First Night in Our House

Last night as I climbed in to bed I commented to Robin, it feels good to be in our own bed in our own house for the first time in 5 months. Then the question came, “Why are we doing this?” Robin was not happy with that question and neither was I, but many times that is the burning question that we are asked by good friends, family and strangers alike. The answer is complex yet simple. It has two parts that are related but different. First is the call. The call of God to do something uncomfortable and sometimes out of character, but is always where we are the most content and happy. The call of God is not about us it is about doing God’s plan and seeing how we fit into that plan. God’s call is the rock that keeps you sure when everything around you is uncertain. It is the part with a promise, Matthew 28:20 “I am with you always.” God is with us because He has called us. God gives us strength because He has called us. God gives us peace and safety because He has called us. God gives us wisdom because He has called us. The second part is the need. Haiti is poor and in desperate need, that was before the earthquake that shattered the country and killed around 260,000 people. The need is not only desperate but complex. Right now, for many the focus is rebuilding, as it should be, but we cannot forget that need existed before the earthquake. The need for healthcare, the need for jobs, the need for education, the need for food, the need for clean salt free water, and the list goes on. I find myself sitting on an Island off of the main Island of Haiti. It is called La Gonave. It is where for the last 50 years the government has ignored except to send unwanted people. It is an Island of 300 square miles and a population of 160,000 people. The influx of people post earthquake has made it almost famine conditions. There are villages on this Island that are nearly unreachable do to the lack of roads. There are villages here that the monthly income is less than 5 dollars per person. This is where I sit and where God has called us. How do we help? How can we make a difference? Again the answer is simple but complex. Through the implementation of CHE or Community Health Evangelism we intend to touch every community and every life on this Island. CHE is a comprehensive development plan that uses local people and local resources to transform lives and communities. In two weeks we plan on starting our first Trainer of Trainers class. This is the beginning to change.
Pray for us as God uses us in this place of need. Remember us in your financial gifts because you are the ones that make it possible for us to be here and do this work.
Lowell

Monday morning began at 5 a.m. because Madalyn wanted to go on a boat ride. We were scheduled to leave for the dock at 8:00a.m. The truck arrived right on Haiti time around 9 and we loaded it with our boxes , one month worth of food and a few supplies for the guest house on the island. There were several phone calls to answer and unexpected “problems” to solve so our journey began around 11. By now the day was already feeling long to us but Madalyn was exhausted. We stopped several time to look for an umbrella to protect her from the sun on the boat but with no success. Then just as we were nearly out of town she had to have a ladies room. The timing was good and our driver knew of a small restaurant nearby. We were very thankful to not have to attempt nature’s restroom with such a sleepy little girl. The roads out of town were very nice and with the mountains on one side and the beaches on the other we enjoyed an air conditioned 1 ½ hour drive. Madalyn finally slept. Then the 2 hour boat ride began. It was beautiful but not something I want to do often with a 2 year old. The sun was extreme and every piece of skin that didn’t get enough lotion is now bright red. Upon landing we were greeted by our truck driver who took us to the Mission compound where lunch was waiting for us. After this we went to see our house which is not as close to being ready for us as we hoped. The plan now is to be able to move in by April 9th. It is very close to finished but because of ongoing construction it is covered in dust. It is going to very sweet when it is all finished but to a very tired family it was a little overwhelming. Madalyn stood in the closet and cried because her house was dirty. I considered joining her…
But after a good night’s sleep, the world feels much better. We walked back to the house today and with less people there we were able to look around and getting a better picture of the finished project. The outside is a wonderful yellow and makes me so happy.
Lowell has already figured out where his first garden will be and paced out the area to build a wall so that he can have some goats, chickens and a pig. All of this is not just for our own use but to model how to compost and use the manure for fertilizer for gardens. It will also be his stress release but that is another story.
We have found someone to start Creole lessons with and will begin before the week is out. My biggest challenge, I have decided is to just try to speak and not worry about looking dumb… I know this will happen but it is the only way to learn to speak. So like a little child, I am just making myself attempt new words. Madalyn and I visited with the wash ladies today. There were 2 little girls playing there who were very shy. She tried to get them to dance with her and the one of the mothers changed her shoes for her. They always seem to be on the wrong feet. I learned the word for friend, puppy, and child and heard many names. Guess I have to start somewhere….

An hour before we planned to get up, at 3 a.m., Madalyn woke me up and asked if we were going to the airplane yet. She has been waiting for an airplane ride since Jan when Lance flew to India. We left Hobe Sound, Fl to drive to the Missionary Flight Aviation airport at 5 a.m. and found out that a few friends were there headed to Haiti also. It was fun to chat while we waited for everything to be loaded into the plane. The plane was at its weight limit so we had to leave a bag behind. Lance volunteered (or Dad helped him volunteer) to leave his bag to be brought in the next day. We took off on time and landed in Port au Prince, Haiti around 11:30 a.m. After filling out paper work, the girls and I climbed into a very welcome air-conditioned SUV and headed to the guest house. Lowell returned to the plane to gather our belongings. There was such a peace just knowing this was what we were supposed to be doing.

