Bar Soap and Burn Cream

I know I am very sporadic with my blogging but this is something I've wanted to share for awhile.

God provides.

It's simple but it's true. Coming to Haiti I had to have faith that God would be working out all the little details of my stay here. Living in Haiti I have to have faith that God will provide for us as an organization and specifically for the needs of each and every baby in our care.

Well... 5 months into it and I'm still convinced of this simple truth. In fact, I'm actually quite enthusiastic about it.

COTP benefits immensely from the people who choose to spend a few weeks of their time in Haiti. Short term volunteers help take care of the babies that need extra attention, specifically those that are still small or unhealthy. They help do a multitude of daily tasks like dish washing, brushing teeth, clipping baby finger nails, boiling baby bottles, feeding babies, etc. Probably most importantly volunteers allow for all the kids to get some extra one on one attention. The past few months we've been blessed with teams that have come to paint buildings and do other projects.

I've convinced that God provides just the right volunteers with the right skills at the right times. Example, Bryan a super tall volunteer from Texas was here the week we were repainting the pharmacy. Example B, Joanne, a nurse with 20+ years of experience in immunizations came the week I decided to sit down and map out catch-up vaccination schedules. Example C, Erin, a new nurse grad with experience on a neonatal cardiac intensive care unit came just in time to take care of a baby with those very needs. These are just a few examples. I'm thankful for everyone who has been through.

The Pharmacy

I spend a lot of time in this room. I use it daily to consult with people from the community. It's used when our pediatrician comes once a month. It's used on vaccination day and when new children get their blood drawn for labs.

Once a month, things get very crowded in the pharmacy. The place is full of 70 mothers and babies between the ages of 0 and 6 months. Women who have been through the pre-natal program are asked to return monthly with their infants. We weigh and measure the babies and the mothers have an opportunity to ask questions about their health.

Here are some photos.

lab day

Women from the pre-natal program wait with their babies.

healthy babies, concerned moms

pharmacy: before

during

after

Bar Soap and Burn Cream

We get mail once a week. On mail day, Nick drives to the airport in town, waits for the Agape plane to touch down, and then heads out to the runway to help unload boxes sent by generous supporters. Diapers, cheerios, formula... It's basically like Christmas once a week.

Usually Maria, Jamie, or Nikki will sort through the items to make sure we get the names and addresses of those who have contributed. Anything medical ends up in a pile in the pharmacy. After seeing the items that would show up in my pile each mail day during my first few weeks in Haiti I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't ever have to worry about not having the right supplies to meet the health needs of our kids.

One week we received a donation of extra bar soap. The next few days I encountered kids with skin issues that could be resolved with attention to good hygiene. I gave out quite a few bars of soap that week. On another occasion we received a large donations of medication, mostly antibiotics. In it was a case of silver silvadine a cream which happens to be excellent for burns and other wounds. It's funny. As we sat in the pharmacy sorting through this shipment, Silvia, the nurse responsible for acquiring these supplies from the Canadian government asked whether I had seen many burns. My answer at the time was "no." Not kidding, within the next three days I treated three kids with serious burns from surrounding communities.

At the beginning of July we were almost out of oral rehydration solution, a necessary remedy for kids with diarrhea, vomiting, and high fevers. A neighboring missionary decided to give me ALL of the medical supplies that were sitting in one of their buildings. A medical team had come through and had left enough medication to fill 3 red radio flyer wagons!! Talk about a JACKPOT! In this stash was a box of ORS. I've used nearly every packet in the past four weeks. This sequence repeats itself constantly. God provides and a need presents itself.

It's pretty cool.

Meet the nannies: Part 1

Returning to COTP was pretty much amazing. One month is a significant chunk of time in the life of a baby! Kids that couldn't walk when I left are walking, kids that couldn't yet sit are sitting, and almost everyone had gained a pound or two during my month away. Most shocking was hearing our growing group of walking 1-2 year olds carrying on full conversations with eachother -in baby gibberish of course - but they are conversing nonetheless. It's cute.

Seeing the nannies and giving them all hugs was equally exciting. The nannies have become like my extended family. I see them every day...I feel like I am getting to know some of them pretty well. These women are amazing. We have close to 60 Haitien women working as nannies, cooks, and laundry/cleaning personnel. We also have an adoption liason, a school sponsorship coordinator, a pre-natal program director and assistant, and we have a few men who help by doing yardwork, maintenance, and driving.

