The "Bird Cage"

An option for transportation in LaCroix!

A glimpse at our Sunday

The maternity clinic

Today (Sunday) has been incredibly hard and joyful, I believe I can say this for all of us. Worship was amazing. Although I did not understand a word, I truly trust that today I experienced love and music having no language barrier. Just picture a worship service with island funk music infused with two trumpets, a saxophone and a trombone. The amount of passion that these people put into worship is like nothing I have ever seen before. They truly depend on God for all of their needs. We then had a brief lunch that included my first taste of a freshly cracked coconut and toured the compound where the clinic is.

Next task was to load this dentist chair into the "bird cage" (see above) in preparation for the first of a two day trip to the village of Paul. Monday we will be going to Paul to set up both a general health and a dental clinic. This is very exciting! Below you can see our prep of the meds for the clinic.

Later in the day we went to the "Village of Hope". Although this is one of the nicer villages outside of the mission, it is so primitive, so inhumane, and so very undesirable. The dirt is like nothing I've ever seen before. Everything is dirty, especially the people, houses and rooms. I am grateful on a whole new level for what my life is like back home. The kids will come up and ask you for candy or your shoes or hat. There is nothing you can do. My heart is broken. This is truly a nation in turmoil. I have seen animals that live better than these people do. I know God has a plan for these people and this country. My prayers are that the earthquake will draw the rest of the world into this cause and that we can truly help to change this country through The New Testament Mission in LaCroix.

Blessed Travel

The expedient travel arrangements that Ian refers to came to be because of a group that had chartered a plane for medical supply relief. In addition to the medical supplies the travelers included several people that were headed to an orphanage to bring back children that were already in the adoption process. While we were waiting for the plane to depart some extra supplies for the orphanage were delivered to the airport and everyone jumped in to help pack them for the plane. Ian and Gary happened to get caught in the action and you can see the televised news report here. When you open the link you may have to search for the Haiti report on the right. It was an awesome feeling to know that there are people in Pittsburgh that were able to donate their financial resources for the medical supplies and for the plane, and that the organizers were gracious to allow the plane's extra seats for the group traveling to LaCroix to use.

*Photo note-Upon landing Ian was immediately struck by the international presence at the airport...like this plane with assistance from Brazil that they docked next to.

Sunday , 8:00 a.m.

Ian called home to report that the team had reached LaCroix at 11:00 last night and were greeted with a spaghetti dinner graciously prepared by Pastor Pierre's wife. We were chatting while Ian was sitting on a roof top (reportedly a popular place to watch the sun rise and set) that overlooks a banana crop. He was thankful to have arrived last night so the team could go worship this morning. They will then open a medical clinic for the remainder of the day. Ian excitedly reports that Pastor Pierre has the week well planned out and he's looking forward to visits to two other villages where their extra hands will be put to use.

*Photo note-proof that Ian's in LaCroix...this is the sign in front of the school.

A Message Sent with Love and Grief

It is Saturday, 8:30 p.m. and we are riding in the back of a delivery truck with Pastor Pierre and about 1,000 lbs of medical supplies. We are driving up highway one to LaCroix. At the airport we unloaded 30,000 pounds of supplies in a hour. We drove through not even the hardest hit part of Port-au-Prince and it was worse than I could have ever imagined. There is no such thing as a house here. I am writing with an incredibly heavy heart. We stopped at the orphanage (see explanation below) to drop off supplies. We will get to La Croix at midnight. It is unbelievable to see the poverty gaps we've passed. For example, we saw a store that had the Duke basketball game on and two blocks later there was a tent city of over 1,000. We were blessed to have the chartered flight because we gained a day for the clinic work. We are going to open it first thing tomorrrow. Please do not only pray for us but the people of Haiti, they need it more than we do.

How Did Ian Get to Haiti?

After the January 12th earthquake in Haiti, this mission team that already had a trip to LaCroix planned made many changes in their itinerary so they could best support the current needs of the Haitians. Due to restrictions at the Port-au-Prince airport they changed plans to travel into the Dominican Republic. They were thankful to have this option although were sad that it would mean an extra day's travel that would cut into their work time. Yesterday the group received word that several donors had come together to charter a plane to Port-au-Prince on a medical supply mission and there was room for 14 extra passangers AND the team that Ian is serving with was invited to use the seats. Ian and the mission team were ecstatic to join the crew, a few other travels that are working with a Haitian orphanage and 30,000 lbs of supplies headed to Haiti because they will be able to start their work in LaCroix a day earlier than planned. This is a blessing.

Saturday, January 30th, 5:25 p.m.

Ian just called to say they've landed and he couldn't talk because they only have two hours to unload the plane. Praise the Lord!