Advent UMC Haiti Team

Friday was a challenging day. The day started devotions and a visit to the inpatient ward at Grace during bath time and helping the kids get dressed again. Althouth the ward is much smaller in the transitional facilities, it is still a place of joy -- those kids are getting the help they need.

Then we visited two tent cities. Words cannot express all that we saw. These areas have become villages . . . With vendors, service providers, and multi-purpose buildings that are used for church, trainings, clinics, etc. It is a positive that they have some sense of normal life, but living in tents and in the small areas must be extremely difficult. We've been told that being in the tents between 6:00 and 6:00 is nearly impossible because of the heat. Latrines and showers are located on the edges and serving approximately 4,000 people.

We then visited Sister Teresa's orphanage, an affiliate of Grace. This is a home providing basic medical care and services to children at times when their parents are unable to take care of them. The main building was destroyed in the earthquake and they are currently using their old guest house for the kids. We arrived as the visiting parents were leaving so attempted to comfort children screaming for their parents.

The afternoon was a complete contrast as we drove up the mountain to the Baptist Mission and had icre cream in Petionville.

As we prepare for the trip home we are struggling to process everything we have seen and heard over the last week. There have been joys and challenges, ups and downs, along with work and fun. It has been a full week that will be with us for a long time.