kids getting therapy with the therapy staff and the moms. The older kids would start their day off with stretching and yoga. The boys started off strong, leading the others in yoga and stretching. Since they started strong and doing such a good job, we did not watch them everyday as days were just busy ( they still had a staff member with them). But then a switch happened and the boys stopped doing stretching and yoga for themselves, but went over and started stretching and massage for kids who can not do stretching or yoga by themselves but need help. We were sitting talking one night and I asked the boys what changed, they said it was not good that they just make themselves stronger, they needed to help the others. Did not know if this would just be a phase, but they kept it up throughout all of our lock in.

    Had a sweet and surprising moment the other day. We had suckers for a treat in the evening and the older boys again stepped up. Some of the kids that would need help with their suckers they stood or sat beside them and held it for them so that everyone could have one. When I saw what they were doing, I sat with Emma, as she does love suckers, but you have to hold it for her and it can take her a long time to finish it. Joseph came by me and pushed me out of the way, so he could hold it for her. Sure enough, he sat there and held it for her until she was finished.    

    Obviously, I am not happy that Covid has come, but I am happy with what it has and is teaching us. I love seeing the boys realize that they are not really kids anymore and they are thinking about what kind of men they want to be. They had been asking about how they could help and now they don't ask, they look around and see who might need a little help and they help. They are learning how to not just live in the same area, but how to live and work together.  In the midst of craziness, it has been a blessing and kind of grounding to watch these boys and the men they are turning into. If you are reading this, please pray for us at the Miriam Center, that the boys would continue to learn how to love and serve our Savior.

Myson

There are some kids that you meet quickly, and after a short amount of time, unless you see a picture or are reminded of them, you don't really think about them again. It is hard, in Haiti you see so many kids and they are all so precious, but sadly they just don't stick in your memory. But there are others, this is a story about one of those.
We were already in Port au Prince, plans had been made and surgeries scheduled. We had 5 kids with us who needed surgery for hydrocephalus and they were going to get it. Like everything medical, we were in a hurry up and wait situation. While we were waiting for the kids to get surgery, I got a phone call. A little baby had come to the Center that morning, he had hydrocephalus and was only 7 days old. His name was Myson. We knew if this little one would have a chance, he needed to get to Port au Prince immediately for surgery. His head was so big already, it was a last chance effort. Presen Dieu bought bus tickets for them and told me to expect them the next day.
When they got there the next day, it was not what I expected. We were sitting in a hallway in the hospital when two young men came over with a baby. The guys were exhausted from being on the bus all night. I took the baby and we waited for the doctor to give an evaluation. When the doctor was ready we went back. The doctor explained to the baby's dad that the hydrocephalus was too severe and that surgery was not going to be an option.
Obviously dad was devastated and shared the news with the baby's godfather. We decided to get food for everyone and make a plan for tomorrow. They handed Myson to me and they said they needed to leave for awhile. We were back sitting in the hallway with some of the people that came with us for surgery. When the dad came back, he sat across from me with one of the other dads on the trip. The other dad, his kid was supposed to have surgery later that day. But this other dad who was old enough to be Mysons dad's dad decided to talk to Mysons dad. He sat there and just talked words of hope and encouragement into this man, whose world had just been shattered. Even though there were tears the next couple of days, Mysons dad was ready to take him home.
We went and visited them the next couple Saturdays. The family lives in Chansolm, which is over an hour away from the center. Myson made it almost a month, before he passed away. The impact this sweet baby had on his family will last for eternity. His little life sweetly pointed his family to his Creator, and there is no greater gift he could have given them.

