Milot hospital

I spent all day Saturday out at Milot hospital. Its about an hour and 45 minute drive from here and basically all their patients right now are being flown in from Port by helicopter everyday. I really don't like telling alot of really sad stories but unfortunatley that is a reality in Haiti, even more so now after the earthquake. And I know they are awful and you will probably be sad after reading this, but Im telling you for the reality of life in Haiti and to urge you to pray. I cannot see anything else that will help these people except the Lord.

Milot is normally a pretty small hospital (Im not sure how many beds) but its a good hopsital and if we have anyone really sick at our clinic then we advise them to go to Milot. Right now the 'wards' are outside in 6 big army like tents. Part of the reason why they are in tents is because the hospital simply doesn't have enough room the other reason is so many of these people are still so scared to go inside any sort of building. Like today all the patients were being moved from tent 6 into either tent 1 or a building because the tent has no floor making it difficult for patients who were using crutches and other walking aids and making physio very hard. One of the nurses made the annoucement and immediatley nearly everyone shouted 'Im going to tent 1', the idea of being inside a building is just a very scary thing for people. Each tent has around 40-50 patients, they also have an ICU inside. They have been doing alot of spinal and orthopaedic surgery. Its amazing actually there are teams of people coming in from all over the world, all working together. Teams come and go for a couple of weeks at a time. After so much surgery there is alot of patients who need rehab, there was lots of orthopaedics, amputees and spinal cord injuries.....much needed physiotherapy patients!

Here are a few people and their stories how they got to where they are today.

This is Yueline she is just 32. She was in her house when the earthquake hit along with her husband and her child. She lost both her husband and her child. She lay under her house for two days before she was found and taken to hospital. Then a couple of weeks later was transferred up to Milot by helicpoter. The only injuries she sustained where a fracture dislocation of her right shoulder and a shattered elbow. Both have been fixed by surgery. I was doing some physio with her and getting her up on her feet. I also got a chance to just talk with her, being able to speak and listen to Creole is a real blessing it makes things much easier. Yueline was telling me she really has no-one, both her parents are dead and now her own family is dead. She still cannot sleep well, maybe each night she sleeps for a few hours. She doesn't cry anymore but everything is still going round in her head. She is a christian and was before the earthquake. I got to pray with her and at one point I prayed 'God we know she doesn't have anyone, or a house or a job but we know when you have God you have everything.' and it was the only bit that I prayed that she said Amen to. What a testimoney, how easy would it be for her to question God, to turn her back on him. I expected her to 'amen' to the part when I was praying that God would help her, give her comfort, give her strength. But the bit she agreed with was if she has only God then she has everything. Please pray for her, she really has no where to go after she is discharged and no one to go to. Also for her to somehow to be able to grieve and deal with what she has experienced.

I wish I had written down these girls names cos now I forget them. I was over in the children's ward, it was very cute. For some reason everywhere I go people know my name (well today I did have a name tag on!) so lots of kids were shouting julie come and talk to me. I went over to these two girls, they were so cute but such sad stories but you would never ever know by how they appear, they were so happy and giggling. The girl on the left is 14, she was in her house during the earthquake as was her mum, dad and I think one sister and they all died. She tried to run out and on the way a block fell on her left foot which she then had to get amputated. Now she is in Milot with no family and just making friends around her. Her wee friend is 12, she was at her auntie's house during the earthquake and I think maybe her cousin. Actually she described exactly where she was, she was lying with her head on her aunties tummy. Both her auntie and her cousin died, she miraculously just hurt her wrist a little. She was trapped in the house until it was dark the night of the earthquake and was calling for help when someone came to get her. Both the girls are christians and are thankful to God for still being alive, by reading their stories they shouldn't be. Everyone else who was in both their houses were killed yet they survived without even life threatening injuries.

Some of the kids in the childrens ward

In the middle of all the sad stories and injury, in one of the tents I was working in, it was a girls birthday. Her friend stood up and got everyone to be quiet so they could celebrate her birthday. Her friend said were going to sing, then recite Psalm 23 then pray and after that we'll sing Happy Birthday and that we did. I can't imagine that happening anywhere else in the world. A whole tent full of people who have just lived through an earthquake, been injured, lost their house and lost members of their family but singing How Great Thou Art, Then reciting Psalm 23. For those of you who don't know here is it

O Lord my God when I in awesome wonder consider all the works thy hand hath made,

I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee, How great thou art, How great thou art

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside still waters

He retsores my soul, my cup overflows.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his names sake

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

I will fear no evil

You are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies,

you annoint my head with oil, my cup overflows

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

After that a couple of people prayed and then we sung happy birthday, it was lovely.

Here's some more photo's of the day.

Birthday girl in the middle

sorry this post was so long!!