A lot of our nannies live right here in Lagosette and in neighboring villages which means... I wave to them in them in their homes when I go for a run, I sit by them in church, I give them a ride home from town if I happen to be driving the red machin. Such is village life. (I love it.)

I get to meet a lot of family members (mostly due to illness...unfortunately). It seems that at least once every day a nanny/staff member asks whether I'd be willing to consult with their sick son, father, sister, cousin, aunt....

Seeing families together is one of my favorite things. Example: It would make my day if a nanny brought all of her kids to COTP, stood them in a line, and told me their names and ages. I also enjoy learning about family ties. I've been in Haiti for quite a while now and I'm still learning who is related to whom. Apparently, whenever I discover that a certain Nanny A happens to be the sister of a certain Nanny B I make a pretty big deal about it. The other day I learned that 7 of our nannies were related, as either sisters or step-sisters. The women were enjoying my reaction at the revelation of each relationship so much so that they added an 8th nanny just for fun. Later in the day they got quite a kick out of telling me they were only joking about sister #8.

Basically, I think these ladies are a LOT of fun. They also have faith in God like you would not believe! But I'll save that topic for another post.

Friends and family, I should also have you know that the nannies always ask about you and tell me that they are praying for you. For those of you who are interested in praying for COTP: Please pray for the nannies and their families. At the moment, quite a few have family members that are seriously ill. Thanks!

3 days short of July?!

Time flies. Time also tells me it’s about time I get back to blogging.

My posts fail to reflect that my two month long trip to Haiti has become a bit more permanent. Within a week of my arrival at COTP I knew that I wanted to spend an extended period of time at this place. I’m sure those of you I had a chance to talk to while I was home can vouch for me when I say I LOVE THE KIDS, I love the nannies and their families, and I love the COTP staff and volunteers. I’m even learning to love cows and to tolerate rats. Seriously, I couldn’t think of anything more appealing than being a nurse in this community for the next twelve months.

So... here I am. I returned to Haiti on June 7th after spending about four weeks in the states. It was a great trip! I got to participate in the beautiful wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Cruz and Vanessa Thomas. Vanessa and I have been friends since we were fifteen. It was pretty special to help her prepare for her wedding.

Between wedding festivities I spent a quick afternoon with my grandmother, aunt, and cousin in Santa Cruz and also took the train to Sacramento to float down the river with some other cousins. It’s a funny thing the first time you hang out with your other “adult” cousins as “adults.” Wasn’t it just yesterday our mothers were dressing us in matching winter sweaters and fluorescent ski gear?

After the wedding my family and I stopped for a Sunday morning church service where I grew up in precious little Morgan Hill. Then we drove to Tucson, AZ where I said hello to the family dog and spent a morning with my grandparents. Less than 24 hours later I was on a plane to Georgia. I spent an evening with Mr. Lt. Steven Vietti who happened to be in Alabama instead of Germany! We did a fair amount of reflection on how crazy it is to be where we are in life just a year after nursing school. That was fun. From Atlanta I drove with my cousins and aunt to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where the majority of our family spent an amazing six days on the beach. I rarely see this side of family anymore. Our family reunions are the BEST.

I made one more stop back in Tucson where I got to catch up with so many wonderful friends and check in with ELEVATE, the church I’d been attending prior to Haiti. Tribe girls, you still make my heart happy.

Finally, just a few hours before flying back to Haiti I was invited to share with my parents Bible Study class. Guess what I shared about?? Yep. Children of the Promise. Thanks for having me! Sorry I was so long winded.

My trip back to Haiti was pretty uneventful until I arrived at the Cap Haitien airport. It’s a tiny airport with just 3 carriers sharing the short air strip. Apparently, they’ve been cracking down on immigration regulations and weren’t too happy that didn’t indicate a departure date or an address of residence on my immigration forms. These errors led to an hour long conversation in an immigration office with Reekens (our driver) and I trying to convince immigration that I was volunteering for a legitimate orphanage, wasn’t being paid for my work, and wasn’t trying to marry a Haitien man and stay in Haiti for the rest of my life. We were only partially successful. They decided to copy my nursing license, make me a file, have me sign a few papers and promise to leave the country in exactly three months. They wrote the date in my passport just in case I forget. Looks like I might have to drive into the Dominican Republic for a few days to comply with their directives.

Life in Lagosette is as busy as ever. So much has already happened in the three weeks that I have been back. Assuming I find time to blog my next few posts will have to be a combination of current events and throwback thoughts. My goal is to be able to blog about things as they happen! I have so many crazy/amazing stories to share.

