As I sit here in the alcove reflecting on our day, there is so much to take in.  From here I can see the tent village and the Haitians going about their evening activities.  Children are playing, women are laughing, and occasionally music is played.  And just beyond the village, I can see palm trees, the ocean, and mountains.  Beauty is everywhere!

We had 3 teams doing various jobs today.  One team went back to Lambi for a clinic in their village.  One team helped the ladies in The Lord’s Kitchen sort beans and prepare food for the village children.  And another team returned to the clinic here in Grace Village to help the Haitian physician and staff see patients.

The clinic at Grace always starts with a wonderful woman leading songs and prayer for the people who have come to see the doctor.  The patients begin lining up around 7 am and clinic starts at 8 am.  The patients that come to the clinic at Grace must pay a small fee.  The regular staff does not want to devalue their work or deal with the consequences of patients expecting free care once we leave.  The staff has been mostly wonderful to us and we try to work closely with them and respect their wishes.  Once the patients paid their fees, they would visit Bridget in the intake room.  With the help of an interpreter, Bridget would do a marvelous job of figuring out complaints and health histories.  This is actually a complicated job that requires creative thinking and lots of patience.  Kudos to Bridget!

After intake, the patients saw Kim and Kelsey for vital signs.  Our vital sign station is the best place to be – under a big tree in the cool (relatively) shade.  The people seem to enjoy getting their blood pressure taken and are intrigued by the pulse oximeter.  Most want to know if they are “normal” or not.  Even our interpreters and security guards would ask to have their BP taken.  The patients would then have to wait their turn for the doctor.

“Doctor Curt” was assisted by RNs Julie and Nicole.  Julie’s experience is with adults, and Nicole’s is with children, so between the 3 of us, we did very well.  We saw about 35 patients today, including lots of children.  Nicole and I got to be pros at writing prescriptions for Amoxicillin!  One family in particular that we saw today captured our hearts.  A young mom brought in her 4 boys with the help of her sister.  The boys were precious and enjoyed playing games with us as each one waited their turn to see Curt.  When they were done they asked to have their picture taken with us.  And they even smiled!  Most Haitians don’t smile in pictures, but these boys did.  A picture to cherish, for sure!

When clinic closed for the day, we finally got to set up the autoclave.  After a minor malfunction (which was quickly fixed by our friend Ricardo),  Curt held an inservice for the clinic staff.  He instructed the ladies step by step on how to properly sterilize their equipment.  They seemed excited to learn and wrote down the steps. Hopefully it will be useful to them as they take care of their patients.

After another wonderful lunch (tacos, Haitian style!), all of us went to the Girls’ Home here in Grace Village.  We played all sorts of games from futbol to jumprope, and of course, they enjoyed getting their pictures taken.  But the highlight for the girls seemed to be the beads.  They made bracelets and necklaces and were thrilled when we left everything for them to play with later.  It’s so fun to see them in their pretty dresses and hair ribbons with big smiles on their faces.  Joy!

And to top off this wonderful day – Spaghetti for dinner!  The blessings just keep on coming.  We appreciate your love and prayers sent our way.  We feel them.
For the team,Julie Pitcher