Saturday – Goodby Haiti – We will remember you!

Mary LaPonsie – As always – mixed feelings as we prepare to leave. I miss my family at home, my own bed and warm showers. As I board the plane in Port au Prince, Haiti will be tugging on my heart. Once again, I feel as if I’m leaving a million of my own children behind. Gratefully several have been left in better shape than when we arrived.

The work of our medical team was amazing. Our team and the people of Seguin were blessed to have Dr. Bruce Murray, ER physician here. We had been presented with many emergencies and urgent heath care needs in the clinic. Bruce handled everything that was presented to him with calm and compassion. He was amazing.

New team members, Joe and Peg Stapf, were also wonderful additions. Joe did a great job in the pharmacy, giving me the opportunity to get around and do new things. Peg, a physician’s assistant, dug right in and had a smile for every patient, even as some days seemed to drag on. How many patients can you get through the clinic? Always one more.

Amazing. Incredible trip!!!

Peg Stapf – Physician Assistant- People on the team have been asking me “What did you think of the mission?” Where do I begin to answer that question? The sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Haiti will stay with me forever. Each day was a blur of activity mixed with some faces and cases which will be etched in my memory. I will never forget the wide-eyed, trusting and beautiful children. The people coming in to our clinic were so grateful for whatever care we could provide. I had to remind myself constantly that the care I provided was more than they would have had without us, however inadequate by American standards. It’s all about perspective. I hope that I can remember to be grateful for each blessing and each day of life, like the people of Haiti. I came thinking I could educate the Haitians about healthcare, but it was they who educated me about life. Thanks to Holy Spirit for your support. Thanks to our team for their hard work and compassion. I was honored to take this journey with you and count you all as my new friends.

Hello from Betty Krauss Thanks to all of you for your love, support and prayers. We leave here in one hour for the airport and then Miami to Detroit. Visited Mother Teresa’s yesterday and held the babies for a couple of hours. The babies are so special. Some very sick but we all know the Lord is with them. We know we will be shocked with your weather back home, so all of you stay warm. I hope to be able to share some of the specifics of this trip when I get home as just a paragraph is not fair to this wonderful mission and the work that God has allowed us to do here. Love you all.

From Shirley Burnham. There are those who question why we are here when we could spend our money on other pleasures. The grateful look of those that we help says it all. There are no dentists up there and they would have to go 2 hours down the mountain by motorcycle taxis and then have the money to pay for the extraction. The most teeth we pulled at a time was 7 and the patients seen was 362. The total number of teeth extracted was 602. That would make a bunch of necklaces. God bless our flight home.

Lori DeBruyne – Triage – Jan, 21st,
We are all packed and waiting to leave the Matthew 25 House. Our shuttle leaves in about an hour. We were up at 6:20am and breakfast at 7am. We had scrambled eggs and toast. Part of our group is on the roof top soaking up the sun and part of us are in the shade in the rockers. We had a great trip and nobody got sick or hurt. We were very blessed! I learned so much more this trip and was so glad to work with Betty in Triage. We meshed together great. It was such a joy to go to Mother Teresa’s orphanage yesterday. Thank goodness for the apron smocks we wore. I got pooped on! So many kids and it was very hot in there. This time, the kids had more to eat than what we saw last year. I made a couple of them laugh. Some of the babies just wanted to be held and didn’t say a word. We slept great here at Matthew 25 – just like at home. I miss my family and looking forward to getting back, I hope the roads are clear when we get in tonight at 11pm. Looking forward to next year! Xoxoxox

1-21-12 Bruce Murray – Getting ready to head home. Can’t wait to be home with family again, but very bittersweet. Sad to have to pack up and leave all the people here. I so enjoyed working with this team and thank them for having me along. Many stories to tell and pictures to show. A lady came to give us her twin baby boy because she could not take care of, or afford twins. I just saw a man carrying a goat down the road. There was no head, and it had been skinned. Headed to the meat market. Another man had ½ of an animal in a wheel barrel. Matthew 25 has been great. See you soon, love to you all.

