Well, we have a serious gas shortage in Haiti, and our wise guest house owner (just like Joseph and the grain in Egypt) has stored gasoline on the property,and although we have gasoline, many people in Haiti do not. There was a line over 2 miles long at the gas station, on our way into town today. This has also affected our patients; we had several that did not come in today. The entire outpatient area was only about half as full as normal due to the shortage. There was less traffic over all, but more people riding tap-taps. Let me describe a tap-tap; it is usually a Nissan truck with a camper shell and benches on either side. There are about 15-20 people inside, and hanging onto the back. We actually saw a man in a three piece suit sitting in the back and also a women in high heels with a laptop on her lap riding a tap-tap. We heard that it costs anywhere between .15 and .50 to ride.
Judeline did absolutely great today; she walked 50' and with a much better gait pattern. She let me massage her forearm and I gave her lotion and she massaged her palm. She has a long way to go on that arm. She did let us put a different brace on it today that actually puts a tiny ("piti-piti")bit of pressure on her palm and that is a good step.
Anise had her baby yesterday by c-section and the baby girl turned out to be a baby boy and she named him Isaac! We all celebated wth her and she had lots of family in to see him.
We have discovered that cream or lotion is a big deal here. Just like Americans want a pill for everything, they want cream. Ky and I lovingly call it "magic cream" amongst ourselves because they all want a little bottle of Eucyrin. And you know what? After we have done everything we can, we give it to them, because it might make them feel just a tiny bit better.
Luke Pierre was a good story from today; he is in his 70's and has a badly fractured left leg with an external fixator. He has four wounds that we are dressing once per day. At first, he was just lying in bed all day, but he has done better everyday and today he ate lunch sitting up in his wheelchair and he hopped 5 steps with the walker. One of our translators recognized him yesterday as a man that used to sell vegetables on the street!
You can pray about the Extreme Home Makeover thing. They have a story they want to tell; we just want the people of Haiti to benefit and the Haitian Community Hospital, because of all the free care they provide. The producer, the prosthetist, and the prosthetics provider will all arrive tomorrow. They are all staying here at the guest house. Twelve people on a missions trip also arrived here tonight.
"The Hole in our Gospel" by Richard Stearns has been a recent inspiration for me. He quotes Rick Warren in chapter seven:
"If God only used perfect people, nothing would get done. God will use anybody if you're available."
To God be the glory!
Janean
Pics from Ky:
Janean and I with Darlene, the woman who wrote and sang us the beautiful song!
Janean and Judalene...a 15 year old whose concrete ceiling collapsed on her....she is so traumatized! She and her mom have lost everything....
And finally, one of all of us with our translators and our makeshift banner.....sorry about the plant in the foreground. It was hard to find someone who knew how to use a camera!
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