The Day After Thanksgiving

I woke up the day after thanksgiving this year, not knowing what to expect, not knowing what to feel. But having the distinct memory of last year, on this day sitting with my dad for the last time, and knowing that even though his body was finally at peace, I did not know what to do without him. This year, I woke up and my emotions were everywhere, but before I even got out of bed, someone was passing the walkway below my house singing a song. The chorus of the song repeats, I am a child of God. We had so many fun things planned for the day and I wanted to enjoy them all with my Haiti family, just needed reminded that I am a child of God, I have a heavenly Father who loves me deeply. The whole day was a gift, I handed out the morning medicine to the kids and it was just fun. It was my Friday to have an activity for the Haitian staff at morning devotions. We sat around and talked about what we are all thankful for and praised God for what He had done this last year for us. From there.......Well, we kind of make up our thanksgiving traditions since it is not a Haitian holiday. So we went and played with our turkeys and then sent them to the kitchen. In the classroom, the kids made thank you cards for the staff and their parents. We also had an outreach activity for the families in the community. So just a crazy busy day, which of course ended with a family meal of everyone at the center. Haitian style, so it was in the dark, by flashlight. But I love that the kids and the staff know that thanksgiving is our thank you day and we take the time to appreciate each other. I could not be more thankful this year, God has been so good to me and on the days that are just crazy hard and I miss my dad so much, God takes the time to remind me, that I am His, and that is all I need.

Challenged and Inspired

There are days that you meet people that just challenge and inspire you to grow. I met one of these people last week. The surgery team was here last week, I got called in to help with a consult. They wanted a patient to get a ct scan. Since there is not a ct machine in our area, they asked if I could coordinate and get this for him. I had a contact call around and find a working ct machine in Port au Prince and we sent the patient on the bus to go to Port at Prince for his scan.
When he got to Port au Prince, the place that we sent him to for a scan, their machine was down. So they ended up going all over Port au Prince until they found a working ct scan. They got the scan and the patient then took a 10 hour bus ride back to our town.
The patient got back late that night, so we made him a bed and the doctor said he would look at the scan and talk to him in the morning. That morning, I went with the doctor to talk to this patient. One of my friends was his niece and she was with him. The doctor kindly and gently explained to the man that he had cancer and it was very advanced, too advanced for surgery. His niece, who was beside me started to cry and I looked at the man and he was not sad. The doctor asked if he understood what he had told him and the man said yes. But why would I be sad, God is with me. He thanked the doctor for finally giving him an answer, he had been having pain so long and he did not know what it was, so he was happy for an answer. He went on to say, that God is with me, God can do what He wants, that he had no reason to be sad, when he knew that God has a plan for him and wont leave him.
He took his niece and would not let her cry anymore, because God has a plan and will take care of them. It was just one of those moments, that I felt blessed to witness. But more than that, it has challenged my heart, and inspired me about what I think about God. The faith of his man has challenged me to dig deeper into the Word and get to know my God better, so that when bad news comes, the first thing that comes to my mind is that God is good and has a plan for me.

More than a medical team

My first year in Haiti I met the seizure team. Their goal was to bring seizure care to the kids at the Miriam Center. We did not know what this would look like or how it would all come together. But they made a medical record and evaluated each child. They knew that God had called them to the Miriam Center to do this, so everything would come together and work out.

It has been 7 years since they first started working with the Miriam Center. In more ways than they know, we have seen God work through their program. For the Miriam Center, it is amazing for the staff and the nurses to know that the children have a group advocating for them in this way. It is also amazing for the families in the outreach program to have this resource, which is sadly scarce in Haiti.

We have seen God work in amazing ways through this program, because the seizure team does more than just medical. Although medical is their primary goal, there is so much more that they do. When a patient comes for a consultation, it is not just about seizures. They check in on the family and see how everyone is doing. They listen and are genuinely glad to how the child is progressing in development. They also listen and mourn with the parents, whose child is not progressing. God is in these small moments and His Spirit is at work. When the seizure team in not in Haiti, these families are always asking about them and praying for them, because they know the seizure team is also praying for them.

The last couple of years, the seizure team has even taken their work a step further. There are children in the outreach program that are not able to come for their evaluation. So if a child needs to be seen, they have been going to the child's home to visit them. Which is a huge deal for these families, not just because a medical person came to their house, but they also know that their houses are not easy to get to. These families know that it takes time and energy to get to their houses. 

The importance and value that they put on each child, on each family is what makes them more than just a medical team. They know it is not enough to just help the physical problems, but that we have a Savior that can heal the heart. The value they put on the individual is what makes the difference for the Kingdom. These families and children know that they are loved and prayed for. Although they are categorized as a medical team, we are so thankful that they are so much more.