Mission to Haiti 2012
Photos from Emily Hawley
Category Archives: Service Learning & Medical Missions
Mission to Haiti – Day 7
Mission to Haiti 2012
from Sara Camp
Our last day in Haiti began with a lovely sunrise and something like a grits and spinach casserole for breakfast. We have so enjoyed the authentic Haitian cuisine we have had.
Then we headed halfway up the mountain for our last clinic day where we saw over 50 people, bringing our total for the week to around 200. Today the people we saw included several with severe hypertension, a 33 year old lady with bilateral pitting edema (swollen feet), and two pregnant women. All the students were thrilled to hear the fetal heart sounds! As we headed back down the mountain we stopped to make a home visit to a lady with severe ascites, who Jenny sees on a regular basis. Despite her extremely poor physical condition, her smile lit up the room. She was one of many we will always remember because of her inner joy.
Mission to Haiti – Photo Album
Mission to Haiti 2012
Photographs from Emily Hawley
Mission to Haiti – Day 6
Mission to Haiti 2012
from Todd Lake and Martha Ezell
Today started off with a bang… Not really a bang, more of a whoosh. We got a flat tire shortly after leaving the place we stay. We napped for two hours on the steps of a church before the tire was replaced and we were off again in our open-backed truck with 27 Haitians and Americans, three trunks of medicine, all our water and food, and several unexplained bags of cement.
We set up the clinic three hours late in a large open cinderblock church with a beautiful view of the mountains. As always, the Haitians were endlessly patient. We had five stations: check-in, vitals, history, assessments, pharmacy, and prayer. We rotate each day, getting to interact with the team and patients in different ways. Late in the afternoon after the last patient was seen, we learned that our truck had yet another flat tire. FYI: we were eight miles up a mountain. The decision was mad that we would begin walking down while the tire was repaired. 3 miles down, the truck rolled by. God is indeed faithful and we made it safely home.
We have all fallen in love with the people we have met here. Each morning before clinic opens, the assembled community gathers with us for a hymn and prayer. This is not, as some of us had been warned, a “dark or godless” place. We see hope everywhere. The faces of children and the smiles of the elderly remind us that God is here and He is working. Continue reading
Mission to Haiti – Day 5
Mission to Haiti 2012
from Martha Ezell and Charly Hood
We apologize for the lack of news last night; we did not have internet. This is information from Sunday:
Post Saturday nights blog, we took a trip to the local smoothie shop for our first Haitian night life experience. We arrived to find a crowd of people, a single light bulb, a woman, and her blender. Our options for the night were: papaya, bread fruit, or potato. The majority of us thought we were playing it safe by choosing papaya, but the mixture of evaporated milk, sugar, and the raw fruit itself made for an interesting taste sensation.
Following a delightful late night thunderstorm, our fifth day in Haiti dawned warm and sunny. Breakfast was a traditional Haitian staple, pumpkin soup with potatoes and carrots. We were honored to attend an outdoor worship service with the group of believers in Grand Goave. Every member of our team was impacted by the passion and authenticity of the worship! We were struck by the realization that those who actually depend on God’s mercy for their “daily bread” do not find it difficult to express gratitude to Him. Continue reading
Mission to Haiti – Day 4
Mission to Haiti 2012
from Julia Jordan-Lake (The baby)
“only one life ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last”.
The previous line was used in last nights devotion. Each night we have had a chance to debrief and process our day as a group. Waking up, we were greeted with mystery meat or as we later agreed upon, “spicy tuna”. After breakfast, we walked to the market. Sort of like the hip, organic farmers markets, but…not. We learned quickly to make way for various chickens, donkeys, pigs, and children carrying huge bushels of bananas. The “parking lot” at the end of the market held roughly 30 donkeys…and their waste. On the walk back, we stopped to buy cold beverages and were thrilled to hear a karaoke cover of Rhinna and see Reese’s peanut cups. Continue reading
Mission to Haiti – Day 3
Mission to Haiti 2012
from Emily Hawley and Hailey Wickles (pictured)
Picking up from last night we will tell you about our nighttime adventure… We were getting ready for bed and miss Martha startled the room announcing “ohhh my gosh- WE HAVE A CRAB!” of course hostess Jenny came in wondering why the crazy Americans were yelling and found us trying to coax the football size crab (no joke) out from underneath Julia’s bed. We soon settled down for another night of rest and we were glad to “sleep in” until 5am when the rooster (that we have named el diablo- Spanish for the devil) had our wake up call.