Hope this post finds you all happy and healthy.

Just your average Saturday...

Just a little note about my day...

I thought I'd blog about my day for a change. I feel like I have enough good news to share that it will be worth posting.. even though I'm a little bit sleepy.

I generally really like Saturdays. The rest of the week is wonderful too, but on Saturdays, because fewer people from outside the gates come seeking help there seems to be more time to focus on our little ones here. Saturdays always feel significantly different (in a good way). :)

I started off the day with a full night of sleep which is rare in light of the 5 new admits we have staying in the volunteer house and apartment. We try to rotate the babies to allow people to rest when they really need to. For the past 2 weeks I've been responsible for a one month old baby girl. She was born 2 months prematurely and was less then 5 lbs when she arrived at COTP. She's chunky now and weighs over 7 lbs. She sleeps in my room and I feed her throughout the night and day. I love her ALOT and I always miss her when its my turn to rest or take care of a different baby. The night before last 2 other little boys needed some extra attention. One baby needed NG tube feedings and another little one needed oxygen and monitering. So I had TWO roommates. Praise the Lord both babies are doing well.

Today the first little boy pulled out his NG tube. Apparently, he'd had enough! He arrived a little over a week ago with the classic signs of protein-energy-malnutrition plus a terrible case of scabies. Unfortunately, because he'd forgotten how to suck and would gag every time something was placed in his mouth, we had to insert a nasogastric tube for his feedings. I've learned a lot about PEM the last few days as I've researched how to take care of this baby. Who knew that iron shouldn't be administered until two weeks after a malnourished child is without infection and gaining weight? The fluid balance involved in Kwashiorker malnutrition is also quite challenging! He'd been progressing too slowly for my liking, but today things really turned around. Without the tube, we decided to feed him his formula via a medicine cup. Even though at each feeding he cries through the whole process, it works. The best part of today was seeing him smile and really laugh! The edema has resolved and he is finally starting to look and act more like a four month old should. I'm so grateful for Silvia, a volunteer who's taken excellent care of him this past week. She's also a nurse and is so so helpful.

I've also learned quite a bit about faith and healing while being here in Haiti and working in this setting. I know that ultimately God holds the lives of these children in his hands (I hope that doesn't sound to corny). I trust that He loves them, provides for them, and protects them. Over and over again I find myself recognizing a problem, praying for wisdom, deciding on a treatment, praying for protection for the child in case I chose the wrong course of action, hoping I chose the right course of action, and praying for healing. And after that I never worry, or at least I rarely worry, because I know that they have a Father who is stronger than all. Without a doubt I know that God is REALLY taking care of these kids. I don't know how else to explain why last month a baby had an oxygen saturation of 39% followed by a 2 hour seizure and didn't die or have any residual damage.

The night before last, we had the two boys I discussed above in a room downstairs. I was leaning over a playpen and adjusting the oxygen for the one (one year old) while another volunteer, Lydia, was holding the other infant. She was rocking him back and forth and singing him a Sunday school song based on the story in the Bible where Jesus tells Lazarus to get up and walk. She laughed and said, "whenever I want to sing a song about healing, I have to sing this song because they're just aren't many songs about healing." I searched my brain for another option but Lydia was right.

This isn't the first time where I've been with a child who isn't feeling well, have done everything in my power to help them, and have arrived at the point where the only thing left to do is pray for them and sing to them. So, if you do know some songs about healing please send them my way. Maybe there aren't enough written songs about healing because we as humans prefer a more independent route. We do everything in our power to heal/help ourselves and when that's not working we just start over and try everything once more. I've discovered that I'm not strong enough or smart enough to go through this life independently. Thankfully, God's in the business of healing.

Later today we did have one visitor. A woman from a neighborhing village came in with a little 3 year old girl. I didn't recognize her right away but then I recognized the little girl's black shoes and skinny legs. Then I saw her face! I practically ran through the hallway in the baby house to greet our guest at the gate. I had seen this little girl once before, a week ago. At that time she presented with a severely swollen face, milky white discharge in her eyes, a eczema like rash on her face, neck, upper back, and scalp, infected lesions on her scalp, and a papular rash in her perineal area. She was a mess. I was a little overwhelmed when I saw first saw her. The caregiver told me that she had suffered for over a year with this problem and had previously received medication that had not helped. Together Silvia and I decided to send her off with some chewable vitamins, an oral antahistamine, an antibiotic suitable for skin structure infections, and a lotion designed to treat eczema. Today, one week later all of her skin issues had been resolved. She was smooth as a peach and I wanted to kiss her! The caregiver, perhaps an aunt, was glowing. Sylvia and I were ecstatic. "Mwen kontan!" I exclaimed. "Ou kontan?" I am happy! Are you happy? "Wi," she answered. She made a point to tell us that everyone in her household was very happy. She had brought the little girl to show us the extent of her happiness.

