Mission to Haiti
from Cory Smeltzer, Rebecca Senn, Jordan Bennett and Sara Demaagd

A team of students and faculty from Belmont University School of Nursing is ministering in Haiti during Belmont’s Spring Break.  This is the second year a team has traveled there.

We were once again blessed with a great day! Breakfast this morning consisted of boiled eggs, hotdogs, and our daily delicious cup of Haitian coffee. Then we traveled the familiar route to Siloe to pick up more supplies for today’s clinic.  Half of the group went up the mountain in the back of the truck, driven by our favorite driver, Johnson.  The other half of us stayed back at the pharmacy/school and were able to watch the children begin their school day, opening with the singing of “How Great Thou Art.”  We witnessed the punishment of kneeling on the pavement for the tardy students. Our trusty driver/translator drove the second half of the group back up the mountain without too many additional bumps and bruises.

Today the clinic was also held in Norgaisse, and this time we served the local community. We saw over 70 patients, from well baby check-ups to scabies and everything in between.  Johnson was able to pick up Maryann (the woman whose home we visited on Tuesday afternoon) from her home and brought her to us in the clinic.  Jenny was able to perform the paracentesis, which means that she drained a significant amount of fluid off of her abdomen.  The grand total for the amount of fluid drained off was 11 liters! How incredible! When she left, she was all smiles.

We have finally gotten into a routine for the day.  The dishes are done and the lunches are made…all before 7:30pm.  Tomorrow we are traveling to a town off of the river.  We will have to walk and carry all of the supplies to this clinic location.  We can’t believe that it is our last clinic day! We have been blessed with this wonderful week so far, and we are looking forward to the rest of our journey!

Love to everyone at home, and we will see you soon…maybe with a few extra bug bites.

Love Bungalow #2,
Sara, Jordan, Becca, Cory, the gecko, 2 HUGE cockroaches, and the rest of our wonderful team!