Haiti Post from Joan

JOANS NOTE:
Alice is the one who was coordinating all of the flights for the medical teams. She gave me permission to put her journal on Reinhard Connection facebook. Doc is her husband, Darrell and Steve is their son who is a Ortho. Resident. I left her journal just as is as she has done a great job of getting the feel of the heart of things. Enjoy and to God be the Glory!!!

. Dear Doc;

I am going to try to tell you about my adventure in Haiti so far.
Friday
Are you ready for the ride? First of all we got to the Cleveland Airport and it was bad weather. We are wondering are we even going to be able to fly out? We get up to the ticket counter, they tell us our flight is cancelled and they check one of our bags, trying to get us on an earlier flight and realize that we are not going to make it, they make us go after our bag. Then they let try to get us on another flight. Vickie and I just sit there grinning, realizing that if we get snotty, we may well be on our way home to Sterling, OH. Sure enough they reroute us thru Charlotte, NC and we can fly into Fort Lauderdale rather than our original destination of Miami. We say sure, and off we go. Our flight to Charlotte/Ft. Lauderdale was uneventful. We get a shuttle to Miami and say overnight in a hotel there. God was faithful.
Saturday
We leave for the Miami airport at 4:30 a.m. for a international flight to PAP. What a beautiful ride? Got to the PAP airport and things began to happen. The airport has got some new things there and we were impressed how quickly we got thru customs. We got all of our luggage and stayed together as we went thru the mobs to get on our bus. The ACWR rented an air conditioned bus for us it was very full, but none the less very nice.
We traveled thru Port and saw so much devastation, it could make you cry.
No where for all the ruin to go. People and tent cities everywhere. Life is just sad. We traveled on and stopped for gas after a few hours, had a Haitian experience with going to the bathroom. We asked the attendant where the bathroom was and she pointed us to door to go in, it was outside and basically, I'll leave the rest for you to imagine. Then the rains came. It rained and rained and rained and the roads began to wash out.
What should have taken us 4.55 hours took us 10 hours. We were told at one point that most likely we would spend the night on the bus. Now think about it, every seat was taken and there were very big people on this bus and no where to relax, I was riding on the seat with the wheel hump and my legs had not dangled for hours, they just plain hurt. People had to go to the bathroom, they would squat outside of the bus in the rain. Now remember it is raining very hard and one lady fell and was wet and muddy and had to come back on the bus. The UN finally came and used there big equipment and we made it to the guest house about 8:30 p.m. We got there, had no clothes because the van which was behind us couldn't make it as fast it we. So we went to bed without showers and in our clothes. What a day?
We prayed and sang on that bus, and God show us who was in control another day.
Sunday
Woke up to a room full of suitcases, yes we could have clothes to go to church. We still didn't get to bath, no running water, but we had clean clothes and could dress up. What a awesome experience to go to church with the Haitian. The singing was beautiful and the sermon was about sincerity.
We can have God in our heart, but not be sincere. We were to be like Joseph, Elijah and James. We went to LSM's orphanage and saw the new facility. Went out to eat at Nami, a Haitian restaurant, there 36 in total eating, a total of three teams here. One for construction, two medical teams, one at Bonne Finn and one at Cayes. We visited and sang at the nursing home and the hospital, had supper at the guest house and a singing on the roof at Tim and Joan's. We then went back to the guest house and enjoyed a little fellowship and went to bed after a hot shower at Tim's house.
One more thing honey. While you and Steve were here, Sheila said you were declared Papa Doc and Baby Doc. She told me my official name this week is Mama Doc, and by the way, in Haiti, I have a new profession, I am a nurse.
(However, I learned later that Papa Doc and Baby Doc were not a good thing, but in your case it was very good:-)
Monday
Today we woke up with a plan. Because of the rain, we have not been able to get to Bonne Finn, so we were going to Tim and Joan's to organize supplies and the two docs and PTs went to Cayes to work on patients. About mid morning, they told us that we could not drive all the way to Bonne Finn because the roads were washed out due to the 18 inches of rain they received. The flooding here was tremendous and has done much damage to the Cayes and Bonne Finn area. Much farming is lost and banana trees down, so sad. Later in the morning they came and told us that they would take us to where the road washed out, get your essentials only and you can hike to Bonne Finn the rest of the way. We'll I was a little nervous because I am not in good shape, but was willing to do whatever to get to the hospital where we were needed. It ended up, I got to take a helicopter ride to Bonne Finn and it was beautiful and fun, but others should have gotten to ride before me. We are now here safely, doing rounds right now and then intend to get started again early in the morning. Life here is one big adventure. Telling the teams to be flexible was one thing, but didn't realize how flexible you needed to be:)
Tim and Joan and Jan and Val along with Sheila are amazing, they just go with the flow. I love you, please pray for me, we don't know what tomorrow holds, but know who holds tomorrow.
