Update from Milot

Things in Milot are really getting quiet, from starting out with around 350 patients in 5 huge tents, we are down to around 40 in just 2 of the tents and they aren't really full. This is Marie-Genese, she is in her early 20's and lost her arm and her leg in the earthquake. She has prothesis for both and is just getting to the stage where she is walking all by herself. Every morning her and a few of the girls in her tent spend about an hour singing, worshipping God then praying. It is lovely to hear everyday and still amazes me what they have been through yet their prayers are full of praises.

We have 3 patients who lost both their legs in the earthquake, admatha, Joseph and Margaret. All in their early 20's. They were all given prothesis in June and with the girls it has taken a bit or persuasion to get them up walking on them but they are getting very good. The girls are both walking with a stick and their prothestic legs but still need a wee bit of encouragement to get up and practice.

Joesph on the other hand is probably the patient in milot who has put in the most effort with everything, always wanting to do physio and to practice walking. Where he lost his left leg is really high up so it should be pretty difficult for him to walk but he tries really hard with everything and is walking with the stick and in between the bars in walking by himself. He is also able to get himself on and off the floor. Joseph has one prayer request, he doesn't want people to feel sorry for him or have pity on him but he wants God to provide a job for him so he can provide for himself.

Joseph

Magaret

There have been about 3 babies born in milot and to me its just miracles God is bringing out of something so awful that has happened. This wee baby jeffery is just 10 days old in this photo and maybe the cutest baby i have ever seen!! His mum was in Port and lost her left arm just below the elbow but she manages so well. There is another wee baby due this week, and its mum was trapped under rubble for 3 days before anyone found her yet the baby survived under all that and everything looks good for the birth this week.

We had a special time with the girls this week, a friend of mine Kate who is from wales married to a Haitian guy but they live in the states. Anyway kids from her church in England had written cards to give to people who were in the earthquake, I have had them in my house since June and have actually even taken them to Milot but have left them in the car!!However I am glad I waited until now to give them out for a couple of reasons first there was one for each girl in the girls tent and secondly to still have people praying for them 8 months later means a lot to them. Here are some of the comments from the cards.....

'The people of haiti are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.'

'Never give up'

'The world is a small place when we pray together.'

'We are praying for hope for the people in Haiti.'

'May God help you at this difficult time, you are in our hearts.'

I was getting goosebumps translating them for the patients, knowing it was kids who wrote this and knowing how much it meant to the people there that other people were praying for them. Everyone in Haiti knows where the states and maybe Canada is but outside of that not really. One thing that really shocked them was that these kids were from England which was so far away yet cared about them.

Please continue to pray for people in Milot as they heal not only physically but emotionally. The trauma they have been through is unbelievable and with no real professional help it is going to take a long time to get over it especially as they return to Port. Saying that one of the things which has been amazing to see in Milot is the emotional recovery which has taken place. I remember the first month I was there, the tents were full, people just lying in bed all day everyday trying to comprehend what had happened, trying to deal with losing friends and family, their houses, pretty much everything they owned. Seeing alot of people crying, not being able to eat or sleep yet slowly but surely over the last 6 months I see a big change in almost everyone. Some of it began with getting out of bed, up walking, spending time outside but most of it came from talking with others who had been through the same thing, making friends with the people around them and almost everyday I would hear a group of people singing and praying together and I firmly believe that is where their healing has come from.

I just had a friend over today, Nicole (I actualy wrote her testimoney on here a few months ago) she is a student in the seminary she was down in Port for a week during the summer visiting her husband who is still there and really says everything is much the same, everyone is still sleeping in a tent which when it rains it floods and when it rains in this country it really rains, they still haven't cleared away much the rubble and people are hungry and desperate. I really don't know what it is going to take for Port to recover but they people really need our prayers. This year is election year and they are choosing the canditates right now, it would be wonderful if Haiti could have a president who wanted to do the best thing for the country and for its people. And its for that I am praying.

Outside of things going on in Port au Prince so many other situations in this country are just desperate.This is Jackson, he is just 14, well he was 14 on 10th august. He was admitted to milot the 2nd week in July, he has epilepsy and took a seizure and fell into a fire. He was at a different hospital before he came here but found out they could do skin grafts here in Milot, he had 3 grafts and really needed daily physio which wasn't available. We had been working with him as much as possible but it wasn't enough, like a wee before this photo was taken he was able to open his eye fully. His burns are healing well but they his skin is so tight. But praise the Lord a hospital in Boston with a special burns unit accepted him to look after all his treatment. His mum died when he was young so he lives with his dad and a couple of brothers and sisters. Him and his dad left last week to go the states. I can't even imagine what it would be like for them, his dad cannot read or write, they come from way out in the country in Haiti and have never left before. It will be quite an experience getting the plane and arriving in a hospital in the states, I hope they arrived safely and he is getting treated well and is much better.