1/21/12 – Kelly Ryan
I’m really dreading the upcoming plane ride that will take me out of this gorgeous weather and into the snow. I love it too much here and I really don’t want to leave at all. Yesterday we drove around Port au Prince starting at Mother Teresa’s and ending at a hill mountain overlooking the city. The funny thing about it was that the two biggest buildings were the two competing cell phone companies. At Mother Teresa’s, I started out holding a baby boy who liked to take his diaper off and constantly wanted to sit on the plastic chairs from which he would proceed to take off running. After I handed him off, I held a four year old girl in my lap who was crying because her mom had just left. When it was time to leave, she kept trying to follow us out the door. As soon as we walked into the cathedral, we were surrounded by people begging. At the palace there were all sorts of artists selling their paintings for much less than they were worth. I really love it here, and as always I don’t want to go home.

Friday, January 20th

Yesterday the team arrived safely down the mountain to Matthew 25, the guest house in Port au Prince. This morning they held babies at Mother Teresa’s, this afternoon they visited the Baptist mission up on the mountain and bought some Haitian artwork, and tonight they are relaxing before taking the trip home tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 18th

Jim Cwengros – Medical – Well, we had our last day of clinic in Seguin today. I’ve been on a number of trips to Haiti now – and I never cease to be amazed at how a group of “strangers” can come together to serve others. The team came together this week to share their talents and to serve in any way that was needed – a great team. I also never cease to be amazed at the beautiful people of Haiti that welcome us each year. These people have so little material possessions – but they are rich beyond our understanding. I encourage others to serve – it’s an amazing experience. Thanks to all at Holy Spirit for helping to support our Brothers and Sisters.

Andrea Beukema – Dental – Today was both a sad and happy day. We closed both clinics. It was sad to say good-bye to the locals who helped us each and every day in the clinic. It was sad to say good-bye to the patients we interacted with and thanked us for the work we did. Yet, even as we locked the doors to the dental clinic, I was extremely thankful that while our time here was short, we were able to serve hundreds of patients. We relieved people’s pain and improved their quality of life. This has been my second trip to Seguin. Both trips have left me completely humbled and thankful. I’m so thankful for this opportunity to serve our brothers and sisters abroad. I know that you don’t have to cross country borders to do God’s work, but my experiences in Haiti have been enriching and fulfilling. They renewed my passion to enter the field of dentistry, and I’m so very thankful for the support, prayers, encouragement from those at home. Thank you.

Lori DeBruyne – Triage – Today was our last day in clinic and it was a long day too. We were going to stop at 2:30, but there were way too many patients to do that. Father Fayant fed us really well tonight and we had a huge buffet! I miss my family!! We are heading down the mountain tomorrow morning and going to go to Mother Teresa’s orphanage and do some sightseeing as well. It has been great weather this trip, just beautiful! We got up at 5:50 a.m. to climb the ladder to the roof and see the sunrise.- it was beautiful!!! I took some great photos! The people were so appreciative, I love the fact that something so simple can be so humbling and beautiful.

Betty Krauss-Haiti Mission Trip
Hello to all my family and friends and cohorts. We had our last clinic day today and really saw again lots of our special friends from Seguin and surrounding areas. Today the people were the poorest I have ever seen. They had many medical needs which we took care of with dignity. Cleaning up is a huge process, as we have really no place to throw trash, we had a huge fire and the kids wanted to get stuff out of the fire. We had a beautiful dinner and the Haitians and Father were so appreciative of what we do and what all of you do from Holy Spirit. PS I do miss my family but know with the Spirit they are in good hands. Sorry for all of your snow. I love all of you.

Joe Stapf , Haiti Medical Mission, January 18, 2012
This is my first medical mission and first trip to Haiti. When I get home, it will be hard to explain the trip to people that have never experienced the trip. I am not sure they will really understand. What I can say is that my home life seems very unimportant when you see the daily existence of the residents of Seguin. Families living without basic electricity, heating or plumbing in a 10’ by 10’ foot home. I think we were able make a difference and help people. Oddly, I think the trip benefited me more than the residents of Seguin. Helping the people here fills a hole in my heart that I didn’t know existed. Looking forward to a hot shower! Had a great time, but ready to be home.

Tuesday, January 16th

Hello from Betty Krauss I am still enjoying the clinics very much. This year for the first time we are weighing the babies under the age of 3, therefore I got to hold so many very cute children. I was honored. My family came to the clinic, and I again got to see Daneilla, who is now 4 years old. She had on some of my granddaughter’s clothes and it has made my whole trip. I cannot go into detail, but there have been many people who would possibly not have made it if we were not here. It is amazing that these people were brought to our clinic and we got to see them. Again, thanks to Holy Spirit for all of your support.