The sights and sounds of people everywhere and the bright color combined with not knowing what is being said should leave one overwhelmed, yet I find myself compelled to pray for individuals as we drive by. From the young men who look bored, the young girls alone on the streets, the mothers with babies, the pregnant teens, the old man with one leg and the group of boys waiting to clean our windows for change. There was not just one of each of these but it is repeated mile after bumpy mile. We passed army trucks, container trucks- that we guessed about what was inside them, vehicles from many well know international groups could be counted along the way. I found myself focusing on these unimportant, yet interesting things so that I would not have to really think about what it must have been like when the buildings around us first fell. But I couldn’t stop myself from looking and feeling the pain of knowing so many lives… gone. It is about 2 months after the quake and people are going about their daily lives, they have to because they are alive and that is what life does. I can’t find the right words to tell you the sorrow that I feel as I think about their broken hearts and as I think about those who never had a chance to know my good, loving and merciful God. Pray that we will quickly learn the language and that our lives will make a difference. I can hardly type with the lump in my throat and the tears in my eyes as I struggle to help you know the desire Go has placed in my heart to not just bring them to him to see the change that he desires for their lives.

We are all getting healthy from our colds and sleeping well at night in front of our fans. Maddie is making friends with everyone. Cassie is a great helper in the kitchen and I am so proud of her desire to be helpful. Lowell is dreaming and scheming about where to begin… I am just a little overwhelmed with the task ahead of helping at the guest house and not being able to speak to the help. Lance has been receiving his upcoming to do list with a smile and a groan- painting, gardening, computer work, moving furniture… whatever his mom can dream up. Life is good because God is good and he continues to pour out his peace and confirmation of his plan for our life.

First days in Haiti

An hour before we planned to get up, at 3 a.m., Madalyn woke me up and asked if we were going to the airplane yet. She has been waiting for an airplane ride since Jan when Lance flew to India. We left Hobe Sound, Fl to drive to the Missionary Flight Aviation airport at 5 a.m. and found out that a few friends were there headed to Haiti also. It was fun to chat while we waited for everything to be loaded into the plane. The plane was at its weight limit so we had to leave a bag behind. Lance volunteered (or Dad helped him volunteer) to leave his bag to be brought in the next day We took off on time and landed in Port au Prince, Haiti around 11:30 a.m. After filling out paper work, the girls and I climbed into a very welcome air-conditioned SUV and headed to the guest house. Lowell and Lance returned to the plane to gather our belongings. There was such a peace just knowing this was what we were supposed to be doing.

The sights and sounds of people everywhere and the bright color combined with not knowing what is being said should leave one overwhelmed, yet I find myself compelled to pray for individuals as we drive by. From the young men who look bored, the young girls alone on the streets, the mothers with babies, the pregnant teens, the old man with one leg and the group of boys waiting to clean our windows for change. There was not just one of each of these but it is repeated mile after bumpy mile. We passed army trucks, container trucks- that we guessed about what was inside them, vehicles from many well know international groups could be counted along the way. I found myself focusing on these unimportant, yet interesting things so that I would not have to really think about what it must have been like when the buildings around us first fell. But I couldn’t stop myself from looking and feeling the pain of knowing so many lives… gone. It is about 2 months after the quake and people are going about their daily lives, they have to because they are alive and that is what life does. I can’t find the right words to tell you the sorrow that I feel as I think about their broken hearts and as I think about those who never had a chance to know my good, loving and merciful God. Pray that we will quickly learn the language and that our lives will make a difference. I can hardly type with the lump in my throat and the tears in my eyes as I struggle to help you know the desire God has placed in my heart to not just bring them to him to see the change that he desires for their lives.

We are all getting healthy from our colds and sleeping well at night in front of our fans. Maddie is making friends with everyone. Cassie is a great helper in the kitchen and I am so proud of her desire to be helpful. Lowell is dreaming and scheming about where to begin… I am just a little overwhelmed with the task ahead of helping at the guest house and not being able to speak to the help. Lance has been receiving his upcoming to do list with a smile and a groan- painting, gardening, computer work, moving furniture… whatever his mom can dream up. Life is good because God is good and he continues to poor out his peace and confirmation of his plan for our life.