Mission to Haiti – Day 2
Mission to Haiti 2012
from Charly Hood & Reiley Heaberlin
Our day started off early as our little rooster friend woke us up at 3am. We ignored him as best we could until breakfast was served at 6am (where we had spicy peanut butter.) We then prepared for the day, loaded up our open cage truck, and headed up the mountain.
We traveled about an hour through rough terrain, holding on for dear life all the while. Thankfully, we had a beautiful view to distract us. The mountains, the trees, the crops, the houses, the animals, the water, and the people were absolutely beautiful to see. Once we made it to our sight for the day, Mt. Sinai, we unloaded the truck and hiked about a quarter of a mile to the church at where we would be setting up our clinic.
Mission to Haiti – Day 1
Mission to Haiti 2012
from Martha Ezell
We arrived safely in port au prince then traveled with our hosts to Grand Goave, we are all settled in at the conscience international house. We have dined on delicious chicken and rice. Tomorrow we will travel “up the mountain” to a small community called Mt. Sinai and help conduct a clinic. We feel God’s presence and faithfulness. Love from Sara, Martha, Cilla, Todd, Julia, Charly, Hailey, Reiley, Julie and Emily.
Mission to Cambodia Day 18
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Erin Pettepher and Audrey Robinson
Wow! This trip has been such a blessing for each and every one of us. We have had amazing opportunities to see and receive the love from God’s children here, as well as opportunities to share that same love. Our last full day in Cambodia was packed with fun activities. We started our day out with visiting Phnom Penh Church of Christ. Both of us got the chance to sing with the church. And when we say sing, we mean standing up on stage, with the microphone ON, singing our little hearts out. Both of our families can attest that we should not be leading worship, but we know that God does not ask for a pretty sound but a joyful sound. And boy were we JOYFUL! It was so amazing to hear the songs sung in English and Khmer and all the while knowing that God understood it all. Big thanks for Tyler for truly leading worship as well as encouraging us to sing higher and louder than we probably should have. Words cannot describe how thankful we are for being able to meet our brothers and sisters in the church across the world. Continue reading
Mission to Cambodia Day 18
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Tyler Moser
Today was one of my favorite days in Cambodia. I went to the Goldstone school for my last time, to help out with some painting projects that they had. I arrived late because of a communication break down (common place in Cambodia). I got to work as soon as I could because I only had a a few hours to paint three walls with a single, 4 inch brush.
After lunch at “My Burger”, which was as close to Five Guys as they have on Cambodia, I got some much needed R&R. But the best part of the day was still to come. Erin, Audrey, and I all went to the church office to practice music for Sunday service. The practice lasted about 2 hours, and was awesome. The music was uplifting, and praising God with Christians from all across the world is one of the coolest things that I have done on this trip. Continue reading
Mission to Cambodia Day 17
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Cameray Hart
Let me start off by saying that it has been an emotional week for all of us. Between HIV home visits, trips to Tuol Sleng and The Killing Fields, and our last days at the hospital, there has been strong emotions all around. We were feeling sadness, anger, hopelessness, and even some guilt. However, today can only be described as “joyful.”
The morning started off with our annual service project, the rice drive. Every year, through the church, we help an impoverished population within a certain community outside of Phnom Penh. We ended up back at the community last year’s trip donated rice to. All of the recipients of our gifts this year were widows. Continue reading
Mission to Cambodia Day 16
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Becca Pippin
This morning, we traveled about an hour to Tangkhiev Village to visit their mobile clinic. Twice a week, a doctor and a couple nurses go there to see patients and give the people medications they need. Many deaths are caused by people taking fake medicine, so the education provided by these healthcare workers is as valuable as the medication they give.