From Shirley Mike finished putting in the new windows in the dental clinic today. They are going to be great at keeping out the dust. I did ask him to put in a line to hang curtains on to keep the kids from hanging on the window grate to see inside. Did a little hand holding today, which I enjoy doing to offer comfort and keep hands away from their mouths. Brice had a boy who was hanging onto him. So I unlatched him. A boy in the next chair was scared but he did great. The weather has been warmer this year just as it has been in Michigan. The dentists have pulled almost 500 teeth with a half day to go.

Kelly Ryan: Pharmacy Superhero – This week has been so great! In the pharmacy, we were able to see all of the people who came through clinic twice unlike the doctors who only get to see about 1/5. I’ve even gotten better at reading “doctor handwriting” which was a task that I thought to be impossible. Now instead of going to see certain doctors every half hour I see them every 45 minutes which is a great achievement. We have a lot of fun in our pharmacy and spend a lot of time either running to fill each prescription or just doodling. We ended up with a lot of backups because of the hypertensive medication that had to be split. If I never see lisinopril again in my life, I will be a very happy person. I get so excited to see orders with just Tylenol and vitamins that it could be considered criminal. It’s a competition between Izzy and me to get the easy orders and to avoid the difficult orders. Junior is teaching me Creole and I’m doing pretty well. I know the alphabet, basic verbs, and some nouns. I get a new list each night and I’d like to think that I’m improving. Maybe. I <3 Haiti so much and I can’t wait until next year!!!!!!!!

Anna Babkowski from the dental clinic ,day 3. Today I was able to see 5 kids and did 22 sealants. Yesterday the dental unit that I worked on broke for reasons unknown to me and I had to set up new one in the morning. All new to me, but if there is a will there is a way . Otherwise the day went smoothly, I got out a bit from the dental clinic and saw what was happening in other areas of the clinic. Got to hold an 11 day old baby, sooo cute. In the morning I was able to see a burn patient, a woman that has a history of seizures and fell in to cooking oil burning her legs pretty badly. All was so infected that Dr, Bruce had to send her to Jacmel to the hospital, she needed a lot of debridment and more care that we could offer her, here. After seeing school kids for the past few days I came to the conclusion that there is not enough brushing happening. Maybe a program to have them brush at school after lunch under supervision would be a good idea. We will look in to that. There are many more years to come of my services to this community, absolutely love Haiti. Love and peace to all of you at home.

Monday, January 16th

Jim Cwengros – Medical Jan 16th
God always reminds me when I’m here as to how He sees all and provides what we need. We started the day off with 3 motorcycle accident victims waiting for us as we arrived at the clinic – from 2 separate accidents. Two of our providers are an MD and PA specializing in emergency medicine. Many others were seen today and helped. Thanks to Holy Spirit support, dental clinic is receiving much needed new windows – thank you! All worked hard today and will sleep well tonight – after a game of UNO.

Bruce Murray- Had to amputate a baby’s finger today because of severe infection that was compromising the whole hand. I helped Mike today after clinic to put a tarp on the roof of a blind man here. He had a piece of tin to pull over his bed so he would not get wet when it rained. The people here are wonderful. A lady brought us fruit today in thanks. Church yesterday was amazing. The children singing Haitian songs was wonderful. I am amazed children here carry 5 gallon pails of water on their head. Pray tonight for all we have in the USA.

Lori DeBruyne – Triage. Jan 16th. It was a really tough day today- we worked from 8am until 5:15 and I sat for about 25 minutes total all day. It is hard to eat on the balcony as the kids climb the trees and then ask for cookies and rub their bellies. We had a lot of interesting patients today. I was able to hold a lot more babies today! We have a system now where we need to chart the bmi growth and so, I weigh myself- and then hold the baby with me on the scale and then chart their growth.– The papers will then be turned in to the government and we will get assistance for future trips. We have one more full day tomorrow and then on Wed. we will work a half day and then Thursday head back down the mountain.

