Wonderfully Lost: November 2016

I know it has been a long time since I've posted anything so here is my update from the past couple of months. September started by going to the beach with all the crèche kids. Boy was that an experience! These kids, who are rarely let outside of the walls of the crèche (except to go to school and church), got to go and experience the beach. To see the pure joy on the children's faces as they "swam" and splashed each other was indescribable. I even got to put some of my swim lesson teaching skills to use! A few days later I got a little taste of home from a team out of good old Eugene (UFC)! This team had all already been to Haiti and so we got to do a little more exploring and new experiences which is always fun. After UFC left, my favorite part of September had arrived.

Now for those of you who don't know this story already, I will recap. If you've already heard this, bear with me for a minute. So back in July, when I was in Colorado for a family reunion and returning to Haiti, I was stopped at the American check-in desk in Denver and was asked if I had a visa to be in Haiti because if I am staying more than 3 months then I need one (I had been in Haiti for 4.5 months prior to going to Colorado and no one had said anything and initially I had been told you need one if you plan on staying more than 6 months). I responded with a long drawn out "noooo" and looked at the lady with pleading eyes to just check me in and forget about it. She refused saying that she cannot check me in until either I have a visa or I have a return ticket that puts me in the country for less than 90 days. I let her know that I needed to be back for work the next day and couldn't sit around a wait for a visa so she should just change my original return ticket (which was going to Phoenix) to be under the 90 days. She changed it to be 1 day short of 3 months and informed that unless I wanted to pay another fee (I had already paid to change the date), then I needed to return to my original destination. I was so pressed to just get checked in that I told her that's fine, I'll go to Phoenix for the weekend and figure the rest out later. I just wanted to get going. Fast forward about a month and I decided it was time to figure out what I was going to do in Phoenix for the weekend. I looked at the calendar and realized the date she changed my ticket to was only a couple days after my mom's birthday so I decided the best birthday present that I could buy is a ticket to Eugene to surprise both my parents for the weekend. To say they were surprised would be an understatement (see video below). I thought my mom was going to pass out from hyperventilation. Unfortunately it was a very short, 3 day trip to Eugene, but it was well worth it. I left feeling rejuvenated and ready to tackle the last 7 weeks in Haiti.

October started off wild with Hurricane Matthew hitting Haiti (and other places) very hard and leaving mass destruction and devestation. While in Kenscoff we ended up fairing pretty well, it was so unknown the damage that would be done. We spent 3 days hunkered down and prepared for it to hit (it felt like the slowest moving hurricane ever). When it finally hit, the south of the island was devastated. I had never experienced a hurricane and it was scary to say the least - but I'm so thankful that God spared the people of Kenscoff and we continue to pray for the south side of the island that is still reeling from the destruction that Matthew left. Pretty quick after the hurricane, we had individuals and teams reaching out to us looking for what kind of relief efforts they could help with. I had one team come from Highlands church in Phoenix and we went around the Kenscoff area and prayed with people who had damage to their houses and assessed the damage. Though we weren't able to give anyone anything, people were so grateful to just be prayed for. After Highlands left, I had a few days down to regroup (and for Johnny to have his visa appointment). Unfortunately Johnny was not granted his US visa and as heartbroken as we are - we have both agreed we aren't giving up yet! We are going to fight as hard as we can so that he can get his visa - even if it takes 5 different appointments for him to get it (I don't think I ever realized how much freedom we automatically have as an American).

Right after Johnny's visa appointment, a medical team arrived to travel to the south-east part of Haiti, where we have two churches: one in Bel Anse and one in Caporale. While this part wasn't hit quite as hard as the south part, it was hit hard and the threat of Cholera in these areas was high. I had never been to these areas in Haiti so though I am not medically trained at all, I hopped on the trip and tagged along hoping to help and see the area. I was encouraged by the lack of damage that I saw. Granted this was a couple weeks after the hurricane so the minor damages had been fixed mostly, but still there was much less damage than I expected. As a team, we stayed in Jacmel - a coastal town, and drove 2-2.5 hours each way to these villages, including through a river (we only got stuck once). The health of the people in Bel Anse was not great, but the people in the Caporale area were much worse. The first day we arrived, there was a large group of people that had heard we were coming and had traveled for a couple days to see us. There were a couple older women who could not walk, one of which likely had advanced cancer that we could do nothing for but give some pain medication. The second day, a little boy and his father arrived. As soon as we pulled in and unloaded the cars, I spotted them standing by the door. The father was carrying the little boy with a blanket completely covering him. Now in Haiti, even in the really hot areas, they wrap up the kids, but I had never seen a child completely covered like that. I asked one of the Haitians that was with us if the child was alive - because he was wrapped like he was already dead. He looked at me and said "yes but barely. He cannot even open his eyes". Obviously he very quickly became our first priority. After praying for the day, our amazing pediatric doctor, Dr. Joy, assessed him. He was incredibly swollen and his skin was weeping. I had never seen a person - let alone a child so close to death. Dr. Joy determined that he was severely malnourished and potentially had an infection and that he needed to get to a hospital or he was not going to survive much longer. He was able to eat a little bit and then he stayed on a cot the entire day, waiting for the team to be done so we could take him to a hospital in Jacmel. He has been in the hospital since and is showing good improvements but still has a way to go. He will likely be in the hospital for 2-3 months (if you want to donate to his medical expenses here is the link: http://www.chances4children.org/c4c/donate/contribute/).

Throughout the past couple of months, I've also had a sprinkling of adoptive families visiting their children. When I agreed to moving to Haiti I certainly did not realize all that my job would evolve to. In September, I was praying for God to open doors and reveal what He has planned for me next, specifically within Chances for Children. I LOVE Chances for Children and all they do as an organization and knowing my time with them was coming to a close, I was praying that God would reveal Himself and an opportunity to stay involved. During my surprise visit to my parents, I received an email stating that our Adoptions Coordinator had chosen to step down from her position. While this was hard for us an organization because she had done so much and left big shoes to fill, I was honored to be able to step into the position. So now, I am the new Adoptions Coordinator for Chances for Children. I love our adoptive families and I love watching their journeys. I feel incredibly blessed.