Going Home

It's a beautiful day in Haiti--lovely, sunny, and breezy. Rainy season has started, and everyone has been busy planting.  You see fields of recently worked ground and the blades of corn and beans appearing.  It's an exciting time of year--reason for hope. 

Recently the ground was dug for another reason as well. This was done with joy and hope, but also a lot of sadness.  Our friend, patient, and sister in Christ, Madame Phito, went home to be with Jesus.  There was joy because she was released from her cancer-filled, painful body; hope because we have the hope of life after death; but much sadness as we see 4 young motherless children, a widower and father without his wife. We are sad too because we came to really appreciate Madame Phito in the 2 months that we related closely with her.  

 

Here is the family a few days before she passed away. 

We had the privilege of visiting her 4 days before she died and sang and prayed with her. We sang one of her favorite songs, "My Faith Looks Up To Thee". 

Please continue to pray for Phito and his family.  It's no small undertaking for him to go on without his wife--especially not here where simply putting food on the table is a daily struggle for many. 

There was also a second home coming. This was a young man named Jean Wilhem. He was in a bad moto accident. He was the driver, and his passenger died soon after the accident. Jean sustained severe head trauma, and was completely unresponsive for close to 2 weeks following the accident. His prognosis wasn't good at all. However, God saw fit to give him amazing healing!!  We were overseeing his care--did wound care, etc. He was being fed through a feeding tube, and we replaced that several times. When he started responding though, he made amazing progress. It wasn't long he could be fed without the tube. His friends Jethro and Richard, pictured below, were great therapist for him--getting him to exercise, communicate what he wanted, etc. Before he went home to the mountains, he was even talking. 

Richard, Jean Wilhem, and Jethro

Working in the medical field has it's rewarding and also hard moments, but it's so exciting to have the privilege of touching lives in crucial moments and sharing Jesus love whether to a dying person or to someone who's healing. 

Update on Madame Phito

Since I last wrote about our dear friend, Madame Phito, she has been to two different hospitals. The one simply told her that there is nothing to do and sent her home. The other one kept her a few days and did a biopsy. She is to return there Feb 15 for the biopsy results. One way or another her prognosis isn't good at all humanly speaking.We have been going to change her dressing on the affected area almost every day, until the last little bit another nurse is doing it sometimes. Consequently we are getting to know the family!  The two oldest children are girls, ages approximately 12 and 14. Next is a boy about 10 and then the youngest a 2 year old boy. Frè Phito, her husband, drives a van taxi so he's gone from early morning to later afternoon/evening. It's been a privilege getting to know them. They are a very sweet family, and I can't imagine the daily struggle and pain of what they are facing. It's hard enough just looking on knowing there is nothing we can do but easy the discomfort. 
 

Here is a pic of the 2 year old from yesterday! I think someone just gave him this hat, and he seemed quite happy with it!


  Sometimes we've gone to the local hospital with her to do the dressing so we have more instruments and supplies. Over the holidays, that proved very interesting as the hospital was poorly staffed. One day we found no doctor in the ER so ended up putting in an IV and doing 2 stitch jobs. Another time there was no doctor or nurse in the maternity ward, and we cut the cord for a newborn baby and helped a bit until things were under control! The need for quality medical care is so great!

A little boy we stitched in the ER

The doctors, Males and Felix 

The newborn we got to assist with

Please continue to pray for Madame Phito and the family. They are strengthened knowing many are praying for them. Also pray for us as we en devour to serve and bless others as God would have us!