XXOOXX
Alice
Let the kids know I love them.
Second Note sent home
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Good morning Dear!
I'm am not sure where I left off when I wrote last time, but thought I would let you know first I love you and second I am right where God wants me to be and third, I am for physically and mentally tired at the end of the day, I sleep so good. My new best friend has become Motrin, just to help with the pain in my legs, but I am so thankful to bring a little smile to these peoples lives.
One thing I forgot to tell you was that on the airplane ride from Miami to PAP, my seat assignment was 5A. I was expecting to ride coach so kept on walking couldn't find my seat and had spent a good amount of money on breakfast for a little of nothing because they told us we wouldn't get much to each until we got to Cayes. (which ended up being 8:30 p.m. Saturday
evening) To make a long story short, my seat was in first class, I was offered an omelet and turned it down because I was not hungry anymore. But it was cushy, and that was pretty much the end of my cushy experience.
Almost the entire plane going to PAP was full of missionaries ready to help the Haitian people. What an awesome experience.
Tuesday~
This morning we are up early ready to go and meet the people of the hospital. I was to help Sheila, that quickly changed and then I was to help in the recovery room, but then they decided I was Miss Personality and they put me in PT where I got to help people walk and go outside and when we were done, I could wipe their face with a clothes and give them a candy for good job and made friends quickly. We had sooooo many patients to take care of, wow. But they smile and sing and wave at you when you pass by, it is just so fulfilling, I can't begin to explain the spiritual part of it all. I meet Dr. Rudolph and Brazile and some of the others that know you and Steve. They still talk about you with a big smile. Honey, I am so proud of you for coming down here and making a difference. God gave me a Hero and I get to follow you down here and proudly proclaim, you are my husband and son. We are learning to love rice and beans, and I mean I enjoy them. Before we left this day, we sang children songs with them, we in English they in Creole, it was divine. My tired body became animated and we were like the Haitian, just singing and loving the moment.
Wednesday~
We start off the day going to Creole devotions, what a wonderful blessing.
They ask each of us to stand up and say who were are. I told them I was Alice Widmer and that my husband and son had been here to couple of weeks ago. They remembered you. Sheila told me to tell them that Steve gave his life to Christ. I told them and Dr. Rudolph interpreted it for me. They clapped and praised God. They count it a victory for Steve to come to Christ. Dr. Rudolph either in his prayer or later that day said, isn't it something that all these people suffer so that Steve can come to Christ.
Steve they love you. I took my photos today with me. My job today was to give massages and measure their feet for shoes. If you give one person in the room a massage, you will end up giving everyone in the room a massage.
They all want what the other gets. So I would sit beside and massage their wounds and they show them the pictures and they would say Steve, Darrell and we would laugh and smile. I would tell the room the story of Steve's salvation and they would clap and praise God. Ralph gets to go home today, he was tickled to see your picture Steve. He and I have become friends, it will be hard to never see him again. I hope we see each other in Heaven.
Linda is a lady in the front room of the hospital, second bed, she was a nurse and has lost one leg. They asked me if I heard her sing, I hadn't so they told her to sing to me, I just wept, tears running down my face. The lady I was massaging said, Miss Alice, sick? I was sniffling and I had to find composure, it was so beautiful.
Thursday~
Today my job is to pass out shoes to all the patients and then the families if there is enough left. I better get to work.
I love you and thank you for allowing this experience. That God gave us the means to go out into the world and make a difference.
Until then - my heart will go on singing - Alice
Finish of my diary
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Thursday~
To start my day, I was given a couple of bags of shoes, remember on Wednesday I measured their feet and got their shoe sizes. So in the middle of the hospital, kind of like the receptionist area Linus, my interpreter and I were sorting shoes. We began passing out shoes, but the Haitian patients families began swarming around the receptionist area wanting shoes for themselves. Linus had to let them know the patient get shoes first.
Before I could pass them all out the shoes were gone, I decided they all needed shoes, so whoever got a pair of shoes that day, they were winners.