Sunday, January 15th

Anna Babkowski- Dental Team – Jan. 15th- Hi everybody;
Our second day in Seguin. Day started with an early morning visit of a woman who was pregnant and in labor. All the medical personnel took her to the clinic to evaluate and see how we could help her. The rest of us went to church as usual for Sunday, praying for the young mother and her baby. Church as always was filled with people dressed in their Sunday best. I had a chance to take some pictures before church with some of the kids, and their clothes were crisp clean and may have been the only Sunday outfit they have. Then off to work in the dental clinic. I’m a dental hygienist and this is my second trip to Haiti. After last year’s trip I came home with a plan. I saw how many teeth we had pulled and thought about starting with the young generation and doing some prevention. It took months, lots of phone calls, determination and believing in my vision. With the help of many organizations and their humanitarian contributions, I was performing prophylaxis and doing sealants on school kids today. You imagine what kind of change we can see in a few years. I did about 17 sealants today in half day clinic. Andrea is an awesome assistant. The dental clinic is not one of the most pleasant places for kids to visit, so one has to take their time and not scare them and show them that it doesn’t always hurt like pulling a tooth, dental experience can be positive. Mother Teresa was asked how many people she can help, and her answer was ‘one at a time’. She had a vision, so do I. Please keep our team in your prayers. The pregnant woman was taken to Jamal hospital 3 hours away had a c section delivering two little girls who were quite healthy.

Lori DeBruyne – Triage – Jan 15th
We woke up at 6:30am and there was a woman at the rectory who came to tell us she was in labor and needed help. The men and the interpreters went to clinic to examine her. They realized she was ok, however, the baby was in distress. Eli, (a Haitian doctor) took her to the nearest hospital in Jacmel. At the hospital the doctor delivered TWINS. Needless to say, the woman was VERY surprised!- all was well and the mom and babies are great!. We went to church at 9am. Church in Haiti is 2 hours long. We started clinic and it was very busy! We worked until 5pm and had many interesting cases. One little boy came in with a huge lump on his head. It was the size of a small baseball growing out of the top of his head. Dr. Bruce Murray shaved the boy’s head and cut the tumor off. It was full of puss as it was a fungal infection. Dr. wrapped his head in bandages and now on Tuesday we will see him again to change the bandages. I got to hold a lot of babies today! It was a good day! We had a few cases of scabies. Most of all the people are needing vitamins and nutrition. Betty and I in the triage area with an interpreter named Tony. He was such a great help to us. I am learning a little Creole. I am looking forward to tomorrow! God bless!

Jim Cwengros – Medical
Another good day helping those in need – pregnant mom in distress, a number of abcesses, and fungal infection with secondary infection. Good team working well together. Saw Messenge today who is the farmer Rita and I have “adopted”. Felt good to see him and hear his family is doing well. I’ll see him tomorrow in the medical clinic. Thanks again for support of family and all the support of Holy Spirit to make these trips possible.

Thank you Holy Spirit from Betty Krauss
These people are in such great need of your help. I saw today so many people who had very poor quality or no shoes at all, and hardly any coats. They always do smile and are so appreciative of our clinic. The fact that we again helped a mother and her twins be delivered is such a miracle. Still waiting to see my little baby girl and her father. The church service today was beautiful, and we were welcomed with such great smiles. Please continue to pray for our team, and I love you all. Do miss you, Rita.

Good News!

Sunday morning a pregnant woman came to the clinic looking for help with a difficult pregnancy. The medical team was able to help her out and get her to a hospital down the mountain. The good news just came in Sunday afternoon: she had twins! Mother and babies are doing fine.

Welcome to Seguin, Haiti!

Bruce Murray MD- Saw a lady today 37 years old with liver failure and gangrene in the lower legs. Sent her to hospital after some meds. The people here are great. We also got to see a wedding where the people rode in on donkeys. Really cool. The trip up the mountain was neat, got to see an amazing sunset, GOD is wonderful.

Michael Petrella, manual labor – We had a great start to our clinic today. We set up the dental and medical clinic just after breakfast. After about an hour or two the doctors and dentists were seeing patients. I was able to perform about six small fix-it projects and started to wire and install a sump pump to get water up to the roof to the holding tank so our living quarters has water for the toilets and the showers. Very cold water I might add. The pump will take the place of Haitians carrying the water in a bucket up a ladder and pouring it into the holding tank. The kids in Seguin are so happy to see us and they love to hold my hand as I walk up the hill from the clinic to the rectory. I have fun trying to talk Creole with them and they teach me new words everyday. Everyone in our group works very well together, and I’m sure we are going to have a very productive week.