It was really rewarding.

Today was also weigh day. Every Saturday I weigh a handful of kids that are relatively new or are struggling to gain weight. Once a month I weigh everyone! Today was a big weigh day (all 24 kids). It's always fun to watch the kids grow. It's especially exciting to monitor weight gain in new babies and in kids who are overcoming malnutrition. We have a set of twins, just 2 weeks old. Weight gain has turned into a competition for these two, with one baby just a few ounces heavier than the other. All of the volunteers are cheering for the underdog. There's another little boy that arrived at COTP last week. He was just 14 lbs and almost 3 years of age. But he's doing extremely well. Two days ago he took four steps and today, he weighs 16 lbs 8 oz. Ironically he weighs just as much as our biggest 9 month old.. but that's another story..

Thanks for reading.

Please pray for the health of everyone working at COTP. Currently, 5 people are pretty sick.

Thanks!

When it rains, it really rains.

Mid April...

"Amy, Ou renmen lapri?" Do you love the rain? Someone asked me this one rainy morning during one of my first few weeks in Haiti. I said an enthusiatic, "Yes!" Although, my enthusiasm might have been more related to the fact that someone had spoken to me in Creole and I'd been able to comprehened. I was asked this same question a few weeks later. It'd been raining for four straight days, and I was soaking wet with a baby in my arms and a blanket over our heads. This time I laughed and shook my head "no." Friends, we've definitely hit the rainy season in Northern Haiti.

Rain can be good and it can be bad. On the positive side of things rain provides water for the crops, gives the cows something to drink, allows people to wash their vehicles (see below), and sometimes provides a place to bathe. On the other hand, it becomes very difficult for people to get to work when roads are uncrossable. Business suffers on rainy days especially for those who sell merchandise on the side of the road. Also, a heavy rain can cause serious damage to homes made from unreliable materials. It's not fun to face a flooded house on a weekly basis. At any rate, rain is important.

I remember the first BIG rain storm I experienced in Haiti. I fell asleep under my mosquito net (this was when I was still using a mosquito net) to the sound of heavy rain on the tin roof above. When I say heavy, I mean the kind of rain that would flatten you if you tried to walk in it. It was fun. The following morning I went outside and to my surprise, there stood a lake. It was large enough to swim a few laps! ;) Well...maybe not quite. But I did stand in it long enough to at least let my feet get soggy. I DO love swimming.

We had a couple more big rains that week. I remember later in the week I went for a walk with a few volunteers and a handful of kids. Every few yards we’d happen upon another giant puddle. Past rainstorms have created huge craters in the roads that fill with water during consecutive rains. Maneuvering around these puddles was a precarious situation with a stroller and toddlers. In fact we probably should have brought along a lifeguard. But thankfully all stayed dry. Later we happened upon, Reekens, an employee of COTP, motoring past us in the COTP tractor. He’d been coming back from town in the white truck only to become very much “stuck in the mud.” Jamie, one of the Site Directors happened to be along on this walk. The two of them successfully dislonged the big white vehicle. Good thing we have a tractor! It really does come in handy. A volunteer named Emily captured the excitement.

A few weeks later I was going into town with Reekens, a different Emily, and Maria. We were going to get groceries for Easter dinner. We traversed some pretty big bodies of water in that little red truck.

And to think, most people have to cross the puddles by walking through them or while on a motorcycle. “Going in to town” involves driving through a few small villages, turning left at the big tree, right at the roundabout, going over the bridge, and past the fried plantain stand and then well… you’re pretty much in town. Cap Haitien.

It’s densely populated place… hard to describe. There’s a lot happening everywhere you look. Sometime, I will have to write a post purely dedicated to Cap.

Transportation in this particular region of Haiti involves motos, tap-taps, mules, or feet. I’ve also seen a few bicycles and a few horses with saddles made from sugar cane. If you need to go any distance the tap-tap is the most widely used option. The tap –taps are old trucks each painted in the same fashion. If you need to go somewhere you better remember which tap-tap drives to that particular spot. You flag down the tap-tap, pay the driver, and join the 20 people already riding in the bed of the truck.

