Fourth (and final!) Prenatal Class

By BJ, June 22, 2009
It didn’t seem possible this was our last class with these ladies. It was decided to complete the same screenings today the first class and as promised, Adam did an ultrasound for all who had not had the opportunity at a previous class. During this class we discussed umbilical cord care, bathing, and swaddling. While all this may sound like common knowledge to us because we go to doctors and hospitals for our care, most of these ladies do not have that luxury. Dr. Yves asked us to please stress the importance of coming to the clinic for their delivery if possible but at least bring the newborn in on next clinic day for umbilical cord care.
Since arriving here, I have observed the babies are wrapped in blankets that are too warm for this weather. I shared with them that when I had my children, the doctor advised me to dress the baby as warm as I would dress myself. It was a blessing to have enough light-weight blankets to give to each mom.
In addition to blankets, powdered milk, and vitamins for each lady, we had some diapers to give as prizes for review questions. This helped as a great review for all four classes. The ladies were quick to answer the questions and win diapers, what we think of as a basic care item for our babies . . . it is a luxury here.
It was hard to say good-bye to the ladies knowing I may never see them again but pray God will take care of them and their babies.

Barbancourt Prenatal Class

By Guest Blogger: BJ Nicholson
This class was scheduled due to the overwhelming interest expressed prior to class 2 at La Digue. Since our class at the mission was full, we decided to hold a class specifically for the women in Barboncout. Amber advised the person organizing the group to accept 25-30 ladies and arranged for the class to be held at a church there. We prepared our vitamins, powdered milk, and prizes for 30 ladies only to be greeted with about 35 before the class was over. Amber, Kari, and I gave as much information as we could in the 2-1/2 hours we had to spend with them. All topics were covered in a condensed version, and the ladies seemed to enjoy the information.
The ladies of the congregation were fasting today. Here that means they gather at the church to sing, praise God, and pray. They seemed to be enjoying their time with God so in order to not disrupt them, our class was held outside under an awning connected to the church
One of the ladies brought her 10 year old daughter to the class with her hoping to get some medical help. The child was retaining fluid all over her body, and as we watched her during the class it seemed her swelling became worse. We brought her and her mother back to the clinic at La Digue to see Dr. Yves. Dr. Yves gave her some medication to help relieve the edema with instructions to return to the clinic for follow-up and to possibly be sent for blood work. He told us her kidneys were not functioning properly and that this was a chronic problem for her. They had been going to a hospital frequently but recently her mother made the decision to not continue the treatment due to lack of time and money.

Prenatal Class 3

By Guest Blogger: BJ Nicholson
Once again, the pre-natal class was well received. Kari was responsible for the majority of information today on the topics of breastfeeding and bonding with their baby. Breastfeeding cannot be stressed enough to moms here since formula is rarely affordable for them. The mixture commonly used here is flour, sugar, and water (many times not clean water); a mixture which simply fills the baby’s belly but has zero nutritional value. In addition, the unclean water is very likely to make the baby very ill. Kari stressed the benefits of breastfeeding for both mom and baby, especially the fact that it is healthy for the baby and it doesn’t cost any money. Amber explained the benefit of the first few days of breastfeeding to be “medicine” God supplies for the baby to give it a good beginning and keep it from being sick.
At the first class each mom’s blood sugar, blood pressure, pulse, and weight was taken. Some were abnormal, and we have been monitoring them since. Today one of the ladies’ blood pressure was elevated from the first week, so we stressed the importance of seeing Dr. Yves the next day and told her that we would provide him with her information . After consulting with Dr. Yves, he agreed her blood pressure was high and that she has preeclampsia. He then stressed to her the importance of having her baby at the clinic for the safety of both mom and baby.

We're Back

Hey guys! The internet has been down for a couple of weeks now and it is still not repaired. Lightening struck our house during a storm and completely fried our entire system. We've got some people working on getting a new system in, but there is no telling how long that could take! We are in the States now, but please pray that the system will be working before we return from our trip so we can communicate with folks at home.
I want to try and catch you up on a few things that happened since we talked last...

By Guest Blogger: Kari Nicholson (June 18th)
Today, several of us decided to work in the clinic while others worked on various projects. To start the day, Dr. Yves gave Dr. Josh a “crash course” in 3rd world medicine; then all of us quickly went to work. Mom began doing triage by obtaining vital signs and weights on all the patients, and I worked to sort out the medical supplies that Adam had brought in from the store room. Shortly after the day started, Mom reported to Dr. Yves that one of the children had an axillary temperature of 103. Upon further assessment, Dr. Josh diagnosed him with having an incarcerated inguinal hernia, and his mother was told to rush him to Port-au-Prince as soon as possible because he needed surgery quickly. Mom later told me that Dr. Josh didn’t think he had gone septic yet, but that if he didn’t have the surgery soon, the infection would lead to septic shock (septic shock is when a bacterial infection enters the blood, ultimately leading to death). We were thankful that Dr. Josh caught the problem so quickly, but since the child had been having this problem for over 3 days, his chances for infection were greatly increased.
Later in the morning, a young girl came in who needed her wound redressed. Dr. Yves told me that she had been severely burned in November of 2008 and that it had been 2 weeks since her last dressing change. After I took off the old dressing and examined the wound, Dr. Yves and Dr. Josh stood back in amazement. The burn affected nearly 10% or so of her body, and Dr. Josh said that most of it looked like “deep 3rd degree” burns. Although it was in the healing process, the malnutrition that spreads so widely throughout Haiti had a profound effect on this girl. She had noticeable orange-tinted hair, and her wound was not healing very quickly. To help with her wound healing, Dr. Yves sent her home with protein and antibiotics, and her mother agreed to bring her back to the clinic for it to be redressed in a few days. Surprisingly, this was her first time to visit Lifeline’s clinic, but her mother seemed to be impressed at the care she received here.
The last case we saw today was a woman who was in a car wreck. She arrived in the clinic with a few of her friends (one of whom spoke English), but she was in tears and unable to communicate much throughout her visit. She had a golf-ball-sized bump on her forehead and her arm was sloppily bandaged with 4x4 gauze sponges. As I began to take her dressings off her arm, she jerked back and cried in pain. The translator friend she had with her told us that he took her to a local hospital who refused to do anything for her. They left the IV in her hand with a fluid bag attached, so he brought her to the mission clinic for further evaluation. When Dr. Yves and Dr. Josh looked at her arm, their reactions were even more shocking. They both agreed that, because of the amount of adipose tissue exposed and the shape of the wound, there was no possible way to sew it. Dr. Josh said that the wound was so deep that the tendons were visible. As we tried to clean her wounds, the woman jerked away and said that it hurt too bad to put anything on it. Dr. Yves had to spray it with a wound cleanser before we could dress it, but when it was clean we put more burn ointment onto it and wrapped it properly. Dr. Yves said he would give her a shot of antibiotics but that she needed to go to Port-au-Prince for an x-ray.
Overall, this was a very busy clinic day. Although it was hectic, this is the work for which mom and I came. It is obvious to me from these three cases that God’s love is being shown to the Haitian people through the compassionate and efficient care provided to them at the mission clinic.