Kelly Ryan, Pharmacy Master – Yesterday’s trip up the mountain was very eventful to the point of not even being able to say everything that happened. Today, our first day of clinic, was a success. I worked in the pharmacy where I distributed medicines. The average prescription was Tylenol, Pepcid, and vitamins. There were seven weddings at the church today which was very cool to watch since it was just outside the door. After clinic today a few of us went for a walk with a lot of the kids here. One girl was attached to Izzy and me and taught us a couple of words. Oh and on a final note Mimi, our Creole kitty, says hello.

Izabella (Izzy) Babkowski, Whatever they make me do – This is my very first trip to Haiti and I already feel at home. Everyone is so welcoming, especially the Haitian people. Our trip up the mountain was long but the beautiful scenery kept me distracted, except when our truck got stopped because we lost luggage in a village 45 minutes away. We waited up there for about 2 hours and then we negotiated with the man for about 30 minutes about how much to pay him. Not the best part. Today was the first full day in Seguin and the clinic was a great success. I worked at the pharmacy and escorting patients to and from the rooms. I picked up some basic Creole words pretty quickly. The people here are so thankful and patient. It’s such an amazing feeling to know that you made their day, possibly their week. I’m very excited to get back to the clinic tomorrow. I <3 Haiti!!!

Lori DeBruyne- Triage area. We had a very interesting trip up the mountain to Seguin.- we were about 1 hour away from the church, (our final destination)- when a man on a motorcycle was trying desperately to get our attention. Our driver pulled over and was told that we had lost a suitcase back down the road.. – 45 minutes back down the road, and he said that towns people were trying to claim it. Finally after about an hour and a half, our driver and the man were back up the mountain carrying this 50 lb. suitcase. Now, the driver wanted 4000 gouds for doing his great deed. (which is about $50 in us dollar) – we finally talked him into 1000 gouds and $20us. This morning we set up clinic and started seeing patients at 11am. We worked until 4:30. Today was a good day, not too many sick people. After church we will be working a half day. Father Fayant married 8 couples today. It was unreal to watch. The brides rode on horseback and the groom was in a nice suit. We were able to wash our hair today (which is a huge luxury) it was freezing cold. But at least we have clean hair.. LOL! 
I was told I snore a lot, so I need to use a breath right strip tonight so I don’t make my roomates mad.. Ha ha ha. We had good food today at the rectory. Our dinner, the goat is already tied outside to the tree for slaughter tomorrow. We are expecting to have a lot of patients tomorrow after church. I am so blessed to be able to come to Haiti! Xoxox

Betty Krauss Notes to all of her loved ones from Miss Triage. I have been working triage again with Lori and it has been great. Fun trip up the mountain as we dropped the plexiglass window off the truck but it was perfect. Also, our truck had to wait for a suitcase that fell off another truck, so we enjoyed the scenery. All the members are fantastic and we are having fun too. I do miss Leanna but know she is in good hands with Mark and the grandmas. P.S. family, I’m doing great with my health. Love you all.

Peg Stapf –Physician Assistant. After weeks of worrying that I would find myself in over my head, I learned today that I needn’t have been concerned. The team here is amazing. Everyone is so supportive and caring, and the Haitian people we are caring for are so grateful for our work. With Dr. Murray at my side and the wonderful Haitian interpreters, David and Junior, we were able to attend to various medical complaints ranging from severe to minor. I was honored by the obvious respect our patients have for us. They look like they were wearing their best clothing into the clinic. Some have traveled by foot for many miles. They wait in line sometimes for hours. One very sick woman was carried in by her loving and concerned family in a makeshift carriage made of a chair with carrying sticks roped to the side. I learned that there is a different pace here and that we can neither predict nor control events of the day. Lessons very much worth learning for me.

Saturday Night

The team set up the clinic and saw many patients. The newcomers are amazed at seeing ‘tons’ of stars in the night sky.

January 2012 Haiti Group

The medical and dental mission group arrived in Port au Prince on January 12, the second anniversary of the earthquake. On Friday they arrived safely up the mountain in Seguin, Haiti, after the usual bumpy rocky ride on unpaved roads. Today, Saturday, they are setting up the clinic in anticipation of providing medical and dental care to the hundreds who have been looking forward to their arrival.