Isaiah 30:21 - Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Monday, August 29, 2011

What can you do with $98?


"When we have the courage to look in the faces of brothers and sisters whose bodies are malnourished and whose brains are deformed because they have no food, Christ will change our desires, and we will long to sacrifice our resources for the glory of His name among them. " ~ David Platt
Last week Somalia made headlines.  It wasn't the type of headline that any country wants.  They had 29,000 kids dying from malnutrition.  Last week in Montrouis Haiti, at a small clinic on the bottom of a hill we treated more than 50 kids for malnutrition.   The moms were already there eagerly waiting to hand me their crumpled up contract paper letting me know their child was in the program.  Some kids came from the village right next to the clinic.  Some kids came from town.  Some kids came from the next town over, and some kids came from up the mountains waking up at three am to walk down.  
This week we treated more than 60.  Some old faces.  Some new faces.   Faces that are starting to fill out and look healthy.  Faces that are starting to smile.   Every now and again a familiar face coming back for their three month check up.  This week we had three.
Our program seems to be growing every week.  I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.  It seems for every kid we graduate we have five new ones.   With this many kids in the program we use a lot of peanut butter.  This peanut butter is helping save these kids lives.  And now we need your help.  
It costs $98 to feed a child for 8 weeks.
 
$98 to have a kid graduate the program at a healthy weight
 
Three months later it takes 10 minutes to recheck the kid to see he needs the program again.  His mom doesn't have a job and can only afford to feed him once a day.  We talk again about healthy eating habits.  Picking foods with protein.  
It cost us $98 to get him back to a healthy weight. 
It cost her $.25 for a bag of limes bought as a present for helping her son.
 
About 60 kids faithfully come every week.
Sixty kids waiting all morning for their turn.
 
Sixty kids getting their weekly weight check.
 
Some kids don't like the scale.
 
Some scream.
 
Some scream very loud.
 
They may not like getting weighed but they do like getting to try the Mamba.
 
Because of your help we were able to open a second Mamba clinic up in Rousseau about 30 minutes away.  Some moms walk three hours to come on Wednesdays. 
 
This mom at Rousseau told me her daughter loved eating the Mamba but she was sick in her mouth.  When asked what she meant she pulled down her daughter's lips to show me two white bumps barely skimming the surface.  She was teething.
 
Want to know what you can do with an extra $5? $10? $98?
 
I do.
 
Donate to the Medika Mamba fund.
 
It takes $98 to change a child's life.
 
$98 to get a child healthy again.
 
For one trip to Wal-Mart you can feed a child for 8 weeks.
You can help make them smile. 
 
And laugh.
 
Help us help the kids of Montrouis and its surrounding community.

To donate to the Medika Mamba program go to http://www.canaanchristiancommunity.com/donate.php

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Back to Home - Back to Haiti

My dog Maddie.
How could you not love coming home to a face like this?  It has been over two months since I last wrote and time, like the past several months in Haiti, has flown by.  I took a much needed break and rest from Canaan and the adventures that living here seem to bring on a daily basis and went back to Virginia and South Carolina to visit family and friends.  

After living in Haiti for nine months you just learn to deal with and accept things that happen here.  Things that would never happen back home happen here: infrequent internet, bucket showers, no air conditioning in 100+ temperatures, sharing space with various bugs and rodents that I never thought I would see in person, getting stared at wherever you go because you are white.  

There were a lot of things that I was eagerly looking forward to when I got home...warm showers, a fridge that was always open, the feel of carpet under your feet, seeing my sweet friends. 

I remember one Sunday afternoon before I left Annie and I took some of her kids on a hike up the mountain and the whole 90 minutes back down we discussed foods that we would be eating when we got back to the States.

I remember arriving at the Miami airport looking at the hustle and bustle of travelers and thinking where am I?  I answered a vendors question in Creole, I had to put on a jacket the airport was air conditioned, the toilets flushed with no problem.  

I remember when I first came to Canaan long term visiting teams would ask if I was experiencing culture shock and I would always reply no.  I had traveled to Europe, Mexico, and various parts in Haiti and always felt I adjusted well..minus the fact that none of these places had Chick Fil A.   Maybe I should have answered I had no problems coming here it was going back that seemed to be more shocking. 

Visiting home was amazing.  I loved seeing my dog.  I loved seeing my parents and sisters.  I loved seeing all my friends.  

My two younger sisters and Mom

Hanging out with friends in Charleston


I loved the comforts of home, but felt uneasy about them at the same time.  People go hungry every day in Haiti.  Yet, there were meals that food went wasted.  People go without shoes and clothes.  Yet, Malls were full of them.  People live in tents.  Yet, large homes were common.   It took five weeks to make it into a Target.  It took just as long to not get overwhelemd when going into a grocery store.  

Six weeks was just enough time to get a break from everything.  Six weeks was just enough time to enjoy everything.  Six weeks was almost too long.  I missed waking up to hearing the girls singing in the morning.  I missed seeing my friends whom I had come to love so dearly.  I missed seeing the Mamba moms and their small babies.  I missed their smiles.  I missed the adventures, and yes even craziness, that happens here...and so I was glad to be able to have the chance to go home to rest and rejuvenate. I was glad to be back doing Mamba. 

I was glad to come back home to Haiti.