Greetings from Jacmel. The power is up and running now with generator in place and EDH. This is when I wonder if I should not just leave lists for my husband when something does not work at home! It has taken me a lot of brain power to understand it all and then reteach to the adults at the orphanage. I have worked hard with Sam Geyer by my side taking notes. We think we got it BUT if anyone reading this has this knowledge skill set we would welcome a mission trip.
The water continues to be not seamless at this point. We do have a plan to use outside well for the cottage water - showers, sinks, toilets and the purified well for kitchen and staff house for drinking.
This will take time. It seems the purifier takes a lot of power to run and it is slow. We also have to figure out how we use so much water. We are down to kids standing in the shower too long. This sounds familiar to me, since I have so many teenagers in my family.
As I sit in the staff house with the ceiling fans running I know we have made progress.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Day Trip to the Beach
Greetings from Haiti. Yesterday all the children at La Concorde were able to go to the beach and swim. We had both Denver School of Nursing groups together for the day. Because of so many adults we were able to safely take the children for a wonderful experience.
We first took all the children under 5 years of age. We then took the older children and last we took the preteens. It was a tiring day for nursing students but an exciting day for all of the children!
Many were very afraid of the water but some were part fish. It is the kind of experience where prayer is so helpful. And counting heads.
The last group was dropped off at 6 pm and all the children were ready for bed.
And so was I.
We first took all the children under 5 years of age. We then took the older children and last we took the preteens. It was a tiring day for nursing students but an exciting day for all of the children!
Many were very afraid of the water but some were part fish. It is the kind of experience where prayer is so helpful. And counting heads.
The last group was dropped off at 6 pm and all the children were ready for bed.
And so was I.
MARCH Buena Vista University LOVE Takes Root Trip
Five students from BVU spent the last week in Jacmel Haiti with LOVE Takes Root. They were accompanied by Dean of Education John Bedward. Also on the trip were Barb Wilkerson and Sam Geyer. The focus of this trip was learning about the Haitian education system and the schools in Jacmel. Also looking at the future role of student teachers at La Concorde school.
Our trip although through the night was without any glitches. We drove over the mountains and arrived in Jacmel to a beautiful sunset. Sam was the happiest to be out of the car and settle her stomach!
During the week we observed the school at La Concord. It is presently in the dining hall. They have 4 classes. Because they only have 2 chalk boards they sit very closely together to share the board and it is very noisy. The students work with only one break during school day. The children work very hard at studies. They have national examinations to measure progress. We also visited and observed the most respected schools in Jacmel. We were able to observe class and learn about the structure of each school.
We were also excited to see the new primary school being quickly built on the orphanage site! We had discussions on learning environments and enhancement of curriculum. Elisee is taking the lead on the school and has done an excellent job networking in the Jacmel area.
The students also hiked up to Papa's mountain cabin and hiked to Basson Blue. As always the week goes so quickly the experience takes weeks to process.
The students were tired and sad to leave. They have made new friends and have learned about themselves.
Our trip although through the night was without any glitches. We drove over the mountains and arrived in Jacmel to a beautiful sunset. Sam was the happiest to be out of the car and settle her stomach!
During the week we observed the school at La Concord. It is presently in the dining hall. They have 4 classes. Because they only have 2 chalk boards they sit very closely together to share the board and it is very noisy. The students work with only one break during school day. The children work very hard at studies. They have national examinations to measure progress. We also visited and observed the most respected schools in Jacmel. We were able to observe class and learn about the structure of each school.
We were also excited to see the new primary school being quickly built on the orphanage site! We had discussions on learning environments and enhancement of curriculum. Elisee is taking the lead on the school and has done an excellent job networking in the Jacmel area.
The students also hiked up to Papa's mountain cabin and hiked to Basson Blue. As always the week goes so quickly the experience takes weeks to process.
The students were tired and sad to leave. They have made new friends and have learned about themselves.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Our Time in Haiti- Mission Trip Jan. 2014
Today was our last day in Haiti. All of us had such a
wonderful time and learned so much from the children. We continued our efforts
to stop the scabies, ringworm, and intestinal worms. Clean sheets were placed
on the children’s beds on Wednesday and the children were given more medication
for ringworm. The children were so excited to take their medication- mostly
because it comes with sweet applesauce. Jessica and Casey made many new friends
who LOVED to do their hair. Tammy, Jessica & Casey were able to spend time
with all the kids creating VBS crafts that were well loved and decorating each
dorm and the school room with flowers and stars and the words: “Mete toujou
konfyans nou” which means “Always believe in Love & God”. Everyone loved
the words and meaning. Jamie & Peggy had a great experience lecturing at
the nursing college on Wednesday. The students learned all about the heart and
CPR. We had one student volunteer to lay on a table and let us demonstrate hand
placement for CPR. It was a learning experience for all of us and we were so
thankful to have Franz there to translate for us.
