Medical Team update

We've had stormy weather the past few nights so I haven't been able to post an update on the medical team!

After their 2 clinic days for the community around H2H Valley, they spent Saturday with the H2H kids... medical clinic in the morning & beach in the afternoon!!

Clinic with the kids:









Just as they were cleaning up after the clinic a boy from the community came in... he had just chopped off the tip of his thumb with a machete!!



Afternoon at the beach:





Monday & Tuesday were spent doing clinics in Lavanj & Foche...

Lavanj Clinic:









Foche Clinic:





Wednesday was suppose to be a 'day off', in preparation for Thursday's trip to Bouva, but the team kept busy sorting through our first aid room, visiting the local hospital, buying additional meds, laundry and making home-made peanut butter!

Laundry:



Spicy Haitian peanut butter:







The team left Thursday morning for Bouva where they will be doing 2-3 clinics in the mountains. I was supposed to go with them but my almost 8 month belly was exhausted after the first week of clinics and we decided it would be better for me to skip the 10 hour bumpy ride each way! Renel & I meet up with the team on Tuesday morning and we'll fly back to Canada together.

On their way to Bouva:

Clinics in Grande Goave

The team has just finished 2 full days of clinics in Grande Goave - we saw over 250 patients & had a great time!

Here are some pictures from the clinics:













Organizing the pharmacy:



The team worked with 2 Haitian nursing students from H2H:



The team has also seen some wildlife around the compound:





Some more pleasant than others....

Medical Team has arrived

The medical team from Chilliwack arrived safe & sound. They got in late yesterday afternoon and spent today organizing medicine & getting oriented. Tomorrow is the first of 7+ mobile medical clinics that they'll be doing - they have a very busy schedule!

Sugar cane... Haitian style!

Malaria season in full swing!

I spent Sunday afternoon in the local hospital with 3 of our boys... Roodly, Eliazar & Ricardo. Their fevers were far less severe than Junior had but high enough to give us a scare. They got shots (which created some drama as Roodly passed out at the sight of the needle!) and they just had their final dose of meds this mornings & are doing much better!!

The hospital is not open on Sunday so when I walked into the emergency room the Cuban doctors started talking excited in Spanish and someone ran for a maternity doctor... they figured I was there to have my baby!! I don't speak Spanish so when I finally realized what they were excited about I brought in the boys... the doctors were very disappointed :)

The start of malaria season is always unsettling but it has good timing this year... a medical team from Chilliwack arrives this afternoon & will be spending the next 2 weeks with us!

The copy cat

The older girls often cover their hair when they are working and Maily is determined to follow their example... even if her idea of working is distracting the rest of us :)

Cleaning the water tanks!

New School supplies

Thanks to the generosity of school across the Abbotsford School District, Principal Garry was able to give each student a bag of new school supplies!

It was a very exciting morning :)

First day of school

Today was the first day of school but in typical Haitian fashion the first week is poorly attended as many students are still waiting for their uniforms to be finished and school supplies ready. School normally starts in early September but the government delayed opening this year as there were problems with marking last years provincial exams. The kids enjoyed the extra few weeks of summer holidays but were ready to go back today.

Here are some of the H2H kids, showing off their new uniforms and proud that they're among the first at school!



It has been a busy week in the compound getting ready for school... the most anticipated task of course was cutting the boys hair...

Exciting Reunion!

Renel & I have been back in Haiti for a couple of weeks now and, as usual, it's great to see the kids again, & our friends and family! It was an especially exciting reunion as we had a surprise for them...

When we left Haiti I was almost 3 months pregnant but we hadn't told many people so we were able to give them quite a shock with an almost 6 month belly!!! The kids (& entire community!) are very excited for us, and everyone has been very helpful.

Our plan is to head back to Canada in late November, as I'm due in January, and then return to Haiti when the baby is a couple of months old... hopefully with the grandparents in tow!! It will obviously have to be a flexible plan, and will depend on how things go. I had a rough first trimester with nausea and am feeling much better now but have struggled since returning to Haiti... busy schedule, heat, mosquitos, food, etc. We'd appreciate your prayers.

Renel & I had a great summer in Canada and really enjoyed having some down time with my family. Our schedule was busy with weddings, family functions & sight seeing!

Lets get you caught up!

...the TWU team had a great time in Bouva (see their blog for pictures & details)!

...the kids at H2H are now finished their final exams & are on summer holidays!

...Renel & I are visiting my family in Canada & will be returning to Haiti in early September!



Maily, & the rest of the kids at H2H, hope you all have a great summer holidays!!!