You can also “catch a moto.” To do this you approach a group of men standing with their motorcycles on the street corner. The moto driver will take you wherever you need to go. Frequently drivers will transport three or even four passengers on the back of their motos. Unfortunately accidents are commonplace; both moto vs. tap-tap and moto passenger vs. ground. I have already treated a few victims of such accidents. Just yesterday a young guy walked (or rather limped) 5 miles in order to see if I could bandage a large burn on his leg. Of course I did and I sent him away with some advice and some Advil. They often walk to COTP because taking a Tap-Tap would cost money and treatment at a hospital or clinic would cost even more. Through word of mouth people living in the area have learned that COTP usually has a nurse or two that will perform consultations and sometimes even dispense medicine, all free of charge. This man lived a two minute walk from the hospital. Yet because money is an issue, I’m the better option. I'm just hoping he'll make the five mile hike for me to change his dressing again tomorrow.

The rain makes for a convenient car wash.

M Pale Kreyol.

I guess prior to coming to Haiti I didn’t consider that within a few weeks I’d be speaking a new language. But sure enough, after spending 6 weeks in Haiti with 4 weeks of Kreyol lessons (about 4-5 days a weeks for roughly 2 hours) I’m doing alright.

It’s been a fun journey. I remember during the first few days I would sit on the floor of the pharmacy with kids from the village that had come for one ailment or another (bandaids and cough syrup if I remember correctly) and ask them repeatedly “koman ou rele sa? “how do you call this?” while pointing to everything in sight. Hey I learned some important words in these crash course sessions, like earring and sneaker. :)

For the first four weeks that I was here, every day at around 10 AM I would meet Renel under the Mango tree and we’d head over to the Pre-Natal Building where we spend the next two hours in front of the chalkboard. He would introduce new vocabulary words and I’d translate sentences. My favorite day was the day he had me translate a sentence about some famous Italian soccer player playing for the Spanish team. I was thrilled to discover that I knew enough Kreyol to translate that sentence correctly but I must admit I’ve yet to have any of those words come up in conversation...I'm still waiting for the day.

Now that my lessons with Renel have come to an end I rely on the nannies and a little book called "Creole Made Easy" to teach me new material. There are a few nannies who really love to help expand my vocabulary. It’s so meaningful for me to be able to talk with them. I love that they can come to me when their blood pressure’s high or their own children have a fever. I love that we can work as a team to keep the kids at COTP stay healthy. I’ve been around long enough now and have proven myself trustworthy enough that they don’t have to go to Maria or Bekah or Jamie to report an illness. They come to me. This is SO crucial with regards to continuity of care. I also love that I know enough Kreyol to joke with them! We laugh A LOT. There’s a little boy that I bring pediasure to 5 or so times a day. I spend a lot of time with this baby. We’re buds. If he happens to start crying before I’ve made it over to the baby house with his bottle, Jullien, a nanny whom I know a little bit better than the others, comes looking for me. She always says the same thing. Amy, zamni ou fache avek ou. Amy your friend is angry with you. I always respond in the same way—pretending I totally forgot about him, AGAIN. We laugh.

Sometimes I have a harder time understanding what someone is trying to tell me. But usually when I’m in my element and asking questions related to a person’s health, family, living situation, symptoms, etc.. I can manage. And I’ve got baby lingo down pat.

Today was pretty rewarding in the language department. I was on a walk with Maria.

Side note: Myself and a few of the other long term staff members often go for speed walks in the afternoons when COTP is “closed.” But… walking for exercise is a foreign concept to the people we meet on the roads. It’s not the walking that gets us so many strange looks. It’s the pace. Haitiens walk on a daily basis. But if someone’s planning to walk to town or to the next village, there’s really no rush. So when we speed past in our exercise attire most don’t hesitate to state the obvious. “Nou mache vid” they exclaim with a big smile. You all walk fast!

On this particular speed walk we turned left at the bridge and headed into the village of Pomgrasia. I recognized a mom that had come to COTP the previous day with her 3 year old daughter. She had a fever of 102.5 and looked sick! I was able to help bring that fever down and send her home with some Tylenol, antibiotics, and pedialtyte. By the time we turned around, the mom had brought her little girl out to the road. She was smiling, giggling, and hugging her mom tightly around the neck. It sure was nice to see that she was feeling better. It was also nice to see how much she loved her mom. But personally it was really nice to be able to follow-up, to physically see the baby again, and to answer some of the mom’s other questions. Simply stated, I was happy to be able to ask the mom, Koman li ye? How is she doing? I hope it showed her that I care.