Clinic under a tent

Clinic under a tin roof

Story 2

We had just closed down clinic and were getting ready for a nice relaxing evening. Clinic had been around 300 patients. We were tired; our team had little sleep from our all night C-section the night before. Suddenly down the lane came a truck. As it screeched to a halt I ran up to see what all the commotion was. In the back of the truck was a man with an obvious femur fracture. My heart sank because our friends from next door, who had an orthopedic surgeon, had just told me that the Hospital generator was out of gas and there were no more surgeries today. We called them and they showed up in about 10 min. Mean while I told our people to not take the man from the truck because if we did the truck would leave and we would be left the man who needed surgery and no way to care for him. The orthopedic surgeon arrived and examined the man. It just so happened that the Spanish Navy doctors were still on the grounds looking after a lady who was delivering a baby. We called them over to have a look as well. They said they could take him to their ship and fix his leg but we needed to stabilize the fracture. So off people went to find splinting material. Soon some 6 inch wide fiber glass splinting material showed up. Some morphine was given for pain. Then with someone holding the man’s arms and trunk and someone holding his hips the orthopedic surgeon reduced the leg and placed a full length splint on it. About that time the Spanish medic hummer showed up. A stretcher was placed under the man and in the medic hummer he went. Thank God for the Spanish.
Well maybe now we can relax and get some supper.

Story 3

The Haitian Government had announced that Friday, Saturday and Sunday would be days of prayer and fasting. So clinic was slower and a nice break. We had time to work on cleaning the pharmacy and cleaning instruments that we had used through the week. But as normal just before dark a young woman came in with dehydration and fever. So everyone worked hard and fast to start IVs and get antibiotics started. As that was happening a group of men came up. One of them had been hit in the face with a large rock. Blood was running from his face, mouth and nose. We laid him on a table and began to examine. One of our volunteer medical staff was a retired Neuro Surgeon. He was able to examine the man and found that he had a Laforte 3 fracture. That means his cheek bone was shattered with the involvement of the lower half of the eye socket and the roof of the mouth. Again we had no means to care for this man. We contacted the University of Miami MASH Hospital in Port au Prince and made arrangements for the man to go there in the morning. He had no sign of spinal fluid leak and was alert and oriented so IV fluids and pain meds for the night. But before we were done here came a 10 year old boy with a closed forearm brake of both bones. He looked like he had an extra elbow. We have no x-ray, so we did our best to set and splint his arm and gave him pain medicine for the night and sent him for x-rays in the morning to a local hospital.
Now we did all of this under a tarp in the dark with flash lights and head lamps.

Story 4

We had been short staffed today. One doctor, Dr Johnson, an American surgeon and missionary to Kenya with World Gospel Mission, Helen a retired missionary nurse to Haiti and me were the only missionary medical staff at the clinic. So we told the Spanish that they would be doing clinic and we would run the pharmacy and cover the late shift. So Helen ran pharmacy all day and I did crowd control. We had to turn people away but gave out cards to see them first in the morning. As we surveyed those that we were sending away one lady just looked sick. So we questioned her and discovered she had had diarrhea and vomiting and fever for several days. So we laid her on a cot under the banana trees and started IV fluids and antibiotics. After 2 liters of fluids she felt much better. Meanwhile, two ladies showed up - one had had a miscarriage and needed a D&C and the other one who was 5 months pregnant started bleeding and had not felt the baby move all day. So after Dr Johnson examined them we set up our labor room for a D&C and informed the family of the other lady she needed to go to Port au Prince to a hospital with an OR. She might need to have surgery if she bleeds out. She also needed to have a blood transfusion. For the D&C I gave pain meds and versed and monitored the patients breathing. It went well. Now to the lady that needed transferred. First of all we had no vehicle and so we asked the family to get a car and take her. They said they did not have money for the gas and could she go in the morning. Of course by now it is dark again and only flashlights. So began the usual barter of how to get the lady to the hospital. Finally it was decided to call the local ambulance. Now I use the word ambulance lightly. It is a Land Cruiser with a stretcher in the back and a driver. You have to pay the diver and then pay for the gas, so again bartering. I must confess that I was losing my patience. I told them you’re messing around to see if you want to pay $15 for gas and she is going to die. That seemed to get their attention and they came up with the money. I paid for the driver and the family paid for the gas. Now it was close to 11pm. So she was loaded into the ambulance and off they went. Maybe some rest, but no, here came a family with an unconscious man. They laid him on the table under the big tarp. I got my flashlight and went to see him. They had found him this way and he had not been sick. So I began to examine him. He had no reaction to pain or babinski reflex. He blinked his eye when I touched his eye lashes. Other than that he stared ahead and made moaning sounds. His symptoms were bilateral so my gut feeling was he was not a stroke but most likely post seizure. So I went to wake up Dr Johnson. By the time we got back the patient was waking up. Then sure enough he started having a seizure. Michael a young man and first responder from Tennessee working with Aid For Haiti ran off to find valium injection. After 20mg of valium IV the man settled down and seemed to stabilize. Unsure of whether this could be meningitis or not we load him up with antibiotics and ourselves with prophylactic Cipro. We loaded up more valium and gave the Haitian night nurse instructions on how and when to use it. Finally rest at 1230 to 1 am. Through the night he did have more seizures. So in the am we referred him to a hospital in Port au Prince. His family showed up with a motorcycle and loaded him on, the driver, the man (still seizing) and two women to help hold him on. This is Haiti!! We just hoped they would not wreck before they got over the mountain because we did not want to have them all come back for treatment.

