Here comes the Rain!

From the BLOG, Stew & Darryl Go to Haiti
http://www.stewanddarrylgotohaiti.blogspot.com
Join our FaceBook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/ucthealinghands

Got a couple of messages from Stew yesterday and several from the team. This team is amazing as they are facing some really tragic things and are working nearly round the clock and now the rain has come. Many of them are so exhausted but their spirits are so good and they always try to find the positive in the emails they have sent. Although they are trying to have some fun while there, the reality of it all is still very real for the team. I admire them all so much.

Here's a couple from Stew:

3/18 7pm - Working at the miami university hospital pharmacy and it's raining hard. Darryl is filling scripts by flash light. We are well stocked. There is a man who will pass away tonight and his wife and family are with him. It brought me to tears tonight when the the people of the hospital sang to him.

3/19 12am - Most are asleep now and and Darryl can finaly sit down for a minute. He was really moving. The blisters bug bites and exhaustion are starting to become serious concerns for many of the group. Emotions are on edge and we have all been through a lot. The dying man is still gasping in the background and others are moaning in pain once in a while yet the Hatian staff are chatting and giggling. What a place and my hats go off to these doctors and nurses. 12hr shifts in mud and cots and doing things they would never be allowed to do in the US.

Message from Kathi:

3/17 - I think this trip has been one of my best. Even though the devastation is everywhere you look I see people working and helping each other. I see kindness and hurt. I talked to a girl who was afraid to touch her healing leg that looked like an artificial knee. I showed her mine and soon I had a crowd looking to see the scars on my leg. They wanted to know if I could bend it and if I could kneel. I told her she needed to do the therapy so she could walk again too. It's hard to complain when you see children with stumps. The good thing is I see families supporting each other with the tragedies.

The work is different this time. We are working around the clock and everyone steps up to take their turn. They will huddle around in a tent and share one meal. Everyone will take a few bites. This is a lesson we could all learn.

The pool is the hit of the day. Don't every complain again when buying a kiddie pool. They're a lot more expensive here! We were able to get 10 people it to play volleyball. Well sort of. Thank you Stew. There's nothing like a little water to get you cooled down.

Message from Joyce:

3/17 - Sad day today. Orphanages always make me a little sad. To much work there and not enough workers. The caregivers are constantly on the move, doing laundry, making meals, picking up, changing diaper after diaper. Usually these workers don't stop and I know they do there best but it is still sad to me when they must tie a child to a chair because they can't watch all of the children at once. Not all the kids are tied to a chair just a handful that were hard to watch. I went around and did the best I could to untie the little ones I could and let them out to walk or play, then I would try to let those out of their wheelchair etc...even if for a few minutes. There was another group of volunteers there with us from another NGO and they had 2 men that were on the group playing like a horse with these little ones. Each man took a turn with 5 or more kids climbing on their back at once. The children were laughing and giggling so hard. One of these men was making everyone laugh because he had 5 children around the age of 6 on his back and his friends were coaching him into trying to continue to do push-ups with the kids on his back. It is sad to see these kids, but for one day we made them laugh, gave them hugs, held them in our arms....I guess it wasn't all sad was it?