On Thursday, we taught the kids to play UNO! They loved the
cards and all wanted to play. It was such a wonderful experience for all of us
to spend time with children and The Bastien family. Elizee learned all about the medications
and will continue where we left off. Detailed instructions were left with the medications and a plan for any new children was developed. On follow-up today the children reported that overall they feel less itchy- what a blessing. And our one child with the infection on her hand seemed to be doing better with no pain today and Elizee will continue her antibiotics and e-mail Jamie any questions. We ended our time with the kids by getting them treats- crackers, cookies, and juice. Everyone loved the treats and the children blessed us with a thank you song when we left. God certainly blessed our group! Our only
wish is to bring EVERYONE home with us!
DAY 2 Mission Trip Jan 2014
Day 2 the journey continued.
This was a very big day for our group. We needed ALL the sheets washed and ALL the clothes washed in boiling water. There were women there that did all the wash. Our group gathered all the sheets and clothing and put them in bags for the washers. Then we put vinyl mattress covers on all the beds.
By this time…the kids were done with school. We colored pictures for their sponsors back home and took lots of pictures. We also started treating for ringworm, this took some organization as we again needed to figure out dosing for each child and then the children will need to continue on medication for the next two to three weeks. They were so happy to again get their spoon full of applesauce!
Next was a shower for each of the kids and each received their brand new red t-shirts that say, “ Jezi Renmen Nou”…which means Jesus Loves Us! The girls also got new pillow case dresses from St. John’s Lutheran Church in May City, Iowa…BIG HIT!!
Lastly we played games, the children sang BEAUTIFUL songs about Jesus…again a few tears came back.
We discovered one little girl with a very bad infection in her hand. As the children were singing, I spotted her crying and holding her hand. We started a course of antibiotics after seeing the very bad infection, put on antibiotic ointment and a gauze bandage and gave her a dose of ibuprofen. A hug and a kiss after that seemed to make things a lot better!
We are now back at our hotel and ready to eat supper.
Tomorrow will bring another busy day, Jamie and Peggy doing nursing lectures at the school of nursing and Tammy, Jessica and Casey will be doing VBS crafts and playing games.
We are loving the children, Bastian family and the beautiful view of the ocean.
This was a very big day for our group. We needed ALL the sheets washed and ALL the clothes washed in boiling water. There were women there that did all the wash. Our group gathered all the sheets and clothing and put them in bags for the washers. Then we put vinyl mattress covers on all the beds.
By this time…the kids were done with school. We colored pictures for their sponsors back home and took lots of pictures. We also started treating for ringworm, this took some organization as we again needed to figure out dosing for each child and then the children will need to continue on medication for the next two to three weeks. They were so happy to again get their spoon full of applesauce!
Next was a shower for each of the kids and each received their brand new red t-shirts that say, “ Jezi Renmen Nou”…which means Jesus Loves Us! The girls also got new pillow case dresses from St. John’s Lutheran Church in May City, Iowa…BIG HIT!!
Lastly we played games, the children sang BEAUTIFUL songs about Jesus…again a few tears came back.
We discovered one little girl with a very bad infection in her hand. As the children were singing, I spotted her crying and holding her hand. We started a course of antibiotics after seeing the very bad infection, put on antibiotic ointment and a gauze bandage and gave her a dose of ibuprofen. A hug and a kiss after that seemed to make things a lot better!
We are now back at our hotel and ready to eat supper.
Tomorrow will bring another busy day, Jamie and Peggy doing nursing lectures at the school of nursing and Tammy, Jessica and Casey will be doing VBS crafts and playing games.
We are loving the children, Bastian family and the beautiful view of the ocean.
DAY 1 Mission Trip Jan 2014
Day 1: We arrived in Haiti Sunday afternoon. Our whole group felt blessed to be here and that we were all here together for a greater purpose. As night fell, we drove through Port-au-Prince, where poverty filled the streets. We stopped to pray on the edge of Port-au-Prince to ask for blessings on this journey. As we drove to Jacmel, we must admit the curvy road gave us all some nausea and nervous moments. But then we saw the beautiful lights of Jacmel in the distance and grew excited to arrive in Jacmel. But it was a long journey! Our group had the benefit of coming during Carnival, which we learned is a pre-Mardi Gras type party. As we drove into the town square in Jacmel huge crowds of people dancing and running through the streets stopped our van. It was quite a sight to see and we wish we had pictures to share, but we were so fascinated by the crowds running and dancing through the streets, no one thought to grab a camera. Our guides Franz & Bobby were also amazed, and just in case, locked the van doors as our van was in the middle of a crowd. Our first day at La Concorde was a wonderful and fulfilling experience for all of us. As we pulled into the orphanage and saw the kids, tears filled our eyes. We loved meeting all of the children, who were so welcoming and glad to see us. Jamie was able to meet with Franz and mama and the local builder to come to a consensus on future building plans.