Today, I got to pass out cereal and nutrition bars to the patients and the families, that brought a smile to everyone, some wanted two. There was just enough for everyone one. Later Miss Sheila had me pass out donuts and cheese/peanut butter crackers. I was gaining lots of friends. Often when they see me, they wonder what they will get next. I was also given the job to pass out clothes. The clothes went quickly but all the patients were presented with a pair of socks. The teddy bears and other toys you sent us were given to the children, some outside the compound of the hospital and many inside. The patients have been given much. If someone were to ask me what to send next, I would say food. They need food.
In the afternoon, Ben, the PT and I wanted to have a group therapy where we would take any of the patients outside and play games with them. It wasn't as successful as we wanted but two young boys played a couple of games and we passed out bubbles and colors and coloring books. The adults wanted the toys and had a big argument over it with Ben and I. It was tough, they were not happy with us, they think you have something that you don't and they say they have children at home, we tell them go get them, we'll be happy to give them to the children, turns out they were not truthful and it makes you sad, because you are there to make friends not enemies.
The doctors come out of surgery early today, they do the afternoon rounds about 4:30, we get home about 6:30 for dinner and then we had a group discussion. We talked about our highs and lows. It was good therapy and we had to laugh and cry, but we are bonding and making friends for a life time.
We then go back to hospital for a quick note, we have a patient who needs surgery in the morning - need to put NPO on the chart so she doesn't eat after midnight and then if was off for a tarantula hunt. Our group didn't find any down the mountain, but those going up the mountain found about 20.
They were big.
Friday~
We got the Creole devotions this morning, the Haitian people thank us for coming and they pray for our safe return to American. They are begging us to pray that there hospital can stay open and that the ACWR will continue to fund the hospital. There has been much corruption in the running of this hospital that many Christian organizations has pulled out funding.
They need to be accountable to their organizations for funds and things were coming up missing. Thus the hospital is in jeopardy of being closed down.
We begin our work, helping with PT and then massaging the people one last time. I help the nurses, and we try to get the meds ready for the weekend.
We especially wanted those with CIPRO to have continuity thru weekend.
CIPRO is an antibiotic and is prescribed for so many days. As I said before if one patient gets something they all want it. We had one girl say, the lady beside her got CIPRO, she wanted it, we told her no, she said it was on her chart as PRN, we had to giggle, CIPRO would not be prescribed PRN and thru our interpreter we got it straight. There were always fires to be put out and with the language barrier it wasn't that easy.
It is time to go, we need to leave the compound at 4:00 p.m. to get down the mountain before dark. The roads were in good repair because the UN had worked hard, the road going from Bonne Finn to Cayes is the only way down the mountain, it is very important that it be open. A day shy of a week, the road was very good to travel on. Just as we wanted to say good-bye, the ER got very busy, a TAP TAP holding about 30 people had run into a motorcycle and there were about 30 people injured. Karen and I worked to clean up an Aids patient, yes we double gloved, and checked to see if anyone else need attention immediately, we left Dr. Rudy and Dr. Adele with a big task. Dr. Adele came and told us good bye and she had to cry.
We went down the mountain in a big hurry, to dinner and the new guest house. It had no running water, and we had taken cold showers all week, so we were allowed to go to Tim's again and get a hot shower and put on clean clothes.
Saturday~
The alarm went off, I jumped out of bed and began saying my morning prayers, only to find out the alarm went off at 12:50 a.m. instead of 3:00 a.m. I went back to bed, but didn't sleep well. Too many creatures outside singing. The roasters and dogs:-) Up at 3:00 and they picked us up at 3:30, we boarded the bus and left for PAP. The ride this time took us 4.5 hours rather than 10. It was a treat. We again drove thru the devastation and I had to cry. This song came to mind.
What did I ever do, that was worth loving you, or the pleasure you shown, Tell me Lord....
If you think there's a way, I could try to repay, all the kindness you shown Lord help me Jesus, I've wasted it so, help me Jesus, my soul's in your care.
And now that I know that I needed you so, help Jesus, my soul's in your care.
(Something like that) tears are running down my face, and I start singing
I'd rather have Jesus than anything, this world afford today.
More than silver or gold, houses or lands, I'd just rather have Jesus.
We are now at the PAP airport, they mayhem begins, we go thru security three times, but we get on the plane to USA. Many missionaries are returning, the man sitting beside me shares his story, I tell him about my husband and son and how Steve found Jesus and tears are running down his face. The ride home is bittersweet. So many memories, so much good done, and so much more to do.
We part ways in Ft. Lauderdale and get home safely about 10:30 p.m.
I love you all - Alice
Today is Monday, I can't stop crying, John I think the Clariden isn't working, but I have sweet memories and I left a piece of my heart there.
So glad have met each of you. You will be my friends for life.