The past few weeks have been busy and filled with lots of new experiences! I am learning very quickly that life in Haiti is never dull or uneventful!
E'tienne and I went to the village for a normal day of playing with the kiddos. Little did we know this trip would be anything but "normal" for us! In Chambrun many of the homes are made of sticks and mud. Two to three times a year the Haitians reapply mud to their homes in order to keep it sturdy and well maintained. E'tienne was eager to jump right in and help and before long I decided to join in too. We had soo much fun serving alongside the family and it was for sure a first time experience for both of us.
I also got to suture for the first time! Suturing isn't something I had experience with prior to moving to Haiti so I was beyond nervous. This woman walked to the clinic with family and was covered in blood. After a quick assessment we discovered she had been involved in a fight and was cut with a blade. Luckily, Aubree was an excellent teacher and I was able to suture the woman's arm without puking, passing out, or worse of all...having her refuse to let me finish. It was also encouraging to have her return for her suture removal and the stitches had remained intact and the wound was healing!
NVM currently has a children's home that houses nine children. We are in the process of building two homes that will be able to house 32 children each. Today, thirty Haitian men made and laid cement for the roof of one of the homes. This was all done by hand and it was crazy to watch! The work was extremely physical and then of course if you add in the Haiti heat and sun-- I have no clue how they had the strength and endurance to finish. And not one needed to be added to the list of patients in the clinic!
And an even more odd experience....we were able to get pedicures last week! Madame Pastor is friends with a woman that is a teacher and she also does nails. She came to campus and gave each of us pedicures for only $5/person. After wearing flip-flops and walking in the dirt, mud, rocks etc our feet were disgusting. Let's just say she used sand-paper to make them smooth=)
I'm beginning to accept that just when I feel like I'm adjusting and getting the hang of living life here...well, something new and crazy comes along and I have something new to learn again. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
For more pictures click on the link below (you do not need to have a Facebook account to see the pictures!).
The first album is full so here is another link to the second album:
Love it!! Isn't suturing fun? Now that I'm back I wish I could still do it, haha! Thanks for the update :) Miss you at Merge, I swear I don't know 3/4 of the female leaders so I definitely feel your absence!
ReplyDelete