I feel like I rely pretty heavily on language. I’ve always liked to show people I care about them by asking personal questions. Do your ears feel better after using the ear drops I gave you? Did your brother’s stomach ache go away? Did you have a safe trip to the airport? We all do it. I’m probably stating the obvious but without language, relationships are tricky. And without relationships it’s a little tough to show people I care. With that said, I thank God for helping me learn the basics of Creole as quickly as I did. I sometimes joke that it was because Renel and I prayed before and after EVERY Creole lesson. But hey…I’m a firm believer that God does answer prayer. :) You should try it! ;)

Life:

It is definitely about time that I post a thorough update. There’s just one slight problem! I’ve been here at Children of the Promise for 25 days now. Which means that I have quite a lot that I want to share with you all.

Oh where to start??

Well let’s talk about the kids.

The Kids
Children of the Promise exists in order to provide a loving and caring temporary home for orphaned children. Some of the children have been brought to COTP by a parent or a relative who cannot currently provide for the child but hopes to return for the child as soon as possible. In many of these cases a parent has tried desperately to keep the child fed and taken care of but the baby needs more nutrition than that parent can afford. Some children return to those family members after they become fat and healthy here at COTP and the family is in a better position. Other children leave COTP to be united with their adoptive parents. People in the US, Canada, and Great Britian have all adopted children from COTP. Still other children arrive at COTP because they have serious health concerns. Some of these babies are able to leave Haiti with medical visas to be treated in the States. When these cases arise, we look for doctors and facilities that are willing to make consultations, provide care, and perform surgeries pro bono. It sounds like a lot to ask, but quite a few kids have been helped in this way.
Before the earthquake in Port au Prince, there were about 60 -70 kids all living within these gates. Then, because of the earthquake the US offered to allow all children with pending adoptions into the states with humanitarian visas. This was HUGE!! Most adoptions from Haiti to the US take at least 2 – 3 years to finalize. For this reason, COTP primarily admits children under the age of two. A child might remain at COTP until they are 5, so doing this helps keep the age range at any giving time to about 0 – 5 years. In the weeks following the earthquake about 30 and 40 kids from COTP were able to fly to enter the States on humanitarian and medical visas.

Currently there are just 18 kids at COTP. They all get lots of love and attention! I adore them all. I can’t post pictures of the kids or discuss them by name but I’m sure I’ll have a few stories to share. I will try to describe their amazing little personalities, even without photos.

If a baby is a newborn, new to COTP, or very ill that baby will stay in volunteer house until they are healthy enough to return to the baby house. My third day in Haiti a little 4 week old baby came through the gates. She became my little girl. I made sure that she was full and happy. She slept in a crib by my bed. She’s since grown up enough to live in the baby house. That's her little head in the crib below. She's beautiful. I hope it's okay for me to post the picture below. She's conveniently covering her face to protect her identity.

While living in the volunteer house I stayed in this bunk room with various short term volunteers. In these past few short weeks I have lived with some incredible people. First it was a church group from Phoenix (we miss you!), than it was another group of 8 from Emmanuel, a church in Southern California. They painted murals in each of the baby rooms! After that, 3 "Grandmas" from Minnesota came to love on the babies for a week. Now we have an electrician and his wife and two other nurses! I've since moved out of the volunteer house into a more permanent room.

The pictures below show the volunteer house kitchen.. Not too terribly exciting but I thought I'd give you a glipse of where I live.



Living in the volunteer house was really fun. Those of you that I know through Friendship Ventures will understand me when I say that living in the volunteer house is a lot like living in the health center at Camp Friendship. When something needs to be done, you do it.. and everyone works together to keep things running smoothly. Life in the volunteer house never slows. During the night you might be awake feeding and changing babies. In the morning there might be dishes to wash or dirty clothes to take to the laundry pavilion.

There are teeth to brush, bottles to make, laundry to put away, kids to play with, things that need cleaning or organizing. I did a lot of this as I was transitioning into my nursing role. Now my time is often occupied with nursing related activities.

I'll tell you about that in my NEXT post! Thank you for your prayers! I feel God's presence in a HUGE way everyday in Haiti.