Praise Report

Just wanted to share that 2 people have accepted Christ on our prayer walks with the Michigan team this week. Praise the Lord that more souls have been added to the Kingdom!

Graduation

Lifeline's very first trade school sewing class graduated today. There was a ceremony scheduled at 10:00 this morning, but being as this is Haiti, it didn't start until closer to 11:00. All of us Americans were in the church patiently waiting so I walked up to the trade school to see how close they were to being ready. I stepped into a room full of excitement. (First of all, they were all impressed to see "Madame Adam" actually dressed up.) Each one was busy getting ready and helping each other put finishing touches on their final exam, which was the dress they wore for graduation. I could feel the energy in the room, but still encouraged them to quickly get to the church.
Recess was in session at this time so the school children gathered around all the windows of the church to see what was going on. The sewing students waited at the door, then deliberately walked down the aisle to the front rows of the church. Madam Bousicot entered in her traditional Haitian gradation robe. We opened with prayer and the crowd singing "How Great Thou Art". The Michigan team attended the ceremony and sang a couple of songs. Then Madame Bousicot said some very sweet things about Adam and I, addressed the students, then read Proverbs chapter four.
The students came to the front to sing "One Day at a Time" and I'm pretty sure I wept through the entire song. The memories of the first day of class came to my mind when hardly anyone knew the songs Madame Bousicot wanted them to sing. Many in the group hardly knew anything about God and had no desire to back then. As they belted it out in harmony and with passion, I was just overwhelmed by how far they've come. I love the thought of the plan God had for them and that I actually was able to play a pretty big part in that.
But I had to dry my tears because was scheduled to speak next. I talked about how privileged they are to have had Madame Bousicot as a Christian mentor and sewing teacher. I told them I was proud of their accomplishments both in sewing skills and business practices. I reminded them that they were never given a handout here, but God provided the means for this class and they have worked hard to provide a better life for themselves and their families.
Madame Maxo (mother of 10, who lives very close to the mission) asked if she could say a few words. She talked about how Lifeline has done good things helping the children for years, but the trade school is now the avenue for Lifeline to help the adults. She acknowledged that the class gave Madame Bousicot and I a hard time at the beginning, and thanked us for not giving up on them. Finally, she thanked Adam and I for coming to live in a foreign country to help them.
So I don't know if this seems like a big deal to you, and I hope it doesn't seem like it's all about me, but this whole program is very special to me. The effects of this class are a huge reason I left my career, family, friends, and life at home to live here. It may just seem like sewing to you, but to them it means a job, a business, clothes on their back and food on their table. These ladies will always deal with a hard life here. That's just the way it is. But now they are better equipped and prepared and know that they never have to face it alone.

Here's What's Happening...

The mission has been full of activity lately! Our team of 8 from Kentucky left for home this morning (good bye Estabon & Pat). They did a lot of work projects and were unbelievably good with the kids –their activities and skits were so appropriate for the kids around here. We enjoyed you guys!
The new group of 17 from Michigan arrived on Tuesday. Since most of them are youth, Adam and I have truly been enjoying getting to know them. The first night we walked to the cross to sing and to hear their testimonies. They shared the reasons they wanted to come on this mission trip, and we could see their burden was strong and that their heart was in the right place. They weren’t just coming to see poverty; they were coming to show God’s love and to help wherever needed.
Yesterday was full of walking to Barbancourt and the dam in our village. The kids who followed us there loved the songs this group sang in Creole. We saw a thick crowd of kids around Jonathan. Initial thoughts were that he had been dog piled. Turns out he was arm wrestling with a teenage guy. (We won’t mention who won.) The point is everyone loved it.
Today the gang split into groups to work on projects building, cleaning, and repairing things around the mission. This afternoon we went on a prayer walk with Pastor Rony and Merilien. We were in 2 groups that went to different houses visiting, praying, and singing with people. Some of the youth shared their testimonies in Creole. The walk was even crowned with a great blessing… the lady that lives on the hill by the mission accepted Christ! Praise the Lord!
See what I mean, it has been pretty eventful around here! Please pray that the mission, missionaries, and the teams present and future would be healthy, safe, blessed, and our efforts pleasing to God.