Tammy, Jessica, Casey & Peggy got a tour and got to meet quite few children along the way, who were only too happy to have Jessica & Casey carry them from building to building. The girls and boys dorms were so colorful and inviting. Tammy, Jessica and the girls spent time making bracelets while Jamie & Peggy went to the local hospital to meet with the OR charge nurse and discuss plans to meet the nursing students and present on their topics of choice. Miss LaHat was gracious and invited Jamie & Peggy to speak for 4 hours on Wednesday on heart attack, heart emergencies, and CPR.
The other big thing that happened was we treated all the children and adults for a very itchy skin condition—scabies. It was a lot of work to get all the children lined up, weigh each one, figured what they need and given them a spoon full of applesauce. Some kids needed the pill crushed, and others did not. But they were all very polite and cooperative to get the treatment
Tammy, Jessica, Casey & Peggy got a tour and got to meet quite few children along the way, who were only too happy to have Jessica & Casey carry them from building to building. The girls and boys dorms were so colorful and inviting. Tammy, Jessica and the girls spent time making bracelets while Jamie & Peggy went to the local hospital to meet with the OR charge nurse and discuss plans to meet the nursing students and present on their topics of choice. Miss LaHat was gracious and invited Jamie & Peggy to speak for 4 hours on Wednesday on heart attack, heart emergencies, and CPR.
The other big thing that happened was we treated all the children and adults for a very itchy skin condition—scabies. It was a lot of work to get all the children lined up, weigh each one, figured what they need and given them a spoon full of applesauce. Some kids needed the pill crushed, and others did not. But they were all very polite and cooperative to get the treatment
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Day 1: We arrived in Haiti Sunday afternoon. Our whole group
felt blessed to be here and that we were all here together for a greater
purpose. As night fell, we drove through Port-au-Prince, where poverty filled
the streets. We stopped to pray on the edge of Port-au-Prince to ask for blessings
on this journey. As we drove to Jacmel, we must admit the curvy road gave us
all some nausea and nervous moments. But then we saw the beautiful lights of
Jacmel in the distance and grew excited to arrive in Jacmel. But it was a long
journey! Our group had the benefit of coming during Carnival, which we learned
is a pre-Mardi Gras type party. As we drove into the town square in Jacmel huge
crowds of people dancing and running through the streets stopped our van. It
was quite a sight to see and we wish we had pictures to share, but we were so
fascinated by the crowds running and dancing through the streets, no one
thought to grab a camera. Our guides Franz & Bobby were also amazed, and
just in case, locked the van doors as our van was in the middle of a crowd. Our
first day at La Concorde was a wonderful and fulfilling experience for all of
us. As we pulled into the orphanage and saw the kids, tears filled our eyes. We
loved meeting all of the children, who were so welcoming and glad to see us.
Jamie was able to meet with Franz and mama and the local builder to come to a
consensus on future building plans.
Tammy, Jessica, Casey & Peggy got a tour and got to meet
quite few children along the way, who were only too happy to have Jessica &
Casey carry them from building to building. The girls and boys dorms were so
colorful and inviting. Tammy, Jessica and the girls spent time making bracelets
while Jamie & Peggy went to the local hospital to meet with the OR charge
nurse and discuss plans to meet the nursing students and present on their
topics of choice. Miss LaHat was gracious and invited Jamie & Peggy to
speak for 4 hours on Wednesday on heart attack, heart emergencies, and CPR.
The other big thing that happened was we treated all the
children and adults for a very itchy skin condition—scabies. It was a lot of
work to get all the children lined up, weigh each one, figured what they need
and given them a spoon full of applesauce. Some kids needed the pill crushed, and
others did not. But they were all very polite and cooperative to get the
treatment.
Day 2 the journey continued.
This was a very big day for our group. We needed ALL the
sheets washed and ALL the clothes washed in boiling water. There were women
there that did all the wash. Our group gathered all the sheets and clothing and
put them in bags for the washers. Then we put vinyl mattress covers on all the
beds.
By this time…the kids were done with school. We colored
pictures for their sponsors back home and took lots of pictures. We also
started treating for ringworm, this took some organization as we again needed
to figure out dosing for each child and then the children will need to continue
on medication for the next two to three weeks. They were so happy to again get their spoon full of
applesauce!
Next was a shower for each of the kids and each received
their brand new red t-shirts that say, “ Jezi Renmen Nou”…which means Jesus
Loves Us! The girls also got new pillow case dresses from St. John’s Lutheran
Church in May City, Iowa…BIG HIT!! Lastly we played games, the children sang BEAUTIFUL songs
about Jesus…again a few tears came back.
We discovered one little girl with a very bad infection in
her hand. As the children were singing, I spotted her crying and holding her
hand. We started a course of antibiotics after seeing the very bad infection,
put on antibiotic ointment and a gauze bandage and gave her a dose of
ibuprofen. A hug and a kiss after that seemed to make things a lot better!
We are now back at our hotel and ready to eat supper.
Tomorrow will bring another busy day, Jamie and Peggy doing
nursing lectures at the school of nursing and Tammy, Jessica and Casey will be
doing VBS crafts and playing games. We are loving the children, Bastian family and the beautiful
view of the ocean.
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