Mode of transportation for medical team

US Military helped at the Wesleyan Clinic

First 24 Hours in Haiti

Adams News Letter

February 2010

The plan for our family is to be in Haiti by the end of next month. Please pray as we finish up some last details and make arrangements for our belongings to be sent over. Thank you for your continued prayers for our family and the stress of being separated and nomadic. We are blessed with wonderful family who have not complained about us crashing into their lives and families for an indefinite period of time. We are looking at moving into a small travel trailer for the next month. Pray that the details of this will come together smoothly.

We love you all and appreciate each and every pray and word of encouragement. We know it is the prayers of our "family" that have kept us close to Gods heart and our minds open to His strength and guidance.

In His Service,

Lowell, Robin , Lance , Cassie & Maddie

Lowell writes:...

FIRST 24 HOURS in Haiti

After flying into Port au Prince late Tuesday afternoon, I tried to get some sleep out on the back veranda under a mosquito net. There was a cool breeze and as I fell asleep, my thoughts were of the last few days - snow and unsafe roads, 4 am to midnight Sunday drive from Pennsylvania to
Florida, then saying good bye to my wife and kids, and on to Haiti. I was exhausted, but my mind wondered what would the next few days be like? What was I stepping into?

I woke early and got my good old cold Haitian shower. What a wake up. After breakfast, into the truck we went and off to Petit Goave. We passed many areas of destruction and tent cities.

But what really caught my eye was the work crews that were rebuilding walls and cleaning the streets. The rebuilding of a city. Only small scale - but work was starting.

After 3 1/2 hours we made it to Petit Goave. Along the way were many smashed houses and cracks in the road.

The clinic/ hospital consisted of a building and a wooden shed and some tarps. We were told that they had treated 400 people the day before. Usually the arrival of a truck means new medical staff and some going home. So myself and Helen Jacobson (a former missionary nurse to Haiti) were replacing a team from Canada of 2 doctors and 4 nurses. Not a good exchange for us. Well, after lunch, clinic finished and we got settled for the night. I made one bad mistake, I told everyone I was an OR nurse.

After about 30 minutes of sleep, I was awakened to the fact that we had a lady in labor and she was unable to deliver. We needed to do a C section. So I stumbled into my OR clothes and headed to the delivery room. It is a back room of a cement block building that survived the earthquake. A single light bulb lit the room. There was a team of surgeons from Florida next door who we called over to assist us. After some discussion we discovered that we did not have any oxytocin, a drug needed for post surgical uterine contractions. So a young missionary, Michael, a translator, and I jumped into a beat up old truck at 1 am and drove 30 minutes down the road to a house that had a stock pile of meds.

After some searching we found our drug and headed back. On arrival we found that the surgeons were trying to get into a local hospital that had a functioning OR. The problem was the hospital was locked with no body home. So they broke out a window and climbed in and started getting the OR ready.

Off the shore of Petit Goave is a Spanish Navy ship that has a medical staff that help with clinic. We did not have any OB GYN doctors so we called them to advise our General Surgeon and Pediatrician about post op care and potential complications. In the background you could hear the screams of the laboring woman. The Spanish thought we were in danger and in about 10 minutes two Humvee's arrived with 50 cal guns ready to save us. We, of course, were fine and only needed medical advice.

We got the call over our walkie talkies that the OR was open, so into the back of truck went the lady and all her family and medical staff, and off we went to the OR. The C-section was mostly routine with myself scrubbing and an ortho surgeon as my circulator.

( Check out some video footage on http://www.youtube.com/ - "Emergency C-Section at 3AM in Petit Goave Haiti on 2/10/2010").

Some coban dressings covered the holes in the surgeons cloth gown. A knife, a few clamps and body-wall retractor were our tools. After surgery, everyone piled back in the pickup truck with the patient and baby boy on a mattress, and headed on down the road to our clinic, because there was no one to care for patients at the hospital . The patient and baby and family spent the night in a tent with Helen.

I went to bed at 4:30 am and was up at 7am for more clinic. The next afternoon mother and baby were discharged to home.

That was my first 24+ hrs in Haiti.

Just an update about Lance. He flew to the states on Friday Feb. 19th and will be in CO for the next 2weeks. Then to PA to visit family and friends. We hope to have him join us in south FL and then in Haiti for several weeks. We will post stories from his time in India as soon as we get to
hear them.