Cassie had a quick pharmacology lesson (pictured right) and helped fill prescriptions. Continue reading
Mission to Cambodia Day 15
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Cassie Wright
Today we went to the killing fields outside of Phnom Pehn. It was one of the hardest things to make myself do. Many of us did not want to go after Tuol Sleng and seeing how the people of this country were tortured, but we went anyway. I was shocked at how beautiful of a place the killing fields were despite the ugly horrors that were committed here. We were guided by audio tour headphones that gave a description of every stop along a path that went through the field. The path guided you along where the Cambodians would have been taken. The first stop was at the truck stop where blindfolded Cambodians would be taken off the truck and accounted for. Continue reading
Mission to Cambodia – An Appeal
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Susan Taplin
We are writing this blog from the group to let you know about a young woman we met in Battambang province. Her name is Chhor Wan. She is 14 years old. She was a patient at the Handa Emergency Hospital which we visited while we were there.
This is her story: Chhor Wan has been living with her grandmother since she was five years old. Her parents divorced and her mother left her in her grandmother’s care. Continue reading
Mission to Cambodia Day 14
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Amelia Brown
Today our group split up and did different things. Most of the group helped with nursing check offs at the hospital. Once a year the nurses are required to take an oral exam where they must produce the steps to basic procedures used in the hospital. The goal is to explain the steps in English. Our group was therefore quite useful in administering the check offs. Apparently the check offs were largely a success since most people passed! These nurses left the hospital today feeling relieved and reassured in their skills.
Cameray and I went on HIV home visits today. We accompanied a social worker, Chhavelith, to the countryside to check on HIV families that are waiting to move into new homes built by habitat for humanity. The first couple we visited lived in a one room hut made from wooden posts with tarps as the roof and walls. The woman not only has the HIV virus, but also just finished treatment for TB. The tarp serving as the ceiling had a hole in it and was leaking. Since it is the rainy season in Cambodia, this couple was consistently wet. They were still extremely cheerful because they are expecting to have a house built for them in a couple of months. Cameray and I decided that we wanted to get this couple a tarp so they could be dry their last few months living there. After we visited two more HIV families in this village, we rode 45 minutes back to the city. Once we got back, we went to the market and bought a tarp for the first couple we met. We assumed the couple wouldn’t receive the tarp for a few days, whenever Chhavelith went back for another visit. Chhavelith called the couple and told them we bought the tarp. They were ecstatic and said they’d ride a bike in to pick it up today. Continue reading
Mission to Cambodia Day 13
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Elizabeth Vorholt
Today we got the opportunity to step outside the hospital and into the homes of some patients of Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope. Cassie, Becca, Emily, and I tagged along with two members of the Home Based Care team, who regularly visit patients living with HIV and AIDS to check in on their progress. This morning, we visited three families within walking distance of the hospital in Phnom Penh. We ventured down alleyways and up pitched black concrete spiral staircases to enter the homes, and got a real glimpse into life in the city. These families live together in one room, which they rent for $25 per month. Continue reading
Pharmacy student ministers in Guatemala with surgery team
In addition to the two Belmont sponsored mission trips to Guatemala this spring by health science students, Belmont pharmacy student Bethany Bedford also traveled to the country this spring with a surgery team from Mending Kids International and Duke University Children’s Hospital on another mission trip for The Shalom Foundation. The doctors saw 174 patients and the team performed 48 surgeries on children from across the country at the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center in Guatemala City. Bethany and other team members blogged about their experience and some of Bethany’s posts about her learning experiences are excerpted below:
April 14, 2012 – Today is a “get acclimated” day, and tomorrow will start the screening process, with Monday being the kick off for the surgeries. Meanwhile, I’ll be in the pharmacy, finding places for things, cleaning things, checking medications/ expiration dates, drinking more amazing coffee, and looking at names I’ve never seen before. . . . .(click link below for more) Continue reading
Mission to Cambodia Faculty Update
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Susan Taplin & Emily Morse
Greetings from Cambodia. Emily and I want to extend a special thank you to all of the parents, families, boyfriends, etc who have entrusted your young women and one man into our care. These young people are incredible. Their hearts and minds are beautiful, growing, and giving to each other as well as Cambodia. Every day we are impressed with the depth of thought and emotion that is evident in all. We feel very blessed to be able to share in their lives. The trip is going very well with very few hiccups along the way. We have been having morning devotionals almost every day and I believe the presence of God is alive and well within this group…protecting, teaching and guiding with the holy spirit. Two of the students have led the devotionals to date and we love to learn from them and see their perspectives of God. Continue reading
Mission to Cambodia Day 12
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Emily Graehler
We have been learning about the horrific history of Cambodia for several months now. However, for me, today was when reality truly sunk in. It was not until I walked into the buildings at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. My emotions were rocked as faces of hundreds if not thousands of people stared back at me. These were the images of every single victim who was killed in the prison at Tuol Sleng. Continue reading
Mission to Cambodia Day 11
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Catherine McMullan
Sunday morning we packed up our things and prepared for the long bus ride from Battambang back to Phnom Penh, but before we left we had the privilege of going to church at Kevin and Anna’s house. In order for this blog to make sense, you should know that I have really been struggling this trip with seeing so much hurt and not being able to do anything about it. I have been on similar trips to Honduras in the past, but my heart has never been as heavy as it has been at some points during this trip. Sunday morning was one of those points. I don’t know why but I woke up that morning incredibly burdened and feeling hopeless, like nothing I could ever do could have even a small impact in anyone’s life. Going to church and seeing the love and inexplicable joy in the faces of people we had met during our time in Battambang was exactly what I needed. Instantly my spirit was lifted and I had peace. Seeing people who are in the middle of such hardships have such contagious joy gave me hope and reassurance that God is definitely still in control. It also gave me a fresh perspective. I walked in feeling so burdened, but within minutes the love of the Lord that shone through the people in the church completely changed my heart and lifted my spirit. I thought about it on the bus ride home and what a difference the tangible love of God can make for not just me, but every patient I come into contact with.
Of course six hours is a long time to be on a bus. Naturally we were all a little delirious towards the end (see video). Enjoy! 🙂
Mission To Cambodia Special
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Erin Pettefer
After spending some time with the children of the church, a few of us thought we should share this with our friends and families back home! This is what we are having the joy of experiencing! God is so GOOD!
The video is linked below!
Mission to Cambodia Day 10
Mission to Cambodia 2012
Erin Pettefer
Wow! What an amazing day today has been. We started our day off with an early breakfast and a tuk tuk ride to Emergency Hospital in Battambang. After receiving a tour and learning about several patients on rounds, we split into three groups. One group went to the operating room, one group went to ward A (men), and one group went to ward C (women and children). To our surprise everyone received the opportunity to work in each area, and we all got to sit in on two surgeries! Continue reading
Mission to Cambodia Day 9
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Audrey Robinson
Letting go of my plan has always been something that God is teaching me…slowly. One thing that I believe about Jesus that always blows my mind is that He is always working and teaching His children to be more like Him in and through EVERYTHING. Yet again, all the way across the world, I find myself being taught, with love and patience, to let go of myself and empty me of me. How amazing is that? The God of the universe has chosen to teach me and loves to because He knows I need to let go of all in order to be completely overwhelmed by Him. Cambodia, the people here, this team, being across the world—God has given each of us here an opportunity to let go and lay down it all and trust He is a great God and is working even when we cannot see. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”. My prayer for this trip and this group of amazing people is that we continue to offer our bodies where He has placed us now as sacrifices to Jesus. Letting go of our plans and rising up through the power of the Holy Spirit and shining the light of Christ to this lost and seeking country.
Mission to Cambodia Day 9
Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Becca Pippen
When we arrived in Battambang today, I was looking forward to a relaxing day lounging by the pool.
What I got was even better. Continue reading